Now it's on Disney plus, is everyone able to watch Dr Who? We already had Disney plus so had no issues, but it used to be free to air so that's a bit sad. I watched the first which felt a bit clunky, skimmed through the second, lots of running about, and really enjoyed the third. I had never seen the series that that particular doctor and Donna Noble were in, so it was all new and I was really impressed by how tough the Donna Noble character was, I can see why she's a favourite companion. I feel a bit disappointed that that's that for the female Dr Who, I really liked her, but the new bloke looks like he'll be lots of fun. Are you able to see it - and what did you think?

I'm so sorry. I would definitely buy the cookies. Not being able to tell anyone irl about your husband must be incredibly stressful. I hope you get some good news soon.

I agree - get him to give to the other brother. Eventually you'll see him to do the handover. It isn't good for your husband to have to do the drive when he could have Covid - and you need looking after!

Well I guess the actor will be in a suit like on the cover of the books. And who knows, maybe a robotic voice? I don't know! I can't imagine a TV series. We don't have apple tv anyway so I'll probably just see the trailer.

Never heard of BFE and I can't work out what your "E" is? In Australia, if you mean middle of nowhere, you'd say "Back of Bourke". Actually there are probably profane versions I don't know about. I don't think it's wrong for you to tell them what the BFE stands for though, if they're using it without knowing - you've done them a service, really. If they don't like it, they can use a differen acronym.

apparently they're going to make a TV series about it. The main character is supposed to be non-binary or more literally have no gender at all, because it's kind of a robot. But despite that, I've always 'read' the character as female (probably because the author has a female name, and the books are written in first person). But they're casting a male actor . . . definitely not what I had imagined! Apple TV+ to Adapt Martha Wells’ Murderbot; Alexander Skarsgård Set to Star | Tor.com

The one gift my mother in law loved, really loved, was a book about herself through a company called Storyworth. They would email her a question once a month (and you could edit which questions so they are appropriate) and she would answer them. You can edit the response and add photos, and then they will print it out as a book. You get a pdf to check over before it prints, which is great so you can send it off to other relatives. I can't emphasise how much she loved it! She showed it off to everyone. Other than that, I vote for a lovely soft blanket. I would not get the digital frame. I've seen a number of elderly people get them and they just get pushed aside. Personally with my mother in law we tried not to get give too much 'stuff' as we knew it wouldn't be long before it got returned to us. She was in aged care at that point.

I do now . . . bought and wrapped a bunch of presents for all the kids in the friends party we were going to this weekend - but it has now been cancelled, and we won't see anyone for ages after xmas as we'll be away, so - i'm thinking I'll hold onto them for their upcoming bdays instead.

I went for a 5k walk with my friend on Monday (outdoors) - she's tested positive today after seeing someone with Covid prob on Sat or Sun (can't remember which day). Her family members haven't tested positive. Do you think it's likely I would catch it from her from that walk? Saw another person today who explained he was masked because his wife has Covid. There is definitely a big uptick locally. And we have so much going on for the next few days. It's mostly outdoors, but still.

I always recommend Lori Pickert's Project Based Homeschooling book - so helpful esp for families with gifted kids, and esp autodidacts. Basically how you as the parent can help them develop the skills for exploring and sharing their own interests. My daughter is 12 and was almost entirely self-led this year. Not only exploring special interests (ancient Babylonian mythology and its link to Greek mythology), but also forming a group of other homeschoolers who worked on a massive project involving coding, animation and voice acting. Basic maths fell to the wayside, but I had her tested and it was still way ahead of her age so I've let that concern go. I guess this year has been all about trusting her and that can be a hard thing for parents.

Do you do homemade cookies or similar? I get little gifts from my local customers and those sort of things are lovely. A little treat with a heart-felt card is special.

Yes to the electricity adapter, although you can often buy that at the airport. The only other thing I can think of is that the USA is much cheaper for a lot of things, so if there's anything she might need for study that she can bring rather than buy there, that will save money - eg textbooks.

So I think if he's still unable to stop talking and moving then the medication needs to be tweaked. Having worked with a gifted tween with adhd, he literally just couldn't do anything to stop himself. Does he have a physical diary for writing up what homework needs to be done? Once he's home and he knows what needs to be done, then you could scaffold getting it done. But if he's not sure what needs to be done, then he's not going to be able to do the homework.

Yes, but scores in maths and science have also dropped globally since 2000. Although Singapore is always up the top! Apparently they also tested creativity this year, but we won't see those scores till the beginning on next year. I will be interested to see what they found (and whether it is valid). There were a few articles before the PISA scores coming out predicting dire things for Australia, but staying steady considering the pandemic is ok, I think. It's always the same when you dig into the scores - the higher SES, the better the score; rural kids do worse; Indigenous kids do worse. So the kids in the top private schools get high scores and the kids in the poor rural schools get the low scores. Until there's a real effort to do something about the widening gap between the rich and poor in Australia, nothing will change.

Man, I can just see a plot for a murder mystery unfolding through this scenario. Or a romance novel. The accidental pictures appearing on the digital frame - who sent them? What do they mean??

These are the first post-pandemic PISA scores (an international test of 15yr olds in the OECD) and a lot of countries dropped significantly. Australia didn't, so they've ended up in the top 10, but only by staying where they were last time. So it's not improvement. I find the graphs interesting. Australia's scores over the last ten years mirror the OECD, a gradual drop overall. The USA's scores are all over the place, and very mixed, from very high in reading to low in maths. Canada's scores dropped significantly post pandemic, and the UK and NZ also. No one can explain why everyone in the OECD has dropped since 2000. Is it the test? Is it screentime? I haven't linked any articles because they all seem to be so country specific.

I'm excited to report that I got all the bird poo stains off the verandah decking. Mostly from bower birds. I used a spray bottle of half vinegar half water and let it sit, then it wiped off.

It will just be the four of us so I think pretty casual. I have got the plum pudding and crackers already, they're essential. Otherwise we usually have some sort of roast dinner. It's traditional in Australia to have seafood, esp prawns, but no one else likes them apart from me so that's that. Last year I did a baked ham and we ate it for ages - it was good but I don't know if we'll do that again.

When I was 21 I was living out of home in the city - I think last year of university? I ended up booking a nice cafe for coffee and cake and inviting a bunch of friends. It was great, just sitting around chatting and snacking. I think something like a 'high tea' can be cool, but I have to say that at 21 I would be wanting to organise it myself or at least have a lot of input! (I've just realised that 21 is drinking age in the USA, which is why the posts were about alcohol - it's 18 here).

My kids are the same age as yours and yday I had a long conversation with a friend who also has a 12 yr old about it all. Man, it's hard. I did read a good book about this age, 14 conversations to have before they're 14. Some of the points were really relevant (eg wanting to organise a playdate but being really crap at it), and some not relevant yet.

So we're in December now - time to update on your Christmas shopping! I thought I was done a while ago but bought a couple more things (including those bird pun coasters from another thread). I should really be done now. Secret Santa is how we deal with family (one for adults, one for children) and they are done. Already had our end of year work party and gave my staff a gift that they all really liked. Friend group has decided no gifts. I have a few things for the neighbours and their kids. I've got two kickstarters which are apparently sent and on their way so hopefully will arrive within 2 weeks. One is necessary for Christmas, the other can be saved for a Jan birthday if it doesn't arrive on time. I've got the kids everything (books, tshirts, board games, a few trinkets for stockings), and my husband will also get books, tshirts, and a few stocking stuffers. I bought myself my gifts (fitbit and jogging headphones) and so really - we are done. I've even bought the crackers and pudding for Xmas dinner already. So how are you going? Stuck on a particular kid or adult? Waiting on something?

My 100% favourite 2 player board game is Tak (Tak | Board Game | BoardGameGeek) If your son is into chess he'll like Tak. It's a strategy game. What I like is that it can be really quick, set up is basically nil, and even if you're not super smart you can still win occasionally. I find it interesting to play because you can see the other person thinking.

oh wow how wonderful! And what a cool grandma name!

We have a fair few (not as many as those above!) and the kids will go through a stage of playing regularly and then nothing. They're getting more for Christmas though. My daughter and husband are competitive (or struggle with losing really) so I find it a bit exhausting playing with them. I think they are good as education - socially as much as anything - so I do try to embed them into homeschool.

I love parsnips but don't buy them regularly as they're a fair bit more expensive than potatoes. They taste quite different. I'd suggest you buy some and roast them alongside potatoes and serve them, but don't pretend they are potatoes. You both might like the flavour. I'd rather a roast parsnip than a roast potato, I find them delicious.