<p>Very strange your older D’s BF deduced who you were…hopefully they won’t work thru your new on-line persona.</p>
<p>Threesdad, it really wasn’t that hard reading through some of my other posts. My elder D debated through high school - she is the only fellow in class of 2015 to debate. I really don’t care about them reading my posts on their school forum, but my weight loss and hot flashes, not so much.</p>
<p>Interesting article Sally thanks!</p>
<p>Congrats on the PSAT scores-I hope the flies have arrived! :)</p>
<p>Yes, flies arrived and science project completed and turned in! Suzy100, my d’s experiments for her project conclusively established that peppermint oil worked very well for exterminating unwelcome flies. While it might be pricey to coat your office walls in peppermint oil, it sure would smell nice!</p>
<p>I’d like to try that peppermint oil on some unwelcome ants.</p>
<p>Ah Pepper, how cool that your D found an author that she loves and is reading books! I get it, I really do. Dh and I read lots of classic literature-stuff we never read or knew about when we were young-and I’ve been reading through Ellis Peter’s “Brother Cadfael” mysteries. My 2015er really wants to read them but has been stuck on the first book for weeks. He does go through periods where he reads a lot (as long as the books are highly motivating and the print isn’t too small) but by far, his favorite pastime is online gaming. 
We head back to the ophthalmologist on Monday for another round of, “You should really have the eye surgery. It will make your life better.” “Yeah, well I’ll be the one kid to go blind from the surgery.” And so it goes… sigh.</p>
<p>Re. cell phones Ha-ha, we can’t afford a phone for my 15 year old so that makes things easy. He doesn’t work, so he can’t buy one. He really wants an Ipod but he’s got to get a job first. 
My 2012er worked and bought his fancy phone when he was maybe 17. Until then, he had a Trac Phone (which Dh now has).</p>
<p>vistajay could she try pepperment oil on mice-they have cost me thousands of dollars chewing through cars and AC units-nothing seems to keep them away! My daughter finished her science project this week as well and was very unhappy with how it came out-she painted the display board and it warped it and since she waited until the last minute…you know the rest of the story!</p>
<p>sbjdorlo the author my daughter likes it Nicholas Sparks who has written a lot of lightweight but very popular novels that have it seems some romantic theme but fortunately are very clean and wholesome! She is reading with such enthusiasm I cannot believe it-maybe finding out reading can actually be enjoyable will lead her to expand her authors but I will take whatever I get! I know what you mean about the print not being too small-she also hates long chapters and of course the subject material must interest her. I am someone who loves to read and my son always has a book but her father isn’t much of a reader so I will blame him!</p>
<p>Neither one of my kids are much for video games although she can play the Sims for hours if she gets the chance. I delayed the cell phone as long as possible and my sone got his first Trac Phone in 9th grade while she got the benefit of being almost five years younger and got her first phone in 7th grade-we all got iPhones last year but I think I am the worst addict in the house!</p>
<p>My D2 is polishing her science fair report this weekend, too. She did her project on coralline algae growth patterns in and around kelp beds. The subject was kind-of fortuitous. She realized that she could do a write-up based on an oddity in data she had gathered on a scuba trip last August (teen diver certification program, run cooperatively by the Girl Scouts and USC’s Wrigley Institute). Kind of backwards from the first-form-hypothesis-then-gather-data formulation that science teachers drill into the kids, but more like how real science works, IME.</p>
<p>Ah the advantages of block scheduling, science fair was done last semester! For the first time d2 had to submit a virtual backboard. No more painting, cutting and mounting papers. I was kinda surprised how well it worked. She learned a lot about creating an e version. We were talking about it over the break and D1 told us this is how it is done in college for poster presentations. If needed, students then take the " poster" to a print shop and have it printed out. Who knew?</p>
<p>There is no science fair in our area. We feel bad about it and have been complaining. But there is no use. The board has been doing STEM festival and another thing for (all of) 7th graders. Anyway, no one is encouraged to stand out. The goal is to encourage more participation. It’s upsetting but there is nothing we can do about it. </p>
<p>So D. has been concentrating on science bowl and national history day project. It’s been fun. Next week is the science bowl competition.</p>
<p>There is no science fair here either, at least not through our school. D has participated in a before school science program and worked with her team to create a project but it’s not the same experience.</p>
<p>Sci Bowl is 2/02 here. D2 was an alternate, but one team member dropped out, so my D will get to participate. She is also doing Oceans Bowl on 3/02, State Latin Convention 3/15-17, County Sci Fair (hopefully!) on 3/19 and 3/24, and Sci Olympiad on 4/06. Then there are dance competitions 4/13-15, 5/17-19, and 5/24-27. And APs and SAT subjects this spring, too. I get a headache just thinking about it!</p>
<p>herandhisMom – you can understand why she opted out of NHD! Also why there was absolutely NO WAY she could do the spring play at school.</p>
<p>3girls3cats – maybe your D can independently submit her project to your regional Sci Fair? We have lots of independent projects here, from homeschoolers and kids whose schools have cut their Sci Fair programs.</p>
<p>Vistajay, that’s great to know about the peppermint oil! I swear if this bugzapper thing that they are supposed to install doesn’t work, I’m slathering it all over the walls - damn the cost! </p>
<p>mihcal, my head aches just reading that. How in the heck does she manage all of that?? How do YOU manage that? I’m just trying to figure out how to get my D to her driving classes. :)</p>
<p>sbjdorlo, I must have missed an earlier reference to an eye problem? Is this your S? I understand the reluctance on any eye surgery. I can’t get the Lasik done because of a weird eye thing I had when I was young, but I’m not sure I’d do it anyway for the very same reason - I’m afraid I’d be that one-in-a-million in a bad way, and I usually don’t think in those terms.</p>
<p>suzy100 – you can understand why I am so eager for her to get her driver’s license as soon as she is eligible! D2 is super duper efficient. She can focus on HW even in noisy crowded places like a dance competition changing room. She is pretty good at figuring out which corners she can cut. Her motto is never earn 99% when an 89.5% will get rounded up. Also, she seems to manage without the navel-gazing time that D1 always needed.</p>
<p>suzy100,</p>
<p>My son has something called “convergence insufficiency”. It was diagnosed so late (age 11 1/2) that his vision therapy doesn’t make it better, it only keeps it from getting worse. The doctor has described reading for my son as, “running a race with a ball and chain around your leg.” It’s hard and painful. The eye surgery is quick-15 minutes per eye-and consists of cutting and reattaching the muscle that helps our eyes converge.</p>
<p>So you can relate, can you? I guess I can, in a way. Even though the surgery is short and this guy’s done thousands of them, it’s still scary. Not much alternative except to receive accommodations on tests and in the classroom. He can wear prism glasses but they actually worsen the problem so that his eyes, without the glasses, would get even more tired than they already do.</p>
<p>Gee, that was long! :-)</p>
<p>mihcal1, yes! A driver’s license will be just the thing for your amazing daughter!</p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>Actually, she would prefer to be chauffeured and use that time to get HW done. However, that doesn’t work so well for me. :p</p>
<p>@mihcal1, Your D. has her plate full of fun stuff. Good luck with all those. Even though I wish she’d do NHD so we could talk about it again.</p>
<p>D. is making another movie. It’s going to be a fun movie. Science Bowl is next weekend close to D.C. We may have to fight with the inauguration traffic. This is the first time she is in the team. We are excited. After that, NHD, All county concerts, and a ton of music stuff, and of course APs and two subject SATs, hopefully.</p>
<p>Mihcal, your daughter is a whirlwind! Wow. I do have to laugh at her motto: never earn 99% when an 89.5 will get rounded up–I wish she could teach this youngest one a bit of that. The older one had it down pat. I can certainly understand why a driver’s license will work well for you. </p>
<p>Herandhismom, your D is also busy with some amazing stuff. Fantastic! Does your school engage the kids in National History Day projects or is that something she initiated on her own?</p>
<p>Sbjdorlo, while the surgery sounds scary, if I’m understanding it correctly, it also sounds like something that might be life-changing for your son. It’s good to read that the surgeon is very experienced. Are you and your son coming closer to doing it? (I’m also not one to do anything easily so I understand the reluctance completely.) In the meantime, does your son enjoy audio books? My father lost his sight to glaucoma and he is addicted to his audiobooks.</p>
<p>3girls3cats - My D.'s middle school required them to do National History day project. She did it in three years of middle school. Last year as freshman, she did AP gov. The teacher required honors class to do NHD but not AP class, because probably he wanted them to focus on the test. But since D. did 3 years in middle school and really enjoyed it, so she did it again and the school sent her to the county and from county she went to the state. She loves that program. I think she’ll probably keep doing it as long as she can come up with ideas. I really look forward to seeing her new movie. </p>
<p>Having kids being able to drive is so tempting!!! I can’t wait for that day to come. But then for a while we’ll be biting our nails when she goes out without us…</p>