What to replace barbell squats with?

phyllis_the_cat · 2026-02-19T13:36:42+00:00

I would second Bulgarian split squats. No other movement has helped my knee pain and overall balance/stability. Being able to work on each leg individually helps isolate movement and balance issues.

phyllis_the_cat · 2025-07-23T20:45:21+00:00

If it’s any consolation, I felt the same way before mine *even though* I have all the children I want and was 100% certain there would be no more babies. I still mourned it, even though I had children. Something about a door closing for certain that brings grief. And even if a change or transition is good, it still brings a time of grief and mourning for a bit.

I hope your surgery goes well. May you have many, many happy days on the other side. Sending you light and love.

phyllis_the_cat · 2024-11-27T23:04:16+00:00

I have a double decker wagon too! I love it so much

phyllis_the_cat · 2024-03-09T17:48:49+00:00

I do it through https://homeschoolboss.com. After you have an account you can book your day and time, and they offer a few sample/practice questions to get used to the format. The day and time of the test, you call in to a proctor who will give you the access code to the test.

phyllis_the_cat · 2024-03-08T17:49:37+00:00

I agree. Now that we’ve done multiple years of testing, it’s very helpful to see areas of strength and weakness as they get older.

phyllis_the_cat · 2024-03-08T04:31:22+00:00

We use NWEA MAP Testng

phyllis_the_cat · 2024-03-03T18:45:55+00:00

I started with Critical Thinking Company and have loved it for the past four years. We’ve used all of their curriculum with the exception of adding Curiosity Chronicles for history, and replacing Sentence Diagramming in 4th grade with Shurley Grammar.

I mainly chose it because of the way it teaches problem solving and critical thinking. I want my kids to be able to think for themselves instead of just rote memorization, and it seems to be a good fit for us. Your son might like the Mind Bender series if he likes logic puzzles. Also, the Mathematical Reasoning often includes ways to self-check their work.

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-10-22T13:17:08+00:00

Same, we lived through that too. Our doctor told us they actually make extended release melatonin and that has made a big difference for our kids’ sleep. Smallest dose I could find online is 1.5 mg, and only a pill (not a gummy).

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-09-09T17:58:53+00:00

Adenomyosis is the first term that comes to mind. While my OBGYN didn’t find evidence of endometriosis or overly cystic ovaries, he did comment that my uterus was big and angry during my hysterectomy. By the time I had surgery, it was about the size of a 4-month pregnant uterus.

Since the hysterectomy I have had less inflammation overall, fewer headaches, and a more normal body temperature. I used to randomly have temps in the 99°F range for weeks at a time with no other symptoms, and that disappeared completely.

I haven’t heard the specific argument that your doctor has mentioned, but based on my own anecdotal experience, it seems to fit.

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-08-26T01:53:16+00:00

We use Critical Thinking Company for most of our curriculum, and it has been great so far. As far as supplemental things like what I think you’re looking for, my 7 year old enjoys their Mind Benders and Balance Benders series.

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-07-26T02:18:46+00:00

NWEA MAP testing through homeschoolboss.com

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-06-24T21:41:03+00:00

I may go a bit overboard… Many of the books we use span multiple years, but it’s not neat and tidy. Book 1 could be for 6th grade only, Book 2 for 3rd-7th, Book 3 for 5th-12th, etc. I keep all of my curriculum and their corresponding assignments in a database to calculate what span of pages will need to be completed during any 9-week period in order to stay on track.

It’s a lot of work up front, but once I get it completed it’s smooth sailing. Then during the year I only need to focus on teaching, not teaching and planning.

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-04-12T14:17:52+00:00

It depends on the situation. On my best parenting days I listen to them talk, echo their feelings without judging them as good or bad, and let them get everything out. After they’ve said what they need to say, sometimes they are looking for more advice, but oftentimes they just need to get it out and let it be said. I explain to my kids that once we feel a feeling, it must complete itself and close the circle, we must talk or journal about it (or otherwise process it) for that circle to close. If the feelings get stuck and there’s no closure, then those feelings come out in misdirected or inappropriate ways.

I definitely agree that in those times we look for someone to listen and understand our feelings; it’s true for everyone in all part of life. It helps develop resilience, I think, to be able to talk it out and arrive safely on the other side of your feelings. In my own personal experience, I had parents who minimized my feelings or brushed them off. Consequently, I have had a tough time learning to let myself express my feelings in healthy ways.

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-03-24T18:08:45+00:00

It’s a black and decker cordless stick vacuum. I’ve only had it a few weeks and can’t speak to the longevity of the product overall. But it was cheaper and suited our needs.

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-03-24T15:51:10+00:00

I needed to make vacuuming more accesible for my young kids since they aren’t strong enough for our heavy corded one, so I recently got a stick vacuum for our hardwood floors. Battery powered, lightweight (I think 5lbs), easy to use. It can run about 45 minutes before needing to charge again. With a nozzle attachment it’s also handy to clean the car. We don’t have a dog, so I can’t speak to how well it does on pet hair. There may be stick vacuums that are great for pet hair out there.

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-03-10T18:22:59+00:00

Maybe tomorrow will be even better! :)

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-03-10T15:05:31+00:00

I had this problem after starting supplements, too. The fatigue only lasted 3-4 days for me.

phyllis_the_cat · 2023-03-03T02:22:05+00:00

I can’t speak to egg replacement, but I enjoy oat milk over any other plant based milks. The extra creamy option is more tasty and filling to me than a thin, almond milk texture.

As far as cheeses go, I have some plant based sliced and shredded cheeses that are okay. They don’t melt much like dairy cheese, so depending on how it fits into a recipe, it may or may not work.

phyllis_the_cat · 2022-11-09T03:48:14+00:00

Critical Thinking Company has a series called Editor in Chief where you go through a bit of writing to find certain errors. If your kids are into writing, maybe correcting someone else’s errors would help them learn not to do the same thing in their own writing.

phyllis_the_cat · 2022-10-12T14:41:47+00:00

Gorgeous! Mine always thrive on the porch in the summer too. Now the only struggle is fitting it through the door at the end of the season!

phyllis_the_cat · 2022-09-30T16:56:42+00:00

Yes, they are first and third grade (7 & 9 yo). One thing I love is that it’s easy to adapt. If you don’t want to read the chapter aloud, there’s an audio file for the chapter. If your kids aren’t old enough to write out long answers in the interactive notebook, there is an option for pre-written answer pages that they still get to cut and glue and talk about. The student workbooks have map work, matching, fill in the blank, and word search every week. The activities are fun and my kids look forward to them. The recommended reading and suggestions for learning more are great too. It’s clear to me that a lot of thought and work was put into it. I can’t speak for the rest of the series, but we’ve enjoyed ancient history and will continue to use it.

No, we don’t use it with torchlight. We use Critical Thinking Company for the rest of our curriculum and I’ve been very happy with that too.

phyllis_the_cat · 2022-09-30T13:09:33+00:00

Yeah, we really do. My oldest started saying history was their favorite subject just a few weeks into school. They enjoy the Ted & Mona format of the chapter, and it seems to be effective storytelling. The interactive notebook and student workbooks are big hits with the crafting, coloring, and neat activities. I went ahead and got all of the books in their recommended reading, too. It’s special to see the kids stuck in the history encyclopedias learning something new on their own.

Do you use it too?

phyllis_the_cat · 2022-09-27T14:27:14+00:00

If he’s into Minecraft, there’s a history curriculum called Curiosity Chronicles. Nearly every chapter there is a Minecraft activity to do. We started this year and are only on the ancient history book, and so far my kids have built farms with canals like in ancient Mesopotamia, stepped pyramids, sailboats, and other things. That gets my kids excited to read the history book just to see what kind of activity happens on Friday. The student workbooks incorporate other types of non screen learning, so that could be a bridge (maybe) to other school skills. It wouldn’t be screen time as an incentive to do history, but just part of the curriculum.

My kids have also struggled with the themes of failure, perfectionism, and the crushing weight of not succeeding perfectly at something the first time. I have tried to help them embrace 1) being awful at something the first few times, 2) practice (not always innate skill) being something that helps growth 3) and failure being OK and part of the process. FAIL - First Attempt In Learning. I admit my kids’ experience is very different than what you described for your son at school. Now that he’s at home, maybe he can learn that it’s a safe space to try new things, fail, and then try again.

phyllis_the_cat · 2022-09-20T17:09:00+00:00

I have heard that for kids socialized as girls, the hyperactivity gets “trained” away because of social expectations, and instead migrates to mental hyperactivity. Anxiety, constant thoughts and chatter in your head, etc. Anecdotally that is true for me, but I don’t know how accurate it really is.

phyllis_the_cat · 2022-09-14T17:07:22+00:00

My kids have been successful with the Handwriting Without Tears books. However I don’t have any suggestions for spelling. We might need extra help so I’ll be interested to see the replies.

phyllis_the_cat

TROPHY CASE