10 hours ago, NoneIsEnough said:

Not only has God cleared all the obstacles for us to come to Zambia, He has also provided us a place to live a year before we arrive permanently!

They're paying a year's rent in advance? I can totally see that if they're not they'll possibly turn up to find it's been rented.

This is so weird to me. Personally I'd be more inclined to try and rent furnished and keep stuff in storage for the first year at least.

I’m reading this conversation from the couch where I’m watching my daughters (9 and 6) and nephew (will be 3 in a month) playing with a bunch of colourful silicon straws. After talking about which colours they each wanted, they’re now walking around holding them on the sides of their heads as “pigtails”, on the tops of their heads saying “I’m an alien”, on their mouths saying “I’m a walrus”, pretending to use them as drumsticks, and waving them in the air like streamers. When one of them wanted the green one that another one had, they offered a swap. They’re copying each other, and building on each other’s ideas. The creativity, problem solving, and social skills involved in simple pretend play are too often underestimated, but even for older kids I think they’re so important. My girls don’t realise as they’re giggling with their cousins that they are practicing skills that will serve them long into the future, but so much comes from the capacity to ask “what if?”

Anyway. Play is absolutely essential work in child development, and kids have so many years of sitting at a desk ahead of them, no need to rush that. Also fwiw my 6yr old literally would not have opened her mouth to answer one of those questions when she was 2.5, and if she had, she would have “failed” that test too. She certainly couldn’t write all her letters and didn’t do any formal extra curricular activities at that age. Then we had 2 years of pandemic interrupting preschool before she started school in 2022. She settled in just fine and is now thriving there both academically and socially.

4 hours ago, PraiseRufus said:

Log time lurker. I don’t know why, but Austin letting Joy use a hair remover on him as an ad on Insta is cracking me up. So far from what I would have imagined years ago. 

It’s weird isn’t it? So self righteous about their modesty standards, but there’s money to be made so let’s shave our legs and video it for Instagram! Joy shaving her own legs is a long way from Michelle having her knees blurred out on TV.

Went to a few bike shops today to see what was out there and did a couple test rides.  So about six miles of riding total.  I still think I like the Verve I saw the other day the most.  I filed a claim on my stolen bike so that's out there now plus gave everyone including Jesus Christ and his brother the SN off my old bike.  I hope the fornicator that stole my bike makes a stupid mistake and winds up having the fuzz come by to talk to him and give him a couple nice metal bracelets for his wrists.  Hell, I hope he makes a stupid mistake period and has to visit the nearest greybar hotel.  Now just to wait until next week to see what they do with my claim. 

Log time lurker. I don’t know why, but Austin letting Joy use a hair remover on him as an ad on Insta is cracking me up. So far from what I would have imagined years ago.