Kid turned 3 last week. Jesus time is going way, way too fast. Feel like I just brought him home. He’s the best - so smart sassy and fun. Cherishing these days!!

Meanwhile #2 gonna be here in a few weeks.

Lil' Vulture got a job at the local BBQ joint that's considered one of the best in the state, and certainly the best in the region. They also have fantastic home made pies.

My hope is that we will have occasional leftovers.

Uncle Milty wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Lil' Vulture got a job at the local BBQ joint that's considered one of the best in the state, and certainly the best in the region. They also have fantastic home made pies.

My hope is that we will have occasional leftovers.

What style is the BBQ?

Messy.

Uncle Milty wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Lil' Vulture got a job at the local BBQ joint that's considered one of the best in the state, and certainly the best in the region. They also have fantastic home made pies.

My hope is that we will have occasional leftovers.

What style is the BBQ?

Arkansas style I bet.

TenuredVulture wrote:Lil' Vulture got a job at the local BBQ joint that's considered one of the best in the state, and certainly the best in the region. They also have fantastic home made pies.

My hope is that we will have occasional leftovers.

I have BBQ and pizza joints picked out where I want my kids to get jobs so they can learn how to make/copy their stuff.

smitty wrote:

Uncle Milty wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Lil' Vulture got a job at the local BBQ joint that's considered one of the best in the state, and certainly the best in the region. They also have fantastic home made pies.

My hope is that we will have occasional leftovers.

What style is the BBQ?

Arkansas style I bet.

Pretty much. Sort of between Memphis and texas style. Spicy tomato based sauce, though they dont use a lot of it. Pork mostly, though they make good brisket.

Uncle Milty wrote:

Phred wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Lil' Vulture got a job at the local BBQ joint that's considered one of the best in the state, and certainly the best in the region. They also have fantastic home made pies.

My hope is that we will have occasional leftovers.

I have BBQ and pizza joints picked out where I want my kids to get jobs so they can learn how to make/copy their stuff.

If those are local BBQ and pizza joints share the names so I can try 'em.

Tony's Pizza in Matthews (NY Style) or Inizio Pizza Napoletana for pizza.

The Rock Store in Stallings for BBQ. Specifically, their chicken is amazing.

Uncle Milty wrote:

Phred wrote:

Uncle Milty wrote:

Phred wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Lil' Vulture got a job at the local BBQ joint that's considered one of the best in the state, and certainly the best in the region. They also have fantastic home made pies.

My hope is that we will have occasional leftovers.

I have BBQ and pizza joints picked out where I want my kids to get jobs so they can learn how to make/copy their stuff.

If those are local BBQ and pizza joints share the names so I can try 'em.

Tony's Pizza in Matthews (NY Style) or Inizio Pizza Napoletana for pizza.

The Rock Store in Stallings for BBQ. Specifically, their chicken is amazing.

Think all the Rock Stores are the same? I occasionally hit the one in Mint Hill for brisket.

Tony's is decent - relatively consistent from location to location.

I'll definitely give Inizio a try.

Probably.

Is it bad that my just-turned-five-year-old can only write out a few letters of his name and doesn't have interest in writing or reading?

Grotewold wrote:Is it bad that my just-turned-five-year-old can only write out a few letters of his name and doesn't have interest in writing or reading?

Does s/he start Kindergarten in the fall? If so, there is plenty of time. Be sure to spend plenty of time reading to your child, which will help with language development. My oldest, who is now a 1st grader who can read, showed very little interest in reading or writing before school began.

Ideally, talk to an objective person who knows your child well. A teacher (pre-k?) would be ideal, obviously. Perhaps your child shows an appropriate level of interest in school. The teacher would also be able to suggest ideas for improving their interest.

Kids develop at varying paces too. I didn't learn to read really until first grade, (I started 1st grade when I was 6, almost 7) but I learned very quickly at that point and became and still am an avid reader. I am not sure we are doing children any real favors by pushing skills acquisition earlier and earlier.

thanks guys. we're probably over worrying because we know he watches way too much TV/iPad and his little sister is already near his level. he gets good reports from preschool.

I'll make a point to read more with him though. we did that through age three but once he had his own bed (and tougher routine) the nightly book dropped off

Reading to your child definitely helps. I think the research is pretty clear on that. My wife reads with my older daughter every night, pretty much without exception. My daughter is 7 and a pretty voracious reader already, just like my wife. Her reading and writing skills have really taken off over the last year after stalling a bit while moving from french to german schools.

But it's also true that kids vary a good bit in their learning. I wouldn't be concerned about it. Well, yes I would because that's what parents do, but as an outsider I don't think you have anything to worry about. Read to him and just give lots of reinforcement. You can also play games in the car looking at signs, etc, to make him more interested in reading the things around him. My daughter reads every sign in the elevator, etc.

My son’s interest in books right now is limited to how big it is and how far he can throw it

lol

My wife and I are both avid readers so we expected our children to be as well. The first one is exceptional. Her 5th grade class was challenged to read 375 pages in the first trimester of the school year; she read 6000+. The younger, while an excellent reader, just isn't all that into it, and that's OK.

Grotewold wrote:Is it bad that my just-turned-five-year-old can only write out a few letters of his name and doesn't have interest in writing or reading?

Not at all.

But if you're concerned, there are ways to make it fun so that he can practice the fine motor skills. Our 5yo is/was like this last summer, when we got his packet of what was expected at kindergarten. I had been going through Handwriting Without Tears* (one of the ways schools teach handwriting) with him, and he was miserable and bored.

I took a page from the middle, and got some dry-erase markers, and a surface to use them on (an Avery binder with the clear plastic overlay on the outside, so you can slip paper in between. Binder turned 90 degrees to be an angled surface.). He LOVED using the markers, and starting drawing all kinds of things. Then I started putting printables under the clear sheet so that he could practice the things he was supposed to know. He still didn't learn everything in the packet, but he's doing fine in kindergarten.

BTW, at least in our school district, dry-erase stuff is big now. At least in 6th grade, the kids got new desks that they can use the dry-erase directly on. And the handwriting practice in kindergarten is all on dry-erase.

*Of course, our school is no longer using HWT, and I think the name program is FUNdamentals - the difference is whether they're learning to make letters in parts (HWT) or all in one motion. We were rec'd HWT by a physical therapist for the oldest, which is why we have it. NBD to switch.

that's great info, thank you

Thoughts on slim fit car seats for going from one to two kids in smaller cars? We went with the "Cadillac of car seats" for our first, and I'd like to do so again, but we just don't have the space in our vehicles.

Uncle Milty wrote:

Phred wrote:

Uncle Milty wrote:

Phred wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Lil' Vulture got a job at the local BBQ joint that's considered one of the best in the state, and certainly the best in the region. They also have fantastic home made pies.

My hope is that we will have occasional leftovers.

I have BBQ and pizza joints picked out where I want my kids to get jobs so they can learn how to make/copy their stuff.

If those are local BBQ and pizza joints share the names so I can try 'em.

Tony's Pizza in Matthews (NY Style) or Inizio Pizza Napoletana for pizza.

The Rock Store in Stallings for BBQ. Specifically, their chicken is amazing.

Tried Inizio today. It was okay but I much prefer Desano.

Never been. I'll check it out. Is that the one on 3rd Street?