With dd1, we won't be paying more than a minimal amount for college expenses so we may end up helping some more with other expenses like sorority or club dues of any kind.

I have no idea about Frats or about ROTC since dh was OTS after college but I was just wondering about this.

Praying for you, Joanne. I am so happy it went better than you expected. It sounds very tough.:grouphug:

Older dd (16.4) gets about nine but she has bouts of insomnia so sometimes its less. Younger dd (13) gets more. She normally sleeps about 10-11. SHe is not full grown.

I wouldn't do the Iowa based on the extra hassle and cost. It is a longer test. THe extras it has don't really apply to homeschooling very well since your social science and science probably don't line up to their schedule. I have done both, can do both at home, and am choosing to do CAT again to not waste time and for the lower cost.

What a cutie! Was she born right around Christmastime? Just asking because we named our youngest Natalia was she was born near Christmastime.

Thanks for all the posts so far. My dd has not expressed a desire to be in a sorority so I am not asking because she is clammering to be in one. But I went to the University of Chicago and if anything, people dressed down over there. My only exposure to sororities was from movies and tv and I don't think that is a fair image necessarily. at all. I did want to get opinions about them since it is wise to consider options. WHen we lived in Florida, the girls in her youth group were always trying to get her to go to their school dances or even better, to school. They kept trying to convince her she would be popular. While she thought they were nice girls, she also thought they were cracked for thinking she would be popular since she is quiet and not prone to chit chat. What she didn't know, and I didn't inform her so as to not inspire a big head, is that they were right and she was wrong. She has the looks, the body, the dress, and the smarts that make someone popular. I know that in jr. high and sr. high I went to, there weren't any girls who resembled her and were unpopular. They might not be super outgoing and bubbly, but they certainly were quickly included in some group. It is the nature of social groups.

Personally I think this is far from the worse thing that Harry Reid has said. Just a few weeks ago, he was comparing senators who are against the current health plan to slave owners- huh? Then there was the time when he declared that we lost the war in Iraq which I thought was not only wrong (and it has turned out to be wrong) but also completely bad for morale in the armed forces, particularly those deployed and their loved ones home. But even if he doesn't step down, it doesn't look like we will have to listen to his gaffes for too much longer. His approval ratings in Nevada are in the low 30s which is not a good spot for an incumbent running for re-election.

It looks like dd will only be applying to schools in the south and Texas. THat may change but right now that is what it looks like. Many of the schools have a significant Greek scene. If you were in a sorority, what did you consider the advantages? If you had the funds, would you recommend, stay neutral, or not recommend sororities and why? I went to a school with no sororities so I am not very familiar with them.

I think that some students who go to those state universities that give instate tuition to illegal residents but charge out of state students higher tuition should sue on the basis of the equal protection amendment. One reason I will not vote for Mike Huckabee for President is because he wanted to give illegal residents state tuition rates while not giving military dependents of active duty service people who are serving in Arkansas in state rates. I am against illegal immigration. I don't hire knowingly illegal aliens, ever. If I am hiring someone to do some work for me, I pay on the books and it is up to the owner to make sure he hires only legals. I will say that if the worker had cause to come into my house and he was illegal, he would probably scramble. I have a Immigration Inspector patch framed on my wall right next to the award I received with them.

My particular problem is when people, including pastors, think that everyone has the same problem. We are all sinners, that's true, but we don't all sin the same way. I hate the sometime given sermon about how all men are wild guys just ready to fall into sexual sin. Some definitely are but other have other sin areas that need attention. I have been married 24 1/2 years and my dh doesn't have a particular problem with lust. Neither do I. DOes that mean neither of us acknowledge attractiveness? No. I am sure he notices pretty women. However, he does not go out of his way to find them or look for them. His viewing habits aren't puritanical but he isn't into watching scantily clad comedies aimed at teens and 20 yo. He watches engineering, political, Shakespeare, nature, action films, etc, but not hootchie-koo movies. So, no he doesn't have a particular problem with lust.

We are all avid bird watchers. Last May we went on vacation to Maine and took a boat ride to see Atlantic Puffins. It really made our girls' vacation. One of the most spectacular sights I have every seen is at Bosque del Apache NWR in central NM. There were more than a 100K geese and sandhill cranes (plus a whooping crane or 2 I didn't see). Then a fox came up and they all rose up in the air. It reminded me of seeing herd migrations in Africa which I have only seen on film. Here at our home in the woods we get all kinds of woodpeckers, juncos, sparrows, chickadees, creepers, wrens, and nuthatchers. I love to see them all.

In my area of VA, They have started using portfolio reviews instead of tests for special ed and foreign language students. Many more are passing now. The schools that are failing are usually the same schools everyone would say were failing a long time ago. But then I hear how many kids are taking AP courses and then find the average passing rate is down at 3% or 10%. I don't think those classes are truly AP at all.

My dh will be 23 years next month. Although normally he would have to stay in 2 more years to get full retirement pay at his new rank, (he pinned on Dec 08) they have changed the rules to only 2 years in grade. But those two years come due next Dec. and our middle will be in 12th grade and applying to college. There is no way we are moving during her 12th grade. The AF won't move us then and I have no problems moving either this summer or the following summer. Dh wants to get an active duty job in London next, and if he does or gets some other job he likes, he will stay in. We made a deal that I get to choose retirement spots and it isn't here. I want warmer weather (usually though I know that right now it is frigid almost everywhere). We will both be happy when he retires because he both have hobbies that are better with living in a permanent home (woodworking for him and gardening for me). But I am good for now and I do appreciate greatly the job security.

Thanks everyone. Dh will be just TDY over there with his civilian boss but I didn't really know that much about it since this is his first time ever in a war zone. (Physicists don't go very often)

I have known families with foster children who did homeschool. It is up to the state and depends how you are doing the schooling. They may very well have been in a public charter. THat said, your children are too young for you to foster. The youngest has to normally be past infancy since they don't want to burden you with too much. We fostered a little while before we had our first. Other posters advice to find out all about is wise. WHen we took our classes, I was amazed by the attitudes of some taking it with us. Some were just after the money. We found that the money did help but we ended up spending more money on the girl than the state gave us. We could also tell that the last home she was in didn't follow that ideal. SHe cam from that placement with only the clothes on her and a few garments that were for a large grownup which meant they didn't fit me at the time let alone her.

We eat 7 or 8 pm normally. We got used to this time when we lived in Europe (2003-2006) and it works with dh's schedule (leave anywhere from 6:30am to 7:30am and return usually 11 to 12 hours later). We do eat at 6:30 occasionally if something is happening in the evening.

Hi all, I seem to remember from when we were last at a base that had people going to Iraq and Afghanistan for short periods that there were tax advantages with that. I do think that people who are deployed for some time get their income tax free for those deployment months. What about military who travel there for a short period?

Praying for you.

Heard about more churches bombed. Yes, a lot of us are praying for you and for all the Christians there. Count me in.

We watched it for a few seasons. I didn't watch it at all last season but my girls did for a few weeks. I think they stopped arround the time there were 17 or 18 left. This year, I don't even think they will watch.

You are in Chicago right? Have you tried the teaching hospitals there- University of Chicago, Northwestern, etc. ? I have heard some people swearing by Mayo and others who didn't get the help they needed. But I think that can be anyplace. I have been very impressed with Johns Hopkins as have some other people I know who have different problems and are seen at other clinics. SInce you believe this is a neurological problem, start doing the research online. You will find who does specialize in intactible insomnia with other problems. There could very well be someone in Chicago. Good luck to you.

Yes, the system is skewed. Pluses are being a male, being one of several minorities, being a sought after athlete, being a legacy, or being full pay. Minuses are being Asian, female, bright but not spectacular kid, needing financial aid, being from the Northeast. There is no need to play the game. My older two haven't or won't. What you do need to do is not apply solely to top tier schools. I think in these tough financial times, particularly if you need financial aid, is apply to many and see what you reel in. My kids are only going to apply to schools they actually want to go to and that doesn't include any Ivies at all.

I am a bit confused by what you mean by American history literature? Did you mean American literature or American historical books or books that made a difference in American history?

I understand going on with high school if your children are not fully capable of everything the previous posters said but they are at the age of high school. After all, I still think children who have difficulties with school need to finish it, even if in a different format. One size doesn't fit all. But since many of us don;t stick to age/grade levels, I was trying to elicit ideas about what those people considered the hallmarks of starting high school. Thanks for all the responses.