Both of my two older took it in 10th grade. My oldest improved quite a bit for the 11th grade test and would have been a finalist if we hadn't moved (he ended up as a commended since we had moved to the highest scoring area). My second took it last year and will do so again this year. Especially for her, even the 11th grade one is a preparation for SAT and ACT. I am not expecting her to even reach commended status although I think she will do signisifcantly better than in 10th grade partly because she has had more math and lots more writing (she scored very well on writing, well on reading and average on math). The tenth grade test doesn't count for anything but I think it is good preparation for the tests that do count/

I have to take dd to PT two to three times a week so I get reading time and today one thing I read was about how exercise programs do not lead to weight loss. Now walking, gardening, etc, can lead to slight weight loss. But doing things like running, aerobic exercise, etc, generally leads to either no weight loss or often, weight gain. That is because strenous exercise leads to increase in appetite which is not satiety by eating a carrot stick. Also, the studies have shown that if you do something like running, you make up for it by moving a lot less in the rest of the day. But then the studies cannot correlate any truly bad health outcomes with overweight. They can with obesity but not with overweight. In fact, most studies are finding that being somewhat overweight is healthier than being normal or underweight. This exercise myth is our next hormone replacement therapy fiasco. There is actually good correlation between the rise in exercise through special exercise regimens and the rise of average weight. It is simple, most people can't exercise enough to make up for increased appetite and it is in the human's nature to eat tasty food as a reward for strenuous activity. Tasty food tends to be high caloric. The one health philosophy that does seem to be correlated with better health outcomes is moderation and continued mild to moderate activity. Losing weight is not correlated with better health outcomes which seems counterintuitive but I guess the strain of doing it and the unhappiness of it may counteract any so-called benefits. I don't have a problem with incentives but you need to make sure you are giving incentives for true progress not mythological platitudes that don't help health outcomes. For example, an incentive to stop smoking makes sense and will save money. An incentive to get people screened for diabetes does not, though it does help the people but it doesn't help save money. Researchers have just finished a study wherein even in 20 years out, an insurance company spent more money by identifying type 2 diabetics and treating them early than by allowing those who are having symptoms or are naturally cautious to take the incentive themselves to get tested.

We are military and switched from B of A to USAA 11 or 12 years ago. I hated B of A. I didn't have mortgage problems but did have big time problems with their banking department. I was some type of non check payment system and they messed it up and then I couldn't get anyone to help and I got charged late fees for their mistake and no one would help at all. I thought they didn't care at all for their customers. I switched to USAA and have never had a problem with my account and bill paying with anytype of loan or mortgage. Can't you refinance with some one else? I seem to remember that at the time we refinanced our then house (2003), we were one of the few who didn't change mortgage companies.

we have around 3700 sf. for 5. We had something close to that in Belgium. We had about 2000 in Florida and it was way to small even though most of the time we only had 4. I like room but then I have ADHD children, a husband who wants workspace for his science things and woodworking hobbies, and enough space to easily move around and have people over.

I am praying for all of you.

My dd has had chemistry, is doing biology this year and will do physics next year. She also did a half credit work in the summer between freshmand and sophomore year in marine science. I meant that the 2 college credits were going to count as .5 high school credit. I count 3 college credits as a 1 hs credit. Yes, she is super productive and I am so angry about the mess that the local community college made of her registration. They would have us pay more than twice what we were supposed to pay and with another one in college that we are paying full price for, we can't afford such things. We take learning vacations and plenty of them. We also watch lots of nature tv. I am thinking since she is getting three rigorous science credits with labs, and had one half credit of field science, we can probably hobnob together some other half credit. But I want easy ideas and possible course titles. Her biology will take her more than 180 hours which is why I am not interested in giving her another tough course. She is my hardest working kid and it isn't her fault she only got half a credit in her freshman year. It isn't anyone's, she just was sick and couldn't do it. If she wasn't going to try to get into tough schools, I would just leave it at 3.5 credits in science but she has expressed interest in very competitive schools so I don't want to give her a disadvantage.

My dh has never been deployed in 22 years of the military but he has more than made up for it with all the tdys he has had. ALl those years everyone else had husbands home, I didn't. And when I mean tdy's, most of the time they were not occasional but very constant like every SUnday-Friday or 4 month tdys, or like he is doing now fly out on Monday, return on Saturday fly out on Sunday, etc. I have found it to be less disruptive to our routines to just have him gone for longer. Tips from 22 years- Easier meals, restaurants, pre-cooked foods, etc.\ When my kids were little this one was more important - time by myself. I would find base daycare for my youngest and gymnastics night for the olders and go out to a movie or a bookstore by myself. I also second the idea of Netflix movies, books, etc, that you want to read or see. Get hired help as you can afford. Lawn care, cleaning service, whatever you need. If he is deployed, you probably can afford it on the tax savings. Tell people at your church so they can help. Some churches have special ministries for the spouses of the deployed like car care, or some minor home repair. IF it isn't long wait, ,move holidays and birthdays around and do them together. Our family is always celebrating some holiday or someone's birthday at an alternate date so dh can be part of the celebration, If, like me, you live far away from the commissary, see about getting at least some shopping done for you at a local grocery. Our local groceries will do the shopping for you and you can come pick it up or get it delievered for 10. I plan on doing that this fall and winter if my arthritis is acting up.

Here is the quick story. My dd has a seven month long headache that delayed her in both science and math. In math, it doesn't matter because she was ahead originally. In science, she managed to make-up half a credit with a summer program and some additional work (often done on vacations). Now I was going to have her do two credits in geology at the local CC but that isn't going to work. She has a very heavy workload with 2.5 credits in English, 2 credits in Social Sciences, 1 credit in math, 1 credit in science, and 1 credit in Spanish plus she is on debate team, playing soccer, and singing in choir. The thing I liked about the original plan for geology was that it would only take two Saturdays and two evenings for her to get two CC credits which I would then convert to a .5 college credit. Without anything else, she would graduate with 3.5 science credits but since she is considering becoming a physician, I think she should graduate with at least 4. Any ideas?

Okay I am strange. We are definetely eclectic kind of relaxed kind of rigourous classical homeschoolers. We have done a number of things in the classical way but I don't like some materials or approaches of certain classical materials. I consider us sort of relaxed because we can't be any other way with both of my girls and myself having medical issues and all of us moving on a regular basis but not on any schedule we design or can anticipate. On the other hand, we school almost all the time. I do, however, consider our vacations and trips to be some of our best learning opportunities. Some may call me unstructured since I have to adapt programs and curricula to my girls but it is structured in my estimation, just not structured in hte way the families who use all ABEKA or all BJU or all anything seem to think.

My dd will have enough credits to graduate this year but she will still do a senior year since she can still learn more. I think she will have 4 1/2 years of English, 4.5 years of Social Science, 3 years of math, 3 years of science, 2-3 years of foreign language, 2 years of fine arts, 2 years of PE and driver's ed, and probably more by the time the year is done. I will probably have her do less work next year - Math, Science, and Spanish and then let her work or do college work for anything else. SHe had less work her first year because of a severe illness, and this year she is totally loaded up with work and she worked 12 months last year too. I expect her to graduate with about 28 credits.

Thanks all. I suspected it may be something like this. SHe has traveled widely and some of her plans for next summer is to go on a mission trip to Costa Rica (and she is learning Spanish unlike Japanese), probably continuing in dive team, and maybe doing a summer session at a college. If people are hiring, she may get a job. I think those things will be worth it more and since I always plan great vacations full of learning, I am sure we will do a few more of these before college for less money.

My daughter visited five colleges recently. The one where she had an interview was very interested in her and encouraged her to apply and basically said she would be admitted. We don't need financial aid at many colleges and that was the only one where she personally talked with an admissions counselor. We were visiting during move-in time at most of the colleges so it wasn't the best time but all we could manage with our schedules. She won't be applying till next year anyway but we plan to have her fill out her applications early due to possible moving problems ( we are military and our two years are up in Nov/Dec timeframe of her senior year.)

We received a letter from People to People Student Ambassodor program wanting our high school daughter to be going to Japan next summer. Does anyone know anything about this program? I haven't told my daughter anything yet since I know nothing.

Mine is always low except when I am sick. My normal is 96.5 to 96.8. I feel feverish at 98 and anything. I feel extremely sick at 100. THe two times I had 102 as an adult I had pneumonia. I supposedly do not have low thyroid and they keep checking but I have another condition that makes autoimmune thyroid problems happen about 50% of the time and I have lots of symptoms of low thyroid, too. Oh well, it isn't getting any worse and when they do figure it out one day, maybe some of my other stupid problems will disappear.

My husband has 22years in the military so he would retire. We wouldn't live in this area since it is too expensive. He would have to be very ill not to work since his work is of the mind and can be done with no mobility (he is a physicist and can always use Stephen Hawkins as his model on how to continue to work). I have the degrees capable to work and maybe would start working as instructor at a community college or part-time in some high school. I don't think I have the health to work full time. It is one big reason I homeschool since it allows me to direct the children's education even if I am not waliking well that day or sick with another bout of bronchitis or sinusitis. I probably would have been eligible for disability myself but for the fact that I got disabled too young and hadn't eccrued enough credits in an eligible job (part of the time I worked for a state university that was exempt from the social security system).

I don't grade all things. English and History are done by papers or exams and those are graded immediately or almost so. Chemistry is by tests, again immediately. Math is also tests since she grades daily work by herself. Spanish I grade every few days but quizzes and tests immediately.

Not my dh. He doesn't want to fight anyone ever. However, he is certainly not timid. He would fight easily if he really needed to. He likes action movies, gets angry enough at the tv. etc. However, he hasn' fought in adulthood and certainly would not without provocation and since he is active duty, not even with mild provocation. We plan to go to the giant Sept. 12th march on Washington and we will not be getting into fights.

Yes, absolutely. I have Sjogren's and asthma. The Sjogren's makes me dry and puts me at increased risk from lung infections as does the asthma. Everyone else in may family is required by me to get vaccines for flu both regular and H1N1 since I am not interested in dying quite yet. Youngest dd is at greater risk herself as she gets asthma with viral infections. The other children have no special risks but are a risk to us. DH is military and will get one because of that but he also has cold induced wheezing and should get it for that reason too plus to protect myself and my youngest. I have never had a flu nor has anyone in my family and we don't want to start now. I find it miserable enough to suffer my debilitating migraines about once a month, sinus and bronchitis infections a few times a year, and sometimes, even more serious infections.

I don't think I will. I had only two at home for over 2 1/2 years and now my oldest is back home going to a local college. He will be gone either when we move again, or after he graduates, then we will have two for a short while , then my middle will leave and I will have one. Since she is the only one I have been mostly homeschooling for the last two years, it won't be a change in my homeschooling. It won't even be much quieter since she is my only extrovert. In fact, I bet it will be noisier since she will be feeling more free to have more friends over when her introverted and unsocial siblings leave. I have six years to go and am not minding the process. I have so much I want to do when they are gone. No, I am not trying to get rid of them but I do think that by thinking about future plans, I am able to succesfully transition into a new life.

My dh loves the microscope and so do the kids. He loves it so much, he decided to spend another almost 500 for a second different kind. NOw we have a great monocular miscrosope that lets us look very closely at things like bacteria and a different type that is a binocular kind that lets us focus on larger objects better. He has it out about half of all weekends so we use ours a lot. Now I don't use them much since I have vision problems that prevent me from seeing well but I think with this new kind he got, he can take photographs too.

I agree with the above posts. My dd is doing two years of US HIstory, 1/2 year of geography, 1/2 year of Government, 1/2 of economics and one year of world past ancient, and 1/2 of ancient. My son did a different sequence and I don't know yet what the youngest will do. DO what you want. I find that our children know a lot more about history than the average and even not average brick and mortar school student/

I guess we don't see it that way at all and my dh is a PhD scientist. I am not sure what you mean by fill in the blank and stuff like that. I don;t know what level you are using but I am going to be doing Life Sciences and Biology with my Jr. High and High schooler respectively this year. In truth, the Life Science resembles my high school biology a lot closer than the Biology text does. The Biology text resemebles some of my college work. I know that my husband found the physics text to be quite good when he went to lecture and help some physics students way back when we started homeschooling. Can this stuff by dry, yes, but overall I think the level is one for more advanced students. I would never recommend BJU science for struggling students.

All groups I have been involved with in the last six years or so at least have depended on email. When we have been in our transient periods, I have normally not been involved in groups but I would go to a terminal at least once every two days and check my emails. In the military, it is assumed you have internet capaciy since so much is no longer published. I just wished they would quickly update their lodging so instead of going to the library or the airmen's lounge, I could at least walk down to the lobby.

Praying for you and please don't stress the school. Do what you can but be gracious and it will work out for you. The year of our Jobean problems turned out to be the year when my dds achieved the greatest gains on their test scores and it certainly wasn't the school work I had them do that year since it really was the year of turmoil. Take care of your husband's medical problems first. That is the most important thing.

I don't overschedule the kids but they do have full schedules. FOr my older dd this year, that includes Honor Society once a month, 4h twice a month, debate twice a month plus meetings with partner, choir once a week practice plus getting to church earlier and singing at church plus after church practice when youth choir starts again, soccer once a week, co-op classes once a week, and probably volunteering at the library once a week. How much does all this cost- hardly anything. THe soccer is something like 35 a season, the co-op classes are 75 a year, the debate is about 100 a year, and the 4h is about 10 a year. There is no cost to the choirs and no cost for volunteering. She was on dive team in the summer and I think that cost about 100 for the season. Her younger sister has other costs: band class for 270 a year plus books, co-op for 75 plus an additional 15 for her materials, 4h for 10, youth choir and volunteering are free. Although one of the ways we may decide to volunteer this year is to foster a kitten and then we woud have to pay for its food.