Easter is a Christian holiday but many aspects predate Christianity. None of my children had any problems distinguishing between the religious aspects and the fun. I think it is very important to have fun and joyous aspects to my religion, especially as it relates to children. My older children received Easter gifts from their MIL before she passed away but we tend to do some candy, a home made Easter hunt, and occasionally a small gift for the season -seasonal brooch, figurine, or water pistol type of thing. This is more due to the fact that I may want to give spring type gifts even if they have no birthday then.

My middle daughter went to a homeschool dance and no one was doing freak dancing. Just regular dancing. At my oldest college, swing dancing was popular as it was at another college that my husband's colleague's son was attending. The really sad thing about some of the dancing styles that are happening nowadays is that kids are pressured to dance like that. I think a number of kids would rather be doing much more innocent dances. I remember school dances as terrifying things - who is going to ask me, what do I say, how do I dance, etc. I can't even imaging behaving like that in public at that age since I was so shy. Even kids who aren't as shy as I was must have some of them be self-concious about behaving like that/

When we lived in Belgium, I had JW come by once to visit us. Now Belgium doesn't allow JW to do their visits. I did speak limited French and they didn't speak English. So I told them I wasn't interested in their magazine but I did give them a short civics lesson on how great the US is with our freedom of religion. I could say that in French but didn't have the vocabultary to discuss our varying theological viewpoints. I think in Florida we had Mormons once and JS once and both times we said no thank you, we have a church.

We used private school option for a time but at other times, we did the county registration since it was easier to get dual enrollment with that. I didn't send in test scores. We did the testing and then sent it to an evaluator with a teaching certificate. That option only cost 10 more than testing alone and the school system never saw the tests.

I don't scare easily. That said, movies like Orfanato did. Other movies I can think of that scared me were Andromeda Strain and The Stand. I don't like slasher movies but they don't scare me, they usually disgust or bore me.

We keep the temperature at 72 for the winter and the air conditioner at 78 for the summer. Dh is usually okay with that. He is a bit warmer than me vut mainly it means that at times, he throws the comforter over on me. Now my son is very hot. He complains and I ignore. I have problems with my autonomic temperature regulation because of my underlying disease and I can get sick if the temperatures aren't right.

We are new to this area and I know that one man in our new member's class had lost his job but his wife has a job and they are okay for now. He was in recycling amd the demand for recycled materials has dropped.

Prayers here. I am experiencing wiating long times for potentially bad diagnosis here a number of times within this last year and a bit and having two such issues now, one with me and one with my daughter.

All the Presbyterian denominations that I am familiar with (PCUSA, Cumberland Presbyterian, PCA, EPC) are evangelical in the way I define it which is not anything to do with style of music, style of preaching, creationism, or anything like that. Evangelical refers to spreading the Gospel. All the churches I have ever gone to were active in spreading the Gospel. This included having VBS for the neighborhood, supporting missionaries, having mibnistries like International Students to reach out to unbelievers, sermons on reaching out to unsaved associates, etc, etc. Having been a Catholic as a child, this was for the most part a very different emphasis than they had. In the Catholic Church, there were missiniories but they were professional clergy. In the Presbyterian churches, the missionaries were often lay people. We were all encouraged to help with various efforts to expand the spread of the Gospel.

Yes, this isn't heatlhy. I would take it to a vet. Some of their diseases can be passed onto humans though most are not. None of the kittens I have ever had had this type of problem and when my adult cats get anything like that, I would take them to a vet.

I am familiar with four types of Presbyterians. Three we have attended or been member of and one is a type two of our former churches have turned into. PC-USA is the most liberal branch and the largest. Not all churches are liberal but there have been issues with gay marriage, ordination, etc. Cumberland Presbyterian- a long ago offshoot of the first Presbyterian congregations in the US. Started in the Cumberland area of the US. Main difference was no college was needed for ordination (since those areas at that time had no colleges and yet needed ministers). They dwell on the Holy Spirit more than the others but aren't doing tongues or anything like that (or at least weren't in the largest church of the denomination). EPC- split from PC-USA originally in the 1970's becuase of the increasing liberalism of it. They leave ordination of women up to individual churches but no ordination of gays. PCA- Conservative church originally based in the South. No women as elders. We are currently members of this church although I don't agree with their stand on women. My particular church has women doing many leadership roles so I can let the fact that they have no women elders go.

My 15 yo dd currently does not ride with teenagers and wouldn't. When we lived on an island in Florida and she needed a ride to home from church, she did at times (one and a half miles away, 25 mile an hour driving, coming from a church event). Here that is a different story. SHe has more experience driving than the teens here since she has been driving for six more months than them at the same age. (We have FL driving licenses). She has a facebook account and myspace too but she hasn't been using them since she finds them boring. I have the passwords. She doesn't go to the mall since she finds shopping a horrible chore. I would let her go to the movies when we lived on the island. I can't see myself letting her go alone here now nor do she want to. She stays away from loud music concerts since they give her a migraine and she hates to be around misbehaving youths so that would be a no brainer. She wouldn't go. We all have our different problems with our kids. My kid isn't rebellious but she finds it very hard to make friends and she isn't very happy. People don't measure up to her standards (INTJ) and she is very serious. She will fit in much better when she is an adult and she currently fits in well with adult. Good luck with your daughter.

I fully expect to pay over 2000 homeschooling 2 children next year. No, it won't be co-op fees for the most part that costs that much but things like video class, online AP class, dual enrollment class, etc, etc. If you can affod it and it works for your family, do it. People may wonder why we pay as much as we do- it is worth it to us. I have a chronic diseases that makes it hard for me to do as much myself. Outsourcing some of the work makes homeschooling doable for us. Not only that, for highschoolers, I think it is really wise to have them get used to other teachers whether on a video, online, or in person. All of our children will be going to college (their plans) and having experience with expectations of other teachers before they get there is very helpful.

Yes, I think it is. I am having a bit of a hard time re-adjusting to more Northern ways. (Northern Virginia is hardly southern at all). I think living in small towns anywhere can be kind of hard. I don't particularly care whether the people being friendly are really my friends. I just would prefer being acknowledging others and having a kind word and a smile. Certainly much nicer than a scowl and a frown.

Praying for all of you.

Some of the problems people have at those age have nothing to do with maturity. My oldest went off to college at 16 1/3 and did not have big problems until he was almost 19. They had nothing to do with maturity but with a sickness that typically appears in late teenagers or early adults. There are a number of those and while there are some indications that more stress may bring out sickness earlier, there is no evidence that no stress stops these diseases. As it is, I am grateful that he got two plus years of college before the disease struck. He is now back in college and trying to finish his bachelors. My next will be going to college full-time when she is almost 18 or is eighteen depending on college start dates. She will be completely ready and one of my main concerns is choosing a college for her will be the dorm situation. She has medical issues where a loud, rowdy dorm will just derail her education. I have been talking with her that it might come down to her living in eco-dorm, honors dorm, chemical sensitivities dorm, etc. We may have to simply get her a single room and very good ear plugs plus an air cleaner. Well I have at least a year to figure it out. My youngest will start at nearly 19 since she has a December birthday. Since she is my only social one, I think that will be best.

I am required to get up before seven or so but not by my husband- by my mini-poodle who needs to go out. DJ gets up usually at 6 am and gets in the shower. I wake up usually before 6:30 and take dog on walk, then I come home and deal with cat litter, wash my hands, make coffee, undo dishwasher, make his lunch if he needs it, and then eat breakfast and read the paper while he goes off to work. My older daughter normally is up doing work around 8:30 and younger one starts at 9:30. We don;t go to bed usually at the same time. Lately, I have been falling asleep in bed while reading and he is normally watching Shakespeare or reading in the living room. That is is I didn't get a nap in the afternoon. Around a certain time of month, I tend to get bad insomnia and then who knows when I am up.

I am so sorry for your family.

Absolutely the right choice. As a veteran of short term high dose, pulse therapy and long term low dose steroids, I have no hesitation in recommending steroids for a very short treatment like poison ivy. Steroids are dangerous in higher doses for longer periods. The longer the period, the lower the dose is needed not to get side effects.

My kids haven't been too lucky in making friends in the last two places we have lived. We just moved three months ago so I am not too surprised by that one. In the last place, where we lived for two and a half years, my younger made some friends who she still is keeping in contact by karate and by homeschooling coops and activities. The older had acquantainces she spoke with at youth group but not really friends. Here we haven't be able to join a homeschooling group with the right ages of kids yet. Co-ops near us where closed to new registrants, and I haven't found other groups. Our neighborhood may be a possibility but we will better find out once the pool opens. None of the neighborhoods that we have lived in since 1999 have had any friends for them to play with. We now have one girl near us whom they have talked to a few times but her parents both work and she isn't home much. Now that the wather may get warmer, I am a bit more hopeful though except for the one girl, children on our street seem to be boys or toddlers.

Both my husband and I went to a very highly respected high tier school for our undergraduate degrees. We then attended graduate schools at different institutions. Our oldest started at a small LAC and is finishing at a large state University. I don't know yet what the last two will do. That said, I am all for people starting at CC if that is their choice. I don't like highly intellectual, highly ambitious children being forced to start at a CC because of parental choice but I am equally against parents trying to push children to go to ambitious programs when the child himself or herself knows that a lesser stress program would be better.

No, we won't do this for the reasons others mentioned. I am for normal vaccines that have gone through rigorous testing and have been used for a long time. I am more willing to risk something new for a life threatenig immediate condition. My daughters are not at risk now and the vacine is too new/ Therefore it does not meet my criteria. There is a promotional poster for the vaccine at my daughter's adolescent medical doctor but he hasn't mentioned the vaccine for them. We have actually medical problems to concern our selves with and neither this doctor nor the one in Florida made mention of it at all.

After researching options, I decided to try calling the Kennedy Kreiger Institute in Baltimore which has specialized clinics in Osteogenesis Imperfecta and in Bone Health. I left a message and a diagnostic nurse called back. She was amazed that although we have seen two geneticists in the past, neither every did any blood testing at all. Anyway, they will be sending me questionnaires to fill out on both my daughters and I will do that plus send medical records that I have. Then they will schedule us for a clinic visit in the clinic they think will serve us best. Here is the thing- their clinics involve an endocrinologist, a genetic work-up, a physiatric, a Physical therapist, a nutrionist (if it is the bone clinic for osteoporosis which my youngest has), etc. etc. This is what I really wanted so that we can get answers and help for them. Thanks to everyone for advice and encouragement and I will keep you all posted as we find out why my youngest has osteoporosis and why both have hyperlaxity.

I have done it lots of times. Never with a trailer. Normally we stay at motels and do things like eat picnics for lunch and breakfast at the motel. Altogether I have travelled IL-VA-TX- Ca; CA-Az-CO-NM-OK-Tn-Ky-OH, OH-Az-CA, CA-AZ-TX-GA, GA-FL-LA-MS-TX-NM-Az-CA, CA-UT-Wy-SD-IA-OH, OH-MI-KS-NM-AZ-Northern CA, NM-TX-LA-AL-NC-VA-PA-DC, NM-OK-TN-VA-flew to Belgium, and our last mini-cc FL-VA. We have seen so many historic and natural landmarks. It is a wonderful way to really learn to appreciate our country.

Bad, both of my older will or have already graduated younger than 18. Oldest was advanced, middle is a summer child and will certainly finish while 17. I don't yet know about the youngest but I could see her compressing grades and finishing at 17 too. In terms of dropping out- many kids drop out way before mandatory drop out age anyway. It won't keep them in school. The ones who don't wnat to be there are disruptive or poorly served. For kids who have learning disabilities, adult ed often works out better than high school which is too often geared towards churning out future college attendees. I think that if I had a kid that was going to drop out, I would rather have them have that ability to do so and then enroll in a career program that is practical at CC or adult ed or wherever.