I really can't remember. I know that I was here in 2001 but keep thinking I was here before then. I was Christina in NM or Albuquerque (can't remember which) then Christina in Belgium, and now Christina in Space Coast (for at least four more months).

Well I don't really know. Both my parents had degrees but I don't know about my grandparents since they were all dead or thousands of miles away by the time I was born. I do know that my grandparents were educated but to what extent I don't know. My father was born in 1914 and was the youngest of three. My mother was born in 1922 and since WW1 raged from 1914-1919, I don't know if or when her parents went to college. They were wealthy landed gentry but since there was a huge war in the area, who knows? My mother didn't tell me and I just knew that they were wealthy and multi-lingual. I never knew them since they died before I was born. My dh is the first in his family to graduate college and he went on to get his PhD.

I really loved Slovenia including Ljublana (sp) and the wonderful gigantic cave to the south of it. I am always telling my dh I want to go back there. I would have loved more time to explore lots of places in much of Eastern Europe. Krakow was very nice. Dresden has been almost completely restored and is gorgeous. We didn't have much time in Buda-Pest but it did look very interesting. Driving through Slovakia was a real experience. I could tell that the country was not as well off as its neighbors. Rows and Rows of nasty high rises with hardly anyone having a car. That was what was shocking. In other parts of Europe, if you are not in a major city, the middle age adults are mostly in cars. Here, everybody was walking and not for health. It seemed to me the worst casualty of communism out of the countries we visited (Crotia, Serbia, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, eastern part of Germany). There were beautiful mountains and cool castles in Slovakia but corruption was a turn-off

We were married the year I graduated from college and started working and dh was in his last year and only had part-time employment. Since most of the income that year was mine, we filed with my info including SS# first. We never changed it so we wouldn't have any problems from the IRS. So for the last thirteen years, I have had no income but still have my name first. Turns out better for us in this case too since I have a lower last two digits.

About eight years ago, we put down our beloved poodle mix at age seven. One day, he start chasing his tail around and snapping at imaginary flies. He was acting so strange that we tok him to the emergency vet. They admitted him overnight and finally diagnosed him with brain tumor. He had gone blind in the meantime. THey kept him there another day, gave him drugs for inflamation and then sent him home. He would regaind his sight and then lose it again. He was very agitated and compulsive. He started growling and snapping (something he had never done except when he had reason to like danger (growling, not snapping)) When he started in again on the fly biting, didn't seem to recognize us half the time, etc. we knew it was time. We had taken him to our own vet in that tume period to reconfirm the diagnosis. There was nothing we could do and he seemed to be suffering. Since he wasn't himself, I also didn't want anyone bit.

We lived in Albuquerque for four years. I second the Frontier Restaurant since that the one my kids still mention over six years later. Another great attraction is the Rio Grande Nature Center and bosque preserve. It explains the area naturally very well and there are great trails in the bosque. (The bosque is the heavily treed area near the river in a desert zone).

We have been getting flu shots as a family for over 20 years. That is why I think we didn't get it this year although the shots were much less effective. All those other shots together with this one probably pulled us through. I am normally on some type of immunosuppressant and can't have family members get flu. Dh is military and we get free shots.

My kids have a horrible time adjusting, especially the ADHD ones. My middle child is ADHD, is not on her regular medication right now and today was not a great day. SHe did work starting at almost nine but her thinking is off more than usual.

IF my dh gets a job he is in the running for, we would be moving overseas and get the choice of either getting a load of money for homeschooling (around 5000 for 6th grader and 7200 for 10th grader) or they would pay for the tuition at a private school (which would cost them a lot more). My older does not want to stop homeschooling. She is an introvert and wouldn't want to change tracks either. Her younger sister is a different matter. She claims she wants to be homeschooled but she does so much better working for others. SHe is an extrovert and craves social interaction. She has several opportunities a week but wants more.

We are military so we have been in many congregations over the years as we keep moving about. Some of the churches had pre-schools and the one we are members at now has this too. It is an outreach and a way to minister to children. We get families involved in the church this way. It serves a need in the community. I wouldn't use it if I had little ones most likely but I did use a Mother's Day Out program at a church when my oldest two were little. It helped with doctor appointments and other errands. Our current church has an Easter egg hunt on Good Friday which is a school holiday. The Mimister talks to the kids, there are Bible themed games and activities, we had a Christian magician perform last year, and each child receives some Christian message and symbols amongst the eggs they collect. Other churches we have been at like the base chapel overseas had an easter Egg hunt outside after the communal Easter Dinner we shared after service. Again, it can either be an outreach ministry or a fun recreation activity for Christian children or both. No Easter bunnies were ever present at these Christian events and no one seemed confused. Sunday School helps some children learn Bible basics. For others like my kids, it reinforces knowledge they already have and gives them some feloowship time and fun craft time.We don't just leave Bible learning to Sunday School. In older grades, we have homework for the teens. If I find something very objectionable, I would go to another church. I would not expect the church to change for me.

We have to prioritize rights. I won't tell you that you can't smoke in your own home since I don't need to come visit. But don't have your smoke whether it be from a wood burning stove, fireplace or bonfire invade my space. Asthma and heart attacks caused by particulate pollution kill people.

I am so sorry to hear about both of you. I will be praying. Christina in Florida

I have to agree with banning wood burning fireplaces and yes I am a conservative. Yet I believe that ones rights stop when they greatly interfere with others rights and in this case, the rights that are being interfered with by wood burning stoves are the right to breathe without problems. Smoke from wood burning fires precipitates asthma attacks and has been shown to increase the rate of heart attacks. I am fine with wood burning stoves if they has some effective way of filtering the particulate they produce.

Here in Florida, in order to get certified you have to spend months student teaching at a brick and mortar school. I was looking into this in order to see if either I or my husband (a PHD physicist) could do some online teaching. It had nothing to do with thinking I need this for homeschooling. If I was in a state where I just had to pass a test, I might do this just to get the certificate. But again, I only am considering this as a career expansion for either teaching online, tutoring, or setting up a service to help other homeschoolers (like doing state mandated evaluations). I did look at some test that was required in one state we lived in (which I don't remember) and the test had nothing to do with knowing the material being taught and everything to do with educational theory and history of educational theory. It was very dull and if you hadn't taken really boring ed classes, you would definitely have to study the material. I had taken an education class on how to teach college class and that didn't help me any with the test. (I had just checked out the practice test cd from the library and tried it) My dh didn't want to try to look for a job in CA due to high cost of living. Now we can add homeschooling problems to the mix.

I always hated this generalization. Yes, I drive my kids around. They have played soccer in the past though now no one does due to injuries.They do watch DVDs sometimes but but for longer rides like 1/2 hour minimum. Yes, I have professional hair cuts and dye jobs. No I don't get nails. Yes, I am involved with committees and groups. No, I don't drive SUVs or vans but a nice roomy sedan. No, I don't have one or two kids but I don't have a vanful of kids either. (Two at home, one at college). I homeschool. But the most important difference in the generalizations is that this idea of married moms with kids all voting Democrat is simply untrue. The fact is that married women tend Republican particularly if they are not poor. This election year my most important issues are national security followed closely by economic policy.

We are military and follow the lead of the local area laws. Here in Florida, afterschool care doesn't exist after age ten. So we started with very short trips of ten minutes or so. Now she is eleven and she stays at home for near doctor appointments. I do not leave her for more than about two hours and her father works only four miles away. Her fourteen and a half year old sister babysits at night if we are going out.

Two years ago, I was in Belgium waiting to hear if and where we were getting orders. We knew we should be packing out in late April but at this point, we still didn't have orders. This time around, we don't know what we are doing. Dh may nbe retiring and that may caus two moves ina short time since our lease is up end of June and he might retire later. If he stays in and gets promoted, we will have to be ready to move with two weeks notice. That is how its been going lately -very short notice moves. Take breaks, get help, and know that all of us are pulling for you.

My kids were playing this when we were living in Belgium. They had found out about it from their other homescholing friends. Other than obsession issues, the most important thing was that someone got ahold of my then 10 or 11 yo daughter's email and starting sending inappropriate and threatening messages. Runescape is one of the only programs that is permanently blocked at our house.

My husband did most of his work including almost all research and all coursework, comps, everything but the dissertation in three years full-time. We had no financial problems because he was an active duty officer during this and was receiving his normal pay. However, I was also working on my Phd at the time and had a four year old and a new baby. I ended up doing all my coursework and my exams in a year and a half and then I quit since I got ill and could see that my family would suffer. My husband left the institution without his PHD and moved to his next base. About a year and few months later, he came back (with me at home with my third) did two weeks of supplemantary research and then got his dissertation finished, went back and did his defense, and got his PhD. He never went back for the ceremony because we were living 2500 miles away at the time and the airplane tickets weren't cheap. So for him the total was 3 yrs fulltime and then two years finishing up not at the institution whle working long hours in his normal job which included travel and more coursework for that job. How did I deal with it? I knew the payback would be great in many years hence (it has been 10 years since his degree). He is still AD but he some better assignments becasue of his PhD. Furthermore, we don't have any of the worries of the less technical people as he nears retirement. With his degree and his clearances, he will get a good job.

Our children are older so I will put down things for this era in our life (youngest is 11). TV Columbo Dragnet Flintstones Night Stalker Star Trek Twilight Zone British Comedies Movies Many science fiction and cheesy horror from 30s to 50s James Bond movies

BA in Economics, MS in criminal justice, ABD in criminal justice (got chronic illness and started homeschooling)

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't really thought about her as medically fragile since she isn't prone to other illnesses except her main one. I completely sympathize with the poster who talked about three emergency room visits. Last week we had four doctor visits and one er trip.Plus she has opposite side effects from medicines. SHe is on one that is supposed to help prevent headaches and normally causes sleepiness. She is in the 5% who get insomnia as a side effect.

I see lots of sites dedicated to homeschooling children with learning disabilities and such but I am looking for homeschooling children who are medically il. TIA

I have talked about her a few times. However, it is getting so long, I really have to change my ideas about homeschool. She is 14 1/2, normally very smart and very hard working and has been sick with as yet undiagnosed illness since Nov. 23rd. It started as a headache which has never ceased except for sleep and now has moved into joint pains, fast heart rate, ganglion cyst in her wrist, various muscle pains, occassional breathing difficulties, etc, etc. She finally got blood tests a week ago and we are waiting on those results. They are checking for rheumatological and thyroid issues along with other things. Anyway, when her headache is low, which is less and less, she can do schoolwork like geometry and chemistry. When her headache is an 8, she can't do hardly anything. If it is a five, she may be able to listen to a teaching company lecture or study Spanish. I live in a stupid state that requires me to send in test results or portfolio evaluations and she is signed up for a test in May but I don't know whether she will be up to it. I don't think it is just the pain but also that she has very bad brain fog at times. I will be able to give her 1/2 credit for choir, 1/2 credit for PE, one credit for English, one credit for Spanish. She may be able to finish Ancient History (she has slightly over 1/4 done). She is slowly working geometry through ALEKS. It claims she will be done in 13 weeks. Her chemistry won't get done in 13 weeks since she has 15 chapters left. We are likely to be moving at least once if not twice this summer. By the end of May, she will have four credits in total (one from Algebra in eight grade) and maybe another 1 or 1 1/2 if she gets a bit better. This isn't great but is it enogh not to get the authorities from harassing us? What gets to me about anyone looking over my shoulder is that even with this illness, my daughter is the best prepared student for her outside classes, the most conscientious participant in youth praise band, and Police Explorers and keeps volunteering whenever her health doesn't prevent her from doing so.

1. Her great attitude with chest x-rays, IVs, oxygen monitors, two doctor visits, one Er visit, multiple blood tests, and constant pain from headache and now also joint pain. I just about start crying when I think how hard she has it and how hard she has been trying to do good work. 2. Her constant striving to do work including doing work in the middle of the night if she is awake and can't sleep. 3. Not only does she still try to do her schoolwork but she is also trying to enter into an essay contest, sings in the choir, went to police explorers only hours after the ER, etc, etc,