We do the "test at the end of the year" option as well, and it's easy as can be. No hassle whatsoever! We're up in Northern VA, but my sister-in-law and her family live in Glen Allen. She homeschooled my nephew and niece there through high school (they've both graduated now), and there were always tons of things for them to be involved in. Like Chris said, I think you'll find more co-ops, Classical Conversations, and things like that. VA doesn't really do charter schools much that I know of either. Richmond isn't very far from Williamsburg, VA Beach, 2 amusement parks (Busch Gardens and King's Dominion), and there are a lot of nice things to do actually in Richmond. It's a really nice area! I think you'll like it. I don't know much about the areas around Richmond, but my SIL does live in a lovely house in a nice area-- maybe the prices won't seem too bad compared to CA! : )

I don't think this is exactly accurate. I read not too long ago a fascinating article linked by someone on here about the inventor of the pill, who was trying to mimic "normal" monthly cycles with his interplay of hormones, and with the stopping of the pill once a month so that the woman menstrated every month without ovulating. But then all these cancer rates rose in developed nations where women use the pill, but not in more third-world nations where women have a bunch of babies and nurse for awhile in between, only having a few periods from the time they are 18 until menopause. The gist of the article (I REALLY wish I had saved that link--does anyone remember reading it?!) was that stopping the pill (to have a period) is not normal at all, and women have way too many cycles (over 400 per lifetime I think the article said), and that was way to much hormone coming and going. It is actually healthy to not bleed every month, and to not have all those hormones interacting, and that is why many doctors are recommending that women just take the pill continually, only stopping to have a period maybe 4 times a year. Or not, LOL. I hope I am remembering the article correctly! And I actually am not in favor of starting the pill, either--I just don't think it is unhealthy to not bleed every month!

I am on week 2, and I am really enjoying it. I was a runner in high school, and I was pretty decent at it, but sometimes I would have this sharp stitch-like pain in my arm. While I was in college, having starting lifting weights and bulking up more in the shoulder area (to prepare for my wedding, which was after my sophomore year!), I got a big blood clot in the my shoulder area, in the subclavian vein. It turns out my right first rib had been impinging on the vein (hence the pain in my arm when running), and the added muscle mass was enough to cause a blood clot. I eventually had surgery to remoer the rib at the end of my senior year of college, but I pretty much never ran again. SO now it's been 14 years since the surgery, and my veins in that arm have healed a lot! I know this because now techs are able to draw blood from there, and they were not able to for many, many years! Plus, I've had 7 kids, and things have taken a toll, LOL. I wanted to get more bang for my workout buck than just walking, which is what I have mainly done in the past few years. Even with just walking, I have been having some problems with my right hip and left calf. Finally it dawned on me that I needed new shoes, which I just got this past weekend. I think they are helping. I love the gradual way that C25K starts! It's been great, and I am looking forward to building up my endurance. I do run on the treadmill, which looks out a window, and listen to music. It's a nice slice of alone time for me!

Our van is "JoyX7". When we were trying to figure out a good plate, we tried many different things, and I was surprised at how many big family ones were taken! (You're in VA, right? So are we.)

One time when I was checking out at Walmart, the cashier asked really casually, as she was running stuff over the scanner, if I "made a lot of money doing that". I was totally confused and asked her what she meant. She just sort of shrugged toward the kids and said, "You know . . . day care." I said, "It's not a day care--they're all mine!" but I was totally shocked. No one had ever before just ASSUMED I was running a day care! And my kids all look VERY similar, especially the 4 oldest, who are all boys with really short military-style haircuts!

Well, we have 7, so we always get many comments wherever we go. I just smile and say the same responses back to the people. I tell my kids that we may be the only big family some people ever see, so I want them to have a good impression, not a bad impression, of big families. I never liked being the center of attention either, but I will say that it bothers me a lot less than when I just had 4-5. Now it's just the way things are--normal! I would never not take my kids somewhere just because I was worried about responses from strangers! Also, we have had many, many very kind comments from people, ones that have just made my day. Older people like to say nice things to us, especially if they grew up in large families themselves. Many people talk about how rare it is to see big families out and about anymore. We have had to work on sitting quietly in waiting rooms, standing patiently beside shopping carts (we are military and visit our commissary about every 6 weeks where we buy $600-$800 worth of food and sue several carts, so it can be a real challenge), and not being disruptive in restaurants, and so on. We have certainly not achieved perfection in these areas (LOL!), but on the whole I think the kids do well and are a positive advertisement, if you will, for big families. Now my husband is a lot less patient with people, and when he sees people staring, he will stare right back at them as we all waltz on past, or he'll comment loudly to me, "At least no one is gawking!" : ) But it doesn't really bother me anymore!

We have a large family by today's standards (7 kids) and are open to more, but we aren't technically quiverfull because we have on occasion not wanted to be pregnant and so have prevented (or abstained). We do believe that each child is a blessing from the Lord, and even if we were in a stage of not particularly wanting to be pregnant, we would know that if I were to get pregnant, that the Lord had wanted that to happen! (And that did happen when I got pregnant with #6 when #5 was just 4 months old!) That being said, there is a blogger named "MamaArcher", and she has a quiverfull blogroll, with lots of blogs of people who are quiverfull, as well as a "quiverfull carnival", where people post things about being quiverfull. I have enjoyed reading many of the blogs, and there are several that I follow on a regular basis because they are very encouraging. Her blog is http://mamaarcher.com/ --look for the "quiverfull" link up near the top.

We have a 2000 Odyssey with 155,000 miles--so it looks like 2000 was a good year! We have never had any problems with ours either. We also have a 2007 Toyota Sienna, but that was because we had another baby,and we needed the 8-seater. We've been very pleased with it as well. We've had another baby since then, so we also have a 12 passenger van, but my dh drives the Ody to work, and I drive the Sienna around town with the kids (1 in the front means we all fit and I don't have to drive the huge beast around D.C.!).

We live in Northern VA, and it is easy here. We file a notice of intent each year by Aug. 15, and then one option is you have to have the kids tested yearly, and those results are sent in by Aug. 1 of the following year. Another option is to have a teacher evaluate your child's work over the past year and submit something to the superintendent saying the child has made acceptable progress (I've never used this option, so I think I've got it right, but I could very well be off!). We've always just tested, since I like to know where the kids stand. Another option is to file for religious exemption status, and once you get that, you basically don't have to file anything again. We have friends who have done this, but again, I don't have any personal experience with it. There is trememdous homeschool support here in Northern VA, with TONS of homeschool opportunities--classes, sports teams, etc. It's a great place to homeschool!

Hmmmm, no one lives there from this board? I must say that makes me a lot less tempted by this possible assignment!

My dh is considering an assignment in Toronto. It's some kind of joint teaching thing, where he would be at a professional military excellence school for the Canadian forces, like our Air COmmand and Staff College or something, I think. I am hazy on the specifics, however. I am not even sure if there is a Canadian base anywhere there in Toronto. Anyhow, my main questions have more to do with homeschooling. How is it there? Is there any support? Is it difficult? Can you get stuff shipped from the States fairly easily, or is it a real hassle? How is just living in general? We have a large family (7 kids)--would we totally stick out like sore thumbs and be uncomfortable? Do they have Sams or something similar there, so we can buy food in bulk? Our first 4 are boys, and we go through a lot of food! Would you say cost of living is comparable to the U.S.? We are in D.C. right now, which is pretty expensive, so I wouldn't think that would shock us! How about housing? We're in a 5 bedroom house now, which fits everyone really well. Would that be an unusual size? Thanks for any help you can give! Our other option is to stay here and retire, and that is pretty tempting also, to be honest. We've got a great church and homeschool group here, with really close friends, and sometimes it's just hard to think about starting over yet again, especially in another country, with no US base around!

We were at the National Zoo with my sister-in-law and her 2 year old. The wallet was down in the diaper bag, in the bottom of my double stroller. I had it at 11:30, when I bought a map at the visitors' center, but it wasn't there when we went to the car and I started nursing at 3:45. Sigh. I think it was taken when we were all distracted by one of those mister things--it was so hot and humid! The baby was in the front pack, instead of in the stroller, and the other kids were all in the mister-spray, along with gobs of other people, and we were just distracted. Still, that's nervy. We called all the credit card companies. Fortunately my dh was with us too, so I had all the account numbers right there. The cards were already being used! DH is taking me and our 2 older boys to get new military ID cards tomorrow, since those were all taken, and then I'll try to get a new driver's license. What a hassle! Now here's my question. I also had a piece of paper with all the social security numbers for all my kids on it. This may seem like a weird thing to carry around, but when we were traveling over Christmas and had to visit a different military ER, they needed my daughter's SS number, not just dh's, and it was a real hassle to track that down. So I had all of them on a piece of paper in case that ever happened again, thinking of course that it was much more likely to have a sick child while traveling, then have my wallet stolen! I've read some article in Reader's Digest or somewhere like that about people stealing the identities of children and getting credit cards, etc., ruining their credit history before they are even old enough to know what that means. Is there some way to prevent that from happening? Can you put a lock on opening new credit cards on your children's credit reports?

I believe it's Sept. 12-27.

LOL, we have an Anna Claire, named after 2 great-grandmas (on my side), as well as my dh's mother (who is Ann)! And of course, my name is Claire too, so it really worked out as a great name for us!

See, now we had a great time at Wright-Pat! It was our previous assignment, and we had good friends there and just enjoyed the nice pace of life, esp. compared to D.C. where we live now! It's in between Columbus and Cincinnati, so there are lots of things to do. A lot of people end up retiring there because it's not too expensive, but the hospital is huge, as well as the commissary, and it's just an easy place to raise a family. So we would go back there, no problem!

Hmmm, yes I could see that would be terrible! I know the Peterson housing is crappy, but we lived off-base, so that didn't bother us. We did move onto the Academy (because dh was an AOC and needed to be close), and their base housing was really nice. I guess it really does come down to the job that is there, as to whether it is a nice place to live. My dh really enjoyed his time at Cheyenne Mountain, even though he was working crazy shifts. It was one of the more "operational" jobs in his career field, and he was on a fun crew. We didn't have any kids yet, so I didn't really ever need him to have the flexibility of a regular 9-5 job. And right before I got pregnant, he switched to become an aide-de-camp for a guy out at Peterson. I was in a really supportive moms' walking group there, and we had other good friends there as well, so I felt very supported! We did lots of outdoorsy things which were really fun, with everyone, so that is why I have such good memories of the place! But if the job had been bad, and my dh totally stressed, then I am SURE I would remember it differently and never want to go back! I'm sorry you're have such a bad tour, and I hope things get better for you.

We enjoyed living in Colorado Springs--we were actually stationed at all the AF bases there over a period of about 5 1/2 years! Chyenne Mountain, Peterson, Shriever, and USAFA. It's a beautiful place with so much stuff to do. I liked Wright-Patterson, but that's probably because I have friends and some family there. It's got a huge commissary and medical facilities, and the area is cheap to live in. It's in between Columbus and Cincinnati (about an hour away from both), so there is lots of stuff to do. A nice, peaceful area to raise a family (at least it looks that way in comparison to the craziness of Northern VA, where we are stationed now!).

Well, we used to have an old one, which finally broke. I really enjoyed walking on it during my pregnancies, and I was currently pregnant, so I really wanted to replace it. I thought we would have to spend a lot of money and do lots of research to make sure we would get a good one that would last a long time, etc. My dh and I were in Walmart one evening and we looked at their treadmills. They were all so much more advanced than the old clunker I had been walking on! We ended up spending maybe $300 for one--not the lowest end, but still fairly low end--and it's been great. It's a bit wider than my old one, it has a fan (which I love!), it's moves up and down at the touch of a button (my old one you have to physically get off and crank up!) and it has more options on the monitor part. I've had it now for hmmm . . . I think 2-3 years, and I have walked on it most days with no problems, maintenence-wise. SO all that to say, I don't think you really need the high-end ones unless you are looking for some serious preprogrammed workout options and want gym-quality fitness machines! At this point, I think even the cheaper ones do most of what the average person wants to do, and they do it quite well. FWIW, I have a "Gold's Gym 450". I hope this is helpful, and that you find one you like! I do think having one has helped me exercise regularly.

I had a situation like this in Walmart a few years ago, when I was pregnant with my 6th child. I had bought a cart-load of stuff, plus a plastic dish drainer that was on the rack on the bottom of the cart. I paid, and when we got out to the car, I realized I had totally forgotten about the dishrack. All the kids were already in and buckled, but I dragged everyone out and back in to the store again. When we got in the door, the lady wanted to give me a sticker and direct me to the return counter. English was definitely not her first language, and she could not understand that I didn't need to return the item; I actually needed to BUY the item! It took a while, but I finally communicated where I needed to go, and she was very surprised! It was only a dollar or two, but I knew that not only was it wrong, it would also be a terrible example to my kids, and I was very glad I went in and paid. It was hassle though, and now I am very careful about checking the bottom of my cart!

I do albums the same way as you, it sounds like. I have family albums, and then I have a separate album for each child, so I am definitely printing a bunch of pictures each year! I have found that putting the pictures on to snapfish (www.snapfish.com) and ordering the prints from there is the most cost-effective way for me. A few times a year, I'll order several hundred pictures off of there. Since each print is 9 cents, even with shipping, it is cheaper than getting them done at Sams or wherever. We do have a photo printer at home, and when I want to mail a picture to my in-laws (who don't have a computer) or something like that, I'll print one off. But if you print off a bunch of pictures all the time, then you have to change the ink cartridges very frequently, and those things are not cheap, let me tell you! So I don't think that is the best way to consistently get all your photos printed off. As far as storing the photos, I know a lot of people scrapbook digitally, and they have the books printed off. I have not switched to that because it would be pretty expensive all at once to do (I know the other albums probably are not that much cheaper when it's all said and done, but it's more spread out in cost, you know?!), and because I like manipulating the pictures myself, writing in the books, etc. It's more like a part of me that I'm leaving my kids. Plus, I already spend enough time on the computer, and I can scrapbook with other people, which makes for a nice break for me. So I doubt I'll ever change to digital scrapbooking. But it's a good option, and it's becoming more and more popular!

We travel a LOT since we are military and are usually far from family. We also get books on CD from our library, which has a really great selection. My kids range from almost 12 down to 3 months, and my first 4 are boys, so we have a lot in common. Here are some we've enjoyed recently: Rascal (Sterling North), A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder (both by Richard Peck), The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster), The Sign of the Beaver (Speare), Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (Fleming), My Side of the Mountain (George), and The Great Brain (Fitzgerald). I hope you can find some good ones! They really make the miles fly by, especially when I am driving somewhere far away without my husband (but with all the kids)!

I plan baby showers for our church, and I'm also not a fan of cheesy games. Here are some things I've made up: --a matching game of (Biblical) names and their meanings --a mad-libs type thing where they are filling in the mom's "birth story", as I imagine it will be, LOL --a matching game where they match famous lines from famous children's books (Cat in the Hat, Little Engine that Could, etc.) --a game where they have to guess the nursery rhyme from a more formal way of phrasing it (this one you can actually find online somewhere, but the other ones I've had to make up myself) --I hand out a piece of paper, and everyone writes down a typical first mom type of question, like "how do I know my baby needs to be burped" or something. Then everyone folds over the piece of paper, so you can't see the question, and passes the paper down 2 people. Then each person writes down an answer to a typical first mom question (it can be the answer to their own question, or any other one), like "blow bubbles on the baby's tummy" or whatever. Then everyone reads the question on their paper, and their answer. Some of the combos are pretty funny! These are a few off the top of my head. To be honest, I also think you don't need any games, and the last shower I hosted was for 5 women. There were lots of women there, too many for games, and we all had a great time just visiting. Then I asked each expecting woman how we could specifically be praying for them over the last few weeks and months of their pregnancies, and we had a time of prayer for them. It was lovely! Your ideas are lovely too, and I doubt anyone will miss blind-tasting baby food or trying to put a diaper on blind-folded! : )

Oh no, she's still sick! Poor thing! We'll definitely pray for her. I have skinny kids with no reserves as well, and it is just scary when they got sick--they drop pounds and dehydrate so quickly.

Sometimes if you can call the hotel directly (not the 1-800 general Embassy Suite number) and tell them your situation, they will say it's no problem. We have done that with Comfort Suites before. I know it's some crazy fire thing, but I always say that my children are much safer all with me, not split up down the hall or whatever. Usually the underpaid desk clerk could not care less. It's worth a try anyway. It's hard to find hotels with adjoining rooms anymore, not to mention the expense!

I just had my 7th child, and I still have and wear the old-style maternity jeans from my first few pregnancies. I totally agree that the new ones just do. not. stay. up, especially in the last few weeks of pregnancy, and so they are totally annoying! That said, I think your only hope is to look at thrift stores or consignment stores. I have not seen any of the old style, big-tummy-gusset type of mat. pants in any new retail store in my last few pregnancies. Good luck!