With my oldest two....nothing. I read to them a lot, and did a lot of alphabet books and games, and one day they just started reading. With my youngest two, I am currently using Primary Arts of Language from Excellence in Writing. I LOVE it. Very well designed program.

I have a credential. A few years ago, I homeschooled a cousin who needed to leave traditional high school. She spent a semester with me. Her mom un-enrolled her, and gave no reason why. They next school year, she was re-enrolled in a different public high school program. The superintendent didn't bat an eye when we told him she had been tutored by a credentialed teacher the year before. I showed him a record of her learning (it was pretty loose) and some samples of her work, and explained what we had done during the semester. He actually gave her credit for 1/2 a semester of freshman English, American History, and pre-algebra. I was never asked to give any kind of accounting for hours. Here's the actual education code:48224. Children not attending a private, full-time, day school andwho are being instructed in study and recitation for at least threehours a day for 175 days each calendar year by a private tutor orotherperson in the several branches of study required to be taughtin the public schools of this state and in the English language shall be exempted. The tutor or other person shall hold a valid statecredential for the grade taught. The instruction shall be offeredbetween the hours of 8 o'clock a.m. and 4 o'clock p.m.

perfect job walking through the process Jenne. Thanks! Roadrunner, you will not be in jail. As homeschoolers, we quickly must learn that a.)our children actually do not belong to the state, and b.)we don't owe everyone an answer Don't live in fear! Homeschooling is far from fringe anymore. Truancy policies are much more about doing due-dilligence in order to collect ADA money for enrolled students than putting parents in jail. And, my understanding is that truancy proceedings are for students who are enrolled, but then don't show up to school. Just un-enroll your kids, and do your thing. You don't owe the school an explanation. It is your perogative to un-enroll your children. You don't have to have a reason. You don't have to give a reason. Its really none of the concern of the lady-next-door-who-works-for-the-school. California compulsory education laws say students ages 6-17 must be enrolled in a public school, a private school, or under the tutelage of a credentialed teacher. That's why you file the private school affidavit. Now your child is enrolled in a private school...your own. If you happen to possess a teaching credential, you don't have to do anything in California. But honestly, I've never heard of the state checking up on compulsory ed violations, when as student is not enrolled anywhere for a short period of time. Once you are unenrolled, you school district will likely leave you alone. And for the record, I think compulsory education laws are unconstitutional anyway...

Ds has had lots of night terrors. He doesn't remember a thing, except for when he finally does wake up. In the morning, he will remember the waking up part, but the rest of the episode, not at all. Night terrors are often bladder related. The body says "I need to go to the bathroom" but it just can quite bring itself out of deep sleep to consciousness. It just kind of gets stuck in a state of agitated sleep. The child look conscious, but they are not, and they can act really weird, freaked out, wide eyed, etc. Its OK. I had lots of night terrors at a child too, and turned out pretty normal! LOL! The first them we did when ds was having a night terror was put him on the toilet! He sometimes would go, and then go back to bed. Usually, relieving the bladder would bring him out of it. Sometimes not. Thankfully, he's now grown out of them, at age 12.

Thanks Sue! Very interesting. Just so I understand it correctly, the lectures are NOT live, but the coursework is time-sensitive, in that, assignments are due as certain times, tests are scheduled, etc? Is that right? In that case, there must not be any classroom interaction between students and teacher. Did you find that to be a negative in any way? I suppose that a science lecture is a bit different than a humanities or history lecture, where rhetoric is important. Science is more like math...present the facts, present them in a variety or ways, give examples and illustrations, and move on. No real need to ask the students what they think, since there is not more than one right answer with science and math. Did you find that to be true? Also, does this teacher present from a particularly strong either atheistic or creationist worldview? Although at highschool level, this doesn't concern me so much, though I am curious. Thanks1

I am looking for the best option of a live online science course for my son. He's currently taking Omnibus I online with Veritas and loving it. What I love about Veritas is: Master Teacher--this is the most important thing, imo. High Level Focus on oral recitation, as opposed to a bunch of answer-the-question busywork Smooth technological format that really feels like a real class Veritas offers science courses....wondering if they are as well-done as Omnibus, or if a more science-focused academy, like Apologia or Landry, might be better.

Precisely.

I have one of those sweet 9 year old girls, who will be 10 New Years Eve. She is very crafty, and although still very "little girl", she is starting to bloom, and for the first time is enjoying clothing that makes her feel pretty. On her list this year: Embroidery floss and embroidery transfers Knitting needles and yarn Sticker books Beads for Jewelry making New PJs and slippers A Pocket knife Ravensburger Puzzle This "Lego Friends" set http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Friends-3184-Adventure-Camper/dp/B007Q0O9UY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353797407&sr=8-1&keywords=lego+camper Have fun shopping!

I do! I actually have two, and use them both, alot. Mine are located on my outside, covered deck. My sister keeps hers on a countertop in her garage. My neighbor keeps her's in the basement. HTH!

I second Phonetic Zoo, because it is totally self-paced and almost completely independent. I also love the way Andrew Pudewa addresses spelling....if you haven't watched his "Spelling and the Brain" lecture, its worthwhile. Dd 9 is using PZ and TT, and they work for her. She is not a natural speller, btw.

Are the spots raised? Or is more like lacy, red patches? Fifths Disease just wend through our community, which is a virus that can produce a fever and then a rash on the trunk. The rash is kind of spotted and lacy, and not raised. Sometimes also produces very red cheeks, and is sometimes called "Slap Cheek." Very common, and very benign. I know that skin rashes can be secondary to lots of viral infections. Its probably nothing to worry about, unless he has other symptoms that are concerning.

Or, buy 25. Raise them for about 10 weeks, and then sell them on Craigslist. Many people do not want to do the chick phase, and will appreciate half grown, healthy pullets who are ready to go outside.

In my circle of friends, it would never be assumed that the inviting parent was paying. An outing to the theater here costs around $10...and with a large group, that can get very expensive very fast. But maybe this isn't the norm. Dh coached soccer and invited parents and kids to come to an end-of-season pizza party at a local restaurant. We assumed that families would attend togehter, and were quite shocked when the majority of the players (8-9 yr olds) were dropped off at the restaurant with no money. Apparently we were supposed to buy their lunch, supervise them, as well as volunteer as coaches for countless hours that season. It seemed very odd..but maybe I'm the odd one.

Wow. Thank you all! The Hive is so helpful, and I am so grateful!

I am starting to shop for a sewing machine for dd and myself. I come from a long line of seamstresses, and the gene apparently missed me. However, I can do the basics, and would like to be able to quickly hem curtain, sew a duvet cover, make a pillow case, maybe hem a skirt. That's about the extent of my abilities and interest. I have borrowed my mom's Elna in the past. But I don't think I need anything that fancy. DD10, however, is very interested in all things sewing. She needs a reliable machine that is easy to thread, and doesn't require too much fuss. I'd also like it to be able to handle somewhat heavier fabrics. I'm not looking for something fancy-smancy that can be programmed to stitch artwork, or that can quilt, etc. I just want basic, and super reliable. We had a used machine that was constantly jamming in the bobbin compartment, and was a bear to thread. Any recommendations? Thanks!

I have to admit, I do love that show. Kind of a horror fascination thing, as I watch folks load up cases and cases of generic soda and hamburger helper....and I LOVE seeing those stockpiles of 900 cases of paper towels and bathroom cleaners and razors enough to survise the apocalypse. BUT....I don't USE any of that stuff. We live in rural CA, and I don't find that our grocery stores have much to offer in the way of extreme coupon savings. And rarely are bulk, whole ingredients every even on sale. We live on a farm/homestead and honestly are producing most of our food ourselves now...milk, eggs, meat, veggies. So we mostly are shopping for pantry staples, and usually in bulk. So no, I don't coupon, and really don't know anyone IRL who does. However, that doesn't mean that I don't gawk with mouth agape at the extreme couponers! It is so fun to watch, and I have to admit, I love the idea of gettign something for nothing...even if it is MSG packages. :) Edited to add: OK...yes I supposed I DO use razors. Maybe I could become an extreme couponer for razors....

Typically, we find that chickens want to stay alive. Every once in a while though there is a stupid one who just seems not to care, and won't go indoors at night. They don't usually last long enough to pass on their stupid genes. Now turkeys...that is another story. Turkey's defy the theory of Natual Selection. They don't want to stay alive, but somehow they are not yet extinct.

Natural selection baby.

Try "The Mysterious Benedict Society" Its a triology...mystery, fantasy, great characters. My dd LOVED this series, and she also LOVED Ella Enchanted. Have your read the other books by Gail Carson Levine as well? There is a series of short novellas, "The Fairy's Mistake", "Cinderellis Glass Hill" "The Princess Test", and I think 3 other titles. My dd has read these through at least 4x. Also, try "Scumble" and "Savvy" by Ingid Law. Enjoy!

If you are concerned, and since it sounds like it was a significant sum of money, I would call the library manager and ask about the status. That will give some accountability to the staff person with whom you left the money. Hopefully you will hear that it has already been claimed!

I'm 38, med/dark brown hair, an a lot of grey...which is quite resistent. Oh, and I am absolutely CLUELESS about home beauty. I just know that I am not wise enough yet for all this grey. I got tired of paying to have my hair colored...and more to the point, I was tired of trying to arrange childcare. Huge hassle. And I hate sitting in a salon. I found esalon.com. You basically go through their rather extensive questionaire about your hair color, texture, amount of grey, and what color you want to acheive. They also ask you to upload a photo. Then, they custom mix your hair color. It is so easy, even a monkey could get it right. And that works for me. And, I subscribe so my color kit comes every 6 weeks. Quite nice. And, it only cost $25...which is more expensive than Sally's, but much less than the salon. And I am not savvy enough for Sally's!

I am an adoptive mom of 2 and bio mom of 3. Our first adoption was private, and like the op, we have a very wonderful, loving, and easy relationship with his birth family. Our second, and current adoption, is through the foster system. Newborn baby girl. Contact with her bio mom is not possible. However, her bio day is cool, and likes us, lives local, is happy about the adoption, and we're working on a relationship there. However, it is going to look a lot different than our first one, as the function level of the family is lower. I agree with the previous post that said every adoption is different. And every open adoption is unique. I think the important thing about open adoption is that YOU...the parent....know as much of the story as possible. Memories fade. Open adoption plans sometimes don't pan out. And its OK. Because what your child needs is his family, and that is YOU. But, we do need to be able to answer as many questions as possible for our children, especially the bigs ones: "Was I wanted?" "Who do I look like?" etc. We are the story-keepers. Another very important thing about openness in adoption is that is goes along way to eliminate shame. When things are secret, there is the implication that something is wrong or shameful. Whether or not you remain in contact with birth family is not as important, IMO, than remaining open with your child about his birth story, and affirming that from the very start, there was a good, loving plan, and that they were so, so wanted, and so, so loved. I'll also add that the contact we've had over the years with our son's bio family has largely been between US, the parents, and them...not my son and his bio family. We have never pushed our son to act or feel a certain way about his birth mom and brother, or aunt and uncle. We've never forced visits, or anything like that. Rather, we've planned family get togethers (like Disney land...that was fun.) We love them, and they are a part of our lives, and he will develop his own feelings and relationship with them as he matures, in his own way. But at this point, he does not have a relationship with them outside our general family relationship, and really ALL our children share this relationship with this extended family.

I also wanted to recommend the book "Radical Homemakers" by Shannon Hayes. It is a great read, and quite illuminating. "Homesteading", "Back to the Land", "Self-Suffiency" all really much more of a mindset than a specific way of life. Shannon does a brilliant job exposing this, and really offers examples of this lifestyle from the very urban to the very rural,and everything in between. At the heart of "Radical Homemaking" is the goal to produce more than one consumes, and to remake the home into a center for production rather than consumption. She also writes of 4 tenents that should be honored: family, community, planet, adn social justice, and encourages focusing energy towards these things rather than traditional wealth, in order to achieve a more meaningful and satisfying lifestyle. The book is a major expose of the consumer culture than dominates our thinking and our values in so many ways. Its a great read for anyone pondering the idea of being more "self suffient." It really helped me flesh out many of my ideals, and understand where they wre coming from.

I don't have a lot of time to post, but we made the transition from suburban dwellers to 10 acre homesteaders four years ago. We went whole-hog (pun intended) and do it all...huge garden, milk cow, goats, chickens, beef, and yes, hogs. Its been great. A TON of work. My husband is into it 100%, which make it work. You've already been given some great advice. Listen to it. There are a bazillion resources online...blogs, message boards, etc. If I could only have ONE print resource available to me though, it would be The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery. I read this book (almost like a catalogue!) cover to cover before we moved to the homestead. It opened my eyes to so many details and possiblities that I had never considered. Ms. Emery lived this lifestyle, and was generous enough to write about it in detail. Go get the book!

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