Wow. WRT the post office box, they required my photo ID (driver's license) in order to register my box. I don't recall them asking me for my address, but they may have used it from my license. This is what I found online: http://faq.usps.com/eCustomer/iq/usps/request.do?session={2f2a80d0-588a-11df-7bab-000000000000}&event=1&view()=c%7Bcf7f2300-6c42-11dd-483b-000000000000%7D&objectId=&eksObjectId=&objectType=Case&isJumpEnabled=false&isContentJumpEnabled=false&vendorKey=&objTitle=&versionId=3702&searchProperties=type:natural&naturalAdvance=false&allStr=&phraseStr=&anyStr=&noneStr=&keywordStr=&tTitle=&topicFromSub=&topicsORSubUrl=&report(0000)=p{409592d0-6974-11dd-e6c4-000000000000}&bcobjectId={409592d0-6974-11dd-e6c4-000000000000}&search=PO

We ultimately ended up taking DD out of public school and putting her into a private school. We befriend the boy, took him on vacation with us...but the boy was bad news. He admitted to Dh that he used cocaine and that he went to juvie for hitting his mother..."but my mom realizes that she overreacted now". That cinched it for us. This was our DD's "first love". It was not easy to break them up. I'm embarrassed to admit that we more or less manipulated HER into breaking up with him on HER terms. So while we worked on DD to ulimately break up with the guy, she thought it was her idea all along. She is my only DD. I spent a lot of girl time with her. Shopping, going to the mall, Starbucks, movies...you name it, she and I did it. I talked to her like an adult (she had just turned 16), and she responded fabulously. I told her about bad choices I had made as a young woman and commiserated with her and what she was feeling by breaking up with him. We ate rocky road ice cream and there were tears and laughter (eventually). Finally, we were blessed with a scholarship to a private school and I broke the news to her. I told her this would give her a fresh start. She resisited at first, but within the first week at her new school she was back to being the person I knew. I realize changing schools may not be an option for you, so my advice would be to give her a reason to want to spend more time with YOU instead of the boy. My heart and prayers go out to you. :)

We're adding SOTW as our "just for fun" class. I'm also thinking about going to a four day week instead of five. I'm not certain on that one though.

Well said. :iagree: To the OP: What an amazing young man you've raised! :) If it's one thing our government does well, it's the military. Your son will be trained and lead by the best of the best. My prayers will be with you all as you embark on this new journey.

Science for DS7. We used BJU, but really, he's a science junkie. It wouldn't have mattered which program we used. We also did a once-a-month homeschooling class with the local Children's Science center. This month they learned about fossils. My back yard now has holes all over it as my budding scientist digs up every rock he can find in search of dinosaur bones and fossils. :D Reading for DS6. He went from 0 to 100 this year. I briefly panicked a couple of weeks ago when DS struggled with his final reader (BJU), but later that night he read a library book to me with no problems, and has been reading and sounding out words all over the place. American Government for DD17. She goes to private school, but she's a political junkie like I am. :D

My DS7 was very similar to what you've described. :grouphug: I think the fact that you have three very young children (an infant too, no less), that you may be overwhelmed in addition to dealing with a preschooler who is demanding. My heart goes out to you. That said, here's what we tried: 1. Redirection. When Daddy is getting ready to come home, redirect Charlie to do something fun that he normally doesn't get to do. If he enjoys cutting up magazines, or playing with cars, or playing computer games...whatever seems to be enjoyable to him, set aside a time frame where he gets to do that every day. But he ONLY gets to do those things in that particular block of time. I made a box that was for my DS. I put a package of new matchbox cars, old magazines, glue, scissors, markers (he was really impressed with markers over crayons), scrap paper, and a special treat (fruit bars, a couple of cookies, etc.). 2. Reward chart. I made my own, but there are tons of behavior charts online that you can print out. I let my DS put his own stars on the chart. I rewarded every. positive. thing. he did throughout the day. If he waited patiently for me while I changed his brother, he got to put a star on his chart. If I was able to finish a phone conversation without interruption, he put a star on his chart. If he played quietly for 15 minutes, he was rewarded. It is tedious and at times seems like overkill, but it worked for my DS. 3. Charlie Time! This goes along with the reward chart. Set a reasonable goal for him to achieve, then reward him with something special. For us, we used "Night out with Daddy". Daddy would take him to play mini golf, or ride go-karts for one hour a week (if he reached his star goal). DS7 LOVES his alone time with Daddy (and sometimes Mommy). My boys are a year apart, and any time I can spend one on one with him is a reward in his eyes. 4. Church. There's really only two options since a star chart will likely not work in this scenario. One is to have you or Dad hang outside with Charlie until it's time for Sunday school. The other is to bring along a bribe. Yes, I said it. A BRIBE. Whether that looks like M&Ms or watching a movie on your iPod. Something that you know will keep him occupied for a few minutes. 5. We changed our vocabulary. I used to use the word "naughty" when trying to correct my DS. What I learned (from his FABULOUS preK teacher) was to use "bad choice/good choice" instead. I know it sounds unlikely, but simply changing my vocabulary had an almost immediate positive result. It allowed ME to not see him as "bad" or "naughty" but rather to view it as a teaching tool for my DS. He wasn't naughty...he was making bad choices. And it allowed DS to see that HE wasn't 'naughty', his choices were the wrong ones. In general, I'm not opposed to spanking. However, I think spanking a child like this won't change the behavior. It will breed fear from him, and resentment from you. I know...BTDT. And after a while, you'll see your 2y/o pick up these 'bad habits' and the cycle will begin again. Spanking has it's place, but when you are in the midst of this kind of behavior, you are allowing his behavior to dictate YOUR response. Don't play defense; play offense! 6. Enroll him in some sort of team sport. Team sports teach children so much, and four years old is a great age to get them active. We did "Learn to Skate Hockey" lessons. My SIL did soccer. 7. Treasure Box. I still use this. I bought a cheap, pre-filled one from Oriental Trading. If my boys stay on 'green' all week, they get to pick a treasure from my treasure box. 8. While we're on the subject of "green", I bought a behavior wall chart for our school room. I bought it from Oriental Trading. It looks like this one. 9. In the middle of a fit. If it happens in a public place, just remove him from the situation. Sit in your car with him while your Dh and the others have fun. I only had to do this twice before my DS realized that I meant business. Simply walk out with him. Don't talk to him or try to reason with him. Hum the entire score of The Music Man if you have to, but don't say a word to him until everyone is calm and quiet. I kept a book in my glove box for this purpose. He could have his fit away from everyone else, and I could read a book. I've also left a full cart of groceries because I had to remove my unruly child from the store. I did take it to customer service with my apologies. ;) The point is, if your DS understands that he will be removed from the scene because of his behavior, he will learn to think before he acts. Above all, do NOT let him see any kind of emotion from you. Whew. So there's my two cents, FWIW. :lol: Hang in there. It WILL get better! Oh, one more thing...I only allowed my DS to watch Veggie Tales. My DS picks up everything, and words like "shut up" are not allowed in my house. Once I 'washed' his brain of bad choices/words, he stopped imitating it as well.

My DD's car died a couple of months ago. She has been working very hard to save money up for a new car. Well....she found one she could afford. Dh took her to see it, and it's really a cute car. She bought it for $750. It's a 2000 Saturn SC1...dark purple. It's a stick. She's never driven a stick before.:driving: Dh is taking her out to practice. :scared: He is far more brave than I am.

Give 10% to church. Give 10% to our missionaries. Donate an unspecified amount to animal charities. Specifically, places like Dog Town. Establish trusts for my kids. Buy a 'fishing efficiency' for Dh. Buy a bigger boat. Buy a house on Sanibel Island. Spend one year traveling to every NHL hockey arena in the US and Canada. Pay off debt.

That last sentence makes me sad. :( It sounds like everything turned out appropriately. Your DS sounds like a great kid. :)

Our pastor doesn't have any tattoos (that I'm aware of!), but this describes our church. We love all people regardless of where they are in live. We have tattoo'd people, goth-looking people, conservative-looking people, etc. Funny thing...I have a very pretty flower band tattoo on my left arm. I used to be so proud of it. I'm fair skinned, so the colors are as vibrant today as they were 13 years ago when I got it. But because of some snarky comments made about it YEARS ago when we attended a different church, I always cover it up now. I don't even wear sun-dresses without a sweater now, for fear of being judged harshly. And it's so silly because the people around me would think nothing of it.

Serously, my initial reaction to this is 'so what?' I mean, aren't there bigger problems going on in schools today? Isn't there a bully they need to monitor? Or someone smoking in the bathroom? IMO, and I'm a conservative Christian, this seems like it's been blown out of proportion. Am I missing something? In our schools (Florida) the kids tease each other all the time over which college team they cheer for. I can't imagine any Principal getting involved unless there was a threat of violence issued. And it would have to be a pretty obvious threat too. The appropriate punishment is to take the computer away. Anything over that is overkill and ridiculous.

Since this was my first year homeschooling, and it was Dh's idea to begin with, I felt it necessary to find a curriculum that would hold my hand the entire time. Something that would build my confidence. We use BJU DVDs. I love them. DS loves them. And now that I have our first year under my belt, I laugh at how nervous I was this time last year. I mean...it's Kindergarten! I don't know what I was so afraid of. LOL While putting together our portfolio and going through his early work, I really came to appreciate how much he's learned and how far he's come this year. So I feel like the curriculum works well for us. :)

I'm not going. It falls on the same weekend that my DD is graduating, and we'll have my parents in town for that. Honestly though, even if DD wasn't graduating, I can't see paying the money to go anyway. Ours is a 4-hour trip (one way), and by the time we pay for gas and food, it would cost us over $500 to attend! I'd rather spend that money on one of Disney's Homeschooling Days Events.

DS would love this. Thanks for sharing!

I was reading the Housing Policy for my DD's college last night. WRT roommates, their policy is that you can not request a transfer the first two weeks. After that, they want the kids to try and work their issues out with the RA before a transfer is granted. ETA: Check the university website. They will have a TON of information available for parents. They also said that they assign roommates in early June. They send you a letter with the name and email address of your roommate so that you can start communication prior to 'move-in day'. Does your child's college offer an orientation for in-coming Freshman? If so, you should sign up for it. It was rather pricey for us - $130/student, $35/parent. The students spend the night in the dorm rooms, but the parents can only attend during the day. However, they say that all of our questions can be answered during the orientation. As far as the job and car go, I guess it depends on where you live. DD's university has a shuttle service on campus, and knowing how 'cheap' our DD is, she will more than likely take advantage of that (rather than spend money on gas). LOL Our DD had her licesnse when she turned 16, and she's held a job since she was 15. Her plan is to work two jobs over the summer so she can save as much money as possible (we never allowed her to work two jobs before). I have been preparing her for years to be able to live on her own...so I guess this is when I'm supposed to give her her wings now. It's hard. I probably should have been preparing ME better. I'm excited for her...and sad that my 'baby' grew up so fast.

Can I have two? :tongue_smilie: Ted Dekker Robert Liparulo

Wow!!! That is awesome!!! Congratulations! :)

:grouphug: I don't have a special needs child, but reading your post made my heart ache for you. I just wanted to encourage you and let you know that as parents, we've all felt like we've let our children down at one time or another. By reading your post, I think you probably did the best you could given the circumstances. Is it possible to enroll her in Sylvan, or some other tutor-based class?

My DD just came home from school today and told me that her advisor informed her that she has officially won a four-year scholarship to the university she's chosen. We thought she had a really good shot at it, but we have been waiting to see if it panned out. She's not supposed to tell anyone about it until she receives the official letter from the school. I'm dying to call everyone I know and tell them the good news! :lol: She's qualified for $5000 in scholarship money from another source, and an additional $2000 from the university she'll be going to. I'm anxious for her orientation!!! We have another MONTH to wait before orientation.

My DD just came home from school today and told me that her advisor informed her that she has officially won a four-year scholarship to the university she's chosen. We thought she had a really good shot at it, but we have been waiting to see if it panned out. She's not supposed to tell anyone about it until she receives the official letter from the school. I'm dying to call everyone I know and tell them the good news! :lol: She's qualified for $5000 in scholarship money from another source, and an additional $2000 from the university she'll be going to. I'm anxious for her orientation!!! We have another MONTH to wait before orientation.

I think as homeschooling becomes more mainstream, your mom will feel less...worried...over your decision. My parents were concerned about socialization at first too. It's one of the reasons I started a blog (we moved over 500 miles away from them too). This is our first year, and as the year has progressed, my parents have come to realize that this is a far better option for our boys. They read my blog weekly and are constantly amazed by what the boys are doing vs. their cousins of the same age in ps (cousins live down the street from them). You know what's best for your child. Stick to your guns. :)

I'm so very sorry. :( This literally brought tears to my eyes. The loss of a beloved pet is with you always. Spoil him with tons of love and bacon. My Cleopatra will also be waiting at the Bridge to welcome him. ETA: I purchased this beautiful urn for my Cleo from these people: http://www.4everinmyheart.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MDT&Product_Code=MPPU They are very nice people to work with, and their product is high quality.

Excellent tips guys! Keep 'em coming! :) Love the idea about soda and wipes! It's blazing hot here by 10am (well, 'hot' by my standards!) and cool refreshments would be perfect around that time. You've also given me some ideas regarding the gooey baked goods that I hadn't considered. I don't want the stuff to start melting in the Florida sun, so we'll have to come up with items that aren't too messy too. I had planned on wrapping the cookies in individual bags (I have a ton of them left over from my Christmas baking), and tying them with cute ribbons...too much? LOL

I'm not a vet, but I have raised and fostered several giant breed dogs (Great Dane, English Mastiff, German Shepherd, and Labradors). First, as others have said, don't feed him a low quality food. Large and giant breeds can grow very fast, which can cause all kinds of bone/joint disorders. One of the ways you can combat this is by feeding him a high-quality food made specifically for giant breed ADULT dogs. Puppy food is the worst thing you can give these dogs. It contains too much protein and fat and will work AGAINST your pup. Look for foods that contain roughly 23% protein and 12% fat. LOW CALORIE is key. We used Eagle Pack for our dogs when they were puppies. It's expensive and can be hard to find, but it slows the growth down. I don't have any 'hands on' experience with HOD, but I have seen fosters with "knuckling" and I've seen them completely recover just with diet change and a splint (for severe knuckling). So there is hope that your pup CAN recover. Don't give up hope. :)

I am going to attempt my first ever garage sale. My garage has become the official 'dump site' for all things too nice to toss/donate, and I can no longer freely walk through it. It is literally a town of towering rubbermaid containers. DS7 has been desperately trying to earn/save money to buy a lego set. He has $4.00, and needs $26 in order to buy the set. He overheard me talking to Dh about the garage sale and asked if he could do a lemonade stand to "earn money for Thunder Driller". I thought it was a great idea, but the more I think about it, the more I think that selling lemonade at 7am probably won't work well. So I was thinking of doing a bake sale instead. My questions are: 1. Would you buy items from a bake sale at a garage sale? 2. Would you be more inclined to buy homemade items (cookies, brownies) or donuts from a chain? 3. What kind of pricing would you place on these items? 4. Would you feel uncomortable/obligated to buy just because it's a small child running the bake sale? I definitely don't want people to feel obligated, but I also want DS7 to earn the money and learn some lessons about wants vs. needs. 5. Do you put prices on the items you are selling, or do you let people make offers? 6. What kind of hours are typical for a garage sale? Can you tell I've never done this before? LOL Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :)