Vocation. My vocation as wife, mother, teacher. I want to dedicate myself to deliberately fulfilling those roles to the very best of my abilities.

I answered Other because during football season I like the college and pro football articles. The rest of the year, I don't usually follow the sports sections unless there is something big going on with the local NBA team. My other favorite section is the Lifestyle section which covers everything from health & fitness to home improvement and gardening.

For example, my dh and I have several mutual "friends". If I post something to my sister's wall, it will usually show up in Dh's feed, even though I posted it directly to her wall, because the three of us are all "friends". Or if dh likes a post that has a public setting, it will show up in my feed that "dh liked post by xyz". Is that the kind of thing you're talking about?

Another vote for Tina's planner pages. http://www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com I also like Rod & Staff's planner. https://www.milestonebooks.com/item/1-65680/?list=Teacher_Helps Very simple and inexpensive.

I've only done one cruise and it was around the Hawaiian Islands and our kids did not go but I'll share my thoughts for whatever they're worth :) It was great fun and we really enjoyed it and would do it again if we could use the same cruise line which was NCL. It was a 7 day cruise and we made stops at 5 of the islands. We sailed overnight and went into port during the day. There was one day we stayed on the ship and didn't go to the island where we were stopped and it was great. DH went to a chocolate tasting and I stayed by the pool and read and drank lots of mixed drinks. It was heavenly :) There were a lot of different activities on board the ship to choose from. NCL has a meal policy (which has a name but I can't remember it) where you eat whenever you want, wherever you want. My understanding (which could be wrong) is that other cruise lines have set meal times and table assignments---which would be torture for me (serious introvert who does not want to eat meals with a table full of strangers.) If, however, you like meeting new people, the way other cruise lines do meals would probably be fun. The cruise staff was great, very helpful with questions. The shows we attended on board were well done, lots of fun. The other thing that really stood out for me, was that nothing we did on board, was crowded. I guess, there being so many different things to do, people were really spread out across the ship. That was really nice. I can't help with cost as the cruise was a bonus from dh's work but checking with Costco is a great suggestion or look at going directly through the cruise line or a travel agent. Edited to add: I just realized that cruise was about 8 years ago, so it's been awhile. I don't know how much things may have changed.

We are taking off this whole week. Then we'll take off three weeks over Christmas & New Years. Either 12/15-1/2 or more likely, 12/22-1/9. (I have dr appts I want to schedule for right after the first of the year so I figured it made more sense to take off that entire week.) Or maybe we'll just have a light week that first full week of Jan.

67 inches, women's 9 76 inches, men's 14

I have the same one and am very happy with it. Just mix, pour, and walk away.

Currently I am using this one from Rod & Staff. It is undated. https://www.milestonebooks.com/item/1-65680/?list=Teacher_Helps I have also put together my own using the planning pages from Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus. She also makes a point of using undated planner pages. http://www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com/free-printables/7-step-curriculum-planner/

These. I've used these same clips for about 6 yrs now. You could use safety pins, but I would be worried about the pins coming undone and accidentally poking myself. Ouch! :)

I have no suggestions but would be interested in something like this myself.

Bumping back to the top so we're all reminded to vote.

This happened to one of my high school friends. I didn't want to ask too many questions about what was obviously a painful topic but my understanding was that the stepmother decreed my friend must leave the home immediately upon graduation. And my friend's father, for whatever reason, did not stand up for his daughter, in part, according to my friend, because the house was in the stepmother's name. My friend did ok, but I always thought that must have been so scary, having no safety net and having to provide for yourself whether you are ready or not. Observing that situation play out, made a huge impact on me. It is very important to me that my children know they have a safe place to live and parental support as long as they need it, as much as we can provide it.

Yes.

Congratulations!

My dd loves the Key to...series. And the concepts seem to be sticking (knock on wood). Jennifer

That part of your quote that I bolded---that's all I would ask. Jennifer

Speaking only for myself, I don't expect anything from you. You don't have to initiate conversation with me, or draw me into a group if you don't want to or if you are busy. Just, if I'm standing at the outskirts looking awkward and uncomfortable, please don't sneer at me for looking awkward and uncomfortable. Don't feel obligated to help me, especially if you are going to be noticeably irritated with me for being awkward and uncomfortable. That's all. Jennifer

I would not disagree with any of this. But I think you can do all this and still have compassion for those who might struggle. Jennifer

Yes, it is a basic skill everyone should have. Yes, I can initiate conversation and ask questions as necessary. Being able to do those things does not make it easier to do them. It's still awkward. It's still uncomfortable. And I'm very proud of myself when I push through that. So it's very discouraging to read Homeschool Mom's post and hear the derision she has for those of us that struggle. No, I don't "expect" a "welcome wagon" or "expect" anyone to initiate conversation but I am so very grateful to those people who are kind enough to do so. And no, I don't expect anyone to "compensate" for me. Just be nice, grant us a little grace, and assume we're doing the best we can with the skills and the personality we have. Not everyone has the personality to walk into a room and take charge or jump into conversation with a unknown group of women. Count yourself lucky if you can do that with relative ease. Jennifer, who will admit to being a bit sensitive on this topic

I'm sure you didn't intend it to do so, but this whole post makes this socially awkward, introverted homeschooler want to curl up in a ball and cry and never leave my house. It's hard enough being the new person, let alone having to initiate conversation with people who are already in groups and/or busy with other things. I'm so grateful for those people who've gone out of their way to try and include me (or others like me). Jennifer

Without giving too many details (honestly, I think I could write a book), we finally put an end to a yrs-long neighborhood friendship this summer. None of us (dh, myself, or dd) could deal with the mother of the other girls (sisters) any longer. She thrives on drama and conflict and creates issues where there are none. It's unfortunate. Jennifer Edited to remove some details.

Well, yesterday and today turned out to be a bust, much as I thought they would be, but tomorrow is another day so there is hope :) Jennifer

Ok, no school today because of the holiday. And Wednesday morning we are meeting friends for brunch for a not-back-to-school breakfast and then Thursday morning ds has an orthodontist appt. Leaving the house in the mornings tend to throw the whole day off, which is fine for Wed & Thurs *but* my goal is to NOT let that affect Tuesday and Friday. Having a light week because of Mon, Wed, and Thur is not an excuse to slack off on Tues and Friday. If we can put in a decent effort those two days, I will be happy. Jennifer

Yes, please! I really need some outside accountability because self-motivation is not working right now. Jennifer