I think Calvert stops at 8th grade. She needs something for 10th and up. Thanks for replying!

I'm asking for a friend. I homeschooled through high school, but did not use an all-inclusive program so am not sure how to help her. She's looking for a secular curriculum that is structural set up similar to BJU or Abeka but is NOT religious in any way. This is for high school and Oak Meadow is not working for her (it isn't bad at all, it's just that she's a planner type person and found herself spending money on something she already did). She understands that structure wise, BJU and Abeka plan out similar to OM (teaching guides, etc... that tell you where to go, what to do), but she's really hoping to find something that has DVD's or can be done on the PC. She's tried: OM, SAS Curriculum Pathways (online, but lacking in structure), putting together programs from Khan Academy and the Zinn Project; using Teaching Company DVD's (which for high school, stink, and for college are excellent but lack the "book" work her child needs), and just plain old public school texts which she's lesson planned out. I guess the question is: Is there a secular program that is complete like BJU, on DVD format, for all subjects, that she can purchase? She is familiar with Teaching Textbooks and is considering either that or another similar program for math.

What's funny is that I was on the old board for a couple of years before it moved here, but since I have under 200 posts, people assume I'm new. I don't have loads of time to sit at the computer, so I just skim and read the threads that look interesting. Obviously, I don't reply unless I feel passionately about a subject or have something useful to add to a conversation, hence the under 200 post count.

I see you!

:grouphug:

Just wanted to pop in and say that I think it's interesting that the OP put, "no flames, please," in the subject line and got flamed (or bashed in this case) anyway. If someone doesn't agree with a poster who is obviously not looking for differing opinions (hence the no flames that I've seen on several threads lately), WHY post in the thread? Then again, maybe I'm not understanding the whole no flaming concept. For ME, I take it to mean that the poster does not want to hear opposing viewpoints.

Ranger, He won't harass Stephanie about her job.

I would wait a couple of years to see if he can handle it then. As long as he doesn't want to pursue biology in college, he can get by with virtual dissections. Just an fyi though, many bio college classes do still use dissections. I'm getting a M.S. in Biology right now and can think of at least 5 courses off the top of my head which either involve dissection, handling preserved organs, or necropsys. Additionally, in most of the research involving smaller animals, the animals are killed at the end of the project. The term, "sacrificed" is what you will see in grants.

I'm not sure about them counting your income, but the roommate scenario seems workable. I think (not sure) that the household income only counts for relatives in the household. When my son's friend was moving in with us, he had his own food stamp case separate from our case. He was going to pay a tiny amount of rent and be considered a roommate. One other consideration here in Texas anyway, is that an adult on food stamps has to work at least 20 hours a week unless they have custody of a minor child. I'm not sure how your divorce is set up custody wise so this may or may not affect him. If the adult does not have a 20 hour a week job, they have to be registered with Texas Work Force and diligently looking for a job. For example, my son and I are on food stamps. At the moment, neither of us has to have a 20 hr a week job (though I currently do). When he turns 18, he will also have to meet the job requirement for me to keep him on my case. Of course, both incomes will also be counted. When he was 16 and working at McDonald's, his income also counted.

I don't remember if this has been suggested before and if it has, I apologize. I too, have an almost 18 year old and realize they can't be watched 24/7. Have you considered some kind of implantable birth control? It has been YEARS since I've looked into any of that so don't even know what exists anymore. Maybe an IUD or something long lasting like a depo shot or or that stuff that is implanted under the skin. Was it called Norplant? Like I said, I'm not remotely current in the area of available birth control, but just suggesting you try something that she could not override to try and get pregnant.

I think it is highly unlikely they will be allowed to keep large animals in ark-like conditions. Everything else I think about the subject would get me banned. ;-)

Mine was best under the Obama plan (-2211) and the other 3 plans were the same with (-1870).

The government would say you COULD travel freely by car, train, bike, etc., even by air if you had your own plane.

Electric sets that are going to last more than 6 months are VERY expensive. If however, you want to try something inexpensive to see if he is really interested, that might be the way to go. Personally, I would recommend a real drum kit with practice pads, but that too can get pricey fast. A beginner acoustic kit will run you about $500 minimum unless you can find one secondhand. The shells aren't the expensive part. It's the hardware and cymbals that cost a ton.

I totally agree with Joanne. I would like to offer a personal example. I have a ds who is 17 1/2 and we have very open communication. He is currently living at home and attending community college. When he was a younger teen, he had restrictions that have already been mentioned. I reserved the right to check his myspace, email, texts, etc. At THAT point, he still needed lots of guidance. Through those years, we talked about any and everything in what I hope (it was tough at times) was a nonjudgemental manner. Once he hit 16 however, I really worked at backing off somewhat and giving him more privacy. (again, this was very hard for me) I stopped checking his personal communications and really pushed the fact that he was nearing adulthood. I made HIM responsible for getting himself up in the mornings and making it to class on time. He was sexually active and thanks to that open communication, we discussed it at length. He knew I felt both he and the girl were too young and emotionally immature. We talked about how girls view sex differently from boys, about not taking advantage, about using protection, etc. He knew that unprotected sex was a dangerous game resulting in life altering consequences. Teens WILL find a way to have sex if that is what they want. We can not stop it from happening and personally I would rather my teen be having safe sex than drinking or doing drugs. I had serious concerns (disrespectful and using women to name one) about how he was going through girls like kleenex and talked to him about it. It turned out to be a self-esteem issue which we worked on together. He was already attending community college full-time and hanging out with older teens so we also discussed drinking and drug use. The year between 16 and 17 has been the hardest year of parenting so far. I really wanted to "save" him from making mistakes by restricting his life to the point where I could control it. That would be the easy way, but unfortunately, ME controlling his life to that point would not help HIM learn how to make good choices. He WAS grounded at times though, always for doing poorly at school which was a product of skipping class and not managing his time. Once KJ turned 17, I basically started treating him like an adult roommate. The exception being that I want to know where he is. He can come in at 3am, but I want to know where he is in case of an emergency. Guess what? Once told he was responsible for himself, he stepped up and took that responsibility. If he stays up all night, he still has to get himself to class on time. After a bad year in college last year and being put on financial aid probation, he learned this was his last chance and is now doing great. He has sex in a safe and responsible manner. Now, I want to contrast this. At his dad's house, KJ has 2 step-sisters and everyone is required to sign a contract before they are allowed to use the internet. This contract states that all communication is open for inspection, that no emails, facebook posts, etc. are to say anything derogatory about family, no swearing, no music with swearing, and nothing anti-God. All text messages may be inspected at any time though KJ was free of this as I pay for his phone and said no. He refused to sign the contract on principle and does not use the internet there. Curfews are early and set in stone. KJ now refuses to go over there for weekends and only goes once a week for supper and to visit afterward. His relationship with his dad is very poor right now though I'm trying everything I can think of to improve it. He feels he is almost an adult and should be treated like one. His dad feels that any child living at home, no matter what age they are, is to be treated like a child. One of the step-daughters is 21 and has these same restrictions. Let's see how these kids are doing. Remember that open communication? I know for a fact that KJ does not drink, smoke, or do drugs. He has such horrible asthma that he can not even be around smokers or he coughs up blood. I let him try wine at dinner one time and he had an asthma attack. He has seen first hand the damage drug addiction have done to family members and abhors them. He does however, have sex, but in a responsible manner. I'll skip step-sister #1 who is older and actually moved out for a couple of years to get away from the mind-numbing control, and only recently came back. Let's look at step-sister #2 who is only 6 months younger than KJ. She goes to public school where she has oral sex with both boys and girls in the bathrooms. When at her dad's house for visitation, she smokes weed and drinks. When her mom and my ex think she is at her girlfriend's house, the two of them are drunk at various parties where they also have sex. KJ worries about her and makes sure she has condoms, because HE is afraid she'll get a disease or pregnant. The tighter her mom and my ex make the restrictions, the harder she works to find away around them. KJ has talked to her about how she is acting-out, but it really should be her parent's job. Unfortunately, they don't have that level of communication, since any mention of this by her will result in more restriction. If parents would just LISTEN to their children, life would be easier for all involved.

I'm no help at all, but I just wanted to say that I had never given any thought to how M.A thesis topics came about. It's interesting to hear that you get to pick pretty much any topic in your overall field. I'm working on my M.S. in Biology right now and my thesis topic is a natural product of the research/project/experiment I'm doing right now. By working in a specific professor's lab, I committed myself to working on a project that fits the mission of that particular lab. For example, my professor's lab is physiology based so I would not be allowed to choose a genetics project. Some professors are even more specific.

Sounds like you will be a great role model and an awesome aunt!

I took my son to see Body World (#2, I think). He was about 12-13 at the time and was fine with it. I LOVED it and found the whole thing fascinating. I've never been to Bodies, but honestly, as long as Bodies staff did not kill the person themselves, or steal a body waiting to be embalmed, I don't care where the bodies come from.

As far as mainstream foods go, liver and beets are the only I can think of that I haven't tried. I will not eat onions at all, but I've tried them.

nt

Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, Happy Days

I'm right there with you Joanne. KJ and I have been on food stamps since my divorce and me returning to school. Frozen pizza is a staple for hungry college boys.

I haven't dusted in at least 6 months. I do all the other household chores regularly, but I hate dusting. We have forced air heating and cooling so dust collects back on surfaces within 24 hours of me dusting, so why bother? I change my a/c filter every 3 weeks, but still have dust.

Oh dear. This sounds almost exactly like my ex-husband in soooo many ways. This is the same ex who was arrested and convicted for online solicitation of a minor. There was definitely emotional abuse in our relationship. I just didn't recognize it until after I left and got counseling. It will be extremely difficult as men like this are expert manipulators, but she should get the heck out of there.

Amen! I was just sitting here thinking the same thing. Will you be attending the Rally to Restore Sanity in Oct? :-)