Huh?! This is bizarre. Who dreams this stuff up?!

I’m sorry. 😞 We pay close to $3,000/month. Co-pays and co-insurance get worse and worse… I always wonder how this is sustainable for most families. We purchase through the marketplace as we are self-employed. But we always reconcile and pay for it all. It’s triple our escrowed house payment!

My daughter would love to see it, but she’s 8. Kinda disappointing. It’s getting so much attention, it’s hard for the typical Barbie audience to ignore…

Personally, if I am going to a concert, I would save photos for before/after. Then I would put my phone away and enjoy the show. I do not understand recording while attending a concert. Watching through a lens or screen takes away from the experience, in my opinion. And if they were interrupting the performer and others' viewing, then I understand what happened.

I really have no advice, but I just wanted to say this is amazing. He might be moving at a slower pace, but I feel like this shows a love and appreciation for math.

I'd tell him you support his decision but also tell him you would be supportive of him returning to the sport, too. Breaking his hand might have been an emotional event for an athlete, so I might leave it very open on your end for a bit, especially since this just happened last month. I have a nephew who plays for a very small college and works, too. Maybe the fact he is at a small college makes it more feasible.

My sad reaction is for the experience you had with your own parents; I think that can be a common denominator in stories like these. Like you, I do not want to see this play out again. I am staying at home now, but I do think I need to find a way to earn some money. And perhaps when they are more grown, I will return to work.

I had no business taking out these loans--I do feel I was financially illiterate. I might have gone to one loan counseling session my freshman year, but I do not think I understood the lasting impact they would have on my life. I do think if my familial circumstances were different, I would have been in a much better position. I absolutely do not want my children to end up like me. My husband had a scholarship to community college and then transferred to a state school. He graduated debt-free. Thank goodness! I hope your daughter is able to repay her loans with ease. The number isn't a shocker when I see tuition prices at some schools.

May I ask what vehicle cannot be covered and/or why?

Yes. 😞 Our new normal is everything is super expensive.

I did find my $60,000 soul-crushing. But around my later teen years, my parents started to have marital problems and became alcoholics. So having the debt while feeling guilt and being told it was my turn to take care of them (yep, they said that, my dad even stole my debit card once), it was just really hard to get a good start in life.

Yes, my loans had variable interest rates. I paid more in interest than I took out for one of my loans. That is incredibly sad. We sometimes refer to this as a tax on the poor. (I am not saying people didn't work hard and sacrifice--not at all!)

These posts are very encouraging. Thank you all for sharing! And of course, please continue.

The Navient saga.... I just paid off the remaining $14,000+ on my loans. It hurt, but I found out we can finance our children's braces for 0% interest, and it will be the same amount, so that was my reasoning. The loans said they wouldn't be repaid until 2029. I finished grad school in 2004. I do not recall ever deferring, except while in school. I financed $60,000 between college and graduate school. I had a decent college scholarship, and I lived at home. I worked part-time. $60,000 doesn't even sound like a lot to me anymore. But it really made much of my adulthood before marriage very difficult, and we have less money because of my loans. College has gone up so much. So, what are your decent students financing these days? I'll assume many of them had some scholarships, at the very least. We are not rich, and we are not poor. I doubt we will get much that doesn't need to be repaid. My oldest is a rising 6th grader, so it isn't that far away.

I would definitely make sure the owners approve so you are not liable for anything; they should also consider taking the dog to a pet kennel while they are away. Some allow animals to go from inside to a fenced area outside. I have seen this scenario not end well, unfortunately, when people decide to have domesticated pets live outside. 😞

I was totally sold on classical. I still am---but I am going to try it the Charlotte Mason way. I have absolutely no idea how anyone can teach multiple cores, even if you do some of the guides orally. I think the expectations are very high for the respective grade levels. With that being said, I do not want to cheat my children out of a wonderful education just because I choose to homeschool and have four of them. With MP, I find it hard to have everyone on the same page. I'm trying super hard to implement the CM approach next year with minimal curriculum and using the same living books for a few of my kids. I haven't quite figured out how not to be a box checker with having four kids. I have always been stressed, so this year I am hoping by streamlining we are all happier---and gasp---even more productive in our learning!

Last year, I used a lot of MP for my two middles. It was so hard. 😞 This school year, I used it for my 2nd grader, and I loved it. I also used a couple of pieces for my middles. I decided for many of the components, I wouldn't buy or use student guides. It really did help. It made me feel as though I could pick and choose. Next school year, I probably won't use much, if any, at all. I do think the formula is great, but with four kids, it just isn't going to work for us. I am switching to a Charlotte Mason approach. I have bought books so far and no curriculum other than math. BUT piecing together things has been a struggle. I haven't even figured out if we can finish entire books just yet or if we can squeeze in other CM type things. My husband asked what the best boxed curriculum is and if the kids would be okay if I died and they had to do that, LOL. I said yes. Oh, I was so tempted to just return to Abeka---that was where we started!

Oh no, nobody here has said that. I am just mentioning how some do think. It is an extreme way of thinking. I don't feel people should need to sell off what they inherited just to pay the estate tax bill. It's too sad for me. I don't think the uber rich have to do that, though. $1 million isn't even what it once was, but the uber rich really don't have to think about these things. I bet we could carve out some funds for these families. And Native Americans.

My husband's family has their family history documented. A Polish immigrant walked miles and miles, from town to town, to establish a life. I do believe their legacy is rooted in this history. I do benefit. It doesn't mean life has been without challenge for subsequent generations. I didn't know them. I just read about it on a piece of paper. My life isn't perfect, but I do feel it is much better because someone had foresight. So did they in Tulsa. But there are also some who do not believe in generational wealth or passing anything down from generation to generation. They believe everyone should start at 0. Fairness, they say. In my opinion, if you believe in reparations, you should believe in the ability to pass along generational wealth and property---without having to sell off some of your property to pay the tax bill alone. Reparations are due if we can agree that you should be able to pass along some of what you've built without having to give a substantial portion of it up. If you do have to start at 0, the "dream" should still be achievable--with some support, some of course. I do still believe in the American dream. Some just haven't been given a fair chance to live it. This is an example. It's a shame it wasn't made right way back when. But look at other historical cases---the guilty are still getting off. We have lots of money to give away to other countries. Yes, I am going there. Why can't we use some of it to pay these families?

Have faith, and don’t live in fear, that you are equipped to handle what life might dish out. However… yes, it became a motto for not taking Covid precautions. I just read a lady tried to use that in a Catholic hospital when refusing to mask, lol. Not quite how that works! God gave us brains!

Thank you very much! I have looked at MEP but will check out the other resource-not sure I have seen it!

I saw the price and decided not to buy it just yet, lol. You’re right! I will wait. 😊

Math: Singapore Dimensions Grade 3 I'm planning to be very CM this year. We will study American history (16th-18th century), geography, nature lore, mythology, and fairy tales. I will pick a few novels. Handwriting--this is a tricky one. I found a curriculum I like, but it has a big old spiral on the left side. She is left-handed. French: Nallenart

Thank you! I actually purchased this already. 🙂

I decided to save the money, lol. Just placed my Abeka order, ha ha! I do think I will buy the Singapore Extra Practice book, just in case there is something that could help me explain some concept differently. I was able to find another child's math at nearly half the cost, too--it looks like the curriculum didn't work for the family, so I am hopefully getting everything I need in one shipment. 1st grade is important, but maybe choosing a traditional math I've taught before will help us focus on phonics and reading--that is where he needs the most help.