:iagree: And, I don't think the USADA has "proven" anything! They haven't. All they have is clean drug tests, and accusations from former teammates/competitors. According to Armstrong's official statement, there IS a statute of limitations, which has already passed. That, according to him, is one of the reasons he refuses to fight anymore..... It looks to him, that in light of the USADA's inability to prove anything, they will simply continue to accuse, and he will have to continue to spend millions to defend himself, when he would rather use that money for the work his charities are doing. He passed those drug tests years ago. My understanding is that the testing agencies keep the samples, so that they can continue to test them as they develop more effective tests. But Armstrong's samples have NEVER tested positive. I think he made the right decision. He's SO over it.

I'm a sucker for Sabrina...... older version or modern version.... they're both good. I watched the modern version with oldest dd this summer, and yup..... she's a chip off the ol' block. She loved it! :)

Going on 19 years here, and definitely more proud of him today than the day I married him. With each passing year I appreciate him more. I really didn't realize the gem I was getting the day I married him.... I just knew I loved him! But we have crossed many bridges, and overcome many challenges since then, and he continues to exceed anything I could ever hope for in each situation. Yup, I pretty much feel like I won the lotto in the husband category!!

It was a little rougher than I had hoped, but we'll get there. We got a late start today, which kind of set the tone for the rest of the day, kwim? I felt like we were behind the whole day. But I'm going to give myself a little grace and remember that this is a process, and we have to get used to being on a school schedule again. I looked at my youngest ds once, and wondered if he might be better off in ps. But then I remembered, "Oh right, we already tried that and it was terrible!" Lol, guess I'll just add an extra dose of patience!

This is what we're doing. I've moved a ton of stuff already, and have another ton to go. It's been fun organizing and boxing our huge homeschool library. It's also been fun for the kids to go through their "stuff" and only keep out the stuff they absolutely love and can't live without. I wonder if I can just give away the rest? Will they ever miss it? Will I ever miss all the stuff in storage? I'm open to ditching all of it (except the homeschool stuff) :tongue_smilie:. My only question is what to do with my jewelry..... I want to have it around, but I don't want to have it around when strangers are walking through my house, kwim? We really want to sell this house on our timeline and terms. We've spruced up the yards, planted flowers, painted inside and out, and upgraded the countertops and cabinets in the kitchen. We won't get any of that money back out of the house, but it's worth it to us to make the house sell in a timely manner. If it works, we'll only have to "show it" for a short time. I'm hoping anyway. Best of luck to you! Jackie

We are! It's been such a busy summer. I'm not ready, but we're going to start anyway. We'll pick our first read-aloud, (probably The Hobbit), organize binders and work areas, and get started with math, Bible, and History. We will slowly add things so that we're running full tilt by the first week of September. We've been doing "special things" all summer, so tomorrow, I think we'll have a nice, big breakfast, and get serious!

Laramie, WY. It has everything on your list.... except for, possibly, the large secular and Christian homeschooling groups. There is a large LDS population here though. Additionally, there is no income tax here, and the property taxes are extremely low. Add to that the fact that it's a University town, and you've got a pretty nice community. We've been very happy here!

:iagree: There are good and bad attributes to every location, and there are good and bad people in every location. The important thing is that you are all together, and able to support your family. It's a tough decision, but at the same time it's a no-brainer because that's where the work is. I would just make the best of it. I wish you the best, Jackie

Well, I don't know how helpful this will be, but I'll share our story. Dd, now 17, started out in gymnastics, but for several different reasons, needed a new sport. Swimming seemed like a good idea since most of the other sports aggravated her asthma/allergies. She could swim freestyle, and breaststroke (kinda). She swam for our local club when she was in 8th grade. She was in the same lane as all the little 8 yr. olds that swam like fish. She wasn't too keen on that, but it motivated her. The other kids were all really nice to her, so it was OK. Her Freshman year, she went out for the High School team. She improved in leaps and bounds. Last year, as a Junior, she qualified for the state meet for the first time. She had a great state meet, and is really enthusiastic about this, her senior year. All of that is to say, this swimming thing is often started at a very young age. But if your ds has a good attitude and is really willing to work hard, he can have a good experience. I also like the fact that swimming is a lifetime sport, and it's easy on the joints. Dd is even talking about swimming in college, because she likes what the strenuous exercise does for her brain power. Hope that helps!

That is really amazing. You are fortunate to have found such a great Dr.! I've never heard of armour thyroid or bioidentical hydrocortisone. What were your symptoms, if you don't mind me asking?

I just love your story!. I, too, used to get up before my alarm went off at 4:30. I would get up and go for a 4 mile run. Now I can hardly get out of bed, and am not coherent or friendly until I've had 1/2 a pot of coffee. I won't go through the list of symptoms, but many of them sound like yours. I'm wondering if your supplements from the naturopath were expensive? I took my dd to one here, and her minerals were out of balance, and the supplements cost over $200/6 weeks. I can't afford that. I'm hoping the Idoral will help. If not, I'm not sure where I'll go next. It's hard for me to exercise when all my joints hurt. I'm getting about 4-5 days/week in right now. Just running and strength training. But it's so painful, I need to find something to get rid of the joint pain in order for that to be a long-term part of my life, kwim? Thanks for sharing your story. I'm so glad you found what worked for you!!

Thanks Woodhaven. I wasn't aware of this group!

Yes, I did have my thyroid tested. My Dr. has always thought it was suspicious because my thyroid is enlarged. But the tests came back in the "normal" range, so he said I was fine. At the time, I hadn't done much research on it, so I let it go. I have been on anti-depressants (on and off) for years, which I understand is a symptom of hypothyroidism. I continue to have many of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, which I have attributed to "aging". I turn 50 in a couple weeks. But then I look at my dm, who I take after, and she is 85 and has all the energy in the world, and is very slim, etc. She never diets. I am extremely careful about what I eat. Another interesting thing I've learned is that fluoride can block the absorption of Iodine. I have lived on ranches (well water) for most of my life. But for the last 4 years, I've lived in town, drinking fluoridated water. In that time, my hair has really thinned, and continues to fall out at an alarming rate. I've gained 30 lbs, despite diet and exercise, and my joints ache, etc. I have many symptoms. I spend summers on our ranch. By the end of the 4th week, my hair stops falling out, and I can get off of my anti-depressants. It's just hard to know if this is a fluoride/selenium issue (the ranch is in an area with high selenium in the soil, and selenium boosts iodine absorption), or if it is a less stress issue, since that is the time of year that homeschooling eases, and we all live together as a family (so I have the support of my dh). I can't wait to move back to the ranch for good, which we plan to do in the next 4 months. In the meantime, I think I'll try the Iodine, along with a Selenium supplement, and see if things improve. I'm so tired of feeling this bad. I have not seen an endocrinologist. I don't have the money to see a specialist right now. :(

Do you remember the dosage you used? Are you still using it? Or did things "normalize" and then you quit taking it?

....your experience/results? I've been dealing with symptoms for years, and I'm tired of the Dr.'s telling me "everything is normal". Everything is NOT normal! I feel horrible. Thanks for any insight, Jackie

:grouphug: May God wrap his loving arms around you and your little one, and protect you both, and give you peace and comfort.:grouphug:

Thanks for all the ideas, everyone. These are so helpful! Maybe we'll even stay in the habit of having a clean and decluttered house after we move...... Nah, never mind. What am I thinking? :)

Shameless bump.... anyone???

My oldest does. I could never keep up with her. It's amazing how quickly she reads and how well she retains the information. That's why she does so well with Omnibus. :) But my younger 3 dc, sadly do NOT like to read. I have spent hours and hours and hours reading aloud to them, hoping that it will start some sort of love of reading in them. But all they want to do is play sports, or watch a movie in the evening. I assign them books during the school year, and it is like herding cats to get them to finish. Actually it's more like herding a brushed-up cow, but most of you probably haven't had the pleasure of that experience. It's maddening!

We're listing our house Sept. 1st. It's going to be crazy! We have the typical homeschooling house..... messy! In addition to homeschooling 4 dc, and an absentee dh, we will be temporarily hosting a foreign exchange student. (No flaming darts, please) So how do I make the process of showing our home as pain-free as possible? We are decluttering right now. I am only keeping the stuff that I need for the current school year. We are storing stuff until the new house is ready. I've heard about the trick of having new, unused bath towels ready to go when someone comes to look at the house. Are there other tricks like that? Thanks for your help, Jackie

We don't have cable tv. We stream movies with a Roku through Amazon Prime. I'm wondering if Hulu or some service like that will have the Olympics available for streaming. We love the Olympics and hate to miss them!! TIA, Jackie

Praying here. It's hard to believe how horrible it is down there.

I feel as if I've accidentally wandered into Lake Wobegon! Aren't there any "average" children represented on this board!? :) Congratulations on all the excellent scores! My dd raised her scores, but she is not in the stratosphere! Just working hard and doing her best. She is disappointed, though. She had hoped to do better, and the scores she got on the Princeton Review practice tests were much higher than those on the actual test. She plans to test again in September......

No-one loves your children like you do. This is YOUR life. So make your decisions, be polite to dear MIL, and move on. I wish you the best. Oh, and the west coast is really nice this time of year...... probably all times of year..... Maybe you could look for housing out there??

So sorry to hear all of this! Is there somewhere you can go for a few days with your dc to get out of the ash and smoke?? :grouphug: