Actually in California, this is wrong. Yes you do have to give your financial info to the financial aid office if your child files their taxes independently but is unmarried & under 24. My daughter is 19 & has filed on her own. She lives with us and is unmarried. My neice is 23, LIVES OB HER OWN & still had to give her dads info. My daughter had to give her dads tax info which falls well below *rich* and was totally & completely turned down for any financial aid. I am SHOCKED really. There is NO way with our house payment, which is average in So Cal that we could make a $700 education payment a month the way they said her dad should. She apealed on the grounds that she is independent & the school offered her a job credit ($1000 per semester loan she can work off)-- kind of crazy. She instead, will be working full time, taking another year at community college pulling her application for her AA- to pay for a transfer year next year.

My 50 lb weight lost no carb diet went as follows: TONS of fruits, veggies & lean protien; natural foods that the earth gives us, nothing man made. I went for 10 servings a day of fruits/veggies. I exercised 4-5days a week. No limits. That was the basics. 50+ lbs came off! On the side: ** I completely gave up bread & pasta. It took 3-4 days for the craving to go away. I felt lighter, thought more clearly & lost that "bloated" feeling. If I cheated, I felt awful the next day, bloated, crabby, etc. It became easy to pass on carbs. ** Preprepping meals & snacks was key to me staying on track with snacks. ** I gave up potatos except once in a huge while, I added red potatoes to my egg white/broccoli/salsa breakfast. ** I gave up soda & all alcohol. I drink a lot of water & tea (ok & coffee) ** I made myself sleep more. **I tried counting calories but that drove me crazy. I started to see old eating disorder issue arise & stopped counting & just worked on eating naturally grown foods (nothing man made). ** My husband was on board w/ his own eating plan. He ate half what he normall ate. Continued drinking a few beers whenever he wanted it & he lost 50 lbs. :glare: My weight literally melted off. Then we moved 70 miles away & the holidays hit- i went off the low/no carb thing & tried just making better decisions. I pick baked chips over fried, I started drink diet coke again, I eat turkey bacon over regular bacon. I started just light walking 2-3 days a week. My husband went back to eating seconds. I gained 10lbs back. Hes gained 14. It showed me that my eating habits & sedentary lifestyle were 100% to blame for my weight. I'm back to the original plan. I"ve lost weight & I can feel it but I"m not getting on the scale. I go by how clothing fits & how I feel, not what the scale says. Good Luck!

Cindy thats awesome!!! We've been prayig for you along this long journey. I love happy endings.. yours by no means is an end but a new beginning, and heartwarming at that. Ironically 3/4 of the way long YOUR journey we moved next door to a family 6 months past your story. They adopted 3 young Ukrainian ladies (ages 16, 13 & 11). Those girls, knowing ZERO English, have been in the states 1 yr & 2 months now & are doing very well. It has been such a fun experience watching them grow, mature & get comfortable in their new lives. Every now & then they get a call from a child now in the states that was friend their orphange & they get so excited! Its a blessing to me to be able to watch their lives unfold as they share what they went through back then. Continued prayers for your family as you continue the ups & downs of the rest of this journey!

I was going to say both aspergers or adhd impulsivity-- Quote from website: ADHD individuals with behavioral impulsivity don't stop and think first before they act. No matter how many times you tell this kid, "stop and think first," the next time the situation comes up, he may well do the same impulsive thing again. Children with ADHD often aren't learning from their past mistakes. Their learning threshold is very high, and if you don't excite them, or motivate them enough to get them above that learning threshold, they don't learn, and they make the same the same mistake again and again.

You need to decide where you'll take this. My niece started as your daughter did. They didn't want to go team. It didn't take long like your daughter before she was on team. Fast forward THOUSANDS of dollars & HUNDREDS of hours later (thats roughly 11 years), she is a major competitor in the tramp scene. She ranks #1 & #2 in the nation for her sport. She competes all over the US (weekend trips) & nationally once a year ($3000-$5000 for travels- hotel, leos, lessons, private lessons, & now personal trainer b/c that girls body is a machine!) Shes at the gym at LEAST 23 hrs a week & loves it. I'm sure my sister many times would LOVE to stop but at this stage of the game, how do you pull a 14 yr old who has been doing this since she was 2 1/2 from a sport when her team mates, judges & coaches are telling her Olympics COULD be her future? Every vacation & extra penny they have goes into this sport at this time. Shes already been offered a jobs but can not take them b/c shes a competitor still. She currently trains w/ Olympic coaches & has personal training w/ a man who was the alternative in these past Olympics. Not everyone who does this goes there. Ive heard my sister time after time tell other moms not to start this road unless you know you can stay on & finish it. Its tough on a developing child to do something well for 10 years then be pulled b/c the parents "had enough". If happens all the time & the kids are left not sure what to do (theyre social, educational & physical developement was based on something that is no longer part of their lives...). It is expensive & you are just starting to see it. I see a $15 leo at target and dont want to pay it, my nieces leos average $40-$50 & b/c she works out 2X a day, she has A LOT. Pray about it.

I'm 100% on board that her response is immature but knowing a few older teens like this I also see this as a pride thing. She knows she should go to the anniversary party b/c its the right thing to do for the family BUT since the invite was last minute, shes pointing out her excuse. It was a "its not my fault I am not making the time to come" instead of saying, I already have plans and will not change them for family.

Hey Califoria Moms! We are moving to the IE, Temecula area and can't seem to find any park playing homeschool groups! Where are ya? Where do I look? Am I alone out here?

ha ha ha ... Ok I wont even go into which one made me laugh harder. I did leave off the uncle LIVES with the grandparents. So the uncle in question lives 2 doors down and could have used sons friends computer w/ my passcode.

My sons friend was having construction at his house so he was staying w/ grandparents for a month. Grandparents live 2 doors down from us. My 13 yr old gave his friend our router passcode so he could play xbox live and use his laptop at his grandparents house. I was unaware of this & 13 really didnt' see giving the passcode the same as giving out personal passwords. Friend downloaded a not yet on DVD Harry Potter movie. Today I received an email from verizon notifying me of this copyright infringement. They state it doesn't matter if it was myself or a minor in my household, the account holder is responsibile. As of now, nothing legal is going further. However, if the owner of the HPpotter copyright pursues legal options, we will be turned in. #1) Obviously I am mad. I am mad at 13 yr olds friend for doing illegal activity on my account. That boy has been like a family member for 8 years. #2) My own 13 yr old doesn't see the big picture, says no harm no foul and thinks I'm over reacting. #3) Sons friend says those "warnings" mean nothing, he gets them all the time and nothing ever happens! #4) Verizon can not give me a new passcode unless I bring in all my equipment and get new equipment. UG!! #5) My sons friend has an uncle that I am VERY questionable about. He has misdemeanor charges for bothering young children (taking dressed outside photos of them, & making them say weird things into a camera). My son & his friend swear the uncle doesnt even know how to get online, yet I know if he was looking something up on my IP, it will show on MY history. RIGHT? #5) I really believe my son didn't realize the sitation nor what could happen/could be. He was really trying to help his friend be able to go online. He was very honest about the situation. At 13, he doesn't doesnt get the big picture. Do I punish him? He is very open to conversation about it. uuuggggg.. and I thought the toddler years were tough!

I let mine as soon as its an issue for them...

yay! Thanks for the update!! We're in the middle of a move and our next door neighbors adopted 3 beautiful young ladies from the Ukraine this year. We are praying for your family!

What is the 5th element? I like that the elite has the "hidden" heat element, would make for easier clean up!

I need to get a built in and the space only allows a single oven. We are looking at the Kenmore (720) vs the elite (1384). If you have the convection, do you use both depending on what you're cooking? I only know that convections use air. Thanks for all the replies!!

We're buying a new oven. We were at Sears looking at the Kenmore vs Kenmore elite. The Elite is a regular oven with a convection built in. I've never had one but "hear" it is popular. We are a family of 6 and cook all the time. My girls and I also bake a lot. Do I want one? If you have one, do you use it a lot? What is the benefit really vs a regular over? trying to figure out if its worth the money but dont want to kick myself in a few months for not getting it when I could have. Any opinions?

OK I'm just putting it out there... We're talking baseball here. The Angels are good. They are actually great. But here's the deal, I was able to score 3 World Series tickets for my EXTREME baseball Angels fan of a son dated, his 11th birthday. In order for me to give boy said tickets, the Angels have to beat New York in the championships next week. Boy is already way pumped that his team is in the playoffs but to make it into the World Series and have a game ON his birthday is awesome. For him to actually go to that game A WORLD SERIES GAME on his birthday would complete a bucket list item. Right now, I can just imagine the excitement on his face & the look in his eyes if he gets to open an envelope with World Series tickets, and as a mom I would LOVE LOVE to give him that and yes I'll say it, be on the receiving end of that thank you hug!! The tricky part is the Angels have to beat the Yanks. So whatda say New York, I apologize for all the not so nice things I've said about you guys throughout the season, & speak louder how I think your uniforms are great all you have to do is let my boy have this 11th birthday- one he will remember and speak about the rest of his life at the ballpark.... ok? :D

Can I purchase this at the end of the original warranty running out or do I have to purchase it at the time of buying appliances? Isn't Dave Ramsey admittedly against extended warranties? Just checking my brain???

Hubby and I are needing to buy a complete kitchen (appliance speaking). Hubby says since the kitchen is my doman he is leaving it entirely up to me (thats a good thing) There are soooo many brands, decisions, etc that I am totally overwhelmed. Sears speaking- whats the big difference aside from price on the Kenmore vs Kenmore elite? They both only have a one year warranty. If you're not a Sears person, what appliances are in your kitchen that you love/hate? I have one week to figure this whole thing out! :confused::confused:

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: And I'd say it with a smile...

I get Dave Ramseys "no credit card" policy however.... the one we have, IF we use we pay it off in full whe the bill arrives. I had two problems with using debit cards as credit cards. I rented a car and the rental company put a $700 HOLD on my funds as insurance AND charged me for the rental car. I lost access to that $700 for 5 days. Secondly problem was recently when a cruise line put a $2000 HOLD on my account which was suppose to release when they put the room charges on. It was a Thursday afternoon & the $$$ didn't release until the following Monday morning. Sooo.. if you have spare cash for those holds, I see no problem. I like the fact that with a credit card I can, if I need to, dispute the charges and not be out any cash!

Free weekend, unlimited texting, free mobile to mobile. We as a family with 4 cells phones share 1500 minutes and never use them up. We have tmobile

I'm sry if this sounds snarky, dont mean to.. but you mentioned two issues. Is your issue that you still feel the need to control who and when a person contacts your son, your desire to know what the text is about OR the rude action of answering a phone when you are having a conversation with him? At 16, you know if you can trust him. If you do, then let him fly a little and deal with your control issues.. if you don't then he shouldn't have a cell phone b/c he isn't trustworthy. As far as tracphone, I agree with the other posters, that is expensive! My teens (14 & 19) phones are $12 a month with unlimited text. Cell rules here are no phone at dinner, when mom or dad is talking to you you can NOT answer the phone, or text. I also have the right, because I pay the bill, to read my 14yr olds text at ANY time. My 19 yr old too but shes mellow and boring in the text department ;) i also agree with the money issue that my kids can spend on what they want if its ok with our rules.

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: this is my life. When I stop taking my iron for whatever reason, within days I'm covered in bruises and dh gets on me. Its not that he doesn't find purple attractive, its that he doesn't like the dirty looks he gets when we go out :tongue_smilie:

:iagree::iagree::iagree: By having them shower together, they aren't wasting water. At this point when I tell my 6 yr old to get ready for bed, gets her clothing, starts the water, takes a shower, gets out & dressed and even though she can do it herself & does in the mornings she takes a hair brush to daddy so he'll kill the snarls. I only say that to mention its all in the training..

He is relocating but I am doing the packing & moving. We are moving 1 1/2 hrs away from where we live now. I have no family really to help during the day & have 4 weeks to pack/paint/clean carpet in new place & move! I'm open to any advice!

:lurk5: I know there was a thread about homeschooling through a move not to long ago-- HELP!