After the update I agree with the writ idea but also some foam pepper spray in the meantime. I would definitely want to be able to defend myself and my family from a literal dog pack.

:lol: :lol: :lol: I was in tears! I finally changed my signature.

Thanks, I just listened and wanted to bump the thread.

I have to file an affidavit with the state each year but the publicly available private school directory only lists schools with more than 6 children enrolled. So the state knows, but my neighbor couldn't find out if I had failed to file, as far as I know.

Interesting. Just to clarify, if a neighbor wanted to see if you were homeschooling, could they do it without knowing the name of your homeschool? Would your personal name + the generic word "homeschool" be enough for them to confirm that you've registered?

Yes, I would be finding a counselor right away. Problems like this can escalate and are more difficult when the child is old enough to be more independent, and can become an even more serious problem once a child becomes a legal adult and there's nothing you can do.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Is there any way to elevate this to the local or city council? Maybe attend meeting and tell them the problem? Remind them of their responsibility if something should go wrong and the city or county kept re-releasing them? :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I marked "other" because if you ask me we have no song, but if you ask DH, he'll tell you "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest. Yeah, don't ask. :glare:

I have a different brand of laminator but am out of pouches. I see they are selling the pouches separately. Are these things standard?

My children are a bit too young, but...time to put on a fresh pot of coffee.

Interesting. It wouldn't have occurred to me that this was public information any more than my being able to swing by the local Catholic school and ask if Janey Doe is an attendee there. Perhaps my views are colored by having homeschoolers function as private schools in my state. I would definitely find this a bit creepy. Is there an opt-out, for example, if someone has fled a stalker or DV situation?

Well I was specifically speaking to your examples in post #15 of children looking at parents to answer, appearing nervous, or being half-starved. I agree there's a spectrum.

I only watched the alien abduction clip and it was hilarious.

I don't think checks would do any good. If a particular family doesn't register their kids the district doesn't know about them. For all the neighbors know, they are registered. Is it even legal for the district to tell the neighbors if a certain child is registered there? Parents cannot be reported because their child looks at them before answering a question or seems nervous at a once/year doctor visit. Do we really think the kinds of people who keep kids in a cage and starve them will follow a law and register with the district? If they just move across town they'll often be in a new district, or a bit further and a new county or possibly state. And what about people who homeschool in an RV, or take a year to explore national parks or do family volunteer work abroad? Additionally, in states like CA, there's no "homeschooler" category. You homeschool under an umbrella or you register as a private school, so the state would have to try and pass a law asking all private school students in the state to check in with the local district and record their plans and do a well-visit. A quick Google search reveals there are about 5,000,000 private school students in CA.

It would bother me a bit. I'd probably try and spend less time with the uncle, but not avoid him altogether. I might play along with it and joke about the limo that brought us, my movie star friends, etc. and see if that worked.

Yes! That is one of the unspoken benefits of WWE. SWB picks passages for copywork/narration that makes kids want to read the rest of the book. We've gotten a lot of mileage out of that here.

Sorry, I was talking about Zuni Cafe. It's in SF and is one of the places I would send someone if they wanted Cal/SF cuisine. The chef, Judy Rodgers, who unfortunately passed away of appendix cancer in 2013 at age 57, was a heck of a chef. She was at Chez Panisse before Zuni. Their roasted chicken with bread salad is legendary. It's one of the fussiest recipes in the book so it's not a good representation of the contents, and unlike many fussy recipes, it's worth it. Even if I don't make the entire dish I always roast chicken using her method.

In addition to the Zuni Cafe cookbook I already mentioned as my favorite, I'll add the original Moosewood, given to me as a university gradation gift, and and More-With-Less, a Mennonite cookbook my MIL gave me. (They're not Mennonite, but they live in an Amish/Mennonite area.) The recipes are not that great, and some of them were obviously carried back by missionaries who kinda sorta tried to re-create local foods. A couple of my family culture's foods are there, but missing about 15 ingredients and techniques! The most important part is that it contains a lot of quotes about poverty and our obligations to feed the hungry and conserve resources. It was published about 40 years ago so it was ahead of its time in that regard. One of the quotes in the book that has always stayed with me, paraphrased, is: "The rich man says, 'This guava has a worm in it.' The poor man says, 'Let me see.'" Speaking of Alice Waters, I also like Chez Panisse Vegetables. Many are very simple preps and taste much better than the sum of their parts. Before I had children I would often make the amazing fava bean recipe. This is a great way to go if you have 2 hours(!) to double-shell the beans.

A Japanese newspaper has released some library records belonging to Murakami when he was a boy, librarians are upset. What do you guys think? In the public interest or violation of privacy? I'll keep my opinion to myself and see what others have to say first.

I know this topic is kind of fallow but I wanted to apologize for my last post. I was rude and I shouldn't have been posting in about my pet peeve when I was already upset about other things. I deleted it 11/25 but it's been weighing on my mind since then. Please accept my apologies. :blush:

Hopefully soon, then. Somehow I missed that it was limited release.

Jane, that's fantastic! Congrats! My copy is supposed to arrive tomorrow! :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Jane, I can't get this to quote, somehow: No comments on Spike Lee's new film, Chi-Raq, a riff on Lysistrata? Stacia, this looks like something you might attend. We almost went today as the kids were elsewhere for most of the afternoon, but we decided to hike instead. Do you have plans to see it?

I'm still reading Tristano Dies and House of Leaves. This morning I started reading The Sleeper and the Spindle (thanks Rose!) to the children but then they were invited somewhere so I'll finish tonight. Speaking of cookbooks, my favorite is Zuni Cafe's, which I noticed is in Robin's link to 10 essential cookbooks. I bought it when it came out and I still make recipes from it regularly, especially the roast chicken. I can't say that for too many cookbooks. We're planning to eat at Zuni next month when we go to SF for a symphony concert. Can't wait! The cookbook I covet is Sundays at Lucques. Chowhound has a thread started in 2007 for people to talk about recipes from the book and that's what got me excited about it. Someday....

Well they're homeschoolers so they probably haven't let the kids out of the basement in a long time and they're having trouble adapting to social situations. ;) I wouldn't worry about it. Lots of people who don't celebrate Christmas are fine with friendly greetings. You can find more at the park but don't dwell on it in the meantime.