I'd be interested, too. :)

I'm in WA and I have nothing to add to what the other WA moms have already stated, they got it all. Idaho has no requirements for anything, one of the easiest states to homeschool in. We're praying we get to move back there someday soon. :)

Thanks so much for your help ladies!

This round it's really only on my hands and I have been washing my hands a LOT in hot water with potty training dd so that would explain a lot. I will look into getting something different for washing my hands. Any suggestions? And thank you so much for your input, very helpful! :D

Last year around this time I started getting this really bumpy, itchy rash on my hands and chest. The area gets red and rough and dry and itches like mad. It's not painful, just itchy and irritating. Certain lotions/creams help (especially Amlactin or Lubriderm) but not completely. I've noticed that it completely went away during the summer but now it's back. I'm just at a loss as to what could be causing it. We just started getting cooler weather (lows below freezing, highs in the 40s) and we've started using our wood stove. Anyone else deal with something that sounds like this? Thanks. :001_smile:

We had no idea our oldest would have down syndrome until he was born. We had bad experiences with the post partum nurses (one went so far as to say we were too young to try to take care of a baby like him, luckily dh wasn't there or I'm afraid he would've punched her) but otherwise all our friends and family were wonderful. My OB told me one of the sweetest things when he came to visit the next day, he said "he is perfect in every way and he is a beautiful baby and you two are going to be wonderful parents for him". :) The thing that made me the happiest was that everyone wanted to hold him and cuddle him and talked about how sweet and cute and adorable he was. It showed me that everyone accepted him and saw him for what he truly was, a precious little baby boy.

I have a friend who's OB was so worried that the baby was going to be huge that she induced my friend at 37 weeks because she was certain the baby was already at 9-10 lbs at that stage. I had a feeling the OB was going to be wrong and guess what? She was, lol! Baby was barely 6 lbs and nearly had to be put in the NICU. Turned out my friend just had a large amount of amniotic fluid and carried all out front. With my 10yo the OB kept saying that I was measuring large and the baby would be around 9 lbs. I kept telling him that I thought my dates weren't correct, that my periods were wacky and it was hard to pinpoint exactly when I got pg. OB kept insisting I was going to have a big baby. OB put me on bedrest and medication when during a cervical exam he could feel contractions. I was in and out of the hospital for the next month. The day ds was born my regular OB was on vacation, his partner delivered ds. He decided I'd been through enough and since I was at 4 cm and having contractions every 10 mins it was time. DS weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was born at 37 wks. When I saw my OB for the 2 wk post-op check he said that he should've listened to me, that I really was just farther along than he thought. ;) Our babies have all been around average except oldest ds: ds #1 5 lbs 6.5 oz, ds #2 7 lbs 13 oz, dd 7 lbs 10 oz. All that to say there are all kinds of reasons to be measuring on the large side and sometimes it has nothing at all to do with the actual size of the baby. :001_smile:

The Time Traveler's Wife P.S. I Love You (even dh got a bit misty eyed with this one) Steel Magnolias Bridge To Terabithia (dh refuses to watch this movie anymore, it broke his heart)

Thank you so much for posting! I've been working hard since Memorial Day weekend to lose fat (I don't say lose weight anymore) and get healthy. I've been so stinking frustrated that I have dropped clothes sizes and inches and can feel the difference in my energy levels and moods yet that stinking scale won't budge more than a few pounds. While I know that the scale can't tell me the difference between fat and muscle and obviously the stupid BMI doesn't make that distinction either, it still hurts to work so hard and see that number just slowly inch it's way down. You've help remotivate me and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. As soon as I'm over this case of tonsilitis I have (sickness and summer are a bad mix) I'm getting back to work!

For our area, Washington State University would be a perfect fit, they have both an excellent nursing school and a fantastic Ag school. Univeristy of Idaho has a great Ag school but doesn't offer a nursing program. For schools farther north; Whitworth, Eastern Washington University and Gonzaga offer nursing programs (Gonzaga has one of the best programs) but do not offer Ag programs. Hope this helps you some.:001_smile:

Thanks!

Thanks everyone! I was just having fits trying to explain it, I'm really not at all that strict on fun reading material, I've told them both to just get whatever they think is a nice book and if we don't like we'll just donate it to Goodwill or whatever. I more wanted to have a definition for myself for when me and my mom get to talking homeschool stuff, lol!

My mom and mil have been asking what kind/type of books to get the kids for school so they know what to be on the lookout for when they go to thrift shops or yard sales. We are going with the Charlotte Mason style this year and I've been trying to explain what "living books" are and failing miserably at it, lol! :tongue_smilie: Could someone help me? Thank you!

I'm in northeastern WA and this area would be a good area for you, too. Low humidity (we moved here from Northern California where we were all sick constantly with bronchitis, major allergies and asthma, we are all doing much better in this drier climate), 4 seasons, can get hot in the summer and cold in the winter but not too bad. I live in Spokane and while it's a good size city, it really doesn't feel like it at all. We're very much a college city, we have 2 large private colleges (Gonzaga University and Whitworth College), Eastern WA Univerisity is in a small community called Cheney just outside Spokane, we are just a couple hours north of Pullman where Washington State University is located and there is a satellite campus here for several programs plus a medical school is going to be built here soon. Additionally there are several vo-tech school here including an ITT campus. There is also a great junior college system here. Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID are absolutely gorgeous and the universities there are great. Going any further north of Moscow would only be an option if you were to consider living in Idaho but going to college in Spokane as the only university option in the Coeur D'Alene area is a satellite campus for University of Idaho. Good luck in your choice!!!!

We got one of those letters last week and besides wondering how they got our mailing address or even know we have children the most puzzling thing is that it was addressed to me with my maiden name. :001_huh: We've been married nearly 14 years (anniversary tomorrow), I thought the mistake was pretty funny.;) Considering that both our sons are developmentally disabled, there's no chance they will be going.:tongue_smilie:

Trying to pm you back but your box is full, lol! :001_smile:

Hi folks, Since there is such an array of experience and knowledge I'm hoping someone can answer some questions about legal guardianship of a minor for us. We are potentially going to be taking guardianship of 2 of our nephews and a neice. If you are willing to help, please pm me and I will let you know my questions. Thanks so much. :001_smile:

You are an awesome friend to do that for her and it was super sweet of her to offer to help you in return. :001_smile:

This is the one I have and I LOVE it!!! http://www.herroom.com/elomi-8040-energise-underwire-sports-bra.shtml

Check the reviews, also. I have come across several books that are supposed to be free but reading through the reviews shows that it's not the entire book but just a preview. For some reason there are quite a few books that are not listed as previews but that's all they are.

I have a ton of respect for law enforcement officers. But in our city they have a horrible record and only a handful of them are good guys. Every few months there is another story in the news about our police department being under review for something, generally it involves a civilian death. The running joke in our city is if there isn't a chance to shoot someone then the police won't get involved. Dh called to report some questionable activity in our neighborhood a few months ago and got the jerk of the day on the phone who basically chewed dh out for wasting his time. The activity stopped a short time afterwards, we found out recently it was because others in our neighborhood had also been blown off by the police and contacted one of the local news stations who investigated and found out that it was indeed illegal activity. Suddenly the police got involved and the activity was stopped. A house not too far from ours was broken into and a lot of expensive musical equipment was stollen. The vicitim was told by the police that they no longer had a division to handle home invasion robberies and the vicitim would have to do his own investigation and find the person who did it. Our neighborhood used to be a really nice, safe place to live. Not anymore. :(

Our bill combines water, sewer and garbage (not by choice, we are required to have city garbage pickup). Basic monthly charges are $83. They just changed the water usage charge structure so that that less water you use the less you pay so we were supposed to see lower rates. EXCEPT, they added a huge additional required monthly charge that kept our bill the exact same as it was before the rate change. Our water usage charges are done every other month so when that is added on we usually pay around $88 and that's for 5 people. Our city just decided to raise the rates on sewer charges so after that goes in to effect we'll never see our basic monthly bill under $100.:glare: I want out of the city, where my parents live they only pay about $45 a month total.

I live in Spokane, I'll send you a pm. :)

Our dd is a Kathryn. I had thought about calling her Ryn but it just didn't fit her. We have called her Katie or Katie Beth (her middle name is Elizabeth) since she was born. Daddy calls her Boog, lol! We also call her Kat and Kate. Pretty much the only time she is called Kathryn is when it's combined with her middle name and she's in a lot of trouble which is constantly so she gets called Kathryn almost as much as she is called Katie or Kate, lol! When she's older we will call her whatever she prefers. My first name can't be shortened into anything and I never liked it so it was important to me that our kids have names that they could have choices of what to be called. Just my thing. :001_smile: If the child's mother prefers the child to be called Katherine then that's what she should be called.

And I'm truly suprised it took 2 years of homeschooling to get one, lol! :lol: Okay, little background: dh's younger sister had all 6 of her kids removed by child welfare services. We've been waiting (for over a year :glare:) to see if any of the kids will be placed with us, we live out of state so it does cause some issues. Anyway, as mil was discussing particulars with the court-appointed attorney for 2 of the kids the attorney noticed in the file that we homeschool. She then asks mil: "So, if N was placed with them, would they allow him to go to public school?" :blink: Mil (who homeschooled dh) responded with "Well, since the court will make that decision they will have to do what the courts require them to do, now won't they? But on that note, I think it would be the best thing in the world for N if his aunt and uncle homeschooled him." I love my mil. :D