You are more than welcome!! Be prepared to be put to work though....how do you think I get all done?? :lol: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I have been homeschooling for the past 16 years straight. My children have never been to a brick and mortar school. My oldest is 20, my youngest is 9. Has it always been easy? NO! Has it always been worth it? YES!! Also, it is possible to have a clean home, time for yourself and lovely meals on the table every single night. You just have to figure out how to achieve that. For me.....it's having my children keep up their end of the chores, doing "once a month cooking" or using my crockpot (dinner MUST be in the works by 10 AM...non-negotiable), and having MANDATORY quiet time for the kids, in their rooms, for 1-2 hours. And, by mandatory, I mean they are not allowed out of their rooms unless they're bleeding or on fire. SWB has a little youtube vid on this very thing. You need to also spend one on one time with your dh without your kiddos. My dh and I have a "date night" once a week, and it's something I try to be very fun and creative with.....just because I like to be. However, I don't come up with my own ideas, I want to do other things with my time, so I use this website: http://thedahlingdatingdivas.blogspot.com/. So much fun and my dh loves it. I plan 2 date nights per month, he plans the other two. It also sounds like you need some time away by YOURSELF to regroup and reorganize. My suggestion would be for you to spend 2 nights at a hotel and plan and organize how you want things to go this year in your home and in your school. It's amazing how helpful a good planning weekend can be!! And, if the hotel has a spa....so much the better!! :D Just step back, take a deep breath and try again. Homeschool isn't perfect, but I think it's much better than the alternative. And, yes, it is possible to have all the things you want in life and STILL homeschool. It is not a choice between the two worlds. It isn't so black and white. And, it TRULY isn't, "If my kids were in PS my house would always be clean and we would always have fabulous dinners and my life would be quiet and organized." Every public school mother I know would say "HA!" to that. :lol: Good luck in whatever decision you make. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Exercise really helps me. Consistent, vigorous cardio that makes you sweat. I will never enjoy it, but it definitely helps you sleep better and more deeply. Also, yoga. That I love and it also helps me relax at night. I love getting up early in the summer when it's light out, but in January when it's still pitch dark at 7 AM....:glare:. That is my goal for this school year. Up by 7:30 at the latest. Even in the dead of winter when it's cold and snowy. We'll see how that goes. Having said that....when I'm up, I'm up. And, annoying cheerful, because deep down, I do love mornings the best. I just need to remember that when I'm burrowing under the warm comforter and my house is freezing cold. :lol: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16years.

Peds nurse here. Make sure you wait for the culture results before you make that assumption. Stat-strep results aren't always the most accurate, especially at the beginning of the infection. Call back in 48 hours to make sure. They should culture it for 72 hours, but if it's going to be positive, it usually is within 48. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Winterpromise. I love their American History! Starting American Story 1 on Monday with my 9 yo ds. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I think boys just want an excuse to pee outside. :glare: :lol: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Have you tried Discount Dance online? That's where my dd gets all her stuff....and has for years. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Well, we've had friends who've had good luck with urine around the coop. I don't want to know how they did it, but I suspect it may have had something to do with their six boys. :lol: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

The entire Rainbow Resource warehouse. That ought to do it. :lol: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Yep, buddy tape it to the toe next to it and ice it. Anti-inflammatories may help, too. Motrin....800mg will do the trick. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Ok, those labs are MUCH better!! With an A1C of over 17.....she really should have been in the ICU and she certainly wouldn't have been conscious, so I thought that couldn't be right. And, yes, have her tested for Cushing's. The "buffalo hump" on the back is a classic sign and it should be ruled out. Good luck!! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

:lol: :lol: :lol: And as a mother of a Mormon missionary currently serving in California, PLEASE take my word for it that they will NOT be offended if you just say, "Thanks, but no thanks." If you're feeling extra guilty about that (although you shouldn't), and it's hot out, they won't mind a couple of popsicles or bottled waters. Although don't give one to my son, because he will drip the popsicle on his suit. :glare: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Well, I think it depends on your dd. My dd is 17 and this is the first and only year she is doing this. She has spent all of her previous time training to be a classical ballerina. She's been in a very intense pre-professional program that went from 12 noon - 6:30 PM, M-F. She also happens to be a very gifted dancer and this is her passion and she loves it with all her heart. She wanted to spend her senior year doing something like drill team (which is really all dance here in Utah) just to have the experience. She still does classical ballet from 5-7 AM and then does her drill later in the day. Now, having said all of that, and with all the hours she has spent taking dance with professional teachers while the other girls have been in high school, it's not surprising that my dd consistently ranks #1 in all the dances (or quite frankly, I'd demand my money back from all the dance teachers she's had over the past 10 years. :lol: JOKING, of course.) So, I can't speak to how well the other kids handle their rankings, although it does sometimes make my dd uncomfortable. It can cause resentment, and frankly, she wishes the coaches didn't do it like this, but as she's discovering with PS system....she has no power to change this. If my dd weren't as strong of a dancer, I might not like it. But, and this is another thread altogether, the MOTHERS of these girls are off the wall about this drill team stuff. It's what they live for. I'm a drop-off mom and quite frankly, could care less about it, but from what I've seen these moms are just so happy that their little precious is on the team that nothing else matters. Crazy. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Also, Julie, do not accept that according to the test numbers "there is nothing seriously wrong". Definitely get her into someone else. If your current doc won't give you a referral, get her test results and find another primary who WILL! As a ped nurse, all kinds of alarm bells are going off in my head with your description of your dd's symptoms and that test result. Something is SERIOUSLY wrong and needs to be addressed VERY quickly....as in TODAY! (Not shouting, just emphasizing.) If you can't see another doc and that A1C is really 17.....go to the ER. If you can swing it, take her to the ER of a children's hospital. She needs prompt medical attention. Please keep us updated. I've been thinking about her since last night. Hope your appointment goes well. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I haven't read through all the responses, so pardon me if this has been mentioned before, but: "No" is a complete answer. Sometimes you have to repeat it more than once. :lol: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

This. :D Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

My dd is doing the same thing with our local high school. Same rules apply. Everyone dances at the games. Not everyone gets to dance in the competitions. Pretty standard. As is the outrageous price tag for all of it. However, our coach grades the girls on each dance. The top 10 are announced out loud, according to their placement. The bottom 10 dancers are asked to see the coach for their ranking. So the girls have a pretty good idea of where they stand. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

30 minutes of aerobic activity is enough to MAINTAIN weight, but NOT lose it. She needs at least 50 minutes per day, 5-6 days per week as well as strength training to build muscle (muscle burns more calories than fat does) and some sort of yoga/Pilates type of exercise to promote stretching and prevent injuries. She also needs to do the aerobic activity to the point of being able to talk but not sing. It needs to be vigorous. If a gym membership would be feasible, I would suggest that. She could do the treadmill or take some of the fun classes and if you could get a personal trainer to work with her.....even better. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I think this may be the crux of your problem (and I'm saying this gently). After 16 years of homeschooling, I have learned that some things are NOT negotiable and that MOM is the one in charge. I'm not a harsh taskmaster either, but that's just the way it is. Suzy or Johnny will do their assigned task and they will do it cheerfully and promptly or else they will have priveleges taken away. I'm wondering why using a structured curriculum like Calvert would be any different? If your child gave you grief about her Calvert (or any other structured program's) math assignment for the day, would you fold on that, too? Again, not being snarky, just trying to understand what the real issue is. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Um, that number for an A1C is off the charts. Are you sure it's the right number? As far as what the test is, it is a measurement of your blood sugar over a two to three month period, not just a "right at this moment" look. It is looking at what percentage of your hemoglobin is coated with sugar, basically. So, the higher your A1C number, the poorer your blood sugar control is. In a person WITHOUT diabetes, the A1C is usually somewhere between 4.5 to 6. For someone with very poorly controlled diabetes, the number is usually above 9. But a 17 would corollate to a blood sugar number of over 300mg/dl. I'm assuming you have an appointment with a physician tomorrow??? Because if not, I would get one. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I can promise you.....it does get better. Some days are wonderful and some days are :ack2:. But over the long haul, the wonderful does win. Of course that doesn't really help if you're in the middle of :banghead:. Stop, regroup, and try something else. Sometimes a more fun subject or activity can get them back on track. Good luck!! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I ALWAYS pay the extra $10 so they don't hold any of my stuff for backorders. Then I have it in about 5 days. Worth it to me, because I am not a patient person when it comes to waiting for books to arrive. :lol: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I did that once when I was blowing out eggs we'd dyed at Easter. I had a lovely purple moustache for a week. :glare: So pretty. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I leave the room. I go upstairs and stand in my bathroom and vent to myself in the mirror until it is all out of my system. Then I come back downstairs and try to resolve the problem without raising my voice. But if my mirror could talk.....it would tell you it now needs therapy. :lol: Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Holy cow...people really stay with their children at a birthday party when their child is over the age of 3???? You're kidding me!!! That doesn't happen where I live. I have always dropped my children off at the appointed time and picked them up when it was over. As have all the other mothers. I can't even IMAGINE staying at a children's birthday party with an 11 year old. :001_huh: That is so "smother-mothering" to me it's unfathomable. And, FWIW, my 9 year old son is going to a pool party tomorrow. I'm not invited and I'm not staying. And, yes, I think it's rude for the parents to "inform" you that they will also be attending your child's party. They WEREN'T INVITED. Good grief, Emily Post must be turning over in her grave. Maybe that's what you should hand out as party favors to the parents....etiquette books. :lol: Good luck! Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years