University of Maryland, associated with their Language Flagship programs for Arabic and Persian http://www.globalprofessionals.umd.edu/summer-language-institute/

What language? Indiana University has a well-regarded program for 16 languages, from Arabic to Ukrainian. http://www.indiana.edu/~swseel/ FLA funding may be available from the home institution but applications must be in by Feb 1 (see link above).

Many schools, during the scholarship or Honors application, asked D to submit an activities and awards resume. I would save the resume for those purposes, unless specifically asked for in the regular application. If a school cares about activities/awards at that point, there would be a spot to list them on the regular application or a resume request.

So lovely to hear from you, Catwoman. I've been thinking of you and your family often and am happy to hear that all is well. Our homeschooler is graduating from high school a year early, is applying to colleges to study International Relations plus Arabic and Chinese (has been studying both already), and is very hopeful of a gap year courtesy of Rotary :)

D gave me the book for Christmas. We're going to see the movie tomorrow :)

We attended a watch party at WHYY in Philly :D I thought it was SO GOOD! I bawled through episode 2 so was very pleased to sit on the edge of my chair instead :lol:

D will probably be taking a gap year to study abroad (Rotary). We'll know for sure which country in the next few weeks. She applied to college this year. She only applied to schools that defer admissions and merit scholarships for gap years. This information was found on the schools' websites, sometimes buried and sometimes not. Gap years for language and culture acquisition are looked at very favorably for students like my D who intend to study International Relations and critical languages at universities designated as Language Flagships. There are multiple inexpensive programs for gap year study abroad. These programs are sponsored by the government and are essentially free (but for passport and a few other fees, maybe insurance): NSLI (language focus), Kennedy-Luger YES (culture based; countries w significant Muslim populations), CBYX (Germany), and one for Lithuania whose name escapes me right now. Rotary Exchanges pay for all but airfare, passport and visa fees, and insurance. Rotary and NSLI students (not sure if the others) receive small monthly stipends of ~$60-100 US in the host country currency.

We stay at AKL a lot (DVC owners there). Almost all of the activities are free. The craft activities have a small fee, usually $5. The bus ride to Magic Kingdom this past summer was 22-25 minutes. Epcot and the Studios buses took about 12 minutes.

Here's a link to the Planet Money podcast taking about end-of-life care in La Crosse WI http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/03/05/286126451/living-wills-are-the-talk-of-the-town-in-la-crosse-wis

She decided to add a RD school at almost the last moment---essays are all written but need one more read-through before she hits submit on CA. And then we wait for any scholarship/honors applications that may arise. Plus maybe a scholarship application for summer language study if the blasted freaking Rotary falls through (a whole different vent thread in waiting grrr)

I love hearing about your rocket team :D (stupid autocorrect)

I started buying the Soleil brand of flavored water at Acme (an Albertsons chain). Their grapefruit is almost as good as the La Croix pamplemousse---I can't tell a difference but dd22 says she can. $3 a 12 pack /enabling

Jasmine in bloom reminds me of my grandmother' patio in San Diego. I have stopped dead in my tracks in strange cities when I smell it.

Other---there's no sales tax in my state

Bump

Thanks Garga

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I only buy clicky pens. If someone else wants cap pens, s/he is welcome to use her/his own money. My wonderful dh cleans up after dinner every night that I cook---packs food away, loads and runs the dishwasher, washes the hand dishes, grinds coffee and sets the timer on the coffee maker. It's awesome. But he never wipes down the counter between the coffee grinder and the sink, where the dirty dishes sat while he was washing. So when I stmbke diwn in the morning I see a trail of ground coffee (because some always spills) through last night's crumbs. Makes me crazy.

Whitestavern, I just reread your OP. How serious is your dd about being premed? You really would want to save all you can on undergraduate if medicine school is in her future.

D's AP Lang class through Blue Tent Online did not use a 5 paragraph structure for the essays, even during the test prep portions. I guess if students aren't quick writers then relying on an into, a paragraph for each of 2 or 3 points, and a concluding paragraph makes some structural sense.

No words just :grouphug:

:grouphug: Holding your sweet baby and your family :grouphug:

Run over it, shred the pages, and then burn it. :D

Yes we do, a medium-ish one that will run the fridge, the chest freezer, the stove, a section of outlets and lights in the kitchen, and the furnace. (Hot water heater is the only gas appliance.) We had an electrician wire it into the box. It lives outside in its own little shed dh made.

Yes, this! D has in-depth conversations online (with irl friends and friends she's never met) about so many topics. Every once in a while she'll share a series of posts (or texts or someone's Snapchat story) that blows me away.