Here's my attempt. No religious content, but maybe less problematic, and still on the theme. Scary house! Shadows all around you! Scary house! Spooky and dark! Scary house! It's Johann! No need to be afraid! It's Johann Sebastian Bach! Or, if the fourth line is too "not scary", you could leave that line alone with the three "watch out"s.

I agree... neighborhood is everything! For what you are looking for, you may be more comfortable living in Orange County. Commuting is just part of life in So Cal, you know? I lived in Tustin for 5 years, and we really loved it there.

I can't say yet if it is official. I'll tell you all next week...

I know that the house will be very important to us. My dh is home all day, I'm home abou half the work week, and the kids are homeschooled--we spend so much time in and around our house that moving to a our current home was such a breath of fresh air! After six years in a bad-fit townhouse, to finally have enough space and a yard... it made all the difference in our everyday lives. I do want a house that is the way we want it (mostly) now. I mean, I can see us painting or changing minor fixtures--but we are definately not do-it-yourselfers. No handymen (or women) around here. There are no major redesign plans in our future. It just doesn't make sense, really... we'll never live someplace more than 10 years or so until after I retire--so that's... um... 30 years from now? Small changes, maybe, but nothing that will cause us to go into debt (more than just the house). I'm reading and noting all your responses. I feel like I'm in way over my head, so your good advice is super welcome!

How did you get started looking for your first house? What were the make or break things you were looking for? I know every will have different wants and needs, but I'm wondering if there are some things that I'm missing. I don't even know the budget at this point--we'll probably need help from parents for a down payment, but our current rent is $2300 a month. Here is our current wants/needs list: Needs Single family home 2000+ square feet 4 bedrooms (3 bedrooms + office) Living room + Family room (School room) Large enough yard for children to play Adequate storage Central Air/ Heat Within 5 miles of church Cooking-friendly kitchen Wants Pool (if in good condition) Wood floors “Quirky†Trees Established neighborhood Within 2 miles of church Abundant built – in storage 5 bedrooms (4 bedrooms + office) 3 bathrooms Sprinkler system/easy to maintain yard Close to outdoor recreational options (parks, trails, etc) Family-friendly neighborhood Single-Story / Ranch style Don’t Wants “Cookie-cutter†Open floor plan Veto Major repairs Pool in poor condition If we can't find what we want, we'll end up having to rent again.

My ds7 doesn't sleep much. We've been struggling because he has a hard time going to sleep before midnight, and is up between 6 and 7... not nearly enough time for dh and I to be alone and rest! He's OK to read in his room (bedtime is 8), but is frequently running and telling us about his books, or wanting to talk, etc. He's not tired during the day, never naps... just goes and goes. Ds5 also goes to bed at 8, is usually asleep at 9 and sleeps until 9. I seem to remember I read something about PG kids and having strange sleep schedules... anyone have experience with this or know where I read about it?

Ok... I ordered what was available. It's a present for... my dh! And the kids! Yeah! That's right! It isnt' for me at all!

Lol! You were one of the first people I thought of! In fact... I think you are the only homeschooler I know in San Diego. Comic Con, huh? Without having to pay for a hotel? That may be the way to get Doug on board with the "moving again less than a year after we last moved". Ugh.

They can do whatever you ask.. it's just a matter of price. I recently had my wedding ring resized and the diamond replaced (my original diamond fell out and was lost) using an inherited diamond ring. I also took a couple of diamonds off the ring and had earrings made. Most of the cost is in the labor, if you have the stones and band. Be sure to find a reputable local jeweler. I found one through a friend... good thing too. One place I went he said he couldn't reset those diamonds, he'd have to sell me new ones and he'd give me $100 for the others because they were junk. One of them was an almost 3 carat stone worth over $10,000. Clearly a rip off artist--and I had a bad vibe in the store too. Good thing I never let the ring out of my sight there!

Yes, it's pretty easy. It will be cheaper if you have some gold for them to use (gold is high right now) in the form of a ring, etc. I would expect to pay a couple hundred for a reset, plus materials. Whatever you do, don't sell any "extra" diamonds. Have them made into earrings or whatever... but the price you get for resellind diamonds is a tiny fraction of their value.

we may be moving there. We've visited and vacationed, but what is it like to live there? Anyone? Pros, cons? We've been in So Cal for years, but always in/around Los Angeles.

My 5 year old is very interested in having a pet bunny. We really don't know much about them. We've always just had cats--we have three, and he loves the cats, one in particular. Dh and I are willing, but we don't really know what bunny ownership would entail. So... what are the pros/cons of having a bunny? What would we need to buy? How much care do they take? We live in a traditional so-cal suburban home--we have a decent sized walled backyard, but summers are hot here... do bunnies need to live outside? Inside? See how little I know! And where would I go online to educate myself?

Well... not really. Playmobile figures are about twice the size of Lego people. You could build Lego houses for them, but they are not the same scale. But both are awesome! My dh loves Lego, we have lots that date from before we have kids, plus usually get new sets for birthdays/Christmas. But I love Playmobile. We have lots of knights, Romans, Vikings, barbarian, pirates, plus lots of random things (bunnies, modern individual pieces, various soldiers). This year will definately be an Egyptian year. One of my favorite Classical Homeschooling moments was when I walked in on my boys playing with the colosseum, they looked up and said "We're playing Romans vs. Gauls! The Gauls are winning... for now!"

Well, all of us drink primarily water. We do order drinks when we go out to eat (iced tea, mostly), I enjoy making coffee the mornings, and there is often juice or lemonade in the fridge. The big soda drinker is my dh, who loves Diet RC. He already said he'd be in on it, though! I think our two weeks will end up as around $25 or so.

Our family will be giving up sodas, coffee, juice, and all other beverages other than water for two weeks to raise money for water wells. Want to join us? Watch the video... the site isn't very user friendly, but the project is great. Click on "Take the challenge" to find the link to the video. http://www.theh2oproject.org/ Make water your only beverage for just 2 weeks. For those 2 weeks, take the money you would usually spend on soda, juice, sports drinks, coffee, milk, etc., and collect it in a special cup. When the 2 weeks is over, contribute the funds directly to the well drilling organization you select--some are religious, some secular, all are working to save lives by providing clean water. 100% of the money will be used to drill clean water wells where the need is great. The video is kid appropriate, IMHO, still images of people using bad water, mentions the number who die from water-related illnesses each day, and talks about blindness from parasites. Also happy pictures of poor children using well water! You can preview if you want, but my 5 and 7 year old both watched it and were inspired to help me move all the sodas out of our fridge and print and post our checklist to keep track of the drinks we give up. A shameless mom brag and an aside: Last year my 7 yo decided all on his own to raise money for the homeless, and saved over $100 that he collected in a coffee can--mostly by asking grown ups from church and people who visited to contribute. It went towards providing a dinner at a local emergency shelter in mid February. I was so proud! Our family has so many blessings, I'm always looking for ways to bring the needs of others into our lives and this one looks good and easy enough. I'm still grieving the loss of my brother, but we are home and I'm off work for a month to focus on family and school--and trying not to hang around the boards so much. But this was a good cause.

Congratulations, Pam! WTG!!!!!

My little brother, 27 years old, died this morning. He had burned his hand at work, and was treated at the hospital with antibiotics and painkillers. He was sent home to bed, and never woke up. Our current guess is that he was given an accidental overdose, as his blood pressure was dropping very low when they sent him home. His girlfriend is just hysterical. It's so awful. My parents were here visiting California this week--we got the call while I was driving them to the airport. I am still in shock. I can't believe he's gone. It feels like some horrible mistake. My dh and I are trying to arrange to fly to Florida as soon as possible, but we have to work out who can watch the kids. Anyhow, I know I haven't been hanging around the boards much any more, but I would appreciate prayers and thoughts from old friends and new.

I think secular means "not promoting any religion" and inclusive means "all are welcome". We have belonged to an inclusive secular group of around 400 families or so--there are many Jewish families, Christian families, a few Muslim families and a bunch more that I don't know. I've never felt unwelcome as a Christian (or a pastor--I get plenty of polite questions and that's great), and I think it's wonderful when people want to dress up for Purim, or whatever. There are no organized religious activities, but that doesnt' mean that people don't practice thier own faiths. I will have to admit there are a lot more unschoolers there than classical schoolers, but I don't require everyone to agree with our methodology just to be supportive of each other.

It's the Society for Creative Anachronism. Historical re-enactors, pre-17th century. http://www.sca.org/ is a general site, many Kingdoms have thier own as well.

We're not really "involved" at this time, but we have good friends who are in the Kingdom of Caid and have attended some events. I'm working on making garb for myself-- 12th century Viking -- and some simple Anglo-Saxon tunics for my sons. My dh can't make up his mind! I bought an Inkle loom yesterday... that's pretty SCA, right?

$150 - $200 a month on food. I think it's pretty low, really... I can't imagine $75! But food may cost more here in Los Angeles than in some other areas.

I said forever... but I guess that's unless the situation changes. We love homeschooling, think it is absolutely the best choice for our children. However, since my dh was in the hospital for almost six months several years ago, I know that things can change in a heartbeat. Barring emergencies, we're forever. But life happens, right?

I would check with the local and state housing officials. A house that doesn't provide drinking water is probably unrentable, at least I know it is here. The landlord is probably liable for either temporary shelter (hotel costs) while the problem is fixed, or for moving costs for your family. Knowing that, the landlord will probably hop to it and fix the situation as well. Personally, I don't think I'd use the water at all, especially with you children. I think at this point I'd contact a fair housing attorney.

My cleaning music is a bunch of silly songs that "Jeeves & Wooster" would like, mostly swingy stuff from the 20s to the 40s. Nothing has me bopping along like "Oh By Jingo", "Bongo Bongo Bongo I Don't Want to Leave the Congo", "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire", "Nagasaki", and a bunch of similar stuff. Other swing classics too, but the silly ones get me singing. And my ds7 always wants to add silly science classics to the cleaning playlist, like Tom Lehrer's "Elements" if he's helping. Yes, a bit part of major cleaning here is the pre-cleaning creation of an iTunes playlist.

I loved his Beowulf too! i've read a couple of others, but Heaney was by far my favorite. I also read one of the Jane Austen mysteries last week, but just as a bonus book!