Doorknob latches, cabinet latches and baby gates are our friends. :lol::lol: My kids were into getting into everything and climbing everything long before they were old enough to obey. They do periodically figure out a new way to reach something or how to open a particular type of latch but I'm hoping we're heading to the end of those days anyway. Good Luck. ;)

My son won't be compulsary school age for over another year (when he graduated ps EI they said don't bring him back until he's 6) but we are currently doing a curriculum that is a mix of kindergarten and first grade work. We do take it slow and I don't put a lot of pressure on him since he is young (especially for writing) and I don't have to worry about any reporting (not that I ever do here in NJ). He just loves learning and gets bored easily. Since I am planning to homeschool at least until high school, I do consider us homeschoolers.

That's great. Good luck achieving your goals. Unfortunately your current weight is basically my weight goal. :glare: And I'm only 1/2 inch taller than you.

Sorry, I have to say it. GROSS!!!!:ack2: One of the hardest things for me to overcome with homeschooling is my dislike of some creepy things. I can handle snakes, cockroaches and large spiders thanks to time volunteering at a zoo but anything with that many legs - Yuck. And when it comes to worms - I border on the phobic.

There have been a lot of threads lately about funding for college and the extremely high cost involved. In some there seemed to be a feeling that state colleges are inferior to private schools in some fundamental way. (some of what follows is a quote from a previous post but why reinvent the wheel, right?) I've attended a private college, a statecollege and an online school. I think that it's as easy to find a statecollege that will make you happy as a private school - if you know what you're looking for. Other than prestige, the only thing I've seen mentioned as a plus in a private college are small class size (which can be had at state colleges) and vague ideas of ambiance. State colleges often have more course/major offerings, easier scheduling (more sessions offered) and more financial aid, not to mention a lower price tag to begin with. I live in an extremely populous state (NJ) and went to what is one of the least expensive state colleges ($85 a credit when I attended which was less than 10 years ago - as an adult, although I did attend daytime classes with kids). I did not have a single class which had over 30 students and only those that were the general core requirements even came close to that. This school was fairly large but had a small community feel and offered many more programs and opportunities (not to mention financial aid) than the private college I attended previously. If I had started off at the state college I probably would have been able to finish in less than the 14 years in eventually ended up taking me (I could have done 4 years at the state school in what we spent for 3 semesters at the private college - not counting travel costs. I went to a private college in Texas.) Just about everyone I've talked to (and I worked full time for almost 20 years in a variety of industries - about 10 different companies) has said that no employers ever cared where their degree came from - only that they had one. This may be different for certain careers (lawyers?) but DH is an executive with a pharmaceutical company and his experience is the same (his degree is from a state college). There are good and bad, large and small in state colleges and private colleges. Even as an out-of-state resident many state colleges will be much cheaper than in-state options at private schools. It's a viable option to be explored. (Thank you Jodene.) :-)

I've attended a private college, a state college and an online school. I think that it's as easy to find a state college that will make you happy as a private school - if you know what you're looking for. Other than prestige, the only thing I've seen mentioned as a plus in a private college are small class size (which can be had at state colleges) and vague ideas of ambiance. State colleges often have more course/major offerings, easier scheduling (more sessions offered) and more financial aid, not to mention a lower price tag to begin with. I live in an extremely populous state (NJ) and went to what is one of the least expensive state colleges ($85 a credit when I attended which was less than 10 years ago - as an adult). I did not have a single class which had over 30 students and only those that were the general core requirements even came close to that. This school was fairly large but had a small community feel and offered many more programs and opportunities (not to mention financial aid) than the private college I attended previously. Just about everyone I've talked to (and I worked full time for almost 20 years in a variety of industries - about 10 different companies) has said that no employers ever cared where their degree came from - only that they had one.

I have a Sit & Stand and a regular travel system stroller. The Sit & Stand is slightly larger when folded but not too much. I could fit both of them together in the trunk of a Honda Civic.

True, but someone who has paperwork showing she legally emancipated from her parents at 16 years old, has not lived with them since and files her own tax returns is different from an 18 year old still living at home. I don't know what the solution would be. Residence requirements where if you haven't been living at home for 12 months or longer (other than dormitory) and file your own tax returns excuses you from submitting parental info.? If there's no divorce decree requiring non-custodial parent to contribute to college, then only the custodial parents info is used? (won't catch those non-custodial parents willing to help out even if not required to). It's definitely a flawed system and I doubt there's a perfect solution that would work for all situations.

Are the activities mentioned above in the SOTW activity books? They sound like a lot of fun.

Definitely two - just like oil, coil, royal.

I went to college with a girl who had a very hard time with the financial aid office because she was only 20 but had absolutely no contact with her parents since she was 16 (she was legally emancipated). They wanted her to submit her parents financial information but she had no access to it and didn't receive any support from them. It caused her a lot of problems even with her emancipation paperwork (since anyone over 18 is technically "emancipated" since they are an adult that didn't mean anything to the school). Unfortunately, she was never able to resolve this and ended up leaving school because she couldn't access financial aid.

Most of my cars have been a stick - its can be about $1000 cheaper to buy new and that was an issue for me for a long time. Right now, we have one car that's an automatic (a Suburban, was DH's before we married) and one that's manual (Honda Civic that was mine before we married). My oldest has expressed an interest in learning to drive the stick once she gets her license. I think its a good skill to have since you never know when you may have to drive one. I personally prefer driving the stick except when stuck in stop-and-go traffic. Then its torture. I was helping a friend move one time and when we went to pick up the rental truck all they had was a 24 foot MANUAL transmission. I ended up having to drive it about 150 miles over windy, hilly back roads since she was not good with a manual. I always wonder if a manual makes your car less likely to be stolen. Like everyone else, are casual car thieves less likely to know how to drive it? ;) Plus I guess it could give your kid an advantage if they ever try for a part time valet job. :D

I link to Preschool Corner & 5K too at Homeschool Creations most weeks. Once or twice I've posted to Tot School at 1+1+1=1. Those are the two I found most relevant to what we're currently doing (and about all I can keep up with at the moment). I've seen Wordless Wednesdays, Muffin Tin Mondays, Secular Thursdays, Outdoor Challenge and many other linking topics. I'd love to do some of them and maybe someday I will but right now one a week is usually all I can handle.

This is why I do it. Everytime I've tried to keep a journal it doesn't last long. I also type WAY faster and better than I hand-write. I tried an electronic journal once or twice but lost track of it quickly. I also blog to keep a record of what we do, special things that happen, our homeschooling, etc. There are some people - special family members and friends - who check it out every so often but its mostly just for me.

My first delivery was vaginal but after an induction (due to membrane rupture) and failed epidural. I had an episiotomy and I found that harder to recover from than my c-section. I was also much younger then. :-) My first c-section ended up being an emergency after another failed induction. I evidently react badly to either inductions, epidurals or labor in general because my blood pressure crashes and I start passing out. I was very out of it for about 12 hours after this c-section but didn't have any problems with healing or pain. My second c-section was planned and this was also the only time I went into labor on my own - 5 days before my planned c-section. None of my kids believe in following a plan including for their birth. :D This recovery was a breeze - no real pain, I was up taking a shower the same day. Both my c-sections, I left the hospital at least one day early. I can't stand being in the hospital and I did much better at home. It is major surgery and there's always some risk of complications so it's not something that should be taken lightly.

We have an extremely small house, no closets and a 2 year old who gets into everything so we've had to be creative. In the kids bedroom, we have 3 large storage cabinets - 2 are for toys (we rotate what they have out) and 1 is for all our craft supplies - paper, paints, foam stickers, seasonal crafts, etc. They are kept locked. On top of the craft cabinet is a large basket with all our recyclable items to use in crafts - paper towel holders, shoe boxes, etc. In our living room, we have two bookcases that have doors over the lower shelves. On one case is games on the very top shelf, books on the second shelf down and nothing on the lowest (its within reach). Behind the doors are my paper cutters, laminator and all the supplies I use when making games. On the other is decorative items on top, books on the second and nothing on the bottom. Behind the doors are Vicki's new Tot Trays. The lower doors on both are kept locked except when Vicki is using her trays during school. The books on these shelves are only our school books. Regular reading books are in the kid's room and all my books are in bins in the garage. :-( On a (very) high shelf over some doors in the living room is a bin with all our math/science manipulatives, magazine holders with coloring books and magazines, and all our extra crayons and markers. In the dining room (we have a gate to keep the dog in the kitchen/dining area so the kids aren't in there usually) we have a 9 cubbie shelf. The lower cubbies are used for shoes, then there's 2 for library books - 1 for the kids, 1 for mine; and 1 for my planning binder and the binders for the kids completed stuff. We have an old fashioned secretary hutch with drawers - 1 drawer is for our frequently used school stuff. I have a plastic drawer set with 2 small and 4 large bins. I use this as a kind of workbox system. I keep the kids currently stuff in there - not daily more like weekly. 1 drawer is reading/writing, 1 is math, 1 is science, 1 for Vicki's stuff (although since I set up the Tot Trays I'll change this) and 1 for our theme. I plan to set up trays/bins/something on our dining room table each day with our current days stuff so I can just grab it easy. We do most of our actual school in the living room so the dining room table is usually free (except for my laptop of course). I have one drawer in a file cabinet that I keep anything on themes I have already planned but that aren't our current plan (a lot of stuff leftover from themes we've done that I'm holding until we do it again). I'm trying to get organized as possible before we have to start "real" school for both kids so that I'm not constantly struggling with it. We are hoping to expand our house but for now I'm trying to find the best way to work with what we have.

I'm all for borrowing for an education if the student in question knows why they are there. Do they have a plan? Do they (not their parents) want them to go to college? Are they ready to work hard to get good grades and not waste the opportunity? If they answer to any of these is No, I think either an inexpensive community college or working for awhile is a much better option. When I started college (right out of high school) I wanted to be a veterinarian. I ended up stopping after 3 semesters due to lack of funds and not having done well with the freedom (over protected child and went 2000 miles away from home). I had about a 2.7 average at that point. After a year of working, I returned on my own dime while working full time and after another year (with a general Biology/Environmental Science course of study) had a 3.4 average. I ended up getting married and having my oldest but I continued college off and on for a lot of years as funding was there or I had a job with tuition reimbursement. (Full time work, full time school and sometimes a part time job as well). Eventually, I received a degree in Biology and a degree in Business Administration, Marketing. My degrees were awarded through an online school that is an accredited state college in NJ (Thomas Edison) with a 3.8 average (and believe me, other than the commute, it was not easier). I put a LOT more effort into it and did a lot better when I had to work for it and wanted to be there. We're starting to think about this now with my oldest. She wants to go to NYU - which is expensive but can be done as a commuter since we live in NJ. She has two sets of parents to help pay - DH (her stepfather) and I, and her dad. Her father wants her to go to community college while I think NYU is okay since she knows what she wants to do, gets excellent grades, takes AP courses, will be taking CLEPs, etc. I have told her that whether she goes to NYU or CC will depend on the effort she puts into her grades and tests in the next couple years of high school. If she works hard, NYU is a possiblity. If she goofs off, then she's going to CC. I don't think a mediocre student who isn't really sure what they want to do with their lives should be encouraged (or even allowed) to go to an expensive private school just to get away from home. Especially when it means they or their parents wind up with a huge amount of debt.

Dottie Anna is my first and middle name and what my mother always called me. 29 is the day of the month by birthday falls on.

It's so hard to pick just one favorite. :-) I LOVE the Stand and have since I was in high school. I've reread that many, many times and every time I go through one of the tunnels into NYC I think about that scene. Other favorites: Firestarter, Carrie, Cell, Pet Semetary (but as a parent find it very disturbing), It, Talisman (with Peter Staub). I love the short storie collections - Different Seasons is really good. Most of his movie adaptations are pretty weak but Firestarter and The Shining are good. I do have to say - I was never able to get into the Gunslinger series. The first one (or two??) were okay but then BORING - endless pages walking through the desert. I don't know if it got better because I never tried that one again.

I've known people who do contract work who were unable to do jury duty because their work was sporadic and day to day. I also know homeschoolers and SAHM's who were dismissed because they did not have childcare in place. There should be a phone number on your paperwork that you can call if you have a problem serving. Call and explain your situation and see what they say. Good Luck.

I was also cut and cauterized so that may be the reason for my doctor's recommendation. Add in "Advanced Maternal Age" and.... Here in NJ, insurance companies are required to cover IV treatments but not reversal surgery. Looks like this is something that's going to vary greatly depending on where you live.

:grouphug: I had my tubes tied during my last c-section as well. At the time I was told that a better option than a reversal (due to risk of ectopic and expense) was to do in-vitro fertilization. It's more likely to be covered by insurance and has less risk. Since my tubal, I've had about 6 women share with me that they had children after through IV - including my husband's cousin who had twins.

I found it - its the Book Barn in Niantic Ct. Some of you may be closer and should check it out. They do have a website but don't sell online (I guess that would be a lot to expect from a used book store). http://www.bookbarnniantic.com/default.htm I really have to convince DH we need to take a trip to coastal Connecticut.

These are some great suggestions. Looks like I'm just going to have to tell DH that I need to go book shopping. :lol: (One of my absolute favorite activities) I forgot all about Scholastic book fliers. I signed up for them and keep forgeting about ordering. Their prices are usually really good. There is an amazing used book store in Connecticut - at one of the towns along the southern shore area. We used to have friends that lived close to it and I would haunt this place whenever we went to vist but they since moved to Mississippi.:sad: It was amazing with 5-6 separate buildings of books and a huge selection. I was in Heaven but so far I haven't been able to convince DH to make the 4 hour drive (one way) so I can buy books. I should check if they have a website, I think they might.

At 13 my daughter didn't have a curfew because she wasn't really out randomly roaming around. She might go to the mall but it would be right after school in the afternoon for an hour or so, she might go to the movies but would be picked up and dropped off. Other than that, she usually would just go over a friends house to hang out. We don't live in a place conducive to walking. She has one friend in our neighborhood but between dance and afterschool activities they don't have a lot of free time to roam. Once outside of our neigborhood it's busy, narrow, winding roads and a long walk to anywhere. She's going to be 16 Friday (YIKES!!) which means she's allowed to start dating so I guess I'm going to have to start thinking about curfews and such. So far, she's only gone out with a group of friends to a specific place and for a specific reason (birthday parties, restaurants, movies) so there wasn't a real curfew since it was based on the party time or movie schedule and was a pick up/drop off situation. I do a good portion of the driving for her group of friends so I usually know exactly what the plan is.