I've had 5. We lost our first baby and that was beyond devastating. Then I lost one after my first child was born. Again, very hard. Then we went on to have 5 more healthy pregnancies/children. Then, for no apparent reason, I had 3 misses in a row (all before 12 wks) before finally conceiving #7. It gets easier, but you never forget. And once you have had a miscarriage, the first 3 mos. of pregnancy are never very joyful...you are always on pins and needles. :grouphug:

You will always have our support here. I've always been a bit, "too" transparent here as well. But, transparency is a good thing. It lets others know how to best support you. :grouphug: if you want them. :D If not, you will have my prayers that an accurate diagnosis will be made.

Very simple and easy to do. Baked spaghetti. Brown ground beef/turkey, add in a jar of spaghetti sauce (or your own). While beef browning, boil spaghetti. Put spaghetti in 9x13 baking dish, top with ground beef/sauce mixture. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30min. Yummy and easy!

I would suggest looking at the BIP (Bright Ideas Press) website and seeing what they have there. Most of their products are very similar. I do not have experience with AAH but have you looked at CKE series for Science?

Yup. I just sold my FIAR stuff at the beginning of the year. I just purchased it again. At least I buy used so I don't think I am actually "out" any money.

Ds12 just started it last week. Such a breath of fresh air after Saxon. Saxon brought him to tears. LoF is the first thing he does in the morning and there are no tears, no complaints. We are breezing through Fractions and hoping to get through Decimals/Percents by the end of the year so he can start the Algebra book next year.

http://www.guesthollow.com It is a free American History curriculum written for about the 2nd/3rd grader but easily tweaked up or down.

I'm so sorry to hear this news. I have been praying for them. Was hoping for a miracle. :grouphug:

Great ideas! Thanks everyone. I definitely want her to take an Intro. to Psych course at our local CC. Probably 12th grade...when she can drive herself to class. :D She wants to take voice lessons, so that might count as something. I'll give these suggestions to my dd. Thanks.

I'm trying to come up with a list of electives for my dd to choose from for her next 3 years. She is doing Logic this year (.5 credit) and will likely do Health in 10th (.5 credit) and a finance course in 11th or 12th. Her main curriculum is MFW and we will likely stick with that as she is doing well and enjoys it. What other choices for electives are out there? I'm not counting For. Language b/c that is a given. :D

Pasta e fagioli? Usually has sausage but could be?

I have many, many friends homeschooling in the state of MD. If you need any advice, please PM me and I can get you in touch. None that I know of in Baltimore City, but many in Baltimore County. The law is STATEWIDE. Districts do not have the right to ask for more than the state requires.

I was very concerned about the fluoride, trust me. I am still weighing my options b/c I hate the idea of putting it on his teeth. And the general anesthesia in the hospital might be necessary anyway if the fluoride doesn't work! I'm reading about remineralization of teeth and natural options available. Can't hurt to have it monitored each month though.

That is a good idea...test prep books. Thanks for the Key to series thread..don't think we will go that route. I might look into LoF. I doubt dd will go into a career that needs advance math but I want her options to be wide open. We will also take a finance class (Dave Ramsey or Burkett) through MFW if we stick with that program through high school.

I would bring a copy of the homeschool law with you to this meeting, along with the portfolio. Nothing else. I would highlight the requirements and have a letter in hand stating that the law says you are only required to record "x" and do not have to comply with "y". Our school district in PA tried to require us to do more than the commonwealth wanted and all it took was a letter of explanation and the highlighted sections in the law. Are you with an "umbrella" program. My friends in MD are using an umbrella program and they never have to answer directly to the district.

The new iPod Touches have camera and video. My dd saved up all her allowance (months worth) and birthday money and got one on Black Friday. She said it was worth every penny she spent and some. :D If you end up getting wifi in your home, you can text using the iPod and do something called Facetime" which is like video calling. My dd LOVES that feature. I have the older one (no camera or video). My kids (even the 2yo) play games (all I have are free apps right now), I have my music on there, calendar, etc. I would LOVE to have the newer one, but now that Verizon has the iPhone I am saving up for that anyway. :D

Very common. Bitterness is the culprit. It's very sad. Many, many years ago we had our house foreclosed upon. It was heartbreaking but it was OUR OWN FAULT! When we left, I made sure it was almost spotless (as if we were selling it). I'm sure it wasn't 100% spotless but it was clean and everything was working and in tact. We didn't take so much as a doorknob. The only appliance we did take was the microwave b/c we had paid for it OOP as an "extra" when we bought the house. I would call the police as a pp said. That is vandalism.

I had an HP that I grew "out of love" with very quickly. We still have it, but I loathe it. It had so many issues and the ink was expensive and didn't last long at all. I read a bunch of reviews and finally settled on the Epson Artisan 810. I love it. The research I've done suggests that Epson ink is cheaper and better than HP ink. As is Canon. The Artisan does everything that my HP did and more! The only thing it doesn't do is duplexing (I think), although it might. It does a lot! I think if you check sales, you can get it for under $200. We got it when we got our MacBook directly from Apple b/c they were running a sale on printers when you bought a Mac. Forgot to add that it is wireless (love it!) and uses separate ink cart. for color and black.

I just say no thank you. I don't have any disposable income and parties like that are too tempting for me. :D

Thanks. :D I am doing okay. Still feeling soooo guilty for giving him the sippy cup of juice at bedtime (so stupid!) and not even noticing this until now! But, it is his baby teeth and hopefully the permanent teeth underneath will not be affected, kwim?

Thank you! I might just get a Geometry supplement for next year in prep for PSATs. I will make note of this schedule. Does the Key to series have Geometry? Or would LoF be a good supplement? Just curious. She tolerates Saxon and we continue with it b/c it is a solid program but it might be fun to change it up a bit with some LoF or Key to. KWIM?

Thanks for all your posts re: my toddler's rotting front teeth. We took him to the ped dentist this morning and of course they thought he had been using a bottle at night. I said, no, just a sippy cup...same thing though. So, bad mom, I know. The dentist said it was pretty bad but he would like to try and use a super-concentrated fluoride treatment and try to prevent further deterioration until ds2 is a bit older and can sit for treatment. The other option would be general anesthesia in the hospital. :001_huh: So, we opted for waiting it out. He will have to be seen monthly for monitoring and we have to put the fluoride paste on his teeth 2x/day. Please pray that this can do the trick until he is older and can sit for treatment. Thanks.

Ok, that is too funny! That is the exact recipe that I used! It did turn out good...I tripled the recipe though b/c of our large family. I don't know, it was just a bit bland? Perhaps I just need to add more spice to the toppings. I don't know. Thanks for that. I'll check out the thinner crust recipe as well. Thanks!

Dd will finish Saxon Alg. 1 by the end of the school year. What is the correct math sequence nowadays for a college-bound student? When I went to school, I had Alg. 2 in 9th, Geom in 10th, Trig in 11th and College Alg. in 12th. Should dd go on to Alg. 2, then Geo and then? Ugh. And what to use for Geom? Jacobs? Chalk Dust? Does saxon have a new Geometry program out? Sorry for all the Qs but I am trying to plan ahead. Thanks.

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