Elementary Education, then a M.Ed with an emphasis in School Leadership. So yeah, principal of two! ;)

In fact, post the pictures on FB so we can all pass them around, telling people to never take their dogs to that woman. That enrages me.

Take pictures, report her to Animal Control, do NOT pay her.

At 21 I thought I would have six kids, still be active in the LDS church, and be a working mom- none of which are true for me at 32. I NEVER thought I'd be homeschooling. Keep encouraging her to live a rich live, full of diverse experiences. She has a long time to think about the future.

We are going to be without a permanent address for the summer (a little over three months) while we travel. For insurance purposes, we need to maintain an address in our current state. I read online about setting up a UPS mailbox. It's a physical address and they can forward your mail at any time. It's kind of pricey though! Has anyone done this? How did you like it? How often did you have your mail sent to you? Is there any other option you can think of other than burdening a friend with our mail? We don't have family in this state.

You can start here: http://www.familiesontheroad.com/

Ah yes, people who have NT children who think parenting SN children is the same. I HATE when people offer the, "oh, that's normal," or, "you just need to be patient," advice. No, patience doesn't work. She's not going to magically learn that skill. My kid has to work her ass off to do the same thing your kid did naturally. But thanks for the advice.

Ahhh, yes. Our fertility clinic had a list of providers who specialized in infertility. Do you have access to something like that? It might even be on their website.

The classes through foster care were amazing and better than any counseling we could have gotten. If you aren't adopting through foster care, I'd actually recommend you try to take the classes, or at least do a lot of reading on attachment. Your child should have therapy when they come to you, but you can fight to change therapists to make sure it's a good one. Then, find someone who specializes in attachment that you can all see together. Also, if you are still suffering from any infertility grief, seeing a therapist who specializes in that could help.

It depends on what you choose to attend. If your kids weren't close to her, I'd skip the viewing and just attend the service. It will be about an hour long, depending on how many speakers and songs the stepdad has planned. There will be other children and they are not always quiet. :) It's common to see kids sitting on the floor, using the pew as a table for quiet books or activities. There are usually parents getting up and down, tending to their kids or taking them out for various reasons. You should be fine. Many times there is some sort of food event after, either at the church or at someone's home. I didn't know about the daughters applying make up, but the viewing is an important piece of an LDS funeral, so it doesn't surprise me. If she isn't uncomfortable, I'd encourage her to just say so. Maybe her sister can just do it.

That sounds like ADD. But remember, it only needs a diagnosis if it prevents him from interacting normally. :)

I like MyPublisher, too. We tried Snapfish, but I felt the quality of the books was better with MyPublisher.

Honey, many of us know exactly how you feel, and you'll come to realize that the longer you are on this board. It's wonderful to research and plan, but you're posting on a board where many of us are experienced parents, so when we read about the things you are stressing about *now,* we want to offer the simple advice to be easy on yourself because you really can't plan everything. I realize you are researching, and I get totally obsessive when I research, so I get it. Keep asking questions and reading books. Just treat yourself kindly and keep things in perspective.

My husband and I have the same backgrounds as you two in regards to spanking. I think that these are good conversations to have early on in your parenting. However, I would also caution you to not put too many conditions or restrictions on yourselves. It's hard to know what life will bring and I've found that the more you try to plan and predict everything, the harsher you will judge yourself when things don't work out the way you wanted. Every family situation is unique. Different children have different needs and family dynamics change over time. Talk about what's important, but allow yourself a LOT of grace. Parenting is the hardest job on the planet and nobody gets it right all the time.

A lesson I did not need to learn at 8AM on a Saturday morning.

:hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

Ham hates SWB?? One more reason to use her stuff!

(Just wanted to point out that this is old. It came up on my FB today, too. Odd.)

YES. This was my life for about five years, from about my sixth period until I finally had the sense to go on birth control at 18. I would have these episodes about two put of every three months. I missed a LOT of school because I was terrified it would start at school. I would have no warning and my periods were irregular. All of a sudden I'd start vomiting and I would throw up about every 10-15 minutes for about 4-5 hours, having the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life. It's completely unreal and there is NO relief. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I used to hold my breath and bang my head against the wall, trying to force myself to pass out. It is AWFUL. By the time it started, I couldn't hold any pain meds down and there was no way I could get in the car to go to the emergency room for a shot (the only option my dr gave me, idiot). The first month on birth control, I was 100% better. It was a miracle for me! I was only on birth control for one year and since then (15 years), I've only had a bad episode maybe five times. Please feel free to PM me. I think this happens to very few girls and NONE of my doctors believed how bad the pain was.

Just remember that not all socialization is positive. And if it turns out to be a poor fit, you can't just send them home. :) It works for some people, but it sure does tie you down.

Of course. People ask us all the time. It's like asking kids what grade they are in. It's curiosity and conversation. Homeschooling can feel like a small world and it's nice to widen the circle.

For the love... Please don't shoot a black bear.

My kids will eat anything called "cake." They don't discriminate when it comes to dessert.

Oh, I LOVE Maine! I spent a summer there as a camp counselor many moons ago. I loved Haraseeket's! http://m.harraseeketlunchandlobster.com/ Cadillac Mountain is cool. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I remember, it's the first place in the US y can see the sun rise. It's wonderful! Have fun!

I delete people who post without regard to others. There is a way to get your point across and share information in a respectful way. Just like IRL. Then again, there are a lot of people IRL I stay away from because they act like the above, so go figure.