:iagree: Don't be a martyr. Put your big girl panties on. :)

I love my mother-in-law, but maybe it's because she had 6 kids, so we aren't under such intense scrutiny. :) Be respectful and welcoming, which is totally doable while still maintaining your own standards, especially when in your own home. Know your boundaries and set limits and expectations for family in your own home. (MIL is great about having clear expectations for where kids can play and where things go when they clean up- not as OCD as it sounds, just big bins in a closet). Be supportive. Recognize that your child has a NEW nuclear family that will always come before you. :) Sad, but true. You should want it that way, IMO.

Yes. And had I known that insurance coverage varied SO greatly from state to state, we would have moved to Massachusetts instead of Virginia. But, we love it here and I need the warmth, so oh well. Massachusetts covers IVF, too, which would have made a big difference in our lives. :( Maybe in a few years.

Not sure if it applies, but you might want to check for a women's shelter. Sometimes they are very small and in larger homes.

What state are you in??! That is strict!

I've had friends- good friends- who make mean comments again and again, but don't really see them as mean, or feel entitled to make them. Those are people I choose not to associate with anymore. You can only take so much before it's just not worth the friendship anymore. Either she'll take a hint or you don't need her!

I don't know but I'm considering the same thing, so let me know!

Bill

The Ghost of Tokaido Inn is set in 18th century Japan. We are reading it in a few weeks.

Thanks!

:iagree:

Here are some I copied and pasted from a thread I started like this a few months ago: The Witch of Blackbird Pond Lincoln: A Photobiography A More Perfect Union: The Story of the US Constitution By the Great Horn Spoon or The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (both involve the gold rush) All-of-a-Kind Family (might take place after 1850) The Story of the Statue of Liberty The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Caddie Woodlawn Abigail Adams, Witness to a Revolution George Washington's World or Abraham Lincoln's World Sign of the Beaver ***AT the Sign of the Sugared Plum (London Fire) (I apologize I don't know who posted this originally) 1.Story of the World: Volume 3, Early Modern Times 2.D’Aulaire’s Pochohantus 3.Landmark’s Landing of the Pilgrims 4.Peter the Great by Diane Stanley 5.Boston Tea Party (library book) 6.Declaration of Independence (read off the internet) 7.Winter at Valley Forge 8.A More Perfect Union 9.American Adventures, part 1 10.The Story of Napoleon 11.Lewis & Clark (from The World Greatest Explorers) 12.Usborne’s Who Were the North American Indians 13.Only the Names Remain 14.Susanna of the Alamo 15.California Gold Rush (library book) I plan on using the following readers… 1.Don Quixote (abridged version) 2.Pochohantus & the Strangers 3.Adventures of Tom Sawyer (abridged version) 4.A Lion to Guard Us 5.Mary of Plymouth (free at google books) 6.Naya Nuki 7.Chinese Myths and Fables (selected ones) 8.The Bears on Hemlock Mountain 9.Marie Curie’s Search for Radium (part of Elemental Science’s plans) 10.The Three Musketeer’s (abridged version) 11.Stone Fox 12.Jane Austen (bio from the library) 13.Phoebe the Spy 14.Mr. Revere and I 15.Abigail Adams: A Girl… 16.Ben & Me 17.Meet George Washington 18.The Cabin faced West 19.The Story of Daniel Boone 20.Robert Fulton 21.Hunchback of Notre Dame (abridged version) 22.Napoleon (library book) 23.Oliver Twist (abridged version) 24.The Courage of Sarah Noble 25.Sarah Plain and Tall 26.Simon Bolivar: The Liberator 27.Pirate Diary: The Journal of Jack Carpenter 28.Sacagawea: Her True Story 29.The Year of the Panda 30.Sitting Bull: Great Sioux Chief 31.By the Great Horn Spoon 32.Secret Valley I plan on using the following read-alouds… 1.The School Story 2.Squanto, A Warrior’s Tale 3.The Witch at Blackbird Pond 4.Calico Bush 5.Gulliver’s Travels 6.Toliver’s Secret 7.Carry on Mr. Bowditch 8.Johnny Tremain 9.Swift Rivers 10.Red Sails from Capri 11.Sign of the Beaver 12.Strawberry Girl 13.The Birchbark House 14.Paddle to the Sea 15.The Ballad of Lucy Whipple

We are halfway through Blood on the River. I think it's fairly new. It's all about Jamestown. It's not very challenging, but it's a fun read and very informative and exciting.

We just started Latin Prep and so far it is a hit! However, I'm having trouble remembering how to pronounce all the vowels. The Latin Prep CD isn't any help with this. Is there an app that will allow me to type in a Latin word and hear it being pronounced? Is there anything like this? Maybe one of you should make one. :)

If my kids weren't getting up, they'd have an earlier bedtime, period. With that said, I do have early risers, but one dd who needs to be cattle prodded all morning to get ready on time. She gets distracted. Luckily, our house is very small, so a few reminders go a long way. They also know we are going to get done with what we have to do, even if it takes up their free time. We don't have many problems anymore. I'm more of a problem in the morning. ;)

My kids could never sleep in until 8:30. Even when they stay up late they are up 7:30. they are 11 hour sleepers, so I voted 9:30. It just depends. If my child had a hard time getting up in the morning, I'd make an earlier bedtime. For me, sleeping in until 8:30 would make me even more tired. I need to be asleep before 10:30 and up by 7 or 7:30 to feel good.

Hmm. OK. Thanks! I've heard it was hard for a lot of 5th graders, so we will definitely take it a lesson at a time.

How long should I expect my 5th grader to take each day when she does her lesson from WWS? I'm trying to schedule. She's a quick writer, great speller, good with language, excellent reader, but HORRIBLE at following directions. :glare: That's one reason I'm using a program directed at the student. I plan to meet with her each day before she starts to make sure she understands before I turn her loose, but then I need to work with her sister while she works. 15 min? 30 min? Thanks!

I can't help but respond even though I'm not Christian (but we do go to church). This would be a BIG deal for me. I don't let my kids watch movies like that and I have a daughter who is terrified of most movies. I can't imagine knowing that she was attaching those fearful feelings to a church service! Fear or not, my kids aren't allowed to watch pg13 movies, so why would I want them seeing clips? I don't think you are being sensitive at all. fWIW, my family could not attend a church that did this because of my dd.

Well, we just bought a Tempurpedic bed, so it won't need to be replaced for a loooong time. I love it. I think about it during the day and I now hate staying in hotels because I miss my bed. We had our old bed for too long - 11 years! I can't believe we didn't buy a bed like this sooner. Worth every penny.

6 months. We met in Jan, got engaged in May, married in November. I turned 21 in October. My mom was less than thrilled, to say the least. We've been married almost 11 years!

:iagree: This! Also, I belong to the Mothers Beyond Belief Facebook group.

Has anyone used the Ebooks before? I would assume that is what I should get for two kids using the same book because I could print pages off, right??? Is the enhanced Ebook worth it?

Oh goodness, yes. We left the Mormon church and went about three years before being completely honest with my husband's family. They just thought we were "inactive." the night before our adoption, his sister made some sarcastic remark and then his mom added something about (finger wagging tone) "getting those girls baptized." so, he sat down and told them everything. I'm so glad I wasn't there. His mom cried and cried. She truly believes we won't be with them in heaven. Leaving the LDS church is hard because there are a lot of cultural changes. For instance, we drink! That just about put them over the edge. They thought we would for sure become alcoholics and that our kids would be alcoholics, etc. now to be fair, my in-laws have always lived in Utah and don't have many friends who arent LDS, so I'm sure their worldview is very different from many, if not most, other Mormons. Anyhow. There were some awkward moments over the next few years but I think once they saw that we were still the same people and we were good parents, etc. they realized that it was all going to be ok. It's been about 4 years since we told them and things are good now. We are open and honest, but very respectful. We participate in all the normal family rituals and they were surprised that my dh went to his niece's baptism the last time he was in town. (no reason he wouldn't) I guess my point is, it was like ripping off a bandAid initially, then it took a loooooong time to heal. They have to get used to the idea and figure out how to treat you, even how to talk to you. I think they are still genuinely surprised at much we agree on things (other than religion). I also wish we had told them sooner. It would have saved a few years of the put-downs and snide remarks from BILs and SIls about our lack of church involvement. But dh didn't think his parents were ready and that's ok. Friends...well, like with anything, ou'll find out who your real friends are. ;) We are not religious (UU) but we have pretty conservative homeschool friends. I'm just open with them when it comes up, but I am not combative about it and I don't announce it, especially when I'm in the minority. It's nice to develop relationships with people at aren't based in faith. It reminds you and others that there are wonderful people you can learn a lot from who share very different beliefs. It's still a journey for us and there are some friends who will just never understand. (FYi those are the friends who will ask you why you left, then want to argue why you are wrong they fail to realize you left the religion because you don't agree! So there's no argument!) I think it's important to be honest and true, for yourlf and your children, but allow your family to take the time to process it all. It can be devastating for them, and that's ok. God luck. :grouphug: Please excuse the typing! I'm on the stupid iPad! I also wanted to add that my inlaws are wonderfully supportive now!

Your social worker is trying to save you heartache. Our friends adopted two children who were half Navajo. They notified the Navajo Nation and jumped through all the hoops. A year later the N.N. came back and said the adoption wasn't ok and they wanted the kids on the reservation. Our friends fought all the way to the Utah Supreme court AND WON. But, it was an awful process! It was shocking how far it's out of DCFS' hands. (and, fwiw, the kids were also 50% Mexican-American and the adoptive dad was Mexican-American. That was one of their arguments- their Native heritage is more important than their Mexican heritage and being with the family they know and love???) It's very frustrating and I feel your pain. We fought back and forth for our girls and at one point our religion was in question. Seriously...