I'm not sure about other states, but in Utah, you actually can't "require" anything from elementary school students. You can request donations. At our school we just asked for $20 a kid and if parents wanted to give more, they could. Not only was $20 a kid enough for ALL supplies for the ENTIRE year, it also paid for one field trip. It's amazing how little you need (as a teacher) when you are the one in control of the money and not dictating to others what to buy. Plus, we had a lot less waste and nobody complained about losing things that "belonged" to them. It was perfect. Anyhow, a lot of parents didn't know they weren't required to donate. (We did have to be careful to use the word "donate" though.) Every child is entitled to a free education. You can charge fees in middle and high school, but even then you can apply for a fee waiver. There are a lot of loopholes. Obviously, you want to do whatever you can that will benefit your child though. We required good sneakers for our stellar P.E. program with the understanding that if a parent called us on it, we were held responsible for furnishing their student with shoes.

It's not actually tile, it's like a "plasticy" board. Just tell them you are a teacher and you are using it for a white board and they should know what you want. If you are getting one big piece, they should cut it for you. One year I bought enough for 80 individual white boards (as a classroom teacher) and the total bill was $52. It should be pretty cheap.

OMG, I walked into the Gymboree outlet a few months ago and the cashier (who remained very patient for way too long) ended up getting involved in a yelling match with a mom asking about "golf" shirts. It was unreal. I never knew there was a difference!

:lol::lol::lol:

Because I taught school for 6 years.

:lol:

Take him to the SPCA. I bet a kitten would be taken home quickly.

OK, I may or may not have already had a drink this evening...but, I totally thought your post said you have to take your kids to an ELEVATOR. I was thinking, "Dang, I knew PA had weird homeschooling laws, but I didn't know they had a list of places and things you had to do." Haha. Time for bed.

I'd recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." There are some great recommendations in there and he talks a lot about getting enough sleep, resetting sleep schedules, etc. Wonderful book.

You declare a state of emergency, call the cleaning service, and go out to dinner. P.S. I'm also in this club, although mine blew up in the oven, so it was contained.

Tough call! It seems like the older man would be great for getting through the material, but maybe not as great for providing motivation and a challenge. That could get old really fast. The younger guy bugs me already. I can hardly read your post. I guess it depends on what kind of personalities you and your son have and if you can put up with him. I'm not even a creationist, but the way he answered you bugged me. You are hiring him and providing the materials, so it seems like if you say you believe xyz, he can either go with it or not work for you. He doesn't need to give his opinion. But, like you said, it could be a non-issue with chemistry. He seems awfully arrogant and for some reason he is feeling "flighty" to me. If he had superb references, I'd take his attitude. Hmmm... Good luck! I'd probably go with the older guy, but I hate dealing with people like the younger guy, so that's why.

Exactly. You did a nice thing and I'd leave it alone. The whole point was that she needed it.

Remember the Titans was my first thought, too.

When the house across the street from us was for sale, the realtors all came to caravan and one guy parked right in front of my driveway! Now, this was a simple residential development. Plenty of parking! I opened my front door as he walked across the street and yelled, "Excuse me! Would you please move your car???" He looked at me like I was insane. People are so weird.

ME TOO!!!!!! I'm having a really hard time, too. I have an especially hard time when I think about the second income we could have again if the girls go back to school. :) I had to sit down and make a list so I could get logical, not emotional, about it all. Then I had a heart to heart with my girls who told me they REALLY did NOT want to go back to school. That was it for me. I know for some families it doesn't matter what their kids think, but it does for me. We aren't life long homeschoolers. I am very open to them going back to school, so I think that's why it's hard. It's always an option and sometimes the grass just looks SO green at school.

Perhaps someone who thinks "children are notoriously difficult to photograph" has no business photographing children. :)

Before we moved, I tutored. I charged $35/hour or $20/30 min. I have a MEd. and tutored former students and children of friends. I only took on two kids at a time though.

You are right-e-o! :) Plus, when banks post "You can own this house for ____ a month," it has a lot to do with a perfect credit score and low interest rates. Many times they've factored in a 20% down payment, as well. Are you guys pre-qualified for anything yet? I'd do that first. The realtor could give him some advice. Sometimes they need to hear it from someone other than us. :) I'd love to know where in the country you are finding homes that cheap...

When we were in college, it meant that we had less than $20 in the bank. When I worked, it meant we couldn't go on a big vacation or make a major purchase. Now, it means that we are over budget for the month and can't eat out or go anywhere fun. When people don't have any money, but use credit cards, I still consider that "not having any money" because of how I feel about credit cards. :) It's just digging yourself in deeper. After our huge move, I feel like we have no money because we have to be very, very careful about what we are spending since we are recovering from the cost of a move. Although, I suppose if we truly had "no money," my butt would be back to work and we wouldn't even be talking about adding another child to our family. I feel like being home is truly a luxury that could be taken away at any time.

No, no, no, no, no. No way.

I like the ones at Target, but the Lands End shoes are really nice if you are going for quality. I don't think $50 is too much if she is going to wear them a lot and you really want them to last. The cheap shoes are going to wear out pretty fast and not be as comfortable. We've started buying fewer pairs of shoes and spending more on them. My girls each have one pair of sneakers, one pair of Keen sandals, and a pair of dress shoes that were hand-me-downs (the only reason I allow hand-me-downs for dress shoes is that we hardly ever get dressed up!).

Someone asked me how old my dh was yesterday. I answered (wrong) and my dd had to correct me.

Well, is your other sister and the other bridesmaid still at the head table? I was my sister's maid of honor a few years ago and we had some tricky scenarios, too, because I had kids. To give her the benefit of the doubt, she probably just wants to make sure you can watch your kids and someone can watch her dd. However, if you are hurt, just tell her. I'd say something like, "Oh, my dd will be fine with dh. I was really looking forward to being with you and the rest of the wedding party. I'm more than happy to help watch your dd at the head table, or dh can watch her with my dd. Let me know what you think. I want to make it easy, too." Or, if you think you can just let it go, then do. In my experience, decisions like this are rarely ever made with any malcontent, and she's probably trying to make decisions while getting advice from 10 different people. Good luck. My sister's wedding was tough for me.

I did this for my friend's baby girl who died at 6 months old. One of the songs I used was Baby of Mine. She also wanted All The Pretty Little Horses. I can't think of the others, but if I do I'll post them.

A LOT less stressed because in addition to not worrying about IEPs, school behavior, teachers, etc. for my OWN kids, I was also able to quit teaching 26 of your kids! :) (OK, not "your" kids, but you know...) Working created a hell of a lot more stress in our lives than homeschooling does. My kids need a lot. I'm sure all kids need a lot, but my girls didn't come to us until they were almost 5. They hadn't even had a childhood and were thrown into school. The only time we were together was when I was telling them to hurry up! I thought we were taking a one year break to catch up my dd with special needs because of a horrible year. Now, we are creating a lifestyle that is allowing my girls to grow and heal. My kids needed a mother, not a manager.