No answer for you but I'd have the same question!

My first four were either average or big (they kept getting better, the 4th being 9 pounds 10 ounces!). Then the 5th one...well, they figured I must have my dates wrong. She was so much smaller. I KNEW my dates were correct; I knew the exact day I had ovulated. So, she was born full term, and was barely 6 pounds. Her bones were very petite, and for the first year, she was at the 3rd percentile or less in everything. At one year, she weighed only 14 pounds. We did test after test to figure out why she was so small; she was eating fine, and happy. Nothing was every found, and she is just that way. She is petite, but has actually grown to 5'5". Still very petite-boned. My mother is quite petite too.

She mostly sounds shy to me, and a little insecure. I'd try and not make a big deal about it... You don't want her to feel labeled as shy or insecure. That's one reason I love homeschooling -- children are less apt get those labels, and thus they're more easily able to outgrow things. If writing is her strength, and an easier way to express herself, I'd really focus on that for now. Keep encouraging her writing, and her expressing herself through writing. You can help her to feel really good about herself through her writing. Maybe she will want to even branch out more in this area, as in journalism, learning to write well-supported views. By helping her further develop her writing skills, she will better be able to put her thoughts into words. Over time she will hopefully develop more confidence through her writing, and that will carry over to her speaking.

We've found dresses in those sizes at Delias: http://store.delias.com/frontpage.do You have to search a little, but they do have more conservative ones. We've also used Mod Cloth: http://www.modcloth.com/shop/clothing Again, you have to search a little to find more conservative, younger-girl styles.

Wow, I've never been asked that in the US. Everyone I know seems to know at least someone who homeschools, and knows that it's legal. A couple friends/relatives who live in Europe, however, are surprised that homeschooling is legal here.

I'm so very, very sorry. I'll certainly be praying for you.

Rochester, Minnesota -- definitely!! :)

Wow, thank you so much, all of you, for taking the time to answer. It is really helpful. We're eager to work with a lot of the advice you've given us. One interesting thing my daughter has noticed is that protein for breakfast can often hold off a migraine, or at least take the edge off of it; similarly, a few of you mentioned protein to reduce the sugar craving. I can't help but think it is all related. Thank you again.

We had Santa traditions but I admit I felt just a tad guilty... I think we told them that Santa was pretend pretty early on, BUT we still continued with gifts from Santa on Christmas morning for a long time. Also, I do love a lot of secular Christmas songs. :) We of course emphasize the real reason for Christmas.

Sometimes they put you on a heavy dose for awhile until your level is within the normal range. My husband is currently on 5000 u/daily. But, be sure and have a doctor monitor it. There is such a thing as vitamin D toxicity if it's too high.

I really don't think you can get a work permit there without first being officially hired by a business/organization. We did a lot of research into this before our son went over there. A volunteer organization would probably be willing to do this from a distance, without actually meeting your son. But, it sounds like this isn't what your son is looking for. I don't think he could get a paid job without meeting them in person first, and until he is hired, he can't get a visa. His best bet would probably just be to wait until he is over there, and hope that someone will hire him to do some odd jobs for cash, or maybe in exchange for room and board. Sometimes youth hostels will take young people in to work in exchange for room and board. Without a visa, your son is able to stay in Germany for 90 days and no more.

We've always tried to make it fairly equal. If we had a year where we couldn't spend as much, then everyone had smaller/less gifts, equally!

Those sound like all the symptoms my husband and daughters get with their migraines (although they have the headache, too). There ARE headache-less migraines. I wonder if it could be something like that? My husband in particular found that by staying away from certain foods, he could keep most of his symptoms at bay: citrus, caffeine, tomato, banana, msg, nitrates, some cheeses, to name a few.

Conrad?

My son traveled through Europe when he was 19. He wanted to spend the winter months working in Germany. We looked and applied at lots of non-profit organizations that took volunteers. Once he was accepted by an organization, they handled the necessary work-visa for him. I think that's the trick -- you first need to get an organization to officially hire you, even if it's just volunteer work. Then, they usually arrange for the visa for you.

I am so sorry...it does sound so very close, now!! I know a little about the long and very, very frustrating visa/immigration process. My son married a young lady from Canada, and once she applied for her visa, she was not even allowed in the U.S. for 1.5 years (even for a quick visit), until it was approved. My son had to go through so many hoops to get that visa. And this is just from Canada! My daughter is marrying a wonderful young man from Costa Rica. He tried to get just a tourist visa, twice, to come up for a week and visit my husband after he'd had his stroke. He was denied, even though he had a good job in Costa Rica, a home, etc. (In other words, he wasn't at risk to try and immigrate here illegally.) I can't imagine how difficult it will be for him to get a residence visa to live here... We've heard it will take years! Our daughter-in-law was granted her visa on the same day as her final interview; hopefully it will go the same for your sweet daughter!

As long as they're out of the way of traffic. Slush and icy spots can be very dangerous, and can quite suddenly throw a bike in front of a car.

I'd wait, but would keep checking weekly to see how it goes. Detroit is a good city for Germany flights, but check flights to Munich vs. Frankfurt vs. Stuttgart, etc. Sometimes they can differ quite a bit. Also, you can check flights to London, for example, and then London to Germany.

Never heard of that! I'd like to know where he/she got those statistics. Mine were: 37, 37, 40, 41, 40.

My high school graduate was determined to spend time in France the following year, so we did look into this. She had an offer not through an agency but through a friend of an acquaintance of a relative - ha! We did trust the relative and their acquaintance (we had a lot of email communication with the acquaintance, who lived in Paris), and probably if the situation were ideal, my daughter would have done it. As it turns out, the family lived in a suburb about an hour outside of Paris, in an area that would have been very difficult for my daughter to get out on her own without a car. We were advised by the acquaintance that the trains from that area into Paris were not always safe for a young single gal, especially in the evenings. I agree that most families there would consider a young woman 18+ to be very independent, and would not hold her hand. She would also need at least some working French (I would think). My daughter was just 18 and had enough French to get by, but in the end decided the location would cause her to feel trapped. She decided to go to a French immersion type school there for a semester instead, and then second semester, she arranged a homestay in Tours through Rotary. So, there are other options if the au pair opportunity doesn't work out. I don't know how old your daughter is, but if she is at least 18, is quite independent and resourceful, has some working French, AND you can find out more specific information about the family, their location, what would be required of your daughter, etc., I definitely think it could be nice option!

NO.

We had two (small) bedrooms for 5 children. Here are a few things we did: They rarely played in their rooms -- no room. I actually liked it this way, because this way we were usually all together and not hidden upstairs behind a door. Most of their toys were kept in cupboards in the dining room, and they played in the living room. We don't have room in the kitchen to eat, so our main floor is mostly two rooms: a dining room and a living room (no family room). It looked like a disaster zone for about five years. :) (Barbies, legos, puzzles, etc.) We only kept clothes out that they were wearing for the season. (Everything else was kept in the attic.) We had storage containers that slid under beds. Every night before they went to sleep, we tried to do a quick pick up job, putting misc. toys and things into the storage containers so the floor was kept free. Eventually one child moved to the couch. For about five years this child pulled out a sleeping bag every night and slept on the couch. We kept an extra dresser in our bedroom for the kids. We have an upstairs sleeping porch, and in the summers, the kids all slept out there in sleeping bags. We tried to make it fun and cozy and I made a point of never complaining in front of the kids. :) They all have great memories of their cozy days in our over 100-year old house. We still live there, by the way.

I agree with this, except that I'm not 30. :)

I still have it not because "I earned it and it's special," but because it's on a rather nice jacket that's still in good shape! It's a very warm, part-wool jacket, and there have been winters when one of my four girls needed a warm jacket and would end up wearing it. Apart from that, I really have no feelings of pride or attachment toward it. My kids can't imagine that I was once an athlete!

I don't know the ages of your children, but one of our favorite games is "Dutch Blitz." You need at least two sets, so you can play with more than 4 people. :)