That's great!! My 16 yos has been looking since the spring as well, and just got a job at a local surplus grocery store this week. He starts tomorrow! A lot of ds's friends recently found jobs after a long search as well. I wonder if this could be a sign that the economy is looking up? Or maybe it's just that college students who originally had these jobs since the spring have left to go back to college? Whatever the case, I'm happy for these students to finally have the chance to work!! :)

I just wanted to let you know that our family has been in similar situations, and we know how you feel. It is such a vulnerable feeling, and little things like running out of toilet paper three days before payday can feel like the end of the world when you don't have resources to fall back on. Just hang on, and you will get through it. A lot of ideas have already been shared, but here are a few suggestions: I agree that I would buy a smaller amount of milk and stretch it, and buy eggs to make pancakes, waffles, etc for breakfasts. Maybe make a from scratch chicken pot pie with the chicken, peas, carrots, and some boullion cubes or chicken broth if you have it. A casserole of rice and mild sausage, maybe make a double portion since you have a lot of both and have that twice during the week. Use half of the roast for beef and noodles, and the other half for a stir fry with the mixed veggies and rice. If you have any beans or could buy one bag of dried beans, red beans and rice with sausage is delicious and filling. Whenever possible save some of the meal for the next day's lunches, even if it's only enough for one or two of you. I would make bread, and have pbj for lunches, (maybe buy a small jar of pb?) or grilled cheese if you have cheese. That's all that I can think of right now, but I wish you all the best as you navigate this tricky time! :grouphug:

DS (11th grade) is taking the PSAT this October, and the SAT next spring, and I am freaking out a little. He needs to score well on the PSAT to be eligible to take a free class at our local private college, which is the only reason he is taking it-- otherwise I would take this whole year for test prep and have him just take the SAT next spring. I am concerned for two reasons: 1. Ds does very well in school with english and writing, but is a poor test taker even when he knows the material well, and 2. He has little recall of Algebra 1 and 2, which he took in 9th and 10th grades and struggled with throughout, and he just started Geometry last week, which does not put him in a good position for the math section at all. I am wondering what would be the best way to get him as up to speed as possible on the math, and also work on test taking skills so that he can at least do well on the material he does know. I'm willing to invest a lot of time and effort with him, and allow him to focus primarily on these things for the next two months, letting some of his other subjects go on the backburner for now. What would you recommend? I feel very overwhelmed, so I can imagine how ds feels. I would love to have a good plan to present to him, one that will help him do the very best he can. Please share any suggestions you might have.

My 9 year old dd has just recently caught on to reading. I tried Phonics Pathways and then First Reader with her up to second grade, along with various easy readers, but really didn't make much progress. I used Reading Reflex with her last year, and now things seem to be clicking. A few months ago she read Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary, and she was very excited to have read a chapter book! My question is, what should we be using now for reading instruction? I would like to do some intensive work with her to help bring her up to grade level. I would say right now she is at about a late second/early third grade level. But I don't know what to use. I would like to use SRA's Multiple Skills series, which is what we use at the tutoring place where I work, but it costs hundreds of dollars and isn't really practical for homeschoolers. That program has small graded books that build incrementally, on skills like getting the main idea, finding details, sequencing, etc. It takes the student from knowing how to sound out words, to learning how to really read for learning. Does anyone know of a similar program that is more affordable for homeschoolers? Or any other suggestions?

I think you did all you can. Apologizing for not going to her first was a kind thing for you to have done, and it was all you can do. Honestly I would probably not desire much of a friendship with a person who is behaving the way this woman is, sulking and shutting the doors of friendship, and who seems to think the primary wrongdoer in the situation is you! If that were my child who wrote a letter like that, I might be hurt that the other mom told someone else about it, but that would pale in comparison with the disappointment and concern and embarrassment I would feel that my child had written it in the first place! The fact that she hasn't come to you and your daughter, with her daughter, and made sure that amends were made, and instead has fixated on what you did (that you have already apologized for), tells a lot about her, unfortunately.

Yes. I think it will be emotionally harder for me when my kids leave home than it would have been if they'd been traditionally schooled. I'll be going from being with them almost every minute of the day around the clock, to not seeing them at all. If they'd been in school the whole time growing up, I would be used to spending most of my time each day without them. Not to say that it's not hard for other parents when their children leave the nest, but I think it's got to be more of a dramatic change when you've homeschooled the entire time. If by "letting go," you mean micromanaging or letting kids make their own choices, I don't think that that necessarily goes along with homeschooling.

I have noticed the exact same thing!!! I use the expression the way you do, to mean we have absolutely NO MONEY, anywhere, but a lot of others I've noticed mean they have no money that isn't otherwise accounted for. They could have thousands of dollars designated for a vacation, to pay all their bills, and to buy major appliances and furniture, but they'll say they have no money. I can't help but feel a little twinge when I hear that, knowing how much more difficult our situation is, but I know they aren't trying to be hurtful. They're just using the expression differently.

I agree. You need to take into account your mental and emotional well-being, not to mention that of your husband and children. This is a bad, bad situation, and even if you are willing to live with it yourself (and I don't think you should-- you deserve much better!!!), your kids should not have to live with that kind of treatment. Please call social services and let them help you.

I'm so sorry, Aubrey, that is an impossible situation. You all have been through so much over the past few years. On one side you've got extreme financial problems and health problems, and on the other side you've got family members that could cause you huge amounts of stress if you move in with them-- who have already started the dysfunction just in the discussion phase, which is likely to get much worse as the situation unfolds. If a friend came to me with your situation, and asked me my advice, I guess I would ask this: What would you do if living with your mother and/or dh's mother were not an option? Would you accept govt. assistance? Live in subsidized housing? Move to a cheaper, healthier place with more job options? Go to work yourself and send the kids to school? Would dh pursue job options differently? I would think about what I would do if the option of living with family weren't there, and see if any of those could possibly work. Then compare that best case scenario with the one you're currently pursuing, and see which seems better. Everyone has different tolerance levels for these kinds of dynamics, but for me, living with difficult family members would pretty much be off the table if there were *any* other option. As dedicated as I am to homeschooling, I would even put my kids in school before I would let myself and my kids be put in a high stress family situation 24/7.

I may have missed more explanation, but do you absolutely have to move in with someone? To be honest, neither your mom nor your mother in law sound like they have the laid back, helpful, selfless attitude that is required to live happily with another family. If these little things are such a problem up front, what is it going to look like when they have to deal with all the difficulties and stresses of having constant company, many of whom are young children!! The more details I read about both situations, it doesn't seem like either is a really good one. Can you stay where you are? Or is there a compelling reason why you need to move in with one of these family members? If not, I would cancel the moving plans and stay put.

Trying to decide what to use for my 10th grader this fall for algebra II. This student is more art/English oriented, has more difficulty with math, and is not anticipating a career related to math at all. Last year we used Chalkdust algebra I and he did okay with it. I was planning to buy Chalkdust algebra II this fall, but a friend offered to lend me TT algebra II instead, and based on what I've heard I think he might do a little better with that than with Chalkdust. However, a primary consideration for us is being prepared for the SAT. I've heard TT is considered a little light, but is it sufficient to prepare a student for the SAT? I expect ds to take geometry in 11th grade, and then I'm not sure what he'll do after that, if he takes any math. Also, would algebra 1, 2, then geometry be a good way to progress for the SAT? Any thoughts?

It's not my understanding that the Sabbath restrictions apply to Christians, so I don't think that God requires us to avoid particular activities on Sundays- however, church is very important to our family, so we would not allow our children to play sports and miss church. There have been sports and activities that our kids haven't been able to participate in because of this, and it does annoy me that people schedule sports for Sunday morning. Of course not everyone attends church, but there is still a large number of people in our country who do, and I think the number is large enough to be worth considering. With all day Saturday available, and most of the day Sunday for most people, I think before noon on Sundays should be avoided when scheduling activities like these.

Funny how differently I see this. I would explain what you're noticing as there is a direct mathematical relationship between submission threads and the likelikhood of actual biblical content being presented, which increases as more and more people post things related to, but contrary, to Scripture. It's also curious to me that people can disagree with certain biblical perspectives, using words like "misogynist" and "unhealthy," and that is encouraged and even celebrated, but when somone else says others "may be missing out" on something by a certain perspective, that is quickly condemned as "proselytizing" or "judging." It's amazing that people don't see that double standard, which exists so consistently and blatantly on this board.

Believe me, it's no picnic being a "fundamentalist" either. LOL Especially on this board!! :tongue_smilie:

As I've said, there should be discussion as to what submission means, and what spouses should do in different circumstances. While I think it's a grave error to not accept any part of the Bible as the inspired, inerrant Word of God, I would rather hear comments like yours about Paul's letters upfront. A lot of people skip over that point, and it's difficult to have a conversation about the details when you're coming from such different places. So the difference really isn't so much about men and women, but what do you think of God's Word-- is it something we can pick and choose what we like from, or is it God's authoritative Word to mankind with no error or flaw?