I'm seriously considering taking a month to go on this pilgrimage... by myself. Has anyone here done this?

Really really don't call, go!!!! Enjoy yourselves. They'll be fine!!! It'll be very good for them to realize that it's actually ok to feel sad and miss you, but that you know they are safe and there is nothing you need to "save" them from. I think running over to get them actually could send the wrong message that they are right to be upset? Prepare them as much as you can, have them pick out a special new game or toy to take over there, make sure they have any 'comfort' items, and tell them that you won't be calling, and you'll be home on 'X' day. Tell them they'll get a special treat (from wherever you're going to be) when you get back. Make it a big adventure. Have every confidence that they'll be fine. From what I've seen, kids don't get over the homesick thing if the parents rescue them or are hesitant/scared to let them go. They pick up on that stuff.....

Are some people just skimming the thread? They are still acting like the lady with the broken arm had any control over the issue. I got bit by a black widow years ago at my aunt's house. At the ER, they asked me what happened... I told them, having no idea what would happen next. 2 weeks later I get a call from my health insurance company asking for ALL of my aunt's information so they could see if her homeowner's insurance would cover it. I couldn't them say "nope, didn't happen there" as it was in writing in my medical file. I wasn't willing to commit fraud. I called my aunt immediately and apologized. Thankfully they didn't find them at fault.... Anyway - point being, I have fantastic medical coverage, but it didn't matter....

Oh - I get why they can use a purse, I just really don't think they are a good idea.

Easy fix: post the sign. No awkward conversations needed. No emotion, no fear, no politics or opinions needed. I don't personally think purse carry should be legal for CC... It is not actually secured, even with a lock, can be accessed too easily by the wrong person, stolen at a store, left on a floor somewhere.... etc. I think CC should be on the body carry only. As for informing someone... well... let's use someone like me as an example. I'm petite and non-athletic. If I carried, I'd make sure no one ever knew about it (unless I knew them VERY well). Here's the reason: I'd make an easy target to ambush. I would make myself MORE likely to be attacked because someone could erroneously think that they could grab the gun and run before I could do anything. Now, telling most people isn't an issue, but what about who they tell? Who those people tell? "Oh - did you know _______ carries?" in a conversation about crime, or guns, or whatever. Not good. They are concealed for a reason. Why bring it to someone's home? Well - you travel there, you travel back, you stop other places on the way (gas station, store, etc.) and some of us live in towns where NOWHERE is actually safe from crime. It isn't about the home it is carried into - it's that the gun is more safe and secured on a person's body than it is left in a car. Even in a lock box... the whole car can get stolen, and those things are not hard to break in to. CC is habitual for the carrier. Otherwise, they forget and could regret it. Someone was joking about a dangerous Target store... Where I live two women in about 3 months were attacked in the Wal-Mart parking lot. It's the only big store in town. Where else should they have shopped?

Oh lord - the assumptions people make, lol. Because I said my DH can do as he pleases and that what he does is between him and me means that he is a slob and our house is a dump? LOL. My DH does just fine, he sometimes leaves his shoes out or a glass of water somewhere, but that's about it. Our house is, in fact, quite clean. However, if he chose to be a slob, and I had an issue with it - it would be between him and me - and none of our kids' business. It is the family's home, but the guy/women/people who pay for it all (the way I was raised, and the 'old fashioned' way) should have the right to live there without being questioned by 9 year olds. Or 15 year olds. Or adult children coming for a visit. BTW - I have a really good relationship with my sons, but we have firm boundaries and my DH and I expect a certain level of respect. In my opinion, allowing a kid to nag an adult is disrespectful.

Ok. I disagree. I find it to be truthful.

I guess off and on mine is really not guest ready - but I do try to keep it up. FlyLady has helped a ton with this. During the school year there are truly times when there are just not enough hours in the day. I do get anxious about my house not being clean enough if we have short-notice visitors, but then I remember that as long as my house isn't gross, it's probably normal. I try to remind myself that when I go to someone else's house, I like seeing that they are normal people :) If their houses are too perfect - I never want them over at mine, lol.

Here's what I would say (and probably have said) : When you are an adult, paying for the house, and supporting a family, you can leave your stuff laying around wherever you want. Until then, you are required to pick up after yourself. Your father - he can do whatever he wants to do and that is between him and me.

People I know who have a weight problem NOT health related (thyroid, steroids, etc.) tend to drink soda (diet or regular), eat crappy food, and eat large portions. By weight problem I mean very obese; overweight but generally healthy I don't see as a problem really, unless it really bothers them. This isn't a judgment, just an observation. One of my aunts could never understand why she was so overweight, but then we'd go out to eat and what she considered a normal, or even light, lunch or dinner was more than I would eat in 2 days. I think many ingest wayyyyy more calories than they realize, and also got caught up in the "low fat" fad which is the exact opposite of what most people need to eat. When asked why I am thin, I used to kinda uncomfortably avoid the subject, but now I'm honest. I eat well, I never eat until I'm full, I'm frequently hungry, and rarely snack, and I stay moderately active. If I stop doing these things, I gain weight. I do think modern medicine is a wonderful thing - but also causes many people to gain weight or feel to cruddy to exercise. I think diet soda tricks the body into actually craving more sugar and messes with blood sugar levels, I think constant inflammation caused by our bodies reaction to unnatural foods leads to obesity. I also think that many people eat too much and exercise too little. That being said, we all have our challenges and my heart goes out to those who are struggling with weight. If I had to stop drinking coffee, or go on a diet for diabetes, or never have a glass of wine again - I'd probably fail miserably over and over again. I can't imagine having to deal with a weight problem. It must be so terribly difficult.

We bought one with the plastic fittings and I love it, but expect the fitting will break eventually. It is awesome for RV's, boats, camping, etc. They now have a better one with brass fittings, and when we retire on our boat, that's what we'll get. They do really work well....

I've finished it at least 5 times. I do like dystopian novels, but this one takes the cake, absolutely. The ending is a HUGE part of the entire theme of the book.

Yeah.... a lot of those things are just common courtesy and basic decency. And I agree - assigned is no longer random, and no longer directed by the thoughts and emotions that make a RAK a special thing - or even a meaningful thing. Sigh. None of this is directed at anyone here - just frustrated (I've seen this come up on Facebook a lot - many teacher friends are assigning them to their students!).

I like the Starbucks Verona I brew at home better than the Starbucks brewed coffee at the shops. I think the stuff they brew tastes awful....

Yes- this exactly!!!!!

I have tried so many.... We use a French Press, and grind our beans, and like really strong coffee as a reference (it can make the coffee taste different). I've tried regular, pre-ground budget coffee and really expensive stuff from Indonesia (it was a gift). My favorite - and what we buy - is Starbucks Verona. We each drink one large travel mug a day, and a bag of beans probably lasts us about a week. It isn't cheap at about $7.65 a bag - but it isn't as much as going out for coffee either.

I bought two huge white board panels from Lowes and a attached them to the walls with screws :) Can't live without them. It still isn't enough space.

I have to buy rather expensive running shoes for my knee problems - so I had to vote $100-$150. But that's not too often, and most of my shoes are in the $30 range.

I do think, imho, that there should be some kind of biological science class - just for familiarity... If you've covered it well in earlier years, perhaps there is already enough knowledge there for that purpose. I also wouldn't allow an "I don't like it" on its own, but if you can find acceptable science classes that aren't bio - then why not, right? I think at this point Conceptual physics would be too much of a repeat of your Intro to Physics - so either real physics (which I think could wait until after or concurrent with Alg 2 or precalc), chem, or something totally different :)

I got 64 - if you don't count the ones I started, hated, and stopped reading - lol....

Ebay :) I've gotten mine for about $25. I like getting the actual sets - with the learning guides, notes, etc. This is especially needed for the math and science lectures (they come with workbooks, outlines, and answer keys). As for copying onto a personal hard drive..... As long as you aren't giving it away or selling it and you are only using it for your own use after legitimately checking it out at a library (or buying it, or whatever) .... Who cares? I mean, really? None of us are out pirating the things. Just copy it and quit over-worrying. I'm pretty dern sure the Teaching Company doesn't care, lol.

Very. Sailing, camping, hiking, beach, kayaking, and a bunch of stuff I can't do anymore ever since my second knee surgery.... But - yeah - I prefer being outside. Not at home as much (my backyard does little for me now that me moved and there are too many other people around - we face the gold course), but we'll be gone for 4 days this weekend camping. When we camp, we camp where there are no other people :)

Girl! Thank heaven you have such an understanding hubby and embrace the concept wholeheartedly! If I could go back that is one thing I would do differently - I would hire a housekeeper at least once every week or so. I've always told DH that if I ever went back to work full time, I would not have two full time jobs (work, house, kids, etc.) - I'd have one job and hire a maid. Homeschooling and caring for kids is a full time job.... Why kill yourself??? Pride? Yeah - chuck that. Trust me, you'll still have a lot of work to do just with the daily stuff... but at least the showers and toilets won't be waiting for you at the end of the week. :)

We aren't worrying about a GED, DS won't have an "accredited" diploma or an "accredited" transcript. However, he will have VERY detailed course descriptions and syllabi, dual enrollment classes, and hopefully a few SAT 2's. ACT and SAT, but with his LD's, who knows what the scores will be,,, It really does depend a lot on the schools that a kid is aiming towards. My son is perfectly happy with a state school - at least to start. In fact, he'll probably make his life easier and apply to a state school as a transfer student from the CC. Once he gets to that point - the other stuff won't matter as much.

Anything by Jane Austen makes me want to gouge my eyes out with a spoon. Heart of Darkness and Middlemarch... I really did try. Half of the Narnia books..... and the big one.... Catcher in the Rye. Someone please explain to me why people like this book so much?!?!?!?!