Thanks all! He is 14, taking AutoCAD and loving it. He is a bright kid, who has some disabilities that will most likely require him to do a desk job, so i am glad he is inclined this way. I'll check out these options!

I have a son who has expressed an interest in learning to code. I know there are many sites out there, most of them free, but knowing nothing at all about them I wondered if you all could offer your suggestions for the best ones to check out. We want clear instruction, not just random stuff. If your child (or you) has used a site they found particularly helpful, would you mind sharing it with me? Thanks!

I totally hear you on this one, and I too feel sometimes like something is missing. I have always sort of thought of hobbies as more crafty sorts of things. I've dabbled through the years in many...scrapbooking, cross stitch, etc. and truth be told, it was tedious and a chore. I WANT to be a crafty type, but I am just totally not! What I'd really like is to have something to do on those evenings during the winter when I am sitting around in front of the fire. I am not playful, don't really care much for games, will never have enough interest to truly garden, everything I think of is sort of "meh". I do sing, and have found real enjoyment in that, even if it isn't the sort of hobby I think I might wish to have. I am in the small choir at church and recently joined Sweet Adelines, which I thoroughly enjoy. I read...a lot...I surf the internet so I can find more interesting things to read. But really, that's about it. I really do feel I am lacking something, but have no idea what might fill it...not a single usual thing interests me. No answers here, I guess, just commiseration!

All five of ours are adopted, with 3 of them adopted at much older ages (8, 10 and 11). One thing I learned was that "love" had to be taught...we take for granted that it is innate, and it is not. If one has never experienced loving actions, words or deeds, one needs to be taught it. It doesn't have to be a taboo subject, it doesn't have to be awkward, or pushy. We started by talking openly about what makes someone comfortable or not, we talked about how people express affection for one another in safe and unsafe ways. We explained about Love Languages and how to learn to recognize them, but more importantly how to offer a little of someone's preferred Love Language so they are aware of your loving feelings...even if it isn't your particular preference. This is not to make them feel obligated to express something they may not feel, or to be something they are not. However, it is super important to relationships to give and take a little, and we found that just by opening up the dialogue about it helped feelings be expressed. We also realized we had to teach emotions, by explaining what they were feeling when they didn't have words to describe it well, and to point out the nuances and differences between, oh...say, mad and annoyed. If things aren't modeled from infancy, it makes it harder and we parents make assumptions about what is known/understood and what is not. We often found we were wrong in assuming certain things about the emotional lives and training of our children and we learned by trial and error. All five of ours are dear to us, and having an Italian hubby we have love splattered all over the place. We hug often, and all day long I Love You's are said...right along with grins and "You are such a dork!". After all, we don't want to get too mushy. :-)

http://www.learnliberty.org I stumbled upon this and it looks fascinating! I wondered if anyone had given it a try yet, and what your thoughts were. I just enrolled in a one week course being taught next week titled "Tyrants and Tributes: Real World Lessons from the Hunger Games". Interested to hear from others who may know about this. It appears to be Libertarian/Free Thinking in nature, and focusing on economics and philosophy. Cindy

For some kids with poor planning skills, or poor executive functioning skills,. they have been helpful to teach him how to be systematic in his approach which was something he couldn't do. Other than for repetition of seeing spelling words, I don't really see other uses for them. Sort of busy work in most cases.

I need help...big time. I need a short instructional sheet, samples, etc. of how to take good lecture notes and/or notes from reading. I don't need a complicated system to try and teach for my ELL learners, just a simple, easy to understand set of instructions or a guide sheet that shows them formats for good notes. I have one child, in particular, who wants to rewrite the entire lecture, and others who can't seem to "see" how to organize their thoughts into good study notes for later use but they understand the material. I don't need a huge semester long course, but I might like to have a few different examples of styles so they can visualize what I am talking about. What I think won't work is a complicated (even slightly complicated) system for upper level learners. Basically, I need 4-6th grade instruction level for this skill. Anyone have any idea where I might find something useful? I keep finding upper high school/college level instructions for note taking, and it is too advanced for us. (I also need a good review of library skills that is clear, short and sweet, too, if anyone can point me in the right direction.) As always, so appreciative of my Brain Trust here who always seems to know what I don't!

I am a little confused and maybe you all can explain it to me. So do we need the Clearplay player and a subscription? I am not quite getting how you have it for a month, then turn it off...do you download movies to the player and it holds them in memory? Thanks for the great info!

Growing ever more frustrated as we want to sit down and watch a family movie that is not always Disney-ish, and can't find anything with more mature themes without it having raunch...everything these days is rated R and deservedly so. I searched online and found ClearPlay.com, and wondered if anyone had any experience with it. It is not inexpensive, but after wasting money on movies and not being able to watch them for more than 5 minutes before the porn starts, we are willing to look at it. Anyone know anything about it?

Inspiring...and a wee bit depressing...thread. I have been trying to reinvigorate myself, find something to be deeply engaged in so I can gain that sense of satisfaction. I have no real hobbies, and am finding myself in a bit of a slump, emotionally speaking. However, as I read everyone's posts, I realized I had a couple of things: 1) I learned music and memorized lyrics to 14 new songs for Sweet Adelines, having joined only 2 1/2 months before their fall concert. 2) I have made it a goal to get back to reading for fun...not just to learn something. Thus far I have read five novels in a month, and have found I really have missed the joy of reading. 3) Man...that's about it. I really need to get a grip and find a life!

We have post-institutionalized kids who arrived in our family at ages 8, 10 and 11...and we had a LOT of work to do in social skills, through no fault of their own. We found a great resource that helped tremendously: http://www.amazon.com/Activities-Secondary-Students-Special-Jossey-Bass/dp/0470259361/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1385442750&sr=8-6&keywords=social+skills These worksheets went to the very basics, to more complicated situations. They speak about reading situations, body language, appropriate behavior in a wide array of circumstances.

I have yearned for a hobby for years, Seriously. I read a ton, and thoroughly enjoy it, but I'd really love a crafty sort of hobby...but seem to have no real interest in any of them. I am never going to be a fiber arts kinda gal, no needles...bug or otherwise...for me. I am not in the least artistic. I like to write, but am not all that great at it and most definitely do not have the desire to write fiction or poetry. I thought I might like to learn the harp, as I do enjoy music, but found I just couldn't make time to practice enough to get good at it. I am not athletic and don't care much for sports. I finally gave up. I fear I will never have something to occupy me in my old age! Hahaha! The one thing I do enjoy, and I guess you could cal it a hobby of sorts, is I dearly love singing. I sing in our church ladies choir, and recently joined our local Sweet Adelines group. Want to talk about being viewed as a nerd? Try singing women's barbershop music! Haha! I don't care, I love it SO SO much! However, I never gave coloring a thought. Maybe I could try that! Off to look for cool coloring books :-)

Has anyone uses this? Any feedback? It looks...uh..."killer" cool! Hahaha! Hey, it's Halloween night, what can I say? http://www.crosscuttingconcepts.com/about-mystery-lyle-and-louise

Please don't laugh at me, I am totally out of my element already and just need a little opinion/advice. I have to dress in a poodle skirt for a Sweet Adelines concert, my first. I am already quite nervous about this. So, I haven't worn a dress/skirt in...oh...20 years or so. I also have pasty white, heavy legs (I am a definite Plus Size Mama!) with a few broken veins that may or may not be all that visible. Totally self-conscious, but going to do it anyway! However, should I wear nylons? I mean, I am mayonnaise...totally. I know almost no one does, but wondering if a nude pair would be appropriate or...??? I sure appreciate any helpful comments! I feel like a fool even posting this, not my usual type of post as I normally keep it to schooly stuff!

Yesterday I read an article online about Mike Rowe and his thoughts on trades training. I know this forum is often focused strongly on college as an end goal, but I wondered what your thoughts were about what he said, and if you feel his ideas have merit. I have at times been castigated a bit here on the forum because I am not a "college at all cost" kind of person, and maybe I haven't spoken to that as succinctly as I think Mike did. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/23/mike-rowe-of-dirty-jobs-speaks-about-hard-work-how-many-are-following-the-worst-advice-in-the-history-of-the-world/ It had me wondering, how many folks here have kids that are not likely to be headed to college? How many of you have struggled to help them find a path as they think about their future? Did you start when they were younger thinking in one direction but time and experience led you differently? Are there many of you who are not "doing high school" with the same materials that the majority of folks seem to use here? I'd really love to read the thoughts of those of you with kids like that...I already know the thoughts of so many others whose kids are college bound, and I deeply respect them (and have a couple of my own who are likely to head there!). No bashing, please, I don't need to be called ignorant, foolish, or limiting for simply acknowledging that every kid isn't going to go to college, or if they go, they aren't all going to finish. (I have privately been called that due to posts here, so sorry if I am tentative). So, anyone willing to share? I wrote what I thought over at my new homeschooling blog, so I won't bother to repeat it here, but it got me to thinking there MUST be someone here out of the thousands of moms, who might have something pretty insightful to say about this.

Depending on what you feel "inexpensive" is, I would highly, highly recommend Essentials in Writing (this is NOT Institute for Excellence in Writing). You get a full year curriculum worksheet PDF download and teaching DVD's for only $40, and this will walk your children right through the writing process, you don't need to really know how to teach it at all as the teacher on DVD does, and it is done in a clear and concise manner with little "fluff". We are loving this curriculum, and appreciate how easy it has made teaching writing.

Thank you all so much for your encouragement, I am off to add Mike Rowe's site right now, and I added another section for Military, thanks to a suggestion from MargaretinCO :-) I hope to add a LOT to this as time goes on, and would always appreciate any web site suggestions. I will also be blogging about education there, and just stumbled upon an article today that was an interview with Mike Rowe which I found interesting and will talk about. THANKS!!!

I love you. That is all.

I just have to share...I am NOT a cool Mommy Blogger and I have no interest in making money, nor am I an affiliate with anyone. I just wanted to create a web site for those of us who are homeschooling "average" kids or those who need modified curriculum or are less academically inclined. There are so many great conversations here, and I have learned so much...but sometimes it is hard to keep my spirits up with my kids who are all working hard, learning a lot...but would never be able to do a lot of what is used regularly by you all. And that doesn't mean we aren't doing an excellent job homeschooling. It's just our goals necessarily have to be different, and we are on a different path. Rigor, for us, looks different, as it does for many others. So come see my new, admittedly totally bland looking Baby, and tell me what you think! http://www.bluecollarhomeschool.weebly.com and be kind, I am totally not a pro at this! Hahaha!

We are using the Stanford 10 online as well, it was easy to administer through Brewer Testing, we got the kind of feedback that is typical with no surprises, and it will make our District happy.

I am considering a subscription to Whimseybox craft kits for our daughter for Christmas. I had never heard of this company before and wondered if anyone else has any experience with them. I'd appreciate hearing from you! https://whimseybox.com/

I thought that I would share our experience with Gemm Learning's Fast Forword program, which our son with severe auditory processing disorder has been using for almost a year. DS has many issues, being adopted at 8 from an orphanage in Kyrgyzstan. Processing speed is an issue, cognitive delays, CAPD that made life miserable for all of us, and ADD. Someone offered us a scholarship to buy Fast Forward for Kenny, because it is EXPENSIVE...at $1500 for 4 months, this is not a cheap therapy. We ended up purchasing a $2100 plan which was for an entire year. Without a doubt, it was worth it. I was definitely not sold on it, but we were desperate and didn't know what else to do. DS was 12 and literally couldn't read at a 1st grade level when we pulled him from public ed to homeschool. We figured we couldn't do any worse at that stage! We got Kenny up to about a 5th grade reading level with work at home, but the CAPD and processing speeds was making life unbearable and was proving more and more challenging as higher level work came into play. We are almost at the end of the year, and DS completed all the CAPD tasks, as well as 5 reading levels. We have seen great improvement in his reading fluency, but the big difference has been with the CAPD. We no longer have to repeat things 12 times. He gets it right the first time, almost every time. He still struggles to hold on to more than three items listed at a time, but even that is a vast improvement over where he began. He is able to discern where sounds are coming from, and he can now tell if it is a higher or lower pitch and interestingly seems more able to read people's verbal cues. All in all, it is much improved, and I bet we would have spent that much and more trying other programs or products that would not have been as effective. We are incredibly grateful for the financial help that allowed us to give it a try.

Did 2 science labs Watched on Teaching Company lecture Math actually got done by all 5 Ordered jeans from LLBean to see if they last longer than my lousy Walmart jeans Felt guilty after placing order with LLBean because of price Tried no less than 8 times to get online with our new state exchange for health insurance so I could cry when I see our quote Took son to Civil Air Patrol Had fun at Sweet Adelines practice Loser Stuff Didn't make dinner, the kids had pizza again...twice this week Only got two loads of laundry done Didn't clean out my spice/medicine cupboard, so tomorrow morning I will complain as I reach in and everything falls down on me. Again. Lost my patience with Son #2 who always likes to helpfully correct things I say Overall, not too bad a day.

OK, I am the one freak of nature. I LOVE snow, I LOVE winter, I LOVE the anticipation!! So humor me, I was born and raised in Southern California, and I still get a kick out of fall and winter every single year. I am now ready to duck as you all throw rotten pumpkins at me or something. Cindy

I don't know where we will sit for retirement. We have no debt except for our house, but we have nothing saved. The adoptions of our children took a huge chunk, and just as we completed our final adoption, we realized it was truly a necessity to homeschool due to the variety of challenges our kids have. It was the best decision we ever made, but we will probably pay dearly for it down the road. We have no possibility of inheriting anything either. I will be 55 when my youngest graduates, and I do not have a degree. If my mom is still living at that point and has not yet moved near us or in with us, then no doubt my role will switch to caretaker, but we actually expect that to happen earlier. We just talked about this tonight over dinner...does it make any sense at all to consider getting a degree? Will I return to the working world once the kids have graduated? Is the remainder of my life to be spent as support for various members of my family? I would not resent this, and my husband said he thinks that it might be logical to consider that what I am doing now will expand and take on a different form, but that I might not ever return to the working world in a traditional job. I do have a friend who is hoping I can work with her part-time doing web site design once the kids are done, and that might be a possible sideline. We worry as we also have a son with disabilities who may or may not be able to live 100% on his own. He might be able to with some regular assistance, but at 15 we are not sure he would ever be safe to drive, though he will be very high functioning. We can't save anything right now, but we do have a small low end rental property we managed to purchase. We owe quiet a bit on our house still, but are going to try hard to get it paid off in the next 7-8 years, if we can. We dno't have big dreams of travel, though we'd like to be able to easily see our kids and grandkids should everyone move away. We're just taking it one step at a time, and we'll see where it leads us. Staying out of debt will help, but we have several more years of kids home and homeschooling ahead.