We have a friendly resident in our house -- the woman who owned it before we did. She told DW's friend she was staying around to watch over DD, which is just fine by me. She does hang around now and then, maybe less so now that DD is 12.5. Every once in a while you'll walk through a little patch of cigarette smell, although no one has smoked here since she died in 1991. There have been some other visitors, but all very loving. We have a standing agreement that she is welcome to stay, but I do not want to see or hear her at any time for any reason, lest I break out all the stops to exorcise...not that I would have a clue about how to do that.

Yes. I've used ereplacementparts with good results, although the local Home Depot might be ok too. As for bleach, I've used Clorox Cleanup on fridge gaskets with no problem as long as it doesn't sit. Spray, toothbrush scrub, wipe. Still a PIA.

7 is a bit young for a band instrument -- usually that's 4th grade (9-10ish). Recorder is a great first step -- Get "Recorder Karate" book and recorder set from Amazon. Another option is to go to a good sized music store that will let him try out several instruments to see what clicks.

Ditto for DD. Blazingly fast. If you want to check for comprehension, there are annotated versions of books that can help you see if it's all really sinking in.

Dear Daughter Dear Son Dear Husband Dear Wife (there are probably others I missed)

We're south of you, in NJ, but I remember a large HS group in Briarcliff Manor that had an open house in August. We went once a few years ago and it was indeed a big group. There's an old post about it on the Yahoo group NJHomeschoolSupportGroup. I would suspect it was cross-posted there as well as on a local NY group.

Yes -- double reed players are rare indeed. On the other hand, DW had a former student, now out of med school, who got a scholarship for playing trumpet in the Notre Dame marching band for four years. I would not discount sticking with french horn and switching to mellophone to march somewhere.

Welding. (Ha! I bet that's not one that has come up yet!) :laugh: No, seriously...I took an intro class BK, and I liked it, but there's lots more to learn. I'd also like to do an artisan bread course up at King Arthur Flour, and some of those classes at the CIA.

Totally depends on the location. We're on a very busy street, in a small but congested town, so my answer here would be "within sight."

Paper tend to go in a 3-level office tray organizer thingie on a shelf in a bookcase from my childhood. A the moment, said bookcase is in danger of tipping forward from the profusion of craft stuff, but that's just a sign that we have to do our quarterly clean out. I vacillate between onions in the dark pantry and onions in the fridge crisper drawer, but I haven't decided if there is an advantage to either. For now, the onion's spot in the pantry has been taken over by something else.

Yeah, I forgot about recorder. We did that. Look for a book/recorder combo called "Recorder Karate."

DW is a middle school band director, and recommends 4th grade (figure about 9ish) to start a band instrument. Sure some start younger, some older. For flute, there are curved head joints to move the keys closer. Clarinet and sax might have an issue with finger spread. Cornets are a bit smaller than trumpets, but no such thing for trombone and tuba (I think). French horn (DD's instrument) is more compact, but heavier, with a very tricky mouthpiece. Best bet is to go to a music store that will let you try several different instruments to see what clicks. Whether you wait until next year is probably a function of your son's physical size.

:huh:

Absolutely require is subjective, based on the competitiveness of the college and the program within the college to which you apply. Per the College Board: "Approximately 160 institutions require or recommend SATSubject Test scores for admission and placement of incoming students." On that list are indeed Amherst College, with a 2012 admissions rate of 11.9%, but also the University of Mobile, with an admissions rate of 80%. On the flip side, fairtest.org maintains a sizable list of schools who no longer require the SAT I at all. Granted, some of them are still very competitive, like Middlebury, which kinda hedges its bets with a policy of "SAT/ACT not required if other college level exams specified by school, such as SAT Subject Test, Advanced Placement, or Int’l Baccalaureate, submitted." There's also the idea that if you make your school "SAT-optional," the only scores you'll receive are from standout students with 2350's, which certainly doesn't make you look too shabby in the US News rankings. It's still a big game....a very expensive, big game.

Is there such a thing as a bucket list for one already dead? It would seem the sky is the limit. The dead can't break laws, so go ahead and drive that Bimmer through the showroom window on your way to cash a million dollar fake check. It's like the movie Groundhog Day IRL.

Take both. More and more schools want to see SAT II's. The boards at College Confidential are great for this info. Here's just one of many threads: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-subject-tests-preparation/1122177-ap-vs-sat-ii.html (sorry...can't get a good link setup from my phone) Give admissions reps more data to say yes to. They need numbers and data to whittle down the huge pile.

Sounds subversive....in a good way! Somehow I missed that today was the day.

Saxon all the way, BUT be sure you get an older edition actually written by John Saxon. I've heard bad things about the new editions -- apparently the publisher has messed with his content to the point that the people hate the books. Get the test booklet, answer guide, and if you want, the DVD, which explains every problem.

I had a low-functioning gallbladder, with intermittent LRQ pain. I had the HIDA scan and all, but the recommended surgeon said taking it out wouldn't really change my chances of having the same pain anyway. Fast forward two years and another surgeon took it out to gain better access to my liver, which he then proceeded to flood with chemo. I can't say I miss my gallbladder at all. None of the digestive issues happened. As for pain, I have some, but I suspect it's related to adhesions, plus all the other things going on in there.

Pet health is definitely a first-world problem. In another hemisphere, daughters are sold into marriage at 12, and pregnant shortly thereafter. Boys, on the other hand, sometimes go to school....on the profits from the sale of their sisters. Much will change if girls are valued equally with boys, but that requires massive change to social norms and beliefs held for centuries. Not for nothing, but Malala Yousafzai was totally ripped off by the crusty old men in Stockholm. :thumbdown:

Schola Domum Patris will be the name of the new oratorio I'm composing. Look for it in, oh, ten or twenty years.

ITBS through Brewer Testing -- great and fast service.

Well said. Shanta Devarajan, World Bank chief economist for Africa said: "Twenty-five of the 28 high-fertility (more than 5 children per woman) countries are in Africa. This and related facts have revived the concern that Africa will miss out on the “demographic dividend†–the rapid economic growth rates associated with declining fertility, as experienced by many countries in Asia. But Africa is also the continent with the slowest economic growth in the past. And, as The Economist (and others) pointed out, economic growth is probably the best contraceptive. " I would also refer everyone to the series on The Girl Effect. (now if only I could figure out how to embed a vid :huh: )

I think they only way to really see what terms are serched is to use keystroke logging software.

My house has a terminal case of Plateausis - that common condition in which every horiztntal surface is covered with stuff. Sure, you can clear a space now and then, but it only prolongs the inevitable.