That sounds like a lot of fun!!! :001_smile:

I dont want to offend but I think that is a pretty ignorant position for that VP to take. I mean what does free education have to do with the persons level of intelligence? Sorry, it really just doesnt make sense to me. Just my .02 worth.

Funny that this thread is happening right now as 2 of my children are taking their GED tests this week. They wanted to get it to prove that they could do it. And for my 16 year old, to her it means she can move on to the junior college knowing she is a "graduate". Even though I told her she could attend the local JC without it. :001_huh: The JC they are taking the tests through is putting on a graduation for the people who pass. Which I think is awesome! I know alot of people have said for years that the GED is less than, but I dont know. I have actually heard that these days the GED is thought of as equivalent or better with our educational system in the state that its in. Not trying to start an argument or anything. So.... I think its a good idea too to have just one more thing to document that your children have learned something all the years you have been homeschooling or unschooling- whatever you do. :001_smile: You never know who might come knocking at the door.

I hope I am not reposting but she wrote she uses "mock chicken". I dont know exactly what that is- maybe tofu or something? Anyways, thats why she can say that. :001_smile:

Reading this thread has confirmed to me that I am not crazy. They are different. Thank you.

Thanks Denise. Please dont put me on a pedestal though, I have had MANY moments of breakdown that werent always pretty. Our marriage is kind of recovering... it can be very iffy. And other times it is good. Not like pre-adoption, but good for us now. I hope that it makes it. Only time will tell. Even as they move out, the issues continue to the point where we havent even spoken to the oldest of the five for over a year. She really did us in pretty good- or at least tried. Thankfully, the CPS worker and police officer saw through the lies. It was a little bit harder explaining to the IRS though. Its sad. Thanks for your good wishes. It has been nice to be able to have comfort here.

:iagree: I agree with what you said about sticking with the homeschooling so you can know whats going on with the child. That was one of my reasonings as well. One of my RAD children just went to the job corp at 18 years old. We had been looking forward to the bit of peace that might be restored to our home after her departure but also have worried about the choices she would make while away from home/us. Especially in the jobcorp environment- troubled teens and troubled young adults. She was raised LDS and thought she had a strong testimony.... After 2 months of being there, a couple weeks ago, I find out that her "new" boyfriend (he is #2 in 8 weeks when she said she didnt want to have a boyfriend and wanted to concentrate on her studies) is a satanist. He's a satanist! And while I have walked away from the LDS faith, I mean, I would prefer he is an athiest. Hope not to offend anyone with those last 2 statements. She has facebook and I noticed he is on her page one night while I was bored. So I was going to show my dh who he is as they havent met yet. I didnt even have to scroll down to see his religious and political views- but she asked ME why I was snooping into his personal information!! HELLO?!?!? Anyways- sometimes its all I can do to not feel horribly guilty that my own children have indeed gotten lost in the chaos and they have suffered from the whole thing so much. I have lost a lot of years just trying to pull through the depression. I wish there would have been someone to help us. I have had times where I felt connected to my RAD children, only to discover that they were just trying to use me for something. I hope that you are able to work through it better than us. :grouphug:

:iagree::iagree::iagree: I just cry while I am reading this thread. We adopted my husbands sisters 5 children, ages 10 months to 9 years old, all at the same time 13 years ago. No one told us a word about RAD. I hadnt even heard of it until about 3 years ago. We expressed to the social workers when we first got them that we were having some behavioral issues and they sent us to a class about how to do time outs!! This has been hell on earth for us. And no, no one understands. We have been judged by ignorant people everywhere. We have indeed been through hell but now there is a light at the end of the tunnel as only 2 of them live at home still. Thank God for jobcorp. I have only recently come to realize that I have done the best I can considering I had no knowledge of RAD. If only I had known. I am sad to say I would not have adopted them. My marriage has BARELY survived. If only I had even had a support group like the ladies here who know and understand, maybe it would have helped. You guys are great! :001_smile: :grouphug:Julie:grouphug: PM me if you want. If you just need to talk. I will listen without judging.

Are you kidding ladies?? My dh and I are sharing a few of these posts together, and we havent laughed so hard in I cant tell you when!! Thanks!! :lol::lol::lol:

This is an interesting topic. :001_smile: When dh and I met neither of us attended church. After we married, we still did not attend church and going to church really was not something we considered doing. Within a couple years, after I was exposed to christianity while visiting a friend in NC, I suggested that we should say prayers before meals and bedtimes (dh was fine with that) and God became a small part of our lives. Still did not feel the need to attend a church. I should add here that I had been baptized LDS about 3 years prior (only attended twice though) to our marriage and he said he didnt believe in organized religion. LOL Anyways, within a year of being married, we ended up with custody of his 5 nieces and nephews- which took our number of children from 2 to 7 over night. :001_smile: I began feeling like we needed a church family. He said that was fine. We started church shopping. Long story short we ended up at the LDS church. He felt comfortable because he had become friends with someone in the ward and dh doesnt make friends. Well, its 8 years later and I have recently decided my time with the LDS church is over but his and some of the childrens' is not. They arent as active/faithful to commandments as we used to be but they attend the first hour of services. I stay at home. These days I call myself undecided. I have told my dh and the children who are old enough that right now, I want no part of the LDS church or christianity- as a religion... not that I have declared myself an athiest or anything yet. But dh knows I study wicca right now. It was hard at first... dh I dont think he knew how to take it. He called me rebellious etc. But now I think he kinda realizes its not about that. For us, I just tell them that they are welcome to believe what they want. If they want to go to church- thats totally fine with me, but please do not expect me to go. And not to judge me because I choose not to do what they do- ie. obeying commandments etc. Dh and I did argue about it a few times. But now when we do talk about it, we try to listen to each others beliefs and try to have discussions instead of arguements. Its getting better. Hope this helped. :001_smile:

Double Fudge by Judy Blume has homeschooled characters in it. They arent the main characters. I happen to love the Fudge series of books by her! :001_smile:

:iagree: I have to agree. I know you already have decided but I just feel like unless we win the lottery or something that the iPad we bought will be with me until I die. LOL And I wanted to make sure that it will have enough memory for all the books I could ever want on it for that length of time. :001_smile: I also have music, movies and such on it but for me, it is just really important to have all my books on it. I cant imagine how you are dealing with it, not being able to bring it home. That would be tough! :001_smile: I hope you enjoy it. I love mine!

yeah, I agree :001_smile:

I guess I am confused because last time I checked, Twilight is also fantasy. The reason why I said it that way is because on the anti-HP websites I have read, it is said that HP is not acceptable to Christians due to its reference to witchcraft and how HP gets children interested in witchcraft. The stories might not be about witchcraft in a realistic sense, but that it could intice a child to witchcraft and ultimately the religions that hold witchcraft as part of their practice, but I have heard that there are witches that arent a part of those religions- wicca, etc. Not that I dont understand the addage that not all wiccans are witches, and not all witches are wiccan- so I am probably not wording that right. Its not like from reading Twilight someone can say "oh gee, I think I will go find a vampire somewhere to bite me so I can be a vampire too." The story is a work of fiction. I mean really, they both are. My point was that I dont understand why HP is acceptable to some of the people who find Twilight unacceptable... and I was glad to see the OP's realization. :001_smile: ...... Im hoping not to offend any wiccans, witches, or pagans with my inability to word this correctly. :001_unsure:

I totally LOVE Sookie!! cant wait until next month when the newest book comes out!! :D

Its funny that you should mention HP. While visiting a friend in NC last spring, we were told how Twilight was so awful and even evil. Without her ever even reading the books or watching it, this was decided by my friend and her extended family. One day while we were there, she asked if she could watch it- we had our copy with on vacation cuz we dont leave home without it. :D She was curious about it since I watch it and allow my kids to watch it. She watched it and said how she enjoyed it but that it reminded her of Satan. :001_huh: Ummmm, ok- whatever. Then she asked if we could watch New Moon. Uh-huh, sure I said. But the thing I dont understand is why its okay to be involved with anything Harry Potter? The idea of vampires, the way they are in the Twilight series is fantasy. Witchcraft is practiced by many in todays world and according to the Bible is to be avoided at all costs. I dont get it and I am glad the OP has had this realization. :001_smile:

We would be interested in this, if you wouldnt mind telling me step by step how its done and what I would need to do to get it going. We have never done this before. I think it would take me into mid-next week to be ready. Let me know what you think. :001_smile:

I dunno.... I think it could still fit.... :lol:

ummmm.... lets see- we dont watch much tv except for on dvd. So I would have to say definitely Smallville- cant wait for season 10 to come out on dvd!, and then older shows like Home Improvement, Roseanne, I love Lucy, Ghost Hunters, Star Trek TNG, Little House, oh! and we cant forget Highlander!! LOL On tv, I am a food network junkie!! And being a cake decorator, Cake Boss is one of my favs. :001_smile:

yes, I have done this before. :001_smile:

sure!!

Im not even an athiest, but I found this offensive. The notion that a person would HAVE to have a reward to have morals... people cant be a good unless there is a heavenly reward? Thats sad. Perhaps what it is too is that some people cant be good unless they are afraid of going to hell. Which is sad as well. What ever happened to doing to others as you would have done to you? I dont know, I just find the idea that athiests dont have morals because they dont believe in a heavenly reward is preposterous.

nope, not upset at you... I dont even know you.... sorry to give that impression. just trying to address some of the comments that you and others have made here in this thread. not sure the point of a PM though- dont take that personally, just dont see the need to take it to that level. :001_smile:

I find that interesting. Thanks for sharing!