Good luck to all of the test takers today. Our big week is next week -- DS has his first on Friday morning (APUSH, followed by his military physical later that day, and then the SAT on Saturday). Thankfully, he's doing really well on the practice tests for APUSH, and he's raised his SAT practice score by 125 points (average). Last go at the SAT, then one or two ACTs and he'll be done with everything except any required SAT2s

My high school was other...as I attended 2 public high schools, and was homeschooled through Christian Liberty Academy for 2 years as well (private school, distance learning) I toured one college, although I poured over catalogues for a few others.

Oldest son is looking at Mech. Engineering, minor in communications; Oldest daughter is looking at a double major in math and biology, preferably with teacher certification. Time constraints are keeping things limited (we have 2 weeks, one of which needs to be spent with his parents in NWAR/SEOK). Once back in No.VA we'll tour some smaller schools and schools close to home (William and Mary, GMU, GW, AU, Gtown, Catholic, Randolph Macon...) I won't be working as hard. Coaching Chris and Kathryn (and teaching the other 3) isn't quite as stressful. I will get plenty of vitamin D at the pool, and won't have to assist on deck much at all with the throngs of kids. I won't have to cook. Laundry is always an issue, and I'll get to spend time with my mom and dad. I won't be laying around -- but I won't be coaching 80+ kids, either. Nice pool! I honestly don't know a lot about LSU and their finances. It may not work out. DS's #1 choice is UT-Austin. Second Choice is King's Point (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy). Not sure which one is 3rd. We'll be meeting with coaches at King's Point, King's College, UKY, UT-A, U-AL, LU and spending a week with the USNA coach. Appointments have been set at these schools. Most of the choices were driven by scholarships available. Swimming skews that a little (D3 schools don't have swimming scholarships, but do have sway with some school money, and DS is considered "high stats" by some of the schools). If a coach takes a liking to my son, and sees the potential in him -- it could be interesting. I haven't done it yet, but by golly, if I can drive (by myself) from Naples to Kaiserslautern, Germany in one day, I can certainly handle this road trip with my husband assisting with the driving! We're trying to hit all of the major possibilities for my three oldest children on this trip, since they might not get another opportunity. Good to know about UAH! I think ds would actually really like the school. The lack of a swim program makes it a really tough sell for both of them. BUT, it's on the list as a financial safety for both of them. LSU is close to my BIL, I do have friends who went to Tulane. So many schools! We had to limit it to what we could see and what we would likely be able to afford. If LEGOManiac winds up wanting to go NROTC, he's on a short list for UT-A (but probably wouldn't swim there -- he'd love it though, if he could).

Headed home to the states for the summer. I can't begin to tell you how much I'm looking forward to this break. My duties for fundraising and most cooking have been drastically reduced -- as I'm the new head coach of our swim team. I'm busier than ever ;) But, I really enjoy coaching, seeing kids make connections and improve is very rewarding. Our summer vacation includes a whirl-wind college tour (USMMA, King's College, UKY, UT-D, UT-Austin, LSU, U-AL (Birmingham and Huntsville), and LU. I'm spending the week at USNA elite swim camp as a coach in training ;)) before returning to Virginia to coach 2 of my kids to Senior Champs, 5 of my kids during summer league, and work on planning courses for the fall (with my mom). I'll be helping my mom organize the basement, my kids will be helping with the yard work, and we'll be spending time with friends and family (and visiting a few more colleges), until I return to Italy on 8 August. I have so much to do before we leave!

Most advanced biology requires chemistry, so I'd do a solid chemistry course prior to any college-level biology program. That doesn't mean she couldn't take A&P before that, if she desired. I'm looking at Human Physiology by Stuart Fox, with the Physio Ex9 Lab simulations, and probably an anatomy coloring book for my daughter and my younger son (in 3-4 years).

It would mostly depend upon the college(s) your child is looking at. Some colleges (like William and Mary) prefer calculus over stats -- even for non-STEM majors. They want to see kids who challenge themselves Other schools will not care. I don't regret not taking calculus ;) I do regret not CLEPing math in college. So, for my kids who may not be headed into a STEM degree (right now, that leaves my 10yo and my 8yo), I'll be preparing them to test out of math in college (Calculus, AP Stats, College Algebra), whatever that is.

I have one relatively unstressed (taking 4 -- I'm wishing he was more stressed), and one freaking out (taking 2, but needs to chill). Based upon all practice tests, we're looking at 3-5's on all of them. Fortunately, DS's best score is on the one in just over a week. Unfortunately, getting him to focus on the one he has a 3 on is like pulling teeth (dd has a 4 or 5 on that same test).

See, I've been kicking against that dx since he was 12! But we moved here and weren't able to do much to rectify it. His "symptoms" don't match any asthma checklist, not even intermittent asthma. His former swim coach here (retired Navy), and a doctor here swear he doesn't have it. When we received the paperwork, I called MEPS back about his history with asthma, and they told me to leave that part blank, and discuss it with the doctor when we had the physical. He hasn't even had a prescription for an inhaler (or any other meds) since we moved here, although he has had annual physicals, and he's been cleared for all activities. Although, they said my younger son (who was never diagnosed with asthma, but was hospitalized twice) should have been (his was most likely viral induced, and he was supposed to have smaller than normal airway and he's been episode free now for 3.5 years! We were told he'd probably outgrow it...) I remember when oldest was diagnosed, no one believing it. I think I posted on the general forum about it all back then. Plan B is going to be a lot tougher financially. But we are working on it.

Heard from two more today. One official recruitment, and one since you'll be in the area, please come visit, we'd like to see you up close. The kid's excitement is noticeable.

To be honest, it was kind of expected. His "childhood asthma" probably just kicked it out the door...even though he's never been hospitalized for asthma, had one "attack" (use of the term is very loose) 5 years ago, and has been unmediated for 4 years. I told a couple of people -- and they were like, "NOOO! Why would you tell them that?" lol -- well, it's those words "any and all" or "ever." "Have you EVER been..." well, there was this one time at the age of 3 years, he was treated for dehydration... (I didn't include that). That AND having our "home state" being Virginia makes it really, really hard. When doing his paperwork, the Navy hospital advised me to leave that question blank on all of the history forms, and go over it with the attending physician at his physical. So, we're getting the medical stuff all out of the way now. If something is disqualifying we'd rather know now than after he's done all of the nominations, etc. But, assuming his test scores are strong (May/June tests), and nothing medical is wrong -- he's on a "short list" at one (probably two or three service academies -- we'll know more in June). AND, he's being recruited from a few other colleges which sweetens the deal. It will all come down to COST + strength of engineering program + swimming (last). I'm just hoping we are down to fewer than 10 schools by the end of July.

Well. he called. As we expected...he didn't get in. :( Well, he'll be there for a week soon anyhow. And, just got his 2nd recruiting letter -- and started the accession physical for the other academy.

No idea. We haven't received any communication regarding NASS after the confirmation that his application was received. We sent another email to the admissions counselor assigned to him for the process. The only other emails we've gotten are regarding attending special weekends (which, we can't attend for kind of obvious reasons).

My son has been checking his email daily, but he's heard nothing back from USNA regarding his application (which was received in January). I told him to try contacting them again (pretty sure he did by email a few days ago), as all of the decisions were due out 15 April. We're assuming he didn't get in -- but in the off chance there was some sort of system glitch. Should I encourage him to call? Wait? Forget about it? Thanks.

We'll be going with Campell's 9th. I'm probably getting Study.com to do alongside a Coursera introduction to Biology course with MIT (this child is thinking about majoring in biology and math). But the labs... I need help with labs!

He has expressed interest (both at college swimming, and by directly contacting the coach), he has an official visit lined up on 29 May with the Asst. Coach and the NROTC Admin. So, yes -- he has put himself on their radar. If they look at potential for growth, he's got it in spades. If they are looking for another Joseph Schooling who can beat Michael Phelps after his freshman year...not so much. Unfortunately for him, he swims the same events as Joseph. And UT is the #1 Men's team in the nation. So, in addition to being a stretch financially, a pretty decent fit academically, it's a swimming stretch as well. So, swimming isn't a great "hook" for him there (at this point). UT has their pick from the nation. So, in all honesty, my distance-swimming daughter (who can also sprint free/fly, and has an outstanding 200 and 400IM) has a much better shot at swimming for UT than my free/flying sprinter son. In other news, my freshman daughter just got her first "this college is interested in you" notification ;) Unfortunately, right now she has zero interest in attending there (engineering school -- and she doesn't want engineering at all).

We'll be at the school 19 May for a tour. His dad is an alumni, so it will be quite the trip down memory road for him as well. I think we may hear from 3-4 more schools before all is said and done. My stomach is in knots...lol. He's still hoping to swim with Schooling at UT (ha! That would be something, but I don't think he's on their radar, other than NROTC).

As his mom, I'm very proud. As his swim coach,the pressure just went up a notch. As his school counselor... time to get serious about the NCAA stuff I've been avoiding. Since it's a military academy, I have a bunch of physical assessments I need to get arranged, and a few other hoops! This is really happening.

My oldest will be a senior next year. My youngest enters 3rd grade. I do plan on staying the course, but no child's journey has been identical. I'm looking forward to having more time with the youngest two next year as well!

Go to the USNA Admissions page -- they outline everything there. (USNA.edu/admissions). They also have a menu item directed at Homeschoolers. The application is done on-line, and they have a list of all of the steps you need to take to complete the application. Very easy to navigate.

Next year is my LAST year with 5 at home, as LEGOManiac will be set to graduate. His strong desire to attend UT-Austin has pushed him forward academically by leaps and bounds this year. But, I need to finalize some things for his senior year, and I need some advice as we head into the home stretch. We used Shmoop a bit this year (especially when 2 online courses in Stats and Comp Politics did NOT pan out -- that has been painful). But, while it has helped with test prep, it is not what I want to use as a primary resource for the high schooler's courses. The shmooper style tends to get in the way in large doses. Hence, I'm looking at Educator.Com (which does not have assignments, or quizzes/tests), but the guy from The Physics Classroom was favorably impressed. I've been mostly unsuccessful in finding information or reviews from people who have actually used them (a bunch of people giving it 5 star ratings because it looks great...haha). I'm also re-visiting Study.com (but, I'd still have to build a course around it). Boo will be stuck in Abeka DVD school for one more year (poor thing, but mama's stressing out over NCAA mess, transcripts, course descriptions, and college applications, I need to find time somewhere). I've heard about Acellus, but I have a feeling I'll still have to add to whatever it is they do. So, here we go. LEGOManiac -- 12th Grade (please note, most "AP" courses will not be official, the AP is listed to give you an idea of the content I'm looking for. English: AP English Language & Composition (mine -- I think I'm good here) Math: AP Calculus BC (Chalkdust? Coursera? EdX? Thinkwell?, a different text and use Educator.com?) I do have Life of Fred and AoPS on the shelves as well. This one is a BIGGIE. I have two kids taking this course next year. Science: AP Physics C both courses (The Physics Classroom?, Educator.com?) I have the Giancoli books and study guide, and test file. The Physics Classroom is a self-paced course like PA Homeschoolers, Educator.com would be the lectures/sample problems, and I'd have to map the course to it -- long AP Physics Exam Review at the end of the course) -- and LABS? Oh dear! Foreign Language: Italian 4 w/ Verbal Planet Tutor (unless we do this at the school, but still will be doing Verbal Planet while we're in the US). Social Studies: AP US Gov't; Economics (with self-study for the AP Exams) (mine, nearly done) Electives: Independent Research in Robotics/Engineering (at the school), Video Communications (at the school), Digital Photography series through Coursera (he starts this in June) So my biggest concerns are AP Calculus and AP Physics with him. PonyGirl -- 10th Grade English -- 10th Grade English (mine, almost done) Math -- AP Calculus BC (will do the same course as LEGOManiac) Science -- AP Biology (we were planning to do this at the school, but noooo....they don't offer AP Bio or Chem anymore.) I'm planning to get the Campbell & Reese 9th edition (I believe with dandelions), Study.com has a study guide to go along with this text, but I'm not paying for study.com for one subject. Educator.com also has AP Biology, so I'd need labs. EdX has an AP Course archived by Rice, so I think I have a back-up plan -- but I need LABS Foreign Language: German B2/C1 Level with Tutor from Verbal Planet. History: AP European History (her choice, essentially done) Electives: AP Art History (Gardener's text, I've found various art history videos to go with it, and then AP Study Guide, for the most part). She may also take a Digital Photography course series through Coursera. Biggest concerns for her are AP Calculus and then AP Biology LABS. My other kids will be in 8th, 6th and 3rd. I'm pretty set there, thankfully.

We're loading the car! I can't believe it's nearly time to go! Lisa

Our trip is based upon 3 of my children qualifying to compete in the European Forces Swim League Championship Meet in Eindhoven, Netherlands. This is our third year attending. In previous years, we pretty much flew in just for the meet. This year, however, I'm driving. It was originally supposed to be a family trip, with all of the kids and my husband. But, between my husband's master's program and not being able to get anyone to watch the dog and the house -- we decided (rather late) it would be best for me to travel with the three kids. We had thought about switching to a flight/rental car -- but ran into a hiccup. My license expired in December, and I'm still waiting on the USPS to deliver my paperwork. I tried asking the VADMV to email or fax me a copy, but they have nothing that allows them to do this. So, we are left with the option of me driving our family car to northern Europe. The first day of the trip is the worst day, as far as driving goes. About 15 hours on the road (including stops) to get to Kaiserslautern, GE. We'll spend 2 nights and 1 day there with friends. On Thursday, we head to Luxembourg City to sight see a bit, before heading north into the Netherlands. We'll spend the night in Kinderdijk -- close to the huge, historic windmills. On Friday, we'll enjoy sleeping in and a relaxed breakfast buffet at our hotel, before leaving for Kinderdijk (it doesn't open until 11am). After about 2 hours there, we'll head south to Eindhoven to a heavilly recommended pancake house. After a late lunch, the kids have practice at the Olympic Training Center for about an hour -- after which, it's a trip to the grocery store and then onto our weekend house (where I'll run the first two loads of laundry). Saturday and Sunday will be spent at the pool, where I'll do my last hurrah as a Naples official* -- and, of course, my kids will swim! Monday morning, we'll head out and drive to Milan. Tuesday morning, we will get up a bit earlier, so that we can take the train into the city center and walk to the Cathedral, and then after a very quick tour, head back to our hotel to collect our car and drive the remaining way home. I will probably want to sleep for a day when we get back -- but the trip is going to be a lot of fun. We are nearly packed (clothes and equipment), I just have the food to work out. My car is prepped and ready. Next year, we are planning to fly again. Not sure if we'll fly into Denmark or London and drive from there (for more sightseeing) -- but it will probably be one of those cities! *Why is this my last hurrah as a Naples official? Because, I've been named the new head coach of the Naples Tiger Sharks for the coming season. Shaun will be heading up Statistics, so neither of us will be working concessions. No idea who is -- but that is something we can worry about later. Our team has been undefeated in the Southern Division for 11 years -- and I want to continue that trend. No pressure, right? The most difficult issue, is finding assistant coaches who can be on deck regularly. Right now, I have 3 who are there one week and gone the next, and about 3 who may coach 1 day a week (and one of those, just from Sept to Nov). I also have a very young, inexperienced coach who will be there every day. But, it means I am on-deck 5 1/2 hours a day (minimum) Monday-Friday, and another 2 hours on Saturday, plus two 5am practices. I'll definitely be earning my kids' swim fees!

How awful!

Yay! Tests have been ordered! Oldest took his first practice exam and scored about a 3. I'm cautiously optimistic about this year's results.

Updated in first post.