Ummm...I need to learn everything -- what kinds of things we need to make sure to include in our high school experience, how to find and choose colleges that are a great fit, dates that we can't miss (testing, but what else?), etc., etc. -- basically how to be a high school counselor. I'm still trying to understand whether we should do dual credit, CLEP, or AP! So far, I've gathered that test scores are so, very important, so we definitely need test prep, and I'm keeping records for a transcript. That's about the extent of it. Are there resources for helping my dd figure out what she wants to major in? I feel like I don't know enough to ask questions yet. Where should I begin? My own background is that I was accepted into the honors program with a full scholarship to the local university, and I took it -- didn't have help, but met dh there, so I guess it worked out!

Yeah, we were surprised at first at the prices for vehicles. Originally dh wanted to spend between $3,000 and $5,000, but those cars were even older and usually had well over 200K miles! So, we decided to go for a newer one with less mileage, but we're paying cash and dont want to spend more. It won't be our main vehicle. I looked at Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds, and the $7,000 price is less than the dealer prices at either of those. It's not a steal at $7k, but its not unreasonable. I also checked 2013 Consumer Reports and an 05 RAV4 is listed as a recommended choice for a reliable used car -- interestingly, it's also in the $10,000 to $15,000 range column. There's a '04 Honda CRV with 154,000 miles at another lot, and they've dropped the price to $7,500 for me so far. I might be able to get a Corolla or Civic for less, but so many of those had over 200K miles! There are a couple of 04 & 05 Camrys with lots of mileage for $8,900. I like the idea of a small SUV because of the visability -- sit up higher and can see well all around. I haven't called him back yet because I'm not sure if it's reasonable to ask for more off at this point. You guys think it's reasonable to ask him to fix the things listed, but I shouldn't also ask him to drop the price??

Okay, so here's the situation! We're looking at a 05 RAV4 with 164,000 miles. The asking price was $8K and the salesman has dropped to $7K. (I told him my husband was wanting to stay within $5K to $7K, and I also mentioned a CRV that we are considering at another lot.) I had a mechanic look at it yesterday. He said it was in very good condition, except that there is some debris in the transmission fluid. He recommends that that is investigated and that it is serviced (filter, etc.) and flushed, which would probably be right at $300. (No shifting problems though.) Also, there is a small center hubcap missing and the HEPA air filter needs replaced. There was also a bit of oil on top that could indicate a leak, but the oil pan was dry. When I took the car back, the salesman wasn't there and I needed to get going anyway. So, I need to call him today. We really like this vehicle and want to buy it. How should I proceed at this point? Should I ask him to fix those items? Should I ask him to drop the price further? How would you recommend handling it?

Which ones do you recommend? Where do you buy them? I haven't tried them before because I've had the impression that they weren't effective. :-/ (Same impression I've had about natural toothpaste & deodorant -- feel free to recommend these too!) Thanks!

What kind of case do you like -- hard, soft, "candyshell," etc.? There are so many options! I currently have a sleek "case program" case, but I'm upgrading to a white 4S and need a new case. I don't think I'm interested in the otter-indestructible ones that add lots of bulk. So, what do I need to know about cases? What is your case like? Feel free to attach pictures! :) What advise do you have for buying cases? Thanks!

Dd is just about to turn 16 and is working on her driver's license! Will you share your rules and other great ideas for driving, cell phones, and even other teenage rules, if they come to mind? That's a very broad question, I know! Here are some of the things I'm wondering about (so far). We're just wanting to get started on the right foot with the right, balanced amount of rules. ~ If your child wants to go see friends, what rules do you have? ~ What age is it okay for your kids to go hang out with other kids with no adults present, such as meet at the mall or Starbucks? (Does that change if it's a mixed group -- guys and girls, hanging out as friends?) ~ What does your child need permission to do (with car or phone)? ~ Do you have extra rules for whom they take in the vehicle or where they drive or how late, etc., other than the state's rules? ~ What are your texting rules? ~ Do you limit access to their phones, such as times of day or night? ~ Who pays for gas? (If teen, how do they earn the money?) ~ What is a reasonable allowance for a teen driver? ~ Did you provide a car for your teen? If so, how do you treat that car -- as your extra car or his/hers? :bigear: Anything else?? I would appreciate your help!!

Our oldest will be able to get her driver's license in a few weeks. What rules do you have or what rules do you recommend? As it is, she wants to spend more time with friends than we care to take her to, but we don't want her to have complete freedom to go wherever whenever, just because she can drive herself!

Our house is all electric -- no gas.

Hmmm...where was your leak? What was causing it? I wouldn't think we would have an issue with CO, but I should be sure.

headaches on the back of our heads and necks? Two of us have had some jaw soreness too. Is this something that needs checked out or just a harmless viral thing? It's not intense pain, but it's annoying. Makes us feel weird, even a little dizzy-ish at times.

Which company is the best? =D We have Allstate and every single house on our street got a new roof after our hail storm last spring EXCEPT US! Our insurance wouldn't approve it. I'm interested in looking at other companies. A friend used to work in the insurance industry, and I think she said that she felt State Farm was the best. I can't remember exactly though. Whichever company it was, she didn't work for them, but she had found that they were the easiest to work with on claims for her customers. Thanks!

Okay, great! I'll go ahead then! Thanks for your help! :)

Just wondering before I get too far! It's this month's pick for our classic book club. I avoid horror movies, but the book Frankenstein didn't bother me.

I've had problems with my neck off and on. I first went to a doctor, who just told me to take 2 Aleve twice a day, and also gave me muscle relaxers. I also tried a chiropractor who adjusted me several times a week for quite a while. It improved and worked, but then, the last time, I had a weird feeling after the adjustment and wondered if a blood vessel had been pinched or something?? That was about 14 years ago and I haven't been back. Neck adjustments scare me! But, here I am, having lots of pain in my neck. I haven't been to anyone -- just been taking 2 Aleve twice a day since Friday night. What options do I have? What do you do in this situation?

I feel that English 1 is complete, unless you want to add more reading. When I asked the question of one of the English teachers a few years ago, I was told that they recommend not adding more than 30 minutes of outside language arts.

Last year I reduced all the pages -- can't remember if it was only 90% or if it was more like 78%, but it made them fit much better into a folder with regular pocket dividers. We didn't get through all the pockets, though, so I don't know if it would have been too thick in the end for all of it to have fit in the folder. This year, I decided to just do it the way it says, over-sized flimsy pockets made out of large construction paper. (So, once the pocket is folded, the paper is a 12 x 12" square.) I'm leading a small group of girls in completing the pockets, so I didn't want to take any chances that it wouldn't work some other way. We're doing a pocket for each civilization and then binding them together into one book in the end with either ribbon or gift-wrapping curly ribbon. We're gluing the pockets on the sides and putting staples at the top of each one for reinforcement. Each of the pages will also have those circle reinforcements on the holes we punch for the ribbon that holds it together. Hey...while we're talking about Ancient Civilization History Pockets, would anyone mind scanning and emailing me a page? I did these with my older dd years ago, and now that I'm using it again with our youngest, I find that I don't have page 39/40! This is the page with the Egyptian puppets!

Wow, MusicMom! That's very helpful! Thanks so much! :)

We just do the TPS English with no supplementing. I particularly think adding CW on top of TPS English would be too much. I'd say focus on making the most of TPS English. Our kids have taken Writer's Workshop, English 1, English 2, & 9th grade English with the Classical Track and are continuing this year! We highly recommend TPS!

Or, also, what do you think of BJU Biology, with or without DVDs?

I'm asking for a friend who has been homeschooling for 9 months as an American in Africa! I've never researched Thinkwell, but she asked me if I knew how these two compare/contrast. What are pros and cons? Which do you recommend?

Unicorn, are you a fan of this look, with no sheers or blinds? I'm so indecisive and I especially get stuck in decision when I don't know enough about the subject, such as home decor. I'm not sure I want much of the window covered either. Elizabeth, how bad to you think the window being cut into the molding looks? What about the beam -- or even the tops of the blinds? I would have never noticed these things if they hadn't been pointed out to me. The seamstress (owner of a custom curtain business) acted like it was really bad for the top of the blinds to show on any of our windows -- same with the molding issue and beam. After looking at a bunch of pictures online, I like the idea of a curved rod to emphasize the arch of the window, but the straight rod with curtains on each side covers the window less, which is great, unless the window has so many flaws that it needs covered!

Maybe something like this?

I appreciate the help! The seamstress is making the curtains and working with the decorator. The other windows were more straightforward, and we settled on something fairly quickly. For some reason, I'm just not sure about this one. When I look in magazines, it seems that most all the curtains are at the top of the windows, near the ceiling, and the decorator tells me that having a curtain start at the beam cuts the window instead of emphasizing the height. I wondered about the blinds and sheers too. Actually, the windows in the magazines don't seem to have sheers inside curtains either. Since the window is on the front of the house, I would like to have some privacy, but I mostly leave the blinds open all the time. I could probably part with them and go with sheers instead. As I look at pictures I've found online, I'm not sure I like the look of straight panels with a rod going across an arched window. Elizabeth, maybe you could post a picture of yours. :D What do you think of something curved? I don't have molding around my window like a couple of these do.

I'm curtain-challenged -- and, okay, home-decor-challenged! I've been having a decorator help me with some curtains lately and would love your opinion! This is for our dining room, the tallest ceiling and window. The decorator and seamstress, especially the seamstress, say that we need to cover or distract from a couple of flaws: the top of the arched window slices into the molding, the blind hardware shows, and the beam that divides the top and bottom windows. The seamstress wanted to do a bunch of elaborate stuff to cover these, such as a cornice over the beam. The decorator said we didn't need all that, but that we could use sheers inside curtains to soften the beam and blind hardware. So, that's the background. :) Feel free to comment on any of that! :D I'm attaching the picture of the window and a picture of the main curtain fabric that we're considering. The idea is to hang sheers across the whole window at the very top and then add straight curtains on each side. I do like the curtain fabric, but I'm not sure about the sheers. The decorator likes the darker shade of sheer, but it seems wrong to me for the color of the sheer to be darker than the background of the curtain fabric. I asked her to show me her favorite lighter sheer, and that one is pulled out too in the picture. Any comments are welcome, but I especially need advice on the sheers!

I want for others in my house to be able to access it from their computers or i- devices too, so I'd either want an app that allows us to share access or online access. I want to be able to input books by scanning them with my iPhone. I'd like to be able to categorize the books by subjects and curriculum. Are there any that you guys would say would or would not work based on those criteria?