If you don't eat out, don't buy expensive drinks, cook from scratch as much as possible, and try to eliminate disposable products like napkins and paper towels, yes, $35 a week for an adult seems fairly doable (assuming you're also not in a high-cost area). It's probably not going to buy all organics, or expensive cuts of meat, or even meat every night, but it should provide reasonably filling and nutritious meals. Although with teenage boys, maybe not (I don't have any of those yet).

DD likes the American Girl book, and we also found a similar one. I personally found that the Christian books focused more on sex/love/marriage, and while I appreciated that perspective, we didn't want that yet, just the basics of physical changes. (And the non-Christian ones had references to things that I don't feel are acceptable.) The AG one seemed pretty neutral, just the facts sort of thing. DD is the kind of kid who would be embarrassed if I sat her down and discussed things with her (and while she's seen births and knows how babies grow/are born, she's yet to ask questions about how they actually start growing -- her lack of curiosity sort of surprises me). I thought she'd appreciate being able to read the facts on her own and then ask questions of me if she has any.

My older two kids have tasks (I like that term better than chores; chores sounds like drudgery, but tasks sounds like something busily productive -- whatever it takes to make it work) that they have to do each morning. It's the same every day, so they know what they are and no longer argue about them. Changing up the tasks just makes it harder on me. I also have zero problem with saying something like, "I can clean up X, but then I will still be doing that when it's time to go to your lesson and won't be able to take you." This is usually pretty effective. Yesterday, for instance, there was a huge pile of laundry to fold, and the kids wanted me to take them somewhere, which isn't what I had planned to do (I had planned to fold the laundry). So in exchange, they folded and put away the laundry for me. Everyone won! I've mentioned this before, but if there is a lot of stuff out, I assign them a certain number of items to pick up, and that's it. Getting some of the clutter is better than none, and if they know they only have a finite number of things to pick up, that's easier on them. If they argue or dawdle, I assign more.

And yet, when I was in school (15 years ago), people looked down on me because I was particularly good in math (science too, but I kind of have always disliked science) and wanted to be a homeschooling mom instead of an engineer. Seems like girls really can't win. I'm sure this mom had a legitimate concern, but it seems like it was phrased wrong. Maybe she was questioning the amount of college-prep math and science that is pushed for bright students just as a matter of course, even if that's not what's needed (I did not need multiple calculus classes in high school to be a history major in college, but that's just what good students in my high school did, and nobody questioned it), but it really came out badly.

That's what I do as well, regardless of immunization status. Besides, how do they know you didn't have a religious or philosophical awakening this year and change your mind about immunizations?

I think you're doing fine -- it definitely took me some time to get into regular routines of covering several subjects. I probably wouldn't be so routine about things, because I do kind of favor an unschooling-ish, laid-back approach in general anyway, except that my state requires a bit more documentation, so it's forced me to be more regular. But you have plenty of time for them to learn history and science, so don't worry too much!

I don't really have a set age in mind, but I guess probably somewhere between 16 and 18. It will really depend on the kid, and the person the kid wants to date, and why, too. I have mixed feelings about kids getting serious at very young ages, like 14 or 15. On the one hand, I met DH at 14, and it was serious very quickly, and so we did avoid a lot of the typical teenage heartbreak that can accompany serial dating. Also, we really did form our ideas about adulthood, marriage, children, etc. together, so we've generally been on the same page about that sort of thing, which has avoided a lot of frustrations that I know other couples encounter. Otoh, being serious when you have years before you can actually get married and start a life together has its own heartaches and difficulties. I really see dating as a chance to spend time getting to know someone before committing to a life together. I do not think it should ever be taken lightly, and I don't want my kids dating anyone that they really can't see themselves marrying. If you're not the right person for forever, you're not the right person for an evening, in my personal opinion. I guess I'd really prefer them to go on dates when they're old enough to think seriously about marriage, and I'd prefer that they date very few people (ideally, one, but that doesn't always happen).

Wow, well done -- she looks fantastic!

I'd look into bulk buying from a local farm. Grass-fed beef is going to be the healthiest. I pay no more than $5 a pound for grass-fed ground beef, and often it's $3.50 or $4.00 a pound. (If I buy a quarter cow at a time, I pay about $6.50 a pound for everything -- a little high for ground beef but fabulous for really amazing steaks that are otherwise $10+ a pound, or for roasts that run $7-8 a pound.) It also depends on your area; where I am, beef is plentiful and easy to raise, so it's not too bad.

I think I'd go with the bigger room for the homeschooling room, though the biggest issue might be which one had the better flooring for projects and such, like if one had carpet and one had wood or something. Our house has three front rooms on the first floor. One is small and on the left when you first walk in. The second is behind that first one and is also fairly small (and the least sunny room in the house -- it has one window that looks out onto a covered porch). Between those two rooms is not much wall but an extra-wide doorway (no doors), so it's almost one big room. We also have one big room that is on the right when you first walk in (that has doorways into the other two and is twice as big as those two together). That big room has been the living room and the playroom and is now the school room. I like it best for the school room. It's bright and sunny and has room for a reading chair, my huge desk, DD's little desk, the art table (and storage for that), a table for the boys' work, more shelves, the piano, and more. And its floor is easy to clean. One of the smaller rooms is the playroom (the less sunny one), and while it's a little more cramped for that, the kids don't seem to mind (it, however, makes a lousy homeschooling room -- too cramped for all the surfaces we really use). The front small room is the living room, and it's nice and cozy for that purpose.

Sex bothers me more than the other two. I think that is because, in movies, and in society in general, the morality surrounding sex is more muddled for kids, and more mixed messages are sent. I'm very conservative in my personal attitudes about sex, and especially with my pre-teen, I realize that my children are forming their life-long attitudes about sex, love, marriage, etc. I want to make sure that the (limited amount of) movies they see (and the books they read) are promoting the values I have about those topics. Large amounts of profanity (or nasty name-calling, or use of God's name in vain) would bother me, but the occasional bit of it doesn't, in an overall good movie. I think it's easy to discuss why So-and-So shouldn't have used that word, whether it's IRL or on screen. Violence -- my children are still young, but I'm not so bothered by that either. My kids, however, while sensitive, are not particularly overly sensitive, either. Also, in the movies they've seen so far, the violence has a distinct point -- fighting evil. The good is very good, and the bad is very bad, and there's not a middle ground. The violence isn't just gratuitous, if that makes sense. I have no problem with them understanding that sometimes good people have to fight to stop evil, and that sometimes it's unpleasant. I suppose it would also depend on the movie; the ones they've seen have been fairly tasteful in their portrayal of violence, as well, not a ton of slashing/gore/blood/etc. No horror movies around here! For instance, my kids have seen the LOTR films (all twelve hours of the extended versions), and they LOVE them. We were careful to watch with them and to explain the fighting and everything, but they weren't really phased by it. There's a very obvious reason for the violence, and the heroes (and heroine -- can't leave out Eowyn!) are truly being heroic. The language is very clean as well. I was cautious about what's portrayed about sex/love/marriage, and I found that it was acceptable to me -- no sex scenes, limited kissing, obvious themes of faithfulness and sacrifice and waiting. Yep, there are worse role models for marriage to have in your mind as you grow up than Arwen and Aragorn. (There is one scene on the extended DVD of TT where I think Liv Tyler's dress is too revealing, but it's not a central part of the scene and not a huge thing.) On the other hand, DD checked out a bunch of Carolyn Myer's Young Royals books, about Henry VIII's wives and daughters. I skimmed through them and nixed them for her. Way too much about sex, and not just sex, about flirting and making matches and that sort of thing. It wasn't the sort of thing I wanted in her mind.

Not personally btdt, but congratulations! I think that while it may be harder to manage the blood sugars, it's also a natural time to be paying even closer attention to what you're eating. I think you AND your baby will end up the healthier in the long run for it.

OK, there is that. We do that too.

I don't reward my kids for reading, exactly. The only thing I do reward is DD, who reads a ton but who has a tendency to start chapter books and then not finish them. I probably have 20 or so books around here where she's read a chapter or three and then quit. I don't really like that particular trait, but I also don't really want to micromanage every book she picks up. So while she only gets 20 minutes a day of screen time, if she finishes a book, she gets an additional 20 minutes of screen time. This tends to work very well for her. Otherwise, no, reading is its own reward.

For an award, or something that was a really big deal to the kid, I probably would ask for a new one. Otoh, DD participated in a five-week embryology class in the fall, and a couple of months later, we received a certificate of completion for it, with her first name spelled incorrectly. I thought by that point that it was probably a little late to ask for a new one, and it wasn't that big of a deal (not going to display the certificate, for instance, but it will go in our portfolio). But for an award, yes. My first name has two common spellings, so it was often spelled wrong on things; for awards, it did bother me a bit, even as a teen, when it was wrong.

I use coconut oil in recipes that call for shortening (if butter will not work -- and it won't in all circumstances). Lard would work too, but I don't really like its flavor in frosting. However, coconut oil works just fine and adds a gentle flavor that complements other flavors.

Also, what about basic OTC drugs? Along the lines of food stamps not buying toilet paper, they also don't buy Tylenol or cold medicine. I don't know if food banks have rules about that sort of thing or not, but if they can give them out, it might be nice for them to have some.

I'd probably go for cake mixes (great idea -- everyone should be able to have some sort of birthday cake!), oil (can't make a cake mix without it), oatmeal, maybe canned meats, canned fruit, shelf-stable dairy/dairy replacements, and maybe broth. Non-peanut nut butters would be good too. I've also heard that food pantries like having things that are acceptable for diabetics, who sometimes have to choose between food and meds, so things like diabetic-friendly sweeteners and low-sugar oatmeal packets might be good too. If your food pantry serves a lot of families where all the adults work, leaving kids home alone to fend for themselves, then single-serve/easily prepared things like mac and cheese or hamburger helper might be good too. Raisins or other dried fruits might be nice too. Those aren't necessarily my preferred foods, but people who have small children who are relying on food pantries also very well may be receiving WIC foods. WIC provides cold cereal (and some hot cereal), bread/rice, beans, canned tuna/salmon (though only for nursing moms), peanut butter, eggs, milk, and juice, plus formula and baby food. They also give vouchers for a certain dollar amount of fresh/frozen/canned produce, but if you're really stretching your dollars, veggies are less expensive than fruit, so you might not buy canned fruit. I was thinking that having the non-WIC items at the food pantry would be helpful in rounding out a family's food collection.

I did the federal a while ago, but I still need to do local and two states. Really silly, because though DH works in one state, and we live in another, the states reciprocate, so we don't owe in the one where he works, just have to file there, AND our state has a flat rate tax, which has already been taken out, so it's all just paperwork, no money coming or going.

I've been really pleased with my stainless Kleen Kanteen with a screw-on lid. No leaking, unless the lid isn't screwed in correctly. It *can* go in the dishwasher, though I generally prefer to wash it by hand with a bottle brush (it's tall and doesn't fit on the top of my DW, and the bottom is usually full of other things).

If the situation gets any worse, I'd pull her out in a hurry. I think at seven, it's okay to understand that not everyone is going to "click" and be best friends, but I don't think she needs to learn to "stand up for herself" or "toughen up" or put up with just plain meanness at this age (or any age, really). I went through similar sorts of things in late elementary school, and in retrospect, though my parents did talk to teachers and other parents, I kind of wish they'd just pulled me out. I don't blame them, though; I wasn't exactly asking to be pulled out, and not many people were HS'ing then, and my education was actually pretty decent. But it left me with a lot of emotional wounds and self-confidence issues that have been hard to overcome (if I ever will overcome all of them). If things get better, I can see why you want to keep her there for the rest of the year, but do keep a close eye on things, and don't feel like you need to answer to anyone if pulling her out is the best option. And give your sweet girl a hug -- she sounds like a lovely little girl! I'm sorry people are taking advantage of that.

There are good things about PA, too. You get to choose your evaluator, from a list, so you can at least select someone who meshes well with your personal philosophy. And there is a lot of leeway as well. No reporting until age 8. The law is actually quite vague about how you can meet the requirements for certain subjects, including whether or not every subject has to be taught every year. They allow religious and philosophical exemptions for medical and dental checkups and vaccinations. And while we have to do standardized testing, we can select from a list of approved tests, and I've recently been informed that there's nothing to prohibit the online versions of certain tests, which makes things a lot easier for my family. And you, not your child's age, determine your child's grade, so it is possible never to have a kid in the grades that require testing (this isn't my cup of tea, but it can work for some people). The biggest thing seems to be that the individual school district matters tremendously, so if you ever get posted here, ask around a LOT before settling (if you have the option). My district is said to be fairly friendly, but a few miles down the road, in the same county, we almost bought a house in a different district that has been so difficult to the HS'ers that my evaluator stopped doing evaluations there. Oh, and I use a few workbooks with my children as well. I am going to include some examples from them in my portfolio, as they cover things that we might only have discussed informally otherwise, such as punctuation. And obviously, you probably talk about disease prevention, for instance, as it comes up in normal conversation, but a worksheet or something like it seems like it would be a good way to prove that you did cover health and safety. (Like, DD took a class in embryology in the fall. I'll include the completion certificate and maybe part of the workbook in the science section of the portfolio, but there was also a worksheet on food handling/safety, and I'll include that with the health/safety portion.)

I'm in PA as well, and this is what I do, except that I just check off days on a calendar to prove that I met the 180 days. I agree completely with Nancy's perspective about how life and learning are inextricable, and therefore the attendance calendar is dumb, but I just felt like it was better to do the calendar and keep them off my back. I have not actually submitted the portfolio to the SD yet, since this is our first year to have to report, so IDK for sure how they will take everything. My evaluator says 3-5 samples of work, plus photographs where appropriate, as well as participation/completion certificates, and she also says that if the child can write a little blurb to accompany such things, that's even better. She has also asked that we provide her with a few things to keep on file (I am assuming so she can compare them to next year's to prove progress, or so that she's covered in case there is ever a question about what she saw vs. what was turned into the SD), like the book list, and I think that is very reasonable. I have a checklist for each day, with the subjects we want to cover each day, and I have been writing out a week's worth of pages, projects, etc. at a time, so I can see what we'd like to finish in a week. Then, whenever I have time, I use those notes to jot down in a spiral notebook (where I've dated a space for each day of the year, including weekends) the work we've done, places we went, stuff like free reading and playing outside, milestones achieved, etc. So it's more than just a homeschool tracker; it's a family journal as well. All of those together mean I have the info I need to check off days. For the books, I will only submit titles to the SD (and probably split up by subject when appropriate), but for chapter books, I personally keep note of title, author, when the book was finished, and whether DD read it herself or whether it was a family read-aloud. I also date all written work.

You'll get it. It should have an instruction manual with it; if it doesn't, look online for it, or call the manufacturer. It sounds like you've got a seat with a base -- those are so nice for infants, or if you switch vehicles frequently. I like to keep the seat part in the house, so that it is not too hot (the buckles could burn a newborn's skin) or too cold (get a shower-cap style cover for the winter -- NOT the kind that goes under the baby, because that can make the straps fit improperly and can compress and cause loose straps in a crash -- one that goes over the seat is fine, though, and means they can't kick off a blanket). Just be careful if the baby is sleeping in it, so that the head doesn't fall onto the chest and cause breathing problems (grunting or snorting is one symptom of a problem). (It may also have some sort of indicator on the side of the seat that helps you tell if it's at the right angle or not.) The metal hooks are probably for LATCH. If your vehicle is newer (2002 or newer, I think), it should have at least one spot with two metal loops, between the seat and seat back, same as the seatbelts. You hook the hooks through those loops and tighten. You can use either the LATCH hooks OR the car's seatbelts to install, but not both; there is no safety value in one over the other, just that LATCH can make it easier to get a tight installation. Ask if you have more questions, or talk to the lovely people at car-seat.org.

Unless the manufacturer specifically states otherwise, six years is the limit on carseats, due to the way plastic breaks down from repeated exposure to heat and cold. I believe Radians are seven or eight years, though, but all of my Graco seats are six years. We have a Graco MyRide for our 30-pound 2 1/2 year old, and we are really pleased with it. He is still comfortably rear-facing (and would probably remain so until 3, but his spot in the vehicle is the only one that can fit a rear-facing seat, and I will need it for the newborn), but my other son was able to use it forward-facing until he was 5. Look around, and you can catch a good sale on them; it is a tall and wide seat, but I really think it's worth the money and space.