We did the traditional open house (at least here in the midwest) for both girls. The oldest had an actual ceremony at our church with just her, and the youngest did a senior recital for her "ceremony." Both worked out well with their personalities. The open house was simple, last weekend we had sherbert/lemon-lime soda punch, coffee, a veggie tray, and cupcakes...yes we baked 12 dozen, and it was really a lot easier than I thought it would be. We doctored six cake mixes, and did a flowery looking frosting treatment that took about 10 seconds per cupcake. Entire food bill for 150 was less than $75. I was a happy camper!

We got lots of invitations to those programs, but they were so far out of our price range it was laughable. For us, it didn't matter, dd got in to her best school and had no summer academic programs on her resume.

Nancy, Work backwards! Decide what you want your student's transcript to look like on the day they graduate, and start working the classes backwards. It will give you great perspective, and help you to stay on track when the inevitable changes take place. You can always make changes, but knowing where you want to be when you end, based on your child's abilities and interests, will make things much clearer.

No real help here, but maybe some encouragement. When our oldest daughter turned down one of the schools she applied for, we mentioned in passing that she had been offered more at another, and found out after the fact that the school would have offered her a full ride to get her there. (They wanted her for orchestra.) It just goes to show that the schools have some wiggle room, and if you don't ask you won't find out! So, go for it!!!

When our eldest went to college at 17, we signed a permission to treat that went to the medical office on campus. Maybe something similar could be done with the company she is interning with? Just a thought.

Every year we are tagged. We just send a pdf of our tax forms and that's all.

Our oldest applied to 6, (2 safety, 2 conservatories and 2 liberal arts with great music) and our youngest did one early action (nonbonding). She had 4 others on the list, but when the early acceptance came, she dropped it to one more, where she knew she would be happy, and get a good foundation for grad school.

We did Lukeion's Latin 3 and 4...very well done class. DD did AP Latin 4 last year, (Vergil) and did great on her AP exam. Mrs. Barr does an excellent job preparing her students.

DD #1 took US History 2 years ago and got a 3. She self studied, and was pretty distracted by music auditions so I think she would say she could have done better. We used one of the recommended texts and used one or two AP study guides. Our girls did several AP's, and none of them were an approved syllabus, so we only put an AP designation on the classes where they actually took the AP test. We figured that was more honest that the local HS students getting AP designation on their transcript with no test.

I'm not sure which parts of St Olaf are most attractive to your daughter, so I'll relay some of the things that put it on our short list. Academically, while not in the first tier, it is an outstanding liberal arts school, with an excellent reputation for moving students into graduate schools. The science department there is excellent. The music program is really amazing, and a large percentage of kids are in the bands, choirs or orchestras there. Another big plus for our dauhter was that music scholarships are blind... a declared music major is not necessary to get the top tier scholarships. Our daughter looked at two conservatories and several other schools, but decided that st olaf was the best fit for her. She has had an excellent transition, and is now really enjoying her studies and her time there.

We have a friend in ICU right now, and our group is taking the meals directly to them at the hospital. We arrive between 5 and 6, and bring everything, then take everything away with us. At first it was difficult to get them to eat, but just last night they talked about what a blessing it was that we took this route. Just an idea--it's very hard with ICU, but they need to eat.

You could try going soy free for 48 hours, then introduce one thing with known soy and see what you get. If you suspect several things, you could try each of them. If the reactions get stronger take her in for tests. I was allergic to milk as a child, and when they finally took me off of milk I started sleeping through the night and quit having nightmares. Allergies express themselves in strange ways sometimes. Good luck with your experiments.

Suggestions from some air force families have included, check out as many as possible on the web, then call the pastor on the phone and ask some questions. If you like what you see and hear, go for a visit. Blessing to you as you search for your new church home.

I think you have a great case for the biology, chemistry, zoology grouping. Just for college purposes, and to be well rounded, I think science is important, just like math or a foreign language, but I think you have some flexibility as long as you keep tabs on her interests. They can change quickly, and she may decide she loves one of those subjects in the end. For our kids we completely blew off environmental science...one did physical, biology, chemistry, physics and the other did biology, AP bio, Chem, and AP Chem. Not sure if we made the best choices yet, but the college freshman is doing fine.

According to the American Diabetes Association, a whole grain is any grain that includes the bran, germ and endosperm...examples would include: bulgur (cracked wheat), whole wheat flour, whole oats/oatmeal, whole grain corn/cornmeal, popcorn, brown rice, barley, wild rice, and some others I can't imagine using....hope that helps.