We don't have fees for borrowing, reserving, interlibrary loaning or late fees. The librarian will email me if I have an overdue book, especially if it is interlibrary loaned, but I try to really stay on top of all the library books so she never has to follow up with me for any reason. I write them in a book, name of book, date we checked out & date we return. (This is key in our house, as once they come in the door they are off to everyones room, etc..) I have also been able to tell the librarian that I returned such & such a book or DVD on such & such a date. We live in a small town and we really love our library. We (all of my family--kids too) volunteer at the library. This is really important if you don't have a full time librarian (since we are a small town, our librarian works part time hours & really depends on volunteers.) About 15 or 20 minutes away, the Keene library, which is much bigger, charges .50 a day for over due books, I think it is $1.00 a day for DVD's. But we would have to pay for a membership because we live in another town, so I don't use that library. (Of course, I can interlibrary loan books, DVD's etc. from them and we get to keep those for 3-4 weeks--with no late fees.) Just my 2 cent, Barbara in NH

When my kids were younger we used Sunrise School. We choose this together. But when they were about Middle School age, they said we need a more mature name. So after much discussion as a family and consideration of possiblities we choose Liberty Academy. We liked it because of the patriotic feel and the spiritual application too. We like it and both my son & daughter approved. I will use it for their transcripts, but not to hide the fact that they are homeschooled, but to have a name that seems appropriate for a High School transcipt also. It was a fun process. We thought about regionally significant names, famous people to name our school after, qualities or educational sounding names, but this suited our family. Enjoy the fun of your unique idenity for your homeschool and your family. Sending Smiles, Barbara in NH

Anyone have any experience or thoughts. Thanks, Barbara in NH

There is a ton of FREE info out there....and here. Any other thoughts. Any other sites or resources that are helpful? Thanks, Barbara in NH

Okay ladies I know there is a wealth of knowledge out there and I'm hoping to benefit from that. ; ) I participated in an Online Video Workshop hosted by College Planning Network, a college admissions & financial aid planning service and my eyes were opened to things that I was not aware of like-- *filling out the FAF form *CSS Profile *Differences in Profile School % of need provided vs. non- e profile schools *Timing & errors in filling out forms & how that impacts amount received *Appeal process once you get an award My son is a Junior and our oldest & my husband & I both graduated from college & did receive financial aid, but I'm sure things have changed a whole lot since then. We would fall into a low Family contribution category, but also want to help our children borrow as little and hopefully nothing for their education. Here are my questions-- *Has anyone used one of these services? *if so which ones? *did it help your student/students? *what type/level of services did they use? *would you recommend it for others? *Has anyone used College Planning Network? (they did sponsor the workshop) Any thoughts about resources for making this process successful either though a service like this or websites, etc.? I hope that you would be willing to share your life experiences with us. Thanks, Barbara in NH libertyacademy@myfairpoint.net

Okay ladies I know there is a wealth of knowledge out there and I'm hoping to benefit from that. ; ) I participated in an Online Video Workshop hosted by College Planning Network, a college admissions & financial aid planning service and my eyes were opened to things that I was not aware of like-- *filling out the FAF form *CSS Profile *Differences in Profile School % of need provided vs. non-profile schools *Timing & errors in filling out forms & how that impacts amount received *Appeal process once you get an award My son is a Junior and our oldest, my daughter is one year younger so we will have 2 in this process soon & my husband & I both graduated from college & did receive financial aid, but I'm sure things have changed a whole lot since then. We would fall into a low Family contribution category, but also want to help our children borrow as little and hopefully nothing for their education. Here are my questions-- *Has anyone used one of these services? *if so which ones? *did it help your student/students? *what type/level of services did they use? *would you recommend it for others? *Has anyone used College Planning Network? (they did sponsor the workshop) Any thoughts about resources for making this process successful either though a service like this or websites, etc.? I hope that you would be willing to share your life experiences with us. Thanks, Barbara in NH libertyacademy@myfairpoint.net

Pointing breeds definitely have a natural tendency to point. We have a Brittany and when he was a puppy he would point anything that he wanted to draw attention to. He also was naturally interested/fascinated with birds. Once he was trained 'what' (the smell of what he should point) to point, he will only point game birds--pheasant, woodcock, quail, grouse, etc.. He also will point doves & pigeons--they have a gamey smell, so do turtles, I'm told. He is still interested in all all birds, but he doesn't point them. Pointing breeds include --Springer Spaniels, Brittany's, as well as German Short hairs, English Pointers, Braque Bourbonnais, Wire-haired Griffon, Vizsla, Gordon & Irish Setters, Weimaraner & I'm sure there are others. You could google pointing dog breeds & look at pictures & see if your dog has some of the same features....thus the inate desire to point. Enjoy your special bud, Barbara in NH

Hi Bethany, I saw your post & was thrilled for you! I hope that this will help you to fill in the gaps and make connections to your Mom. I hear the excitement that you are experiencing in the new knowledge that family that you thought had no thought or love for you in fact do love you. ; ) Blessings & Have a wonderful 2012, Barbara in NH

My son & daughter have both had worts and used oregano oil. My daughter tried tea tree oil & I understand it works for many people, she has sensitive skin & it was too harsh. Both found that by applying 1 drop of oregeno oil to each wort worked great, neither one covered the wort. Both had more than 1 and it took 2 or 3 weeks depending on the size of the wort. Neither has had the worts return. They were very turned off by going to a dermitologist to have it frozen, or burned or cut off. The oregano oil worked great for both of them. I wish I had known about it when I was young. I went through all of the above methods w/a dermitologist before I finally got rid of them and it was painful and stressful, especially the cutting off. Sounds like you have some great ideas from the group. Blessings, Barbara in NH

I can every year from fresh fruit...apple butter, blueberry jam, blackberry, cranberry or cranberry apple marmalade--different preserves and love to grab a couple put them in a basket w/a cloth napkin. Everyone loves that! You could bake cookies or bread--tea bread--like banana bread. My son does cookies for his coach every few months and they are a real hit. My daughter makes awesome cinnamon buns and people can barely wait until she leaves to sink their teeth in one. One man hid the buns so he didn't have to share them with anyone. ; ) The gift card idea is good. I don't know if you have a Panara...that appeals to many different people because you can have a meal, meet someone for a coffee...etc.. Or a local fun place..Movie gift certificates or one for Amazon can be fun. If you can write a short note expressing your appreciation, since few people seem to write them anymore, I find really special. It's definitely harder when you don't know the person well. I'm sure you'll get many good ideas and come up with just the right thing for the situation. It is such a special circumstance when someone really goes the extra mile in the situation. Enjoy your new puppy, Barbara in NH

Originally Posted by Barbara in NH Also our library has interlibrary loan and you could get DVD's on subjects of interest or family movies or TV series you like and learn about something of interest or have a family fun night for free. Pop some popcorn & enjoy! Originally Posted by elegantlion Great ideas, thank you. Our library isn't quite the hub of community activity though. No movie nights. I may not have said this clearly....I was tired when writing this. What I wanted to suggest was going to the library with a list of movies, TV shows or topics of interest and seeing if the librarian will interlibrary loan (get DVD's from other libraries for you). You may find DVD's of interest in your own library too. My kids check out the DVD's all the time...they love to read, but movies are fun too. Our library gets new ones all the time as people clean out their DVD's and donate them to the library quite often. Our library is really small (10,000 books & I don't know how many other media--CD's or DVD's etc.) and our library is only open 24 hours per week, thus our librarian has more than she can do so I volunteer at the library as I am able. One of the things I learned to do is help her with interlibrary loans (requesting them on the computer). This is great, it allows me to help, it allows me to request items for myself....with the librarian's permission, of course, and to be able to look up (on the computer) what is available through the system (ours is throughout the state of NH) to interlibrary loan. My husband & I brainstormed TV shows we liked, thought would be fun or funny, or never really saw ourselves but heard they were worth checking out, then interlibrary loaned them and had fun with the kids 'introducing them to them'. Worse case you laugh, decide you can only take a few--my kids only watched a few Get Smart, but my daughter said how come the women agent always figures everything out but Max thinks it's his idea.... You can have some great conversations. Some ones we tried-- Gilligan's Island---they really enjoyed this one Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Remington Steele Scarecrow & Mrs. King Columbo Get Smart Lost in Space Mork & Mindy Carol Burnett Show The Lucy Show McGiever---I am not getting the spelling correct, but he was the guy who could get out of anywhere w/gum and a bobby pin, or make an explosive devise from cooking oil and a paperclip--maybe not the right ingredients...but you get the drift Gunsmoke Bonanza The Avengers I'm sure there are plenty you might think of. You could also do this with old movies. Great for conversations & discussions. I often use Amazon or Movie hound book (which is in the library), or I'm sure there are sites where you can google a time period or theme and see a list of movies. If your son likes Star Wars there are plenty of Science Fiction, Futuristic type TV shows. Hope some of these ideas will lead to family fun, Barbara in NH

We live in a small town also---600 population. 11 miles to a town of 35,000 plus, so we have similar issues. My kids have bikes, they don't have new bikes but have ones recycled from the recycling center and yard sale finds. They love riding their bikes and now ride up to 20 to 30 miles. With bikes come bike repair...They have a friend that has some knowledge of bikes and they got a book from the library on how to do repairs. They have been able to fix every possible break down. They go on bike rides, to ponds to swim, to the library, to the next town over to a small country store...just to go somewhere different & we go as a family. I would encourage you check out the library. In our town it is the hub of information. My kids volunteer there. My daughter does the After School Storytime in the Fall and Children's summer reading program. This may not appeal to your son, but for others, she has received babysitting jobs and learned alot there. My son is helping our library to digitize the paper card catalog--big job...but very needed. He has been offered jobs (because people who come into the library see him) mowing lawns, stacking fire wood, pet sitting, house sitting, working on a crew when they hay fields, helping someone in town with a building project--a goffer, hand me something, etc.. type of job. (Another possible attraction for the library...ours has DVD's, Software, CD's, books on CD...you said he isn't big on reading. They also have a once a month community wide family game night. Another thing that is offered in the summer are talks during various topics of interest. Last year they had one on planes, I can't remember the actual plane, but my son loved it...he really likes planes. These Summer Forum talks cover a variety of topics of interest to all age groups...they usually have baked goods at these too.) Also our library has interlibrary loan and you could get DVD's on subjects of interest or family movies or TV series you like and learn about something of interest or have a family fun night for free. Pop some popcorn & enjoy! My kids also found out there was a once a week volleyball game during the summer at the common...they never would have know if they weren't at the library. They have also put up signs in the library for jobs and heard from people. The librarian really knows what's going on and she has told them about so many things going on. During the summer we have different programs in the town 11 miles away with the Recreation Center...very inexpensive...sports related or theme oriented. You could possibly time errands, appointments for the times when the activity is going on. There are also scholarships for children to attend those programs. Do you have a local newspaper or Weekly shopper paper? These are great sources of information on things close by that are often free. If you called them they might even have some ideas for activities.... We also have a Army Corp of Engineers program for kids of different ages that is very inexpensive...I think $10.00 for a half day for 5 days a week several weeks during the summer with all kinds of outdoor themes...tracks & animals, plants & wildlife...I think there were more, but those come to mind. The volunteering could be a great thing. If he likes listening & works well with older people...perhaps through the library or church, etc. he could volunteer to help some elderly people in your new community...weeding, small chores around the house. This could lead to new friendships, learning new things, connecting with his new home, of course really making a difference in someone elses life. He would feel good about himself, feel more connected to his new community and it would be a great way to spend some time during the summer. My kids also love being outside. They walk the dog, we go berry picking in season, apple picking in season this is either on foot or with in a few miles. I don't know what is near you...but my kids love to eat their finds. We have a blueberry place that allows you to pick blueberries, you give them half of what you pick and keep half. We do this every year we can and freeze and eat blueberries for free (well there is our labor and fun we have). I would second the building idea. Freecycle, Craig's list or the newspaper can be great opportunities to find free wood or other things. My kids have built forts, benches, walls (we live in NE there are plenty of rocks, you just have to move them around) etc... My daughter also loves to grow things & we spend many....fun hours in our yard gardening & planting flowers. We start seeds in the winter & then plant (may be too late for all the gardening...but there may still be a few things you could start). I was never a gardener, so we have checked out books from the library and learned about plants, gardening, pest control, improving soil quality, etc. Also many of the plants we have recieved from yard sales where people are breaking up plants & giving them away or freecycle...same thing. It has also been a big boost for our yard, landscape & home & fun too. This year we are building cold frames to extend our gardening season w/windows from freecycle and free wood from above sources. We also love to hike and go in the woods & find animal homes, birds nests, tracks, etc.... Just getting outside and discovering the world around us and near us is fun. I think you said there was a state park near you, I can't remember if it was too far away, but if not some of these have seasonal passes that you can buy for a small amount..I think our local one is $30.00 for the whole season, you can go to the park, swim, hike, use the outside equiptment, bike for the whole family as much as you would like for the whole season. Hope that this might give you a few ideas. We love living in the country, but there are adjustments from larger areas, in our experience the pay back is very positive. My best for a fun filled summer, Barbara in NH