...or why the government should not be involved in mandating health insurance in the first place. That is all.

I usually like lots of white in a room, but in this case I would go with the brown. The white table draws the eye directly to itself -- sort of jarring. I'm not sure that you want the table to be the focal point of the room. On the other hand, the brown table seems to belong to the room. When I look at the two pictures, the one with the white table shocks me, while the photo with the brown table is more relaxing. I'm thinking that you want the focal point of the room to be the fireplace and whatever is above it.

That's wonderful news! Congratulations to both of you!!

The original post was about boy scouts, wasn't it? The BSA does not require parents to volunteer. In fact, it would be impossible for some boys in our area to participate in scouts if that were the case. We are talking Title One school, single parents sometimes working two jobs to make ends meet. Some people just don't have a car available -- one car family with dad working two jobs. Part of the mission of boy scouts is to serve the community, which may mean serving the children who are involved. In many cases, the leaders are father-figures to the boys. We have been blessed to have been involved in organizations (BSA, Sea Cadets) that have many volunteers, some who don't even have kids involved in the programs. These leaders (and when I think about it, most of them served in the military) are giving their time and talents to organizations that they believe in, with the hope that they are truly making a difference in the lives of our young people. As the CO of our Sea Cadet division often says, "We are training the leaders of tomorrow." Many of the kids who go through these programs go on to be leaders themselves, or to serve our nation in the armed forces. They have learned to serve through the service of those who volunteered when they were young. I believe the example of their leaders, whose volunteer work was not compulsory, is responsible for that willingness in the young people to give of themselves.

...no axe to grind regarding those who speak out about large families. Just throwing out some food for thought. I understand the OP's frustration. I have had times when I felt the same. But I have learned to try to be more understanding, realizing that I don't know everything about people's lives or their circumstances.

I understand that this thread is not about me; I am using myself as an example. I am trying to make several points here. 1) We don't always know people's circumstances, so we shouldn't be so quick to judge. 2) There are different seasons in our lives. There are times to volunteer and times when it is not possible to do so. 3) Large families can produce MANY productive members of society who will benefit you in the future. Don't be so quick to look at the family with many kids and think they are taking advantage of you. Volunteering, especially in youth activities, is an investment in the future. Isn't the reason for volunteering to make the world a better place? If a person is doing it grudgingly, then perhaps that person should not be volunteering.

The things I listed are not future possibilities; they are what my kids are doing now. I never took advantage of anyone. I did my fair share of volunteering. We are all in a different stage of life. Just because you are volunteering right now and I am not (from what you can see) doesn't mean that I never did or never will, or for that matter, that I am not at this very moment volunteering someplace else. Believe me, I still put many hours into community service, as do my kids -- the ones you feel were sucking up your time. My point in listing those "future possibilites," as you called them, is that today my "many" kids are volunteering and serving their communities and their nation. And that mother of two who thinks that she has sacrificed so much for my "large" family, is now reaping the benefit of her service, many times over.

There have been times when I have been the volunteer feeling that others were using me as a free babysitter. Then there have been times when I have dropped my kids off at scouts (or whatever) and have not volunteered. Sometimes I was running other kids to their activities. A couple of years, I was caring for my elderly FIL who had ALS and could not be left alone for any length of time. Some activities are more "up my alley" and I have something to contribute. Others are not. We all have seasons in our lives and circumstances that may prevent us from doing what others may be doing. I have learned not to be so quick to judge others when they are not doing what I think they should be doing. And as for the OP's comment about the number of children a family has, it was ignorant and unnecessary. And if you decided to have only 2 DC just so that you can take care of my kids, then you will be happy to know that my kids will be contributing to the Social Security system (assuming it still exists) when you are collecting it. And paying taxes, serving in the armed forces, designing the latest technology, and caring for the sick. You may even need a cardiologist some day, and who knows? My DD may be the one who saves your life.

My closest sibling is 7 years older than me, and we have always been very close. In my opinion, your mother-in-law should mind her own business.

Plain old Vaseline!

I think we all have those "what if...?" moments, seekinghim45. Sometimes we just have to trust God to take over.

I was a little nervous about homeschooling before we started, mainly because I was afraid we would be harassed by the school district. But after talking to a mom who had been doing it for a couple of years, I felt that it wouldn't be a problem. We researched curricula, and my DH even called Cathy Duffy ( author of the Christian Home Educators' Curriculum Manual) and spoke to her about what we were considering (Abeka or Bob Jones). She advised against it and recommended Ann Ward's Learning at Home Preschool and Kindergarten. It was wonderful advice, the curriculum was great, and after a couple of months, DD was reading Green Eggs and Ham. At that point, I knew we could do it. Each child presented different challenges, but we managed to find solutions to each one. Our motto was, as Gene Kranz said during the Apollo 13 crisis, "Failure is not an option." All 5 of my kids were accepted to multiple colleges with merit scholarships. DD1 went to college at 16 and became a doctor at the age of 24. DS1 is an electrical engineer. DD2 graduates from college in May and will be going to graduate school. DS2 is currently attending the U.S. Naval Academy. My youngest graduates from our home school this year and will be off to college in the fall. You can do it! :001_smile:

I had read everything I could get my hands on about babies, but I had never even changed a diaper. I was 27. I had told my mom to wait about a month before coming to see us, because I wanted to figure out things on my own. My labor and delivery had been easy, and I felt pretty good, other than being tired. DH had an all-night fund raiser for his band the night we came home. So we left the hospital, went to the school to show the baby to everyone, and then he took me home, dropped us off, and went back to the school! There I stood, all alone, with a baby. And I just burst into tears!! I figured things out pretty quickly and made up for my lack of experience. I ended up having a baby in diapers for 12 solid years.

I would also like to add that, even though your homeschool diploma is not issued by the state of Florida, most colleges will not even question it. This is assuming, of course, that your child scores decently on the SAT/ACT and that the transcript shows a reasonable course of study. As previous posters have already stated, you would be wise to consider the academic requirements of any college your child may wish to attend.

That person is mistaken. The rules have not changed.

Just a funny memory here...When my oldest child was in kindergarten or 1st grade, I took her to see a performance by our professional symphony orchestra that was given for school children. After the concert, I asked her what her favorite instrument was (thinking she would say violin or flute or something). Without giving it a second thought she said, "The triangle!" :laugh:

There are some great ideas here, but may I suggest one more? Go to concerts! If you can't afford to see the pros, see what the local college or even high school has to offer. There may be some operas or ballets being performed in your area as well. My DH teaches music appreciation at the local community college, and students in his class are required to attend at least 2 concerts and write up a report for each. Many of his students had never gone to an opera or an orchestral performance and discovered a new passion. And be sure to teach your children concert etiquette. It seems to be sadly lacking among the general public these days.

Awesome! Congratulations!!

:iagree: If I don't use curriculum A because it's somehow connected to curriculum B, which has connections to curriculum C, which is endorsed by the author of curriculum D, and on and on, I wouldn't be using anything. We need to use our own judgement in these matters. Just because another family uses a particular program, or some Christian educator recommends it, that does not mean it is appropriate for us. If we are studying the Bible ourselves and praying for God's guidance we should have the discernment to know when something is just not right.

I find it rather interesting that, in spite of his desire to make Christians look ignorant and narrow-minded, this "open-minded", secular "scientist" has shown everyone how ignorant he is. Who knows? Maybe if this guy would crack open a Bible and actually read it with an open mind, he might begin to agree with Ken Ham!

Well personally, I've never even heard of the guy. But he sounds like a jacka$$.

Nope. No way. Sorry.

Hit-and-runs are very common here. A coworker of DH was hit by a guy who took off, and the first thing the police asked her was if she got the license number. He said the first thing you should do is take a picture, before they have a chance to run.

I have absolutely no regrets about homeschooling. I wish that we could have done a million more things in our home school, but we did what we were able to do. All five kids have gotten accepted to numerous colleges with scholarships. They have all been successful in college and beyond. The youngest now has to decide which college to attend next year. The things we did as a family, because we homeschooled, were priceless. The kids' relationships with each other are great. Homeschooling these 23 years has been a wonderful blessing, and I will really miss it when my youngest graduates in May.

DH has been teaching over 30 years. It is terribly frustrating for him because of all of the nonsense he has to deal with (testing, lack of funding, testing, poor scheduling, testing, paperwork, testing, department meetings...). He told our kids long ago that if any of them became teachers, he would kill them. If they'd just let the teachers TEACH (what a concept!), maybe they could actually get something done. That being said, he has done a wonderful job and has been such a positive influence on so many people. His former students even have a facebook fan club for him!