One word of advice, don't make sex something that is bad. Your daughter is coming into the age where she will be naturally curious. With the technology of today, she is going to find it. As a parent it is very difficult to not "over react" when our children are exploring their "sexual boundries". Talk to her, be honest, open, and calm. (You can bang your head against the wall and cry when she is not looking.) If you make sex something she has to hide from you, she may experiment with things out of spite. Please don't read this as me suggesting that you encourage or condone her behavior. Only a suggestion that you not alienate her about this subject. Teenagers are programed to "get away with things". If you make this NO BIG DEAL, she may stop, or at least talk to you openly about it. Think about it this way: Would you rather have your daughter come and talk to you when she is thinking about having sex with a boyfriend, or would you rather have her sneak around and just do it? I don't envy your situation. I hope it all works out. I think the bigger issue here is your daughter disrespecting your right to privacy in your own home. Otherwise, you may want to leave the communication doors open. Tricia

One of my favorite homemade gifts is a calendar. We use photos of the family and kids taken through out the year. It is especially nice if you personalize it with birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Our calendars have been a hit with our entire family. You can print them on your computer or at a printshop. Last year we used Sam's Club and it was VERY reasonable. For friends you may make them stationary or small mailing cards. Good luck. Tricia

we live in FL also. Last year FL passed a mandatory 30-min of "PE", 5 days per week rule. This means that elementary kids (in our district) get gym class twice a week, and "teacher PE" (which we used to call recess when we were in school) three times a week. You may want to check this as I believe the school, if elementary, is required to give students 30 minutes per day. Also, was the "extra" practice strategically timed to be just before the FCAT? The teacher may have been cramming to introduce all the subjects which were going to be on the test. This is what happens when teachers salaries are directly influenced by student test results. Good luck.

I put 4 cups of apple juice and 1 cup of brown suger, and about 2-3 tsp of mustard in with the corned beef. Put the corned beef (and flavor packet) in the crock pot, add potatos (I use red) and carrots. Cover with apple juice mixture, and lay slivers of cabbage on the top (about 1 1/2-2 in wedges). Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. This is one of our favorite meals........

Thanks for the ideas. I think I am going to revert back to the classics at home (grammer, reading, writing, math, history, and latin). School seems to be more of an expensive, beaurocratic playdate than an education. Full time homeschool is not an option for us at this point, maybe when we are relocated out of FL, but for now ps is really our only option. Here is my headscratching moment of last week: My oldest (5th grade) was moved "up" in his LA class to the "more advanced" class. (The "more advanced" class reads chapter books, the one he was in was "not ready for that yet".) After one week I asked him to compare the work in his old class to his new one. He dislikes his new reading cirriculum because his teacher reads out loud to them each day. They do not read any books on their own. Two things stood out to me in this: 1. In 5th grade, "chapter books" shouldn't be a big deal 2. Why his he being read to daily as the main core of the cirriculum? I can only come back to the "this is FL" answer. In true moments of anxiety, I find myself combing this board looking for confirmation that I can make up for what the school lacks. Thank you to all of the sane people who have posted here and continue to provide a network for those of us struggeling to make a difference.

I have been watching this board for months. We are a military family stationed in FL. OMG!!! The school system here is a mess. They work hard every day to earn their status as 48th in the nation. So, my question: How do you know what to supplement after school? Do you take the ps curriculum into consideration, or do your own thing? We pulled the boys (ds 11 and ds 9) out of public school last year and homeschooled for 75% of the year. They both missed the social aspect of school so they are reenrolled (5th and 3rd) at a "better" school this year. School is intended to be a social education and afterschooling is intended to be their real education. So, please help me with any suggestions as to how to set this up. BTW, both boys are "gifted", (which really means that the school gets more money to teach them the same garbage), so ps is very easy for them. I am concerned they will be behind when we finally leave this state and get to another area of the world. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Tricia