Post count doesn't reveal lurking habits.

Oh, Colleen, I knew that anyone out here would be offended/snarky/rude/racist about that it would be YOU! Mexican is not a bad word. People born in Mexico are Mexicans. People born in Canada are Canadians. People born in England are English. Shall I go on? The ladies who kissed my baby at the park were always Mexican. Not hispanic, not latino, not "Mexican American." I pointed this out so that anyone with reasoning could see that it was likely a CULTURAL THING.

No, not "Mexican Americans"--Mexicans. Thirty years ago when my 8th grade Spanish class went to Mexico City, the locals would kiss the the blondes on the face or hair...

"You're going to homeschool? That's a BIG responsibility!"--from a teacher at my dd's former elementary school. "Yeah, God gave me that responsibility.";)

:hurray: You stand out as a go-getter and great employee!

I'd send a short "FYI" e-mail to let her know. I once saw an ad on an animal sanctuary/vegan website that stated a sponsor uses "all animal" products in her salon. She REALLY appreciated me letting her know so that she could have that corrected.

I spent a total of $1,500 on curricula for my two kids last year. My older one is attending a ps for high school where EVERY parent is expected to pay $1,250 minimum per student, $350 for sports (+$200 for each additional sport). It's a very large school and they raised $1.2 million last year through donations and fund raisers. Additional fees are about $200/year. With this money they pay for some teachers' and counselors' salaries, a librarian, etc.. that would not be funded without donations. While, of course, ps should be "free," dh and I decided we're still getting by cheaply compared to private school.:001_smile:

Mexican ladies would KISS my baby at the public parks!:ack2:

:party: That sounds astonishing! Have the best trip ever and Happy Birthday to your princess!

:seeya: Hi, I'm new 'round these parts! Glad to see you here.

My 6th grader and 8th grader did TT Pre-Algebra last year. The 6th grader scored Advanced in math. The 8th grader scored 50% in Algebra 1, which I thought was excellent considering he'd only had Pre-Algebra.:D Teaching Textbooks have been great for us. We don't use the CD-ROMs, as the voice is incredibly annoying, but the books are very readable and self-explanatory. I just purchased TT Algebra 1.:driving:

To me, it's easier to keep all of the subjects separate :blush5: (I'm sorry--I know you just finished separating them). It's confusing when you're doing SL Core and SL LA to keep them in the same binder, as you will have overlapping assignments. Your study guides would just stay with the rest of the subject. Also, when you keep each subject separate you can go at your own pace (reading whole chapters, or longer sections of books, i.e.) without having to keep flipping through the "all in one" binder. We thought it was easier to do chunks of work instead of bits of work and reserve some subjects for one day a week (science on Thursdays, i.e.).:)

We scanned a cute pic of the couple of honor serving each other cake at their reception for the invitation. We had an open house from from 1-4 (remember older folks come early/promptly). That time frame is AFTER lunch and BEFORE dinner, so most folks will get the hint. We did it at their house so it was free ('course we had a lot of prep/cleaning/furniture moving to do). We blocked off rooms we didn't want folks in with gold party table clothes hung on tension rods. We served cheese and crackers; finger sandwiches (cucumber, pimiento cheese, etc.) coffee, tea, water & punch; nuts; tiny desserts--all displayed in tiers with "fancy" fruits (grapes, starfruit, strawberries, etc.). The fancier the display, the less food you need.;) Instead of a cake, we did pe**** fours (really? Okay "petite fours") arranged so that the display stayed pretty as people took one at a time (a cake is only pretty before it's cut). HERE'S THE BEST ADVICE: Order wedding flowers from Sam's Club! These were the hit of the party and meant so much to my mother. We pinned the couple of honor, their kids and grandkids with corsages/boutonnieres, placed the bridal bouquet in the foyer and used the rest of the bouquets as decoration throughout the party rooms. (We did the $300 set) We displayed her wedding dress on a makeshift mannequin. We sent an announcement to the local paper. You could try to get the paper to treat it as a human interest story (and do it for free). We made a hardback photo album on iPhoto (not expensive and easy to do) from their childhoods through current. We copied photos from their wedding and other albums, frames, and boxes at Walmart to do this. You may also have slides you want to include. We added narrative/captions. We gave this to them early so they could be the first to see it and then passed it around during the party. We had a 20 minute long DVD with music playing on a t.v. of the photos from the iPhoto albums plus many candids. We didn't have anyone speak, but that would be so fun! Tell everyone you know (who lives near your parents) what you're planning and that you're looking to borrow everything. We got tables, table cloths, chairs, punch bowls, plates, cups, glasses, coffee urns, tiered servers--all at no cost. Some of these kind people didn't even know our parents but were so thrilled to hear they'd stayed together for 50 years they wanted to participate. :thumb up: Also, it's a good idea to write down an agreement with your sibs. We didn't, so when you read "we" above, it really means "me." My kids and I did all the work and my dh paid for it all. I HOPE IT'S WONDERFUL!