Thanks everyone for the discussion! It is finally resolved. After explaining more about the CO homeschool law, and that there are no state graduation requirements as each district sets their own, and explaining how my daughter's classes exceeded requirements of our local district, they were satisfied. It was really just a matter of education as they had never had such a homeschooler before. They did apologize for telling her she was "conditionally" accepted, and admitted this was a mistake, that she was fully 100% accepted. So it's all straightened out and we are moving on with getting her ready to start college in just a few weeks!! I have read here about stories like this, but seriously never thought it would happen to us...we never stop learning!

And also....it seems like the onus should be on them to find out if our diploma is valid?? If they question it, then they are the ones who should call the state of Colorado to find out?? Instead of us jumping through the silly hoops? (My daughter just found info requiring schools to do this regarding financial aid if they disagree with the validity of the diploma, so why not with admissions?)

Right!? The more I think about it, the more ridiculous the whole thing sounds.

Thank you for this!! My daughter is composing a polite but firm email...with links to our Colorado homeschool law on the Dept of Education page. She is even quoting the Constitution about how states have to respect other states' laws...which includes her legal graduation! I am so proud of her. She made it clear that she wants to fight this battle herself. :)

Thank you everyone! I have calmed down a little now. :) In CO we don't register as homeschoolers, only file a notice of intent to homeschool. Or is that the same thing? The state does not monitor us at all beyond the notice, so they would have no way of knowing what materials we use. I have put in a call to the dept of education, the message said they will get back to me within 48 hours. I do like the idea of contacting HSLDA, I will consider that. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

I am upset right now, so possibly not the right time to ask for help/feedback/experience, but any would be appreciated! We graduated our daughter in Dec. 2015 from our homeschool in Colorado. She was not in any umbrella or program, it was straight-up homeschooling, and I issued a transcript. She did spend 9th and 10th grades in public high school. Her test scores are very high. She has applied to a tiny school in Massachusetts which is telling us they accept her, she can start in January, but their state requires proof of high school graduation, and my homeschool transcript stating as such does not suffice--nor does any other information coming from me. (They have only had one other homeschooler, who apparently had no documentation whatsoever. Yikes). This is to cover their bases, in case they get audited, etc, and is in no way a reflection on my daughter. The admissions director suggested I have a local high school counselor look at her transcript and just write a few sentences saying she has met the requirements. I explained to him that public school did not issue her a diploma. He then suggested I contact someone at our state Dept of Education to do it...at which time I tried not to start crying on the phone. I have heard of colleges wanting crazy things...but really? My academic superstar was granted conditional acceptance until they receive this. That is what she heard them telling her...but when I talked to him he insisted no, no, she's accepted, we just need this as a formality, etc. The poor child...when she originally sent in her homeschool transcript, they asked for something more formal. I should have known then there would be a problem...I am so upset. Where do I get a letter like this?

I love my toaster oven, I've had it over 20 years. It won't fit a 9x13 pan and isn't convection, but it's fab. It's great for bagels with all kinds of toppings on them that are too thick to put in a regular toaster, and all the other things people have said. I'd choose it over my microwave (in fact I got mine in college when I only had counter space for one appliance, so chose this instead of a microwave. I didn't drink coffee lol). I do not like regular toasters because I find it hard to tell if the toast is done. My in-laws' toaster usually burns the second piece. Mine has a clear glass door and I can tell when the toast is just the right toasty-ness. It's also good for toasting nuts or coconut for recipes.

12 years old??? My teenagers are barely mature enough to feed and bathe themselves regularly, let alone make medical decisions! That is scary. I am sorry. I agree with you. But of course, I am sure you are still expected to pay for everything.

This is a timely topic for me as my son is set to get his permit in the next month or two!! Now I have some ideas to use right from the get-go!

Has anyone ever done scrip fundraising for an organization? What are your thoughts? Was it successful, or a pain, or what? Any tips? We are considering it for our scout troop.

Our eye doctor always recommended that the children take off their glasses (needed for distance) when reading or doing close work because their eyes would get lazy and the nearsightedness would accelerate. One child actually had bifocals for a while to help with this. So unless she actually needs the reading glasses, I would not let her wear them.

Costco already has an agreement with Capital One in Canada for a platinum MasterCard, and will offer it to U.S. customers when they stop taking AmEx. I don't know if the cash back rewards are the same as the AmEx, though.

We used it for the free trial to watch the recent Poirot episodes but couldn't find anything else interesting that we hadn't already seen. Now with the new Foyle being on there...we might have to sign up and pay for a month!

I agree with Warehouse 13 and Leverage. Dh and I both liked these shows, especially Leverage. One of our favorites ever. If you like mysteries, the Nero Wolfe series with Timothy Hutton was excellent, too.

We've always enjoyed The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist. It does have a range of difficulty...I still get wistful thinking about my son reciting "There Once Was a Puffin." It also has dictation selections (pieces from good books, also things like Lincoln's inaugural addresses and such) and also discussion questions for the more advanced poems.

I am going to miss the Bravermans.

I use liquid miracle gro, a few drops in the watering can, each time I water. I don't feed them in winter because I figure the main growing season is spring/summer. Also don't overwater. Have you tried cutting them back? Maybe this spring cut them back a good bit. Sometimes that will invigorate them. ETA: I don't think I would use miracle gro on African Violets. They are fairly difficult to grow properly, and the last time I had them, I remember buying specific African violet food. Not much help there, sorry!

Thank you for the detailed instructions! You are right, we rushed it. We've started over with square one today and Hazel is using her box normally. We're putting a small table in the room so I can use the laptop there...in it for the long haul! I do believe she will come around. Thankfully there was no violence, just hissing and growling. Thanks again...should have asked here first!

Saturday we adopted a ten year old shelter cat. Let's call him Duke, because that's his name. :) He is super sweet, friendly, and calm. He previously lived with another cat. We brought him home and put him and all his stuff in our bedroom so we could introduce him to the first cat (Hazel the Horrible) slowly. She is 5.5 and has had run of the house by herself since she was a kitten. He adjusted quickly to being here, eating, using the box and scratcher. So Sunday we switched them--all of Hazel's stuff in our room, Duke exploring the rest of the house. Needless to say she was not thrilled. Then we put a baby gate up so they can see each other...she hissed, we closed the door. Later we tried again, this time she got closer but still hissed. Finally we let her out too. So last night they are both out in the house. Duke did great--he had no problem with her at all, he is very calm and not fearful. Hazel hisses and often growls when she sees him. So he spent the night in the room with us and has been in the room all day. We came down this morning to Hazel having had an accident on the carpet. She is clearly stressed (although today she is so happy that he is not around). I know it will take time...but he really wants to come out! He's big and can make the door (and my nerves!) rattle! I know our room is better than the 6 weeks he spent at the shelter. We moved Hazel's food upstairs as we read that we should move it closer and closer to the door where he is. So, after all this, what should we do? How long have you had to wait until a first cat could tolerate a new cat? We love hiim already and want to make it work. When he is out in the house, it's like he's lived here forever and he is not bothered by her. Help?

...and holey moley, they are nosy. And that's just with the *required* information, not the optional survey answers. But at least we got it done, thanks to my smart girl who just took a selfie and uploaded it for me...I would have been sunk otherwise...back in my day we just mailed a check and showed up on the test day. But then, if there had been a survey I probably would have loved it because I always loved taking surveys about myself when I was young. :)

Yay!!

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse? That was a wonderful book. It sparked a whole study of the Dust Bowl for me.

Yes and no. Originally I told them both we were not going to homeschool in high school. My dd started high school but wanted to come home after 10th grade, I had a change of heart, and we let her. I told my son he could come home too if he wanted (he started ps in 8th grade) but he is not interested. Who knows...

Unless someone in the house is sick...I don't mind re-using a dish, but I'd like my own flatware...unless it's just to "take a bite" of their food...you know, how sometimes someone hands you a forkful of what they are eating? And you just eat it off the same fork? That's not gross.