We were in a rush this morning and did not take drinks with us before heading out to run errands. We pulled through the McDonalds drive-thru to get iced coffees (love their iced coffee). While we were waiting in line my daughters and I saw a rat scampering around the back service area. He was adorable! I told the drive up lady about him, assured her that he was cute, and suggested they chase him away since the other customers might not be fellow rat fans. You should have seen the look on her face. :lol: She told the girls they had a very unusual mother. Honestly though, he was so well kept looking and not shy that I was afraid he was a pet that had been dumped. We did not try to go back for him.

:iagree: The independent nature it takes to homeschool is one of the reasons we are so hard to track. (run, kitties, run)

I hope you get an answer. I have always been curious but I have heard there isn't any standard way for states to report the data. I always have a mental picture of a herd of cats, each going its own way, while someone tries to line them up to count them.

I miss the Frontier so much! I live in Florida now (as my name says), I love the trees and ocean but I really miss green chile and good mexican food. I remember lots of long nights drinking coffee and eating cinnamon rolls at the Frontier during finals week.

My daughter has been known to finish the hand-sewing (hems, buttons) on the way to the competition. :driving: Our events day is in March, this year my 15yo sewed a bright orange trench coat (fully lined, with inset pockets) and a Project Runway dress. She has used the outfit since as business attire at teen court. I do not help her unless she asks for advice (almost never), she prefers to figure it out for herself. I am always astounded at what she makes and flabbergasted that she meets the deadline.:lol:

I remember that feeling so clearly :grouphug:. Nothing will convince you that you can do it other than time and experience. Back when dd18 was 6 years old and we were working on 1st grade, I had recently read "Better Late Than Early" by Raymond Moore. IIRC, he said that it was better for children to wait until 8 or 9 to begin formal schooling and that they would catch up quickly to all the kids who had been in school for years. I clung to that like a life-line, I told myself that even if I couldn't do it, there would not be irreversible damage for several more years. :tongue_smilie: Of course by the time she was 9 she was reading everything and exploring new stuff all the time and I realized it would be okay. Now she is heading off to college (wow). Your post really reminded me of those early scary years. (feeling nostalgic) I hope you have as wonderful a time as I have had.

They view every occasion as a dress up occasion. They went to the 4th of July fireworks in costume (1740s Spanish Colonel). They went to Wicked in black dresses and green and black striped tights.

My girls just left to go to the midnight show, in costume of course. :001_smile:

We did for many years, starting when the girls were in 4th and 7th. It was mostly social, not academic. The most important part was the girls seeing friends and me getting a chance to hang out with other homeschool moms. I think friendly moms were more important than the curriculum/structure. I always had a great time planning my classes and working with the kids. The fees were minimal and it was mostly fun. Most of the original children have gone on to dual enrollment or graduated so we closed down this year. I'm sure I will miss the social interaction but I really need that half day back now that my youngest is in high school. Co-ops vary so much depending on the goals and the families involved. For me it was a great support/social structure.

University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Graduated in '83.

I'm so sorry you were disappointed on your birthday.:grouphug: Like some of the other posters, I have the opposite issue. I love practical gifts, a set of silverware (if I were missing some) would be great. I have asked for years for a set of really good sheets or towels for my birthday (the kind I would never indulge in out of the household money) My husband always says that is not a real gift. huh He has an aunt who keeps saying things like "Only an idiot gives his wife appliances for Christmas." I used to end up with frilly things I didn't need until I finally convinced him I would rather have something I could use everyday. Wait until things are calm and then be honest and open about how gifts make you feel. For me that meant telling him practical gifts made me feel luxurious everyday and trinkets didn't. Of course, then I had to look at the presents I gave him and decide if I was giving him something to make him happy or myself. oops :001_smile:

I highly recommend Bible Study Fellowship. These are organized classes (world-wide), which meet weekly and do a very in-depth study. There is probably a web-site where you can check for class locations. There is no fee to join but they do collect a free-will offering to help pay for materials.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (I don't know if I spelled those right). Parody of the apocalypse. I really like Christopher Moore but his books are not family friendly (Rated R at least). If you don't mind strong language and coarse humor, he is extremely funny. Anne McCaffrey's "Ship Who ..." series.

Suggestions for lawyer/politician: My dd15 works as a prosecutor at Teen Court (real court run by teen lawyers and juries for teen defendants who have pled guilty). One of her friends also competes in Mock Court (mock trials that have team competitions at the state level) My dd also participates in 4H Legislature (county level preparation work and one week at the state capitol running a mock session). She was a lobbyist/page this year and wants to be a congressman next year. Suggestions in general: Ask around at church or friends to see if anyone knows a working professional who would allow her to 'shadow' for a week. Look up the local professional organization for one of her interests and see if a teen can sit in on one of their meetings or if they have youth seminars.

The fastest fix I have seen was with tobacco. We were at a friend's house and one of my girls (age 6 at the time) was stung, another guest took a fresh cigarette dipped it in water and put it on the sting. Pain and swelling went away immediately. I thought it was a neat trick but since we don't smoke I was never able to try it again. This might help if you know a smoker.

Thank you so much everyone. I have a few ideas to follow up on now. It is great to be able to get advice when you feel that first twinge of panic.:001_smile:

I need to find a standardized test my daughter can take to meet the annual testing requirement for the school board. She took the SAT on June 6th and I was planning to send those results, however, I have just been informed that her results were canceled (by College Board). She took the test at a local high school. The only way for her to reach me to be picked up was to take her cell phone. She turned it off and placed it in the bottom of her backpack, it was new and had an alarm feature she didn't realize would not shut off and it rang during the test. :glare: Does anyone know of test options I could use? The next SAT isn't scheduled until October.

I have heard this one several times, often with the person's child standing right there. It makes me intensely sad. I can't imagine the emptiness of life if you don't want to be around your own children. On a lighter note, the sillier ones I've heard are: How will you teach Algebra? (At the time my oldest was 8 years old, yes she was advanced but that was not my biggest worry.) Won't they miss the Prom? (Really, 12 years of school and the key moment is the Prom? :glare:)

:iagree: I have tried to explain to some of my friends that there is a difference between unschooling and 'unparenting". Allowing a child to frame their own learning, to see learning as part of life instead of information in a textbook, is not the same as letting them raise themselves without guidance.

This is the type of 'unschooling' we do. I always say we are very relaxed and unschoolish. We don't generally use textbooks and we don't keep a schedule, but I do have a rough framework of scope and sequence that I try to work in with their interests and pursuits. I also take what they are already doing and see if I can frame it as a high school credit usually by asking them to document what they have learned, keep a resource list and produce some sort of concluding paper (essay).

LOL I misunderstood your subject line. I just had a 50th birthday party with my friends last night and I was going to say 'me too'. Then I read the post and saw you meant another type of 50. :lol: Now I really wish I could say 'me too' but sadly, no. Congratulations!

Skin by Rascal Flats (sp?) Tears in Heaven Almost Home (I think that is the name, homeless man dreaming of childhood home)

I know exactly what you mean. I tend to roll my neck and shoulders forward which brings my shoulders up toward my neck. I have tried physical therapy and my doctor gave my a torture device that looked like a padded figure 8 which didn't help and only made me miserable. I found a lot of relief with yoga. After the second month of classes my posture started to straighten, and I feel better. hth

We watch every year on the 4th also! We love the movie, the songs are very catchy. John Adams is our favorite as well as Richard Lee. Yes it is available at Blockbuster. We could not find our copy and we went to rent it and found the director's cut (yeah! new scenes). There is a lot of innuendo and I find Thomas and Martha Jefferson a little tiring. The song where John is Obnoxious and Disliked and Sherman cant tell a participle from a predicate is my favorite.

We are a bunch of night owls. During the summer the girls become more and more nocturnal. Currently, there is usually someone awake in the house until 2:00 or 3:00. When I was younger I can remember staying up late and baking cakes in the middle of the night. Now that I am older I am one the early to bed types (no later than midnight).