We have internet via cable through xfinity. A modem is not included in the basic cost (well, they'll tell you it is, but you have to pay extra each month to rent it, you can save by buying your own). Same with the router. We own both of these ourselves.

I go with mastery over time. That being said, don't sign up for too much and overextend yourselves. It's easy to do. One of the best parts about homeschooling is all the time kids have free play and independent exploration!

Kindle (paperwhite would be my vote). I have over 130 free books on my kindle waiting to be read. I also have had no issues with library books in kindle format. Nook may go away (Microsoft might buy it, which is enough to have me running in the other direction).

If I were a parent who brought my child to a party, and then they got sick, and I found out the birthday child had been sick and was not over their symptoms for 24 hours prior (which is common courtesy and usually the rule for attending school) I would be really ticked off. If she's not over the fever 24 hours out, cancel. I've ahd to do it before, and it stinks, but it's doable. If you don't want to cancel and she's still ill 24 hours out, you need to let the guests know she's been sick so they can decide if it's worth the risk of getting sick to attend.

Thank you. I knew they WEREN'T FLDS, and I should have phrased it differently. I dont' know if others who practice polygamy as part of the mormon religion are against birth control, including the Browns.

Summer day camps often hire (though they may have already hired). I worked during high school as a courtesy clerk, bagging groceries, retreiving carts, etc. The pay was better than fast food.

I have a relative who died (back in the 1800s) in a saw mill accident which took his arm. He died from blood loss and infection after several days, from what we found out about it. Today there would be reconstructive surgery, antibiotics, and really strong narcotics.

I have no idea about the bench. However, you should be able to get top tether anchor points added at the dealer. If you ask on car-seat.org, someone there will know.

I would probably just get a cheap styrophome cooler so you can toss it (or pass it off) on the other end. Cheese, hard boiled eggs, small packages of sealed things like hummus, etc will keep well in a cooler. Unopened packages of lunchmeat will last longer than opened ones as well (so if you can get super small packages to do sandwiches or something that would work best and you could keep it right on the ice and use within a day or two). Fruit and veggies keep for quite a while chilled, even though not fridge temp. You can also get the aseptic little packages of milk and such that do not require refrigeration before opening. Nut butters and nuts are also very healthy and filling options. I'm assuming you can refill your ice along the way if you need at a grocery store, and possibly pick up fresh groceries?

In the FLDS circles I've read about (You know, the ones under Warren Jeffs and all that) it is forbidden. I've never heard of an FLDS that uses birth control, but there may be in some of the more progressive familes (like the browns who I know consider their religion different then the cultish FLDS) who don't isolate themselves from the rest of the world. I have no idea.

Yes, I was agreeing with you. Sorry to not be clear. Pointing out to the PP (lauracolombus) more about the China thing (as in adding to what you said) if that make sense.

Some people are crazy! I'm glad we did a buffet too! (though that was mostly because a plated meal was out of our budget). I went to a super fancy wedding this past winter, and we're good friends with the groom and had met his fiance. I put on the RSVP card that I can't have gluten, and if any of the entrees were gluten free please pick that for me, if not it was not a problem, let me know and I'd either bring my own food or eat before the wedding. I got a really nice email from the bride telling me she hadn't finalized the food and would make sure I could eat. I did not expect that, and the way I phrased it was that it was totally up to her, and I really did appreciate her accomidation (and when I told her she said it was easy and she was happy to - total sweetheart!) But I never would have put down "I need a gluten free entree" or "can I have a tuna sandwich on gf bread" or something. Goodness that is rude! (oh, and we DID NOT bring our children. They were not invited!)

There are cases in China where women are forced through abortions as late as the 9th month. They are also forcefully sterilized without consent. That is way different, IMO, then having to send your child to PS. Reproductive rights are a fundamental human right as is the right to life (in the US a late abortion like they have done in China would be illegal since the child is viable outside of the womb).

You might want to look at montessori methods for teaching long division and multiplication. They do it first with manipulatives (up to thousands blocks/cubes). It might help him realize what is going on place value wise. Googling might yield some results. Right Start probably teaches it at some level that way too (though not sure). They may have a math game. If I remember right RS is loosely montessori based. Then you can transition from manipulatives to paper.

Actually, homeschooling was very legal and quite the norm for a time. Unless you lived in a city or town, there was not a school. There was also no requriements for education for a long time, and any type of formal school was often started at the city level, with states moving in later. The first compulsory education law was not until 1852 in MA. Compulsory laws requiring children to attend public/private schools came into effect during the late 1800s and early 1900s for 2 reasons. 1) to curb child labor (since children would be in school all day) and 2) to assimilate immigrants into US culture. Familes fought back and eventually it was ruled that homeschooling was legal yadda yadda. Each law that made PS mandatory was at the state level, and I don't know if every state had those laws. The PS laws were not always widely enforced either. It mattered a lot where you lived. The most vocal opponents to compulsory education were the Amish, and the case of Wisconsin v. Yoder in 1972 set the Supreme Court Precedent for homeschooling to be legal, though earlier cases paved the way for this decision (if you google there is a lot out there on the internet and you can get a more complete history). But at no point did another country grant amnesty to a family from the US and force the US government to make homeschooling legal. It came from within our country.

The ones used for multiple weeks (like the 5+ week ones ) tend to be more of the core ones. You're right, though, to get the exact info you'll have to contact them. But that might give you an idea.

I like how BP lays out the literature by grade levels. For the past two years I've just used SOTW+AG, but I have a really hard time figuring out what books would work best, are at the right level, etc. Sometimes I get a book that is recommended and says it's an IR for my son's reading level, but it's too hard, or too easy, or too long. So I find I spend hours picking out books. With BP it's all schedules. I did modify a bit, but it was a whole lot easier. I also like their order of study and how I can use it to schedules A History of US alongside SOTW. I also prefer their maps to the SOTW maps. Their maps, for my son's age, he actually writes in some of the countries and features. It's not just coloring like SOTW. I did get the ebook for the schedule. Because I write out my own schedule for the year, it was easy to use the ebook and just copy the weekly plans to my own scheduling pages. If you feel you have the time to sort through the suggested books, etc in SOTW and figure out how to schedule it so it works for you, then that might work best for you. I chose BP largely because it will (and has since I already planned next year) save me A TON of planning time.

As a mom who breastfed, I hated it when people suggested breastfeeding moms should go nurse the baby in the bathroom for privacy. I don't eat in a bathroom. And I don't do "bathroom things" (like changing diapers) in a place I eat. With 3 kids, there have been plenty of times I've had to figure out diaper changes without a changing table. It can be done.

Yes, FLDS are against birth control.

There is a big difference between being forced to send your kids to public or private school if you choose to stay in your country (when you can legally move to another EU country that allows homeschooling without needing asylum), and facing human rights violations like having your genitals cut or facing prison or death for being a homosexual. It's not just the group, it's the action against the group. And I think there is a big difference between a group you are born into (like being born female) and a group you choose to join (homeschooling). Likewise, this family has other legal options to move that would allow them to homeschool, they do not need US asylum to continue homeschooling, they just need to move to another EU country (and I do think that the fact they have other legal and easy options of where to move makes this case different too - it's not like the US is their only shot).

At least at the disneyland hotel, the 5th bed is a couch that flips over into a bed. No rollaway needed. I don't know about the Grand Californian. The rooms are quite large at DLH. We often took the monorail between the hotel and park. :)

I'm very leery of any place that does not take credit cards. But, if the VRBO fraud insurance will cover it if you get there and the place doesn't exist or something, you should be ok. I also would have a backup location in mind just in case (i.e. a nearby hotel that should have vacancy).

I'm glad her surgery went well and she is recovering well. I assume it was totally benign then?

Statistically, 75-85% of all sexual assault cases amongst children are from people they know. Teachers, relatives, church members, even parents. that means that only 20-25% of child sexual assualt is by strangers, in a bathroom or elsewhere. While there are no exact statistics on how many boys are sexually assaulted by strangers in public restrooms that I can find, it is definitely less than 25% of the cases, and since the stats don't differ by gender and it's 5x more likely for girls to be assaulted, I would guess significantly less.

We stayed across the river (Alexandria area?) and took the metro in. We were just a couple stops out from the mall, it took maybe 10 minutes? I can't remember for sure, but it was a terrific location. There are A LOT of Smithsonian musuems. My kids actually really likes the American History museum. If you go to the info desk, they have scavenger hunt type maps for kids of varying ages. My kids loved going through the exhibits trying to find everything. And of course the space museum was a hit. The natural history museum was a huge bust, other than the dinosaurs they didn't find the rest interesting at all. One must do on my list is to go have lunch at the native american museum. There is one food place there in the food court that has "sampler" plates of foods from each different region of tribes. It was super yummy, and educational. We got 2 of the big plates and then one smaller plate from another place that just sounded good and it fed our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 littles). If you go to the washington monument or capitol, be aware that nothing other than a small purse or camera bag is allowed inside. There are no lockers. You also need tickets to go tour the capitol, which you can get ahead of time (same with the Washington Monument if it is open). We didn't know that about the monument, and there were none available for the days were were there, so get them well ahead if it is open. If you have time, Arlington National Cemetery is very interesting to visit. There is a tram tour that you can buy tickets for that drops you off around the cemetary and then you can pick whatever tram next to get back on. It gets you to all the "highlights". One of our favorites was Mt. Vernon. It's beautiful! Very interesting too, and lots of room for kids to run around, which is nice if you've spent the last few days walking around quiet museums. It was one of my favorite things when we went on the trip. If you're into ethnic food, the DC area is well known for excellent Ethiopian food. I highly recommend looking on Yelp near where you'll be staying and pick a place to try. My kids absolutely loved it, and the couple of restaurants we went to were good about making milder dishes for the kids.