I haven't read the replies here. I helped put my ex-husband through architecture school when we were first married and the work-load was ridiculous, bordering on unreasonable. He was at USC. The professors expected architecture school to be your life and your religion. He was often at school working all-nighters trying to get projects finished. And it took everyone 5 years to get through the program (it was an undergrad degree). I don't know if all arch programs are this rigorous, but for me personally there is no way I could do that and homeschool (and this is coming from someone who homeschools 4 as a single mom and small business owner). I'm not trying to discourage you, but realistically, you probably want to really check the requirements of the program you are looking into and see if it is like this. And I can't imagine that this was a program where they would have let anyone attend part-time either. Hold onto your dream though. Sometimes that means waiting, or making a choice, but it doesn't mean never.

I know this has been said here, but it seems that you are being really hard on yourself. I tend to do the same thing. We perfectionistic moms easily pay attention to what we aren't getting to rather than patting ourselves on the back for the wonderful things we are doing. I am probably putting my kids in school next year too. I am in my 8th year of homeshooling (they've never been to school) and my 3rd year as a single mom. I'm finally realizing that homechooling my kids and supporting my family is too much for me. I share this with you to let you know that you are not alone. I know it is going to be fine to put my kids in school. And if you decide that it is best for your kids to put them in school it will be fine too. There is no perfect scenario. There are advantages and disadvantages both to homeschooling and public school. Another idea that might be something to consider - I have a friend with 5 kids who homeschools, but she only homeschools 1 or 2 kids at a time. She rotates them in and out of public school each year and it has worked fine for their family. This way they can take a relaxed approach to schooling and her kids get her full attention in turn. But whatever you decide, it will be fine.

My favorite "I have a crazy day all the way until 7pm" meal is this: I put a few individually frozen boneless chicken breasts (still frozen) in the crock pot with about half a bottle of BBQ sauce and cook it for 6 hours or so. Then I can just throw some baked potatoes in the oven and heat up some frozen corn. I am also a fan of making french toast or cheese quesadillas on those kind of nights.

She is so beautiful. I opted for a homebirth for my last one. But with my hospital babies I stayed as long as they'd let me. I loved having the nurses to bring me food and drinks whenever I asked. And it was nice to have lactation consultants on call as well because I always had bfeeding drama.

Popcorn and dr. Pepper. I might just have to do something about that. Its my American Idol marathon night. Thursday is my "Friday" so I watch both the Wednesday and Thursday episodes back to back and stay up way too late.

We had a business in a town I used to live in called "Creative Signs." There's nothing wrong with the name. The funny thing was that their "Creative Signs" sign was white with generic black block lettering.

I haven't read all of the responses to this thread so forgive me if I am repeating others, but there is just no way to fully understand what someone else is going through. You can try to quantify your friend's experiences as you understand them and reason what it must be like to live with her husband. But this is a decision that only your friend can make. And she is the one who will have to live with the consequences. If you are looking to advise her based on the information you get on this forum, I would caution you against that. Advice from well-meaning friends can do a lot of damage in a divorce-type situation. The best thing you can do for someone facing this type of thing is to support her in whatever she does. As far as my divorce, while it is not what I wanted to do, it was the right decision for me and my kids. The financial aspect of being a single mom (with no child support) is very stressful, but my divorce released me from an unbearable situation that was causing long-term damage to me and my children. Kathy

That's great Pam! You are the only other person I have found who has ever even heard of it.

I am on a swim team. I wasn't eating anything before morning practice. But then my triathlete friend recommended eating a banana (or just a half banana) before morning workout. Then sip a honey milk or chocolate milk afterwards as you getting ready. Then eat a protein-type breakfast. Her point was that protein takes alot of energy to digest so if you eat protein before a workout you have less energy to expend on your workout.

Mustard Gravy. Oddly enough it is actually good, but when I describe it to people they look for their barfing smiley. It is basically a white sauce flavored with a little bit of mustard. Then you put chopped hard boiled eggs in it and serve it over toast. It has been our traditional Easter breakfast since before time began.

Black Beauty. Next is the Incredible Journey. I wish we could read the Little House books again for the first time.

Originally Posted by scrappyhappymama "We've had a manual sharpener for years and I've resisted buying an electric because most in my experience were junk. But our manual literally fell apart recently and I decided to go ahead and try another electric. I didn't do any research, but thought I'd buy one from Sam's Club, figuring whatever they carried there would be designed to hold up to heavy business use. We got this one: http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/pr...302&navAction= So far I've been very pleased with it. It gets the pencils nice and sharp, and my boys have not complained about the tips breaking easily. It's also easy enough for them to use and they love that it lights up to tell them when the pencil is sharp. Between this sharpener and the awesome Arrowhead pencil toppers someone recommended on here recently, I feel like we've revolutionized our homeschool (at least in the pencil convenience area)." ScrappyHappy revised this earlier to say that it is lousy, and I agree. But this is the sharpener that I keep returning to Sams.

I bought the electric one at Sam's club. It breaks every month or two. But with Sam's they will keep exchanging it. I think we are on our 4th one. I just take it back and trade it in for a new one.

I loved Honey for A Child's Heart and was so excited to get H for a Woman's Heart. But then I was disappointed in the way the recommendations were formatted. I was hoping for just a good list of quality literature to pick from. Does anyone know if there is a book for women that might be what I'm looking for? Also, has anyone used Honey for a Teen's Heart for their teenagers? I would love to know your experience with that one. Thanks!

That's great! Please keep us posted. I am pulling for you.

I have a bissel pro heat carpet cleaner that I love. I got it a kohl's when it was on sale (and used a 30% of coupon I get from having their credit card).

I'm kind of relieved that I'm not the only one with kids who are like this. Drives me crazy!

Why I homeschool reason #476. If this was staged then she's a pretty good actress.

That's fantastic! About a 18 months ago I joined a swim team. And in the fall I competed in my first meet since I was 11. It was very empowering. Although, I have to admit, I didn't win any medals. Congrats!:party:

I hope it works out! I teach piano lessons and just hate it when people bail with no notice. I wonder sometimes how they would feel if they went to pick up their paycheck at work and discovered that they had gotten a $500 a month pay cut with no warning. I actually have implemented a 30-days notice requirement for discontinuing and have found that most people are willing to honor it.

My dad (who is supportive of homeschooling) went through a quizzing phase with my kids. I think he was impressed with them. But it started to irritate my daughter, and me. I think my mom must have said something to him because he stopped.

We adopted a 3yo miniature schnauzer from a rescue a few months ago. We have had a wonderful experience. He came totally house/crate trained and leash trained. No up in the middle of the night, or cleaning up messes for me. Someone along the line had even trained him not to bark. And it feels good knowing I rescued a dog and gave him a good forever home.

On a very hectic day a couple of weeks ago I dropped some frozen, boneless/skinless chicken breasts in with half a bottle of BBQ sauce and it was delicious. I also do a potroast with quartered carrots in the bottom, 1 cup of water, a roast (obviously) and a packet of onion soup mix. I sprinkle the soup mix directly on the meat and it makes a nice crust, as well as seasoning the carrots and gravy. I serve it with mashed potatoes. I thicken the sauce and it makes a wonderful gravy. You can also do cube steaks with cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix stirred togethe (probably half and envelope of the onion soup or it gets really strong). Again, makes its own gravy. I have found several good recipes in the Fix it and Forget it cookbooks.

I cannot speak highly enough about Atelier. It teaches great skills, is fun for the kids and is easy on me.

For me, I have to take some time for myself. We take Fridays off. . .from everything. We don't have school. I don't work. And I refuse almost every invitation for Fridays. I let my kids eat frozen junkfood that day and I usually don't even cook unless I feel like making a fun breakfast. If I do this I find that I can deal with being busy during the week. Also, I try to simplify and eliminate stuff wherever I can. Other than that there is just alot we don't do. We actually dropped out of CC after one semester because it was too much for us. For me, it helps just to get out by myself just to breathe for a little while.