That Kids sewing site has been exactly what I have been looking for. My 7 year old wants to sew SO badly but she is wanting to start with things like AG clothes. I had NO idea how to get her started and how to help her. I'm so excited to have found that stie! Stephenie

I'm an atheist that uses MFW secularly. All I do is skip the bible part. It works great for us. We are in Adventures right now. Loving it!!! Good luck finding something. It's hard finding secular material! Stephenie

The reason I want to try to stick it out is that the reality is that my daughter is friends with the the girl and her sister...AND...they are only living here for less that 6 more months. They are coasties and will be moving in May. As long as things are ok, I'll continue to go. The minute things are not...we are gone. My daughter was sad when she heard that this boy decided to leave instead. She said that he should stay and she'll just see everybody else outside of the group. I am so proud of her for being the bigger person here.

Ok, here is where we are....I need a drink after all of this..lol I sent an email to the group this morning (while they were at co-op) stating that we would be leaving the group...that it just wasn't working out for my daughter anymore. After the group was finished, I got a bunch of calls and texts. One of them from the boy's mom. She was upset that it had come to that...and upset with me for not talking her (I had...and everything happened in front of her..is she really that blind that she thinks it's ok to treat somebody that way?) She is leaving the group. When she told her son that my daughter left the group because of his actions....HE SMILED. She told me that she knows that what he was doing was wrong and that he needs to have consequences for his actions. Guess what those are? They are taking him to another co-op. Great consequences....*sigh* I think I did what I had to do. I know that at least one mom on one hand thinks I did the right thing but on the other hand thinks that the kids should just work it out and everybody go about their merry ways (she used the phrase locking them in a closet and letting them duke it out...ummm, they aren't fighting or arguing here...) I'm very very sad about all of this. I know there are hard feelings all the way around. I do think the boy's mom understood why I reacted the way I did. I can't see how talking with her more specifically (telling her first that we were leaving and why) would have helped anything...there was no secret the way my daughter was treated...it happened in front of her. Would things really have changed? Regardless, my husband put his foot down (which he never does) that my daughter and her son are not to be together again. I hate this. I am getting a migraine from it. I def. see an alcoholic drink in my future...and I'm not a huge drinker..lol Thanks for all of the encouragement. Stephenie

You know...if this were her problem, I would have NO problem admitting it. I have given her tools to avoid this boy so that he would not mess with her. Today, we were at the park with him and the other family (the girl he likes), she was minding her own business...the whole time...not doing anything with his boy. He went out of his way to ostracize her. He went to her...while she was off by herself building a sand castle and started in on her. I was watching close...she wasn't even talking to him for about 20 minutes before he started....she was purposefully finding her own thing to do so that she didn't have to mess with him. I never thought it was ok just to let a co-op idea go period...wow...what a novel idea! Honestly, I was thinking she HAD to be in one. She's around other children a lot. She's in dance, piano, art, etc. I think having access to other homeschool kids is what she will miss, but we will adjust. Thanks for your help.

The other girl's mom is a good friend of mine. We have talked in depth about it. Problem is, it is a 'crush' between her daughter and this boy that started this whole mess. They decided they were 'best friends' and they 'liked each other' (they are both 8). When that mess started is when my daughter...the odd one out...started getting 'abused' (I use that word, because if if I treated her that way or her father, it would be considered abuse..no doubt) by this boy and the girl just joins in. Anyway, the girls mom and I have talked about it a lot. She still just blows it off as my daughter being the only kid and not knowing how to interact with the other children. I guess when there are 3 kids (the boy started it..the others joined in) calling you mean and that nobody should play with you because of it...she is the one in the wrong b/c she is an only. :confused: Again...I don't have mommy goggles on. I watched the situation today CLOSE. I honestly want to know if my daughter is the one provoking this...b/c everything changes if it is. I even had my mom come and 'observe' today. She was appalled at what they were doing to my girl. It made me even sadder. We have a co-op tomorrow. I am committed to being there...but my daughter is choosing not to go. It is the last one I will attend. I have talked to the 'leader' but honestly, this is a group run by all of us. There is no technical leader...no rules... Oh, and p.s. This boy was kicked out of Montessori school (not sure why). This is why he is homeschooled.

I would love to say that she doesn't see the behavior therefore doesn't correct it, but she see's it...almost every single thing he does...she see's (is it see's or sees? LOL) She just chalks it up to it being his personality and there isn't anything she can do about it.

It's just her that has to take his abuse. :( He is a pretty overbearing "I know more than you and I will argue with you about that shade of blue" type of kid..hard to get along with in general. But the only one that is subjected to his bullying is my daughter.

You know, we have actually tried that. This one kid though...apparently...doesn't think it applies to him. :(

You guys are right about the 'great' part. She is very knowledgeable about some things...and very very helpful if I'm having an academic problem with my daughter. Those things make her 'great'. However, she does nothing to prevent her son from doing those things other than a simple 'slap on the hand.' Our group is so very small (9 kids total)....it's not all that possible to separate them at co-op. It's pretty much all or none. I HAVE talked to the mom about it...she just kind of blows it off as childhood antics. The other two mom's are pretty much the same...kids will be kids type of thing. It is seriously breaking my heart....watching my daughter go through this...AND loosing my friends. I just got off of the phone with the 'leader'. She is sad that we are leaving and offered to just stop co-op...stop meeting at all..lol I felt bad. I told her NOT to do that. I have no problem with the leader. She lives down the street from me and our kids play well together. There is a quite an age difference though (she has a 5 year old boy and a 15 year old and a 17 year old). There are no other groups within an hour for us to join. No YMCA or anything. Thanks for letting me talk this out. I am feeling better about my decision. PLEASE don't mix this up as my friends are more important than my daughter. This situation has only gotten this bad in the last 6 weeks or so. I have been watching closely to see who the problem...my daughter or him. It's not my daughter that's causing the problems.

My dd7 (only child) is being bullied pretty bad at homeschool co-op and other social outtings we take with this one family. It's one boy that's 1 year older than her that's instigating and then it's another girl that joins in. I really really believe she is being verbally abused. I could offer up 20 things just in this last month that support what I'm seeing. The mom is all "Joe, don't do that, you are being rude." The other mother's are blaming the problems on my daughter being that she is an only and doesn't know how to act around other kids. I have many families outside of co-op that would argue with that (and have). My dd7 is far from perfect, but generally wants everybody to just get along. She is so soft hearted, she doesn't see half of what's happening as bad b/c she can't believe her 'friends' would treat her that way. A couple of examples: We were going on a field trip. My dd asked this boy to sit next to her in the car. He told her "I don't want to have anything to do with you, I will not sit next to you, I would rather sit by myself in the back of the van." (no...mom didn't say anything.) I just told my dd that she was better off in the front by herself anyway, she could see the tv better. Another time, my dd (trying to make conversation with him..find something in common with him) was trying to tell this boy about her 'collections.' (she collects bugs, rocks, leaves, flowers, etc) She preceded to try to tell him about her most prized possesions. He looked at me and said, "Will you tell her to shut up. I'm tired of hearing her talk and I have no interest in anything she is saying." I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard it myself. I told him that she is trying to find something in common with him and she is just making conversation. He spent the next 10 minutes arguing with me about why he didn't care about what she was talking about. Mom didn't step in. It has gotten physical (minor) a couple of times. Pegging her with rocks, hitting her with a bag that had a book in it..busted her lip. Anyway...I'm friends with this mom. She is a great lady. I asked my dd today if she enjoyed co-op, and she said not as long as he is there (he is always there.) I asked her if she wanted to continue to go. She said no...she doesn't like how he makes her feel and she wanted to be done. I respect her decision. I'm sad though....there is 3 friendships that I know I'll have to be done with when I cut these ties. There are no other groups in the area to involve her in either. :( This is getting progressively worse. I gave my daughter tools to avoid this kid...go find another girl to play with. It backfired today. The other girl joined in on the teasing. (calling my daughter mean and that nobody should play with her.) I promise I just don't have mommy goggles on. My dd has NO problems with a lot of other families that don't have anything to do with co-op. I have talked to numerous other people and made sure I was seeing this objectively and that it wasn't my dd causing the problems. Everybody agreed that my dd is (mostly) a sweet little girl that just wants to be friends with everybody. She's not a brat, she's not 'spoiled', she's not hard to get along with. She goes with the flow. I'm so sad tonight though. Make no mistake that my dd is my top priority here...I'm just sad to be loosing our social outlet (such as it was)....it was as much for me as it was for her. What would you guys do in this situation?

I have never played, but I had to add my daughter's experience with it. I took her to Indonesia to a tiny little village there to hand deliver toys to an orphanage. My then 6 year old dd learned to play mancala on the floor of this orphanage with children that she could not communicate with. She will never forget how to play...or how she learned to play. Here are pictures: http://cajunhomeschool.blogspot.com/2009/11/once-in-lifetime.html Thank you for the trip down memory lane. It was a year ago but seams like a lifetime. Stephenie

I knew you guys would understand! Apparently, it didn't end there. I guess she took a bunch of books to bed with her last night and read them all before she went to sleep. Not sure what books even...but for her to bring a stack of books to bed with her to read is HUGE. I think that the 'reading for pleasure' doors may have opened for her. I hope this lasts!

My dd7 has struggled so much with reading. She has had issues with reading words (fluency mostly) and comprehension because of it and we are working on it. She has made such huge strides in the last few months. I have tried to let it take it's natural course but it's so hard. She is starting to feel behind. She hears about books her friends are reading..some of them (not so nicely) points out how she is reading 'baby' books. She's feeling the pressure...it's hard for a mommy to see. I have gotten her a few different 'chapter' book series to try to find SOMETHING that grabs her attention and gets her to want to read more than her required one chapter a day. All very very easy series (Mercy Watson books, Norton books, etc) but still none grabbed her. I got her a couple of the Breyer Stablemates books. She picked up Penny: http://www.amazon.com/Penny-Stablemates-Jane-Gerver/dp/0439722357/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288668260&sr=1-8 tonight for the first time. She read one chapter and I figured she was done. She asked me if she could read one more. Of course you can! She read one more. Before I knew it, she read the whole book. 5 chapters! Now mind you, the chapters are very very very short...just a 1 or 2 sentences on a page...1 paragraph at most...but she WANTED to read them. She wanted to find out what happened. I got tears in my eyes. I was thrilled for her. I hope it continues. I told her that as long as she was reading, I would continue to buy her books. I think there is enough in this series to get her to the 'next' level of chapter book. I knew you guys would understand more than anybody else would. Thanks for letting me share!

My very best friend had a house fire...they lost everything. I was there to watch it happen. So sad. So...that being said...after witnessing that, I have changed my priorities. I always thought I would grab computer hard drives, etc, my purse, kid (obviously), pets (not in order of significance). Now, I will grab my kid, my car keys, and my purse. They had NO time to grab ANYTHING. As it was, they lost their grandfather to smoke inhalation and their dog (she hid under a bed and they couldn't get her out). She didn't have her purse...that was really really bad not to have (I.D. Health insurance, CC's) and a firefighter brought her her car keys thankfully...I know she could have gotten a new car quickly..or borrowed, but she was very very thankful to have it (it was in the garage and they got it moved out in time.) Anyway..all that to say, there is NOTHING (other than purse and keys) that I'll grab that is not breathing. I don't even entertain the thought anymore after the fire. It was utterly heartbreaking.

We are looking at the Towanda area. My husband loves that little town.

My parents would move to someplace around Weatherford. It's about an hour and 15 minutes west of OKC. I don't like that area at all....it's try and just has no character IMO. We would move somewhere in East OKC...in the mountain area. Not sure that they get hit by tornadoes as much as the mid and western side. Definitely something to think about though

I like the idea of decluttering in layers...not boxing everything up right this second..but by the time I get there, it should be easier. I hate stuff being SO up in the air...if I had a definite date, it would be so much easier!

ROFL My MIL is a wonderful lady and I would love having her close. The most problems she would cause is making me loose my mind with her cleaning. EVERY time she is here, she won't.stop.cleaning. I can put a glass in the sink and she will get up to wash it...lol My MIL died 2 years ago and she's lonely. She has missed too much of my DD's life she said...she is ready to be a part of her every day life. I'm ok with that thankfully!

That's a good point. I don't see my daughter every living in OK for her whole life. My mom WANTS me to love OK, but I don't. I can see the same thing happening with her.

You know though...the rural area's of PA aren't all that different than OK from what we have seen. I have looked at properties in both and it's a little higher in PA, but not shockingly so. It surprised me that they were fairly competitive. My husband said that the day to day things were even about what we pay here and would pay there (gas, food, etc). Our added expense (both states) would be farm equipment and feed.

Thanks for offering up your advice...being that you know what it's like down here, it helps huge. Hurricane Andrew is precicely why I need to get out of here. I was a teen and we lived in Morgan City (where it hit). We stayed home (didn't evacuate)...we lost our home and everything in it. I have some pretty severe PTSD issues from it. I think I could probably get used to the snow and even like it...being that I have never really been around it before. I can't have a home where my husband would be home more...with the nature of his job, he will always be away from us for 2-4 weeks at a time every month. I have dealt with it for 10 years...I am used to it by now...but it definitely factors in to where we will live.

You see...that's part of what's driving me to NOT move close to my parents. She (my daughter) will have no cousins close. Yes, most of my family lives in OK, but it's all super extended family (great aunts and uncles, great grand parents). Anybody with younger kids all live else wear. Really, the only reason TO live close...family wise...is my parents. Everybody else is so dysfunctional I don't want to be associated with them for the most part.

Thanks for the advice. When we move, it will be to a farm in the country so we won't have the city stuff to help out with the snow. My husband will equip me with the tools to help myself though and yes, I'm not past paying somebody...rofl I love the idea of PA....it sounds perfect for our family. My husband is leaning toward OK b/c he wants me close to my family...though where they are wanting to move in OK is NOT where I want to live (They want to live in the dry flat part of OK, I want to live in the mountains there if that's what we do.)

Yes....not necessarily in the next couple of years, but very very soon. My grandma lives there and her health is getting bad. They want to live close to her to help her. All of my other family lives there too...but nobody i'm close to (due to my parents moving me away from family at a very very young age..rofl)