Dh was out of work for nearly 2 years. He was in manufacturing. He finally got another position, but it was a looooong road. There are so many people looking for work that your dh is likely competing with people who have more experience. Many companies are not even looking at people who are not currently working, so that might be a factor. Many smaller companies are simply not hiring due to the taxes and changes that are coming in 2013 and 2014. Hang in there. I hope he finds something soon!

Remudamom, it was apple cider vinegar in a jar. Take a piece of paper and curl it into a little funnel. Put it in the mouth of the jar, but don't let the paper touch the vinegar. The flies will go into the funnel to get at the vinegar, but can't find their way out.

Ds is finishing Algebra 2 and is getting ready to start Advanced Mathematics. On Rainbow Resource the DIVE CD comes with a Home Study kit for Saxon, but doesn't say what exactly is in the kit. From the picture it looks like there's a test booklet, a student text, and something called a "homeschool packet." What is that?:confused: Is there a solution manual? Would I need a solution manual, or does DIVE have the solutions is there someone who has purchased this from Rainbow that can tell me what this is? Or maybe someone who has used it who can tell me if a solution manual is even needed? Thanks!

You know, I think that's fantastic! Good for him! I've heard other students comment on the same thing, and the difficulty of finding like-minded friends. (Not so much "like-minded" in ideology as simply the desire to converse about matters with some depth.) Maybe he can carry the book around campus as he reads and see if it brings up any conversational opportunities! :tongue_smilie:

Thank you very much!!:D

My 16 year old ds wakes on his own about 7:00 am on school days. We start school at 8:00. I don't nkow if he sets an alarm or if hisinternal clock wakes him. :tongue_smilie: He's usually in bed by 9:00, so he gets plenty of sleep!

In our house, translation is the most important. (NASB or ESV) After that, we like those with more durable covers. I'm not a fan of the group-targeted Bibles (Wemen's Devotional Bible, Men's Really Manly Bible, Hipster Teenage Demographic Bible, etc.) so we tend to purchase the basic versions. :)

Cynthia, I'm not one for steering other people away from books, as sort of a general rule. :) I have read "Atlas Shrugged," and would say that if your son would like to read it he certainly should! Rand certainly provides the reader with a lot to think about, whether or not you share her world view when you begin reading the book. New ideas and opposing viewpoints are not things to be feared. But, from reading previous posts from you over the years I know you know that. :D As per a previous poster, he could just read through it slowly. It's not terribly difficult reading, but it is loooong and parts can drag a bit. I haven't seen the movie, so I can't attest to how closely it follows the book. (As with so many books, I like the characters I imagine in my head, and don't necessarily want to see how someone else interprets them on the screen. :tongue_smilie:)

:iagree: Mhmm.

:lol: That made me laugh! :D

I'm sorry. I was unclear. I meant that it didn't matter which code I used for the sake of the comparison of scores. (My original question.) We used the homeschool code last year and scores were sent directly to us. We're on very good terms with the ps registar (small town), and if it was necessary to use the ps code I'm not worried about him losing our score or not returning calls. I'm comfortable with either option. I did want to know if the student scores were compared to each other, though.

There are a bunch. You can find them on the PSAT website. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/reg/homeschool/state-codes.html

Oh! OK. That makes sense. So it doesn't matter in which comparison pool I place him, his scores will be his scores. Thanks!

I understand about how National Merit works, and the method of receipt of the results. DS took the PSAT as a freshman last year (homeschool code) and we've been getting a LOT of mail from colleges. He'd scored pretty well, so I assumed that his scores was high enough that colleges were interested enough to send mail. (Though they're probably ALWAYS interested enough to send mail. LOL! :lol:) But if colleges aren't given an indication of how well the students do, then there's no worries about which code to use.

I seem to remember some discussion on this last year, but can't find the thread. I remember some people saying that homeschoolers' scores are compared to each other (in the region), whereas using the public school's score would compare my ds to others in that school. (Meaning, colleges might look more favorably upon a good score among the psers vs. a good score amongst homeschoolers.) Is that true? It may be beneficial to do this, because our local public schools aren't...great. Has anyone spoken to college admissions officers about this? Or maybe have some personal experience? Thanks!

My college colors were red and purple. They didn't seem to clash, when offset by black or white. maybe don't stand too close to him if you're that concrened? :D

ETC is Explode the Code. Can you do it with a 4 year old? Sure. Slowly. MUST you do it with a 4 year old? No. Simply working through PP is fine. :001_smile:

I have taught all 3 of my sons to read using Phonics Pathways. They are in 10th, 5th, and 2nd grades now. Have you read The Well-trained Mind? We just did what the book recommended. I taught each boy the sounds of the letters. We read one PP page a day. If the page was particularly long, we might read 1/2 in one sitting and 1/2 in another. When we finished, each child was capable of (or already reading) beginning chapter books (Magic Treehouse, etc.).

Oh, I don't know. We're starting our 12th year of homeschooling, and I've never had anyone be negative. Concerned? Sure. Curious? Absolutely. But negative? Nope. What surprises me most is how many moms will say something along the lines of, "I couldn't stand to be around my children all day." :001_huh:

Does it *actually* disconnect you? Our phone systems went through something like this last week. The hold music would play for about 20 minutes and then stop. people would hang up, thinking they were disconnected, but they were actually still on hold. ETA: I know you're frustrated. I'm sorry. My original post wasn't meant to side-step the frustration of your situation. When you do eventually get through, be sure to let the person you're speaking with know. (Though, they've likely heard about the phone problem from every. person. they spoke with on Friday. I know we did.)

:iagree:

This was me 6 months ago. Dh out of work. Everything. I hadn't worked outside the home in 13 years. Be honest and explain *why* you were out of work. List anything you can think of that you may have done that could be "experience." (For me, I spent 3 years helping to start and run a large homeschool co-op. This counted.) Unless you're doing something that requires you to keep up with current information (nursing, etc) most employers are very understanding. I got a part-time job the day after I applied last December. In July, I added a second part-time job. On August 1st, I started full-time at a new company. None of them had issues with the gap in my employment history, because I had a good *reason* for it. :) Good luck!

Are you a Costco member? We get our glasses there very inexpensively. They do eye exams, or you can bring your prescription in. They have frames to try on, and people to help. It's best to get there during the day, though. It's busy afternoons and weekends. Not as busy as Walmart, but still busy.

No. We had air raid drills. :glare: My mom taught at a school in a rough neighborhood back in the 1980's. If there was a shooting at a house near the school, they locked it down until police gave the all-clear. They never had any drills, though. If an area shooting happened the principal just announced it on the loudspeaker, and everyone would settle on the floor with a book, away from windows.

You know, there really isn't one. Your best bet is to watch a couple that you know lean opposite, and take each with a grain of salt. Or rely on websites. O both. :D