Thanks for the responses. I may pop in from time to time, but I am finding that I am using my computer time to explore some hobbies. I have devoted more time to sewing/crafting and I have taken up running. I am also trying to get back into reading for myself. Our time spent homeschooling went faster than I thought it would. It is bittersweet being done, but I am ready to move on to new things. :)

I know I haven't been here in quite some time and I know many of you don't really know me. I have spent most of my 11 years homeschooling on these boards, so I just wanted to share that we are done. Technically, I am still homeschooling my ds, but he attends the local cc full time as a post secondary student so I don't feel like I am homeschooling him. My dd started with an on-line school after the first of the year and it has been a good fit for her. She and I did not work well as teacher/student, so this has been a good choice and transition for us. Anyway, I miss coming here and reading about what everyone is doing. I am finally sitting down and going through our curriculum and books and intend to start listing stuff in the next couple weeks. It feels weird to be done, but good at the same time. My ds is doing wonderfully at the cc. My dd is making the transition ok (it was bumpy at first, but I think things are working out now). Thank you all who have helped me over the years even though you probably didn't know that you were. :) The information and advice on this board has been invaluable to me. I wish all of you the best on your homeschool journeys. Enjoy the ride. :)

I think this extreme couponing is affecting the more conservative couponer as well. I use coupons, but not like the people in the show. My stores don't double coupons or anything so it is next to impossible to get a large $$ amount of groceries for a few dollars. Anyway, my original point is that manufacturers are changing the coupons. I went to Walgreens to get a few health/beauty products that were on sale that I had coupons for and would get register rewards for as well. I didn't read the fine print, but the cashier did. :) The coupons now say (at least for beauty/health products) that there is a limit of 4 coupons per visit per type. So, if you had a bogo coupon, you could only use 4 of them on that trip. I think the ones that had a higher $ amount also had wording along this line. Some stores don't pay that close attention to the fine print and some cashiers are more lax than others, but I realized that I will have to start paying closer attention. It feels like the whole "a few bad apples can spoil the whole barrel" type thing to me. I don't mean that couponing or these people are bad, but I am guessing the new coupon policies are being put in place to stop the extreme cases.

I just received Classical Mythology last week and it has the new guidebook format. I like it because I read the summary/outline to my kids before viewing the lecture so they have a little prep of what the lecture will cover. The new summary reads easier than the outline version. I guess it depends on how you use the guidebook and what you like. I do really like the new packaging, too. :)

We usually only get about 9 to 10 months out of our side of beef (yes, heavy meat eaters here). Haven't had any issues with it for that length of time since we started doing this, though.

When we get a side of beef, I have the butcher grind the liver into the ground beef. I didn't think it changed the flavor any and you get the added nutrients of the liver. We don't eat liver otherwise, so it was either given away or thrown away at some point. Just throwing it out there. :)

Love, love, love Mrs. Mike! I first read this as a teen and it is one of my favorite books.

My choices probably won't be of any help. :) For 16yo ds: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls For 14yo dd: The Space Child's Mother Goose Ds is really into zombies and I thought the space rhyme book would be quirky for dd. I like to give them something different and unexpected sometimes.

Interesting, thanks! I have been drawn to mathematical ideas lately and there have been some good links posted here to support that. Much appreciated. :)

Great job! It's nice to come through a tough semester with a good outcome. Congrats to your dd! It is funny, isn't it?! The class my ds thought was the hardest is the one he has the best average in. It is great when they realize just how much they really can do and how well they can do it. Congrats to your ds!

Well, this is it. Ds is taking his final right now for his on-line geology class and will have his final in comp on Friday. The final will be an in-class writing that will count for extra credit. He has his final grade for his cultural geography class: A. He should end up with A's in math and geology. He is on the edge of an A in comp and I think he should be able to hold on to that. Phew! We are both ready for a break. :lol: I was so worried at the start of the semester that he might not be ready. He really stepped up and has done a great job. It has been different and sometimes more intense for him than our time homeschooling. I am very proud of him. How has the semester been for everyone else with dc at the cc/college?

Good to know, thanks. I am planning on going to Best Buy (no B&N close by) to check it out soon. I think this may be the direction I go.

Is the Nook difficult to read in sunlight? I was thinking about a Kindle for Christmas, but after reading this thread I am considering the Nook. I like games and listening to music, but I mostly want the e-reader component. It sounds like the Nook might be the direction I should go.

My dd gets this as well. The first time I noticed it, I thought she had lice. I soon realized that was not what it was. For my dd, she gets the build-up when she doesn't wash her hair enough. When I first noticed it she was washing every other day. Now she washes daily and doesn't have a problem. Sorry you are out the $$, but at least it is not lice. :)

I have the mammoth and I do like it. The lining does get worn looking over time which is my only issue (I have the light colored lining, I think the black may wear better). I haven't had a problem with smell or removing the liner for washing (though I did machine wash the linings rather than hand washing and I think they shrunk a little as one of the linings doesn't want to stay up on the top of the croc now). With that said, I would probably try the corduroy ones if I was to buy another pair. When I bought mine, the mammoth was the only winter style they had. I like the look of some of the new ones better.

For beginners, I like the videos Gaiam puts out. Anything with Rodney Yee is great. The ladies are good, too (Patricia Walden and Suzanne Deason, I think is their names). I also love Cyndi Lee, of OM Yoga. She has books and videos. I use her books most days. I also found a book at the library by DK called Breathe: Yoga for Teens. It is a great book for explaining the poses with good pictures and has some good practices in it. I just ignored the stuff geared for teens (actually my dd borrowed this book and I ended up using it because I liked the suggested practices). I also like the web-site Yoga Today. They have classes that stream on-line and they are great! They have a free class each week. You can buy individual downloads of classes or you can subscribe and have access to all their classes, not just the free one.

I say what Sandy said when people ask in regards to my ds. He is 16 and is taking a full load of classes at the local cc so in a way he is a first year college student, but he technically is still in 11th grade since he hasn't officially graduated high school at this point. So, all that to say, "11th grade dually enrolled at the cc" is much less of a mouth full. :)

Sorry for quoting your entire post, but, WOW, I could have written the same description about my dc! My ds is 16 and dd is 14 and you described them to a tee. Even though my dd is more out-spoken and stubborn than ds, she really is not a "problem" child. She is very much like me. :) I feel very lucky to have such great kids. I know that something can change down the road and my dc could fall into trouble or something, but for now I will take what I've got. :) I really can't say if it is nature or nurture. We, too, have been open in our family. We do expect our dc to listen, but we will hear them out if they feel something is unfair. We didn't raise them by making threats that we never followed through on. They know we are serious when we tell them something (I am talking about when parents say things like "stop doing that or I will take you home" and they don't follow through). They didn't grow up expecting to get whatever they wanted. As a result, they are thankful for the little things as well as the big things they get. They are happy with anything and aren't always expecting the next bigger, better thing. We have tried hard to emphasize family first and spending quality time together. I don't know where my dc will end up or if they will travel down some bad roads, but I do know that we will be here for them. I feel badly for families that have a rough time with their teens and I don't take mine for granted because I know things can change at any time. I guess I don't have much in the way of advice, just sharing where we are at.

Good questions. I don't have any answers, but we are starting to look into some of this as our ds also has a high interest in opening his own dojo someday. What type of martial arts is your ds interested in? Our ds does jiu-jitsu and that is the type of dojo he wants to open.

I didn't, but now I do. He has never taken the PSAT before this and only read through part of the booklet the school gave us. He said it wasn't bad, but he also didn't finish all the sections (he had 1 or 2 questions he didn't have time to answer in a couple of the sections). In hindsight, it probably would have been good for him to have had a practice run. I do feel a little guilty for not being on top of this better. What will be will be and I think ds will be ok. He doesn't have plans to go to any big, fancy schools. He will have 2 years of school done when he graduates high school and we will just figure the rest out from there. Now that I know more, dd will probably take the PSAT next year for practice before taking it when it counts. Live and learn (too bad ds has to be the guinea pig).

1. What made you stop believing in religion/Christ/higher being? When I was still Christian I had lots of questions. The more I studied the Bible and talked to others about my questions, the more I found myself moving away from Christianity. It has been a long time since I claimed the Christian faith and I can't remember the specific details of my moving away from that faith. 2. What made you come to the conclusion that there is no higher being? I explored other faiths/beliefs after leaving the Christian faith and the more I got involved in them the more it felt like what I had left behind just with a different name. That was when I decided to not engage in a belief of a higher being. 3. Do you believe in reincarnation, and why? No. It is an interesting idea, but it seems just as unlikely to me as a higher being. 4. Do you think that when we die, it feels like before we were born?(nothing). I agree with others who have said it doesn't feel like anything. I don't believe in any kind of after life or life/existence before birth.

I used to think it was an interesting topic as well. Maybe I have had too many conversations (with irl friends/family) in this vein that thinking about it has lost its appeal for me. Maybe if I let it rest long enough I can pick it up again some day. In the mean time, I do enjoy reading everyone else's answers. :)

Yup, something like that. :D

Oh, I know. :) I probably should have been more clear (or just kept my mouth shut, but I wanted to be part of something :tongue_smilie:). I meant that I am not into analyzing for myself anymore. You are all free to be curious and interested, I won't stop you. Really. :) Carry on.

I don't know if I should answer at all because I am afraid my answer will seem flippant. I truly don't mean it to be. My honest, first, response is: Why does answering these questions matter? and I really don't care one way or the other about them. I say this because I have been through asking these questions and searching for answers for years. I didn't feel better or more fulfilled or anything else when I thought I had answers (from a Christian perspective) than I do now. For a while I tried answering them from other belief systems I adopted over the years and it still didn't make a difference. Now I am at a point of not caring about finding answers. I am here. I live. I do my thing. Why analyze it?