We are transplants to Middle TN from NW PA. I was very nervous about moving here, but was won over when I came on a business trip with my husband. It is so beautiful here it took my breath away! We've been here for almost 7 years, and honestly my husband has passed up moving up the corporate ladder so our family can stay here. It is VERY different than living up north in A LOT of ways, but once we got used to it we love the atmosphere. It is very family friendly. People are generally super friendly and kind. We live near Nashville, so we have loved being able to access the music scene and show family around when we have visitors. I love though, that we are close to the city, but still live fairly "rurally". Being from the snow belt, we LOVE the weather here! :) It did take about two or three summers to get used to the heat and humidity, and some days it gets hot/humid enough that it is just better to stay inside, but most of the time we enjoy the weather. We were at the park playing in t shirts about a week ago. The downside is that when they get even a few flakes here, things shut down immediately. And while we used to laugh about that, we have learned a very healthy respect for black ice and we tend to stay in now when it has been wet and gets cold. This is the buckle of the Bible belt, so there are some positives and negatives about that, but all in all - we absolutely LOVE this part of the country, and I don't see us moving any time soon. My sister lived in SC, and they couldn't wait to get out of the area. Not exactly sure what all her gripes were, but they were never happy there. She has three special needs children and I know the p.s. there wasn't very willing to work with the kids to meet their needs. It was a really long, hard road for them with their school district (which probably wouldn't be a factor for you), and they were happy to relocate to central OH.

I grew up with the assumption we would attend a 4 year college, and because we were in a rural area it was also understood that we would love away at school. It was really never discussed - I just knew I was going to colege after high school. College was also the assumption for DH growing up. It has always been our assumption for our children that they will attend some sort of higher education after hs, but we live in an area where they could commute. If they are pursuing higher education, we would not charge rent. If they choose to work full time instead, yes we wold charge them some rent. Our theory is that we are trying to prepare our kids for the real world, and it is very hard to duplicate that scenario when someone is in college. (It just isn't real life.) Working full time provides an opportunity to teach about real life and budgeting/expenses, insurance, etc. We would save that money and probably give it back when the child was ready to move out. Of course, we now have a DD who has forced us to rethink a lot of this. She is not as academically minded and faces different challenges than a "typical" child. Her "launch" into adulthood may have us thinking outside the box.

DH is blessed to have a pretty secure job at a solid company, and barring anything major he hopes to retire from this company around age 60-65 with a good retirement plan in place. A lot though depends on our kids' college expenses. DH feels strongly about helping our kids if they pursue higher education of any kind - not fully funding it, but helping out so they aren't strapped with insurmountable student loans when they graduate. I decided to quit my job when we had our first child and have not returned to work yet. When the children are in college, I will go back to work somewhere part time just to help with college costs. The decision to home school hasn't affected our retirement plans because I was already at home. My folks took an early retirement package as public school teachers, and unfortunately they have struggled financially which breaks my heart because they worked SO hard all those years. My dad is 68 and has worked part time for 10 years, and now is going to full time at a machine shop. But I agree with what a PP has said - it isn't that easy being retired! I swear my folks are busier now than they were while working!

We LOVE Ruby Falls. It really is worth seeing - it's in Chattanooga. We love the Frist Museum. The Hermitage is really interesting too. Opryland Hotel is very cool in Nashville. It's a neat place to walk around even if you don't stay there. :) We are hoping to check out the Minister's Treehouse in Crossville, TN this spring. Just seems like something my kids should see.

I'm a first time home schooler, and we ordered everything from them. Can I tell you - they were WONDERFUL! I felt so sorry for whoever answered my call because I had so many questions, but they were patient, kind, and so helpful! It made one of the most nerve racking experiences of a first time homeschooling mom very pleasant!

This thread has made me breathe a sigh of relief. We are first year home schoolers in a community with many home school families. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I hear (literally...out loud), "Wait until next year and you relax. You'll see that they don't need to be doing 'school' stuff all the time." Or "Why in the world are you making your kids learn Latin?" or "Where did you get that curriculum anyway?" It goes on and on...and on. Did I mention it is also out loud? :lol: I actually have people tell me that they would love to do some things with me and my kids next year when we "calm down". Now, there is no judgement on my part. Honestly. I am really good at the live and let live philosophy, especially when it comes to home schooling, but I would love some folks to reciprocate that attitude around here. I would love a "Rigor Thread" to keep me form feeling like I am living under the old mossy rock of home schooling. :001_smile:

I started taking martial arts 18 months ago, and it is my passion outside of family/faith/home schooling. I absolutely LOVE it and I love what it has revealed to me about myself. I take three classes a week, and am hoping to add a sparring class to that soon. We study a variety of martial arts - MMA, Escrima (stick fighting), boxing, Mouy Tai, Tai Chi along with a bunch of others. LOVE it all!!!! People who have known me for a long time are always shocked that I am so into martial arts. :D

I studied theater in college so we have done a lot with that. The kids learned about what a choreographer, director, librettist, composer, costume designer, and actor do, as well as learning about the differences between a play, musical, opera, and operetta are. They've taken turns being a choreographer, librettist, actor, etc. and we talked about things like a reprise and a production number. To practice identifying a reprise and production number, we borrowed Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from our library. I figured we would watch 15 minutes of it or so and move on. We have since borrowed it form the library six times, and the kids can all sing almost all of it! It's been fun!