Glad everything went well. My sixth grader will be starting back next week... definite mixed emotions!!

Jenny... :grouphug: Life as a mom is full of so many bittersweet moments. My son is only 11, but I know the next years will fly by so quickly. It's tough that our badge of success is *independent* adult children. Be gentle with yourself and cherish memories in the coming days, and create new joys and rituals for yourself as well. Many hugs to you, my dear...

Dang it, I'm out of likes. Again. But I just wanted to say thanks for all the interesting links on this thread. For a "chat" board, I learn an amazing amount here from all of you! :)

Following along. We've been wrestling with exactly the same concerns for a while. Our public school is good academically, but it's huge and for various reasons I don't know whether he will thrive there. DH thinks he will be fine. We have no secular private schools in the area, and none of the religious schools are an exact fit, although the Catholic high school is great academically and may be an option. So... I get it and we are right there in the same situation. I don't know that it would be healthy for DS and I to homeschool for too many more years, he needs more... And Halcyon, I get what you mean about it just being mom's instinct. :grouphug:

Jenny, I have been eyeing "Z" on Amazon, so I'm glad you mentioned it. I think I will have to pick it up. I also have "The Paris Wife" sitting here, as well as a couple Hemingway novels and "The Great Gatsby" on my Kindle, so I think I sense a theme coming on... :) I saw an interview with Aslan, and think his book on Jesus sounds interesting. (And for some inexplicable reason, I just thought of all the C.S. Lewis books on the shelf, LOL!) I just finished a whole bunch of summer fluff so I'm regrouping to see what's next!

Now see, I knew in all this mess there had to be *something* you and I would agree on, Taryl! ;) I've long said that we should shop for health insurance just like car insurance... you decide a level of coverage you want, compare companies, and go. Probably something similar to what the Healthcare exchanges are supposed to be, but open the playing field as wide as possible for both companies and consumers. As a fellow Transamerican.... huh, had no idea they were the biggest. Learn a little something every day. :) And I, the "can't we all just get along" Libertarian Patriot, will go stand over here by myself. Which somehow seems fitting... :LOL:

My allergies have steadily increased over the years. I didn't realize how bad they were until once, as a senior in college, my advisor hosted several of us at his home for lunch. He had a long haired cat... I didn't get too close, but ended up leaving with my eyes swollen almost shut. Now I have to avoid any type of cat, as well as most dogs. My poodle is about the only thing that doesn't make my eyes swell shut, my nasal passages completely blocked, or trigger an asthma attack. :( So I completely feel your son's pain, it's no fun.

No. My BFF and I were asked to do this for two small children when we were 14. After much discussion, our parents both allowed it. Everything went fine, but looking back, that was more luck than skill. And as a parent now... just, no. That's nothing against your daughter, just that it's a big responsibility, especially if it's a regular thing. As others mentioned, if you're okay with having DD be responsible for the child at your house, that would be a different story.

Great.... is this something we have to worry about now, accidentally getting *ourselves* pregnant?!? As if I didn't have enough on my plate.... ;)

I'm not sure why some people insist on making this an either/or thing. Yes, of course it's honoring and empowering for women to be able to grow life. But there are some circumstances where doing so would place a woman in physical or emotional jeopardy. Even if you vehemently disagree with that, not everyone believes that way. Also, not even all Christians agree about the nature of these things. In reality, a sperm, egg, AND an appropriate environment are needed to grow into a baby. If it never reaches that appropriate environment (uterine wall), then is it really ending a pregnancy? If that sperm and egg are sitting together in a box on the shelf, that's not a pregnancy. I know there are people who would completely disagree and will post a bunch of links to show me I'm wrong, so before you do, no, I can't provide any scientific support for that thought and I wasn't planning to. But that's the thing about interpretation. Good people can and do disagree on many moral questions. I've never had an abortion, but I've used birth control pills and the patch. If it's against one's personal moral code to use such things, then don't, and I completely respect your reasoning for it. But let's not call names on someone who differently interprets complex topics.

Anna and Kareni, thank you both! Those will give me a great start! :)

Really cute! We do have an EB retail store, I might have to pop in and try one!

Does anyone have, or know of, a list of literature, videos, or other supplements to go along with HO 2 and 3?? I know some great lists have been circulated for volume one so I am hoping there's more out there. I was going to start looking things up but thought I'd ask before reinventing the wheel! Thanks. :)

Is this the Holt Geography being considered? http://www.amazon.com/World-Geography-Student-Edition-Survey/dp/0547484798/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1403929233&sr=8-2&keywords=holt+world+geography If one has to buy new, it's a lot cheaper than Glencoe.... But I can't find a sample to see if I like it or to compare the two! :)

Rose, this is brilliant. Honestly... I'm learning that my son's head is full of deep thoughts... they're often drowned out by random trivia about video games, but still. ;) I think we're going to pull some of these in. So where would I start if I want to learn and process this more? Maybe with Blink or Freakonomics? Or something else??

I usually lean toward Loreal Voluminous as well... it works for me. I've tried some others that are very irritating to my eyes. Also if you want gentle it's hard to go wrong with Clinique... someone mentioned one upthread. Another of their products is Naturally Glossy mascara... it's lightweight and not as dramatic, so might be a good choice for someone just starting (or re-starting) with mascara!

Huh. Most of our area schools have been out for a few weeks, and most start back mid-August... but I was just in Target today and didn't see any displays or areas being cleared for them. (I confess I walked by the area they usually use, "just to see" if any were out yet!! :LOL: )

All good answers, listening in. We're doing private school this fall, and being completely unable to find a peer group and like minded friends is a major contributing factor.

... eat absolutely nothing healthy today and a whole bunch of stuff that wasn't? (Nachos, pork fritter sandwich, oreos....) I think water and salad sound good for tomorrow... :leaving:

He was an absolute legend... may he rest in peace.

I put mayo on lots of sandwiches... but it *never* would have occurred to me to put it on pulled pork.

You're probably looking at Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (LCMS). Here's their website with a brief overview: http://www.lcms.org/belief-and-practice We attend an ELCA church, so I don't know much in the way of specifics of the church youre considering... perhaps others will??

I've quit buying the "processed cheese food" for the most part, and started buying multipacks of cheese slices in different flavors... swiss, cheddar, monterey jack, colby, whatever. DS is learning to like them. We have a deli here that makes a to-die-for cheese sandwich.... swiss, mozzarella, and pepper jack melted over garlic focaccia bread. Seriously, it's heaven and I could possibly eat one every day.

These are pretty much my answers as well.

Jenny... :grouphug: