The first three years we homeschooled, I planned elaborate Christmas studies. We did great the first year, but the last two years felt like total failures - I planned too much and felt like it added a lot of stress. Last year I decided to take the entire month of December off and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. It was so much fun - we baked, went on a lot of field trips, etc. The only semi-educational thing we did was listen to a Christmas CD in Latin. (Veni Emmanuel from Classical Academic Press.) DS learned one song in Latin - yeah! This year I hope to find that 'happy balance' - somewhere between planning too much and doing too little. :D

That is my height. The first company flat out denied us, no appeals allowed. The doctor w/the second insurance company we applied to told me I needed to weigh "under 120." (Absolutely no health problems to take into consideration.) I tried to question him about their standards but he said he wasn't authorized to discuss their policies. I asked our agent about this and she said they don't allow any appeals. It's either accepted or denied. :glare: Same here. When I was a size 4 many moons ago, I weighed ~145 and looked terribly thin - worked out 2+ hours a day and bordered on having an eating disorder. But - like someone mentioned - muscle weighs so much more than fat! I'm not going to stop lifting weights just so I can get my weight under 120 pounds. And I have the shoulders of a linebacker - no amount of dieting is going to make me petite. :lol:

:iagree:But... Obviously those Barbie dolls have booKs full of air, as "The Real Thing" weigh too much for any BMI chart. :tongue_smilie:

That's how I'm built. Wide shoulders and very muscular arms. (And legs.) I wouldn't say 'skinny' waist, but I do have a defined waist - which one wouldn't expect if they are truly "morbidly obese." :glare: I asked the insurance doctor, "So, if I'm really morbidly obese, how can I go out and run four miles w/o trouble?? How can I bend over at the waist and put my hands flat on the floor? How can I do 100 push-ups?" No answer. They don't care about one being 'fit,' only how low the scale number.Thing is - I can't even get down to where the BMI charts say I should be. Fifteen years ago, I wore a size 4 and - using current BMI charts - was still overweight! Not morbidly obese, but still overweight.

Someone posted the following on the curriculum side: I have actually wanted to post a rant about the BMI charts and insurance for the past two weeks and was prompted to after reading the above... DH's company went out of business the end of June. The company paid up insurance through July, but then we will be w/o coverage. We have been trying to get private insurance and have been denied because I am morbidly obese. Like the gentleman mentioned above, I am 'fit' by all standards except the BMI charts. I run/walk 3-4 miles most days of the week, lift weights, mountain bike, hike, garden... My measurements are all good -- excellent blood pressure and blood sugar levels. My waist is a decent size. Cardio stress test was awesome. Depending on brand, I wear between a size 12 and a size 14. According to my doctor, I could lose 15-20 pounds max for my body size/frame. But - according to the insurance company's doctor - who has never even met me -- I need to lose "at least 85 pounds." My doctor blew a gasket when I took in the paper work and showed him. He said there was no way imaginable that I could lose anywhere near that amount of weight and be healthy. I've been crying for the past two weeks because I am too fat for us to get medical insurance and trying to decide if I want to live on celery sticks for the rest of my life or if I want to go bury my sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. :tongue_smilie: Biggest Loser is in town, seeking applicants for next season. I'm thinking about trying out. Rant over... Anyone else struggle with the BMI charts?

My mom buys back to school supplies as a 'gift' for all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (Except us, since we homeschool and "don't need supplies." :001_huh:) She was just telling me how much money she spent. Yikes. It was funny listening to her rant about buying facial tissues, trash bags, air fresheners, hand soap and the like - and how much school supply lists have changed since my sister and I were in school many moons ago. She asked me why every child had to bring in 24 pre-sharpened pencils and how many I thought we went through in a year. Um. Maybe one. Two at the most. We are on our fourth year of homeschooling and I am just now realizing how much money we save on clothing by homeschooling. Our son does have more 'play clothes' than many children, but I don't buy many nicer outfits. Two or three outfits is enough to get by. I find that when we go on vacation - and I want him dressed nicer and we don't have easy access to a washer/dryer - that we need to buy him clothes.

I have this info saved off - think it was from TOS website?

I've personally come to the conclusion that "Good schools" and "Good suburbs" are a total myth to keep property values high.We live in one of the "Top 10" suburbs according to that list. We just had a 19-year-old boy die from a heroin overdose in the house next door to us. I have since been doing research and found that our suburb has had multiple drug busts at the high school not 2 miles from my house - each bust netting ~80 or so children. This has never been in the news. I just talked with a neighbor the other day that has a son in public school. She was not aware that we had a heroin death on our block until I asked her if her son knew the boy. She then had a 'sit down' talk with her son and found out about the drug busts. She asked him, "Why in the world have you not told me this?" His response? "Because the school told us not to tell our parents." :glare: Even our neighbors with boys in drug rehab did not know how bad the drug problem was in this community until we had a boy die on our block. The detective I spoke with said that the 'nicer' DFW suburbs have the perfect elements for making this a big area for teen drug abuse --- teens with lots of spending money, parents that aren't watching their children and easy access to drugs given that we are right off the I-35 N/S drug corridor. I'm certainly not saying this area (or any of the DFW metroplex area) isn't good -- just that I wouldn't buy into this area w/the belief that it is a "good suburb" with "good schools." We moved here 15 years ago when it was a sleepy little farm community. It has grown a lot since then and is experiencing a lot of growing pains.

Personally, I think the Dallas and FW zoo are both 'blah,' but that is comparing them to the Omaha, Memphis and Kansas City zoos. We do keep season passes to the FW zoo, only because we go to FW often and will drop by for an hour or two. We prefer the FW science/history museum over Dallas. FW is showing an IMAX on Van Gogh right now. The National Cowgirl Museum has a Georgia O'Keefe exhibit right now. We haven't seen it yet, so don't know if it is worth viewing. The Amon Carter Museum is currently hosting an Ansel Adams exhibit. The Bureau of Engraving is very nice - and free. They have special exhibits this week. I often use this website for field trips: http://www.texaseducationvacation.com/ If the older children are interested in air transportation, there are three museums in the area - Cavangaugh in Addison http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/'>http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/'>http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/'>http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/ Frontiers of Flight http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/ C.R. Smith Museum http://www.crsmithmuseum.org/flashintro.htm

We have used the solar science kit from Educational Insights for several years now and had a great time doing different activities. We also made a solar oven from a pizza box several years ago and we pull that out from time to time to 'bake' (or melt) something. (Directions for a pizza box solar oven are available on-line.) I am really wanting to buy the Thames and Kosmos solar physics! If you have a Hobby Lobby by you, you can often buy solar kits for 40% off. Not exactly what you are looking for - but if you want another fun solar project - the solar print paper is awesome! http://www.hometrainingtools.com/super-sunprint-kit/p/KT-SUNPRNT/ My son had hours of fun mixing plastic toys with ferns and flowers from the garden and making wild pictures.

I am using Elemental Science Chemistry now for an 8.5 year old that wants to be a chemist. We love the program! There are options listed for more experiments, plus we are making our own periodic table on poster board as we go along. I also search the library's on-line catalog every week or so for the upcoming topics - hydrogen, etc. It has been extremely easy to find additional information to add to our studies.

Well - on the flip side - I just got an earful from my neighbor's adult daughter, who happens to be an 8th grade math teacher. She said she wishes she could afford to quit her job to homeschool her daughter. Her daughter - despite both parents being teachers and a grandparent as a principal - is struggling in school. Not just with academics (which she says she hates) but also with socialization! The teacher actually said to me, "I don't get it. The stereotype is that homeschooled kids aren't social. But your son has never gone to school and he is so social and my daughter has always been in daycare and public school and she is struggling with socializing." I just smiled politely and bit my tongue. Then she started in on her daughter's academic problems. :tongue_smilie: She was telling me how flawed the public school system is and how she doesn't want her daughter 'subjected' to it anymore. She is pulling her daughter from ps and putting her in private school this fall. So maybe your bil will be in for a rude awakening when he actually gets in the field and starts working? We can hope, huh?

DH and I slept apart for several years. He had gained weight and snored something awful! I tried earplugs, but our son sleepwalks and I was never comfortable sleeping with earplugs in and not being able to hear if my DS started wandering around the house. DH lost 40+ pounds and his snoring is so much better. He recently started sleeping back in the bedroom. But! He still waves his arms around in his sleeps and talks in his sleep! :glare: I keep threatening him with duct tape... And! He is awful about setting the alarm, then hitting the snooze button for over an hour! Seriously! He will set the alarm for 6:30, then not get up until 7:30 or even later. Drives. Me. Nuts.

Re: Caterpillars in jar / dying. A few hints for keeping them alive. 1.) Bring in ones that are large and nearly ready to form a chrysalis. 2.) Make sure you identify the caterpillar AND identify the food it needs. Just because you found caterpillar X on Y plant doesn't mean it eats Y plant. It may have just been passing by looking for more of its host plant. 3.) Jars will be too humid and, if placed in direct light, way too hot. Keep caterpillar and host food plant in a netted habitat out of the sun. 4.) Make sure you keep a fresh supply of the host plant for the caterpillar to eat. If you bring in the caterpillar too soon, be prepared to watch it and keep it fed for a week or more! They can eat a lot! 5.) Some caterpillars turn very quickly. Others, not so much. The gulf fritillary we brought in a week ago last Monday hatched today. The Io moth we brought in last October didn't hatch until April! If you have a chrysalis, be prepared to monitor it. (We went on vacation and had our pet sitter watch over our chrysalis.) You can buy kits from Insect Lore, Home Science Tools and Carolina Biological. About 5-6 painted lady caterpillars come in a little plastic jar. It takes about 2-3 weeks from arrival to butterfly. I don't know where you live, but they won't ship in the heat of summer or dead of winter. Spring and fall, obviously, are better times to order. The jar would need to be kept inside or under a covered area. The jar is lightweight and has a cardboard lid - not designed to brave the elements. Last spring, I bought three luna moth cocoons from Carolina -- they were incredible! Can't wait to hatch those again!

We had a similar situation when DS was 5 and taking lessons at a privately owned swim center. I screamed and the owner turned around to see my DS under the water. He didn't even bob up, just slipped off the wall and went down. After a full year of lessons, he had no inclination to kick or anything. Just slipped down and under. The owner jumped in, fully clothed, and pulled DS out. It aged me at least 10 years!

I count all field trips as school. We normally do 30+ field trips a year, so I do shoot for a few more days than the traditional 180 school days. (We don't have to report days or hours, I only count for my own sense of peace.) Last year, we had 192 or so "school" days. Three hours seems to be my min for what I count as a school day, at this age/level. Outside activities, like attending a lecture or small activity, I record but may or may not consider it as school. Ex: If we have 2 hours of school in the morning, then attend an hour lecture on meteorology, those three hours are a full day of school. But if we attended the lecture by didn't do school (math or LA) then I wouldn't count it toward school.

I am not familiar with Sonlight, but I just used the primary BF guide to American history with my 3rd grader. I wished I had used their intermediate level instead, as the primary was not as 'meaty' as I would have liked.

Did you see the poll the other day re: Did you finish the school year? Someone replied that "finishing wasn't their goal." I need to go back and re-read what that person wrote. It really hit me. I have always felt like a slacker. Even when my child was a baby, I always joked about being the slacker mom when all my friends were doing this or that with their baby. I have always just sat and read to my son. Guess that paid off - I now have a son that would pick reading (most days) over TV or video games. I like the organic feeling to our unplanned days. My son is thriving and learning - and, most importantly, he loves learning! I simply cannot wrap my brain around all those filing systems and complex plans. I keep a simple flow chart with the general direction we want to advance penciled in. Otherwise, we just go with the day. :D Found the quote I liked - from Rosy. That sums up our school.

I personally love this blog post re: socialization: http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2009/09/the-oldest-one-in-the-book/?cp=2 I homeschool an only child and totally agree with the above quotes. We hardly spend our days at home, chained to the kitchen table. DS has taken a variety of classes outside the home: science, chess, music, P.E., art, etc We go to weekly park days. We do volunteer work. Last year, our homeschool Christmas party had ~120 children in attendance and we knew almost every single child! And - yes - we are on the go so much that at times I have to stomp my foot and say we are staying home so we can actually HOMEschool! If you are interested in a book, I highly recommend this one: The Well-Adjusted Child: The social benefits of homeschooling by Rachel Gathercole.

I had mine out four years ago. I didn't have stones - it just quit working. (Probably related to pregnancy-related liver problems I had.) Anyway. I hadn't eaten for ten days before the surgery, as I was horribly sick. My family doctor mis-diagnosed it. My ob/gyn finally diagnosed it properly after five days of miserable pain. She sent me to a surgeon, who decided I was having a heart attack. He sent me to the hospital, where I laid for three days having every test under the sun performed on me. :glare: On the tenth day, I finally had my gallbladder removed. I seriously woke up and felt like a totally new person. It was the middle of the night and I got up and walked around the hospital floor, then ate a week's worth of Jell-o. I did have a lot of infection so had a lovely drainage bag for a week after. But I was up and moving right away. I ran a 10K just a few months after surgery. I think the worse was vacuuming -- it seriously hurt to vacuum for quite a while after. I think I only took pain meds a few times, nothing after the 2nd or 3rd day. Re: Planning. I had several people bring us in meals after my surgery, but honestly -- I couldn't eat anything they brought except the bread! Salad. Pot roast. Casseroles w/heavy cream sauce. Not things my gallbladder-free body wanted at that time! I don't really know what food I would recommend, but I did like plain boiled potatoes, Jell-o (normally don't eat!) and bread for the first few meals. Best of wishes to you!!

Today is DH's birthday and DS and I put together this basket: http://alphamom.com/family-fun/holidays/diy-fathers-day-gift-superhero-craft/ Yeah, I know it is promoted as Father's Day gift, but I already had a gift planned for that when I saw this. DS also painted a picture of a guitar for DH (a hobby they share) and I framed it.

Zucchini or carrot muffins Sweet potato muffins or sweet potato pancakes/waffles Eggs w/salsa or sauteed veggie mix Spinach in fruit smoothies (Today, we had frozen pineapple, mango and banana w/fresh orange and spinach) My DH went on a mostly raw diet and is now eating carrot sticks for breakfast. I still can't think of raw carrots as a breakfast food, but he loves it.

We used it from Pre-K through 2nd grade, quit part-way through 3rd grade to use Singapore. DS learns new concepts easily, but sees no reason to repeat... and repeat... something he already knows. For the lower grades, this was great. But I started to feel like it spiraled too much for DS to really learn his math facts. I ended up supplementing with half dozen workbooks, trying to get DS to learn his math facts solid. I decided our math program was insane so quit Mathematical Reasoning and all the supplements to focus on Singapore. I debated for six months about dropping MR, now wish I had switched earlier. :tongue_smilie: Sorry I don't have a great review, but that was just our experience. Like I said, for the younger grades it was great. I do feel like DS has a solid understanding of math - was it their book or that DS is mathematically inclined like his father? I don't know. MR was good while it lasted. By near the end of the 2nd grade book, I started to have reservations.

I hear all the time, "Oh, the schools in your community are wonderful, some of the best." Twice lately on this forum, I have seen my 'sleepy little suburb' mentioned when people asked for suggestions of where to move in this region. And - of course - the 'wonderful' school system was cited as one of the reasons to consider moving here. But what does it really mean? Our state standardized test scores ARE some of the best in the state. But when you compare them to the NAEP test scores, our district drops around 30 percentage points. And the number of children in this district that have to take remedial courses in college is within 10 percentage points of the inner city students 30 miles away. Over the weekend we had a teenage boy die from a heroin overdose in the house right next to ours. I have heard whispers of a drug problem at the high school for years now, but the public school parents I have spoken with call it an 'imported problem' and say that children from neighboring suburbs are coming over here and doing the drugs. "It's not our children," they will quickly say. The police detective spoke with several of us neighbors at length after they had removed the body and finished their on-site investigation. He basically told us we were stupid and had our heads in the sand for not realizing before what was going on at this house. Well, none of us have children in the public school system so we all said, "Here? Really?" The other neighbors (with grown children) were quick to say, "But we have such good schools here." The police detective choked and said, "This school has one of the highest rates of drug usage I have seen in 30-plus years of detective work. I would hardly call it a good school district!" He then spent half an hour explaining the drug problem in this community. Needless to say, we were all shocked! The detective cited a 'perfect storm' for the drug problem -- wealthy suburb right off the main north-south interstate of a border state equals: easy access, teens with above average spending money, parents that give children whatever they want and don't 'parent' because they are too busy at the country club. We have two boys in this neighborhood that have been in and out of rehab. Both boys dropped out of school and now spend their days smoking at the curb. One parent told me I was being judgmental for saying I want the drug house shut down, then she said I was 'gossiping' for wanting to talk about the issue. I don't get this mentality. Why isn't it acceptable to talk about a boy dying of a heroin overdose in suburbia? Why do people always cite 'wonderful' school districts? It seems it is a a phrase tossed around with no meaning behind it. Doesn't having a high rate of drug use negate the fact that we have great state standardized test scores? I am so hurt by this boy's death so close to my home, to think of him dying just feet from me while I was going blissfully about my own life. I know I'm beating myself up and probably couldn't have done anything to save him, even if I hadn't been so blind to the problem. But I can't believe that - even today - I had a friend respond to an e-mail and say, "Heroin? In your suburb? No way. You have such good schools." Why must everyone counter with that?

My mom always thought she could keep my sister and I busy with tons of extracurricular activities, we wouldn't have time to get pregnant. I don't know if she had any specific talks with my older sister or not. But my sister became pregnant at 15, married and a mother at age 16. (Still married 30 years later, though it has been rocky at times.) What my mom didn't take into account was my sister WANTING to get pregnant. My parents were in the middle of a divorce and my sister wanted a way out of their drama - she saw getting married and moving out as her ticket. I personally don't see a lot of people talking about how to prevent teen pregnancies when teens want to get pregnant! My sister has been active in her community, working with teenage mothers. She has always been extremely vocal and up-front with her own children about the challenges she faced as a young mother. Her own daughter became a unwed mother at age 17. I know my sister said for a long time that if anyone could have prevented a teen daughter from getting pregnant, she thought it was her - she was so open with her daughter, her daughter knew all the info about bc, knew the consequences of choices, etc.