He looks so much like my mare. Do you happen to know any of his breeding? I love the big, long Thoroughbreds.

Amy G, please tell me about the horse in your "avtar", well I think it's called an avtar! He/she looks just like my beauty!

My daughter just got hers off and she was SAD about it! She did complain of them hurting after they were tightened each month so I told her to start taking Motrin before her appointment and every four hours after that if she needed to. I never had braces but it seems like they are so much better these days than they were back then. I also remember taking my daughter to get milkshakes at McDonald's after each ortho appt. She did get alot of canker sores though for some reason. Maybe because of the excess saliva. Also, even though she didn't love brusing, she was diligent about flossing each night. She didn't want brown marks on her teeth from where the braces were. So, tell your daughter to make sure she brushes and flosses each morning (brushes) and night (brushes and flosses).

Those reading glasses from the drugstore, or the Dollar Store aren't good for our eyes, even if they make the print easier to read. Our eyes usually aren't the same and the lenses in those cheap glasses are both the same. For instance, my left eye is much worse than my right so my eye doctor prescribed lenses that accomodate each eye's vision situation. My eyes starting going bonkers as soon as I turned 40, like the day after! It freaked me out how fast it happened. I also agree with whoever said that it seems like they get even worse after you start wearing glasses, that they get lazy. It seems to be true! Go get them checked, you'll be glad that you did.

He might have learning disabilities and his "tiredness" is a way of avoiding what he knows he doesn't understand when it comes to school. My daughter has LD's and she will do just about anything to avoid learning. Not because she doesn't want to learn but because it's so hard for her. He might not even know how to express that to you. He also might have ADD which is why he forgets the things on the list that he has to do. My same daughter also has ADHD and I have to tell her in very short lists what she needs to do or get done. Your son might have auditory processing issues. There is so much that might be going on. Please let us know what the doctor has to say and remember, even if you ramble on for 20 minutes in his office, who cares, you are your son's advocate and no one is going to do more for him than you are.

teach very "loosely"? It seems like everyone on here has their kids doing a ton of things in their homeschool. It makes me feel like I'm not doing enough for my daughter. We do the four subjects from books, PE, music (because we have to) and art (because we have to). My daughter is in ninth grade and she's doing Life of Fred math. She doesn't love it. I'm not sure why I think I have any business homeschooling her as I don't even know how to do Algebra. She's a pretty "smart" kid but she struggles with math. I've asked her if she wants to go back to school and she doesn't want to. It seems like everyone on here is grooming their kids to go on to college and my daughter doesn't even know if she wants to go to college and what if she does? I don't think I'm doing a good enough job of preparing to get her there. She doesn't have alot of ambition when it comes to school and we just do what we have to do to meet the regs in our state. Does anyone else ever feel like this? Thanks.

I guess I'm wondering why your cat needs to wear a collar in the first place. We have three cats (barn cats) and none of them wear collars. I worry that they would get caught up on something and that wouldn't be good.

I have (and have had) Sonicare toothbrushes for several years. I LOVE them. My teeth feel squeaky clean hours after I've brushed them. I never go to the dentist (because I can't afford to) and the few times that I get my teeth cleaned, the hygienist is so amazed that my teeth are in such great shape. I know it's because of the two minute timer on the tooth brush. Well, that and the fact that I floss twice a day and use Listerine twice a day, but that toothbrush is the star! My daughter (14) on the other hand, just said she doesn't like them because she feels like they're too big for her mouth.

I would call and ask to talk to the supervisor. Just talking to the person who answered the phone isn't going to get you anywhere. Ask for a follow up to, to make sure it was talked about with the driver. If you don't get anywhere with that, then just call the police.

I don't know what I would do if I had eight kids. I would hope that I would not talk to anyone the way she SOMETIMES talks to him, but since I'm not perfect, I'm not going to say I would never do that. Walk a mile in her shoes then think about the question again. It's so easy to throw stones or to criticize other people, and it's also really ugly. Are you guys saying that you've never, ever said an unkind, unflattering word to your spouse?

math? I know it's a very broad question but here's our "dilemma". We are using Life of Fred books. We are doing the decimal and percent book right now. There are things in the book that my daughter already knows and some of the material that she doesn't know, she catches on very quickly to. But...there are other things in the book that she absolutely does not know (sets is one of them) and the way the guy explains them is ridiculous. He will also throw questions in there that he hasn't even discussed. Because of the way my daughter learns, this is not acceptable to her and now she doesn't even want to use LIfe of Fred (and I think I agree with her). Why is it that when you start using a new curriculum everything starts out great, wonderful, but then as you get into it more it turns out to be a dud. My daughter is in 9th grade and isn't sure what she wants to be when she grows up yet so she's not heading toward anything specific in her schooling right now and because I believe that math and grammar/Language Arts are most important for our homeschool, what kind of math "program" can I do with her that is explained easily and nicely without silly stories and stupid jokes?! I can't afford anything even remotely expensive as I'm a single mom on a VERY LIMITED budget. That's why I was hoping there was even something she could use online. Anyone? Suggestions? Thanks.

I can't believe your horses stand tied to the gate. Mine would've ripped that thing right off the fence! We (well our barn owner) got two new horses yesterday. One is an 8 year old QH mare. Chestnut with a white sock and a white blaze. Sweetest thing. The other is a 5 year old black and white paint gelding. He's sweet too but VERY mischievious! They have only been ridden on trails and that was hardly ever, Western. My daughter and another girl at the barn got on them English last night and they were great. Okay, well, they're very overweight because they've spent their last 3 years in a pasture eating, with not much riding, so they were S.L.O.W. but even still! And the best part about this is that they were free. Absolutely free! :lol: Unbelieveable. You gotta love Craigslist!

honey? I bought, and opened, a jar (plastic if it matters) of honey last fall or winter. I haven't finished it and was wondering if it is still good? I have kept it in a cupboard. How long does honey last? Should I throw it out?

do any of you use this? We're in the decimals and percents book and we're on chapter 9 where it talks about "sets". This is incredibly hard for my daughter and myself (yes, I admit it) to understand. Does she need to know what "sets" are in order to do pre-algebra or algebra? I so badly want to skip this "crap" and just move on but if she needs to know it in order to get to algebra I'll try to figure it out with/for her. Sometimes I can't STAND this curriculum and want to throw it in the garbage and go with something else. HELP!

Is 5-6 weeks considered regular? I always thought it was between 21-28 days.

Because the kid said that she could play on a few occasions, I'd ask the mom what's up. It the child hadn't said she could play, then I would have just dropped it and told my daughter that it wasn't going to work out. We always want to protect our kids but sometimes things can be hard and they have to learn the hard way. I'm starting to believe that everything happens for a reason and there's a reason this relationship isn't working out. Don't push it, it's probably not worth it for whatever reason.

how long did it take them to get "regular" if you know what I mean? My 14 year old has had her period for 2 years and she's still not regular. She is going on day 35 now and in between this cycle and the last, on day 14, she spotted for two days. I don't know if I should be concerned or not. I tend to worry very much and I'm trying not to but this has me concerned but I'm not sure why. Help anyone? Thanks.

I'll be your horsey friend! We have a 10 year old Thoroughbred mare. Her barn name is Night and her show name is Hello Beautiful, except that she's never been shown! She gets too nervous when she leaves her barn. My daughter takes riding lessons at another barn and she shows the barn owner's horses for him. She rides hunter/jumpers and just loves it. I rode when I was younger so I'm so thankful that she has my love of horses. My other daughter doesn't care for them at all! We got our mare from the old man (86 years old) who raised and raced her. She chipped a bone in her knee so she was no good to him, which is fine with us! She's never been lame since we've owned her which has been about 4 years. My daughter is now training her to jump. Not too high (she saves that for the horses at the other barn she rides at). We'd love to get another ex-racer and train HIM (don't love mares) so that my daughter can show him. That takes money though and well...that's not about to happen right now! Anyway, I love hearing about other homeschooling families that own horses. Thanks for starting this thread.

I could use all of the prayers I can get for tomorrow. I'm going to court because my ex-husband is going to cut off his child support payments which make up half of my income. He has every right to do so because our daughter will be 21 on Friday but because of severe learning disabilities and devlopmental delays, she is nowhere near ready to go out on her own. She will be living with me for several more years, which is fine, I don't want her to go out before she's ready and comfortable, but I don't think it's "fair" that I should be solely financially responsible for her nad I know he won't offer to help financially. He is supporting another child from his second marriage and his current live in girlfriend and her child. I'm going to ask the judge to ask my ex-husband to consider continuing to pay child support until my daughter is out of high school (yes, at 21, she is still in high school) at the end of this school year. So, if you could pray for me, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

okay, I'm a Christian and I'm coming on this board because I know there are believers and unbelievers that come on here and I would like to get opinions from both sides. Anyway, I'm a divorced mother of a 20 year old learning disabled, developmentally disabled daughter. When I say developmentally disabled, I mean that she is 20 years old but has the maturity level of a 12-14 year old. She will be turning 21 at the end of this month. Her father has already filed the court papers to stop his child support the day she turns 21. There is no way that our daughter can support herself right now. She can't live on her own, she doesn't even have her driver's permit. The last time she tried to make popped corn on the stove, truly, she almost burned the house down, but she was "standing right next to it watching it". I can't get assisted living help or social security for her because she isn't "disabled enough". She is still in high school (public) through the ned of this year and she has a job through the school (part time). She is going to have to live with me for at least a few more years...at least...and what bothers me is that in our state it's legal (or whatever you call it) for her father to end the child support payments when she turns 21. I'm upset because I don't think it's fair that I am the only one to be solely finacially responsible for her after she turns 21. If I'm the one to be solely financially responsible for her then I don't want her to have anything to do with her father. Also, he has never, ever, ever taken part in her life. Every single school meeting we have ever had (since first grade) has been attended by me and he'dcome when he felt like it, he's never, ever taken her to a doctor's appointment or a hair appointment. He never, ever calls her on the weeks that she doesn't go over to his house (every other weekend), he has been very much a hands off father and it just totally irks me that this is all happening. Would you be mad? What would you do? Thanks. First let me say thanks so much for those of you who have responded. You have some great ideas. Secondly..to Jen...I guess I offended you by saying the word "unbeliever", I was going to say I'm sorry but I'm not going to because I'm not sorry. I go around all day long defending my belief in Jesus Christ and I just don't get it why whenever His name or the word "unbeliever" offends people. I have to hear people every day talking of things that I don't agree with but I don't say anything to them, why bother. I don't think I've "denigrated" anyone on this board as I do believe that each person on here is smart enough to know what I was talking about when I used the word "unbeliever". I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that maybe you're just having a bad day because why else would you get so upset over a word? Anyway back to my original post. I forgot to add some things...my daughter has been denied SS benefits twice. SHe has also been denied any kind of assisted living support...why?....because she has an IQ of 91 and I guess that's too high to get any extras which stinks because there is no way she can support or take care of herself right now. Don't get me wrong, she's totally functioning as a person...she just needs to be reminded ALOT about what she needs to be doing. You can add ADHD to her list of "disabilities". Her father is also supporting members of two other families (his child from his second marriage and his live in girlfriend and her daughter)...yes, the guy is a total train wreck but the sad thing is that his oldest child (my daughter) is at the bottom of his totem pole and she knows it but yet she still is striving for his love and attention and that's what bugs me even though I understand where she's coming from I still don't like it! I will definately look into the social worker thing though, does anyone have any idea where I would look for something like that? We live in NY.

My vote for any child under the age of 10 would be, hands down, a guinea pig. We've had them for several years now and they are one of the best kinds of pet a kid can have. Their personalities are priceless. Each one has something unique about him/her and no hamster, gerbil or gecko can come close, in my opinion! I agree that the cages that are bedded with shavings are smelly and messy but we use something called pellet bedding. It's $5 for a 30 pound bag and we clean it about every two weeks. The only time it starts to smell is when it gets to be about two weeks old. Because the bedding is pelleted, they have a very hard time getting it out of their cage (if you have the plastic bottomed cages) so cleaning and smell isn't a big deal at all. I am on a very limited budget and our two guinea pigs don't break the bank when it comes to buying their feed. My two daughters do have to share in buying their treats though because we like to give them different things (vegetables, fruits) often so they don't get bored with having carrots 3 times a day. We've taken the pigs to my mom's nursing home or just for rides in the car. I also have to admit that, at 46 years old, I am TERRIFIED of little animals but I have NEVER been bitten by any of our pg's throughout the years. Gecko? No way. Guinea Pig...any day of the week!

has anyone used this? Can you tell me ALL about it? We live in a very strict state (NY) and I have to test my ninth grader again this year. We had been using the PASS test but that only goes up to 8th grade. Someone mentioned the CAT test and I was wondering if any of you have used it. Can I give it to my daughter myself? Any information would help. Thanks.

I have this white "plug" like thing right at the end of my (and I HATE this word) nipple. I won't come out when I squeeze it and I'm afraid it's something bad. I'm afraid to call the doctor. Has anyone ever had anything like this? I'm in my mid 40's if that makes a difference. Thanks.

What a wonderful "story". God is good and even when we don't understand why we have to go through some things, He's still good and we have to remember that. Now, go be the best teacher you can be.

We have (and have had since the early 1990's) Verizon. We've never had big problems with them at all. There are 4 of us on our plan. Whenever we've had a problem, they have always gone above and beyond to fix it. For instance, I just called them the other day because I was very close on my minutes. The guy gave me 200 extra minutes for free. That is awesome. If any of us wants to switch phones with each other we just go online and do it. So many people have Verizon and if you call another Verizon customer, the calls are free. Nights and weekends are free too. It seems like everyone I know is switching over to Verizon so that says something. Also, with them being the largest cell phone carrier, you're always going to get more from them, in my opinion. I wouldn't switch to another carrier, no way!