I don't really remember how I set it up. I'm sure Google helped me out, lol. I know that I had a bit of a panic when I started hearing about Amazon going in and closing accounts, with no recourse for the account owners. I have a few hundred kindle books :/ That's when I started looking into the options available to manage digital files. I'm not sure how they can justify the copyright laws on digital products. I can buy a dvd, watch a dvd, then sell the dvd. Same with a CD or a book. Why does the product being digital mean that suddenly I have no rights to that product? It makes no sense...

Honestly, I'm not sure. Probably a "gray" area, at best. It's not something that I recommend, but it is an available option.

I have a Nook, an iPad, and a cheapie Kindle. The nook is my least favorite, and I haven't used it since I got the iPad. The Kindle is a very new purchase, and I went with it because of the ability to use the Kindle Prime lending library. I appreciate the lack of glare, but the trade off is not being able to read in the dark. I need to get a light for it. Honestly, though, if you have liked your Nook up until this point, keep using it. Make sure that you root it, though. I never used any of the B&N books and apps on my Nook. In fact, I downloaded the Kindle app to the Nook. It's not that hard to root it, usually, and gives so much freedom. ALways, always, always back up your digital copies. As for your question about why there is a risk for losing everything with an upgrade: THEY DON"T CARE. There is no incentive for them to create software updates that preserve the free stuff you have placed on your device. None. Why would there be? As for likening it to theft? The bad news is that according to digital copyright laws, you don't own any of the digital books anyways. Doesn't matter if they are free or if you paid for them. Amazon or B&N or Apple or whoever you purchased the book through, can come in and yank it off your device. This is why I always run my Amazon books through Calibre software, and remove the DRM. I can keep a backup on my hard drive this way. It's a PITA, but worth it for my peace of mind. I find the laws regarding digital copyright completely mind boggling.

Well, if you want to have a really cool science experiment, you could actually build your own incubator! Doing this really gets into the importance of temperature and humidity on developing embryos. If you don't want to build your own, a farm/ag store in your area will probably have incubators you can buy. There are also plenty of online places to get them. The cost around $50 for a basic styrofoam box with a heater, and go up into several hundreds of dollars for 'bators with more bells and whistles. You can build a much cheaper and better 'bator than the $50 one, though. For eggs, I'd just check out Craigslist. As long as the person selling them has a rooster, you should be good to go. Your hatch rate will be much higher than with eggs purchased online. It will also be much, much cheaper than buying online. I buy eggs online, but only because I want a certain breed or variety. There is a ton of info online about hatching chicken eggs and building 'bators. Backyardchickens.com is a message board with a bunch of resources for you.

Has she had her progesterone levels checked? Had any sort of work up for a clotting disorder? Had her thyroid checked? If not, you might consider looking into that.

I'm gonna have to say chiro. My TMJ flares with stress, and there is a little exercise I do that helps keep the severe pain at bay. But chiro gave me the most relief. It's also much cheaper than most dental therapies for TMJ. FYI, the exercise consists of pushing the tip of my tongue against the roof of my mouth, just behind my teeth, as hard as I can, with my mouth open. I make sure that my jaw is aligned correctly, and slowly close my mouth, gently, against the resistance created by pushing my tongue up. It should feel kinda hard to close your mouth all the way. I do this a couple of times, whenever I feel symptomatic. Hope this makes sense...If not, I'm pretty sure that I got the idea from this book.

Does anyone else get nauseated from taking zinc? I have to take it right before bed and fall asleep quickly, or else I'm miserable.

Talk about your concerns with your child's doctor, and they can refer you to a developmental specialist, like an Occupational Therapist (OT) for diagnosis. Exercise can help, but tone has more to do with the brain telling the muscles how taught or loose to be, rather than on just developing muscle strength. If you can picture different types of springs, like a slinky or a clothespin. Some springs are very loose and easily stretched out, while some take a great deal of strength to get to move. Muscle tone has a range, with some people having such poor tone that they can't even sit upright without being propped up. Sufferers of traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, etc., can all have very poor muscle tone. The same types of insults can also cause the brain to go the other way, and these people develop muscle contractures, or are unable to walk because the muscles are soo tight that they almost become bent over. There is a wide range of tone, and various things affected. In children, learning can be affected in a number of ways by poor/low muscle tone. A good OT, and probably physical therapist (PT) can diagnose and treat muscle tone issues a variety of ways, as well as offering tips and tricks for adapting activities to individuals with low muscle tone. Not sure how helpful that I am, lol. I work with babies, and many of them have muscle tone issues. The OT/PT's work very closely with us in identifying and offering therapies to at-risk babies, so that is where I come from. Hopefully, a homeschooling OT or PT will come along and offer a better explanation than me ;)

I adopted as a single parent from a private agency. My friend adopted as a single parent from the foster system. I don't know of any specific agencies that cater to single parent adoptions, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

Honestly, that $500 is a pretty good deal. The fabric, foam/batting, and upholstery supplies really adds up. And you will still only end up with an amateur job. If they are something you really care about, consider making the investment in new upholstery. In the mean time, if you can sew, maybe make slipcovers to cover up the seafoam green. You could also try painting the fabric. Seriously. They make paints for that very thing. Mint green is also becoming a popular decor color, so perhaps you could find other ways to add it in the rest of your house decor to help the chairs work into it. I took upholstery classes a few years ago. I reupholstered a chair. It was A LOT of work, and I can't imagine how to go about it without the knowledge that the pros have. It is not an intuitive process, by any means! With that said, there are some pretty good upholstery books out there. I like the one by Singer probably the most. I was able to get some supplies from Joann's Fabrics. The single most useful tool is from a hardware store, and it is a small pair of side cutting lineman's pliers, also called dykes. These are great for pulling out the millions of staples you will encounter. They can also snip off the staples that break. You will also need a good staple gun, so that you can put down a million new staples to tack the new fabric on the frame. You will probably need some wood glue and basic woodworking tools in order to make any repairs to the furniture frame. Hopefully, the springs will all be in good condition, and you won't have to restring those. If you need to do any webbing work, then a webbing stretcher will be useful. The best bet for fabric will be a solid color that will last a while, because you won't want to redo them any time soon. Sunbrella makes an indoor/outdoor velvet that is a durable and stain resistant. Avoid stripes at all costs, as matching them up is a real pain. Same with large patterns. It is a bit like matching wallpaper, except a ton worse. You will also need to figure out what you want to do for welting. Sewing your own is always an option, as is purchasing pre-made. Are the chairs tufted? Channel backed? Wing backed? Skirted? Roll armed? These all have unique challenges to them. I used to think that upholstery work was a big rip-off. After having done it, my mind is completely changed, lol! It is better to start with smaller projects, like dining room chairs, ottomans, and headboards. There are tons of tutorials available on these things, and they can help get a feel for how to pull and staple fabric, work around corners and edges, add welting and tufting, etc. Starting out your upholstery endeavors on 2 matching chairs might be biting off more than you can chew. I have 2 chairs that I plan to recover at some point. I'll probably just have it done by the pros.

My 7 year old daughter regularly brings her babies with her where ever we go. They are often carried in a doll carseat/carrier contraption. It would never occur to me that this was anything but "normal" behavior. I know that I "publicly" played with dolls until about 11 yo, and "privately" much longer. Heck, at 37, I will admit to owning a couple of Blythe dolls. I fully intend to never be "too old" to play! As far as being socially acceptable or whatever, who cares? There is plenty of mainstream behavior that I wouldn't want my child to engage in. If she is seen as weird by some kids, then those are the kids that she isn't likely to have much in common with. She will find some other weird kids to be friends with, you know, because this is how it works in real life. This is why there are such things as Star Trek conventions, Boy Scouts, and WTMforums; to allow similarly weird people to hang out together. I can't help but laugh at the irony of a question about social acceptance being asked on a homeschool forum!

Well, my neighbor owns a landscaping company called Bushwhackers. Every time I see his sign, I think of Beevis & Butthead. Every time I giggle. I'm a girl nerd that thinks it's funny.

The Pareto Principle intrigues me. In my ongoing efforts to simplify my life, I am looking for ways to apply the 80/20 rule. There are so many resources and curriculum and methods out there to use for home schooling, that I tend to get bogged down by all of the options. It occurred to me that the 80/20 rule must apply here, as well. I am looking for feedback on what, in your experience, is the 20% you have used or done, that has generated the 80% of the learning in your home?

I'm an RN. I very seldom recommend this career to anyone. The advantages are that it pays pretty well, and has a lot of options for employment. The disadvantages are the hours and working conditions. I think it is probably the hardest of the options you listed. I think that I would have enjoyed being an u/s tech. They have good pay and usually better hours and working conditions. I would also consider being a dental hygienist, as they probably have the best pay, hours, and working conditions compared to an RN, RT, or U/S tech.

I'm in the midst of read it, but have already found it useful in the work setting.

Can someone point me to any spin-off or accountability threads related to this one? I reallyreallyreally need all the help I can get :/ Thanks! Debra

You should both be proud :) Your dd handled that better than most adults would have!

I have never heard of that. I can see it happening if the stuff was abandoned in a foreclosure, but not just because the house was being foreclosed on. Even in a bankruptcy, you can still keep most of your stuff!

My daughter and I are downsizing from 1700sqft to less than 400sqft :D. Right now, my big struggle is sorting thru all.the.stuff we have accumulated. I have honestly thought it would be easier to just set the bigger house on fire and walk away from it all. Needless to say, there isn't much we'll be taking to our new house. I am enjoying the challenge of working the new space to best reflect what I value the most, and finding solutions to some of the small-space challenges. It definitely gets me thinking out-of-the-box, which in turn amps up my creativity. Also, I prefer to think in terms of what we are gaining, not what we are losing. For us, and perhaps for you, is the financial security that comes with being mortgage-free. One solution for your husband might be to save up and put in a free-standing office space where he can store/display his computers. This could be as simple as a used RV, like an Airstream or vintage Shasta, re-purposed for an office space. I am planning for one that will be a craft/office for me, one for an animal hospital/treatment area, and one for a homeschooling "room." I have some acreage (and animals) so this set-up works for us, but just throwing out an idea that you may not have considered.

I am struggling to be charitable towards this attitude that the only families that have the right to call themselves homeschoolers are the ones that do it a certain way. This will be my first year homeschooling my daughter. I opted to use a state-funded charter school. Why? 1. It provides me with the structure and accountability I need, as I have ADHD and it can be difficult for me to maintain focus on a long-term project. Each month I will be required to submit a form summarizing how we met the learning objectives. There will also be state mandated testing we have to do. This will help me stay on task. 2. There is a nice stipend provided to purchase curriculum, subscriptions, and fund activities. They also provide a computer/printer and subsidize internet. I like to think of these funds as a tax return, since it totals about what I pay into the state for income taxes. I am still the one teaching, researching and choosing curriculum, lesson planning, grading, record keeping, etc. In addition, I have the added responsibilities required by the charter school. For a non-homeschooling parent, I sure do have a lot of work ahead of me to provide my non-homeschooling student a non-homeschooling education in our home! :tongue_smilie: Really, though, I can't imagine why any of this should matter to you or anyone else. It is just another extension of the mommy-wars, and only seeks to divide and categorize people. There is nothing positive to be gained in this war, unless the goal is to cause hurt and separation. Yes, there are some, like the HSLDA, that maintain that the *legal* definition reallyreallyreally matters, and that somehow the virtual academies and charter schools are secretly planning to infiltrate the "real" homeschooling communities and turn them into public-schooling-zombie-borgs just like"us"! Until someone can come up with a compelling reason *not* to call ourselves homeschoolers, I'm happily going to continue to do so ;).

I read several of her entries, and what struck me is that her issue isn't homeschooling, but rather a certain brand of Christianity. She perceives that homeschooling is dominated by this type of Christian. Quote: Although the contemporary homeschooling movement began with radical, anti-establishment hippies, the dominant force in homeschooling now is conservative, evangelical Christians. I absolutely support a person’s right to religious freedom, but I have serious doubts that my support is reciprocated. Lack of religious freedom is less directed at me, however, than it is toward children in these religious families. Vision Forum provides one of the most popular homeschooling curricula in the country (it may be the most popular, but I don’t have data to be sure). I looked up the "most popular homeschooling curricula" she is referring to, and most of it I have never heard of. She does admit, in her latest post, to having developed an obsession with fundamentalist Christians. She seems to really value religious tolerance, so perhaps it is easier to label herself anti-homeschooling, than anti-Christian? What I found rather amusing was her post on her daughter and algebra. She details how her daughter was out of school for 3/4 of the year, and was given a passing grade in algebra, because of the work she did the first 1/4. She then went on to easily pass a test to prove mastery in the subject, took algebra2, and geometry, which she also passed, and got hung up on precalc because she didn't know algebra. Ironically, this all occurred at public school! Imagine that. I think your friendship with this person is safe, unless you become a fundamentalist Christian ;), or begin to tire of the hypocrisy.

I called them about out-of-stocks, and the customer service rep couldn't find the item with the search function. She even looked up the ISBN and couldn't find it that way. Very odd. I was going to try to take a screen shot and email it to them. Very frustrating experience with the whole site! However, I got 44 items for $30.80 using the 30% off coupon. :D I am so jaded from my experience, that I am going to download everything right away, because I don't trust that it will be there the next time I log in, especially since I had to register twice in 1 hour. Somehow, it "forgot" me, even though I was actively using the site the entire time! :glare:

http://www.4shared.com/document/gDmKKdrU/SOTW_Vol_1Ancient_TimesTime_Li.html It's kind of a pain, as you have to set up an account. Her new blog is at : http://tendingourlordsgarden.blogspot.com/

I'll let you know if it makes life easier! I am giving/selling/throwing away about 80% of our stuff. It is both liberating and terrifying. Every bag or box that leaves this house, leaves me feeling less weighed down from ALL THE STUFF, and feeling more like myself.

It is entirely possible to be grateful for the children you have, while still grieving the loss of your fertility and all that it entails. It just flat out sucks that it's not your choice to be "done." I am very sorry :( I am sad for you that you have already rejected yourself as a potential adoptive parent. The reasons that you cited certainly would not prevent you from adopting, if that is what you want.