.

For an informative look at the idea of taking homes from the poor, some reading about far-reaching eminent domain decisions and economic development may surprise you.

I'm not Minnie but am someone who worked three jobs sometimes and had a child while attending college full time. It was brutal! My school days were MWF so on those days I would work a fast food job from 4:30am to 10:30am with classes at noon and on. T/TH I worked for a construction company doing whatever grunt work needed for the apartments they were building. On F evenings /Sat mornings/Sun mornings, I worked at a local them park. DH and I were married so he worked the opposite closing shift at a fast food restaurant. We usually had one car during these times but sometimes had two. There would have been no way for us to do this without transportation. When I took summer classes, I only worked the theme park and fast food job. Homework was done whenever I could. We did this for right about two years and it almost killed our marriage. In hindsight, we'd not do it again. It took too much of a toll on us.

Yep, some days it does seem unfair and demoralizing. As pp have said, there are many ways that we can support our children some monetary and some not. Don't sell yourself short, there's probably a lot you can do to help your dc get launched in life that doesn't require extra expense: work with dc on raising ACT/SAT scores, focus on PSAT for a shot at National Merit, help dc build an impressive resume with academics, leadership, and community service. If you want to give more financial support, many of us choose to go back to work at least part-time when the kids are older just to help with increasing educational expenses. Some of my IRL friends have found clerical work at local universities so their children qualify for discounted tuition. There's been many times that I've wished that I could just write a check for something, but it just wasn't possible. There are lots of days that I dislike needing to be frugal or want a nicer home or a newer car, but I try to remind myself of the long term goal of changing our family tree with both finances and personal relationships. Yes, we do own an investment property but it's taken us almost thirty years to get to that point. Best wishes and encouragement as you find a way that works for you and yours. :grouphug:

Sorry if I missed a post, but do you have stats for only homeschoolers and not all who take the ACT or SAT? Many states require everyone to test nationally in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. That comparison would probably be a better indicator for success. Using state averages convolutes the issue, imo.

The bolded made me want to comment. The US federal government does allow baptismal certificates as id for some benefits and documents. Not that this has any bearing on the op's decision, I just wanted to share. I'd have no idea myself if not for the fostering we did a couple of years ago.

I'm in total agreement that children need to be fed. It's not on my list of things to be angry about either. Wouldn't even have thought of it except for reading this thread. Thanks for pointing out the income limits to me.

I agree with what you're saying in regards to irregular income and having to make the money last. The folks I'm talking about are solidly middle class and are usually paid once a year with a large payout. Its an industry where folks make a lot of money upfront, and then make residuals. If the yearly income was divided by twelve months it would be much greater than wic income requirements. Yes, they do use wic as a means to offset other expenses; which is what I object to when their overall income is well above the poverty line. ETA: In my original post there was also another paragraph where I advocate for wic being more accessible to those in our city's poorest areas with mobile wic clinics.

How about building a shed with your kids as your homeschool space ? Dh and I are currently looking for a shed and have come to the conclusion that site built is so much cheaper than transported.

I can agree for the most part here. Wic though is not based on poverty. it's based on income. As airforce mom says, I've seen folks collect wic who aren't poor although they meet the income requirements. I live in an area with lots of middle class folks who have project based work with one large payment then much, much less. In that regard, I agree with her that more hoops are needed. It's really irksome. On the other side, we have working moms who skip the extra food $ because its too little to miss work for after the babies are off formula. What I'd like to see is more of the mobile wic clinics which go to the library reading hours to go to the poorest corridors of our city in the morning and evening for a couple of days each month and to accept doctors records/vaccinations reports instead of needing to see the child. If our goal is truly the children, then the services need to be accessible.

nm -- started a bunny trail

nm.

We own a beach house and love it. It's paying for itself but there are expenses that are different at the beach than at our home. Be warned there's lots of insurance talk below :-) As pp said, be certain what the flood insurance covers. The rules for flood insurance on condos can get complicated. Don't trust the realtors knowledge of the flood insurance needed. Check with the HOA, the bank or mortgage company, and with an agent in that area. If you're purchasing as an investment property instead of as a second home, the norm is that you'll need to have six months of expenses in cash assets. Also be certain to check the HOA fees and declarations ( I think that's what the rules are called ). Know that if you're in a designated coastal resources area, that there are rules about your NFIP availability. Your rental management company may also have insurance requirements for your hazard/homeowner's insurance. Do this at the very beginning so that you know you can afford the payment each month and that your income to debt ratios are in line. Finally, think about purchasing a $1million umbrella policy. These are usually less than $200 and protect your assets once your other liability insurance is depleted. I hope I don't come across as a Debbie Downer. We had a terrible time with our lender because they misclassified our flood zone, and I don't want anyone else to have the troubles and delays that we did. Our angel of an insurance broker went to battle for us and walked us through the entire process while educating the lender. Best wishes as you reach for your dream! ETA: Closings cost will usually include a year's flood insurance paid upfront ( not sure how this'll work with your condo HOA policy ) and three months escrow cushion. Federal regs require flood insurance to be escrowed.

How about a pottery mug? You can usually find local in a museum gift shop or arts festival. Easy is also a good source. Dh uses his Xlarge mug for water after he finishes his coffee.

In addition to backup plans and games, I like to bring my own dry erase markers and butterfly clips. Dry erase markers are in case the teacher didn't leave any, Butterfly clips are to make certain no homework or assignments get lost.

Well since you said anything, I'll just throw this out: Maybe try the Weston Price info about rebuilding your teeth. There's a group in our area including a dentist who recommends it. I have no personal experience with it I have tried oil pulling ( with coconut oil ) that helped with minor gum issues, and it worked well. On the other hand, my BIL had horrible issues with his teeth and decided to have the remaining ones pulled in his early forties. He's happy with his choice and his dentures. Best wishes to you as you find a dentist who is willing to listen and to work with you.

If it's worrying you, then you can always go ahead and register your daughter as a homeschooler for kindy. You're not required to,; but if the peace of mind is worth it, then go ahead and register. Homeschoolers vary tremendously on the amount of government regulation that they're comfortable with. It's okay to do what you feel comfortable with as long as you're within the laws of your state. You'll also find varying opinions about HSLDA. I'd suggest reading their materials before making a decision. You can always sign up for a year, and then renew or not. Hugs to you as you find the past path for your family.

Hugs and prayers

Thanks for saying this. We're another family who does not allow unmarried couples to sleep together in our home. It's a stance that seems to get a lot of flak. As a general response to the thread: I've not ever had anyone complain to us that they couldn't share a room with a SO. We're mainly dealing with young adults, and they know at the time of invite what to expect when visiting us including no drinking and smoking outside. As for others questions about children, of course they're welcome! Children are children and are in no way accountable for their parents' actions. Guests who are gay -- of course they are welcome. We'd treat them as any other guest. People of all religions are welcome in our home. So far we've only had Atheists ( not a religion depending on your source) and Hindus. As for the pp family who mentioned the mom and boyfriend, it seems they want to respect the relative's home by revealing the marital status of the couple. Not certain of another reason to reveal it. As far as preaching our beliefs to someone-- Nope, not happening. We do have family prayer at night and guests are welcome to join or not. We also have a simple/short grace before meals when hosting guests who are not religious. We do not proselytize our guests and expect the same from them. I don't think I'm the hostess with the mostest but no one's left in the middle of the night yet :-)

I have nothing to contribute but want to say that I've enjoyed this thread. It makes me want to create a sewing room, and I rarely sew.

Bunny trail alert! Could you elaborate on being able to take level 300 and 400 classes? Did you do CLEPs, or placement tests, or something else? That's awesome that she can take these classes so soon.

If you're comfortable with woodworking, you can find similar plans for this online. It'd be a lot less expensive.

I can agree with a lot of what you wrote. I think though if this was the first time, then I would have let the gf stay. If I was unhappy with the situation, then I would have talked with ds the next morning and said not to ask again. Then followed up with goldberry to talk with her dd. I couldn't in good conscious ask the gf to drive home and wouldn't want to call the parents out when we could all just deal with it for the night. I'd rather err on the side of grace. Now if there was BS going on, and folks weren't where they should be during the night, you betcha I'd call goldberry no matter the time. FTR -- unmarried couples don't share a room in our home, even if they live together already. This issue has come up before when we host college students. We're at a convenient travel point for ds' college friends, and we often host at Thanksgiving. Ds just let's folks know up front, and it's no big deal. We usually have a girls room and a boys room at T-giving.

Ouidad is another curly salon that might be near you. I've heard that they're also good.

Agreeing so much with the bolded! I own most of the PHP products and our homeschool days are wrapping up. This is year 20 for us. I'd love a way to give some $ to SWB towards the forums. I occasionally log out to see the ads and click through, but I'm not sure if that really helps or not.