Thank you both. Filing is my next step. I just didn't want my mother to get in trouble if he flies off the handle, even if it was prearranged. I didn't think about falsely reporting a crime. That's a great point. Thank you both, again, for the encouragement.

Please, anyone?

Please help with any advice you can give. I live in WA state. This is the situation: A vacation was planned for DD to go with my mother (her maternal grandmother) to the Florida Keys. It has been planned for three months, tickets purchased 6 weeks ago and various reservations made. DH and are fighting and he is angry at my mother and is threatening to revoke the vacation and said he will stop it physically because of his dislike of my mother (this week). Mind you verbal agreement was all okay and hunky-dory before their and our blow up. My mother and DH have a very close relationship, since her birth. She has never neglected her, never harmed her (other than doting on her every whim :glare:) Anyhow, does he have the right to cancel this vacation without my consent, or worse call the police and claim kidnapping? Any advice would be appreciated. I have no close friends I can ask. Thank you in advance.

Thanks, tarahillmom. I also have the option, due to her age and progress, of doing Running Start (a free Community College during high school in WA program) I was wondering if actually taking the college courses might be a better route...plus I wouldn't have to pay a gazillion dollars for a home lab. My only hesitancy with that is if she decided (earned) to go Ivy, would having CC courses look worse than AP even if she was 16?

I'm a little ahead of the game. My DD is definitively STEM bound. She's scheduled for HS biology next fall (she'll be in Singapore DM 2 at the same time) My question is: Should she do a regular HS Biology the first year, then to Chem and Physics, and then to AP Biology or ? Is this too much time between? Also, has anyone taken a look at the new AP curriculum objectives and decided on or changed their text choice. I know that Carolina has reworked and added the new AP Biology Investigative Labs, so that's nice. I found a FREE site put out by an AP instructor with TONS of schedules, homework assignments, FREE Bio text, links and more.....AND his/her syllabus was just College Board Authorized for the NEW AP course for 2012-2013. Here's the link: http://www.grochbiology.org/apbioindex.htm Has anyone started using this?

Love ours! I took one 4x8 sheet made a 5 x4, a 3x4, and two 3x2 boards. Big one is one the dining room wall, one in dd's room, one on the pantry door and the other little one she uses as a lap desk...awesome for math...doesn't need scrap paper. This is an old picture. I got some 1x2's and painted them for trim. It serves as a marker shelf, too.

Well, don't any of you Empress', Queens, and Keepers, change anything. :blink: I've looked to you guys for years, even on the old boards. Oh, how will I ever lurk again? :svengo: Yeah, that's right, my post count is low....that's because I've been so busy collecting honey :toetap05:

Not sure if this helps, but... I bought Adobe CS Design Premium (I think now they are on version 6) and taught myself using all online tutorials. You can get with a HUGE educators discount at Academic Superstore. Depending on what level, you will have Photoshop, Illustrator (vector graphics), Flash, and Dreamweaver (a web designer HTML translator) and other programs included. If self-disaplined enough I see no reason your 9th grader can not do the same. My just 11 y.o. is starting to 'play' around. If her interests continue then I'll start her on formal tutorials next year.

Thank you, Dory. I hope today is better for you. I wonder what caused your calf to be so huge? We are big Jersey fans. DH grew up with them and Angus, they even had a Jersey/Angus that milked well. We'll probably bottle feed:willy_nilly: (just got done with a batch of goats...ugh) I might try milk-share once a day milking, but I don't like what a calf can do to teats in the long run. Take care and I really hope you find another Jersey 'friend' soon.

I know!!! I'm just as shocked. :lol:

I feel the same way, however, I tend to do both...esp. after ummm....active sleeping? :blushing:

:grouphug: So very sorry. Our new Jersey heifer comes home next month. I can't imagine loosing her. Such sweet animals that give us so much, feeding our babies as well as their own. Out of curiosity...what was she A.I.'d to? I'm tempted to go with a small Angus for beef, but... Has she had many calves? Again, so sorry for your loss.

I agree with all the other posters. Just about everything is cheaper home cooked from scratch. I just made 50 plus bean and cheese burritos for the freezer (really easy to grab and throw in the toaster oven). I soak dry beans, slow cook them in a crock pot with onions and bacon, then mash them but not fully. Best tasting refried beans without actually being refried. I buy bulk Costco tortillas and cheddar (grated w/my food processor). Total cost around $11 for 50 really big and plump burritos. So, around twenty two cents a burrito and they are three times the size of Taco Bell ones. I do this once a month. Some times for variety I'll make make some with taco flavored hamburger, homemade Spanish rice, and add some mango salsa. This will bump the cost up to around sixty cents, but these are big buggers. One is plenty for a meal.

DD is looking to correspond by email with...well, just about anyone (kid). She loves her dogs, 1 cat, goats, chickens, ducks, and recently lost her horse. She likes to read (a lot), swim, ride mountain bikes, skateboard, hike, and is an avid outdoors person. Her favorite subject is Science. We live on a homestead in Eastern Washington State, but we used to live near Seattle. We've classically homeschooled her whole life. We are secular, but she is very polite and respectful of difference. Please let me know if your child might be interested in a new E-pen-pal.

I get that. :001_smile: I respect that. It is not religious connotations that bother me it's the government regulation of words like "pepperoni". Where does it stop?

Has anyone seen this article from CNN http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/28/new-york-city-schools-ban-loaded-words-from-tests/?hpt=hp_c1 I'm seriously at a loss for words.... :banghead: :svengo:

:blush: Stupid observation. Obviously, it was only me.

Both books could certainly serve as a core spine, and one could put a program together with tons of lab kits. But, these are reference books. I needed a bit more. Science, to me, is all about the scientific methods of systematic investigation and proof. I never trusted myself to go without good curriculum in Science. Just to be clear I was originally refering to these books: KE and this Usborne book. I think the OP was talking about the books for younger kids, but I got my big Kingfisher when dd was 4 and it has been a steady go-to for years.

You technically aren't really behind. In Singapore they start their primary math at age 7 (1A). It's a good thing to start where she is comfortable and not push it. Singapore's process is based on building mental math skills. So, in some ways I think her maturity will be a asset and you'll probably see her grasping things a bit quicker. There's plenty of time. :)

I recommend the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. We have it. DD loves it and will read it page after page along with the Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Science...amazing. These will take you through to high-school. It will probably be over kill for a five year old...but why not start them early. :)

We have twenty acres, but around here that is like track housing in the suburbs. We love it and wouldn’t trade it for anything. About ¾ is treed with Douglas Fir, Pine and Tamarack (Larch), a half acre around the house for yard and flower beds, one acre in vegetable garden, one acre in orchard, and the three in pasture, corral, and barn areas. We are mostly surrounded by BLM and Timberland so our nearest neighbor is a ½ mile away. We are between two small towns, and by small, I mean populations less than 500. I suppose some would say a major drawback would be the driving distance for shopping. Our big city is an hour away and I shop once a month. Of course, you have to plan, be frugal, be organized, and want to operate like this. Wildlife is both a blessing and a pain in the butt. For instance, last week a pregnant moose decided to block our driveway for two days. Would not move AT ALL! Some civil services can be sporadic like police and fire. We are prepared for all types of emergencies up here. Also with more land is more expense for the upkeep. Fencing, driveway repair, plowing, and outbuilding maintenance can get expensive, especially if you are not a do-it-your-selfer. All that said, the pros totally outweigh any cons. We are 80% self-sufficient. (We’d be more, but we lease ten acres for hay and grain). Our daughter is very versed in survival situations, vetting, foraging, organic gardening, livestock husbandry, food preservation, and home economics. Her back yard is nature. Last week my Dh woke us up at 3AM to bundle up and lay out on the deck where watched a spectacular Northern Light show. Nope, wouldn’t trade it for the world. Homeschooling and homesteading go hand in hand in my book.

Around 3 my dd firmly grasped "yester" and anything past was yester year, yester week.... Now at 10, I'm doubtful on how well she grasped time at all because EVERYTHING is tomorrow. :D

In response to the OP original question of whether or not I am bothered by this: Yes, but probably not in the way most people are. What bothers me about the permit issued to a Native American tribe to hunt two Bald Eagles is not for the fact it is a bald eagle (which is not on the endangered list) or even for the use of the bird. It is, in fact, over whether or not they should even have to apply for a permit. The legal jurisdiction regarding Tribal land is quite confusing and seems to differ from state to state. The whole issue of whether or not they are Sovereign Nations is quirky at best and I see both sides. On one hand, they should be able to govern themselves and on the other hand, most tribal lands (as I understand it) are in a U.S. trust and are therefore under U.S. Federal jurisdiction. The fact that the crime on reservations is two and sometimes three times our national average is another topic perhaps for another day. As long as the act does not fall under the Major Crimes Act, and hunting does not, then I see no reason why they cannot hunt whatever they want, whenever they want, and for whatever reason they want on THEIR LANDS. How they manage their hunting practices is their own business. However, when it comes to U.S. public lands then ALL people regardless of race, religion, or whatever diversity should have to comply with U.S. federal laws. I say no permit necessary if on their lands. No permit granted if on U.S. lands.

Sorry, just re-read your post about house hunting. Maybe you know someone in Seattle that has a library card # you can borrow?

I just replied to your HS question for WA, so, Welcome again! :001_smile: If you know where you are moving, i.e. have an address, you can get signed on with either the King Co or the Sno-Isle regional library system. Both are EXCELLENT and offer a great selection of e-books, audio, and video downloads. That might keep them occupied during the move.