This is very true. We babysat a Golden for a few months this year who, shall we say, is not the sharpest tack in the bucket, and he would literally stand on top of the line getting shocked as if he actually enjoyed it or something (with the stubborn dog collar set on high). Then he would just wander on over it. Dh said that maybe he just had us all snowed - he was really a genius and knew he could run down the battery fast that way...:confused: I felt so bad for him that I actually started chaining him up a few hours a day so that he would take a break from it. Luckily, he is home with his people now. :)

My Rottie has obsessive/compulsive problems, so she is either chasing bird shadows or standing over the pond barking at the shadows in the pond... she will do this for hours and hours. The Golden hunts moles all day then brings them up to the house and puts them in a little pile by the garage. So fun! :glare:

Honestly, I think these fences work great, but it really depends on the dog. We had a beagle and 4 acres of (electric) fenced yard with ponds and creeks, yet he was so fixated on chasing deer that he never cared about the fence (and we had it on the highest level with the strongest collar. We eventually gave him away because the hunters in our area would have shot him if they saw him going after the deer... Now, our Rottie and our Golden mix would never cross the line unless one of us was being attacked or something. When their batteries run out I don't even notice half of the time because they still won't cross the line. Oh, and we have the big collars (for "stubborn" dogs) that use a 9-volt battery, and they last a long time for us because the dogs rarely even make them beep. The smaller collars have a special battery and we used to run through those more frequently, and yes, they were more expensive over the long haul.

We have four, but it only assesses (is that the right spelling? - Ds is giggling over my shoulder:glare:) as a 3 bedroom b/c DD's room does not have a window... (converted attic space). However, they never spend time in their rooms, so Dh and I always talk about just having a bunk room for sleeping or a bunch of those Japanese style capsules for the kids and a big play/rec room.

Ds 5 was like this... he would rather just hold it for days and then hide somewhere when he had pullups on and then go. Since we live out in the country and all of the boys think it is so great to pee outside, Dh convinced him that it would be super fun to go #2 outside as if they were camping. So, he went once in the woods. And that was it, he was fine ever since. I don't know, maybe it was just understanding the feeling of the freedom of no diaper/pullup that made him ok with going on the toilet:confused:. No idea, but for us, it worked.

Yes, it is a mess. These are the dumb kind of things I do when Dh is away... duh.

:lol: You are probably right except my gravel driveway is more dirt than gravel mainly because of all of the snow plowing... maybe I'll try it again after we get it redone :tongue_smilie:

Thanks everyone... I do have a lot of ashes. We use the wood burner as our only source of heat all winter, and yes, it is just regular hard wood. So, I think I will save most of it and mix "some" of it in with my regular layers in the fall and let it sit over the winter and then use some of it to sprinkle around right now... The rest I can just dump somewhere on the land like we usually do. The neighbor lady puts hers on the driveway when it gets icy... I did this two years ago and the whole thing turned to muck in the spring.... lesson learned. I was just hoping that I could use them in some kind of beneficial way:001_smile:

Can I/Should I dump my wood burner ashes in the garden? This is probably a dumb question, but it is only my second year with a garden and everything is going really well, so I don't want to mess it up! :D I am in the process of cleaning out the basement so that we can load all of our new wood back in, and I realized that I have a ton of ashes from last year. Can't I just dump it all in between the rows or would it be beneficial to put it around the plants? Or no, not at all? I do the no-till "lasagna type" method. I already have layers of newspaper, leaves, dry grass, straw, etc. everywhere... it just seems like the ashes would be good too.... any advice???

I had a good friend in the Navy who had very thick, wavy, very long hair. Of course she had to have it above her collar when she was in uniform, so every day she put it in a very nice french braid down the back and then tucked the end up under the braid. It looked very nice and professional, didn't get in her way, and, most importantly, didn't give her headaches. Plus, it looked very pretty when she took it down after work! :D

:seeya: You are right about the area! We live about 30 min. south of the river, and we try to spend time up there every summer. It truly is beautiful! Don't forget to tour one of the castles (Singer or Boldt) - you can combine a tour with a very nice boating cruise for the day. FYI - there are also some little known summer home rental communities up in that area that rent out beautiful victorian homes for a few weeks to the whole summer. I can't remember for the life of me the name of the one we have been to, but it even has a small library, ice cream parlor, playgrounds, and summer activities for the kids all right on the water... ETA: Here's a link to one of the communities. This site has great pics of the area, and if you have an extra million or two laying around or just like to ogle the beautiful homes on the river, check out the properties for sale link! :) http://www.thousandislandslife.com/ThePlace/Communities/tabid/416/agentType/View/PropertyID/10/Default.aspx

Anyone have any experience with the Fort Polk area (cost of living, schools, housing costs, availability of outside activities like sports for the kids)? And, can someone give me a simple overview of the HS laws for LA? I am not sure I completely understand all of the stuff I've read online... Dh is currently deployed and they just informed them that they are indeed shortening their dwell time (time at home between deployments) AGAIN (last one was only 11 months with almost 2 months away for training...:glare:). SO.... since he is already at 18+, he could just keep his rank and get out, but he is up for the next rank and if he takes it, we would have to add on another 2 years (which means another deployment if we stay here... not happening...). However, there are two slots possibly opening up which are non-deployable... one is Ft. Rucker, AL (been there already and familiar with the area) and the other is at Polk.. It looks like there is at least a 12 month wait for on-post housing, plus we just prefer to live off-post, so I am really curious about the area. Schools are important to us since we *may* filter our older ones into the high-school at the appropriate time - want to keep the option open if the schools are decent... I'd appreciate any info or advice y'all can give!

Exactly my first thought - as this kind of thing happens regularly around here (except usually porcupines and deer - - and only when Dh is deployed... why is that?)

See, this is how I read the regulations and also how we handled things in a prior state (I think it was Ohio.. geez, can't remember). And also, when we were in Alabama and the mandatory age was 7 ... they weren't going to put a 7-7 1/2 year old in kinder... that would just seem ridiculous. Besides, most Kindergarten programs are fairly mild in the real learning department (in my experience). We took DD out of kinder and began homeschooling because they were just learning their letters, colors, and the days of the week - she was thoroughly bored and the teacher was actually a bit miffed at us because she already knew how to read. I just really don't think that these states that don't make kinder compulsory would make a big deal about putting a kid into 1st if he walks in knowing how to read and write... Anyway, in order to convince her Dh to let her homeschool him this year, and hopefully for a few more... ;), she is going to just call the actual school district to make sure. Honestly, I don't see why she would even need to deal with NY at all if the compulsory age is not here yet. They will probably be moving before he even turns 6.

Thank you for the HEIR link, that will be helpful! Honestly, she is on the fence about homeschooling, mostly because her Dh is not totally on board. But he is a reasonable person, I think he just needs to see it all down on paper before he would go along with all of this. If it was up to her, I think she would consider homeschooling all the way through at least elementary school. I am not trying to push her or anything, just trying to give her the info and the resources since she is asking... Otherwise, I would probably just tell her to send him to kinder here and then move when they move...

Well, it looks like GA is not compulsory... http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/askdoe.aspx?PageReq=ASKNewcomer "Compulsory Attendance 

Georgia law requires that students attend a public or private school or a home study program from their sixth to their 16th birthdays. Public Kindergarten is available in every school system, but it is not mandatory." And here in NY, she would be within the age criteria of NOT having to enroll him in anything this year, plus they will be gone before 1st grade starts. So, I would think that they would be fine not doing anything this year as far as paperwork. However, you guys make good points, so we will try to figure out where in Savannah they may be moving and then contact the superintendent's office to see if they will have any problems.

Oh, that's a good point... duh. Well, it won't be hard to do the paperwork for K here, so then at the same time she will have something to show the new school district when she gets there. I guess I was just thinking that the less mess with paperwork the better. Thanks for pointing that out though!

I have a friend (military family) who are supposed to be moving some time in the spring next year and/or whenever their house will sell from New York to Georgia. They have a 5 year old, and mom would rather just keep him home and teach him the Kinder basics than send him to the public school for an unknown amount of time. Dad would probably be on board if there was a solid plan set down. My thought is that she can set down an academic plan AND NOT register him here in NY nor in GA for this year because he is not of compulsory age yet. Then they could simply enroll him in 1st next year when they are settled in. (He is 5, turning 6 on February 15, 2012) Is this correct???? Am I reading the regulations correctly??? NY says, “...a minor who becomes six years of age on or before the first of December in any school year...until the last day of session in the school year in which the minor becomes sixteen years of age†or completion of high school. GA says, “Between their 6th and 16th birthdays.†Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 20-2-690.1. However, if a child is under 7 and has attended more than 20 days in a Georgia public school, he is subject to the compulsory attendance laws. I will help her map out a plan for the academics. I just don't want to mislead here legally... Anything I am missing here?

Congratulations Laura!!! What a great start! I can't wait until my cucumbers and tomatoes ripen so that we can try your recipes... already bookmarked you:D

We have 4 kids and one on the way with about a 1200 sq.ft. house, and we don't feel cramped at all. I think layout has a great deal to do with it too. Our house is about 1200 sq.ft., but when we opened up our kitchen to become a great room our house just seems so much bigger. We also converted the large attic into bedrooms for the kids and the spaces are used efficiently so that there are large feeling areas all over the house. Some houses with the same square footage just seem cramped mainly because the space is all broken up or used unwisely.

We do let the kids climb and be crazy in the house. That is one of the factors involved in buying a house for us. Dh was adamant that he could have a house that he could modify for kid fun (and his, actually). We currently live in a log home with cathedral ceilings in the great room, and the first thing Dh did when we moved in is to put up rock climbing handholds on the tall wall in the living room. They blend into the wall so nicely that no one ever notices them until someone (man or child :D) starts climbing them. We also have a few trap doors, a hidden room and two hand swings (that - yes - hold a grown man) hanging from the log rafters. I was a little skeptical at first (I grew up in a "don't touch anything" house), but Dh manages to do these things so that the house still looks very nice - plus already having the "rustic" look to the house helps out a lot! We have long winters and super active kids/dad, so we just thought that we should embrace the climbing and craziness and make it easy and safe to play and explore in the house so that the nice things we do have don't get destroyed.

FWIW, I go to APU as well... I have 3 classes left, and I chose it after doing quite a bit of research (there is absolutely no way I would have been able to go to a B&M school right now. I have done 3 1/2 years at Univ. of North Texas and have an Assoc. degree from George Washington Univ., and these classes are much more rigorous than any I have taken before (perhaps its the format - but my profs. absolutely expect a deeper understanding of the material from us in these classes) (I'm and English major). Plus I have had only two profs. with less than a Doctorate - one taught journalism ( he had over 15 years with the Washington Post and over 10 years of teaching experience), and the other was creative writing (she had an MFA from a wonderful school and has been published all over the place). Many of my classmates have gone on to great Masters programs at B&M schools, so I know I haven't wasted my time - and for my purposes, this place fulfills my needs... Would I recommend the school to everyone? No. I'm not sure that I would go here for certain programs, but for things like Military History, Intelligence Studies, Homeland Security, and Disaster Management, it is one of the premiere institutions around... Really, where you go totally depends on your needs, the program, and what your future employer is looking for. I would just do my research (both of the schools and of the people who are hiring in your field).

My dad was Army, and when he got out we moved from TX to Calgary then Edmonton for work and then back to Dallas... I wanted out of there by about 10th grade, but didn't work up the courage until college (when I dropped out and joined the Navy:D). I moved 3 times in my 4 years, then married DH. DH was Navy as well and since we were married we've moved 10 times (in 13 years...:confused: how does that happen?) Oddly enough when we were Navy, we got the itch to move every 1 1/2 - 2 years; now that we are Army, the itch comes at about the 3 year mark (I am very happy that it looks like we will be staying here for another 3-4 years - however it also makes me a little bit stir crazy). So, yeah, Dh is at 18 years, looking to stay in for 22.... when he gets out he has always talked about Medical school... but we just don't think we can stay anywhere that long! :)

I just think that it totally depends on the person and the situation. I went to a 4 year University straight out of HS because that was what was expected; however, I had no idea what I wanted to do with myself and had no idea what was "out there" for me as an option. So, after 3 years of switching majors, wasting my my (worked year-round to help with expenses) and my parents money, I dropped out and joined the Navy. I knew I needed to "get out there" and see what was available. I "thought" I wanted to eventually go into the medical field (doctor or nursing), but my Navy experience (Corpsman) allowed me to realize that my personality was not fit for a patient care kind of position. It would have been a complete waste to have gone to school for one of those things had I never experienced the environment first. What I did find was that the Lab suited me wonderfully. Lab school in the Navy, along with my basic undergrad classes, gave me an Associates from George Washington University, and once I passed the National Certification Exam, I was extremely marketable in the civilian world (and never had to come out of pocket for the degree). Plus, in the field, with an A.S., I was only making a few dollars less than the Technologists with their B.S. (for me, it was fine, but you will never become a manager, etc.). I am currently finishing up a B.A. in English (a. because I am interested in the classes and like being a student, and b. because I can do it debt free, and c. because there are future job opportunities that interest me that do require a degree). DH does not have a degree and does not need one - he is one of the most educated and intelligent people I have ever met. However, when he retires from the military, if he decides to go switch gears and go into some field that requires a degree, he will do it - IF we can do it without the loans... So, my advice to my kids is... if you are passionate about something that requires a degree, then you [the kid] and we [the parents] will find a way to finance it through work, scholarships, etc... or, unless you've gotten yourself a very nice scholarship, and you just want to go to college for fun and because you don't know what else to do - perhaps you should go out and live in the real world for a couple years and see what you are truly interested in.

I do like to hear stories like yours - mainly because we have always gone through this journey knowing that most or all of our kids would eventually filter into the schools at some point. We are in an area that does not offer many sports/drama/music opportunities outside of the schools, so we knew that we may need to keep our options open. DD12 is in fact going to be attending the middle school next year for grade 7, and although I know deep down that she will excel and enjoy it, it is nice to hear it from others who have made the transition as well!:D