I don't really have a mom. Bio mother left me with dad when I was two. Have been in and out of touch through the years...no real effort on her part. Step mother always made it well known to me that I was "stepchild" even though she married my dad when I was 6..so I was happy to have a mom at that age. Horrible parent throughout the years, I could tell some stories.and now as an adult, they live halfway across the country, never ever call, never ever visit, don't acknowledge my children, but she is sure to post fake crap on FB. Oh well, I use it all as a tool of how I do not want to be as a parent....won't repeat the cycle!!!

We have both but honestly I don't know about a key...those type of pieces tend to get misplaced quickly. I want to say that piece is not necessary to open either.

THIS!! I've lived in the south for the last 20 years (SC, north FL, and NC), though I grew up in the Midwest. DH is from NY (state, not city). Let's all come into 2013, shall we? The South is not some area with a large wall around it. We live in a global society. All kinds of people live in the South...not just those that were born and raised on the plantation here (btw, did you know that real plantations don't really exist anymore...most are musuems at this point!). In our cul-de-sac, we have neighbors originally from Michigan, California, Germany, India, and Rhode Island. I've have friends both in the Homeschool world, and non-homeschoolers who are just as diverse on their origins...and some that are natives. - None of us use the word "coke" for every type of soda....we call it by the name on the bottle/can...and there is no confusion at restaurants when we order Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper. -Sweet Tea is not assumed when one orders tea...servers ask if you prefer sweet or unsweet -Crickets do not chirp when strangers walk into a business. -Life is not slow. Well, I guess if you choose for your life to be slow, then it could be...but most of us run around to various appts, activities, errands, etc etc....most people are busy.....thus perhaps that whole "Lets get together for dinner" thing not happening...who has time to host dinner parties!!?!?!? -Racism....that is EVERYWHERE!!!! Read the news people, these things are happening all over the country! I've not seen any racism personally...I also have never once heard or seen a person act or say anything racist the whole time I've lived in the South. Racism probably wouldn't be directed at me, but I'd imagine someone might say something racist assuming I'd agree or something...nope, never happened. -Southern Belles?? Haha, that made me laugh. 2013 people. Teenagers using Facebook, Twitter, texting, doing all the things that teenagers in your state do. They are not wearing giant hoop dresses and going to cotillions, waving a fan in their face. So bare bones here.....the people and customs that you have where ever you live....pretty much the same as in the South because ALOT OF SOUTHERNS USED TO LIVE WHERE YOU LIVE! What may be different: -Weather...and that will vary WIDELY based on what part of the South....FL gets hurricanes, TN gets blizzards, the west side of South Carolina gets neither, etc. -Cost of Living...that will vary WIDELY based on what part of the South....high cost of living in big cities...not so much in smaller towns....then again..smaller towns close to big cities often have the HIGHEST cost of living....the appeal of country life with a quick drive to the city comes with a premium. -Public Schools: Yes, most of the southern states are in the bottom of the rankings among states for public education. Even with that, there are pockets of good schools too....but we homeschool, don't we? -We don't all eat grits with every meal. Actually at my house, we never eat grits, ever. -Not everyone has a southern accent. Those few that I've met with deep accents...it seemed they were often from rural areas. And that kinda stands out in a crowd...it tends to give you a "country bumpkin" vibe if you have an accent. Of course, of the millions of people that live in the South that moved here from other areas of the country, they didn't come with Southern accents. All three of my boys were born in the South..and raised in the South, and none have accents. My friend does have an accent...she's from New Jersey though. -Religion: again, you are not alone if you are not religious, or if you are not Baptist. Please. There are MANY churchs that are not of the Baptist orientation. And MANY people do not go to church, for various reasons. The ills of society, often blamed on people turning away from God's word...didn't just happen everywhere else, while us Southerners stayed true to the good Book. People do not start conversations with "Where do you go to church". Sure there's those that are really adamant about that, and may lead that way.....just like you probably have those in your state. Just as many may never ask you about your church, may never invite you to their church. In terms of Catholics, (not sure why this particular group was brought up)...of the four areas in three states I've lived in, every single area had a huge Catholic Diocese, and huge, expensive Catholic schools. What does that show? You can decide, but also keep in mind, there weren't too many other HUGE church schools run by other Christian denominations in these same areas. In my current location, we have a HUGE Catholic high school and a HUGE Episcopal high school. No HUGE Baptist high school though...hmmmm. -

I wonder...hmm. I guess it depends on where you are coming from, in terms of your science preferences. I've not used these, but I have/am using some of Queen's curriculum, and on the FB page. I like the idea of the Nature Science Books...but then again, I look at samples, and not sure I'm impressed..and the fact that some were written by her daughter as a teenager...yes, I know it's possible the daughter was completely capable and adept...on the other hand, it's also possible the daughter isn't quite ready to be an author of a curriculum that I would use to teach my children. I like some of the products and some of it strikes me as expensive for what you get. I'm using the Language Lessons...the content is what I want for grammar....the layout...I find poor quality, meaning they scrunch to much together on one page, the font is wonky. We use it because it does the gentle job I want for grammar. I've owned the Math Facts Copywork....I was shocked at the cost compared to what you get....I guess I was expecting something different. It's literally a few pages of many math facts. Why someone would pay for a page of basic math facts is beyond me (and yes, I kicked myself when I did!). I have the History Vol 1. It's okay. I like the content...though I wish the author would not have put so many of her personal thoughts and reflections and just kept to the story...but again, layout is just so cheap for the price. The schedule that is promoted as included in the book...so basic any dunder-head could do that without putting it in the book. Day 1, Read chapter. Day 2 answer narration questions. etc. The FB group kinda drives me crazy. It's just for people to post how much they love Queen's. Anyone who questions or has any sort of non-love gets shut down pretty quickly. Alot of promotion of their oils/soaps, etc...not impressed with those as I am one to read up on ingredients, and do not think their oils are as high quality as other brands. The final kicker that left distaste for me was when someone posted that they had found an error in a Queen's book, this page, this paragraph, etc. Sandi responded asking the person to take a picture and send it to her, as the book was in the warehouse and Sandi didn't have access to the book. Really??? A customer has to send you a picture of YOUR book to prove the mistake? You don't have access to it in a file on a computer? You couldn't have staff check into the next day? And another time, Sandi posted a long message about buying directly from her website, instead of other vendors, book stores, as she would retain more profit if people did that. As we have two homeschool book stores here in town, and both are small businesses run by homeschool families, that cater to a pretty niche crowd...I found that offensive that you would tell me not to shop locally, not to support homeschool book stores, who, btw, carry YOUR product, so that you could make more money. Ick. So anyhoo, not alot of help on the Nature Series, lol...just my random thoughts on Queen's overall. I'll never buy something again from them without seeing it in person, that I know.

The iPad has bookmarks when you are using Safari...just like bookmarks on a computer. No need for all that complication of iCloud, backing up on computer, Apps, etc etc. It's two simple taps on the screen. I don't have my iPad in front of me so I can't explain exactly...and the iOS recently changed, so the buttons changed a bit...so I don't know off the top of my head...but a simple google search will pull up a millions sites with directions but why not go directly to the source, Apple: (this is for the newest iOS by the way): See Page 48 http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1595/en_US/ipad_user_guide.pdf

Where else would you pay in advance for services that you never received? No where, I would think. I'd be upset...one cancelled class, okay....several that equal out to one month of pay for service not given...I'd be discussing that with her. Personally I would finding something else my child enjoyed. When I put time and money into something, it becomes a professional relationship, and the teacher cancelling numerous classes, and not giving notice...that's not professional and I'd not be giving my time and money to her anymore.

We went through this..enrolling oldest DS into high school after always being homeschooled. Things we did or wish we had done: 1. Yes, agree with writing his name on his work...that was an issue for the first month...got a few "0" grades for not turning on work...because they didn't know it was his ;(. 2. Note-taking...this is a biggie as it's just not something he ever needed to do during homeschooling. I had him go through a Great Course program that was all about how to be a great student and note-taking (we did this the summer prior to school starting..bought it on a great sale, paid like $9.95 for it...streamed it via internet) 3. A heart to heart about some things he may see or hear while in the halls. I'm talking slang/foul words, etc. Up to that point, he had not heard alot of these words, and didn't really know what they meant. We wanted to be sure that he knew what they meant, and why it was best that he choose not to use those types of words. Kind of an embarassing conversation, to say the least, lol. 4. Getting in the habit of writing down assignments. If I had to go back and do over, I would have started some process of doing that with him at home, instead of me spoon feeding his daily work on a nicely formatted, organized printed out sheet that he just had to read along and check off. Maybe a weekly sit down with due dates of upcoming assignments type of thing that we could have done at home. I would have had him more responsible for getting work done by a due date. For example, at school he may have a week to turn write a paper and turn it in. That first year, he often waited until the last night before working on it. (Believe me, we harped and harped on this). Maybe it's a boy thing...I've heard other parents at school talk about the same issue. This year, as a 10th grader, he's getting better about that issue. 5. One of the BIGGEST challenges I faced was about ME, realizing I wasn't in full control of his education anymore. I didn't always know every assignment he had, he didn't always want me to check over his homework, he never wanted our help with studying...we truly want to help..."let's study your Spanish vocab...I'll read the English word, you tell me the Spanish version" type of thing...nope, he didn't want us to help with any of that......and maybe that was because I had spent 6th-8th grade gearing him to be more independent. Teachers and coaches want to speak with the student, as if he's the adult or decision maker...I guess they are wanting these children to take responsibility...but for me, I want to be fully involved, and our son doesn't make alot of decisions fully on his own...it's a group effort at his age. So the first year was a challenge for me too. This 2nd year, I'm getting more used to it and familiar. The rest of the stuff, ie testing protocol...teachers go over that in class, with everyone. How to communicate...I mean, I assume you are homeschooling a human who's left the house before, lol...so I'm sure he can communicate with other humans. Some things my DS just had to learn by doing...things like going through the lunch line, getting from one end of the school to the other in the few minutes between class, opening a locker, communicating with teachers. He fell down a few times as he learned, (his first day in the lunch line was quite a challenge), but he picked it up quickly and he's adapted fine.

Because the people that come knocking on my door think they are coming to save me...that until I join them, I am a huge risk...they have one simple purpose, to turn me into their fold in hopes I become one of them, in hopes they can save me. They have a single minded purpose for knocking on my door. A 10 year Old child, who probably has been told to share her faith, is still not likely to be trying to save her friend. More likely just talking about interesting things that she likes. She likes the Sunday school and all the fun activities at my church, wanna come have fun too? Hey listen to this story in the bible, it's my favorite story! That's where most of the 10 year old Christian girls that I've personally been around would have been coming from. They weren't trying g to save anyone, or turn anyone, they were just talking about their daily life.

5th grade...so about age 10 or so. Come on, people, the child is neither being rude or pushy. She's simply sharing an interest with her friend. No different than the kid at the table who wants to talk about mine craft all day. The OP's child can be taught to move away if it bothers her, or share with her friend that she prefers not to talk about the bible and bring up a different subject. Good learning moment for OP's daughter. The other child will learn on her own as well that not everyone wants to hear the bible being read, and will learn as she matures, when it's a shared interest versus being a turn-off. Let's not confuse this young child sharing an interest, something she's being told to do every Sunday, btw, with the people who come knocking on the door every month. Completely different motives.

On the other hand, perhaps you are making this more than it was...you walked into the situation afraid and with preconceived notions. You thought the dog growled meanly because you told it to get down...from the sound of the owners reaction, it doesn't seem like the dog is one to turn vicious. Perhaps your reality of the situation, based on your fear, is not the reality they saw of the situation.

We had the accident policy for a while. They paid us if we had to go to the dr for checkups, emergency, etc. I guess it would be good if someone's deductible was high for health insurance...The Aflac payment would balance it out, I suppose. My FIL, who has liver cancer, got checks from them.....he had a cancer policy with them and he's gotten several large checks, ie $10000,from Aflac. Of course with all the treatments, they just use that to help with their out of pocket. The weird thing, somehow Aflac had access to our healthcare info....because they often sent a check before I even got around to thinking about filing the claim.

My ds10's twin died at 11 days old, preemie issues. While Ds10 does display some things that I've always associated with the twin thing, namely NEVER being able to sleep well on his own, but sleeps like a log when snuggled with someone (this was VERY evident when he was young, though he's grown out of it a bit), and being an extreme cuddler/lap sitter (well, extreme to us because we'd not had such a snuggle bug child before...he's also grown out of this a bit)......but anyhow, he's never mentioned or displayed a feeling of having his twin "near". Perhaps he's too young to understand, if he is feeling it.

Western NC is going to be the closest to Florida (depending where you live in FL). Asheville is about a 7 hour drive from Jacksonville...so add the hours from where you live to Jacksonville. To get to the real "mountains", where you'd likely have snow, and skiiing, and tubing, you'd need to add another hour-two hours to that, ie the Boone NC or Blowing Rock NC area. The Asheville are may or may not have snow that time of year...it's hit or miss...the year we lived there, we had snow on Christmas Day and it lasted for about two weeks, and then snowed again in January. Last year, they barely got any snow at all. I think this year, with the weather we've had in the area (I'm about an hour from Asheville, so same general area), it was an unseasonably cool summer, so I'm predicting an very cold/snowy winter. We'll see though!

My DS10 and DS7 have their own rooms....but sleep together almost every night. They are either sleeping in my bed (DH works nights so he's not home), or on the nights DH is home, we've implemented a rule that they can not sleep in our room on DH's nights off, they end up sleeping in together in one of their rooms...one head on each end of a twin bed. Why, I have no idea. I mean, they fight quite often during the day. On the rare occasion, they will each sleep in their own room. They ask about once a month to share a bedroom, put their bunk beds together (they each have one bed from a bunkbed set). I consider putting them together, in one room. That would be the "bed room" and the other room could be a "dressing room" of sorts, with the dressers, etc. DH doesn't want to do that, as we are planning on moving in April, so he doesn't want to do the work of rearranging (which also means taking the beds apart to put them back in bunkbed formation), and then do it all again, in 6 months. I don't want to do it because I don't want to hear them asking to have their own rooms again, once we do the work of putting them together. For now, this arrangement works...your own room, and if you choose to share at night, so be it. But I do like the idea of a shared bedroom. I think it brings a closeness of those nighttime conversations, etc, that is often missed when we all go off to our own space at night.

It's not like that at all here in our school system. Only one meal per student...regardless of $$$ on the account. As a matter of fact, the children are required to have a fruit on their plate or vegetable. Not fruit I'd choose...it's junk like canned pears, canned peaches etc...but still...it's not like they are dishing up Twinkies. The study is just foolish. Americans are obese in general. Regardless of where you are educated. I've seen overweight homeschool children. I've seen overweight public school children. I've seen children who are within weight, underweight..etc etc etc. It really does not matter where you are educated..it matters about the child's genetic DNA, family health, family eating patterns. Perhaps they should have done a study on those things.

You have to get a prescription every year. Contact retailers, even 1-800 Contacts and other online retailers require proof of prescription within one year. That does not vary based on region. My DS15 has been wearing contacts for over a year. The Dr recommended daily wear ones, ie wear once and throw away....because of hygiene purposes..he doesn't have to worry about cleaning/storing. A bit pricier, but worth it for us....cuz teenage boys aren't usually the most hygienic. We spend about $350 a year for contacts.

Side note...how long can apples last...if in a cool dark place? We have Mutsi, Jonagold and Pink Lady, freshly picked 3 days ago. Does each type have a different shelf life? I'd prefer not to make applesauce or any other cooking of them...we use them for pies, breads, etc...but want to keep them au natural as long as possible. It is weeks, months, etc?

A bad math student doesn't mean the rest of the students are bad at math. Believe me, my sophomore in Honors Algebra II would not have a problem doing that math. Homeschoolers bashing public school students is as annoying as public schoolers bashing homeschoolers.

How did you know the cutoff score for your state? My Ds15/sophomore is taking it today at school. The whole sophomore class takes it.

Not technically. Not all are organic...it says: Free of Pesticide and Chemical Residues When Not Certified Organic. I'm not taking that chance. I want Organic. doTerra says: . Even though an essential oil may be 100 percent pure, if the right species or part of a plant has not been used, or if the plant has not been grown in the right environment or harvested at the right time, or if it has not been distilled under the right conditions, the natural chemical makeup of the extraction will not provide as predictable and powerful a benefit. In some cases, the wrong plant harvested at the wrong time may result in an extract that contains harmful levels of some constituents. Therapeutic quality...they say, but doTerra says: Producing our essential oil products to the highest standard of quality, purity, and safety used in the industry—CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®. Anyone call say it's Therapeutic....doesn't mean it is. And not farmed, harvest or made by Mountain Rose Herbs. They simply put their label on the EO's made by others. MRH has one Aromatherapist on staff. doTerra has an entire Scientific Advisory Board. They are specializing in EO's. It's their livelihood. They are experts of EO. MRH's sell a ton of stuff...and their herbs are what they are known for. I love MRH...but if I am going for EO, I'm going for one made the expert quality one...because I do use EO for it's healing properties, I believe in what EO's do for us. I'm not going to take a chance of a lesser quality EO. ...and no, I don't sell doTerra :). I do use their products though.

They are organic and pure. They've not been diluted with lesser oils or perfume scents. They are theraputic medicinal grade. Cheap EO's can not say the same, and I'd hesitate to use cheap products for medicinal purposes for fear of what exactly is in it. Think of it like two purses....say a designer Coach or Dooney&Burke...and one you get at Walmart. Both carry your stuff...but the Walmart one starts showing the thread wear on the straps, the zipper breaks, the inside pocket rips, etc......so the Walmart really wasn't that good in the end, since it didnt last and fell apart. Designer bags rarely have those problems and people keep them for years and years. doTerra and Young Living Oils are high quality.....many cheaper ones are not.

Yes, while my DS7 hasn't taken it as far as your daughter, he wants to be a werewolf..."it can't have a "weird face", it must have a rope belt, it should have brown hair, it should not have any fake blood on it because a real werewolf would not have blood all over him, only his mouth, and it must come with gloves so that no one sees his real hands and knows it is just a person." Of the 30 werewolf costumes we've looked at online, only ONE fits this exact description..and I can't find it at any of the 400+ online stores....I truly think it's not made anymore. I'm currently trying to convince him of that. He's insisting that we check the local Halloween stores that have popped up for the season. So this coming week we drive to 4-5 Halloween stores looking for this perfect costume. I have a feeling he won't settle for anything else until we've checked all the stores, which means even after that trek, and he is finally convinced it's not available, we have to start our shopping all over again for him to pick something else out. Ugh. We went through this last year....day after day of online shopping...though at that time he didnt' know what he wanted to be yet...but it seriously got to the week before and I insisted he pick something NOW, THIS DAY, or he was going to have to wear something we already owned.

I'd disagree on this, least round these parts, and when we lived in Florida. Football is a big deal. 9th grade team is a about winning...learning yes, but mostly winning. The boys that come in with little experience usually end up on the sidelines for most of the game. Last year my son's 9th grade team had 55 players. Now, there are 30 sophomores on the JV team. So 25 didn't come back. Was it because they had never played football before and had no idea of what it takes (2-3 hour practices every night), or was it because they were tired of devoting to practice and never getting play time...who knows. My son starts on JV, and suits up for Varsity (though they've yet to play him). Of the 55 on JV, there's a good 20-25 players that stand the sidelines with no play time. JV is about winning. It's all about winning. Believe or not, football is more than just the athleticism....there's theory behind the game...and while someone may come in a high school level never havin played before,and incredibly athletic, but they are still new to the game and have alot to learn. Coaches don't have time to spend with newbies....newbies usually end up on the sideline, sadly. Coaches usually determine within the first week or two who's going to be a main player...sad but true. They even practice as 3rd string, 2nd string, etc.....meaning those 2/3 string players spend alot of time on the sidelines at practice watching the starters practicing plays, after basic drills are done. Of course there's always a rare occurrence of some superstar break out player, who just blows everyone away out of the box.

Hmm, I'm wondering if some of you have actually been to a football game recently, and actually watched the plays. I go to two a week, as DS15 plays on JV and Varsity. While I don't deny heads hit, it is NOT the norm. Using the helmet as a weapon/tool is against the rules. They are using their bodys, ie chest, arms to block. Heads do not hit. Tackling is done with arms and shoulders. Of course, as with every sport, plays go wrong, players make mistakes, and heads may come in contact. But to say one should expect to to happen on every play indicates a lack of knowledge of today's football game and rules. Is no different than two soccer players colliding....not supposed to happen but mistakes happen.

I don't justify it. DS15 has been playing football since he was 11. I don't like the sport. But he loves it. Life is dangerous. Riding in the car is dangerous. Walking in the woods is dangerous. Eating salad from a bag is dangerous. I am not downplaying the potential danger of playing football...but every sport has potential dangers. DS15 also plays baseball, and is a pitcher...and the speed and velocity that those baseballs come flying back at him with the new fangled-composite bats is downright scary. All I can really do is cross my fingers, pray and hope for the best. Hundreds of thousands of youth play football across the U.S. every year. And yes, the news stories come out about some horrible tragedy that happened due to a bad hit, or unknown health issue, etc....but I have to think those are as random as someone being killed in a car accident....tragedy that happens on a daily basis, and no amount of worry or pray will stop that from happening.