You only have 4 more days now! Not that we're counting along with you or anything... :D

We don't do birthday parties either. And never have. They get to do a special activity of their choice. Sometimes, it's to go to the movies or a museum or to go shopping at a special store (Game Stop being the usual favorite!). And then they get their choice for dinner. Sometimes it's their favorite dish at home and sometimes it's a trip to their favorite restaurant.

I have an 18yo son with Aspergers (diagnosed at age 6) I also have a 10yo daughter with Autism & mixed receptive expressive language disorder (diagnosed at age 3)

Nice numbers!! :party: I hope the next 10 days pass quickly for you!

My youngest homeschools year round. She has special needs and learns best when there aren't any large breaks in her schedule, so I try not to go more than a week or two without teaching. My 12yo son is on his "summer break" now. We finished up 7th grade 3 weeks ago and will start 8th grade sometime this summer. When it's too hot to play outside, he's happy to begin school in the air conditioning! (Usually around mid-July).

Agreeing with Mrs. Mungo. I nursed my youngest (who has special needs) until she was 4 1/2, but never in public after she reached the age of 2 or so. It wasn't something I felt I needed to put "on display" and no one knew she was still nursing unless I chose to tell them (my daughter had a 'code word' for nursing that she would say when she wanted some 'snuggle time'). This is deliberately "in your face".

More people would've responded to your post if it was a snake wearing a kilt. ;)

I've homeschooled for 17 years and have watched many families put their older children into public school. The most common reasons I've heard are (1) sports .. one or both spouses want their children to play high school sports and that option isn't available for homeschoolers in Virginia, and (2) academics .. sometimes it's because they want to make sure they have the opportunity for AP classes, transcripts, etc., or they don't feel qualified to teach the higher subjects (geometry, precalc, biology, chemistry, physics, etc. I don't often hear the social side, but I'm sure it's an issue for some parents ("I want him to go to prom," etc.) I believe that sometimes it's an "attitude" issue, but the parents aren't willing to admit that it has played a role in their decision, if that makes sense. The compliant little 6 year old and the happy 10 year old has transformed into a belligerent 14 or 15 year old who doesn't want to "do school" so the parents put them into public school.

1st -- great-grandmother's first name - own middle name we liked 2nd -- variation of great-uncle's first name - grandfather's first name is his middle name 3rd -- own first name we liked - uncle's first name is his middle name 4th -- variation of great-aunt's first name - own middle name we liked

I have two athletes in Special Olympics (my oldest son and youngest daughter) and my oldest daughter volunteers for them! Our local SO offers basketball, track & field, and swimming. My oldest has also worked at the local YMCA during the summer as a one-on-one camp counselor for a wheelchair-bound little girl.

All the Schoolhouse Rock episodes are there! It's amazing how many lyrics I remember from when I was a kid. :)

My oldest is majoring in Psychology. She plans to minor in Criminal Justice and then pursue a graduate degree in Forensic Psychology...which is her chosen career field. She hopes to eventually join the FBI.

I absolutely love CLE!!! My youngest has autism and we pulled her out of public school at the end of last year. She should've been a rising 4th grader, but her academic level was found to be late Kindergarten to beginning 1st grade. We had her fully evaluated and they found no cognitive disabilities....she just hadn't been taught! (Long story...) She prefers black and white texts and workbooks that she can write in. I purchased the entire program and she loves to sit down with me and do her schoolwork. We're using the flash cards and she reviews all of them, every day, and her ability to memorize her math facts is just stunning to watch. She's able to complete one light unit every two weeks and we're hoping to have her up to grade level within another year or two (we homeschool year round). I think beginning your child at the first grade level is perfect for making sure that all the basics are covered. It starts out with addition for the first light unit, but by the second light unit, subtraction is added in as well -- I LOVE this! I've never seen another math curriculum that works quite that way. If you have different programs for the other subjects and they're working, then stick with those. I needed something 'out of a box' that would work with my daughter and wanted it to be consistent in appearance and use for all subjects (she needs that familiarity). It's been terrific!

Is it Hinder "Lips of an Angel"? Don't remember if there's a female singer in it, though....

It looks like her body has been found in a nearby lake. :( As the mother of a little girl with autism, this is beyond heart-breaking. Here's a link to the local news station. http://www2.nbc26.tv/news/local/

:grouphug: bumping back up to the front page

I've seen a nice selection at Staples. That way you can view them up close and personal. :)

Creekland's ds - U of Rochester - class of 2016, U of Alabama, Baylor, Furman, U of Pittsburgh (all acceptances) Dirty Ethel Rackham's ds - Hope College, attending fall 2012, Class of 2016, also accepted at Beloit College, Bradley University and Illinois Wesleyan University. Floridalisa's dd: University of Florida, Class of 2016; also accepted Florida State University, Covenant College Grace is Sufficient's ds - University of Akron, Class of 2015; also accepted: Baldwin Wallace College, Geneva College, Eastern Michigan University, Northern Kentucky University Grace is Sufficient's dd - Geneva College, Class of 2016; also accepted: Waynesburg University Gwen in VA's ds2 -- Webb Institute class of 2016 (ED so no other colleges!) JennW in SoCal's ds - College of Wooster, class of 2016; also accepted Willamette University True Blue's ds - University of Washington, Washington State University Honors College, and Gonzaga - these are the only ones he applied to. He wanted to stay in WA. Margaret in CO's dd--University of WY, AROTC, Honors, also accepted: Western State College of Colorado, DIV II swim scholarship, Honors, Westminster (UT), AROTC, Honors, CO School of Mines, Hillsdale CO (MI), Association of WP Grads civil prep for Appointment at West Point Class of 2017 hsmamainva's dd -- Radford University, class of 2014. Also accepted at James Madison University, University of Mary Washington, Coastal Carolina University and Flagler College

Do you have a thrift store / used clothing store in your area? I love shopping at thrift stores for kids clothes. They grow so fast that it's hard to spend top of the line $$ for clothes they won't fit into next year.

We drive past Kings Dominion (less than an hour from our house) to get to Busch Gardens (2 hours from our house). It's just sooo much nicer! The main entrance at Kings Dominion has trees but after that it's like an asphalt jungle. Busch Gardens is just lovely! My older kids love the roller coasters...my youngest (who has special needs) is still enjoying the kiddie rides. There's a Sesame Street section with probably 5 or 6 kiddie rides and all the characters are there in costume for dancing and picture-taking. Then there's a Land of the Dragons section with 5 or 6 kiddie rides. And then there are the rides everyone can enjoy - a carousel, a steam locomotive that takes you all around the park - a skyride that takes you to various sections in the air. And lots of shops and little eat-in restaurants. And if you're there in the summer, from July 1st through mid-August, they have a fireworks show every night around 9:30. I haven't been to Six Flags in years (when we lived in Maryland, we went for their Homeschool Day in late May...usually it's a weekday prior to Memorial Day weekend)...and I haven't been to Hershey Park since I was a kid. So there you have it. :) Happy vacation planning!

Steak, baked potatoes, and caesar salad! It's my oldest daughter's 21st birthday, so we topped it all off with chocolate cake!! :D

Around 12 or so is the age for both events with my kids.

:grouphug: I'm so sorry for your loss!

My mother worked as a preschool teacher, but she didn't begin working until I was in high school. Before that, she was a stay-at-home mom. My dad had retired about the same time and she said that he was driving her nuts being home all day, so she went to work. :D My maternal grandparents lived on one income. My grandfather owned a car dealership. My paternal grandparents -- both worked. My grandfather ran the family farm and my grandmother was the teacher in the county's one room schoolhouse. :) Not sure about my maternal great-grandparents. I don't know much about them, but I know that my paternal great-grandfather was the county sheriff. Don't know about my paternal great-grandmother or if she worked.

Before I had kids, I worked as a disc jockey. A friend of mine owned his own DJ company so I stumbled into the work after I graduated from high school. Worked at quite a few of the nightclubs in the Washington DC / Northern Virginia area...and did private parties, weddings, etc. I have a high school diploma with some college classes mixed in for good measure. I now work for a tax accountant doing taxes. I love it! I work from the beginning of January to the beginning of May...and then I have the rest of the year off. I couldn't support the family on it, but it provides great "fun money" -- annual family vacation, curriculum purchases, etc.