My hubby owns his own company. He sells parts (o-rings, gaskets, pumps, etc.), mostly to the nearby military bases in Virginia, Maryland & DC. He has a BA in Business with a minor in Finance. The best part is that, since 1999, his business has been located in our basement so he works from home. :)

LOL. She says no charge for the surgery. (She's a good friend of ours). I think she didn't know WHAT to charge in our case! :D And..btw...that's her name: Sweet Cat. Our youngest named her that the moment she saw her and it just stuck. Glad it works for a boy or a girl! :lol:

We have a cat that adopted us. She started hanging around the house last summer so we started leaving food for her on the porch. She was extremely friendly and, when it started to get cold outside, she walked right into the house as if she'd lived there all of her life. (She began showing up in our yard after the house across the street went into foreclosure. We think she may have lived there and they just left her behind.) She's very affectionate and playful and patient with our youngest (she has autism and she loves to carry the cat all around the house. She puts her into her dolly stroller and they have tea parties...and the cat just sits up in the stroller and purrs!!) Anyway...we put ads in the paper and visited the animal shelter more than once, but no one ever responded to our "found cat" postings. So we decided today to take her to the vet to have her spayed. Warm weather is coming and we don't want a houseful of kittens! So....we got a call from the vet a little while ago. Apparently, she is also a he! We have a hermaphrodite cat! I wonder how rare this is? The vet said that she had never seen one before. Just had to share!!

I agree completely! My oldest chose this route. She took a few classes at the community college during her junior and senior years and really enjoyed them. When she graduated in 2009, she applied to her favorite college (at the time) and was waitlisted. She chose to remain at the community college and receive her AA degree. She graduates in May (yay!) and has already applied to five colleges. All five of them accepted her (yay!) and she's already confirmed her acceptance at her top school and received a very generous financial aid package (90% of the cost will be fulfilled in the form of grants). She'll enter college as Junior and she already knows exactly what she wants to major in -- she didn't have a clue what she wanted to study right out of high school. Now...our oldest son "graduates" in May. He'll be 18 and, as far as our county is concerned, we are officially "graduating" him, but he'll continue to study at home. He has Asperger's Syndrome and has always learned at his own pace, which is roughly a year or two below his current grade level. So we're going to continue working on math, writing, and history (his *favorite* subject) for a few more years before he'll be ready for the community college. Our youngest son is definitely college-bound and he's considering a career as a marine biologist or veterinarian...and of course "lead vocalist in a rock band" is still at the top of his list. :lol: So, as you can tell, he still needs a few years to mature! :D Our youngest daughter has classic autism as well as a severe language delay, so we're still working on the basics of learning to read and do basic math. We're hoping she'll eventually be able to live independently at some point -- college is a sky-high pipe dream in her case.

Not yet! The list has been finalized, but I still have a few more purchases to make.

Park hours for December SHOULD be out in June. They may be out as early as the end of May. Lurk on the disboards page and you'll find out the minute they hit the internet. :D

We love Columbia Harbor House in Magic Kingdom! It's across from the entrance to The Haunted Mansion and we eat there at least once every trip. The food is good and they have a delicious fish & chips basket (think Long John Silvers without the grease!). And the prices are very reasonable. I fed myself and three children there for around $35 during our last visit. I also love the atmosphere. It always seems nice and quiet in there. :)

My oldest was accepted at my husband's alma mater this week - Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida - and the letter came in a thin envelope. Just one sheet of paper. (She's already decided to attend another school, but Dad's very proud none the less!) :D

English: Spelling Power (we're wrapping up the book in 8th grade! Levels J & K are all that's left!) Winston Grammar Advanced Writing Strands Level 6 History: Beautiful Feet Early American & World History - Jr. High Level Math: Teaching Textbooks Algebra I Science: Rainbow Science Year 2 Art: Dubosque's I Can Draw Books Electives: Science Co-op with our homeschool group Chess Club Piano Lessons Volunteering with Special Olympics Want to add something for foreign language -- he wants to learn Spanish -- but haven't decided what to use yet! Plan to look for something at our homeschool convention in June

Elizabeth Matthew

Windsor Hills! We rented from Storytime Orlando and stayed in a 3 br townhouse with a private splash pool right outside the back door. Full kitchen -- linens and towels included -- washer / dryer. $105.00 a night And we were just minutes from Disney. You literally left the complex, drove maybe 1/4 of a mile to the main road (192) and Disney was the next exit...no more than a mile away. We loved it!

I'm so sorry! :grouphug:

That's just too cool! I have two sons: Matthew & Jonathan (Jonathan is the oldest though!) Matthew Thomas and Jonathan William

Oldest daughter has made her decision! Radford University! Already sent in the deposits for tuition & housing. She's graduating from the local community college in May and will be attending Radford in the fall as a Junior. She's majoring in Psychology and minoring in Forensics. The Forensics minor helped to tip the scales toward Radford!'' Just days after sending in her deposit, we received a letter from Radford with her financial aid award ---- 90% of the cost of attendance has been met in the form of grants!!! Woo hoo!

I was always able to stay with my oldest dd in the doctor's office, until she turned 18 or so and then I chose to stay in the waiting room as she was an adult by that point. My boys still go into the doctor's office with my hubby, even the 17yo.

Virginia's homeschool regulations are easy to comply with. But...the traffic in Northern Virginia / Washington DC is the worst in the nation. Be prepared for that. Try not to leave the house between 6am and 9am in the mornings and between 4pm and 6pm in the evenings. Seriously! Good luck with the move and your new home. :)

I love the Arrogant Worms! My favorite Arrogant Worms song!

"Have fun storming the castle!" - Princess Bride "You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for $1.50 in late fees at the public library." - Good Will Hunting "I love the smell of napalm in the morning... It smells like....victory." Apocalypse Now We quote Monty Python around here all the time! LOL "Blessed are the cheesemakers!" "What's the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?" "African or European?" "Now you see the violence inherent in the system!" "Welcome to the Castle Anthrax!" We quote a lot of Blues Brothers, too. "They're not gonna catch us. We're on a mission from God." "Bring me four fried chickens and a coke." "How much for the little girl? How much for the women? I want to buy your women."

For some reason, chocolate sends my youngest daughter into a tailspin. So we avoid chocolate. She's already gluten-free and soy-free as those foods have been a problem for her since she was a toddler.

My oldest daughter has passed that age, but not that long ago! We pay for household food. If she wants to get Taco Bell on her way home from school (she commutes to the community college 3 days a week), then that comes out of her money (she babysits for several families who have children with special needs so she does have extra income, and during the summers, she's a camp counselor at the YMCA). We pay for the gas for her car for commuting to college and we pay her car payment and tuition. She buys her textbooks, paper, pens, pencils, etc. We pay for her cell phone because we want her to have one in case of emergencies. We have the unlimited text plan, so it's a straight monthly fee. She buys her own clothes, makeup, shoes, etc. And she pays for her own entertainment (movie tickets, etc.) Our oldest son is 17 and doesn't venture far from home, so it hasn't been an issue for him yet! He doesn't have a cell phone and doesn't want one. He does work for my husband sometimes (he owns his own business) and he earns money that way and he usually spends it on video games. LOL

We're using Rainbow Science Year 1 this year in 7th and my son REALLY enjoys it! Can't wait to do Year 2 next year!

Congrats!!! Way to go! :thumbup:

Acceptance packet came from Radford University today for oldest DD! :party: Now we're just waiting to hear from James Madison University.

You could do a Google search and see if there is a group of paranormal investigators in your city / state. There's a paranormal research group about 40 minutes away from where we live that comes out and investigates any "unexplained phenomena" and they don't charge a dime. That's where I'd start. And then follow their recommendations (calling a priest, burning sage, etc.). I'd let them do the video taping and voice recording, etc.

My youngest son is using it a grade level ahead. He went from BJU Math 3 to TT Math 5 in 4th grade. He's now in 7th and finishing up TT Prealgebra. He loves TT and he's doing well with the program. I have no complaints!