My 17yo has a Zune and she loves it!!! You can play videos and upload songs from any of the online services (she uses Yahoo music which I think is around $10 a month)...whereas Ipod music can only be uploaded from the Ipod site and I think it was more expensive. She uses hers daily...and we bought her a docking station for Christmas for less than $50.

It's baby time!!! :hurray: How exciting!!!!! :D Best wishes and post an update when you can!!!

You can get an ID card at the local DMV. We had one issued for our oldest dd when she was 10, because she was flying to Disneyworld with her Grandmother and the airline requested a photo ID. I think it cost around $10. We needed a copy of her birth certificate and her social security card.

For Kindergarten last year, we did Math, Handwriting, Art, Read Alouds, and Phonics. That's it. We waited until this year (1st grade) to add in science and history.

We bought ours at Best Buy. You can call them and ask when they're expecting in their next Wii shipment. In our case, we called them on a Wednesday and they told us they were expecting in a shipment on Saturday morning. We were there when the store opened (along with 20 other people). We were the 10th ones in line and I think they received 40 systems. We bought one without a problem. (This was last year, btw) Hope this helps and you find one in time for the holidays!

I would also wait until high school. In our county, homeschoolers can take up to two classes per semester at the local high school and still be considered homeschoolers (and that means any class, including band and drivers ed). My oldest did this for one semester when she was 14 and she didn't care for it at all. She enrolled at the community college the next semester (when she was 15) and she loved it! She's been there ever since and she'll have over 30 college credits under her belt by the time she graduates from our homeschool this spring as a senior. (Of course, laws vary by state, so you'll have to check and see if homeschoolers can take high school classes part time and you'll have to check the dual-enrollment policies at your community college as well. Our cc allows high school students to take up to 4 classes per semester and they can be any classes they want, except for developmental classes -- i.e., you can't take Algebra at the community college if you're under 18...they expect students to be able to handle college level math - which is precalculus and up - by the time they make it to the cc level) But I can't say enough good things about her experience at the community college!! She's had wonderful professors and she's met a very nice group of kids!! The difference, according to my daughter, between the kids at the high school and the kids at the community college, were that the ones in high school were there because they had to be, and most of them didn't take their classes seriously; at the community college, they're there because they want to be and most of them study hard and want to succeed.

No way!!! A good friend of mine bought a pair for her 9 year old son last year for Christmas. Didn't have them on for 30 minutes when he fell and broke his arm and they spent the rest of Christmas day, and all of Christmas night, in the emergency room getting a cast put on that he had to wear for 6 weeks. After my 9yo son heard that, and saw his friend's cast, that was the end of his "I want heelys" requests.

81% here! Missed most of the taxes and revenue questions. :blushing:

We have 2 three-year-old labs, a yellow male and a black female. Our black one weighs around 60 pounds and our yellow one weighs well over 100 pounds. They've VERY energetic, and chew like crazy when they're puppies! They get along great with our cat, though, so no problems there and they LOVE the children! We live in a rural area, on 3 acres of land, and have 1/2 an acre of it fenced, and that's where they hang out. The black one hops the fence every once in awhile, but she doesn't stray very far. The yellow one could jump the fence; he just has never figured out how. Which is good! If he gets out of the fence, he takes off and doesn't come back for several hours. :glare:

I've finished Christmas shopping ... but haven't quite finished with goodies for each of the stockings. I've picked up a few things, but I'll add more to each. I can't stand crowds either and I love being able to stay away from the city during the month of December!

Oh no!!!! How terrifying!!!! :grouphug: Make a cup of hot cocoa and rest while you're waiting for your appointment time! I hope you feel better soon!!!!

You're playing my tune!! :nopity: Our one local and independent "library" is smaller than the local post office ...with no interlibrary loans! I have to pay $30 a year to use the library in the city, which does use an interlibrary system. No bookstore in the county either. Not to much as a news stand! So it's a 45 minute drive to Borders in the "city". I use Amazon.com if I can wait for a book; otherwise, I make a trip to Borders. Our county has a population of around 25,000 people, but it prides itself on being a 'retail-free zone'. Which means that we have to drive half an hour to find a Wal-mart. However, things are slowly looking up! They just opened up a new mexican restaurant yesterday in our podunk county! It's our second...yes...second sit down restaurant in the entire county (meaning, the ones where fries are not the only available entree). AND...they're supposedly building a Wal-Mart in 2010. It will be the first retail available in our county EVER. For the most part, I don't mind it so much .. at least not as much as I did when we first moved here (3 1/2 years ago). But there are times when we need something and it's a 30 minute drive to find anything. Now....if we could only get cable TV or high speed internet, we'd be all set! Oh...and our street paved. That would be very nice. A road with 60 houses on it and 2 miles long doesn't hold up well with dirt and gravel. :glare: I've heard that folks who live in cities have paved roads. :D

My oldest dd started with the clear flavored lip gloss (bubblegum, Dr. Pepper, watermelon, etc.) at around 12 or 13. She didn't start wearing makeup every day (i.e., blush, mascara, colored lipstick, nail polish) until she was around 16. She's now 17 1/2 and wears makeup on the days she goes to the community college for classes, or if she's going out with her boyfriend, or if she's going out with her girlfriends, etc., but not on a daily basis. My youngest dd will be 7 in January and she loves to have her fingers and toes painted!!! No interest in anything else in the makeup category.

No. DS games only work on DS. Wii games only work on the Wii.

My parents, and my hubby's dad, are deceased. My hubby has 3 sisters and the four of them all pitched in and bought his mom a computer -- yes, time for her to jump into the digital age! :lol: We bought the monitor, one sister bought the computer, another sister bought a laser printer, and another sister bought a computer table / desk. She's 75 and we wanted her to be able to use the computer at her home vs having to drive to the library to access the internet.

How long and for what grades have you homeschooled? I've homeschooled from the beginning. This is my 13th year of homeschooling. I started when my oldest was 4 years old and she's now a senior, and part-time college student, so I've now homeschooled PreK through 12th. Did you know from the start you would homeschool or did some event point you down this road? I wanted to homeschool from the time my oldest was 2 years old; my husband wasn't so sure! I homeschooled her for preschool because we couldn't afford to send her to preschool. My husband wanted to at least try the public school, so we sent her to Kindergarten. But we were called into a teacher's conference 6 weeks into the school year because my dd was bored out of her mind (she was reading on a 2nd-3rd grade level). The school system's gifted & talented program didn't start until 4th grade, so the teacher told us that they'd just work on socialization until then. We said, thanks, but no thanks, and returned to homeschooling. Were you homeschooled? No Does anyone in your extended family homeschool? No What method and materials did you use your first year of homeschooling? I started with BJU Kindergarten in a box. Then went to Abeka in a box for 1st and 2nd grade. My dd quickly burned out on workbooks! What method and materials are you currently using? For the last 10 years, I've used Sonlight and I've been quite pleased!! I'm adding Oak Meadow for science, simply because I used Apologia (which is the science Sonlight uses from 7th grade up) with my oldest and she didn't care for it at all. I wanted to find something secular for our next journey through middle school / high school. What books, ideas, etc. have helped shape your homeschool? Homeschooling for Excellence by David Colfax - Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto What has been the most challenging aspect for you? Teaching 2 special needs children. My oldest son and youngest daughter are on the autism spectrum and require quite a bit of modification in order to learn the material. What aspect has come naturally for you? Spending time with my kids!! I've never had a moment when I've said, "Ahhh! I wish they'd all go to school." (Now, there have been times when I've said, "Ahhh! I wish it was bedtime! Too bad it's only 10am!" :lol:) What are your favorite homeschool memories thus far? Wow...too many over the last 13 years!! The first time they each read a book all the way through was priceless, especially for my oldest son, who didn't learn to read until he was 8. What is the best advice you've been given? Allow each of your children to develop at their own pace and learn when they're ready. What advice do you give others just starting this journey? Enjoy your children. They're young for just a brief period of time.

I bought the Dora the Explorer Saves the Snow Princess game for my 6yo dd for Christmas!! It just came out a few weeks ago.

17yo dd - flavored lip gloss - nail polish - earrings - little stuffed penguin - bag of Kit Kats 14yo ds - star wars action figures - star wars playing cards - star wars trading cards - bag of Reese's cups 9yo ds - couple of stuffed Pokemon - star wars action figures - mini lego kits - bag of peanut M&Ms 6yo dd - stickers - Wonder Pets action figures - playdoh - bag of gummi bears

I have a 6yo daughter! Here's what's on her Christmas list: Dora the Explorer Saves the Snow Princess game for Wii Chou Chou My First Tooth Baby Doll Leapster 2 handheld learning system with Dora and Finding Nemo games Monopoly Junior game For my other kids: 17yo dd - docking station for her Zune mp3 player new headphones for her Zune 2 Nine Inch Nails CDs gift card to Border's 14yo ds - his first cell phone!! (can't wait to turn it on, wrap it, and have it ring under the tree! :lol:) Star Wars Lego Republic Gunship Washington Redskins football Jersey Ultimate I Spy for Wii 9yo ds - full-size keyboard Star Wars Monopoly Pokemon cards Wario Shake game for Wii

I have several suggestions or thoughts that came to my mind while reading your post. First, you could return to your pediatrician (or try another one) and ask for a referral to a specialist. Any doctor with 'neuro' in his or her title is going to have a long waiting list. Maybe a developmental pediatrician would be helpful? I also thought about suggesting that you pay a visit to a child psychologist / psychiatrist. Not only are they helpful with ADHD, but they may also be able to talk to both of you, especially if he's having trouble adjusting to the loss of his mom. (When I read about his mother dying of cancer, and then read how he wants to hold you all the time, it sounds like he's afraid of losing you, too?) I also suggested the latter because a 'neuro' or developmental specialist is likely only going to see your son once or twice, just for the testing phase; a psychologist / psychiatrist would probably be more available for repeat visits, since you mentioned that you wanted someone who would get to know your son first, before making a blanket diagnosis based on a 30 minute office visit. I hope this helps!

:hurray: I couldn't agree with you more!!! And I can't imagine ever slapping one of my children across the face!

I second the http://www.mothering.com recommendation!! They have an entire forum dedicated to cloth diapering, so you'll be able to read a lot of reviews on which ones folks like best. I used cloth diapers for all of mine, however, they have sooo much more available now than they did when my oldest was a baby!!! I was able to use some of the new styles with my youngest when she was a baby (I remember preferring the snap Motherease covers with the chinese prefolds -- that was my favorite) I was soo happy not to have to use pins and rubber pants, like I did years ago! One other suggestion -- I ordered samples from several different companies (many of them offer these for free; some charge as little as a $5). That way, I could wash them and see if they held up, etc., and see which ones I liked best before I decided on one diapering system. Happy planning!!

I've noticed two things going out of business around here -- furniture stores and car dealers. So anyone who makes their living either making them or selling them appear to be facing tough times.

Oh no!!!! I'm so sorry!!!!! :grouphug: for your little boy!

I wasn't one of the courtship posters (we allow dating here...haven't put an age requirement on it, simply because it isn't an issue for my younger ones; my oldest started dating at 17) We've told her that sex is something to be shared with someone that you love and that it's a sign of commitment; it's not something to be passed around like a pack of gum. She should show respect for herself and for her body, and she should find a partner who has also showed the same respect for himself and his body. I haven't told her that sex is only for marriage or only for the purpose of having children. (As for my younger ones, they've only learned puberty issues...and haven't yet expressed an interest in hearing anything past that.) Divorce is something that is misfortunate, because of the pain it can cause, not only to those whose marriage is ending, but to their family members and children; so we have emphasized the importance of getting to know someone for a long time before making such a commitment. We're accepting of homosexual relationships and have members of our extended family who live alternative lifestyles, and my children have been raised to accept people as they are. (So spending Thanksgiving at Grandma's means sharing the table with Aunt Joanne and her partner, Aunt Heather...to my kids, she's Aunt Joanne's partner...end of story). I've had numerous discussions with my oldest daughter about numerous topics, including many you listed in your post. She also knows all about birth control, contraception, pregnancy, abortion, adoption, STDs, AIDS, etc.