Tonight, my 17 and 9 year olds have Tae Kwon Do Over the weekend, I'm going to catch up on the piles of laundry that have taken up residence in the laundry room while my hubby and oldest daughter lay wood flooring in her bedroom!! Her bedroom is on the main level and we're putting hardwood everywhere on the main level. Then the living room is the last room to do and that's on the agenda for next weekend. That way, I can put up my Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend! :D

Something I had always wanted to learn more about.... I took a philosophy class for that very reason. It was very interesting!! And I ended up receiving an 'A' (and for a solid 'B' student, it was a surprise!) Maybe an art class. I draw stick figures and would love to learn how to draw well. Not sure if you need talent going in or if they work with wanna-bes :)

Awesome song!!!! Possibly my favorite song of all-time!!!! Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today... Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace... You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world... You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one

Awwww....I'm sorry you're sick! And on your birthday, too!! Time to pop a good movie into the DVD player tonight and hunker down under the comforter with a box of kleenex. Hope you feel better soon!! :grouphug:

My oldest daughter went out on her first date on her 17th birthday (and she's still dating the same boy 7 months later). By dating, I mean that they see each other 2-3 times a week. They knew each other as friends for at least six months before their first date, and he called us to make sure it was okay before asking her out on that first date. He's a very nice boy and they have many things in common. We've met his family and his family has met us. He's 19, btw. It's not a "serious" relationship, in that they're not talking about marriage or anything like that. They go out to dinner or the movies or hang out at the mall, etc. He comes over to our home to have dinner with us and she goes to their house to have dinner with him and his mom (his father died when he was a young boy). He doesn't drink or smoke, and neither does she. And they have no interest in "deepening their relationship", if you get my meaning. They're just close friends.

:w00t: :cheers2: :party: Congratulations to your hubby!!!!!!!

Father - WWII vet -- Pacific Theatre - 1941-1945 Brother - Air Force vet -- served in the Azores and spent 4 years in England Nephew - Active Duty -- Army's 3rd Infantry 1st Batallion - has served 3 tours in Iraq - currently stateside

I don't have any experience with the topic, but I just wanted to give you a :grouphug:

Here's a touching tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald with the Gordon Lightfoot song on YouTube.

Unfortunately, there's not much TO do about it. My 9yo son is terribly allergic to cats (+4 or 5) on his allergy testing results. It's by far his worst allergen. He can't even be in a room where a cat has been (so putting the cat in another bedroom and shutting the door doesn't help him). If he goes to the vet's office with one of our dogs, his eyes swell shut in the waiting room, just because a cat had been there earlier in the day. It did improve when he was taking regular allergy shots and he was able to handle it better. His best friend has a cat and when my son goes over to visit, he takes his inhaler with him (as well as taking Benadryl before he leaves home) and he usually has to use it 4 or 5 times during the visit. They try to play outside as much as possible when he's at his friend's house. They also play a great deal on their screened-in porch (they'll bring their action figures or toys out there, etc.) What we do most often, however, is that his best friend comes to our house. I would say that 80% of the time, his friend comes here. It's just easier on my son...and they don't seem to mind either way -- just so long as they have a chance to play!

Sonlight Teaching Textbooks Handwriting Without Tears

S/O = spin off thread Sort of another side to a thread that's already been posted

Wow, Ma23peas! That's beautiful! You did a nice job! :hurray:

What I would want is probably very different from what a new homeschooler would want, if that makes sense. I've been homeschooling for 13 years, so I'm looking for companionship from other moms and events where my kids can just .. hang out. So I have no interest in co-ops, although my boys do take art classes in our local homeschool co-op, simply because they're taught by a professional artist and I draw stick figures. :D We don't do field trips either, unless it's something really special or extraordinary (for instance, our homeschool group was able to organize a field trip to the FBI Academy, which isn't open to the public. That sort of opportunity is what I would be looking for as far as field trips go. If we can just go somewhere as a family, we prefer to do that.) The group I belonged to when we lived in Maryland had a Mom's Night Out, which was awesome!!! Once a month, the moms (and we had a few dads, too!) would get together at a local restaurant and eat appetizers and desserts and just talk. We tried to meet some place that wasn't crowded, so we didn't feel that we were rushed, and where the food was relatively inexpensive, so that all moms (and dads) could come and enjoy the evening without spending a fortune. We often wound up at Denny's because they're always open and you could have an entire meal with endless cups of coffee for under $10. I would want a group that is open to all homeschoolers, no matter their religion or lack thereof, but that's what *I* would be looking for. I wouldn't join a homeschool group with a statement of faith or anything of that nature...and never have.

I can tell you what's on my 9 year old's Christmas list! Nerf Long Blaster Gun Pokemon Cards Star Wars Monopoly Star Wars Action Figures Lego Police City Set

Homeschooling for Excellence describes how they homeschooled. What types of books they read and how the boys spent their days when they were growing up. Hard Times in Paradise describes how they settled their homestead. It's fascinating reading because they built their house themselves...just the two parents and the four boys. So I would say that it depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for an insight into how they unschooled, then I would read the first book. If you're more interested in the overall story of their lives, then read the second book. Hope this helps!! Btw...I met David Colfax at a homeschooling conference years ago and he was a fascinating speaker!! So I own both books -- and autographed, too! :D

This happened to my youngest son a few years ago. I kept it covered with Neosporin and a band-aid for a day or two when it first came off, and made sure that he didn't get it dirty, but..other than that, I just let nature take its course. It grew back just fine and he's had no problems with it (it was his big toe). Hope this helps and I hope his toe is soon 'toe-rific' --- sorry ... couldn't resist! :lol: The things boys will do!!

Sonlight -- I've used it as our base curriculum for 10+ years now Handwriting Without Tears -- I have learned a great deal about using this curriculum from my youngest daughter's occupational therapists Teaching Textbooks -- we own and have used, or are currently using, all the levels, from TT Math 5 through PreCalculus

We always go to my MIL's house for Thanksgiving. She lives in Delaware, which is roughly a 3 hour drive from where we live. We always leave on Thanksgiving Day -- we learned the hard way not to leave on Wednesday because that's one of THE worst days to try to leave the Washington DC area!!! One year, it took us 7 hours to get there! We leave early Thursday morning and there's hardly any traffic, and we head home on Saturday (because Sunday traffic is just as bad as the Wednesday traffic!) For Christmas, we stay home. Our extended family has a Christmas party, where we exchange gifts, and it's usually about a week before Christmas itself. The location rotates between my husband and his 3 sisters and we all live within an hour's drive of each other. So that's not too bad at all.

Can you come over to my house next? :lol: Wow! I'm impressed! You'll have to put up pics when you're done!! I love viewing pictures of new kitchens!!

I've never put any of my kids on restriction. There are times when they're briefly denied access to the computer or video games -- most of the time, this is the consequence of sibling squabbles while using said computer or video games. I use yard work when one of my children is suffering from a case of 'bad attitude' or 'grumpiness'. That's when sticks are picked up, leaves are raked, weeds are pulled, the cars are washed, etc.