I second and third and probably fourth the boxer recommendation! My neighbor has a pair of boxers and they are just the most loving dogs ever. We have a pair of Labrador retrievers but they're much bigger than the type of dog you're looking for! (One is 75 lbs and the other one is 110 lbs).

Howdy, Stranger! Welcome back! :D

Eastern Carolina is reporting that it's true. :( http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/SHERIFF__EMS_Called_To_Andy_Griffiths_Home_161201175.html He still lived in Dare County, NC So sad!!

:grouphug: We went through the same storm on Friday night and JUST got our power back 2 hours ago. We borrowed a friend's generator and that kept our fridge & freezer cold. Purchased a window air conditioner unit and put that in the family room and we all slept together .. for 3 straight nights! 2 adults / 4 kids / 2 dogs / 2 cats. :glare: But we survived! Hope your power is restored soon!

My oldest used the Learnables Spanish Levels 1-3 for high school and I awarded her 1 credit for each Level used.

I keep the TV on during the day, tuned to one of the major cable news channels, but the mute button is always in place, unless something appears to happen. I started doing this after 9/11. I didn't have a clue anything had happened until my husband came running in the door around lunchtime. He said, "Don't you have the TV on??" I said, "Yeah...but everything's fine in Mr. Roger's Neighborhood." :001_huh:

This does get easier as your kids get older! My house was a wreck when my kids were younger. I just learned to deal with it and recognize that it was a phase. My son, when he's not homeschooling, spends at least an hour (usually more) playing the piano. He also enjoys computer & video games. He helps his dad (who owns his own business and works from home). His best friend goes to public school so they often spend the weekends together and do whatever 12 & 13yo boys do -- which seems to involve lots of tree climbing with nerf guns. :D My youngest has special needs so her afternoons are usually filled with speech & occupational therapy sessions. She also enjoys playing on the computer, playing outside in the backyard, and doing small chores around the house. She likes to draw in her free time, too. I spend my afternoons doing exciting things like laundry. And I read whenever I find the time to do so.

That's what I do. We only have a Super Walmart, too. We do have a Wegmans about 40 minutes away and a Whole Foods an hour away, but we only go there every other month or so. We hit the farmer's market every weekend during the summer for fresh veggies, fruits, eggs, and organic beef & chicken.

My hubby has to have one done within the next few weeks. We were told that it would look like a hotel room and that he would have wires everywhere to measure his breathing. They'll do half the night without a CPAP (sp?) machine and then half the night with one to see if there's any improvement. (We found out after his heart attack that he has sleep apnea so this study is a must for him).

He's home!! :hurray: Happy and relaxing in his recliner. He's doing SOOO well!! He feels 100% better than he did even before the heart attack (so the blockage must have been there for some time before it closed completely).

That was my son's favorite part of doing BF Geography last year! He loved coloring the maps and filling in all the places from the books. They're displayed on his bedroom wall now. :)

Thanks so much everyone! He's doing much better today and has been moved to a regular room. He should come home tomorrow...to a new diet and lifestyle changes! But the EKG he had today was excellent and showed no lingering damage to the heart muscle, so that's good news! Again, thanks to everyone for their prayers and good wishes!

*Update on Post 37* He was doing much better last night, but did spend another night in ICU just as a precaution. He had 2 stents put into his main artery, which was 100% blocked. He has another artery that is 80% blocked but the cardiologist said that he can wait a few more weeks before having that one taken care of. I'm leaving in an hour to go and see him again. I'm hoping he's moved to a regular room today, which he should be able to. His blood pressure was finally stable when I saw him around 10pm. He's in good spirits...just very tired. (I can't imagine why!) If you could put in a few prayers / positive thoughts / good wishes for Bill, I would appreciate it! Thanks

I used Sonlight for years and switched to Beautiful Feet for history last year because my 12yo doesn't like to read. We both love it!

My 12yo plays a lot of music in his spare time (piano & drums mostly). He enjoys playing video and computer games. He volunteers for the Special Olympics every Saturday and he participates in Tae Kwon Do (he's a 1st degree Black belt) 3 times a week. For summer fun, we have season passes to Busch Gardens and we try to get there at least every other week for a day.

Something we haven't tried, that you may want to look into, is Disney's YES program for homeschoolers. You attend any number of educational events (classes seem to be 3 hours in length and most are for kids ages 9-15) and you receive a substantial discount on the admission tickets. For instance, say you sign up one of your children. They have to attend the class (you can choose the topic from a list). Say that it's on Monday morning from 8am to 11am. You can purchase 7 days worth of park passes and the remainder of that week is yours to spend as you like. I really want to try this for one our upcoming trips! Here's a link: http://www.disneyyouth.com/individual-enrollment/

We go to Disneyworld every year. Here are our average expenses. Off-site 3 bedroom townhouse - $800 for the week (we go off-season) Gas to drive from Va to Fl - $600 Food from Publix to eat while we're there - $300 Disneyworld Base Tickets for 6 for a week (the big expense!) - $1700 Kennel for the dogs at home - $500 We eat one meal in the parks per day, which is usually counterservice and runs about $60. Add in a Mickey balloon ($10) and a stop for Dole Whips ($40) and it does all add up! We average anywhere from $4,000 to $5,000 per year for our Disney vacation. And we don't even stay on-site! Some of the really nice resorts are very pricey -- and we don't fit in them, being a family of six! For us...it's something we're doing now at this time in our lives. Our youngest has autism and just adores Disney! When she seems to outgrow it, we'll do something else for vacation instead.

I'm Kelly. I've been homeschooling for 17 years. I have 4 children: 21yo old college junior 18yo ds who just graduated last month from our homeschool (he has Asperger's Sydrome) 12yo ds 10yo dd who has autism I've been married for 23 years to my hubby who works from home (he's a government contractor). We live outside of Fredericksburg, Virginia. I love to read and I like to play golf (when I can find the time!)

My youngest has special needs so she fits this "age group" if that makes sense. She feeds and gives water to the dogs and cats She sets the table She folds the laundry She puts garbage into the trash cans outside She gets the mail from the mailbox She picks up her toys She needs reminders, but will do it promptly when I tell her to do something.

English Mathematics History Science Foreign Language Electives

Me, too!!! My hubby wants to retire in St. Augustine (he went to college there). I want to be closer to The Mouse! Maybe I'll go buy a few Powerball tickets for tonight! :D

:grouphug: So sad to hear this update.

My current-year school stuff is all in a large hutch in my dining room. We do school at the dining room table. That's also where the family computer is. It has plenty of room for everything. The stuff I'm not currently using is boxed up in the basement and getting that organized is one of my summer projects. I need to really go through it and decide what to keep and what to sell / give away.

I've been homeschooling for 17 years and I have 9 more years to go! According to my oldest daughter, I'll be homeschooling my grandchildren. We'll see how that goes. ;)

I'd never even heard of it before the HEAV convention! I was shopping with my youngest in another area and my hubby found it. Bought it on the spot. :) If the Precalc is out in 3 years that will be perfect. Otherwise, I'll be searching for suggestions here!