Our piano teacher of 6 years just retired at the end of this year. She gave us a list of recommendations. I also wrote messages to all our various groups (co-op, church) to get recommendations from people. Then I wrote those people to see about prices and to get an idea of their style/philosophy. It was hard though as we found most people were way more expensive or were not accepting new students. In the end, we found someone who one of other students from our old teacher had found. We were all talking about getting a gift for the old teacher and sharing what we were going to do next year and this guy's name came up and he sounded like a good fit. We've only had one lesson so far but I think he's going to work great.

I look at supporting a missionary as providing the salary of the worker. What the worker does with that salary is then their business. If I am looking to support an organization in other ways I would give directly to the organization and not to the missionary.

Yes, I know this. But even with my non-adopted daughter the conversation went like this... Z: "Why is Rapunzel's Mommy being so mean to her?" Me: "Oh, because she's not really her Mommy. She's a mean witch who kidnapped her." Z: "Then why does Rapunzel say that she's her mother?" Me: "Because the witch told her she's her real mother and Rapunzel thinks she is." Z: "How do you know someone is your real Mommy?" Me: "Well your real Mommy is the person who loves you and takes care of you." Z: ....after a quiet worried pause...."What about Sarah?" (a friend of her that is adopted) Me: "Oh, that's different. Sarah is adopted but her Mommy is still her real Mommy.....[longer explanation about adoption and how what the witch did isn't adoption]" We watch a little more...Rapunzel escapes from the tower and the witch is following her. Z: "I don't like this movie. Why is her Mommy being so mean?" We turn it off. It totally freaked her out and I could see her thinking "How do I know I wasn't kidnapped and my Mommy is just saying she is my real Mommy?" She could probably watch it now at age 7 1/2 and be fine with it but this was at about age 5. My boys had watched it about that age and were totally fine. And I could see how adoptive parents might feel more sensitive about those issues and how their kids felt about the movie. Anyway, my point was that every kid is different and sometimes what is a perfectly fine movie for one kid is scary for another. My oldest was petrified of Veggie Tales as a kid. That was fun as a Christian since every single gathering that offered "a kids movie" showed Veggie Tales. He thought the talking veggies were really freaky. On the other hand he would watch very realistic nature documentaries of sharks and have no problem. You just have to know your kid.

This is so true. We had an issue one summer with our swim team because we showed a movie that depicted adoption badly in the eyes of some parents who had adopted. I think the movie was Tangled, but I can't remember. I know my own daughter was really freaked out by Tangled with the idea that the witch was supposed to be Rapunzel's Mom but not her real Mom but an evil Mom. I could understand why they didn't want their kids to see it but I wouldn't have thought about it being a problem myself (it was before my daughter had seen it). I like Common Sense Media reviews. They are very thorough but I like that. Often, it's stuff that I'm ok with but it's helpful to know if there is something that might be a problem for one of my kids. The thoroughness makes it easy to figure out if it's a problem for your family rather than just a generic "PG".

My son (the 10 year old) has been a vegetarian for ethical reasons for about 4 years. This is pretty much exactly what we eat. It's probably harder for an adult as people are used to kids being picky and maybe don't ask as many questions or bug a kid about choices but ds can almost always find something to eat. Usually he makes a meal from sides. So at a picnic he would have coleslaw, salad, fruit salad, and chips. If it's a cookout he'll take a bun and put cheese on it (he's not vegan) and then add whatever toppings are available. When we go out we find that there is almost always a vegetarian section on the menu, sometimes it's limited but there is usually something. Fast food is the biggest hurdle which really is only an issue when on a road trip. We usually try to find a Subway so he can do a veggie sub. But I've even had burger joints do the burger without a patty thing so he just has a bun and cheese and toppings.

Thanks HarrietVane! Very helpful.

Thanks! I have the Utopia Great Couse on my list of ones to consider. I was going to let Ds help choose which ones he was inteeested in. Thanks for the input!

I've read through the many (helpful) threads about 20th Century high school history options. I plan on doing some Great Courses, documentaries and other books but I'd like to have a textbook or other overview kind of book as a spine. This is for a 9th grader who is a very strong reader and who enjoys history but who probably is more of a math/science kid than a humanities kid. He loves to read and finds history interesting but isn't much of a writer. I've narrowed down my choices to: A Concise History of the Twentieth Century by Martin Gilbert Modern Times by Paul Johnson The History of the Modern Wold by Terry Burrows Any thoughts on any of the above? Hated them? Liked them? Thanks!

Make your own bowls with lots of leftovers. I think I'm going to use cauliflower rice as the base and then put out lots of toppings.

Our version of this is "You cannot get thirds before you ask if anyone else wants seconds." Other than that our main rule is just be polite. No saying "yuck" or talking about other people's food choices. I have one kid who eats pretty much anything, one who is a vegetarian by choice and somewhat picky and one who is pretty normal (eats most things but has some dislikes). Dh will eat anything. I was a very picky kid and have become less so as an adult but am probably still the pickiest in the family. Or as I prefer to think of myself "a Supertaster". We do mostly modular meals also. The kids are all able to cook themselves something they will eat so on the rare occasions that someone won't eat anything we are having, they can make themselves something or I will do it if there is time. The way this works in reality is that I will realize that my meal plan is chicken, grilled red potatoes and asparagus. The vegetarian doesn't like potatoes and isn't going to eat just asparagus as a meal. So if I have time I'll look for something for him or if I am busy I'll call him into the kitchen and ask him to make himself something. He can make eggs, a quesadilla, or "cheesy delight" (his concoction which is basically beans and rice with various toppings...cheese, spinach, guacamole, etc) all fairly quickly. I try to encourage them to try what I've made since none of them are the kind of picky kids who have texture issues. If they really don't want to, they don't have to. Anyone can get themselves something else to eat if they are still hungry or don't like the options but they have to choose something healthy. Fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurt, nuts, etc.

We don't have set rules. We swim in the summer so are at the pool for at least 2-3 hours a day. Dd also does dive team and boys are trying water polo this year. We do some light school work during the summer. We have various projects and other things we are working on or that they are doing individually. Other than that they are pretty much free to do what they want. Screen time varies. Sometimes they watch or do more, sometimes less.

We have a family of five. We haven't yet gone to more than one room. When the kids were little we'd sleep three kids to a bed and dh and I in one bed. Now the oldest kid either sleeps in a cot if they have one available or on the floor with extra pillows and blankets. He's a Scout and used to sleeping on the ground when camping so he's ok with it. He won't share with anyone so he prefers that. We don't ever lie or try to sneak in an extra person. I've never had a hotel have a problem with it, even with older kids. If they have a cot they usually charge a little extra (like $20-30) and I'm happy to pay that.

I enjoyed college and think it was very worthwhile. I wouldn't have been ready for medical school as it currently is structured straight out of high school. I knew that I wanted to be a doctor very early in life but even so I was glad to have the chance to also study English and Theater and Philosophy and Art in college. And to mature as a person.

Hi Chris! We still go to Huntley Meadows fairly often and I always think about you. You and the other Moms were so gracious and sweet to me with my little kids. I think that was before my oldest was old enough for our co-op. He was in K or 1st and I was very lonely with everyone else we knew in school. We really loved those walks. STARS is in Springfield. Harvester Pres. has a co-op as well that is fairly close. There are a fair number of people at Cap Bap in the Springfield or Burke area. I think because it was around before a lot of the newer ones and so people came from farther away. Short commute was also the most important thing to us. When we first moved here 17 years ago we moved close to my husband's work and he had a 10 min commute. I didn't have a job then and when I got one it was about 20-25 min away but reverse commute so not as bad traffic and we knew that eventually I would likely go part-time so we wanted his commute to be better. We moved about 7 years ago to Vienna. Dh still has only about a 15 min commute and could bike. My commute is still about 20-25 min, depending on time of day but I only go in twice a week and am never driving at rush hour. We actually have a fairly large yard (1/2 acre) for where we live but we could have more yard and house further out. We just didn't want to live that way, with dh on the road for hours and hours a day. And I agree with Tania's other post. In a typical day all our activities and needs are no more than a 15-20 min drive. Most things are closer. Scouts is 7 min, Ballet/Dance 10 min, Swimming 10 min, Co-op 15 min, grocery store 10 min, doctor's offices are all in Vienna so 10 min away, etc. It is entirely possible to fix it so that you are rarely or never on the Beltway or the big highways.

I live in Vienna. We love it here. The cons are what you've heard already. Traffic is a reality. Live as close to where you work as you can. Center all your activities/doctors/etc. as close as you can. It might seem like going to a doctor 5 miles away isn't a big deal but it is with typical rush hour traffic. You will learn the back roads and where not to go at certain times. COL is also a real factor. Other than just costing more, another side effect of that is that the norm is skewed. We have a nice house and live a good life but we are surrounded by neighborhoods with million dollar plus homes and people that are much wealthier than us. I think that would probably be more of an issue if we didn't homeschool. Most of our friends are not super wealthy and so the kids don't do a lot of comparing but when we've done other activities we have run across that a bit. It is a super-high pressure environment for kids. As a pediatrician in the area, I see a lot of kids who are just super stressed. The pressure cooker environment is definitely one of the reasons we homeschool. But you can make a choice to not live that way. Pros: We love being close to DC. We make an effort to go into DC regularly. The free museums are a great resource. Plus shows at the Kennedy Center, Folger Library, etc. Many of which have school or homeschool programs. We also love the diversity. We love being able to go out for pretty much food from any country and have options for the arts and to meet people from all over the world. Vienna itself has a bit of a "small-town feel". It's not a real small town but it does have a bit of that vibe....a Halloween parade annually, free movies on the green, concerts, an annual Memorial Day festival. There is a bike trail that goes through the town that is awesome. We purposely bought a place near the trail and that has really impacted our lives for the good. There are a ton of homeschool programs and support. I know a lot of homeschoolers in Vienna. I go to the same co-op as Tania and agree that it's a great one. There are also great secular options and other co-ops, of every variety. Almost everything has a homeschool option (gymnastics, musical theater, art, soccer, baseball, high school varsity sports, etc). If you want to PM me I'd be happy to talk more specifically. ETA: As to why we homeschool....we just like it. We've given our kids the option to go to school as they got older and they have chosen to continue to homeschool. There were some things we didn't like about the public schools (pressure, overemphasis on testing, etc) but we also are grateful to know that we have the option of very good public schools as well as the option to homeschool.

Yes! This is totally me. And as a pediatrician it happens all the time. I see a parent in public who is a patient at our practice and know I know them but don't know where I know them unless they have the kids with them. Otherwise I think...could be a parent from ballet or swimming or Scouts or whatever. The people who are really my patients I know but people who are regular patients of one of the other people in the practice and I've only seen them a few times it's impossible for me to know them unless they have a kid.

The boys have none. They sleep in Tshirts and boxers. My daughter has random things she wears to bed. I'm not sure how many. Mostly it's Tshirts and some kind of bottom. The bottoms are usually pajamas that are hand-me-downs from a friend. We have a friend that gives her a ton of clothes and dd goes through and takes what she likes. She's picky so it's kind of random what she ends up with.

22 years. She goes to my church. We met at church back before I was married. I was in med school and she and her new husband had just moved to the area. Dh was also at the same very small church but was just a friend. We are all still there...22 years and 10 kids later (7 for them, 3 for us). We see each other very regularly. I don't really keep in touch with any childhood friends. My closest friend from high school and I did keep in touch for awhile, about 12 years or so. Her daughter was a flower girl in my wedding. We still do Christmas cards but otherwise aren't in regular contact.

In our house it would go like this: Person B, "Hey, you cooked, I'll clean up." Person A, "No, that's fine. I'll help." And then we would do it together. Gender wouldn't matter here and it wouldn't matter what the other person had done that day unless one of us clearly had a vacation kind of day. Then that person would try and give the other person a break. In general, we do have some tasks that more typically one of us does. Usually that's just pragmatic. He's a better cook than me but I'm home at the end of the day so I typically cook dinner. He's home with the kids in the morning so he almost always starts laundry and changes the bedsheets on Fridays. Etc. Sometimes it's because one of is truly better at a job or cares more about how it is done. Or we have a particular job we hate and the other one doesn't mind as much. For most other things, whoever is around when a job needs doing does it.

We use Lively Latin and really like it. It has a lot of history which my oldest loves. My next two not so much so we skipped parts of the history. Oldest did Lukeion Latin I this year after finishing LL and did very well.

Yes, on average two a year. The kids and I go to the beach every year with my family. I'm an only child. My parents rent the house and invite us to come. Dh doesn't love the beach and doesn't get a lot of vacation time so he typically only stays for a long weekend and the rest of us stay the full week. We typically go on one longer trip a year (10 days). Dh and I both really love travel and have tried to pass that on to the kids. Depending on the trip and the year we might also go on smaller trips that are long weekends. I get money and time off every year for continuing medical education and we sometimes combine a vacation with a conference for me. The conferences typically have classes in the morning and then leave the afternoons and evenings free so it works well for a mini-vacation for the family. We usually do that if it's a year where we aren't taking as big of another vacation.

Dh is Chinese-American. Born and raised in Indianapolis. He doesn't mind the question most of the time (depending on context and tone) and usually answers it with what he knows they mean, "I'm from Indiana but my parents were from China." Or something like that. He is also the kind of person who asks borderline rude questions so I think he has a high tolerance for people asking him stuff. His chooses to operate under the assumption that they have good intentions. Occasionally he answers "Indiana" and he does mind the follow up "No, where are you really from?"

One of the best presents I got post-partum with my first was a basket of magazines. Each one was tied with a ribbon and the note said to undo one a day. It gave me something fun to look forward to every day and also was light reading for a time when I was kind of brain-dead. They were all totally guilty pleasure magazines of the kind that I would never buy myself but that were fun to read.

Ds (8th grade) is taking the SAT on Saturday. Registering was easy for that and we did not go through a talent search. I decided to have him take it because we have to do some kind of end of year evaluation. One option is a standardized test and it will count for that. So I figured it meets that requirement and is actually practice for a test he will have to take eventually. Also I figured just having the experience of it is worth something instead of having the first big test he takes be something that does matter.

Pediatrician. I work about 12 hours a week in the office and between 5-10 more rounding on patients a the hospitals. It's pretty much the norm in pediatrics now for women docs to work part-time. In our office of 6 docs, 5 are part-time. There are many variations of that...one woman works one day a week and has the youngest kids. One works two full days and two half days. You can easily come out of residency and negotiate terms where your insurance and fees are paid for by your practice and you work enough to keep up with licensure and then increase your hours as your kids get older. Or you can come out and work full time for a bit and then drop down when you have kids (what I did). My dh works part-time also and has since our oldest was born. I do think that anyone who chooses to work part-time has to realize that will come with career sacrifices. I will never be a partner at my practice which means I have less earning potential and I have less ability to be involved in decisions. Dh will also never be a principal at his firm, which effects his overall earning potential beyond just making less because you work less. He also has had certain people at his firm express that they don't think part-timers are as committed or as good of employees. He's been there long enough to have a secure place and he has good support there but it hasn't been a choice that comes without some downside. That said, we decided early on that we preferred to both work part-time for multiple reasons. The benefits for our family have outweighed the negatives. I think that it's important for both boys and girls to grow up realizing that there are many ways to structure your work/life and that you cannot "have it all". You can find a job where you can work part-time and stay home with kids. But it will not take you to the same career levels as a job where you put in tons of hours. Or if both parents choose to work at very high-level careers, family life will be different than if one or both stayed home.