Ugh. I'll keep my low-rise jeans that actually fit. I hated those kinds of jeans back in the 80s. They were uncomfortable. All high waist jeans are uncomfortable wedgie jeans on me! lol.

Everyone will have a different response to this, but this is what we did: No copywork after they could write well. Science was informal until high school with my younger two. I was more formal with my oldest in middle school, but she hated it and never really picked a love for science back up. Both of my younger two really enjoy science and one is planning on going into forensic science as a career. Spelling, we stopped using a program around 5th grade. I just made them correct misspellings in their work after that. Our focus shifted into getting a solid math foundation, and learning to write well. We worked on the formal essay, informal writing, research papers, etc., along with firming up grammar. IMO those are the most important things to have down well before high school.

Nope, not your fault at all. I didn't mean for my post to come across that way. Absolutely people need to be responsible dog owners!

I think any dog has an aggression potential, and that people REALLY need to work more towards educating themselves and their children on how to behave around animals. I have seen WAY too many videos where parents think their kid is being all adorable when they climb all over their dog, or pull their ears, or get in their faces. What is even more horrifying is watching the dog's body language and knowing that they not happy with the situation. I have a little JRT that we put up in another room when we have small children over. I do not trust her around them. She is small and adorable, and most parents seem to think that it is ok for their kids to treat her like a cuddly stuffed animal that doesn't mind being manhandled. She isn't the cuddly type around kids and I'm not putting her in a place where she feels like she's being threatened. I don't fully trust any dog. I LOVE dogs. I've always had them/been around them. But I also realize that they do not reason like humans.

Ack! I would cry. All the doors must be closed in the sleeping rooms! Silly side story: when we built this house I did not realize that our bedroom was going to end up with FIVE doors in it. We have a bathroom door, a closet door, a door from the hall, a door to dh's office, and due to a stupid fire code a door to the outside. Now, not only is that an insane amount of doors, I have ALWAYS slept on the side of the bed next to a wall or farthest away from the door. Completely impossible now. It took me a couple of months to get over that. Now we just spend way too much time each night closing our five doors :/

Honestly? *I* am not paying for college for my kids. They are. I have my own college to pay for right now. I know that sounds selfish, but that's just how it is. We don't have savings for them. We are not in a position to be able to take out loans for them. I'm trying to get a degree so I can work, so we can eat and have health care in our old age. I'm trying to gift them with not having to pay for our care when we are old. 1. We have taught them that a 4-year college isn't mandatory, especially if you haven't figured out what you are doing. 2. We have been very realistic about how hard it is to get out from underneath a pile of debt when you are just starting out in a career. 3. We have encouraged community college first. Our state pays for two years of community college. That is the college safety net for our kids. Our oldest is currently taking advantage of that for two reasons: One, she wasn't even sure she wanted to go to college. Two, she was very unsure about a major. (She has both sorted out now, while she's getting her paid for Associates degree.) I have one daughter that really, really wants to go to a particular state university for their forensic science program. She knows that she will have to get a scholarship to attend. If she doesn't, then she will get her associates at the CC and go from there. My youngest twin is still kind of unsure, but thinks she wants to go into teaching. She's trying for scholarships, but will be attending CC if that falls through. I am currently attending community college on a combination of grants, scholarships, work-study, and a small amount of loans. What I do after my associates will depend on funding. ETA: I'm really, really hoping to snag a job at my CC where I'm currently doing my work-study (the potential is there). That will reduce the tuition to any of our state schools by half for my kids.

I'm SO glad I didn't quit. My dh had to talk me into NOT quitting about once a year with my oldest. But She's in college now and doing well. She has a great foundation. My younger two will graduate next year, and both are doing very well. It really was the best decision for our family. I wish I could have HSd my niece as well, who also graduates next year. (she stays at our house a lot and is like another daughter to me). I'm very close to my girls. It did not ruin our relationships, but I also had to learn when to back off and let them grow. It was very hard with each of them at different times, but looking back, those were the times that they were growing emotionally. The only regret that I have is that they ever went to public school at all. (I pulled them out when they were in the 3rd and 6th grades.) ETA: My younger two are learning pretty independently now. I check in with them to make sure they are actually doing their subjects, and they take a couple of co-op or DE classes. My actual teaching days are over.

We've always just had frank discussions about drug abuse/use. We've kind of been forced to their entire lives due to family members with some pretty awful addiction problems. Unfortunately, we have plenty of real life examples we can point to and say "This is what it will do to you, don't even try it."

The thing from the girl was a little weird, but it does happen. My teens text a lot. It is just how they talk to their friends. When they are together in person, they are often on phones, but are usually looking up goofy YouTube videos to show each other. And yes, mine have had middle of the night conversations with needy friends. As long as they are still doing other things, doing well in school and reading books, I'm not too worried about it. Mine tend to self-regulate fairly well. I remember, as a teen, being on the phone for HOURS with my friends. Drove my mom nuts because our one corded phone was in the hallway next to the bathroom..lol. Sometimes I talked to friends into the wee hours of the morning once I had a phone in my room.

I used to work as a teller. There was a guy that came in every week, a hard-working guy. I think he was in construction or landscaping or something. Anyway, he always came in right after work, dripping with sweat and grime, and would proceed to pull a wad of cash out of his back pocket to deposit. It was always wet. Butt sweat. All of the tellers would try to not be the one that had to take his money and one or two often found a reason to go to the vault. :leaving:

My in-laws are doing well. They built a modest house in the 70's and paid it off. They never moved. FIL worked until retirement at, mostly at the same place. They lived frugally and he participated in whatever pension/401K his employer (government nuclear research facility) offered. He was a machinist. While MIL has had a lot of surgeries and health issues, most of them were after she hit 45, and their insurance is very, very good...so no financial drain there. My dad and step-mom will probably have to work until they die. He's never held a steady job (a painter or factory worker his entire life). And my step-mom lost her job of many years when a factory shut down. They were both out of work for a long time during the recession. She's working at another factory until she cannot any longer. They have no savings. We, on the other hand, have managed to do all the wrong things, it seems. We've moved a lot. We have 27 years left on a mortgage. My husband has had some major health issues, and our insurance is NOT as good as my in-laws. I don't see him being able to work until retirement age. We took out our 401K after the crash (and watching it vanish before our eyes) and bought a much needed vehicle. The only things working in our favor is that dh has worked for the same company for over 20 years, and he is fully vested in their pension plan. Right now though, it will not pay out anything near what he currently makes. I'm our retirement plan. Back in college to get a degree, so I can hopefully work for 20-25 years, have health insurance and get us set up enough to pay for our old age.

Ack! I actually physically cringed when I read that and broke out in goosebumps. That one is on my list too!

I cannot stand it when people crease paper with their fingers or nails. This is linked to the fact that thinking about paper cuts wigs me out. Creasing of paper makes the sound of paper cuts. I cannot stand for anyone to put their hands on my neck. Knives cannot point towards me if they are laying on the counter. Ever since I was a child I have always pictured them just jumping off the counter and flying towards me if they are pointed the wrong way. (There is a traumatic childhood incident that is related to this) I can't stand artificial lime flavoring. I have been known to spit things out in public if I accidentally eat something lime flavored. As a result, I don't trust green candy.

Waffles (tradition), Sketch books, a Naussica watercolor art book, a Studio Ghibli movie (can't remember which one), and an Amazon gift card.

Around 11-13. Two of my girls grew over 4 inches over the summer when they were 11. I couldn't keep them fed.

(BTW, evolution/creationism threads tend to go downhill fast here)

I am a Christian, and believe God created the world. I still taught evolution. It needs to be known. Certain aspects are observable fact. To dismiss all evolution is to dismiss a huge chunk of science. The how and why we got here is up to debate. I taught what we believed while still teaching what is taught in every public school and most colleges. I have a very Christian daughter that is headed into the STEM field. She knows about a wide range of scientific theory and it doesn't affect our faith in a negative way.

My oldest dd has OAS. Her list has grown over the years as she seems to be developing more food allergies rather than less. She cannot eat: Pineapple Melons (the worst OAS for her) Cucumber Kiwi Mango Bananas Basically the only fruit she eats are grapes, apples, and oranges. Even those occasionally bother her a bit. She's also allergic to nuts, but her reaction to those goes beyond itchy/burning mouth.

I think I am. I can usually tell what herbs and spices go with dishes. I know how to cook different meats and seafood without over doing it. I rarely use recipes. Even when I do, I end up just using it for a general idea. (Except when baking) Not afraid to try new things... I am, however, very TIRED of cooking. I have cooked most of our meals for 24 years and I'm feeling very blah about cooking now. I'd love to have someone come in and do it for me.

It is all about choices, I think. I choose to still be here, even though there is a mountain of those d**n glasses by the sink. I love him and will until the day I die. On the flip side, there isn't another person on the planet that can irritate me as much as he can. And I think it is BECAUSE I love him that he has that ability to irritate me so much...lol. I'm pretty good at brushing other people off if I can't stand what they are doing. We've gone through separation. We were a court date away from being divorced. I chose to come back. Every day I choose to stay. I choose whether or not each annoyance/slight against me is a deal breaker. I think some people just finally reach a point at which they simply can't make that choice any more. In staying, I've had to put some mental distance between us. I've had to learn that it is ok for me to live parts of my life without him. I still wonder how all this will play out once the kids move out.

Oh, another thing we updated was replacing the hollow wood doors with masonite paneled doors and painting all the trim white.

Personally, I would update the kitchen, but nix the granite. They make some gorgeous formica now that is really nice, and a whole lot cheaper. (really! We have some in our kitchen and people don't realize it isn't stone most of the time) It can give your kitchen an update without breaking the bank. We bought a house (a few houses back) that was like a 1960's time capsule. And not the cute stuff. There was paisley carpet in the KITCHEN. Anyway, it had sat on the market forever because of that kitchen and the shag carpet in the rest of the house. We got it for a steal because of that mess. We lived there a while, fixed the kitchen up (painted cabinets, put in vinyl floors, and replaced the countertop with an updated formica) and then sold it within a few months of listing it.

You can also find them cheap at dollar stores. I think there is a lot of value in letting kids be messy in art. It is REALLY hard to get creative if you are focused on being neat. Even at my age, I make big ol' messes in my studio area...lol. When my kids were little, I just kind of accepted that messes would be made, and that I wasn't going to worry about the state of my table. Now that my kids are pretty much grown, my kitchen chairs no longer have a finish on them, and my table top is a wreck. But, I slap a pretty tablecloth on it and I don't have to look at stains anymore. My chairs...well, a cost of having kids that I was willing to accept. I kind of thought that I'd get a nice set after they moved out, but now I think I'll keep them and let the grandkids be messy on them too..lol.

Vinyl tablecloth on the table (quick wipe down, dried and put away). Toss all the brushes in a container with water until you can wash them. (but don't let them soak too long, or you'll ruin them) Make sure the kids are in minimal clothing. (when mine were very small they painted in their undies, and then it was straight to the bathtub after). If the floor gets dirty, you can always put a vinyl tablecloth on the floor too. I cleaned brushes myself until mine were 10 or older.

High school co-op has been great for our family. The two biggest factors have been the people (friends) and the quality of classes. Our co-op has provided opportunities I could not give them at home, such as foreign language classes and dance classes. We've also taken advantage of the lab science classes they have offered. To me these classes were worth it because they were often taught by college professors that were homeschooling their own kids, or by people that were very knowledgable in the subject they taught. My dd has developed a love for science through this co-op. She has been able to take some terrific Forensic Science classes that have taught her SO much. The biology and chemistry classes they've taken there are comparable to what I've seen at my college. (without the million dollar labs, of course). The American Lit class one of my girls is taking this year is almost identical to the American Lit course they offer at my college, even uses the same text. They are held accountable for homework, and teachers don't go easy on them. Also, there are a large number of teens 14+ at our co-op, and it has allowed the girls to make a lot of friends. Some of those friends are attending college with my oldest now and are still in touch. We've attended other co-op situations that would not have worked out well at all for high school. If the classes were weak, or students weren't expected to be serious about completing their work, it wouldn't have been worth the effort. Our co-op is kind of ran more like a private school that meets one day a week than the typical parent taught co-op, and it seems like it has helped with the quality of the learning at the upper levels.