Having homeschooled in two states that had either zero supervision/reporting or very little, I do not want the government involved in my homeschooling at all. The homeschooling families I have known in these states are also handling things just fine without interference. Children that are being neglected are going to be neglected at home or at school. It has nothing to do with educational choice.

Personally, I don't care one way or another. I use my personal email for business reasons quite often, but then again I freelance. My name is my email, and my name is very much attached to what I do.

Our co-op has hired teachers. The majority either homeschool their kids or have in the past, but they are also mostly experienced teachers. Parents are required to put in X number of volunteer hours per semester. The parents monitor hallways, clean, cook lunch, and assist teachers. There is a nursery for babies and preschoolers. You are allowed to drop off the kids. Exits are monitored, there are IDs issued, and we strive to keep things secure. We have no screening requirements. It is a Christian ran co-op, but you are not required to be a Christian to attend. As long as you pay tuition, put in your hours and your kids are following the rules, it's all good.

We have always combined history, it was easier and much more cost effective for us. We combined science for a very short period of time. My twins have always been pretty much on the same level in everything, so until this year they pretty much did the same things. This year the paths they are taking are becoming more evident and so their studies are diverging more. Next year I think they will be doing one subject together (Chemistry). I never combined English and Math with my oldest and the twins.

Our dog has been on grain free food for several years. She breaks out in a rash and tries to chew her feet off if she eats wheat or corn. She doesn't when she eats grain free.

Honestly, I AM a colored pencil artist and I just use an X-acto electric sharpener. (and I like long pointy tips :P )

I voted I don't like them. BUT this has only been since they changed the recipe several years ago. They just haven't been the same since. Plus, the GS organization makes me grumpy...lol.

Another Corelle lover here. I have a big collection of Crazy Daisy Corelle from the 70's and I still pick up pieces when I find them at thrift stores and such. We've had two pieces shatter in the 20 ish years I've had them. They get run through the dishwasher and heated in the microwave pretty much daily. They do go into a zillion pieces when they break, but for us breaking has been extremely rare. I do have some newer Corelle that has chipped a lot.

This website has a list of free ACT tests from previous years that you can use as practice tests. I had my girls take several of these before their actual tests and it really gave us a feel for how they would do. http://www.badtesttakers.com/resources/ I also liked the book associated with that website if you are interested in test taking techniques to better your score.

Not that I'm aware of, but I would call the admissions office just in case. I have one that will be applying there in 2 years, so I'm following :) And, not that I'm homeschooled, but I'll be transferring there myself in the fall of 2016.

Not always, but if it is a really good snow then we'll take off. We don't get them often here. We ended up taking the entire week off this week. My niece was stuck at our house from Sunday until Tuesday (when they decided to walk to her house..lol) Plus, my college has been out all week too AND my dh is out of town. So, we are just goofing off and being lazy. It wasn't even a good snow, but there was enough ice to effectively shut down the state for most of the week! We'll pick back up next week. Since we were on schedule to finish our year early anyway, it doesn't really even matter.

I wanted to add, teen guests are often highly amused (in a good way) that we actually eat together at the table. It seems to be a rare thing any more. They usually enjoy it a lot, especially since we are often a bit rowdy and laugh a lot at dinner time.

We do set the table most nights, but nothing fancy. Plate, fork, glass of water. Sometimes we have a tablecloth, sometimes not...depending on the state of the laundry. No cloth napkins excepts on the holidays. (unless you count dh grabbing a dish towel to mop up stray sauce or something). All the food is put on the table, most often in the pot/pan/skillet it was cooked in. We serve ourselves. Desert, if we have it, is usually eaten in the living room after dinner.

That is helpful! I am around 35-40% according to that...much more in line with what I know about my body than the BMI charts.

BMI charts are often a bad idea, IMO. In order to get below the overweight range, I would look absolutely malnourished. At *my* healthiest weight, I'm firmly in the overweight range. Right now, I'm in the obese range and would really only consider myself overweight. I'm losing and my goal is to get back to a mid-range that I'm comfortable with. Right now I can wear non-plus size clothes, etc. However, I'm a big girl. Tall, broad shoulders, large frame, etc. I would have to lose 80 more pounds to get into "normal" range and would have to starve myself to get there!

Yep. I will gladly trade this ice for some snow. Ice isn't fun. It just looks gray and traps you at home. Bonus? I have an extra 2 days to study for Spanish :/

We had a move to another state and only a few days to actually LOOK at rentals. The best move we made was to get a realtor to help us. She knew the area and was able to steer us away from less desirable neighborhoods. She was also able to find something in our price range quickly. She was so helpful that we used her two more times before moving back to TN :)

We are mostly about the candy on both of those holidays, but no signs of stopping the giving just because they age out :) I'm sure it will dwindle as they move away, but I might get a wild hair and mail stuff.

We paid $500 for one last year. They are pricey, but SO worth it in certain circumstances.

I think it is very difficult to put a time frame on hours per day for any student. My girls had very, very different speeds in getting work finished. My oldest regularly spent 7-8 hours a day "doing school". However, she was great at daydreaming and rabbit trails. IMO she could have gotten her work done in half the time if she wanted to. Another of my girls is frequently done with her sophomore level work within 3 hours. She is very efficient with her time, and reads quickly. Her grades are good, and she has no trouble with keeping up. There are some days that she will work longer, especially when studying for a test. Another of my girls averages 5-6 hours a day, with a rather heavy work load, also at sophomore level.

I wanted to add, that although I feel homeschooling has been HUGELY beneficial to both me and my family, it hasn't been easy, or always fun. About once a year I have a meltdown and start looking at what it would take to put them in school. We've had periods in which it felt like we were floundering. If I also had to fend off disapproving relatives, raise high/special needs kids, or had no external support, I doubt I would have made it through.

Definitely. It has rekindled my love for learning, and helped me learn so many things I wouldn't have bothered with otherwise. It has strengthened my relationships with my family. We have a busy life, but still so connected. Homeschooling has given me a sense of accomplishment, especially as my kids are getting closer to leaving the nest. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Cumin and chili powder. Garlic would actually outrank either of those, but I use fresh.

I would totally eat it.

I would avoid goat dairy for the moment, especially while trying an elimination diet. Be aware that oats/oatmeal are known for cross-contamination for wheat. For us, it is just easier to shift how we eat instead of trying to find substitutes. Breakfast: Fruit, nut butters, nuts, etc. Smoothies with almond milk (or coconut,etc), potato/bacon or sausage hash. Lunches: sliced meat (read deli meat labels carefully as many contain milk AND wheat), raw veggies with hummus, soups without milk or noodles. Dinners: Ours usually are a meat, veggies, and potatoes or rice if I want a starch. This sounds boring, but you can go so many ways with it. A potato, cabbage and brat hash is a hit here too.