Praying for a speedy recovery for Caden and some much needed rest for Mama.

7th grader (the artist): Math: Life of Fred and Khan Academy LA: Grammar: Solidifying weaker skills with multiple materials I have here at home. Literature: One novel or poetry book per month with a corresponding art project Writing: Daily writing using book Unjournaling Science: Homeschool science class plus crash course science (anatomy and astronomy, I think ) History: Story of the world 3 and 4 along with documentaries and discussion with her older sister. Foreign Language: She wants to study Swedish so she will be doing that with Duolingo and Mango. Yoga classes and art classes will round out her schedule. 9th grader (the actor): Math: Lial's Basic College Math and Life of Fred. LA: Grammar: Punctuation and Daily Grammar along with some Paragraph editing Literature: Edx monthly book clubs with open courseware from Berkeley Writing: The Lively Art of Writing Science: Teaching Company Anatomy and Physiology with supplementation with froguts.com and other resources. History: American History and Government using documentaries, crash course videos, and supplemental reading. Electives: She is currently working on a film production project where she and a few friends are doing everything - writing, acting, producing, editing etc, all with the guidance of a parent who works in the film industry. We will also be studying the history of the American Musical using a DVD series from The Teaching Company.

We don't eat it but we have been to the Spam Museum in Minnesota. It was an interesting visit. Lots of historical context.

I do not eat it. Interestingly, my mother never bought spam but would buy Vienna Sausages and potted meat. I ate that as a kid but would not eat it now.

Nope. We only have a small lawn but don't really care what it looks like. we keep it mowed. Also, dh does all of his mother's lawn work so that usually takes priority as it is much more time consuming. I am longing for the day when our kids are out of the house and we can move downtown into a loft and not have to worry about another lawn.

I have always worked while homeschooling. When the girls were younger, I did medical transcription from home but I worked nights after they went to sleep. A few years ago, I transitioned to working every weekend and I was off during the week. This was easier on homeschooling but not good for my marriage or my family life because we just never got to spend any time together. Since November, I have been working full time, third shift and it is hard. I am sleep deprived almost all of the time but the sacrifices are worth it. I am getting ready to hire someone to come in and help a few hours a week with the housework though. My children are almost 14 and 12 and we had a long discussion that if this is our new reality and if they want to remain homeschooled, they will have to do a certain amount independently and dh is going to help some with math, etc. If we can't make it work, I will have to reassess our schooling options but this is how it will be for now. Working has always been hard but it seems to be the hardest on me. I am so sleep deprived and running on fumes most of the time. I know it isn't doing great things for my body either. However, I just keep telling myself that it is only for 6 more years and both girls will be done and gone. I can do what I have to do for 6 years. It seems like such a short time in the scheme of things. Then, I can move into something with more normal hours to mimic what dh works.

Or "Hold my beer".

I also recommend taking them to see as many musicals as you can. So much can be learned from that experience.

A friend of mine who is the Director of the opera department of a local university discouraged voice lessons at that age. She recommended piano lessons first. My daughter is almost 14 and just really started voice lessons this year. We do a lot of community theatre. There are several children's theatre groups around here that are popular but we avoid because the pay to play fees are astronomical for little return. Sweet-pea just auditions at the community theatre level and has never had difficulty getting parts. The local college has a college prep theatre program and she has also done some work with them. I think it gives her a more realistic view of what the theatre world is like without us just buying her a part (which is how the children's theatre programs around here operate for the most part). I am also a trained actor so I do have some experience with which to guide her.

I am so sorry for your losses and those of everyone else on this thread. I wanted more children than the two that we have. I did have two miscarriages as well. However, I hated being pregnant. I had terrible hyperemesis, was hospitalized several times and was just miserable. After my second daughter was born and we talked about the possibility of having more children, my dh was emphatically done. He not only felt that two children was enough but told me that he could just not watch me go through pregnancy again. Also, I felt that it just wasn't fair to the children I have to basically take away their mother for a year when they were still so young and needed me so much. My children are now 11 and 13 and I do not regret our decision to not have more children. I occasionally get wistful and think what other personalities and spirits we would have gotten but I am good. No regrets.

I live in Southwestern Ohio and we meet all of your criteria.

I really like the ones from www.pinklemonadeshop.com. The fabrics are so soft. My favorites are from an Etsy shop that closed unfortunately for me.

I love this movie.

In the summer, I like to cook fresh veggies on our dutch oven. I like green beans, potatoes and corn on the cob all thrown in with some liquid (water or chicken broth). For my kids, I also sometimes put some ham in there. I do a lot of our dinners on campfire with the dutch oven.

Musicals are my favorite. We are a theatre family and I LOVE them. My favorites are: Jekyll and Hyde The Scarlet Pimpernel The Civil War (Yes, I love Frank Wildhorn) City of Angels Miss Saigon Addams Family Nice Work if You can Get it Million Dollar Quartet Jesus Christ Superstar Chicago Rent Into the Woods Wicked These are the list of musicals I have seen that I would pay to see over and over again. We also own all of these soundtracks and they are listened to often, especially in the car. We are going to see Book of Mormon in August and I suspect that will go on the list too.

Sorry. Posted twice

I am also a Jennifer born in the early 1970's. My mother thought my name was unusual. Little did she know. My oldest daughter is named after my college friends and a song from that time that makes me think of them, Emily by Beth Nielsen Chapman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZxMdjcPMOw My youngest daughter's name comes from one of the zookeepers on Crocodile Hunter, Kelsey.

We are not dealing with this but do know two sisters that both have POTS. You can read about their story here. http://saraspins.org They raised money for both of them to go to the POTS treatment center in Dallas. They have both had incredible outcomes. Hope this helps.

We have an excellent library system but I don't use it much anymore. I have paid a fortune in fines over the years and now that my girls are older, we tend to spend more time with books and with my schedule, I just can't be responsible for one more thing. We have Amazon Prime, and it has made my life so much easier. I also use Better World Books to help get things for school. I do use my kindle to borrow library books for myself which makes it easier to take books to work with me, etc.

Another vote for aleve. I have period cramps that will knock me down for 2-3 days a month. Aleve helps me so much more than ibuprofen ever did. This is also what I give my daughter when she requests pain meds for her cramps although she doesn't need it every month. If you know it is coming and can start taking it before the pain hits its peak, then it will be the most effective.

Without them uttering a word, I can tell which child is walking down the stairs.

Sending more hugs to you.

The only thing we have ever insisted on is that the kids must have one activity that is active. They have done dance, gymnastics, tennis, and yoga through the years and we currently have one in dance and one in yoga. We don't require anything else.

Yes, both of my children have things they are passionate about. I do feel a responsibility to help foster those passions. Sweet-Pea is an actor/singer. That is what she wants to do with her life. Financially, we are able to help her grow in that with lessons, etc. Boo Boo is an artist. She takes art lessons and we provide her with materials, etc at home. To ask either of my girls to not do those things would make them completely miserable. These things are part of who they are. Many say that they are too young to know what they want. I knew from the time I was 9 and it has never changed. I am 43 and theatre feeds my soul. Without it, I do not feel whole. My girls feel that way about art and theatre as well. They might change their mind. Then, we will pursue whatever it is that feeds that need in them. Would I be concerned if they had nothing they were passionate about at their ages? No, not really. I would support them in trying different things to find their passion if they so desired.

Crown Candy Kitchen has the best ice cream ever. So good. We love everything in Forest Park. The zoo is really lovely as is the art museum. We never have a hard time finding things to do in St. Louis. I hope you have a great visit.