:iagree: I had everything planned out and bought. Now that I've been reading all these threads, I'm thinking I need to buy this and chuck the others. Of course, since money grows on a tree in my backyard...:D Denise

Ok Bill, I have to ask, why don't you like the linking cubes? Honestly, for me, the rods seem less well defined. Maybe I'm missing something? I will admit that I messed up math for my oldest in the elementary years. Even though he's ok now, I am trying not to repeat that with my younger two. Anyway, you opinion is much appreciated. Denise

Oh, I didn't think about traffic. Now that we are out of the DC area, I don't think about it so much. How quickly we forget! :D Still, you're enthusiasm is infectious. Thank you for responding. Denise Forgot to ask: Is it an expensive area? How would it compare to the Wash. DC area? We currently live in the Panama City area, which is slightly less expensive than DC.

We have one big, open room too. For my high schooler, I got him some noise cancelling headphones, a comfortable chair and footstool, and face him toward a window. He listens to classical music and studies. The younger ones do some things together and run off to their bedrooms to play if I'm working individually with one of them. It's not the best set-up. Our first house was much smaller but had a living room and a family room, which worked better. Denise

I can't do it. I've been a buying maniac myself this summer. Maybe, if we both look at our bank statements, we'll quit going to Amazon and buying stuff. Maybe. Denise

I've been thinking about her too. I hope she's ok. If someone could let her know that we are sending :grouphug:s and prayers for her, that would be great. Denise

Based on where you live and the size of your family, your bill sounds about right. We are only a family of 5 - 3 kids, 2 adults. We spend $400-$500 per month and we live in a less expensive area. We also eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. Are you trying to reduce your grocery bill? One way is to have beans more often. We usually have pinto beans. Once I make a big pot, they provide several meals - beans w/rice & veggies, burritos, tostadas and nachos. Other posters have suggested growing some of your own veggies. We are planning to do that soon too. After the initial start-up, it's much less expensive and better quality. The last suggestion I have for you is to go berry picking. Farmers sell their berries cheaper this way and you can choose which farm you like. We pick blueberries for $8/gallon. I picked 5 gallons this year and froze them. They last all yr. and cost so much less than buying the $4 pint in the store. I hope this helps you. Denise

EarleneW - thanks for responding. Sounds like you all really had fun there. I'll check into the area more. I am concerned about my oldest. He'll be trying to complete his Eagle Scout requirements and I don't want to mess things up for him. Still, it sounds like such a fun place. Thanks again for your input. Denise

I bought pencils 2 yrs. ago and the lead falls out of them too. It's so frustrating! :glare: I told the kids to stop trying to use them, when the lead falls out, throw them away. We had this problem with more than one brand so I've switched to mechanical pencils. It's seems more wasteful using the mechanical ones but, at least my kids can get through a lesson. If any of you find a good brand of pencils this year, please let me know. Thanks. Denise

My oldest used ZB. My middle used Seton, which is the ZB method. I don't know what I will do with my youngest. I want her to learn cursive first but I'm undecided as to the program I will use for her. Denise

We may have the opportunity to live in Tampa Bay, FL for a yr. Can anyone tell me about the area? Are there a lot of homeschoolers? What kind of homeschool groups are there? It seems like there are lots of museums, nature centers, and so forth. Is it fair to say there are lots of things to do in the area? My kids are 16, 10 and 4. Would there be plenty of activities for each of them? Thanks for helping me. Denise

We would love this. Our priest won't let the kids be confirmed until 10th grade. Ds #1 will be confirmed this year, finally. I've been to ND. It's beautiful in the spring and summer. Don't know if I could move there though. ;) Denise

:iagree: If I correctly understand what you're saying here, then yes, I believe this way too. I can't not believe but I choose to have faith. God gives you the grace to know Him but you have to choose to accept Him. I'm tired so I hope this makes sense. Denise

Rachel or Renee. I don't know why, just like the sound I guess. The first name my parents gave me is ok but people like to give me nicknames I don't like (DeeDee, Big Dee - even though I was small) or they call me Diane. Oh, I used to get called Debbie alot too. Why is Denise so hard to remember? My dd has an unusual name for an American. I hope she likes it when she's older. Denise

Ruthie, With all the years of homeschooling, I have gained a lot of weight. It's not just the teaching, it's the researching, price comparing, planning, grading - the amount of seat work never ends. What I've begun doing is taking the kids swimming every morning for 1-2 hours. I don't get as much exercise as they do, because my 4 yr. old can't swim well, but I get some. In fact, I get enough to be sore on some days. The 10 min. walk to and then back from the pool is good too. In the winter, we will walk. A good hour or so of exercise settles the kids to do their work in the afternoons, which is a great bonus. If you don't have access to a pool, try something else. Walking is the best, imo, but anything that is close by and cheap, if not free, is good. Try to build it in to your day. It's not easy, especially in the beginning. Keep trying though. Shedding pounds while having fun w/your kids is a great use of time. Denise

We have not been on a vacation in several years. 7 yrs. ago we stayed in a cabin in West VA for 3 days for my oldest son's 9th birthday. That was the last time we went on vacation. It's not that bad to skip vacations. Dh takes time off during the year and we do things around town or at home. It can be fun. Denise

:grouphug: and prayers. Denise

Yes, in a heart beat. Denise

I got these comments about my oldest. He's tall. Once he got to be about 8, people began asking him if he played basketball. By the time he was 12, he got visibly angry if someone asked that. He just got so sick of it. If people don't have a compliment to give, they should be quiet. My sister and I were big, tall kids. We were not fat and we got zero junk food - my mom was a nutrition nut. We were just tall and more muscular than out peers. We ended up at 5'6" and 5'5" and normal weights. So no, I don't believe that kids are getting bigger due to junk food. Some kids are getting fat due to those reasons but many kids are bigger (not fat) due to better nutrition and just human development. Just my 2 cents. Denise

Nakia- your marriage sounds like mine. And yes, we're Christains. We like to discuss and work things out together. It's a good way to be. My dh would never stand for being a dictator. He doesn't believe that is what God wants. Denise

Well, undereating will cause low birth weight but, I wouldn't advise it. My sympathies to you though. Ds #1 was 9lbs. 14 oz. at 36 wks. DD was 9lbs. 4 oz. at 35 wks. Yep, it's genetic. Denise

I've waited over an hour. It seems if your appointment is first thing in the a.m., you stand a better chance of being seen in a reasonable amount of time. If I have to take an afternoon appointment, I plan on not being seen for at least an hour after my scheduled appointment time. :tongue_smilie: This seems to be true of all but brand new practices or walk-in clinics. So, it's not like I can just switch doctors. Denise

:grouphug::grouphug:

Due to moving, we ended up not getting my dd her shots until she was about 7 mo. Then, we did them one at a time, 2-4 weeks apart. Her oldest brother had a reaction to the Hib so we waited a long time between that shot and others. I had to call and ask doctors if they were willing to do this delayed schedule. One was fine with it, one almost turned me in to social services and most just said no. You may need to shop around. Denise

No. I love babies and would welcome another one. Alas, I am near the end of that stage of life though. Just waiting for the grandbabies! Denise