Thanks you guys. You're the best! Denise

No, I wouldn't have asked you to leave w/the baby. I have boys age 15 and 10. Once in a while my dd, age 4, runs out to the living room buck naked or bottomless. Both boys turn their heads away and laugh. We don't make too big of an issue of it. What you did was fine. Denise

It depends on the level of disagreement. I have and do boycott companies whose statements or actions I vehemently disagree with. You do have to balance the educational needs of your dc in the decision too. Can you find something similar? How would you feel if you just bought a used copy? Denise

Great to hear that your dd is getting better. I hope all of you get to feeling better and back to normal soon. Denise

Don't take his statement to heart. He's expressing frustration at not getting what he wants. Most kids his age go through something similar. He does not really hate you. I agree with the other posters who said to try to make homeschooling more fun than ps. If you haven't already, maybe discuss w/him the fact that there will many other people at school, not just his friend, who might be mean. Sometimes we can't see the reality because we want the fantasy so much. We'll pray for you and your son. :grouphug: Denise

I'm sorry for everything that you are going through. I think people who are annoyed with you for having a chronic illness don't understand. Maybe they can't comprehend it or maybe they're selfish. It more likely that it hurts them to see you hurting and they feel helpless to resolve the problem for you so they are angry and unfortunately, take it out on you. It's still immature of them to take their anger out on you but, it happens all the time. As for your part, can you limit contact w/this person? That is what I have done w/family members who insist on treating me poorly. I still love them but I have to put distance between them and myself. Hopefully others will post better solutions for you. For now, :grouphug: :grouphug:. I hope your flare up subsides soon and you feel better. Don't be afraid to post here - many of us feel fuzzy brained too. :001_smile: Denise

I'm not pregnant. He said he will run some tests and that it might be change of life. To be honest, I'm relieved and only a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, dh and I would love and cherish a new baby, we both just feel a little long in the tooth these days. I have never heard of a woman having a sudden weight gain, tightening of the abdomen and so forth that was menopause and not pregnancy. I learned something new today. Thank you all for listening and your support. It's really a blessing to know you (even if it in virtual world!). Denise

Ok, thanks you all. I will look into currclick. Ds is in a chess club that meets at a local church. The class is for intermediate players so he felt that would further his skills. He was looking forward to additional and maybe more advanced instruction. I appreciate your help. Denise

Ds can't take the chess class unless he enrolls in the school that offers it. He'll be so disappointed when he finds out. :sad: Do any of you know of any online chess classes? Or ideas for how to put one together myself? Oh, I hope you all can help me. Denise

It was in a college bible study (evangelical) that I first heard that the Catholic Church was a cult. The kids were being taught this in campus ministries and their churches. I went to my very Methodist grandparents to ask if that was true? After saying, "No, they're Christians, just like we are," they began to question me pointedly about this group I was involved with. They were relieved a few years later when I said my search was over and I was becoming Catholic. It was being told the Church was a cult that got me interested in checking into it. It took me a few years but I finally went to classes and loved what I was hearing. Including 2 priests who talked about how the Church had made mistakes and would make more in the future - because it's filled with humans. Wow! A church that could admit mistakes? I had never seen or heard this before and haven't since. It was that humility that made me think, these people (the Catholics) are on to something. Well, that and the fact that every Catholic I knew seemed to be so happy and secure. They knew how to have fun, were unafraid of life and yet very devout Christians. The Methodists I knew were like this too but the Catholics were more so. I wanted to know their secret. What did they have that I didn't? Now I know and am so glad to be giving this gift to my kids. Since I became Catholic, I've heard all of the things you ladies have mentioned here. It's just incredible. I don't understand why people have to disparage other people's faith. I chalk it up to an insecurity in their own or they've been taught hatred, not a Christian value. Anyway, sorry I missed the other thread. You all said everything so much better than I would have anyway. You all are great. Denise

Several yrs. ago a roommate of mine always said you can wallow in your own self-pity for 5 minutes. After that, get over yourself and get on with your life. I use that one all the time when I begin to feel down. It really helps to get me back into gear and move forward. Denise

Yes, that is very similar to what I'm experiencing. I think it is more likely to be hormone fluctuations than pregnancy. It seems so late in life, though I know it can happen even in your 50's. Honestly, I don't know how I will feel if I am pregnant. I also don't know how I'll feel if I'm not. I'm just sort of in a bit of a daze wondering what is going on. I'll find out for certain on Thursday. Thank you all for helping me with this. It's nice to have support. Denise

You did a nice job on your school room. It looks great. I love the abacus mounted on the wall. Can you take it down when you want to? You must feel so good now. Enjoy! Denise

An umbrella school is a type of private school set up to allow you to educate your children at home, usually using your own curricula, but your dc are considered private school students under the law. The advantage to these schools are that they allow you to homeschool without all of the testing and yearly reporting requirements. Some of them will produce transcripts, report cards and diplomas for you. The disadvantage is that you have to report attendance and register as you would with any school - birth cert., health form, and so on. Here in FL, private schoolers can't participate in ps sports so, if you use an umbrella school, your dc can't be on ps sports teams. Not all states have this restriction though. Some of the schools charge a fee and some have their own testing requirements. Others do require certain subjects and/or curricula. Many of these schools, and the ones I use, have no such restrictions or requirements. For me, it's one less hoop I have to jump through. Denise

Halcyon, The school I use for my younger ds is Florida Unschoolers. You're right, Nance is great about responding. But the other one I use, that costs a lot because they prepare transcripts, is the one I'm having trouble getting a response from. The ones mentioned at the presentation were big and national. I just wondered how many people have trouble and how many had no problems with these schools. Thanks for responding everyone. It's good to know that you all are having good experiences with your umbrella schools. Denise

Thanks for the review. I am looking for ways to add more protein to our diet w/out adding more meat. I will definately try this pasta. By the way, I grew up eating beans all the time. I still eat them a lot but really don't like them. So a new source of non-meat protein that doesn't cost a fortune is good info. Thanks. Denise

My ds is 8 and he runs w/ds 15 and dh. He runs more slowly than they do so dh set-up a course where he can still see ds 8 but run ahead. I think 1.5 mi. is fine. If she can't do it right away, let her walk parts of it until she works up to it. Enjoy running together! Denise

You might be biased but they are beautiful. Denise

I was telling a friend that it's like pulling teeth to get a response from one of my umbrella schools. She said she had heard at a recent presentation on transcripts that they're all like that. Is that true? Have any of you had difficulties w/your umbrella schools? I don't contact this school that often. But the 2 times I have, it takes several contacts and a few weeks to hear back. For the record, at one of the schools I use response is no problem. But, that one doesn't do transcripts or report cards so maybe the workload is lighter. What are your experiences w/these schools and response time? Denise

More symptoms like unusual fatigue, lower ab. tightness, bOOk point tenderness, lightheadedness and one symptom which will remain unsaid. I also had a sudden weight jump, which always happens when I test positive. But, your point is well taken though. At my age, it very well be just late or even absent. So, some or all of these symptoms could be age related and not the other? Interesting to know. Annoying but interesting. I appreciate your help! Denise

Prayers will continue. :grouphug: Denise

IrresistibleGrace - Thank you for responding. Maybe this is what is happening to me too. A friend irl said that she always shows negative until about 10 weeks into it. It's weird. Congratulations on your beautiful little girl. And, thanks for your help. Denise

I don't know about the UPS guy, I just want my dh in one! Denise

So, I'm 47 and have had regular visits from my aunt since I was 11. She's now 12 days late. 3 tests say there is nothing there but many symptoms say otherwise. Could this be the change of life instead? Would my aunt just stop so suddenly and give me "little one" symptoms? I see the dr. Thurs. Have any of you heard of this before? It's just not the change symptoms I've heard about. Denise

We did OM Biology this yr. w/my 9th grader. We were not enrolled and I bought the Holt text used somewhere else. I thought the class was a pretty good regular high school class. Ds will not be majoring in any of the biology fields so, it served it's purpose for us. The syllabus contains the labs and tests. I like the tests because they asked in-depth questions which really showed whether ds knew the material. Ds hated the tests because most questions require explainations instead of one word. :D It was good for him to have to answer in paragraph form, even though he didn't like it. The labs were weak, in my opinion. Lots of charts and diagrams. Ds wanted to "do" things. We ordered dissection kits from Carolina Bio. Co. to supplement a bit. Don't get me wrong, there are a few hands-on labs but most are not. The lab worksheets and questions were good though. The teacher's manual was helpful because it contains the answers to test and lab questions. I used it for grading only as it doesn't contain help for teaching. We will use OM again for other classes though not for science classes. I hope that helps you. Denise