I had a similar experience, so this was my first thought. I would still have her see a doctor, just to rule out a UTI.

I've actually never heard of parents joining their kids for lunch at school - I'll have to ask around to see if this happens in our area. I went to an all-girls school for elementary, where we weren't allowed to speak or get up from our desks for the first 15 minutes of lunch, so it's funny to imagine my father coming to have lunch with me. :)

If he's advertising, he likely has a rate in mind. My boys would expect $10/hour, or a little more.

My high schoolers start around 8, the middle kids by 9 and the two youngest (kindergarten & 1st grade) around 10:30.

I find it interesting how parents' college experiences play into how they guide their children through the college process. Both my Dh and I lived at home while we completed our undergraduate degrees and used the money we saved on living expenses to spend several semesters abroad and travel extensively during the summer. Unless our children are passionate about following a different path, we think that sticking close to home for undergrad is the best option. We live within walking distance of a "Public Ivy", where our oldest attends, and within 30 miles of two other public universities. Ds15 has been interested in going to a specific Ivy League school for several years. We're supportive of this, because it is truly something he wants, not something he's expected to do or pushed toward. He's very bright and well-rounded, so he'll have a solid (somewhat unique) transcript, good test scores, and a few APs and SAT IIs to validate his grades. Beyond that, it's really up to him to set himself apart from the pack. Whether he gets into his top choice or not, I'm confident that he'll get into a "good" school. If he does well there, he can always apply to his dream college for graduate school.

I don't think this is a huge deal. I'd just send him to the store to buy more croissants.

Just from this weekend: "When your brother shoots you, you have to die. That's just how it works." (Ds7 cheats in Nerf wars.) "Look, it's okay now, I killed the ketchup." (He also hates condiments.)

I don't see any reason to stop going. You enjoy watching her play. You feel more comfortable knowing that she's not walking to her car alone. She feels more comfortable walking with you. She probably enjoys having company during the drive. I don't see how it's any different than the boyfriends or husbands watching.

We started homeschooling to avoid a poor special education program, and continue for academic reasons and because we love it. Around here, the majority homeschool for religious reasons, but there are quite a few who do so because it suits their lifestyle (unschoolers, frequent travelers, odd work schedules, etc).

I have a BA in French and a BEd in secondary education. I taught high school for three years, then started my MEd in educational psychology, but dropped out when I became pregnant with my oldest. My husband has a BA & MA in history, as well as a JD.

Four (or eight!) separate rooms would never work for us. We just use two that are separated by a glass door. "The schoolroom" contains a table (where I teach) and my desk, while "the office" has a desk for each of my high schoolers and one large table where my middle kids can work independently. In your case, I would set up with all the kids in one room, but let them go off to a quieter room for independent work or reading.

I agree. Several of my boys enjoy writing, probably because they see how much my Dh loves to write. He shares his stories with them and encourages them to write their own. He often talks about how important it is to have strong writing skills in his profession, college and their dream jobs, and helps them see the purpose of their writing assignments. My FIL still brags about the writing awards Dh won while he was in school, which has encouraged two of my boys to participate in essay and poetry competitions. They'd probably be too embarrassed to write the way they do if they were in public school and had to "peer edit" or read their poems aloud, but I'm hoping they'll be over that by college.

My oldest son's middle name is Peter, but I sometimes wish I'd saved it to use as a first name. I really do love it.

I'm also a little confused about why you're using different programs, and at such different levels. Just going from what you've listed, I would drop everything except Singapore for now. When they finish Singapore 6B (or 5B, if you plan to skip 6), if they needed the extra practice, I would go back and finish off the Key to series. In my experience, these workbooks don't have enough instruction to introduce new concepts, but are great for review. I wouldn't worry about pre-algebra yet. You could either save Business Math for next summer, or consider it an elective that doesn't take away from their actual math time.

Have you looked into dyspraxia at all? Most of the quirks you've described seem to fit. I would definitely have your son evaluated again, and ask about dyspraxia if you think it's a possibility. My 8yo was recently diagnosed with this. After reading vague descriptions of symptoms in younger children, I was skeptical of the diagnosis, but looking into the adult symptoms of dyspraxia has me convinced that this is what we're dealing with. We haven't had any trouble getting OT covered, so maybe just getting a "label" will help with your insurance company?