Whew, I am. We've always been "accidental" homeschoolers and we did it for 10 years, but kiddo graduates next Thursday. We've worked while we homeschooled, too; DH is an artist and works at home, I am an architect and I can work from home (and mostly do, going out to the office or jobsites 1-2x a week). I am the main breadwinner, provider of health care, yadda. I will tell you...third grade was LOADS harder than 9th grade, and 12th grade is easier still. I am glad she wanted to dual enroll, even though it was the pandemic and she had to do online classes junior year, but DE was supplemental (science, art) to the main big guns of math, lit, foreign language, and history with us. I am immensely glad we did choose to homeschool her, even though there were *those days* which drove us all crazy. We are not religious and did not venture into co-ops etc. for that reason, and we're also fairly rural too (i.e., we have a small farm) so there weren't a lot of other secular types around us anyway, so it was pretty much a solo trip for kiddo (which was just fine by her as she has lifelong friends from pre-homeschooling days). But I am really proud of what she's accomplished. We made sure she used our community to seek out other teachers and volunteer efforts (and she could set her own schedule for the most part with her dad driving her hither and yon). She's confident. She's empathetic. She makes big-picture leaps and can think creatively on her feet. And she'll be attending a liberal arts college this fall that suits her to a T. I'm glad we could help her to do that! Because...it was never about me, or my husband. It was about our dd.

Yay! My kiddo got in all three schools that she applied to, then got merit for all three, then got two competitive scholarships for two of the three, and this week made her decision. All three schools were very similar (Midwestern LACs, all CTCL schools too) but the one she chose has her second major as a major (not a minor). With all three, the money shook out to be about the same, whew, which means they're cheaper than the public Us would be for us. And so...we can handle the next 4 years, financially, without resorting to loans or rice and beans. Thanks to everyone here who (knowingly or not, as I'm more of a lurker than a poster) helped me navigate these tricky waters!! I am really glad we dual-enrolled (this proved to her that she could handle non-parental coursework).

Kiddo has heard from two of three schools, both with nice scholarships, a nice financial aid package for one and waiting to see if she gets an additional competitive scholarship at the other (but haven't received the FA pkg. from the other). All three were CTCL schools because my kid screams "liberal arts student." (In fact, that is what one of her admissions counselors told us after interviewing her: "We talked about Homer vs Virgil, and Latin, and goat-raising, studio art, and history. She's a liberal arts kid for sure," he said.) Kalamazoo College and the College of Wooster so far. If she has a preference she's keeping it to herself, hah!

ME TOO. I kept thinking if I got all my other writing ducks in a row, it would ease the process of writing the counselor letter (mainly my thoughts were the counselor letter should summarize/underline what is in the other documents). So now the other paperwork is completed (transcript, course descriptions, school profile) and I am staring at a blank Word page...again. Sigh. So you're so not alone. It doesn't mean my laundry is folded though. lol

I'm in. One and only, homeschooled since 3rd grade. She's arty. Looking into tiny LACs and the flagship U, all within 6+ hours' drive. She is a glassblower and teaches at the nature center, and she'll probably land somewhere to teach. We've schooled eclectic but have leaned heavily in lit/history/science. She'll have ~30 CC/DE credits by the time she graduates next spring.

I would suggest Denison U in Ohio. They have an earth sciences department and a geosciences department and environmental studies AND its own nature preserve. The school leans preppy but not too... We are in a similar boat, financially, and I know they can be quite generous. And my rock hound kiddo ADORES going to Ohio because dang everywhere you turn there's a vein of fossils just lying around. And I know Wooster supports its nonbinary students.

I thought of 4 because they should be read as a group: the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante. I could.not.wait for each new one to come out...and waited as long as I could to start the last, knowing it was the last. Sigh.

We did it in 8th. There is a schedule that is fairly easy to follow, but IIRC it is not by week but you could make it that way. There is lots of vocabulary study. You can go deep with writing what it asks you to write about, but in my humble opinion, 9th has a need for more writing (and different kinds of analytical writing) than LLoLOTR requires. Don't get me wrong, we loved it, but...having her read and analyze stuff she doesn't particularly love (unlike anything Tolkein!) over a broad series of books, poems, essays, etc. has been better for us, school-wise, for 9th (so far). Her writing/analytical skills have improved because she's had to really stretch herself with some of the reading she's had to do. Not that LOTR isn't hard...it's just her love for the adventure made it such a pleasure to do this curriculum, whereas uh Heart of Darkness and Walden, not so much (rotfl).

One and only is a 9th grader this year. Really looking forward to it! 2nd semester and summer will see her doing classes at the community college. English: EIL Lit&Comp (EIL2?) Science: Conceptual Physics with labs Social studies: Holt McDougal Geography Math: finish Jacobs Algebra, start Jacobs Geometry PE: Oak Meadow Foreign Language: German, tbd, may start at CC if this semester is too busy Electives, art, 1 sem/each: glassblowing/fusing then Art History at CC Electives, social studies, 1 sem/each: world religions (combo books/Great Courses) then rhetoric (TBD, could be co-op)

I am in southwest Michigan. I agree with the above that Grand Rapids is very religious, homeschooling-wise and non-homeschooling-wise. But the majority of people homeschooling are religious so I don't know, if you look for religiosity you'll find it. Three Rivers and Newaygo are both pretty darned rural, so in all likelihood you won't necessarily find parent partnerships with local public schools. (It's a thing in certain parts of the state, that some public school districts reach out to homeschoolers in their general area and offer classes for homeschoolers in non-core classes. It's a way for the school districts to get some money that's hah "wasted" on kids not going to their schools. Actually our experience is it's a win-win, as our kid has gone on lots of interesting school trips, and has had things like foreign languages, art classes and swimming lessons paid for by someone who's not me!) So in general if you're closer to some of the bigger cities, like GR, Kalamazoo, Lansing, AA, Detroit...you'll find lots of homeschooling groups. But yes it's very easy to homeschool here. And it's fairly well accepted, too, at least in my neck of the woods.

Have you considered community classes at all? Because the CC classes are one semester, our daughter says she'd also like to take classes beyond the usual bio/chem labs there, so we're looking into other classes offered like Nutrition/Diet Therapy or Physical Geography. I mention this because my husband took nutrition as his college science credit and absolutely loved the class, remembers the stuff to this day; apparently, the student becomes the guinea pig in a lot of the labs...this may appeal to some (if not all) students.

WEIRD I bookmarked our dear Lit Hub from the 2nd Topics tab, all the better to see what's new. Having just wandered over to my saved bookmark, tapping it, I see that we're now... the Essential Oils group! Yay us.

I understand from a LIW fan friend of mine that Prairie Fires is also a pretty long book, chiguirre. I have not done the proper vetting at all to see if the back third etc of the book is notes, but... Sometimes we have to have limits! I have a few in my stack (looking at you, Dark Money) which guilt me daily, as I know I should finish them...

Hah, this made me LOL this morning. I still am giggling about the last cat https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/cat-profiles-from-haruki-murakami-animal-shelter

Rose! look what is coming out soon! The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder. He's the author of Bloodlands, which a few of you have read, and On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. (I am a fan. He's a frequent contributor to NYRB.)

I only read a couple of also-rans, which actually were pretty great: in Fiction, The Idiot by Elif Batuman and in Nonfiction, Notes on a Foreign Country, by Suzy Hansen and I have on my TR list the winner for Biography, Prairie Fires (about Laura Ingalls Wilder)

Hi people. Stacia, that recipe looks delightful. It's similar to a stew I make, ingredients-wise, with sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Shh don't tell the family but we eat vegan more than they think we do. So after saying I wasn't going to read it, I ended up listening to Educated by Tara Westover. What can I say. I can say 2.5-3 stars maybe. There are so many better books about sh*tty childhoods and adult redemption IMHO, and even better off-the-bubble-of-normal Mormon tales, like The Sound of Gravel. I think what left me fairly cold was she hasn't fully "gotten over" her childhood and is still creating, learning about, her actual self, undefined by others. I could've done with much more of her actual, what she calls, education (college/grad/Ph.D.) and how she could've tied her dissertation back to her life story because there were so many more parallels. As it was I felt like I needed to hurry and turn it off when my daughter came in the room...it was like crisis porn. Harrumph. I also finished Winter by Ali Smith this week. It's the second of a proposed 4 books broadly using the leadup to, and slamming doors of, Brexit and the larger event of the unwinding of the UK (and US) global supremacy, through the related stories of a few people. The first book, Autumn, has honestly nothing to do with Winter except its setting...and the fact that every sentence, every phrase, kind of demands your attention because it will illuminate what happens later. That it's in that quotation-less style makes you stand further on your toes, which I like. Having had the hardest time choosing the next book to read as most of those in my stack and in my airplane-moded Kindle are just really depressing (How Democracies Die, A Problem from Hell, White Rage, The Retreat of Western Liberalism, Dream Hoarders), I picked up a book Jane finished last week, Sofi Oksanen's When the Doves Disappeared as my best worst option, hah. Jane, I am enjoying it very much! Or as much as I can :) No, really, it's good/plus it's good to read about resistance.

Your cultural tastes are most similar to an upper class woman, aged 18-24 with a postgraduate education. Hah!! See me thrashing my head/flipping my hair along with Axl Rose et al. I am missing a few decades, too. ETA and a few spare million dollars.

I do. It's honestly something we pawn off to kitchen contractors as far as nuts and bolts, but outlines of how the kitchens go together is part of the job. My work is mainly 2nd/3rd homes her in Michigan (for Chicago people) and then apartments in NYC, with the occasional commercial project. NYC work has us picking appliances to get the choices past building boards/standards so sure Subzero/Wolf are pretty standard fare. But...with central heating an absolute given in the States there's next to no reason for an AGA unless you, uh, want one :)

I don't think I want to veer into multiquoting yet, so some thoughts: Stacia, I hope you enjoyed your break...? Jane, I am eager to read Barbara Ehrenreich's latest, am first in line at my library when it comes in; apropos of your Swedish Death Cleaning (which I endorse heartily having had to clean out my mom's house in Feb, 90% of which was unwanted crap): Natural Causes. (I have your other books on my TR list now too, thanks.) Rose, girl, I had to look up mast cells. It's bad enough that Shannon is out of commission, I had no idea you're ailing as well. Hopefully you have a decent allergist? I am glad you liked Suzy Hansen's book, my feelings about it are all of the category of "where's this been all my life" scales falling from mine eyes, etc. OUaT, I feel for you with your dad; I think the hardest thing about all of this is the (seemingly sudden) realization that there's nobody to whom we can appeal for help/etc. The burden of generational decisions falls to us! Heavy lifting, indeed. Eliana, you as ever seem such a font of strength, of course I am looking not just at your book tallies with admiration but with life too. And it makes me wonder how many children you have! (says she with one who often feels overwhelmed). I hope you feel better, physically...spiritually as well. Rosie, yikes, take care! and enjoy your daughter's visit. Stell, oh my, (any) Vogue? I think you've lived many lives. Nicola Walker is a recent fave here too as Dh has a bit of a crush on her after River, so now we're consuming Unforgotten and had just finished another series where she was unrecognizable. Emma, thumb's up on the AGA! I have only installed one in my many projects; most people here like Wolf ranges which aren't about radiant heat at all. :)

I have missed you all too! I confess I am not much of a Boardie but this little corner has been a haven. Here's hoping the old posts can migrate and we're all private again. And hugs to all! I guess I have been reading. We didn't have much of a Spring Break at all, as I feel we're behind in schoolwork...plus the weather has been crap so we may as well be holed up inside. Seriously, snow in April? Yes. Here's the book rundown. Outline, by Rachel Cusk: writer hosts workshop in Athens, has innate ability to get people to tell her everything. Like everything she writes, even veiled, the characters are very much Herself and though I love her writing, I feel she's rather bristly and mean on the page so probably in real life too. Then I wonder why we (I?) expect women to be "nice". Why can't she be a jerk? Be you, lady. The Dark Net, by Jamie Bartlett. It is a bit of a primer on the development of the internet, and its divergence, at its beginning, into the visible and invisible. I was under the impression it was a new book but it's from 2014, which I know by VC's standards that is a newly minted penny, but in terms of the web and data stealing hijinks of late, it's old news. The 36-Hour Day, by Nancy Mace/Peter Rabins, another primer, this time for Alzheimer caregivers. Random Family, by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, nonfiction about two families in the drug riddled Bronx of the 80s/90s. I cannot say I liked it, but it did remind me that bad choices are universal. Flat Broke with Two Goats, by Jennifer McGaha, a local library group read. It has been a while since I have hate-read something. You'd think I would like a book about the process of becoming a family dairy, as that is what we have...but it was so full of hubris and stupidity and milquetoast inaction by the author (supposedly the near-universal story of being underwater on one's mortgage during the downturn...and nonpayment of taxes, etc.; Adult Already People). I think it's good for me to hate-read, though; it clears the sinuses. And finally a re-read, by audiobook, of My Name is Lucy Barton. Much better as audio, as I disliked it before. This was for bookclub. I see now that it's part of a series; not sure I want to re-visit these folks again.

Getting there! I am in the something-is-better-than-nothing camp today

hai! hope this club goes private too. Jane I like your new picture :)

I am in the same situation, oaktree; my daughter is likewise in the 100 class and she likes it so much she wishes to continue. Jojosmom, thank you for the information about CLRC. It was on my radar for a replacement for Lone Pine. I do know of the other providers of Latin coursework. We, however, are not a religious family, so many of the providers would not be a good fit for us (or RATHER our lack of religion means we are not a good fit for THEM; we have found religious bigotry quite a bit of an obstacle). This leaves Lukeion, which might be too academically rigorous for dd. Open to suggestions!

Why hi. I knocked off three books this week: Friends in High Places, by Donna Leon: this is the maybe 9th of a kazillion Inspector Brunetti mysteries set in Venice. I know many of you have read this series (or parts of it) and it had come well recommended by my aunt, who for years worked for Rizzoli Books and for the swan song of her working career took authors around when they came through Chicago. In other words, I listen to her when she said the books were good and fluffy, with pasta, wine and corruption. She assured me that it did not matter where I picked up the series, so I chose this one because it dealt with Venice's Department of Buildings, or its equivalent, and renovations and plans and shady contractors and the like. (Interestingly, there was a set of characters in the book (money lenders) who were found in a similar form in Elena Ferrante's Naples books...and Leon's work is specifically not translated into Italian, so one wonders again if corruption is a stereotype or if it's a real Italian character.) I liked it but found the sexism a bit offputting. The Natural Way of Things, by Charlotte Wood, which was an extended exploration of mysogyny and control of (young) female sexuality. I had described it jokingly as Lord of the Flies meets The Handmaid's Tale, but that denigrates all three novels. I found it a well written dystopia. And best for last, The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, by Dan Egan, nonfiction/science writing. This is a history of the lakes, specifically our bungled and contrary historic and present use of them. Twenty percent of the world's fresh surface water resides here, and we are horrid stewards of it. Thank a Great Lakes resident, for instance, for zebra and quagga mussels in your Western reservoir lakes...because we thank the Caspian Sea barges for dumping their bilgewater here. As a person who's lived all but 14 years of her life within a mile of Lake Michigan, I was delighted that most of this book was about "my" lake...mainly because it's the only one that is fully within the US and it's the one the author knows best too. I have had the book for awhile because I thought it was mostly going to be documenting only hand-wringingly bad news, and I have enough bad news in my life on my own. He is polemical, but I simply see it as passion. It's a great book of reportage if nothing else.