WE have one of those chairs - a generic one from Office Max (don't even know the brand). I don't have pain or back issues, but that dang chair is so comfortable, everyone in the family sits on it.

What is Insanity?

I homeschool in Virginia and the laws here are not too bad. Send a letter of intent to your local superintendent along with a list of subjects you'll be teaching and you are all set. Test once at end of year with standardized test (I think these days you can submit SAT/ACT scores in lieu of the CAT or IOWA test). Here are 2 websites that have had helpful and straightforward info and got me started: http://heav.org/ http://www.hslda.org/ That last one is religious and has a religious agenda, but I just pull what I need off of it and that's that. Where will you be homeschooling in Virginia? We are in the Norfolk-VA Beach area, and there are a ton of homeschool co-ops here, both religious and not; something for everyone. In fact, I'd say this was one of the best places to homeschool because the laws are not really onerous, there are so very many community resources here, and tons of homeschooling groups. Your teens can attend college at 16, or earlier if they pass the (very easy) placement test. You'll have to pay non-state resident tuition, though.

Some ideas for biochem experiments: 1) Google Bryn Mawr science for high school; you will find a wealth of biochem stuff there; 2) Pop me a PM and I can email you a few excellent biochem experiments I have on pdf, 3) Buy a decent lab manual online and choose a few experiments from it. You can buy supplies for most at Carolina Biological or Home Science Training Tools; 4) Use common household items (licorice, small colored marshmallows, toothpicks, etc) to model DNA, RNA, transcription, and translation. Some examples of suggestion #4: http://www.greatscience.com/media/2765/6-2-3-bmt-puzzle-of-life-pdf.pdf https://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/pdf/TranscriptionTranslationProtocol.pdf

We tried it, but my DD has no patience for math (she doesn't really enjoy it) and she was not amenable to sitting there and puzzling things out patiently. She wants git her done math, so we're with Saxon and it seems to be fine for her.

I love my machine, but it's SQ non-high-efficiency one that we got after I realized the high efficiency LG model we had wasn't worth squat in the cleaning department. Oh, and the cycles are fast and I only have to wash a load of clothes once because the SQ gets the job done right the first time.

I so wanted to use TOG for history, but after multiple exchanges with customer service I still couldn't figure out how to use it, so I gave up. I do not have the time to go through that kind of rigamarole every time I need to access the course.

I loved BA when I looked at it, but felt I needed strong teacher support materials to teach math, so I went with Saxon; that is working well here for all of us. When I first got the Saxon series, though, I also bought BA as supplement, thinking that if it worked out for us and I could use it to teach effectively, I could always transition to that solely if I wanted. Well, DD was the first to use it and she hated it because she doesn't want to sit and look at math puzzles and riddles patiently; she wants git her done math. So we dropped BA even as a supplement and stuck with Saxon. 2 Years later, I tried BA as a supplement with mathy DS, figuring he would like it, but DS is a kid that wants as little work as possible and he wasn't amenable to doing Saxon and another supplementary math program. I was unwilling to take the plunge into BA because I still don't think it has enough teacher support for me, so I decided Saxon instead of BA. I think DS would have done well with BA, but I am not sure I would have, and that it just as important a consideration, IMO.

We did EE Advanced and Conceptual Physics for 8th grade last year, which was perfect for 8th grade and DD loved it and had fun with it. IMO, EE is too simple for high school credit and a math based physics would be a better choice for a sciency student.

Yeah, I take a much more basic approach to "Why do I need to learn grammar?" "So you don't sound like an uneducated oaf when you write something down, Son."

It really doesn't matter what you call yourself, or what acronym describes you. The fact is, you have responsibilities that are beyond your capability, quantity wise. It doesn't matter what somebody else can handle; everybody's level of what they can handle is different, and when you reach your level you either have to discard some responsibilities, get outside help or live with the deficiency. My DH is a great dad and wonderful provider, and I'm sure he is not happy when he comes home to see the house a mess and dinner not made or late. But I homeschool two children, work outside the home at night, and teach a class at the co-op, and I have limited time to do other things, including housework of any type. That leaves a few choices: DH does it himself, we hire outside help in the form of a maid or a cook, or it doesn't get done. DH has no extra time either and does not want to hire outside help, therefore, we default to the last option and everybody just has to deal. I suggest you present the options that you have, and do what you can reasonably do as best you can and leave the rest without guilt.

I think knowing a broad overview of history is important for a student, especially in the younger grades. I would save deep for high school when the student had a good grasp of generalities.

I have a binocular AmScope microscope that magnifies up to 1000X with oil. It has very good quality lenses and I am able to look at small bacteria with it.

The stuff at Home Training Tools/Carolina Biological/Fisher isn't pathogenic (they wouldn't ship it to you if it were) and there is common, generally harmless bacteria all around us anyway. Don't work in your kitchen, clean up afterward, and dispose in the trash. I wouldn't bother with a mask or gloves; our college lab just recently made gloves and lab coats mandatory solely to meet OSHA certification, but for many, many years, we worked without such and were fine. OSHA doesn't even demand masks for certification for harmless bacteria. This post doesn't apply to a home with immune-compromised people and isn't medical advice, just based off my previous experience.

Yup, 70s mall piercings here, too. Swiped the ears once each night with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol and 40 years later, they're still fine.

Verbs of being aren't passive. Teach is confused or means for your DD to do something else with her writing and is not expressing it well.

Total shocker. *eye roll*

There are some real dumb bunnies out there.

Is public transport or car-pooling an option where you are?

We took Latin slow and easy here, but LC is way to slow/light for a 16 year old. First Form Latin standing alone or doing it double time and completing Second Form in the same time might work. But I second what another poster above about looking at Henle. I do understand the attraction for the Forms series - they have excellent teacher materials, tests, videos, and layout. In fact, we are using the Third and Fourth Forms, augmented, for high school. But I wouldn't consider LC for high school.

I think that stuff is normal with boys (my own DS and other neighbor kids have gotten into it, fisticuffs and all) and I just let them fight it out on their own. I agree completely with your DH; back off and let the boys (or girls, for that matter) work out their own issues.

I don't think any one policy by itself will damage the economy, but the cumulative nickel-and-diming of businesses to death with this regulation or that law or another policy is what does the damage. Generally, I do not think US government should be making laws regulating private business in any way, unless it concerns federal taxes, international trade, or something of that nature.

When you need to surf the web for stuff like that, surf in "private" or "incognito" mode so that it is not traceable by cookies.

You need boyshort panties.

I doubt you'll be fired for asking, even if it were a more hard-core environment, so I'd ask. Just be mindful that asking may put you on a slower track for advancement, and if that risk is OK to you, go for it.