Well, this is going to sound weird coming from someone who posted on the other thread about hating summer :D -- but yes, I'm lamenting the coming of September. No, that's not quite right -- I'm lamenting the coming of the school year. Summer -- the summer that means beastly hot weather and loud neighbors -- has been here, and I have hated it. But summer -- the summer of relaxing and really feeling like I was taking a break -- never arrived. And that makes me sad.

I agree with this completely.

:iagree:

I like that one!

Ahh. Now that's problematic. ;) Our homeschool is _______ Academy, so I can get away with saying it and confusing the heck out of whoever dared to ask. :D

The Power of the Powerless, by Christopher deVinck -- reflections on how his severely disabled brother changed the lives of those around him. What Now?, by Ann Patchett -- quick read based on Patchett's commencement address at her alma mater, but oh, the wisdom in this little volume.

Actually, this reminds me of the "Sign Wars" I had with some unknown Sign Thief when we had a political sign in our yard (someone we knew was running for local office). The sign was stolen during the night, so I put another one out the next day. That night, it too was stolen. I think I went through three signs before I consulted the 'Net for suggestions on thwarting Sign Thieves. Turns out that coating the sign with vegetable shortening makes it too slippery to remove easily and does a good job of frustrating the thief. :D You could coat your dead plants with shortening or peanut butter or even a neutral-colored paint. I'm pretty sure your visitor would think twice before returning.

I was going to suggest this. But I was *not* joking. :D

What she said.

:iagree:

My son has epilepsy, too. And I don't know if this is related or not, but he often (not always) finds music very soothing. Here are two resources that've worked well for us in both learning about classical music and creating a soothing atmosphere in our home: The Classical Kids CDs. The story of the composer's life is interwoven with his music. We have the ones for Bach, Beethoven, Mozart (there are 2 for him), Vivaldi, Handel, and Tchaikovsky. They're excellent. http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1282500524-1068186&subject=17&category=5618 There's also a series called ________ [composer's name] For Relaxation. The ones we have are: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, and Debussy. I think there are probably others. You can find them at Amazon. The selections on these CDs are designed to be a gentle, peaceful introduction to classical music. http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Relaxation-Johann-Sebastian/dp/B000003G7C/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1282500414&sr=1-1-catcorr

It's a corollary of Murphy's Law, IMHO. Just like the way that medical emergencies that are not-quite-ER-worthy happen after 5 PM on Fridays and on holiday weekends. ;)

Some would say yes, some would say no. I say yes, but then, I'm a rebellious sort of person. :D For me, the *attitude* that I encounter from the people to whom I report is almost more irritating than the hoops I have to jump through.

That's the thing -- the Q & A is also written by the NYSED and carries the same weight, as I understand it, because its intent is to *clarify* the actual regulations. We need to be as familiar with them as with the regs themselves.

Before I even read your post, I knew you had to be from NY. ;) 'Cause I am, too, and this is just such a NY thing to go through. My district just decided to "get religion" on the regulations and made up IHIP forms that, IMHO, misrepresent parts of the regulations. Previously, their forms were pretty general. Now, they've decided what they're entitled to -- some of it they are, some of it they're not. So I made up my own forms this year. So far, so good. I'm not a member of HSLDA -- I opted for CLA -- but it's good to have that support at a time like this. Good luck. And let us know what happens.

We have the same situation with our table. I like to keep a tablecloth on it, but that's not a good writing surface, either. What I do is just use several sheets of loose-leaf or scrap paper for my kids to put under their paper. It works pretty well.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :iagree: Not about you being a freak, although if you are, I must be, too. :D But seriously, when warm weather arrives and I can finally open the windows wide to let in the breeze ... I find I want to close them immediately to shut out the noise -- the booming car stereos, the four-wheelers that go up and down and up and down and up and down the street, the serial lawn-mowers (the owners, not their machines) that must cut their grass three times a week... I've heard that there are actually birds and crickets and treefrogs out there in warm weather. But all I can hear are the humans!!! ;)

Part of me wants to say nonchalantly, "My children attend _________ [name of our homeschool]." There are quite a few private schools in nearby towns, so it's completely plausible to an outsider that ________ could be just one more. But I also know that the next question would be "Where is ________ located?" And since I'd have to answer with the name of our small town, the person would know immediately that there is no ________ in this town, at least not that *she's* ever heard of. So then I'd have to explain that ________ is a homeschool, and that would result in the ubiquitous just-a-bit-too-long silence followed by "Ohhhhh." Which is what I'd get if I just answered "Oh, my kids are homeschooled" in the first place. :D

I hate summer, too. It's funny -- you hear about people who are depressed in the winter but who love summer. I'm the opposite. While I have the typical winter doldrums after Christmas and before spring, it's summer when I really feel down. I don't like the heat and humidity; I don't care for cooking dinner on the grill (except for the relative ease of it); I don't like going to the lake or the beach when it's like a sauna outside and there are crowds. Summer in general is just oppressive, and everything seems like a chore. I think I'd much rather take a month or six weeks off during the fall, when it's so pleasant to be outside, than take a "summer" break when I'm not going to enjoy myself no matter what I'm doing. It's like slogging through quicksand. There's something about fall, when the world returns to some semblance of order, that makes me snap to attention, helps me think more clearly and focus. Weird, I guess, what a little cool air will do for you. ;)

No liaison here. If we had one, though, I would like for him/her to: 1. Be very familiar with the state regulations for homeschoolers. 2. Behave in a way that shows respect for homeschooling as a viable, legitimate, and *legal* method of education. 3. Acknowledge receipt of my paperwork in a timely manner, since per the state regulations I have filed it appropriately and have also paid to have it sent to the district offices via certified mail, return receipt. It would really help to know that it was going to the office of someone who understood what it was, rather than the office of someone who has no clue what homeschooling reports are or what to do with them. Even when I've hand-delivered them, they have still gotten lost on occasion because they were mishandled. (Very few homeschoolers in our district.)

:rofl: Reading this thread and considering my own sleep issues (very similar to yours), I'm thinking I need to learn to work with my internal clock instead of fighting it. There are definitely positive changes I can make (i.e., cut way down on carbs), but maybe trying to *be* a morning person when, biologically, I'm not is an exercise in futility, KWIM?

This is me!

This website has some helpful materials and info: http://www.masterypublications.com/

Another thanks and :grouphug: for this.

I got an entire set of encyclopedias for $5 at a library book sale. At the time, they were only 4 years old, so I considered it a good thing! Unfortunately, that was 10 years ago. I think I need to check out your link. ;)