Well, I appreciate all the great advice...in fact, I acted on it this afternoon by calling the Christian high school to talk with the principal about participating in any of the activities. I also called another Christian school that goes up to the 8th grade and asked if they have any activities that homeschoolers can participate in. So, keep your fingers crossed that one of these will have something to offer. The high school is starting a golf team this year and both of my boys play golf...I would love that to be an option. I talked with both of them today and they both said that they did not want to consider school this year other than homeschooling. I told them that is ok by me but I know once summer in over and their summer fun is done that they may feel isolated. Thanks and I welcome anymore great ideas. Oh, and we have tried scouts in the past...not our thing as well as 4-H. Wish they were but just didn't do it for us. I

We have always homeschooled our boys...I have always used a variety of resources...Horizons math, SOTW, Joy Hakim, Easy Grammar, Apologia Science etc. plus a variety of miscellaneous books internet linked. We live in a small town with very little homeschool support and so we have been strongly considering a local private Christian school or a small public school that is highly recommended. If we go the Christian school, we will wait until next year as it is only 9th-12th and we want both boys to go at same time as my youngest son is the more social and I know it would be very hard on him to be at home just the two of us. The public school could be an option this year but neither of my boys want to discuss going and they say they don't want to change our way of schooling. I just want what is best...friends, extra activities...things I feel they are missing out on due to the lack of opportunities in our area. If we lived in or near a city, I wouldn't be having these concerns which bothers both me and the boys but that's just how it is for now. My husband's job has always moved us about every two years but looks like we may be here longer. So, what to do on curriculum this year...I am feeling sad, depressed and just can't get it together to even think about picking out books this year. I usually am so excited and already have books on order and picking out fun things. I have no motivation this year and I worry that after a fun summer of being around friends and activities...they will wake up in the school year and hate their life. The guilt is eating away at me and yet I have friends that tell me we are doing the right thing...I have my parents and family saying they need friends and should go. I am considering going the route of a set curriculum but I want one that will cover for both boys as much as possible. Is this possible with these grades? Does anyone have these issues and problems with not knowing for sure you are going the right way? I think it is really bothering me because of their ages and they need the activities and friends more than ever before. thanks for any advice and encouragement.

We Are Marshall...any of those inspiring kind/sports movies we love! any Cary Grant or Jimmie Stewart movie the great thing about Netflix is you can find another movie based on the movies you select...they always help us find another one that way. Our problem is we start running out of the old ones.

[ Check out Dr. Lark's website. She has all kinds of herbal supps. I personally take Maca and have bioidentical Progesterone to help me sleep. I cannot function without sleep so I had to do something. If you have a naturopath near you, pay them a visit. There are things that can be done and it's not necessarily synthetic hormones! [/color][/font] What is the website for Dr. Lark? What exactly does bioidentical progesterone mean...is it something that I would be prescribed? I have seen some creams at the health food stores that is for women that you rub on your wrists? Would those be healthful? What do you take the Maca for?

Ok, my body is on a mission to make me insane right now. For the past month, I have been experiencing hot spells(hate to call them "hot flashes" because I am not sure that is what it is?!?)...then I get cold. I am waking up constantly at night as well unless I take a Simply Sleep. I am 47 so I'm wondering...what is my body telling me? I have my annual scheduled but it is not until mid-July and honestly, I think I might burn up before then! Does anyone have some advice for me? I recently starting taking a supplement from Garden of Life called Oceans 3-Menopause and Hormonal support thinking that it might help. Can anyone give me a clue as to what is going on?

I don't how we survived before we got our DVR from Direct TV...we can't stand when we have to sit thru commercials now. Our life is way too busy to waste time on commercials so we DVR everything we want to watch while we are outside having fun! It's the way to go if your family travels and you hate to miss an episode or hate the time of day a show is on.

:iagree:

My husband uses one at least 2-3 times a week...just had salmon and mahi-mahi last night off the grill. We love it. But we also have a Weber grill that my husband uses as well. He is an excellent "grill-meister" as a friend calls him. We have used the egg for pizza as well and it is really good. It is expensive but we have seen some knock-offs at stores so you might look around. Sometimes it is better to go with the name brand known for the product though. It's a great gift nonetheless!(for everyone in the family!)

My husband hates for us to have them as most people try to look around at stuff in your garage that isn't for sale...too much trouble for too little return. People try to haggle down a $5.00 item....makes me crazy! Too much work, people are disrespectful and you still have to haul half of it to Goodwill!

Has anyone else noticed how "out of the game" Colby seems to be? He just doesnt' seem to be in the game to win at all. Love the way this is all playing out with Russell. Hope the do another one of these Villians/Heroes as there were others from previous seasons that I think would be fun to watch again in this type of competition.

Well, my main focus is that I want him to feel comfortable talking to us and if reading a book written for teens will allow him to feel more comfortable and more educated about the subject, I want a book that does just that. I sort of fit in the middle as far as perspective...not too "preachy" as some books can be. We are a Christian family, however my husband and I both had had sex before we married at ages 27 and 31. I guess I don't want the book to encourage when to have sex...just educate my boys about what is going on with the bodies right now and the feelings they are experiencing. I called a friend who knows a youth group leader who works with 8th graders and I am hoping that she might be able to give me a name of a good read for them.

Can anyone suggest a good book that helps boys understand what is happening at this age? I have a 13 yr old boy that I found out was googling for pictures of naked women...my husband and I confronted him and he was admitted that he had done it. He was extremely embarrassed and angry at himself for doing it. We all discussed the situation calmly. We asked him if he had questions we could answer. He said he was just curious and my husband and I both told him that he is normal and that he was not in trouble for being curious. We tried to emphasize our concern for him looking on the computer. We asked if maybe he would like to read a book about sex first and then my husband or I could answer any questions he had about it. He said that would be better for him which I think so as well. Does anyone have a title that they would recommend for teens? Something that is not so elementary...but good for boys that age to read to help explain what they are feeling and what is going on with the bodies? Any advice from those of you with teenage boys on how you and your husband handled the issue of puberty/sexual awareness with your kids would be greatly appreciated. I want to do this the right way as my parents have never mentioned the word sex to me and I am 46 yrs old!!! My husband and I want to keep the communication open with my two boys(ages 13 and 14) as we have a great relationship with our boys. thanks

My grandma would always let me have 2 cones of ice cream at the same time...seemed like such a big thing at the time...sitting with her on her porch swing with 2 "cones of cream" as she would call them! my grandfather used to haul watermelons and he would always let us climb up in the back of the truck all over the watermelons and pick out which ones we wanted to eat! He always sent us home with red and yellow meat watermelons that were the best ever

My nieces(ages 4th and 6th graders)just finished watching Twilight. My sister-in-law asked me this morning about whether or not the books would be appropriate for the oldest to read. For those of you who have read the books...what are your thoughts...and do any of you, have girls about that age that have read the book series. thanks

haven't read the previous posts but have you checked TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, or Marshalls? You might find one at a cheaper price.

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool-curriculum/just-born-candy-.html I receive emails from homeschoolbuyersco-op and this came this week! Check it out---I am going to use these links one day next week as a fun day with Peeps! Looks like it covers a variety of subjects with the different links and for all ages, too!

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool-curriculum/just-born-candy-.html I receive emails from homeschoolbuyersco-op and this came this week! Check it out---I am going to use these links one day next week as a fun day with Peeps! Looks like it covers a variety of subjects with the different links and for all ages, too!:)

I sometimes feel that way when I make a comment. I think the thread recently about the pit bull was a good example. I felt compelled to share our story hopefully to save another family from going thru what we went thru and yet I was sort of upset by how some responded to our story and some of the comments. I think the thing to remember is that everyone is entitled to their opinions and this forum allows us to see how people from all walks of life interpret a situation and how they feel about it. It is a wealth of info but you need to know when to just sit back and read and hold your thoughts.

We had a pitbull at one time and our story was a tragic one. My husband bought us a pit bull puppy which was adorable. We crate trained as we always have and Sophie was the perfect puppy. Our two boys loved this dog and she was great with them. All our family members were leary of us having a pit bull and we were constantly fighting the sterotypical comments from them as well as anyone else we came into contact. We travel quite a bit and our dogs have always gone with us. We found out that mentioning that our dog was a pit bull came with some prejudice unless the kennels, groomers, etc were accustomed to pit bulls. Nevertheless, this dog was amazing. She loved to play frisbee for hours on end and loved the ocean and water. No problems of growling or aggression EXCEPT for other dogs that lived down our street. That should have been our white flag. We had a small Yorkshire terrier that lived next door to us and this dog had no boundaries because "it was small and cute" and "could be no threat." We have always kept our dogs in our yard or on a lead. Sophie stayed in our fenced backyard. This small dog would bark endlessly at her and this day he chose to come over to bark at Sophie on our sidewalk following my son and the neighbor's granddaughter. When they opened the gate, Sophie shot out and bit the dog which resulted in a major injury which eventually led to the death of this dog. What followed was the most traumatic ordeal with a pet that I have ever experienced. The woman and her adult daughter and her adult son were home but did not witness the event so my son and the granddaughter had to relay the details of the event. As you can imagine, they went ballistic, rushed to the ER and even attempted CPR on this dog. We offered to pay half of the cost(total cost was approx. $1300) which they claimed was unreasonable. That night, we left the state with Sadie as we knew they would call Animal Control(which they did). We drove until 2:00 to meet my husband's parents so they could take Sadie and keep her until we knew what to do. When we arrived back home, the neighbors would not speak with us. I walked over to talk to them and they called the police on me. They quit speaking to my kids(which before they treated like grandkids) and then the entire neighborhood basically quit treating us like people they knew. To make a long story short, my kids were extremely affected by this as was I. Our dog was put to sleep as after this situation, she became extremely aggressive(I still think it was because she felt threatened and scared by how people were treating her). We had tried countless places to adopt her and the pitbull shelters were too full and no other place would take her. I wouldn't let my MIL just give her to anyone as I was afraid they would fight her. I made the heartbreaking decision and I still think about it and the pain we all went thru. So, I am happy for you...hope for the best. I know many people who have had pits and have happy endings to their story BUT beware that there are issues that come with this breed and as one post said, they are animals and when threatened, the instinct to defend comes out. Every time I see a pit now, I think of Sophie and what she brought joy she brought to us.

:iagree

praying for speedy recovery and strength for your entire family during this time...this is a fear of mine as my husband will be 50 this summer and I am 46...we have had several people that we know in their 50's have something like this happen. What is it about your 50's? God bless you.

My husband bought me an enamel coated cast iron round dutch oven(LARGE!!) from Sam's about a year ago at Christmas. It is a pretty orange-red and it has held up great! It's big enough for any quantity that I have wanted to cook! Very reasonable on price as well!

ages 13 and 14...grade 7th and 8th