Here's one: http://www.momto3feistykids.com/2012/04/why-we-shouldnt-homeschool-our-kids.html

That is SO awesome! I love it!!!

My daughter is 11 1/2 and when she has a friend over, they like to: Play Wii games Paint each other's nails Go outside and draw with chalk, ride bikes, walk to the playground Watch movies Paint pictures Go on the computer together Do arts and craft kit type things Cook/Bake things Sometimes play board games

No way. I would NEVER set a precedent of contributing toward the college education of other peoples' offspring. I imagine it'll be hard enough to contribute toward my own kid's college education, should they choose to go. I am astonished that his parents allowed him to ask other people, especially outside of the immediate family, for money for this. I can see if it was for charity or a fundraiser where they'd be getting something out of it, or if he was offering to work for it, but to just flat out ask people who aren't even related to help pay for his college education? Wow. I wouldn't do it. And I'm not sure I'd be able to stop myself from writing his father with a small piece of my mind on the subject, either.

Yes, gotta love the sound of his words coming back around to bite him in the butt lol. Back when he wrote that hate-filled rant, he got a lot of passionate responses, of course. And he'd sometimes say things like: "I'm delighted by your defensiveness!" Well, Jesse, I'm delighted by your back pedaling! :P What comes around goes around!

Which you can read here if you haven't already and if you have the stomach for it: http://teacherrevised.org/2009/05/30/the-case-against-homeschooling/ (it's pretty vicious but it's also from 2009, before you get too worked up and start forming your own response to him lol) Anyway, that guy is now running for city council in Norfolk, VA! Did you see the piece Deborah Markus, editor of Secular Homeschooling Magazine, wrote about him? She's calling it The Case Against Jesse Scaccia heh. I do so adore her! http://www.bitterhomeschooler.com/?p=185

Cool! Always nice to have our finer qualities recognized! Congrats on the good critique! :)

Wow, you're awesome! Good for you!!!

Wow! In my case though I was getting a pos on cd18 (which means ovulating on day 19 I assume), but that was only a 28 day cycle. So my luteal phase was only like 9 days long. I read that anything under ten days (and some doctors will say 12) can be considered a luteal phase defect and can make a m/c more likely and I was concerned about that. I thought a possible solution might be some sort of prescription or supplement to lengthen my luteal phase, but my dr recommended instead increasing my metformin which she felt would cause me to ovulate earlier. So, we will see how it goes! Being as I'll be 39 and still overweight and last had an ectopic, I don't want an increased risk of m/c so I will feel better about an earlier positive! :)

I would not continue taking Topamax while TTC. I would stop taking it beforehand. I read on several different sites that Topamax is entirely out of your system within two to three days of stopping it. So I would stop taking it at least three or four days before I expected ovulation to occur and stay off it from that point on. That would mean stopping it within the next couple of days if I decide to start trying this month instead of next... I can give my dr a call in the morning and confirm whether this is enough time for it to be out of my system just in case though. I certainly don't want to add on any extra risks of anything bad happening!

That's nice that you get to use the private tutor option! :) Have you read the section about it on Pauline's website? She has some ready-to-use forms and such that you can print and use if you wanted to... http://home.comcast.net/~askpauline/hs/homeschooltutor.html

I just watched the very first episode last night. It was really interesting! I've got a few more recorded to my DVR so we'll keep watching!

Speaking as someone who is on marriage number two and who has two kids with said second husband (and wants to conceive a third with him), I'm still VERY happy that I divorced husband number one (who I still can't stand all these years later). No regrets about it here. I'd absolutely do it again in a heartbeat. Honestly, I couldn't care less what anyone else's views on divorce are. It was the right decision for me, and a perfectly legal one. And fortunately I've now got an even healthier marriage and a couple more beautiful kids out of the deal. Your friend will have to make the right decision for HER in the end, and eventually she will do just that. And when she does, you should just be there for her to offer support, not judgment.

Well, that's a plus! Hope you're finding it easy to be back on track now! Thank you! :) Congrats on all your great progress! That's good that you're focusing on strength training, and on how your clothes are fitting! You are doing awesome! That must be an amazing feeling to have a size 6 be too big!! I don't think I've EVER been a size 6 lol. I think I was in a size 22 jeans when I first started and now I'm comfortably in 16's (a stray size of my 14 shorts fit me though most of my 14's are still too small- soon!) :D Whatever the size, I just love that they keep going down and I can fit into things that I couldn't before. It's the best feeling! I'm really looking forward to hearing updates from you about your maintenance efforts. I know what you mean. My entire adult life has been spent in some phase of being overweight or being in the process of losing weight, but never at a phase of being at a healthy weight and trying to maintain that. And I guess I still won't do that because I just got to "overweight" instead of "obese" and I plan to TTC before I get to a technically "healthy" weight range! So if all goes well it'll still be quite some time for me before I ever get to a technically "healthy"/normal weight range and make any effort to maintain there! But someday I'll need to! Anyway, congrats again on your amazing accomplishments and good luck with staying there!! lol at the extra brain line...sorry to hear that you are struggling though. I know that's really NOT funny/fun. Have you tried a grain-free/low carb type of diet, just out of curiosity? I"m really amazed at how well it works compared to any low-fat diet I've ever tried in the past!

Thanks, all! :) haha...I REALLY don't think so! Even if I were to conceive almost right away, I'd be nearly 40 by the time this one was born, and it took quite a LOT of convincing to get my husband on board with this. I didn't think I'd ever talk him into another- he was DONE and didn't want any more kids at all. I let him know how much this really meant to me to have one more before it was too late and it took multiple heart to heart conversations and I finally got him on board for one more and then this long road with the trying and the ectopic and the weight loss and the finally being ready to try again...I hope with all my heart that it works out this time and we can end up with one more baby, but that will be it for us! All my kids are so spread out...they are 20 (previous marriage), 11, 6, and now hopefully there will be one last one...while I've never had kids close in age to grow up as close playmates, having them spread out has had its advantages, too! :)

And for us it ended up going great right from the beginning and we just never looked back, so it all goes to show that the answer is a big fat "it depends!" :lol:

Well, here's the thing. If you've ALWAYS known you were going to homeschool, it's different for you. But if you're one of those people considering pulling your kid out of public school, it's more intimidating. It's a big change. One of the ways you can reassure yourself about it is by going, well, I'll "try it" over the summer and see what it would be like. This is often really just a babystep way of easing yourself into being comfortable with it, or getting your feet wet so to speak, or giving yourself a confidence boost, or showing a semi-reluctant or hesitant spouse that you CAN do it, etc. Then by the time the school year comes around you can feel like you've had a little bit of experience and confidence, and if that helps a parent not feel as intimidated or nervous about NOT putting their kids back in school that year, more power to them! In that regard, sure, it's a great trial! When my daughter was in 3rd grade, in Feb. of that year, I decided I wanted to homeschool. I had to talk my husband into it. He wasn't sure I'd REALLY want to do it, if I'd really like doing it, what it would be like, etc. I told him I could do it over the summer and do the things I'd do as if I were doing it over the school year to give us an idea of what it would be like as a "trial." That made him feel a bit better about it, knowing that if by the time the fall rolled around if we hated "homeschooling" we'd already know and could put her back in school. (As it turned out we didn't wait til summer, I yanked her out of school in March of that year, but, still, this is all to say that I can understand the sentiment)! ETA: So I am curious how many of the "Not Really" votes come from people who have "always homeschooled" and never had kids in public school to begin with!

Most of you prob already know I had that ectopic last summer, had a couple of months of not ovulating at all when I was ready to try again, found out I had high insulin levels and was VERY overweight so I decided to drop all TTC efforts for a while and focus on getting healthy and losing weight first instead. I've since lost over 56 lbs. Last month I decided to see if I could even GET a positive on an OPK test (ovulation predictor kit) and I did, so the good news was I was ovulating again...but late- I didn't get a positive til cycle day 18. I had a consultation with my OB/GYN last month, and here's my latest update as of now: I went for that day 3 FSH test on Saturday (in basic terms, this basically determines the quality/quantity of my eggs as I will be 39 next month). I called the doctor's office yesterday to ask if they had the results and the staff I spoke with said the results were "normal" and everything's still looking pretty good in that regard! :) As of this morning's weigh in, after losing more than 56 lbs, my BMI was 29.98! So I am now "overweight" instead of "obese!" Yay! My doctor had recommended I get my BMI under 30 before dropping my Topamax and TTC. :) (I'm at 191.4, down from 247.6; though I want to get into the 180's as a personal goal before I drop the Topamax). I had bumped my Metformin from 1,000 mg a day to 2,000 mg a day at her suggestion to try to get an earlier ovulation...last cycle after the weight loss and metformin I DID start ovulating again which was great news, but I didn't get a positive on an OPK until cycle day 18 which was on the late side. So we're hoping that this month I'll get a positive earlier in my cycle. Today is only cycle day 6 so it'll be a bit longer before I know what's going on with that, but I'll start testing on cycle day 8 and I hope to see a positive somewhere between cycle day 11 and cycle day 14 this time around! Keep your fingers crossed for me on that, it's the last hurdle I feel like I have to overcome! I'll update when I know about that. And by the time I find out about that, it's very likely I will have already hit the 180's, and if I have, I may just drop the Topamax (which I read only stays in your system 2-3 days) and start trying this month. Either this month or def. next! And hopefully that Metformin and this weight loss helps me be successful with it! I should prob go join some TTC forum somewhere for sharing all these excruciating details but who has time and energy for a whole 'nuther forum haha...besides you guys have been so supportive through the whole TTC/ectopic/weight loss thing. :grouphug:

Yay! I'm glad you're back! :)

The rest of us can stuff it? Really? You shouldn't talk to this girl's mother at all. You don't have the knowledge, the tact, the grace, or the empathy. Apparently that's commonplace in your church. I hope she finds a different one.

That's such a shame. I'm sorry your son went through that. I hope you do find him a place where he fits in better and can be happy and feel accepted. Since I'm not religious, it doesn't matter to me if my kids are/aren't. But for someone like you, I imagine it does matter. So for your sake, I hope that something good comes out of your teens' experience, as well. I hope that even if what they observed made them "done with church," I hope it taught them something about the type of Christians and people they want to be belief-wise and action-wise in the end. Not the type that's all lip service, but the type who, like you said, really grow. I loved your last line of your post, by the way. If all it's really about when it comes down to it is putting on a show, or a lot of talk, really, what's the point. If it's about something that really matters, though, and true growth and caring and doing the right thing and people...well, that's what's important in the end. Or should be. And the OP and her church have a chance to make a decision like that here. Hopefully they do the right thing for the right reasons.

You know, I'm not an overly religious person, I'm not a Christian at all, I don't go to church, etc., but this is one of those instances where I just kind of roll my eyes thinking, "And what do YOU think your Jesus would do in a situation like this?" Do YOU think he would say "oh no, better turn that special needs child away?" Yeah, yeah. I get it. They're supposed to "model good behavior" blah blah blah. So are the adults. What's modeling good behavior? Hurting the feelings of a special needs child? Discriminating against her? Do you not think that even if her behavior is less than perfect (and it will be) that the parents of the other children in the church, the ones being modeled to, can quietly explain to their offspring how she has some differences/special needs so she's less capable of sitting as quietly, walking as quietly, but look there, she's still a person, still deserving of being included, still deserving of being in the public eye and recognized and accepted. Do you not think about how good it will make that child feel and that that's worth more than a silent walk up an aisle candle in hand? That maybe the act of participating itself will give her a little extra self worth and happiness and teach her a little bit of self control? I'm a little surprised a pastor of all people would consider casting her out. Or maybe I'm not. Give her the battery powered candle for safety purposes. Look the other way a bit if she isn't as quiet, if she gives an extra hug (I mean sure address it but expect it's going to happen anyway because that's what some special needs kids do, mine included; she's 20 now and still does though not as much as when she was younger). Some people smile on this and find it heart warming that they are so affectionate and would find it heart warming that you (general you in charge at your church) were so gracious as to include her despite the fact that she wasn't as "perfect" as the other kids allowed in. And for crying out loud, NO, do not talk to the non-custodial parent behind the mother's back.

I guess I don't really get why you're all close enough to them to invite them for some Easter dinners but not others. It's your husband's family, they've indicated it's important to them to be with their family/son/grandkids on a major holiday where all the rest of the family is getting together (I don't personally think of family so much as "mine" and "his" once we're married, it's now "ours"), you're already having a big extended family get together anyway at a place where they have been welcome before and have fit before, you said it's not a matter of not liking them, so unless your husband DOESN'T want to see them, or there are bad things about them as people that you aren't mentioning here, why include them some years and exclude them others, especially when they've expressed how important it is to them to see their family on the holiday? I get that you said your parents are in charge of this, but if it were me, I'd be going to my parents and saying, "Hey, just so you know, husband's parents have indicated how important it is to them that they get to see son and grandkids for Easter, too and I think they feel a little left out years they aren't invited. You know the situation with them and we can't travel there, do you think they can just be included and invited here each year" or however you want to word it.

To me, even if it's safer, if there's a parent that shows up at a school for any reason saying I'm here to get my child, no school has the right to "refuse" to allow the parent to take the child at ANY time, for ANY reason. Even if the parent isn't doing the safest thing. That's the parent's choice, not the school's.

How Much Weight Have You Lost? 1 pound = a Guinea Pig 1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts 2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs 3 pounds = an average human brain 4 pounds = an ostrich egg 5 pounds = a Chihuahua 6 pounds = a human skin 7.5 pounds = an average newborn 8 pounds = a human head 10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year 11 pounds = an average housecat 12 pounds = a Bald Eagle 15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs 16 pounds = a sperm whale's brain 20 pounds = an automobile tire 23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year 24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream 25 pounds = an average 2 year old 30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year 33 pounds = a cinder block 36 pounds = a mid-size microwave 40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg 44 pounds = an elephant's heart 50 pounds = a small bale of hay 55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner 60 pounds = an elephant's penis 66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year 70 pounds = an Irish Setter 77 pounds = a gold brick 80 pounds = the World's Largest Ball of Tape 90 pounds = a newborn calf 100 pounds = a 2 month old horse 111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year 117 pounds = an average fashion model 118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica 120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month 130 pounds = a newborn giraffe 138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year 140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year 144 pounds = an average adult woman 150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary 187 pounds = an average adult man 200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds 235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger 300 pounds = an average football lineman 400 pounds = a Welsh pony