Two words. Stockholm Syndrome. Just my opinion. I have nothing against conservative Christians. Nothing. But the Pearls... positively sickening (and I did read their book condoning child abuse beginning in infancy, where they told their readers what size switch to use on a baby. Ugh!).

For art he might like painting with Kool Aid. Dilute it just enough to get a watercolor type consistency, then paint away. Try not to use a heavy paper that has a 'scent' to it, because then you'll be able to smell the yummy Kool Aid flavors, and can even "scratch and sniff." He might enjoy a nature table or tank of some sort and you guys can go on daily nature walks and find things to put in his tank. He might enjoy cooking and baking with you. If he's anything like mine, he'll love playing board games with you. You can make various homemade "books" with him. With my preschooler we made "Backyard Nature" books, either snapping pictures of things we've seen in our backyard (animals, birds, etc) or sometimes printing pics of them off of the internet. I'd then write a little blurb about that thing. We made "My Favorite Things" books, cutting out pictures from magazines of various things my son likes. We made "About Me" books, writing things about him, he drew a picture of himself, we did his handprint, he told me what his favorite color was and we found things in that color to glue in etc. We made "About My Family" books, we made "Texture Books" (finding things of different textures we could glue onto the pages), we made an "ABC book" gluing something that started with each letter of the alphabet onto the page. And we even made a "hornbook" with cardboard and saran wrap, with the alphabet on it.

Oh, don't feel bad! This is fun, too! LOL well, I don't mind it as much as I used to. My daughter's old enough to be my roller coaster buddy now hehe.

I haven't heard of that, but I have a book called "Plain Talk About Drinking Water" which is in a Q&A format (given out when we went on a field trip/tour of our water treatment facility recently). One of the questions is: When I'm working in the yard, I'm tempted to take a drink from my garden hose. Is this safe? The answer is: No. a standard vinyl garden hose has substances in it to keep the hose flexible. These chemicals which get into the water as it goes through the hose are not good for you. They are not good for animals or pets either, so filling drinking containers for them out of a garden hose is not a good idea unless the water is allowed to run a while to flush the hose before using the water. However, one type of hose on the market is made with a "food-grade" plastic that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and will not contaminate the water. Campers with recreational vehicles should use this type of hose when hooking up to a drinking water tap at a campsite. Check with a store that sells accessories for recreational vehicles. Even a well-flushed vinyl hose or food-grade plastic hose can cause problems, however. The outside thread opening at the end could be covered with chemicals or germs from a previous use. Some children in Gainesville, Fla., got sick after filling water bottles from a hose that had been used to wash garbage cans. (The book is from 1997 though so I don't know if things have changed since then).

It was kind of funny... my brother met my husband first, at a pool hall. They played pool together all night, chatted a lot, and became like instant best friends. My brother would talk about his new friend all the time, but I never met him. Then the new friend decided to move down to Florida where his mom lived. Asked my brother if he had any interest in going, too. And my brother did. Moved down to Florida for a year or two with this guy who was to become my husband without my ever having met the guy. While they lived there, I got married to my ex. We'd been together since I was 16, we'd had a baby together when I was 18, and we got married when I was 21... even though it never was a good relationship. My brother flew down from Florida for the wedding. Last minute, he asked if his friend could come, too. I said no, that everything was already reserved and paid for and that I couldn't include a friend of his last minute. Good thing, because it would have been weird for my second husband to attend my first wedding. :lol: Two years later, my first marriage ended. Not long after that, my brother moved back from Florida. Then his friend decided to move back too. I met him, there was a bit of flirtation going on, but of course I just ended a marriage and nothing came of it, we kind of went our separate ways, although we'd see each other now and then when my brother brought him by or something. Over a year later, I ran into him at a bar. I hadn't seen him in a while. He came home with me that night (no we didn't do anything :P) and we talked a lot, and hung out, and started spending pretty much every free minute together after that. Four months later, we got an apartment together. The rest was history.

1. He dropped out of high school, never went to college, never even got a GED, but he owns his own small business and is doing as well as if not better than a lot of people we know who went to four year colleges and can't find jobs in today's economy. 2. He won't go on any amusement park rides. None. Not even a merry-go-round. He's afraid of being in something he can't control himself (doesn't love being a passenger in a car, being in a plane, etc., either). 3. He's a good cook. A much better cook than I am! He'll cook breakfasts for us a lot before work, and on his days off, he'll be the one to cook dinners. 4. He's always moving from hobby to hobby. He's raced remote control cars, become a very good pool player, built up a big coral reef tank, learned to blow glass, can perform magic tricks, and has most recently gotten into balloon animals and face painting. I'm sure there are more I'm not thinking of. 5. He has a dentist phobia. Will not go to a dentist. Ever. 6. He doesn't like to read. I'm still not sure how I ended up with a guy who doesn't read, but there it is! 7. He gives people tattoos and piercings for a living. And he's afraid of needles. 8. He's good at fixing things. He can fix almost anything. 9. He lost not one but two brothers due to drugs. :( 10. He talks in his sleep sometimes.

The smell of a freshly bathed baby, freshly washed sheets, freshly cut grass, freshly baked cookies. A good book. When one of my kids says something sweet and spontaneous, like wishing on a star that Mommy's back wouldn't hurt any more (I have a lot of problems with sciatica). Planning for a vacation. The list making, the decision making, the researching, I love all of it, even if it's just a "little" vacation.

I have decided to do ten more, just because. :D You guys can feel free, too, I know some of you want to lol. 1. I once totaled a car because an older teenaged boy (19 or so?) decided it would be a good idea to let me "learn" to drive when I was around 14 and had snuck a beer or two. I took a circular exit without even taking my foot off the gas, let alone touching the brake, because I thought you really COULD drive like they did in the Dukes of Hazard. Fortunately, I suffered no more than a mild concussion and a sore knee, and he wasn't hurt at all. The car, not so lucky. It was his dad's car. 2. My mom tells me there was a "famous rabbi" in our family. I don't recall his name though. 3. I used to play violin, in Junior High. I knew how to read music. Now, I don't have the slightest clue whatsoever how to read music. I would have thought it was one of those things where once you knew it, you knew it. But no. That ability is now gone and forgotten. 4. I still have a (mild fortunately) issue with acne. It's really not fair that I'm starting to notice a few stray grey hairs- and still get pimples. What's up with THAT?! 5. I used to "practice kissing" by kissing posters on my wall. Vince Neal of Motley Crue comes to mind. (I was around 11). 6. I once took a survey on what kind of pet would be best suited to me. It suggested I get a pet rock. I like the idea of animals. But not the responsibility. (Good thing my daughter is old enough to clean the litterbox for the kitten we got recently). 7. I still count on my fingers. 8. I can't sleep late no matter how much I'd like to. I'm usually up before all of my kids. It's good in a way, the morning is MY time to have my coffee while sitting at my computer with no-one being loud or asking for something. 9. When I was 14 (I know, I was a bad teen. I hope my daughter is nothing like I was. It scares me. :P) I memorized the saying on a can of Budweiser. I still remember it. It says: "This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age. Our exclusive beechwood aging produces a taste, a smoothness and a drinkability that you will find in no other beer at any price." (I think that's what it says, anyway lol). 10. I love chocolate milk.

My 10 year old daughter goes to Girl Scouts once a week over every school year. She goes to Judo lessons once a week at the Y year round. She attended a library book club every few weeks last year and will do so again over this coming school year. She is going to start weekly guitar lessons next week. Over the winter, she participates in a homeschool bowling league for a couple of months. She takes swimming lessons and various art classes or summer Montessori camp programs over the summer. She accompanies me on outings and errands, field trips and so on, and we are active with our homeschool group. After school hours, on weekends, over the summer etc, she plays with neighborhood friends and cousins. She had a Fresh Air Fund friend come and stay with us for the past two summers. She's VERY active and sociable, makes friends easily, and we definitely DO have more time and energy for this kind of thing now that we are homeschooling. Oh, and she doesn't care if you're her age, years younger, or an elderly neighbor- she'll happily chat with you for as long as you'll let her. My almost 6 year old son played teeball this past season, and is now playing soccer. He too took swimming lessons over the summer, and went to a Montessori summer camp program for three weeks over the summer (half days). He also participates in the homeschool bowling league in the winter and accompanies me on outings, field trips, errands and so on. He too is active in our homeschool group and plays with cousins or neighborhood kids outside of public school hours. He too had a Fresh Air Fund friend come stay with us this summer. I compare all this to the way it was when my daughter DID attend public school- in Kindergarten and first grade she constantly lost some or all of her meager 15 minutes of recess for "talking too much in the classroom." Our school had a rule instituting "silent lunches" so the kids would eat and not goof off. The rest of the day was pretty much just deskwork. THAT'S socializing? Okaaaay.

I just want to say I'm so glad so many of you played along. It would take forever to respond post by post to all the replies I'd love to comment on but I just want you to know that SO MANY of these had me either smiling, chuckling, thinking "Me, too!" or just thinking "Wow, that's pretty cool." :)

I put published writer because I had a few articles published in a homeschooling magazine. Didn't pay much and I've never tried to publish anything else as of yet, though I've been writing poetry, stories and essays as long as I can remember.

My daughter is almost 11 and still very much enjoying SOTW1. The book itself is fine for her age. The recommended/supplemental reading varies greatly... some are picture books for younger kids, some are books that are perfect for our kid's ages. Even if he doesn't like the mapwork or coloring page, there are lots of other fun activities, crafts, recipes, and ideas in the activity guide that my daughter loves doing. I've got a bunch of them listed with pics on my blog on my SOTW review page if you want to take a peek. http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/124469.html

"Oobleck" would be a fun tactile thing! "Oobleck is a suspension of cornstarch and water that can behave like a solid or a liquid depending on how much pressure you apply. Try to grab some in your hand and it will form a solid ball in your palm just until you release the pressure, then it will flow out between your fingers." NOTE: When you dispose of it, dispose of it in a ziplock bag and throw it in the trash, DO NOT PUT IT DOWN YOUR SINK DRAIN!

Thanks for the feedback!! I wouldn't have thought to start with fewer minutes and build up to a half hour or so. But I will make sure to do so now!

List 10 random facts about yourself. Any facts at all. Just a fun way for getting to know each other a bit better (as if we don't already share pretty much everything lol). I'll go first. 1. I used to smoke close to 2 packs a day but quit smoking over 6 1/2 years ago. 2. I am afraid to sleep without another adult in the house. If my husband is working late or out, I can't fall asleep til he comes home and will get easily spooked by house noises. Thank goodness he doesn't travel for business or something! 3. I have 9 tattoos. I've had 10 done. One is a cover up. 4. I have type O negative blood and try to donate regularly, though lately with TTC and the subsequent ectopic and so on, it's been a while. 5. I have walked around with my nose stuck in a book as far back as I can remember. I might have been born with a book in my hand. 6. I lived in a foster home for two years, from age 14-16. 7. I haven't seen my father since he took off and disappeared when I was about 10 years old. 8. I had my first daughter when I was just 18 years old. At 38 I am trying to have just one more baby. 9. I can type over 100 wpm. 10. I have a big crush on Jamie (a fictional book character from Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series). Who's next? Give us 10 random facts about you! :)

I often have that issue, too! :D

My daughter is going to start guitar lessons in September, just a few weeks before her 11th birthday. How many days a week do you think she will need to practice, and for how long at a time? Just rearranging my "schedule" a bit and trying to figure out what to account for. The lesson itself will be once a week, for a half hour.

I'm one of those relax and take it easy in K people lol. I expect that we will spend about an hour (maybe sometimes a little more) doing K, and if we need to break it down into sessions of 15 or 20 minutes, that's fine! I want to have an engaged kid who is into what we are doing rather than trying to push a restless or disinterest kid along for extended periods of time. We're really just going to go with the flow and see how it goes. No particular time period, just whenever it seems convenient.

I'd probably anticipate a response within three days. Would I consider it unprofessional if it reached that point? Nah. People go on vacation, have things come up, etc. I guess after a week I'd start wondering why they hadn't gotten back to me.

No. I wouldn't want to join one that required that, and I don't require it for the one I belong to (and now run). Then again, in our group, parents are always present with their own kids. I guess I could see someone asking if so and so had had a background check if that person was going to be leaving their kids alone with so and so- for the type of co-op class where kids were just dropped off or something. But insisting that every person in the group have a background check? No. If you're that worried, don't join the group or stay with your kids while you're with the group.

I think it's fine. Love the idea of a facebook group for neighborhood parents, too!

Yes, well, the point of my post was that it is not as difficult to get through the process as it might appear by looking over the law. Once you go through the process you will realize it was not as difficult or overwhelming as it appeared at first glance. Something important for a new homeschooler in PA to know as I don't think she should be scared off to the point where she decides to cyberschool instead. I'm not saying the law doesn't suck. But it is what it is and we have to make the best of it here in PA. Doing so is not as hard as it might seem though.

No, don't be scared off!! PA can be a bit of a PITA and the requirements look overwhelming at first, but, truly they aren't. Once you read through it a couple of times and break it down step by step and go through the process once you will see it wasn't anywhere near as "bad" or hard as it looked. Maybe this will help you: Affidavit for homeschooling in PA: http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/215934.html Objectives for homeschooling in PA: http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/122810.html PA Portfolio example: http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/226816.html Hope this helps. :)

I hate the Pearls, too. Child-abusing sickos. Have you seen the article Deborah Markus of Secular Homeschooling Magazine wrote about them? http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/011/pearls.html

"Mommy, I have a girlfriend on Wizard 101. Her name is Ashley. She has Meteor Strike." :lol: