All students at my school had to take one semester of shop class in 7th grade and another in 8th grade (the alternating semesters we had to take home economics). I wasn't very good at making things but thought it was cool to use the big tools like a table saw and drill press. The first thing we made was our own screwdriver--shaped the plastic handle then attached the metal part. I can't remember everything we made but I do remember doing a wall shelf and a toolbox. I think practical skills classes like this are wonderful and wish there were currently low-cost versions available for homeschoolers and adults in my area.

Jonathan Pitre, a boy born with EB, impresses me with his courage, strength, and love for life despite being in constant debilitating pain: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/jonathan-pitre-and-me-how-i-learned-the-miracle-of-ottawas-butterfly-boy He is truly amazing, as is his mother, who has always physically cared for him, but has obviously nurtured her son's soul and sense of self as well. Their story gives me hope for the power of the human spirit to think and do good for ourselves and others despite our circumstances.

Problems with my in-laws yet again. I dread being around them bc it's inevitable that my MIL will find something to get upset at me about. She's mad now because our schedule is really full right now, so the kids can't spend the weekend with them. Instead of sitting down and trying to find time to get together, she told the kids they should "just not show up" to their weekend sports and school commitments. She has also pestered me about this every time we've seen my ILs for the past few months, including at family gatherings and the kids' sporting events--definitely not the right time or place! What doesn't help is that she is just as busy as we are. But somehow it's personally my fault that we can't find a mutual good time? Sigh. She also is mad bc I don't call her at her birthday or Christmas (her other DIL does this so I guess she's comparing us?). Except she's not taking into account that we see them every Christmas and that I'm the one who reminds my DH to buy her a gift and call her on her birthday. When it's not these petty grievances, she finds something else. I didn't say good morning when we stayed at their house. I didn't help wash the dishes one time. I invited her to order from my friend's natural products co-op and she recently accused me of not ever sending her order home with my FIL (implying I stole her items). She said this while at one of the kids' sporting events, where normally I wouldn't be prepared to defend myself. Thankfully I had her order info on my phone to show her to "prove" myself; otherwise, I would have been assumed to have been lying. Every time I correct one of these perceived faults, she finds something else. What makes this all even worse is that she and my FIL are Christians, as are my DH and I. Their hypocrisy and unkindness shakes my faith and makes me feel so unloved. I told my DH that beyond being family through marriage they are spiritual family, yet they treat me far worse than anyone else I know. And they justify their behavior by misusing the "Honor your parents" commandment as well as other scripture. I want our kids to know their grandparents but I also want to stay far away from them.

I would love to know where to get good elderberries. I tried to make the syrup last year using dried organic berries from Frontier. When I opened them they smelled overpowering and gross. I'm not sure if I got a bad batch or that's just how dried elderberries smell. What are they supposed to smell like? Anyway, I pressed ahead and made the syrup and, no surprise, it tasted worse than the berries smelled. I ended up throwing away the syrup, which was a waste of a lot of good-quality honey, and threw the berries away as well. It was a total fail but I'm up for trying again if I can find good berries.

As always, Lori, you've given fabulous input. I appreciate hearing your brother-in-law's experience with all the ins/outs that might not immediately come to mind for me when being starry-eyed and dreaming about being a business owner.

That's not a wet blanket--that's wisdom! This is not JAWM, so I truly appreciate your opinion. It's very likely that this opportunity won't pan out; if that's the case at least we know that we have the desire to pursue something similar in the future. In the mean time, we will be spending our time working on being ready for when the time is right and input like yours helps with that, so thank you.

Great advice! We are seeing this somewhat with my in-laws right now. As their retirement "gift" to themselves, they became licensed to sell a product and are trying to build a business from scratch. The product is pretty amazing but their business skills are, ahem, unrefined at this point so they are really struggling to be successful. Just like you said, if they could just get the business side under control I think they could do wonderfully. My husband and I know we need more of a framework from which to start, which is why I like the idea of an already established store.

That totally counts--congratulations on making that call to register! I tend to second-guess and doubt myself as well, so sometimes just making a blind leap is the only way to take action.

They are selling the business.

I had to work when I was younger than a teen (maybe starting at age 8 or so), helping my mom (single parent) with an office cleaning job she had on the weekends. She used the money from this extra job to help pay for my school clothes and supplies. I always thought it was fun, and although my mom wasn't making me a slave or anything, I was expected to do my part and do it well. When I was a teen I worked a few different jobs (food joint my bff's family owned, factory, retail, babysitting). By this point my mom was remarried and our financial situation was better so I didn't need the money as much for basics and was able to use it more for fun stuff. When I started college I worked 30 hours a week, and since I had scholarships to cover all of my costs, I used my work money to help my family when they needed it. They never asked for help, but I was glad to be able to assist them like they have always done for me.

It has been my dream for years to work with books. Former jobs include teaching English/Language Arts and working in a library (in reference and grants). In the past couple of years, I've wondered if I could swing owning a bookstore. Today I found an ad for a used bookstore in the next county over and, after talking to my husband, I wrote to inquire! I know it's not signing a contract or anything, but it felt like a big leap without a whole lot of looking. I do have past experience in retail, but other than that I know nothing about running a business. I'll have to see if they even write me back. Until then I'll be doing lots of research. Has anyone done something off-the-cuff like this? (With good results? lol) Any tips/thoughts/opinions from small business owners about getting started or life as a business owner?

Our dentist is Dr. Smiley :D

I use an immersion blender with the whisk attachment to whip cream. I used to use my KA but the immersion blender whips it faster and is easier to clean.

Yes! Comics/graphics are what got my reluctant reader interested in sitting down with books. He loves Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes. He has also really gotten into The Action Bible. Geronimo Stilton is a series all my kids have enjoyed. There are graphic novels and chapter books, and most libraries have a ton of these so they're easy to get. At a library book sale this weekend I got a series called Explorers Wanted! by Simon Chapman. They are chapter books with interesting and witty facts/text, lots of pictures, and interactive features that make the reading experience fun. Example: in the Safari book, there's a chapter called Alone in the Thorn-Scrub. On the second page of the chapter there's a box about scavengers titled "Waste recycling - savannah style" that shows sketches of 4 different creatures, then has the reader choose which method of eating each creature uses. Following that is text about exploring and navigating. You also might try audio books as a way to build interest. Then you can read paper books by the same author or the next in a series. Beverly Cleary might be a good author to start with.

Another vote for Bosch Universal. You can get a stainless steel bowl for it. It's expensive but if you really want one, it is available. http://pleasanthillgrain.com/bosch-mixer-universal-plus Scroll down to see all the various accessories, including the SS bowls

I struggle with the idea that people need to see a picture or video to fully absorb an idea. What happened to just knowing drugs are dangerous and that they can have terrible, possibly fatal, consequences? Are we becoming a "show pics or it doesn't really happen" society?

Under our first property manager, our tenants paid via check until they had insufficient funds three months in a row. Then we switched to money order only. When we hired a new property manager, he switched our tenants to online money transfer. The money goes from our tenants to the manager's bank account. He withdraws his monthly fee then deposits it to our account. I believe they are on auto-withdrawal now, because we get their payment at roughly the same time every month. Make sure you have something in your lease to account for insufficient funds and late payments and be ready to enforce those provisions if needed with late fees, potential eviction notices, etc. Even if you don't think you'll need it, it's good for both tenants and landlords to have the terms clearly laid out. We had those terms in our lease from the beginning but our first property manager never enforced them. Our tenants took advantage of that and bounced checks and paid later and later in the month (due the first, got to where they were paying around the 20th!). We fired that manager and made sure our new one communicated to the tenants that he would be enforcing the lease. Our tenants were struggling financially so we did show some grace as they got caught up. Things have gone much smoother now that we have an enforced lease and direct payment.

Sherwin Williams' Repose Gray is a nice "greige". It's gray but with warmer undertones. We are in the process of repainting our bathroom this color. It looks different at various times of day, and each variation is neutral and soothing.

Sorry, I misunderstood that you were focusing only on FLVS :blush: I just looked at the FLVS website. If they are FL residents, in order to have a completely flexible schedule they would need to formally withdraw her from public school and register her as a homeschool student with their county. They could then enroll her as a Flex student, and she could learn at her own pace, including completing courses faster than the regular schedule.

I've been thinking about and praying for your brother and family daily.

Oh boy, how easy it is to JAWY. My kids are just like this. A few years ago we made plans to go on a very neat educational trip in a fantastic location. My kids were so upset, almost to the point of tears. We still went, much to their protest, and they ended up loving it so much that we've gone back on a yearly basis since. We've also been dealing with this attitude issue in present time. We are going on above-mentioned educational trip, but instead of completing the trip as we have in the past, we are arriving early and taking a side trip to a tour that my son has been begging to go to on for months. But he's mad we're not doing it as its own separate trip (which would be difficult since we it's located across the country). He's also upset that we're not going on his birthday. He's further upset that we are going on this side trip while his brother is at a sporting event (that we weren't going to be able to attend anyway). Upset to the point that he told me he'd rather stay home, never go there at all, etc etc. It's so frustrating bc I thought he'd love going on this side trip (and I know he'll be so happy once we do it) and then he gave such an ungrateful response. This is my youngest acting this way. My older two have kind of outgrown this attitude, so I'm hoping youngest will as well.

What about something like Easy Peasy Homeschool? https://allinonehomeschool.com The parents would need to be good about monitoring the child's progress, especially if she's not especially motivated. Florida has a Flex (part-time) program for homeschooled students. Classes can be started at any time and completed on the students timeline, as long as progress is being made and its completed within a year. (This may be different for a student who is being pulled from public school and is not a currently home educated. They would need to check the guidelines for their situation.) I'd start with 1-2 FLVS classes (probably history and Spanish or Language Arts) combined with a math program at her level. If she's ready for pre-algebra or above I'd recommend Derek Owens. It's $58 a month, but if they can budget it it's well worth it. If they would be able to grade her work, DO charges half that fee. Another option, while maybe not as rigorous as some programs but great for independent work, would be Teaching Textbooks. They could buy it used for around $100-$125. I'd add in Easy Peasy subjects as needed to round out her schedule.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Have you tried running Windows on your Mac through a virtual machine system like Parallels? That way you could keep using the Windows QB you already know and like.

In my DH's case it wasn't tough school policies that kept him from missing school but instead it was his mom. In his culture education is of utmost importance and part of that entails that you don't miss school, ever. In his family you'd literally have to be bleeding to death, otherwise off to school for you. Coupled with working many years at a company that had a terrible sick policy (as I discussed earlier in this thread), DH never wants to take sick days. He also wants to take our kids to church or events when they're sick. I always tell him, nobody wants our germs!