In an earlier thread, Elaine wrote: K&Rs Mom then added: Now we need to add to the list. Please add your dire warnings about the dangers of homeschooling, learned through hard experience!

I don't think you have a moral obligation. It might be nice of you, but you are in no way obligated. It would be perfectly fine for you to just say that you aren't comfortable with meeting her and leave it at that.

OK, now we need a list of homeschooling warnings! I wanna hear more!

Just as a side note: public libraries are public places that don't cost anything, and that means that libraries deal with a relatively high percentage of people with various types of mental problems. It is an unfortunate fact that librarians, who tend to be quiet, have to be able to deal with aggressive patrons who do turn nasty every once in a while. I've never heard of anyone going on a shooting spree in a library--but it would not surprise me at all. Responsible gun carriers don't let their guns fall out, and they keep the safety locks on. While I'm not thrilled with the idea of people having guns in the library, the fact is that the sane, responsible people with guns should outnumber the criminals with guns. My husband carries for that reason, though of course he hopes that he will never use it. I don't really like any of it, but that's reality and I respect his convictions.

Hm, I've never actually read Matt Christopher, but he's the standard author to recommend for boys who don't like to read because they like sports more. I'd say get a couple out of the library and read them to see what you think--I know you don't have much time, but you can skim! They're enough of a "series" type that they'll all be pretty similar.

Well, my good friend with severe allergies is moving into a new place, and takes it seriously enough that they're replacing everything with wood laminate instead of carpet. I've always heard that it does help a lot, but haven't much personal experience.

Jenny, if you want to be an academic librarian, most schools are looking for someone with another Master's degree besides the MLIS. It's not necessary, but it's pretty expected that you'll have a specialty. (That said, I think I could probably get a part-time job at the local university library if I really wanted to, and I don't have a second Master's. But I live in a small city.) There are lots of employment opportunities at a public library if you don't have the MLIS. Library assistants don't have the degree, but do a lot of the same work. (Our cash-strapped library employs only LAs in the children's room, and they're great--they may not have the degree but they have the experience!) And clerks have a pretty good time too, up at the checkout desk and all that stuff. You don't get paid as much without the degree, though, and no one gets an MLIS for the money.

Hi there! What you need is an MLIS, a Master's in Library and Information Science. It's often a pretty hands-on, practical program, and since a whole lot of people move into the librarianship field as a career change, the programs are frequently designed for evening and weekend classes, distance learning and so on. I was one of the youngest people in my program at 24, and a majority of students were in their 40's+. So if you wanted to, you could probably start a program while your kids are still at home, depending on where you are. I'm not familiar with Michigan schools, but Wayne State U. offers MLIS programs in Detroit, Oakland, and Macomb County. That's just from Google, so I don't know anything more about it. But maybe it will get you started.

Enjoy the forest--it's the park in my town! We play in that creek, and the giant tree the Merry Men hang out in is now just a gigantic stump but it's still an icon.

Thank goodness. I am so happy to hear that you have stopped the check! Google "meat van scam" to see how common this is. Those guys were not honest--they were criminals--and they should be stopped. Practice your script. "No. Goodbye." Close the door. Rehearse so that you are prepared next time!

I edited too late, so am going to say it again. THIS IS A SCAM. STOP THE CHECK NOW--THEY ARE ALREADY AT THE BANK.

I agree. Stop payment on the check, call the police, and find out if these guys had a license. "Cheap" meat from a van is actually a common scam. They want you to think you're getting a "crazy deal," when in fact you're paying a high price for cheap meat. A similar thing happens when a guy tries to sell you "great speakers" for cheap from the back of a van--he explains that the company accidentally loaded extra speakers up, and now he's going to give you high-quality speakers for practically nothing. In fact, he's giving you cheap speakers for more than what they're worth, and they weren't accidental extras either. (These guys usually target 20-something guys who not with their girlfriends, because women won't let their guys buy the crazy cheap speakers.) Here's a description of the speaker scam. The meat scam is pretty much identical. One meat scam story--These guys were selling bad meat, not just cheap meat. Sounds exactly like what you just had happen. They may have already cashed your check, so move fast!

I've heard that you can get a sample DVD of Math-U-See from them for free. Why not get that and see how your 8yo likes it? It sounds like she might benefit from it. I like Saxon; we are in 3 now and I'm quite happy with it.

I'm a librarian, and I'd like to go back to working at a library. Preferably the children's room! Also I plan to sew a lot more.

I'm not optimistic. Anne 3 was a made-up travesty, and it looks like this will be similar. The plot synopsis is nothing like what the books say--but of course, the books describe--very briefly--a life of deprivation, fear, and overwork, which wouldn't make much of a movie. :glare:

Cold cereal or quick oatmeal. Pancakes and waffles are for Saturdays.

Aaaah! That's the one I want! Quick, where is it? Are you David Sterling? My sister can read Japanese.

You might like to start with the smaller American companies too--there is a lot online. However, if you're brand new to sewing, you're going to want to make a few simple pieces first to get your skills going! The simplest pattern can be given flair with a good fabric and interesting details. Here are some interesting pattern sources: Here's a list of indie pattern companies stocked by this online store. Lots of style here! Here's a list of a whole lot of heirloom pattern companies--mostly old-fashioned elegant (or foofy), but also some very cute simpler outfits, so look through them. Sense & Sensibility don't have chic flair, but they're a lot of fun. Ottobre is a Euro sewing magazine that has a lot of chic patterns for girls. Be warned that European patterns work differently--you have to trace them yourself and add seam allowances. Japanese patterns are wonderful--but almost always in Japanese. I've only seen crafty books translated so far. You have to be able to use them as inspiration. Hope that helps you get started. (Also, what was your Japanese book? There's one I want...)

I got hooked on sewing blogs a little while ago! And they all hook into one another, so you only need a couple to start with. I find them particularly great for cute little projects and nifty ideas for smaller things--you'll find a lot of free tutorials on how to make them too! I like Sew, Mama, Sew that *darn* kat Angry Chicken (more crafty, but plenty of sewing) Montessori by Hand (check out her patterns, yum) Thimble The Handmade Dress if you like heirloom sewing and crochet--a fellow homeschooler runs this one!

High school was OK. Well, 9th grade was pretty much the worst year ever, but otherwise it was pretty good. I went on a study abroad my junior year. I had good friends, wasn't popular, got decent grades. As an adult, however, I've realized just how bad my HS education was. It was close to useless, and sometimes worse. Algebra II was pretty good, but otherwise, bad bad bad. I was totally unprepared for the big-time college I got into, and I think I missed a lot because of that. I think I simply had no clue that there was more to education! Sure, it wasn't very interesting, but I had lots of books and my exchange year. So one reason I homeschool is to improve on that in the academics. It would be hard to do worse; we've already surpassed most of my official grammar knowledge (in R&S 3). But mostly I do it because I'm hooked on the classical thing.

From an adult perspective: my mom used to enjoy memorizing poetry when she was a girl. She can still recite yards of it--all of "The Night Before Christmas," "The Housewife's Lament," all kinds of fun stuff. It even helps her at work since she is--a storyteller. (And librarian.)

We've done a lot of field trips to match our studies, but one thing I really love is the field trips put on by the local college. All year they have a series of cultural performances, and you can buy child tickets for the evening performances -- 5 tickets for $25. They also have field trip performances in the mornings, and tickets are $3 each. So we have done some of each this year, and it's been great. We've seen Celtic music, kung-fu monks, ballet, all sorts of good stuff.

OH! You are a GENIUS! Yay! This is going right on my wish list. Thank you!

Sadly, I can't get your url to work. Is this it? It's pretty cool. Love it. I'm a stitcher who hasn't stitched in a while, but I just got a good pattern I'm looking forward to doing. I'd love to get a good one for the schoolroom. My futile quest is to design my own pattern with the motto of the Madras Library: "To be literate is to possess the cow of plenty." Only I need an Indian-looking cow or something and I'm not having much luck.

Private Message. Look up at the top right corner of your screen, under where it says "Welcome, Julie in Austin."