Almost anywhere quiet and pretty, as long as I can get some decent already-prepared food. But at the top of my list are Maine, Colorado, Vermont, or South Carolina mountains. Hmmm... a beach in the Bahamas?

We are not a "farm family," but 2nd ds has loved cows his whole life and worked on a dairy farm for almost five years. He just finished his freshman year at a SUNY agricultural school about 3 1/2 hours from home. He is in a two-year Dairy Production and Management program. He did come home some weekends to work on the farm, but is hoping to find a job at or close to school as soon as he goes back in September. The school isn't as cheap as CC, but CC doesn't offer ag courses. Ds2 wasn't and isn't a terribly academic kid. He's smart and capable, but much prefers to be outside, than inside, and doing something than sitting. He took CC courses his senior year at home for any required courses; he got tired of dealing with me. He did well enough for himself, but didn't really apply himself. He is doing well enough for himself at the SUNY school. He could get straight A's with reasonable effort, but he's not interested in all A's. He is paying for school himself. He has to maintain a mininum GPA for us to continue paying for his cell phone (part of our family plan) and help him with his car insurance. Oh, and he HATES all the drama at school. Instead of living on campus in the fall, he and a couple friends are renting a house. It's also cheaper. Does this help?

I didn't read the other replies (yet). And I didn't exactly quit my job to stay home. When I was pregnant with ds2 in 1990, I was laid off. Before I went back to work, I was unexpectedly expecting dd1. It was ridiculous to us that I work with 3 dc at home; we figured we'd just bite the bullet and deal with it. Before dd was born, we learned about homeschooling. Dh said, "If that's what YOU want to do, YOU go right ahead." So I did. He loves it now. :001_smile: At that point we were renting. Before dd was born, we had to move, but got a (not great, but) suitable larger rental. Fast forward 17 years. Everything has worked out well. Not EASY, but worked out well. We have 3 more kids. That dd is graduating at our homeschool ceremony in two weeks. We bought a house in 1995. Dh has been unemployed a couple times, but it's always worked out. We've had three meals every day - not always our favorites, but reasonably nutritious food, a roof over our heads, clothes for everyone, and materials for education. Hindsight is wonderful, and there are some things we'd have done differently. But looking back, we've done the best we could with what we had at the time. No regrets. Everything's worked out more than fine.

My three dds' piano teacher says a student gains the majority of their musical ability through age 21. For that reason, she really encourages all her students to work hard in order to achieve their full potential. Just something to throw out there.

No. I *love* homeschooling my kids. If I had that kind of money, I'd use it instead to pay for house cleaning, laundry, and cooking! ;)

Christina, If you go to the store locator at the Wegmans' website, you can find the nearest store, with a map, and the ability to get directions. Happy shopping!

Wegmans. Nothing compares.

:grouphug: praying for you. My dh just told me a story yesterday of a gal he sees regularly as a result of his job. They found thyroid cancer; removed her thyroid. Doc told told her she had six months... because in every other case like hers, that's the longest that patient lived. This was 3 or 4 months ago. This gal went back recently to be checked. EVERYTHING is totally CLEAR. She's fine and feels great! :grouphug:

Each family is unique. It's not nuts for me. When I was homeschooling six kids, and one of them had a part-time job, it wasn't unusual for me to leave my driveway at least four times a day, sometimes more. It was crazy. Makes my current life seem sane! :lol:

One of my nieces was born at 25 weeks, and received some now-standard treatments that were considered experimental in 1988 when she was born. She is a college student who rides horses competitively -- and quite successfully at that.

I would really encourage you all to explore alternative treatments... naturopathic, homeopathic.... along those lines. HTH,

Nope. My house is just like yours & has been for all 20 or so of our homeschooling years.

We have unlimited texting on all the phones that are on our family plan. Ds once had his texting "turned off" during his senior year because he was texting at all hours and was barely doing any schoolwork. Dd has been texting a ton (10K) lately, helping a friend who is in crisis. But she knows she has to keep up with school.

Asta, My dd has never taken an outside course, but has taken piano and violin lessons. She's been involved in 4H & 4H Dairy Cattle activities since she was 9. She needed one outside recommendation for her application to one of the two SUNY (State University of NY) colleges that she applied to -- for a Physical Education major. She chose the person who knew her the longest, her 4H Dairy Judging coach. If dd hadn't applied so late in the year (March, for this fall), she'd have been accepted into this popular and therefore, competitive program. But because of the timing (they went out of their way to tell her this fact -- both in person and in writing), she was put on the waiting list. She expects to hear a final answer very soon. All this to say that 4H Dairy Cattle has nothing to do with PE, nor is it terribly academic. But dd's application was very-well received. HTH,

Thank you everyone! We'll see how I do....

:lol: The meat & fish guy stopped at the piano teacher's house when we were there for lessons a little while ago. They're vegetarians, too. But after lessons were over, I *had* to tell her about the discussion here, and the best response ever. I so know what to say if he shows up at my house!

My 2nd ds used this in 9th grade; he finished the whole book. I called the course "Applications of Mathematics" and gave him a full credit. He's a freshman at a SUNY agriculture school, in a two-year program.

I have a *very* brown thumb. I have killed *every* house plant I've ever owned. We haven't had a single plant in the house in years. My darling dh bought me an African violet for Mother's Day. It's beautiful -- full leaves and pretty purple and white flowers. I love how it looks. Can someone PLEASE tell me how to take good care of it? Thank you so much!

Thanks for posting!

My 2nd ds used this in ninth grade; I didn't think he was quite ready for Algebra. I called it "Applications of Mathematics" on his transcript and gave him a full credit.

:iagree: They started a new challenge this week, "Sweatsuit to Swimsuit" that I joined after reading about it here. VERY do-able. I guess since I just started I can't comment on it's long-term effectiveness, but SparkPeople has the most potential of anything I've read or tried. Good luck to you!

www.homeschooldiploma.com

I *really* need to get exercising, and this looks like a great way to get jumpstarted. How does it work? Thanks :)

:grouphug: I'm sorry.

When my oldest was 12, she had a positive mono test at the doctor's. To help her, I gave her elderberry juice 4 times a day (cut in half with ginger ale). She took probiotic tablets, but I don't remember the dosage. I rubbed an essential oil mixture on her feet twice a day, at the base of her toes. She was better in a week. I was quite surprised, but she was fine in a week.