[ana m]

HammockDreamer:

Thanks for the exact location I will do research of area to see what it is like.
Regarding Homeschooling, How old are your children and how long have you been homeschooling? I hope you don't mind the question, but I have been
looking into that option, as a matter of fact I have gone into some websites and have read comments on parents who homeschool. My biggest concern is once they get into high school grades, and making sure they don't fall behind in any way both with social skills and learing. I have two boys, 10 and 6 they both fall within the gifted category. The options I have here is public schooling which they attend full time gifted classes. Private school here has no such courses for gifted/advanced kids. Can you give me some feedback
on how homeschooling has worked for you?

Regarding relocation, we are looking at all options around the central Florida area. I'm sure we have a lot of options and It's great to hear from people who actually live around the area.

Thanks, I really appreciate it.

Ana

[ana m]

Lulu:

I hope you are well. Please don't get me wrong, regarding the gardening issue, I totally understand your point of view. For that same reason, I really appreciate any information everyone has given. to get a better feel of the community. I lived in Coral Gables as well, actually I lived there about 7 years ago, on Palermo Ave. It is a very beautiful loction. We sold our home in Palermo when we purchased a residential lot on South Miami Avenue right off of the Key Biscayne entrance, and we had a new home built there. We sold the S. Miami home last year and now live in Coconut Grove. We have been lucky to live in these areas I just mentioned but what I refer to is once you leave the area you are faced with alot of disappointments within our surroundings. I have two wonderful boys, 10 & 6. They both are in Public School System. I had my older son in Private, but his first grade teacher told me that I should consider getting him evaluated for gifted. I had him evaluated and sure enough he is gifted. I just recently had my younger son tested and he also passed the evaluation. The Private School sector has nothing to offer at that level for gifted kids, so we chose to place them in Public School System. I can tell you it is a great program for those who qualify, but the rest of the system is not to par. My husband and I also went to Public School, in fact here in Miami. I guess my fear is their future and our future grandchildren as well.

What I ment when I previously responded was that I guess I am so sick of seeing what has been going on here lately, that there has to be a better place!

Take care.

Ana

[cflmmo]

A Little history about Celebration :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration,_Florida

[ana m]

cflmmo:

Thanks for inforamation. I will log on to site.

Ana

[lulu]

Hi Ana...

I fully understand. Especially, if you have 2 young boys... & of course totally understandable as you want what's best for them.
I'm older than you & I am having a hard time cause I don't recognize many things anymore. It's like I close my eyes/think back & then go outside/open my eyes & everything is totally different.
We plan on moving as well in 2-3 yrs. By the end of the month, we have planned another drive up.

Take care...

[ana m]

Lulu:

Hello, We are planing on a drive sometime soon also. I read a previous post of yours and I told my husband to try the espresso in the coffee machine,
we loved it, we had never tried that before. We love american coffee, I can't get anything done without my cup of joe, but your version
really tastes great.

Take care,

Ana

[lulu]

Hey, that's really great! Real happy you liked this tasty version ....
I too love the consistency of American coffee cause the other to me is too thick....but yet wanted a punch of my ancestors European's version- without it being sooo...thick & strong... & voila!!!! So, here it was... my perfect coffee match, a Spanish/European/American twist was born! Ha, ha...

[HammockDreamer]

We have one 13 yr old daughter and we have homeschooled for 7 yrs. We have moved quite a bit with dh's job, so it has worked really well for all of us! Our daughter (according to public school standards) is in the 8th grade this year, however, we are using a 12th grade curriculum. My daughter is gifted also and begged for an indepth study of British History and Literature---so that's what we are doing! We're reading Beowulf, Chaucer, Austen, Barrie and so many other classics.

We did look into public schools once we relocated here---we always decide on a yr by yr basis as to what options offer the best educational opportunities. Public schools down here are far below the grade level we are used to. We then checked into charter schools and they were all filled with a waiting list already for next year.

As far as the high school years go, FL does have an online high school program available to anyone, so we may look into that. They also support dual enrollment with the local colleges.....so I think that will be an option as well.

I am well aware of the concerns for social interaction.......but in our experience, that has never been a problem. Our daughter has friends of all ages. She is very active in drama and improv, youth group, bowling, language classes and of course, all the field trip opportunities.

Homeschooling is a huge decision...and I will be the first to tell you that it's not for everyone. It's important to be flexible---to know the learning style of your children AND your teaching style.

Hope that helps!

[ana m]

HammockDreamer:

Thank you for your time and the information you provided. We are looking into homeschooling. It's a big decision, which needs to be carefully thought through.

Thank you again,

Ana

[AJ67]

Celabration+plus disney magic= stepford!