OT, but need to vent a bit

[Mom2mthj]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

Bean,
I never think much about 4H since we are solidly in suburbia...we have a local club at the school farm that work together on raising a goat, but that isn't my daughter's cup of tea. I never thought to look around for other locations.

To Meadowlark,

I am an introvert and two of my kids are extroverts. Both seem to do well with homeschooling. I agree with Jen and the year at a time, child at a time philosophy especially at the beginning and I firmly believe that high school needs to be a separate, intentional decision. Jen has moved a lot, I have not moved at all since our homeschooling journey started so I haven't had as many situations to necessitate changing course. I have always told people that I homeschooled my boys for the primary grades because I think boys need the ability to be little boys and I homeschooled my daughter to avoid the cesspool of middle school. I was teased constantly in middle school and it was a miserable situation. Kids haven't changed, but their ability to make the life of their target miserable has greatly increased. Now instead of just being at school they have the ability to reach out to torment others in their own home as well through social media. I guess all of this is to say that it would take something REALLY serious for me to put a student in school at sixth grade. There is just so much pressure to fit in at that age while so many things are changing within them.

On the technology front, I don't think I would blame school for the sneakiness. School may have opened his eyes to what's out there, but I see it start in my kids about that age as well. My oldest takes several online classes through MOOA and loves them. I check her computer regularly, but I still need to implement a more complete solution now that we have more devices in the house. My friend's husband recommends Net Nanny for monitoring where they are going, limiting time, and blocking inappropriate content over several devices. I still need to ask him how it deals with limiting time on iPad apps that aren't internet connected.

Even if I didn't have a personal issue with middle school in general, I have an issue with the situation described about the bus. If you don't feel like the road is going to be maintained in such a way that you can safely get to school in the winter, I would not be inclined to put my child on the bus on that same route. Most cars these days if appropriately maintained are going to be substantially safer than a school bus. School bus design is much safer than when we were kids, but I still worry about driver distraction if the kids aren't behaving. If you are driving an old 15 passenger van then I might choose the new school bus. For what it's worth, I am a mechanical engineer who used to work for a major automaker here in Michigan, am a total car seat fanatic (my now 5yo was rear facing until 4, booster seats until about 10- my father ripped the back seat out of their 1960's vehicle to install seat belt anchors for the first child seat on the market for my now 52 year old sister-so I come by it naturally), and I don't carpool. The other question to consider is whether the private school has its own bus. Many around here ride with the public school kids and sometimes have to change buses before arriving at their destination.

Keep praying and we will all be praying for you as well as you make your decision. I feel like you will know when you have the right plan for your family.

[Girlnumber20]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

Hi Meadowlark...so much of your post resonated with my own struggles in choosing homeschooling for my children. You got so much great input and guidance here, but I want to add my support. Such a tough situation, truly the horns of dilemma. I have often said that making the decision to homeschool or to send them into the fray, is so difficult because it is the choice between two less-than-ideal situations. Those choices with no sense of ease at either side, are always the hardest ones to make. No matter what you choose, homeschooling or away school, there are going to be such problems as a result of either choice- and what is worse, you know this, making deciding rather an agonizing process- especially since you are making such a choice for someone you love the most! And we have to make this choice year after year. One thing that can help a bit is to think also of all the good, rather than all the bad things, that can come as result of each choice. But- it requires much prayer, and is psychologically draining.

The other thing I wanted to say, was I noticed a couple of times you expressed a strong regret at having put them into school in the first place, and in a sense already opening to some extent that "Pandora's Box" Jen talked about. I think that is something that would help you to look at, maybe. Now it is a bit open, the box, already for your older son- it maybe, seems very hard or unfair to attempt to close it again? How difficult it feels as parent, to offer something that is desperately wanted, then remove it- especially for a loving parent. Much easier to never have offered it in the first place, and probably part of the reason why many of us continue to homeschool year after year, without offering school. You have taken the harder path here- but I personally believe it is also an honest and vulnerable approach- a wise, but more difficult path. Life is messy, we can't control it. I think it is good to have situation where your kids are in some sense *aware of what they are missing* and be able to bear that suffering honestly- then to allow them to stay unaware of what they are missing, in some sense with eyes closed. I have learned over the years, that my early way of teaching the kids to fear the idea of school was so very wrong, I repent it, as based in my own fear, and then teaching fear. That is not what you are doing, I think good for you. I now tell them frequently that they would love school and that it would be really fun for them- and that if they went they would probably not want to homeschool again. I also tell them that there are also problems in the schools that they would have to deal with, and I outline for them what those are, to some extent. Also i make clear the choice, at least right now- is not theirs to make, because they are too young to make such a hard one. That is met with relief! Is all this crazy? Probably, but for some reason it is what I have to do to keep it real nowadays, because I have needed to find a way to overcome the unhealthy sheltering that I was previously engaged in. We also do as many outside activities and not just with homeschoolers, as possible. (Have you looked into a local band or orchestra?) I want to be the first ones to explain certain ideas that come up from the culture, and said please tell me or Dad, if you have any questions about such-and-such.. because we will need to talk it over. So to my mind, you needn't regret, because you have built in some of that by sending to school for a year. I think it is like "vaccination," to my mind. Lots may disagree, and I respect that, too. The downside to this "vaccination," is that you always have to deal with the fallout, the very real pain of ambiguity and uncertainty in your life, now. But all things work together for good for those who love the Lord. I think you are on the right track, personally, exploring, wondering, worrying, thinking, sorrowing- it is what you must do now as mom while deciding- and that is ok.

Maybe I think the trick here is to make it very clear to your son that no matter what is decided for next year, your choices about whether to school away or at home are based primarily in love for him and in educational concern- academics- so that he doesn't feel you are taking away the school out of fear, which will make him rebel- and to make it very clear to him that these choices are taken by you as parents on a year-by-year basis. Leave the tech, if that is addiction coming on, completely out of the conversation for now- it is too much, you need him to know you are on his side, and that will just complicate that knowledge for him. This way he knows your decisions are not arbitrary, but very carefully considered with all his interests, including his own desires, in your mind- and it would also be very important for the relationship, to make him know very well that you see his pain on missing out on school, and are not indifferent to it, but that your choices can't always be based in avoidance of pains but on what is the best for all. Whether that be sending him to school, which may very well be the right way- or keeping him home, or a compromise between the two options. And whatever choice is make, he must know it will be reevaluated the following year. (If it will) I think accepting ambiguity is one of the hardest things for us as human beings, but being sort of at peace with it, letting go of our legitimate need for certainty- is one way of taking up the cross and carrying it.

I hope that some of these kind of random thoughts can help aid somewhat in your discernment. I will say a prayer for you today.

Maria2

[ljallen44]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

I just wanted to offer an experience that a homeschooling friend of mine had in the last few years. She has a large family and her oldest is a boy. They also reached the point in their homeschool journey where they were butting heads constantly and things were not going well. They sent him to a private Christian school for 6th grade. While I don't think they had a bad experience, it made their family life very difficult to homeschool the rest of the kids and work around his school schedule and demands. I think he was somewhat neutral on which he preferred. He saw good and bad things come from going to school vs. being homeschooled. The parents decided to bring him home to homeschool again for 7th grade (just finished) and will continue to homeschool at least for now.

What I wanted to point out is that they spent a lot of time figuring things out and to be successful at homeschooling again they had to put the dad in charge. So while the mom does all the lesson planning for what is required each day/week/year, the dad is the one holding the son accountable to complete the work and adjust as necessary. This means each day when he comes home they have a quick meeting and go over what was completed and what needs to be done the next day. The mom is available for help during the day if the boy wishes but the dad is the one he is answering to. She has said she doesn't think this with be necessary for all her other boys, but in this case it has been the answer they needed.

I just thought I'd put that out there in case it gives you something to consider if you do decide to homeschool.

-Laura

[Meadowlark]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

"Now it is a bit open, the box, already for your older son- it maybe, seems very hard or unfair to attempt to close it again? How difficult it feels as parent, to offer something that is desperately wanted, then remove it- especially for a loving parent. Much easier to never have offered it in the first place, and probably part of the reason why many of us continue to homeschool year after year, without offering school."

Exactly. That is exactly how I feel, and how he feels. He feels sad and a bit angry that we would send him only to tell him that he can't go back the next year. And I can't blame him really. His whole world has opened up this year, good and bad.

So, another thing happened. He's not allowed to play computer games at school because of the waking up in the middle of the night thing that happened at home. I got a note from his teacher last night that he was on the computer. Now, he is trying to convince me that he thought I said no games, and he was playing a MATH game. I'm 99% sure he's being manipulative, but that's what he claims. I don't even know. This is the 2nd time his teacher has written a note about this happening. :-(

We got a bit of eye rolling and a bit of mouthiness (nothing horrible at all) but man, he's struggling with this technology thing. Don't get me wrong, this is a GREAT kid but this is getting the best of him. I just don't know how I can give me a chromebook and then be surpised that he's sneaking games, internet, or whatever next year. Sigh.

It's looking more and more like he's going because I think not sending him would crush his spirit and ruin our relationship. Yes, the public school does offer busing, but my husband would rather we take him. No idea how that's going to work with a baby napping in the afternoon, but we'll see.

[KF2000]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

(ETA: geesh, there are a while line of posts upthread my phone did not show this morning...which I am just now realizing. I hope I did not misspeak in the conversation for not catching all the context. Will try to get caught up later when we are home again and I can actually use a computer. For now, continued prayers coming your way, Meadowlark!)

This topic of the difference in boys really resonates with me as well. I agree that first, boys go through a very trying stage right around ages 11/12/13 as they begin to mature. There is just so much going on physically that I think we feel it coming from them the most in moody, sullen, uncooperative attitudes, and an apparent inability to pay attention to anything going on around them. It just about drove us batty until we learned from friends with older boys it was a completely normal stage that you just have to firmly love them through.

But within that stage for us was a recognition that yes, more male influence was needed in his life. His days of being content at home with mom and a houseful of girls were over. This is when we started making more of an effort for Dad to take him to do truly boy stuff - stuff that most of our girls have absolutely no interest to do. It has continued to the point that now that he is 14, he and Dad have been learning about cars together and how to do all their own work on them. Just this weekend he got to change the oil in our van for the first time!

But it is not just about activities. It has also been about my recognition that he is trying to be a man, and that I need to parent him differently than I am parenting the girls. Part of that is reiterating the Commandment of God that he will have to honor me forever, no matter how old he gets, but that I recognize that he needs to develop leadership over his own life in a way that is different than for a girl. In a way, I have to start giving him a similar sort of respect that I give my husband so that he (our son) can learn how to eventually be the head of a household too. This means not stepping in if he is handling something differently than I would. It means giving him a bit more and more rope, while still not letting him hang himself. It is challenging. But it is one reason I really prefer to have him home even though he is pretty extroverted. We get to set the examples before him of grown men who are good models for him, rather than have him set his standards by what peers may value. That is what our choice has been, but we have good friends who have managed to do that while taking advantage of school options. It really is a discernment for each child within each family.

AMDG,
Sarah

[Girlnumber20]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

"Now it is a bit open, the box, already for your older son- it maybe, seems very hard or unfair to attempt to close it again? How difficult it feels as parent, to offer something that is desperately wanted, then remove it- especially for a loving parent. Much easier to never have offered it in the first place, and probably part of the reason why many of us continue to homeschool year after year, without offering school."

Exactly. That is exactly how I feel, and how he feels. He feels sad and a bit angry that we would send him only to tell him that he can't go back the next year. And I can't blame him really. His whole world has opened up this year, good and bad.

So, another thing happened. He's not allowed to play computer games at school because of the waking up in the middle of the night thing that happened at home. I got a note from his teacher last night that he was on the computer. Now, he is trying to convince me that he thought I said no games, and he was playing a MATH game. I'm 99% sure he's being manipulative, but that's what he claims. I don't even know. This is the 2nd time his teacher has written a note about this happening. :-(

We got a bit of eye rolling and a bit of mouthiness (nothing horrible at all) but man, he's struggling with this technology thing. Don't get me wrong, this is a GREAT kid but this is getting the best of him. I just don't know how I can give me a chromebook and then be surpised that he's sneaking games, internet, or whatever next year. Sigh.

It's looking more and more like he's going because I think not sending him would crush his spirit and ruin our relationship. Yes, the public school does offer busing, but my husband would rather we take him. No idea how that's going to work with a baby napping in the afternoon, but we'll see.

Don't get me wrong, I was not saying you did the wrong thing, and now you have to send him to school or it's not fair. I am saying that you can recognize that this will be really hard for him, but it still might be the right choice to keep him home- even if it feels unfair to him. But knowing that it feels unfair, can help with understanding his pain about it, and be source of being on side with him about the difficulty of this, without capitulating or being made to feel guilty. If you bring him back home, you needn't feel in the least guilty. Especially about a choice you may end up knowing well is the right one for him in the long run- no room for guilt when everything you are doing is for his best interests. Sympathy yes- guilt, no.

As for the chomebook- I would, with no hesitation at all, buy a safe and lock it and any other devices inside during the times they are not needed. Of course you won't be able to control what he does at school with it- but at home you can.

Sorry if I sounded wrong way about stuff, it is hard to express fine tune things in emails. Keep talking is all.

[Meadowlark]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

Don't get me wrong, I was not saying you did the wrong thing, and now you have to send him to school or it's not fair. I am saying that you can recognize that this will be really hard for him, but it still might be the right choice to keep him home- even if it feels unfair to him. But knowing that it feels unfair, can help with understanding his pain about it, and be source of being on side with him about the difficulty of this, without capitulating or being made to feel guilty. If you bring him back home, you needn't feel in the least guilty. Especially about a choice you may end up knowing well is the right one for him in the long run- no room for guilt when everything you are doing is for his best interests. Sympathy yes- guilt, no.

As for the chomebook- I would, with no hesitation at all, buy a safe and lock it and any other devices inside during the times they are not needed. Of course you won't be able to control what he does at school with it- but at home you can.

Sorry if I sounded wrong way about stuff, it is hard to express fine tune things in emails. Keep talking is all.

Got it. Thanks for clarifying. So this morning I was sending him, and after another phone conversation, now I'm not sure. I AM sure you all think I'm a total head case by now, so why stop :-) I talked with a friend who has a current 6th grader at the school he's signed up to attend. I specifically asked the principal if phones were allowed at school-at lunch and in classes. He said a hard NO. The handbook also states that. So, today my friend's son was home sick and I had her ask him a few questions (I could hear his responses). He said that some teachers allow phones at lunch, and some don't. Same with breakfast. Same with common areas. This directly contradicts what I was told, which is the whole problem with this Catholic school system-stemming from the high school which is losing families right and left. So which is it? And why would some staff be letting kids use their phones? How is that okay? My son would be glued to his friends' phones no doubt.

Her son also said that kids are constantly sneaking phones under their desks to cheat on tests, text and access social media. Gag. How do I deal with this? I can't control other people's phones and yet my kid will be exposed to it just the same. Oh,and he's written NOTHING in cursive this entire year, and barely writes with a pencil at all. Sigh.

[JodiSue]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

This may seem like a stupidly obvious thing to say, so ignore me if so, but I'm wondering if your son can see what a hard choice this is for you and why. Have you laid out all the reasons why you are reluctant to send him back to school? Explained technology addiction, what it does to the brain, what you hear about technology at school, what a tech addiction can do long term...basically can you talk to him about this like you can post here? Or can your husband do that?

When I have a hard situation with my rising 6th grader, we often talk about how the outcome of whatever discipline/decision this is his choice. He can choose to harden his heart and be bitter about the discipline he is receiving or the decision we're making, or he can keep a soft heart and really think about how he could deal with whatever it is in the future. I tell him to keep in mind that his dad and myself both do things based on what we think is best for him, not just now, but when he becomes a man, if he becomes a husband, if he becomes a dad. Obviously not every situation warrants that kind of speech or discussion, but for something big like this it would. I often ask him to pray and ask God to help him keep a good attitude even though he disagrees with his parents. This son has been to school and remembers it fondly and would like to go back, but has come to terms with the fact that homeschooling is what we can do right now that's best for him. And he knows we evaluate the decision yearly (or more often if we move mid-school year) as to what his schooling will look like. He doesn't have decision power, but he is in on our reasoning enough that he knows why we do what we do.

[Meadowlark]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

This may seem like a stupidly obvious thing to say, so ignore me if so, but I'm wondering if your son can see what a hard choice this is for you and why. Have you laid out all the reasons why you are reluctant to send him back to school? Explained technology addiction, what it does to the brain, what you hear about technology at school, what a tech addiction can do long term...basically can you talk to him about this like you can post here? Or can your husband do that?

When I have a hard situation with my rising 6th grader, we often talk about how the outcome of whatever discipline/decision this is his choice. He can choose to harden his heart and be bitter about the discipline he is receiving or the decision we're making, or he can keep a soft heart and really think about how he could deal with whatever it is in the future. I tell him to keep in mind that his dad and myself both do things based on what we think is best for him, not just now, but when he becomes a man, if he becomes a husband, if he becomes a dad. Obviously not every situation warrants that kind of speech or discussion, but for something big like this it would. I often ask him to pray and ask God to help him keep a good attitude even though he disagrees with his parents. This son has been to school and remembers it fondly and would like to go back, but has come to terms with the fact that homeschooling is what we can do right now that's best for him. And he knows we evaluate the decision yearly (or more often if we move mid-school year) as to what his schooling will look like. He doesn't have decision power, but he is in on our reasoning enough that he knows why we do what we do.

Yes. Just the other day I sat him down and told him that homeschooling was still on the table. Of course he asked the big WHY. The problem is, he just can't understand as an 11 year old why I'm so concerned with the Chromebook and this particular new wave of personalized learning that this school is piloting. He can't understand that technology will alter his brain. He does know that he has self-control issues with technology though, so I pointed that gently out to him. He gets that. But he still has the "everyone else gets to go" thing and what can I say to that? He also has the "you said I could go" thing, which is true. I'm all over the place. Overall, if this really happens, we will have to have a major sit down for both older boys and really lay it all on the line explaining our rationale. You may be able to hear the battle roars all over the country, I don't know. I really have no idea how they would take it. The 4th grader is 100% that he's going back too, but I'm certainly not sending him if I have the other 5 at home. But like anything, I do think they could adjust-I just don't know at what cost.

[Jen (formerly) in Japan]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

Hi Meadowlark,

I would like to humbly suggest that you immediately implement two plans.

1. Tell you son that you will no longer be discussing this with him, period. You will announce to him your decision (insert time frame... August 1st?). At that time, your husband will sit down with him and lay out the school plan for the year.

2. Discuss your feelings and observations with your husband (best friend, etc) only, not your son. He is still so young, and you want to maintain your parental influence over him as long as possible. In other words, you want *him* to believe that you get to decide his fate, rather than let him believe he gets to choose. You want to maintain this as long as possible. Age 15 is still coming my friend!! Hold tight for as long as you can.


Another anecdotal story for you, to see if this might help. Many know that my oldest is quite gifted. Behavior wise, he was an easy child to parent, because he was so practical, he could already see the logic behind most adult decisions. However, he had no WISDOM, which is another thing altogether. When he was around 13 yrs, this new online game was getting popular, World of Warcraft. Now it is an old game, but back then, it was new. It is the type of game that fed directly into his likes: technology, strategy, swords and sorcery, etc. He respectfully asked me if he might open an account, having played it at a scout friend's birthday party. I looked into the ideas behind the game and noted immediately the elements he would love, while also seeing demons, dark magic, etc, and that was even before considering allowing my very mature son a presence with any of the other online players. I knew it would break his heart to say no, but after discussing this with my husband, we both agreed. No. We deliberated on this for some time, knowing that our son would be very, very disappointed (his other friends had accounts, he had already played it, he assumed it would be "yes" since we rarely needed to say no to him in general).

He was unhappy with the decision, of course. We allowed him to calmly and respectfully express his concerns, which we then countered. In the end, we told him, "I know you don't agree with this decision, but we will both respectfully agree that Mom and Dad do have the final say. We will reconsider next year, but we don't promise to change our minds. This is for your good, something that God has given us over you while you are still growing up."


I can see that you are still struggling with your thoughts on the homeschool versus away school decision. However, you *can* change your mind about sending him to away school if that IS the best choice for him. Just because you already said yes, before you could make the most informed decision, is not reason enough to continue to say yes. I would recommend putting some air into the situation by *not* talking about it with him, allow everyone a "time out", and then at a later date, with your husband as Front Man, approach the decision calmly and with peace. Besides, why *does* this need to be decided right now? I believe the summer will also illuminate his behaviors and or technology issues, more factors you might want to consider in the overall scheme of things.


I very much hope this didn't sound too strident. It is difficult to express nuance in online communication!



Jen

[bean]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

I second Jen. I had read your reply earlier and was pondering. I think she says it better than I would. ETA- I am also a parent to adult children.

[KF2000]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

Meadowlark,
I just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts with all of us on this. I think it is something we all face in our decision making at some point - and it is so good to talk through these things with each other.

(Maria2 - I loved what you wrote -just not quoting here because was so thorough).

The thing I would add is to remind you that you said upthread that you did not want to make a decision out of fear. Instead, focus on what you KNOW to be true - which includes things like:

-you are not happy with the educational direction of the school (key issue in my book)

-it would exacerbate an existing problem you already know your son has (another key issue)

-your son is not mature/wise enough to make this decision for himself.

-you have younger children who will affected in some way by the outcome of this decision as well, whether it is creating a precedent of expecting to get to go to school; the information your son will bring home and share with his siblings; or the ongoing vigilance that will be required to have school be a positive thing for your son. (These things will all be present in some way - you just don’t know whether it will be for a good or bad effect.)

These are all things you already know FOR SURE.

Now, what is it that you don’t know?
1). The actual effect sending him to school will have on him.
2). The actual effect keeping him home will have on him/your relationship.

These are your areas of fear. You are afraid of the outcome of each because they are unknown. But which one of these do you have the most input on? You will have less input on how school affects him principally because he will be away from you so much. You will have more input on his reaction to homeschooling because he will have more time with you. It does not have to turn into WWIII. There may be dark days for a while, but they do not have to stay that way. There is potential for greatness, too.

We went through several difficult experiences with our son at about this age when he was involved in a small camping group with several other homeschool boys whose exposure levels were much different than our son’s. The issue really revolved around movies, but the questions it raised at that time were very important. It pushed my husband and I to be more open in our communication with our son about very difficult subject matter. Even though we would have preferred to not have to have him go through all of that, we were able to turn the entire situation into a positive because of how we parented him through it. None of us start out being great parents. It is the situations we face and how we handle them that turn us into great parents, by God’s grace.

I am not offering that to try to win a parenting award or anything. These things are incredibly humbling and painful to go through. But have faith. Trust that if you pray in your heart, and you end up making a difficult decision that you believe comes from the Lord, that He will order all things according to His plan for your son. You are putting a lot of pressure on yourself that this is YOUR decision (you and your husband’s). It is and it isn’t. God has a plan for your son - that either involves school, or requires him to stay home.

If you decide to take Jen’s very good advice to take a pause and tell him you will decide at a certain time, then I would also recommend using that time to clear your own mind of the storm clouds, the doubt, and the confusion. Make a commitment of a certain form of prayer/fasting that you will offer up during this time as a petition to the Lord that you are committed to following His plan for your family. You could even invite your older children to do this with you so that they see how you as an adult take a question to the Lord in prayer, and that this is something you are really taking seriously for their welfare. Set it up that while you are praying, you will not be discussing it. You will wait for clarity to be a fruit of your prayers.

One that I have often used for a discernment is a 54 day novena of rosaries. You say 27 days of rosaries for your petition (question), and then 27 days of thanksgiving for God’s help. It’s not a magic charm, and you don’t know when the answer will come, but it does offer you a committed way to pray, and results in a great deal of peace in the process. Some variation of that which fits your faith perspective might be really helpful.

AMDG,
Sarah

[Meadowlark]

Re: OT, but need to vent a bit

Hi Ladies,

Well, every long drawn out thread needs closure, so here I am. And, I'm sure you're all relieved :-)

Mainly I popped on to just thank each and every one of you beautiful souls for the advice, encouragement and virtual hugs that you've given me. And especially for the wise words of wisdom and different angles that helped me think things through. I can't say I've come to any kind of decision, but am taking Sarah and Jen's advice to give this some breathing room. Life could change between now and August no doubt, and so I am going to table it and see how we all do around each other 24/7 this summer.

And, I am going to offer it up to God. Sarah, I love your Novena idea-I may just do that.

So, hopefully I haven't overstayed my welcome here because I know I'll be back as I shuffle through my 3 boxes of K, 1 and 2 cores. Thanks again!