Today was great! We went to a homeschoolers picnic in the park and the kids played wonderfully together the whole time. From basketball to shuffleboard to tag in the playground, they had such a great time. My kids found the other homeschoolers to be so friendly and fun and can't wait until the next event. And of course I feel totally in my element among the other moms who just *understand* things. We share the same concerns and many of the same interests, even beyond homeschooling. I'm so happy we can finally be a bigger part of this great group.

I found out from La Maitresse that a woman named Henrietta Becoat will be taking over all the homeschool duty in NYC. No more separation by region and worrying which superintendent is stricter than another one. Now it's just her. I called her this afternoon to get a feel of what we'll be dealing with, and she did seem genuinely concerned about how homeschoolers aren't getting the attention they deserve and how we aren't taken seriously. I'm not sure how to take that, because that could mean she plans on being as strict with the regs as possible, or it could mean she wants to be an advocate for us and accept what we give her. But, she did seem as aggravated as I was that NY happens to have some of the strictest regs in the country. So, we'll see what's in store for this year. I'm not going to get my hopes up, but had a pretty good vibe by the end of the call.

Oh, and it was my birthday today. I'm starting to feel old.