There are so many good ones, but I'll try to stick to some that would be good ones, but good ones to enjoy on a fun vacation (so no super-depressing things, lol).... And, I'll skip all the typical classics since you probably could collect a long list of those pretty easily (though I love, love, love "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas). In no particular order: - "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" by Dai Sijie (loved this little book -- probably the best book I've read in quite awhile; a true gem) - "Collected Stories" by Ellen Gilchrist (I don't even like short stories, but I really enjoyed this collection) - "The Professor and the Madman" by Simon Winchester (fascinating) - "I, Claudius" by Rober Graves (love this book) - "Dancer: A Novel" by Colum McCann (fictionalized bio of Rudolf Nureyev) - "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie R. King (new take on Sherlock Holmes) - "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Hunter S. Thompson (I laughed myself silly, but it's not a book for everyone) - "The Glass Castle" (well-told story of an adventurous time growing up) - "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden (really enjoyed this years ago when I read it) - "Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark" by Jane Fletcher Geniesse (fascinating bio of a woman I didn't know of -- she led an incredible life; if you love to travel, you would probably enjoy reading this book) - "The Secret History" and "The Little Friend" by Donna Tartt - "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt - "In the Company of the Courtesan" by Sarah Dunant - "Daughter of Fortune" by Isabel Allende (starts slowly but turns into a great story) - "The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear" by Walter Moers (another one that's not for everyone, but I found it totally endearing & zany, smart, and very, very funny) Enjoy your trip!

I've been on a big decluttering binge for the last few months. (More stuff always comes in, thanks to 2 sets of nearby grandparents & doting aunts. Ack.) I used to keep lots & lots of stuff, but I'm reforming my ways. I don't want to end up w/ an overfull house that you can't walk through (something I'm seeing starting at some relatives' homes). Dh is not a packrat & is happy to help declutter/toss/tote things for donation. That's a big help. One thing that has helped me is checking out various decluttering books from the library. They're all quick (skim them) type books, but that usually puts me in the mood to tackle another few piles. And, the good thing is that the books go back to the library. LOL. My biggest challenge is my desk/office area. Yikes. It's always bad. I keep telling myself that if I get it in good enough shape, I'm going to treat myself to a new (smaller) desk from Ikea. (Right now, I have a really huge desk that I've had for years. Because it's huge, every surface on it is always filled w/ piles & piles of things. I think there's a black hole in there somewhere, sucking everything toward it.) I'm learning that less really is more. And it feels good.

Here was one of the earlier discussions... http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4302

That's what I thought too. When she first came up, I saw clockwise. But, when I blinked, she was going counter-clockwise. I refreshed the page a couple times (hoping to see if there was a change), and I'm mainly seeing her turning clockwise. Once, by squinting & focusing just on the heel of her foot that is down/flat, I seemed to see her going in the other direction. But, suddenly again, she's going clockwise & no matter how much I squint or blink, she just stays clockwise. So, is your brain really flipping her or is she actually changing???

LOL! Well, the guy on Man Vs. Wild tonight ate some live termites & a big grasshopper w/ the head cut off. See, now tilapia sounds pretty tasty, right?! ;) (We love tilapia here!)

The kindness w/ which he treats others (esp. his parents). His honesty & simplicity. His emphasis on the value & importance of our time together as a family. His willingness & good-naturedness about doing what needs to be done (even if it's something you don't really want to do). A kind heart. (Honey attracts more bees than vinegar.) His cooking skills. His organizational (and de-cluttering) skills.

I get motion sickness but Dramamine ususally helps me (for everything from flights, to ships, to a day of rides at Disney World). I just take the daytime version so I'm not conked out all the time. We've taken multiple cruises & I felt some motion sickness on all of them. The amt. depended on the cruise, the conditions, etc... But, cruising was still nice (obviously, I didn't mind too much as we've made quite a few trips, lol). Someone else mentioned small cabins. And, sometimes ships or cabins have a particular smell (the mix of the sea & oil). So, it might be good if you can get a cabin w/ a porthole that opens (or even a deck). Fresh air is always good. I did try a patch one time on a cruise. Within 2 days, my vision went really blurry. As in, I was reading a book, I blinked, the entire page looked blurred, and then looked blank! Ack! After squeezing my eyes shut a bit, I'd get my 'reading' eyes back. About 30 minutes later, the same scenario would repeat. It took me a few hours to realize that the patch was causing it. I can be sensitive to meds & I believe that the patch (which you put behind your ear) may have just been pumping too much medicine into my head too near my optical system, kwim? Once I took the patch off, things improved rapidly. I now avoid the patch! BTW, the ships we were on always had an ample supply of dramamine & motion-sickness meds, in case you would run out. And, being out on deck (in the breeze) really helps a lot. (So, take the right clothing for spending lots of your time -- both day & evening -- out on deck.) Also, try to avoid any flights before hand that may cause sickness. (Did that once too -- a horridly turbulent flight, steep, circular descent into Mexico, a bus ride to the ship, & getting on board. I was absolutely miserably sick for about 36 hours from the compounding of motion sickness types, kwim?)

We started cursive in 3rd grade (8yo). I started w/ Z-B. I think Z-B is a pretty font. And, this was w/ my precise dd, who likes to make every letter look almost like a little art project, lol. We started Z-B & dd could do the copywork, etc... but she never 'translated' into using cursive for anything else. It's like when we were using Z-B, it was a certain school subject, which she did, but it just never applied to anything else. Frankly, in the beginning, I thought HWT's cursive looked plain & a little bit ugly. But, something about it (maybe the way letter formation is described, maybe because it's upright & not slanted, or ???) clicked w/ my dd & she just took off. Suddenly, she was writing things in cursive *on her own* (like filling in the blanks on a science worksheet, or when making a little card for her friend & she would sign her name in cursive, & so on...). And, as the HWT book points out, learn the basics & once you're comfortable w/ that, you can play around w/ personalizing how your cursive looks. And, that's just what dd has done (she's now 9yo/4th grade). Her handwriting is lovely. She writes in cursive often (I don't specify). HWT has been a great choice for us.

Handwriting Without Tears (HWT)!

Ok, I know I'm going to think of lots of other answers as soon as I post, but here goes... Favorite chick flick? Bridget Jones' Diary Favorite romance? (not necessarily the same as a CF) The Painted Veil (though it may not qualify as a 'romance') Horror? Don't really watch those, but I did love The Sixth Sense Action/Adventure? Oh, my favorite category! Raiders of the Lost Ark is my all-time fave; loved the first Die Hard movie (Alan Rickman was a great bad guy); Snatch; Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels; Star Wars (the original 3 w/ Harrison Ford); the Bourne movies; Batman (w/ Christian Bale) ... Kid movie? probably Toy Story Horse movie? (C'mon, it's me, gotta list horse movies) I'm really not a person that watches animal movies, but I thought Hidalgo was great Fantasy? Probably the orginal 3 Star Wars movies (the old ones, lol); Harry Potter movies; I liked the LOTR movies (but the Orcs were so horrifyingly awful that I almost walked out) Favorite quotable movie? Hmmm. Monty Python's Holy Grail; Pulp Fiction; The Godfather Most hated movie? Hard to think of something, but I hated the second movie in the Raiders of the Lost Ark series (such a let-down after loving the first one); the last made Star Wars movie (can't stand that guy who plays Anakin) Favorite Jane Austen movie? Ummmm??? Favorite comedy? The Usual Suspects; Pulp Fiction; Bridget Jones' Diary; Adaptation (just blown away by Chris Cooper's work in this movie); A Fish Called Wanda (loved Kevin Kline in this); Murder by Death Musical? Chicago, hands down -- loved that movie I'll add another one -- Visually Awesome movie? Hero -- that needs to be seen on a big screen because it's wonderful eye candy -- the colors, the visuals... just so amazing!

ROFL. I love how practical moms are... :001_smile:

(Deep breath.) Okay, I'll try. Seriously, I was "OMG" at your headline, then busted out laughing. Hmmm. Advice? I have no idea. But, it did bring back memories of my ds at that age who would always pull his pants down (all the way) BEFORE going up the stairs to get to the bathroom. How we didn't have a serious, half-nude-kid-falling-down-the-stairs-with-his-pants-around-his-ankles-incident, I don't know. Thanks for the giggle. And, sorry for your situation. I'm hoping it's just some weird fluke. Was it a full moon or anything? ;)

You've already gotten lots of advice & I probably don't have much to add, but Eliana's post sounds similar to things I would have said. I've spent a lot of time teaching, and teaching, and teaching, how to behave properly, whether it's to a formal outing (such as a show) or to something more casual (playing at a friend's house), to something as simple -- but critical -- as a habit of why you wear your seatbelt every time. And, I think what has made it succeed in our house is that I've usually tried to provide the *why* when explaining it to my children -- in a way that makes the why understandable by them & relevant to their world. So, behavior doesn't become a thing where 'I have to just because mom said I have to', it's something they can grasp as 'I have to because mom said I have to AND I should anyway becuase I know it's rude, or might hurt my friend, or it's unsafe & that driver might not see me, or my teammates are depending on me to help play the game, or (whatever the reasoning in that situation would be)....' My kids are 6 & 9 & I still explain & review stuff like this all the time, esp. when we're in the car on the way somewhere. It's a great time to review the behavior that is expected & that you expect them to be the best they can be. It all pays off, though. We just got back from a wonderful, week-long vacation overseas. And, it was so relaxing & fun -- all of us had a great time. When we got back, dh & I were saying that all those years of training have now paid off. The kids behaved wonderfully, even under some less than ideal conditions (flying overnight, wearing your drink on the plane :001_huh:, being tired & in a new place, different foods, etc...). I know parents often don't feel like they're on a vacation during a vacation (because it's often so much more work in a way), but this time we really reaped the dividends. I at least like to think a large part of it was all the investment of training, though I'm sure luck played it's part too. ;) I hope my rambling makes sense, lol! You can do it! Hang in there. Parenting -- it's not just a job, it's an adventure. (haha)

ROFL. Oh, come on, Jenny -- you're in Atlanta after all! 285 is the ONLY place where I've ever seen people pass a police officer on the interstate. I've seen it more than once. The scenario is... the police officer is doing about 80 or 90 mph on 285. You get the traffic slowdown for a bit. Then, a daring soul edges up, looks over & assesses the officer, then slowly passes. Once they're about a car length ahead, they floor it. Once one person does it, most everyone else does too. How's that for a dare? ;)

My dd will be taking the 4th grade IOWA/ITBS standardized test this year. Which test prep book would be the best choice for doing some practice ahead of time? Thanks!

making money -- dh paying bills -- both budgeting -- both mortgage/loans -- dh home repair/maintenance -- both, but dh more often banking/investments -- dh taxes -- dh car care -- dh health insurance -- dh scheduling (making/keeping track of) -- me phone calls or correspondence re: all the above -- both teaching/school work or homework -- me discipline (planning and implementing) -- both, but me more often spiritual guidance (who actually carries it out, not just the "head") -- both kids mornings -- me during week, both on weekends kids bedtimes -- both, often dh transportation for kids -- me grocery shopping -- dh laundry -- me eating at home -- dh eating away (pack lunch, etc) -- me daily chores/cleaning (really need sub-categories!) -- both, but mainly me lawn care/snow cleanup -- both, but dh most often garden or bed maintenance -- dh I'll add a few more categories: travel (as in, planning & taking the kids on trips to visit relatives) -- me travel (planning for big family vacations) -- dh pet care -- mainly me, though dh will help once in awhile

Great original question & great ideas. We may just try this ourselves! I was beating my head on the wall this morning w/ dd & our Gamma lesson. :glare: She & I could probably both use a change of pace like you gals have suggested. Thanks!

Ummm, there would be so many places... The Dolomites in Italy (I think I could retire & be an alpine old lady) The Galapagos Southern South America, so I could take a flight over a little part of Antarctica Hawaii is always good Charleson, SC Oh, man, my list could go on & on. I think I'd need to run away multiple times. LOL.

Oh! Oh! Me too! Indiana Jones, here I come! :D Hey, have you ever checked out these sites about finding digs/volunteering at digs? http://www.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10015 http://www.tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/AEdescr.html (They went on a trip last year trying to find evidence of Amelia Earhart in the South Pacific. If I would have had $50k laying around to buy my place on a bunk, I would have!) The kids & I lucked out a few years ago when visiting Mt. Vernon's Gristmill -- we got to watch archaeologists excavating George Washington's Distillery. It was so cool that we hung around for a few hours. The archaeologists were great, explained things to the kids, let them hold an iron bar they had excavated, & so on. My dd may be hooked. After all, what better profession can you find than being outside, digging in the dirt all day? LOL.

We have totally enjoyed both series & I think both series provide lots of interesting & fun facts/observations about history. I think both often provide some of the odd/neat facts that you wouldn't necessarily find in a dry history text, kwim? The "You Wouldn't Want to be..." series is cartoon-ish looking & kind of on the gross side (thus the appeal to kids, lol), but they're neat books. Another series you may want to check out is the Good Times Travel Agency series by Linda Bailey. The illustrations are cartoon-ish too, but they are really a great series too.

There are a few things I found online: http://www.squidoo.com/ancientchina http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1684.html http://www.currclick.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=ancient+china&search_filter=&filters=&search_free=&search_in_description=1&search_in_author=1&search_in_artist=1 I don't know anything about these, but I figured I would pass them on. Now I want us to study China! LOL.

Thanks for the compliments! I've so enjoyed this thread & getting to look at all the different styles & fashions. Everyone looks lovely & so happy. Fun topic!

Exactly. And, I agree w/ lots of what strider & Plaid Dad said too. A lot of our balance has come from us each pitching in to do the things we're good at & like (or tolerate) doing. For him, that's cooking, grocery shopping, and lots of what I consider 'tedious' work (paperwork, phone calls, etc...). He's good at that stuff & enjoys it. I pretty much do house cleanup (and esp. kitchen cleanup since he does the cooking), laundry, and teaching the kids during the day. He does a lot when he gets home & does a lot w/ the kids too. I don't feel guilty about having him do a lot because we both 'work' -- just different definitions of 'work' by today's society. Prior to having kids, we both worked in the professional world, but it was our joint decision to cut our income in half & have me stay at home w/ the kids. I guess, generally, that we don't see stuff so much as chores as just stuff that needs to get done, at some point, by someone. The general division of 'chores' has just evolved over time. It's usually never a big deal & what needs to get done, generally gets done. I've probably lucked out, too, in the sense that dh is much neater/less clutter-prone than I am, lol! Oh, and my grandma always used to tell me, "Never start anything for a man that you don't want to continue doing the rest of your life." (Therefore, I've generally avoided yard work like the plague.) :lol:

Good idea. Since my scanner is not hooked up, I took a few photos of the photos, lol. Here's mine -- I want to play too. I loved my dress & our wedding day. It was really perfect. :) I hope you can see the photos. I've had to resize them & I'm wondering how tiny they are...???

For 1st grade, I think SOTW 1 + Activity Guide is great! We had a total blast reading the book, and doing the activities in the AG. It's more than enough, esp. for 1st grade. Plus, if you have a decent library, you will find that there are lots & lots of great, fun, interesting books out there for kids about the ancient world. Add in a history pocket book, if you think that would be appealing. Go on a field trip to a museum that has some ancient artifacts. Do the projects in the activity guide (we had lots of fun making our own cave paintings, making a Nile River that we flooded, etc...). The activity guide has things from maps, to coloring, to crafts, to recipes, to reading lists -- pretty much all you need in one convenient location. The other curriculum may look good, but even if you get it, you may not have the time to coordinate &/or use everything. We tried HO once (for early modern/elementary level) & I was so disappointed. Too dry. Not well organized. Some info was in the completely wrong place. Coloring pages &/or projects didn't always fit w/ the actual time/place being studied. Overall, just very disjointed. I have a copy of WP's modern stuff now, but honestly don't look at the guidelines that much.