It's about a girl who comes from a line of courtesans and is being trained to join the family profession. Her grandmother?/aunt? is handling her education and intends for her to make an arrangement with a wealthy young man. However, somewhere along the way, the two fall in love for real and buck the family tradition by deciding to get married. Here's the Wikipedia summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigi_(1958_film) In my family, this would be a perfectly acceptable film for a 17-year-old girl. In fact, I would have no hesitation allowing my 10 year old to watch it. There is nothing at all explicit. (It's a musical from the 1950s, remember.) However, if you don't want to have to explain to your daughter about courtesans, then you might want to skip it.

I was just going to post something similar, well, maybe not about them being affordable. I don't actually consider them that, but it's worth it to me to find something that fits. Also, they now have three different cuts of jeans, coded by color. Once you know which "color" and size you are, it's easy to find things that fit. And the salespeople will measure you to help you figure it out. At some point in the last year, the switch flipped in my head, and I decided that it's just plain not worth it to drag all over town trying to shove myself into clothing that is not going to look or feel good just because it's cheaper. I had a whole closet full of clothes I hated, that didn't fit properly or wear well. When I need something now, I head directly to either Lane Bryant or the women's section at Kohl's, pay only minimal attention to the price tag, and come home with something that works.

And I like both. When the kids were littler, I used to make them matching outfits every year for the holidays. Since I have a girl and a boy, they were never exactly the same, but I'd do things like make a jumper for my daughter and a vest for my son out of the same material. Nowadays, we usually go for coordinated. The kids are older, and we're all busier around the holidays--plus, my daughter is pickier and harder to fit. So, I don't make outfits anymore. What we usually do now is let my daughter decide what she feels comfortable wearing and then figure out how to coordinate my son. So, this year, she wore a plain, fairly casual black dress, and he wore black dress pants and a nice green polo he likes. (Green is his favorite color, so it expressed his personality, too.) We took the pictures ourselves and came up with several we liked. And, by the way, I agree with the other folks who said they just appreciate getting photos. I love it, too, and I'm far from picky! I'm going to try and put in two examples of our photos, one from when the kids were little and then one of the ones we're sending this year. Let's see if it works . . . Edit: Of course, I may not be the best person to ask about "hokiness," since the next thing on my to-do list today is to finish editing our holiday newsletter. And, for what it's worth, I love getting THOSE from other people, too!

http://www.neferchichi.com/fruity.html I just used the basic concepts (orange for the body, small potato for the head, natron recipe) and took off and did our own thing from there. It worked really well. The kids had a great time, and we still have our mummies in a place of honor in our school room.

I laughed and read the beginning of your post out loud to my husband and daughter, who said, "Wait, and this wasn't posted by you?" I think it's something about the season. At least, that's what I tell myself over and over when I can't sleep. Say it with me: It'll magically get better in January. It'll magically get better in January. It'll magically get better in January . . .

Well, they aren't really "buddies." His gaming group consists of one guy he works with and several other folks he doesn't know outside of gaming. I do know that he already owns the primary books they use for this game. And, this is a very part-time and kind of tenuous thing. They are supposed to get together every two weeks, but often have to cancel for one reason or another and don't average more than once a month. For the online stuff? Well, he went out and bought himself a recliner a few months ago and seems very happy with it. I've bought a lot of collectibles over the years, but we don't even display most of what we now own. We moved into this house almost two years ago and have never bothered to unpack those boxes. Also, I truly think there is a limit to how much Muppet paraphanalia a single person needs. He never owned an Atari or a gaming system of any kind as a kid. He's not particularly into food, and I've never heard him mention any candies or anything like that about which he is nostalgic. (And we've known each other since we were 11, so I think I'd remember.) He already has a large collection of logo t-shirts. He's never been terribly into music, but if he wants a CD, he owns it. He has a bad back (due to an injury from a number of years ago) and dislikes being in a car even for the 11-mile drive to work. Nothing physically demanding is going to be of interest. Yep, that's pretty much it. He's been a gamer since junior high and has not had any other hobbies I can remember. We never really "dated," since we've known each other more or less forever. But when we were younger, we used to mainly go to movies, hang out with friends and play RPGs. He does do some model rocketry with our son, but that's really for the kiddo, not him. He plays occasional board and card games with the kids or the family, but it's rare that we can find one that we all enjoy. And we already have a huge (and I do mean huge) collection of games that gathers dust in a closet. He used to read more than he does now, but even that was always a luke-warm thing. My husband disapproves of clothing for Christmas. Or any "practical" gifts. The one exception that was a hit was the year I bought him a really nice trench coat from Lands End. However, we now live in Florida where coats (and even jackets) are unnecessary. Plus, the other one is still in good shape for the rare occasions when we travel and he pulls it out of the closet.

Not lame at all! I appreciate the suggestions.

I guess the challenge I'm having with these ideas is that I've kind of been there and done that and/or that it just boils down to spending his money on something he could perfectly well get for himself if he cared to do so. Honestly, he just doesn't need (or seemingly want) any more techy doo-dads. He's got them sitting in closets virtually untouched. (Literally, there are a few in the garage that have never come out of their boxes.) And he's seen Make magazine, but isn't really the tinkering sort. Mainly, he goes to work, sits in his recliner playing World of Warcraft and watching TV, plays an occasional game with one of the kids, reads a magazine now and then, and plays a superhero-themed RPG with a small group maybe once or twice a month. Two or three times a year, he participates in a poker tournament that is a fund-raiser for a local theatre. He does not play poker any other time. He has no interest in sports or cars or beer or any other typical "guy" things. As a family, our primary activities are watching movies and going to theatrical events (which he enjoys, but are not really "him" things). Sigh.

It's online, open access. There is no teacher, but the daily work and practice tests (which we use as regular tests) can be submitted for automatic grading. My guy is 10, 11 in March, and is doing really well with this course. http://www.ucopenaccess.org/

Our local performance companies do this, too. In fact, my son is doing three school matinees of The Nutcracker next week. One thing to note, though, is that, at least around here, these shows are often abridged or abbreviated for student audiences. I used to coordinate tickets for our then-homeschool group to attend the Shakespeare Theatre shows, and they were often "adapted" or shortened in some way. And the Nutcracker shows that my son is dancing next week are very abridged, only 45 minutes for the whole performance. On the subject of amatuer Nutcrackers, though, I have to say I agree with the earlier poster. I took my son to see a performance by a local, semi-professional group here last weekend, and it was painful. The tickets were still $25 each, too!

The book and the musical are very, very different. The musical is wonderful, but the book is extremely dark and full of "mature" material. My almost-14-year-old daughter is pretty sophisticated and allowed to read whatever she wants. She's slightly obsessed with the musical and has tried twice to read the book, but cannot get through it because she finds it so depressing. If you want to pursue the possibility, I would highly recommend reading it yourself, first so that you can make an informed decision. But I seriously doubt you will find it appropriate.

He has been taking classes with the Florida Virtual School and really enjoys it. He's finished their middle school math sequence and is currently taking geography and art. Next year, we plan to have him resume math with them and also use one of their science classes as a base. (We'll supplement with more hands-on stuff at home.) My daughter also took several FLVS classes, beginning when she was 9 (I think). They've been just great for us.

We've tried various groups over the years, both existing and ones in which we were part of the start-up. As non-Christian but academically-focused homeschoolrs, we've just never found a compatible group. A much better option for us has turned out to be searching out non-homeschool-specific activities in our community that match my kids' interests: community theatre, dance classes, archaeology/anthropology clubs, model rocket clubs, choirs, etc.

This is, indeed, big, Pam. Way to go!

If anyone has a moment tonight, I could use a few leads. I'm on my way out the door tomorrow morning to make yet another drive to Virginia to collect my daughter for her semester break. I'm facing 12.5 hours in the car with only intermittent NPR reception. I like talk to keep me awake. I have my lovely new iPod (my husband's hand-me-down, but I love it) and a credit on Audible.com. So, I'd love to find a book to listen to on the way. I'll be by myself on the way up there, so this doesn't need to be child-friendly. I tend to like long, classic-type books. I "discovered" Wilkie Collins this year. My all-time favorite book is probably Jane Eyre. However, I also like a certain amount of fantasy and historical fiction. I particularly enjoy books that are dense and well written and that really envelope me in another time or place. So, any suggestions?

I had it all planned out so very neatly. We were supposed to go full tilt until the end of this week, which would have allowed us to break in time for me to go pick up my daughter and for my son to take off until I need to take her back in in early January. Then we got behind. And my daughter will be finished with finals and ready to come home serveral days earlier than I anticipated. So, the plan now is for my son to work on catching up as much as possible on the two Florida Virtual School classes plus math this week. He will then quit doing any of "my" work but will have to put in at least the next week working on FLVS and math. This will be tough, though, since he also has three daytime Nutcracker performances that week. He'll take the week of Christmas off completely, then go back to at least FLVS right after. Once the holiday smoke has cleared, I'll sit down and figure out where we really are with everything and re-write my second-semester lesson plans to get us back on track. (Until, of course, something else comes up and interferes again . . .)

We have some specific things I need to accomodate: We use non-religious materials; and I have highly gifted and academically accelerated students. So, we follow TWTM as a general approach, but I research and source materials that I think will work for our family. We don't though, use any of the packaged stuff like TOG or Sonlight or any of the others. I put it together myself inspired by TWTM. It works great for us.

I'm not sure what this kind of program is, but I can tell you that we bought a MINI Cooper Clubman about a month ago and have decided it is officially the coolest car EVER!

He's getting: Sewing machine (because he wants to make costumes and accessories based on the adventure books he reads) Large-scale construction kit my husband created for him Lots of books (Harry Potter collector's set, Lord of the Rings, more) DVDs (Prince Caspian, Journey to the Center of the Earth, others) Khet game (something involving lasers) Roboquad (because my husband believes there must be something under the tree that the child can play with Christmas afternoon) Personalized PJs (They actually open these on Christmas eve and wear them that night.) Snapfish photo book documenting his performance experiences

I'd ask for either books (or a gift card for them) or a charitable donation in my name.

My absolutely, out and out favorite part of Christmas is the "angel tree" shopping. (I know there are lots of names for this concept, but that's the one I got stuck on years ago.) We always choose kids who are the same gender as ours and as close as possible in age to each of them. Then, we take them shopping for those kids. Our local Publix stores have these trees, but they almost always collect for older kids/teens. So, a few years ago, I started quietly taking one of those tags, too, for a 15- or 16-year-old girl, in memory of my own less-than-ideal youth. For the first couple of years, I would shop for those privately, and not even family knew I did it. Some years our church adopts an organization, and we buy gifts for those kids. That didn't happen this year, unfortunately. We've also done the shoebox thing, although the only organizations I can find locally who sponsor those are too evangelistic for our taste. And we donate books to local schools through wish list programs at bookstores. I'm actually looking for some way to ramp this up a bit next year. I'm not ready to take on organizing anything myself, but I sure would love to see more meaningful opportunities. We also do a variety of small things. Our denomination sponsors a program called the "Guest at Your Table." We get a little cardboard box, usually right around Thanksgiving. It has a slit in the top, like a bank. We are encouraged to put in a little bit of money each time we sit down to a family meal. At the end of the season, we turn in the box, and all of the money goes to our denomination's service committee. And I put money in the Salvation Army buckets every time I pass. And I donate to the hunger relief agency that collects at my local grocery store. But the angel tree is it, my absolute favorite thing.

I think we've decided that my son is getting food/cooking stuff: salt and pepper grinders (to replace the non-refillable ones he insists I buy from the grocery store), pot-holders in his favorite color . . . basically whatever strikes the fancy of the first one of us to get out to Bed, Bath and Beyond. Still drawing a blank for our daughter, though. She's gotten significantly "girlier" over the last year or so, but doesn't wear make-up or anything like that and already has all the hair doo-dads and shampoo and so on that she needs. She's not particularly into food at all, let alone candy. She just doesn't "need" much of anything. So, I'm pretty much stumped. Waiting for inspiration to strike. In addition to the cute stuff, each child always gets a pair of silly socks, ideally coordinated with the theme of the stocking. (I lucked into a pair of socks with green-and-white candy canes on them at Target, which I think will work for my son, since they combine food with his favorite color.)

However, my husband is definitely the all-out, anything goes type. So, we "compromise," with him getting his way just a bit more. The bone he throws to me is that most of what the kids get is stuff we would eventually buy for them, anyway. And that is mostly true, I suppose. Anyway, this year, our daughter (14) is getting: a karaoke machine and CDs to go with it; an iPod Nano; a bunch of snarky t-shirts; several soundtrack CDs featuring her current favorite Broadway performer; a few books; personalized PJs; and a Snapfish photo book documenting her theatrical experiences. Our son (10) is getting: a sewing machine and accessories; a large-scale building set my husband created; a LOT of books; some DVD movies; a board game; his own personalized PJs; and his own Snapfish photo book of his performing experiences. I also make each of them an ornament for the tree, but they get those on the night we decorate. So, I put them in a different category. And stocking stuffers, of course. I think my son is getting food/cooking gadgets, but we're still brainstorming for our daughter. We don't really exchange gifts with anyone else. I have no family to speak of, and my husband's family never does much. My father-in-law died last summer, too, and he was the only one who made any effort. I usually send some baked goods and photos of the kids and sometimes a craft or two that they've made to my brothers-in-law. But that's about it. Edit: I should say, too, that we can afford to do what we do. We use credit only very rarely and never for this sort of thing. And, while our kids certainly have more stuff than many people, we don't even begin to compete with most of the folks we know. So, I guess it's not terrible to indulge them (and my husband) once a year.

I've bought some supplies for crafts that are going to be gifts in person. And we still need to stuff the stockings, which will probably get done locally. Other than that, the only in-person shopping I can think of that we did this year was for the angel tree kids.

In terms of school stuff, I don't assign by time but by number of pages. In a typical week, he'll have between 125 and 150 pages of ficttion/literature, plus another 10 or 12 of history and maybe 20-ish of science-related stuff. So, it's probably a total of 150 to 180 weekly. I don't require "free reading." My son is a big reader. In fact, my problem is keeping him supplied with appropriate books. So, he just kind of reads when he's not doing anything else: in the car, over breakfast and lunch, between bedtime and lights out, etc. I would guess he puts in close to two hours a day, on average.