Oh man! They are sold out! I was going to buy one, seriously. My dh showed our dd the Charlie video and she would love that...thing you wear around your waist to hold stuff, yet makes you look like a tourist. Wow saying fannypack is much easier. I think they only look silly on men. On women they just look practical! I would have so worn the charlie one too!

We had a school room set up, but never used it for that! I have come to accept that I am just not a school room type. Math is always done in the dining room because I have a white board mounted to the wall there and it is so much easier to teach math that way. Most everything ends up in the dining room also, although we will go into the living room whenever we feel like it. But, I only have one, sigh. I do have to keep her and the cat separated sometimes, though. He tends to pick a fight with her at the most inconvenient times. He will jump up on the table, knock her pencil or math manipulatives to the floor and then sit on her book. All while I'm trying to teach some complicated new concept. I wish I was exaggerating. They fight like brother and sister. It's sad when you have to fight with a cat because you don't have a sibling.

I must be really tired or something but I actually got teary eyed watching the trailer when the children were holding their breath waiting to see if they were one of the lucky ones. It just struck me as so heartbreaking to see them all want it so much, when this lottery wasn't for money but for what they saw as their only chance for a good education. The other thing that struck me was when the man said 'stupider.':001_huh: Did this become a legitimate word when I wasn't looking?

Unfortunately, the point people are trying to make is that there is no such thing. Each author is writing the whole unvarnished truth, as far as they can tell. Yet, take that truth from 3 different authors and there will be differences. Not that any of them set out to deceive or skew. They tell it from what they truly believe to be the truth. The problem is that 'what they believe' part of the equation. You just have to find a good clear writing author whose version of the events seem to make the most sense. One whose writing does not bore you and yet imparts knowledge of the events. History is more then just x happened on this day. It is also Why did x happen and why that day. And which x's are pertinent information worth learning. That being said, dd and I enjoy story of the world. We also add in a lot of other history teaching books by a multitude of authors. Using multiple authors may help you to feel that you are getting more then just one person's take on historical events. Or you can go sweet and simple with just SOTW or Mystery of History or Streams of civilization.

Let me just start by saying that LA is not dd's strong suit. She had hearing issues and multiple surgeries that made grasping certain key skills very difficult up until last Sept. We despised 100 ez lessons! We tried it first. It went horribly and I finally gave it up at lesson 50ish. It seems to be one of those those programs that you love or hate! Next we tried sonlight beginning to read. I thought it was ok but dd just wasn't feeling the love. We are using the explode the code series. DD likes it. We are also using Click n read. DD and I both like this a lot! We have added click n spell to it as well for an intro to spelling. It is inexpensive and done entirely on the computer/net. It is completely self guided. DD goes to the site and follows the character's prompting. She does 1 lesson each day and then prints out the report which shows me exactly what she is grasping and what she is not. It also shows the sentences she worked on that day and I have dd read them to me. It assigns a percentage score to how well she performed. You can repeat as many lessons as you want, as many times as you need. About midway through it even includes dictation exercises that dd types out. It goes over phonics rules and sight words. It is the first thing we have done that actually progressed my dd's reading skills. It includes a complete money back guarantee. We also use FLL and Writing with ease together. This is short and painless. It has gone well for both of us.

I should probably add that the reason for this is that they try to do the youngest children earliest because they won't be allowed to eat or drink after midnight, the night before. You know it is hard for the little ones to go without at least a drink in the morning. At least with the the slightly older ones you can explain why the can't eat or drink but you can't explain anything to a hungry or thirsty toddler! DD's doctors would wait till the schedule (the no. of patients) was full and then set the time by ages.

My dd has had several. Normally they schedule just the date with me and give me all of the pre-op instructions and then call a few days before with the time of the surgery.

Just so you know, on the loom you can print all the definitions for all of the vocab and you can print out a guide for all of the people that you encounter in the studies as well! I did this in advance of the start for this yr and put all of it in a 3 ring binder. It is great for quick review this way.

I definitely see that point. I think the difference might be the concept behind the outfit. This outfit, even if the midriff was not bare and included a skin colored covering, it intentionally gave the impression of a bare midriff. That was done on purpose. It didn't need to be. There was no physical benefit, movement etc, added by virtue of flesh colored fabric vs. not. The difference is the visual impression!

I feel very bad for those little girls. I hope this was a one time thing for them and not the start of a progression as was suggested in the news take. Unfortunately the movies and shows put out don't help. That was the same song used in the 2nd chipmunk movie and I would guess that, perhaps, was the influence that led to this idea. I don't know, maybe not. However, I will say, I think the girl chipmunks were dressed a little better then those girls! The previews of that movie showed some very provocative looking dance moves. I think the parents get so wrapped up in the competitive aspect that they get tunnel vision and are only looking for the big score. They think about what will be the edgiest, what will capture the attention of the judges etc. It is tragically sad. I have seen a parent that was so into the beauty competitions that she spent more on 1 outfit then we do on groceries for a month and these people made way less money then we did. Her explanation was that her dd just wanted to win so badly. The girl was 4! Edited to correct my bad spelling!

I found this on Dave Ramsey's site. daveramsey.com Build a Modular Home? Nita is a Dave Ramsey success story and now wants to build a modular home. QUESTION: Nita is 32, remarried and completely debt free. She and her husband are looking at building a modular home. Should they do that? ANSWER: There are many different types of modular homes. Modular homes can mean anything from a trailer to a very nice home build in sections. If it looks “stick-build” and not like a glorified trailer, then you’ve probably bought a home that will go up in value. Trailers go down in value and houses go up. You just need to make sure you buy a home that goes up in value.

In our church daycare there was a little girl whose parents called her phat phat. It was a nick-name, I believe. I still thought it was horrible though. I saw it written on her bins and diapers when I was passing through that area. It was enough to make me stop and ask "Do you pronounce that fat fat?!" The teacher didn't seem to think it was that strange:001_huh:.

At this point, I would have to say 30ish.:tongue_smilie: Perhaps coincidentally, dh and I have been watching a lot of Criminal Minds lately. I am not sure that I should stay alone overnight:D.

I found this: Dyscalculia is sometimes referred to as "math dyslexia". If a child struggles with math and remembering symbols, it is possible that he has Dycalculia, and may or may not have the similar disability - Dyslexia. Dyslexia is difficulty with reading and is based in the language center of the brain. A child with Dyscalculia may be quite capable of reading, yet may struggle tremendously with math and mathematic symbols. There isn't a lot of information available about Dyscalculia, but awareness of this unique disability is growing. You may find beneficial information at http://www.dyscalculiainfo.org/ and http://www.dyscalculia.org/#Dyscalculia.

Have you looked at the symptoms for Dycalculia, also called math dyslexia. Look it up, but I know it involves mixing up the symbols (+, - etc).

Wow, that is so sad. Without hearing the parent's side, I can't really imagine how it could happen. Poor little guy. I really hope they learn and grow from this. They got incredibly lucky that the wrong person didn't find this little guy. I have noticed that some people will 'step away' from a child or leave them (young) places that a woman would not dare leave their purse. KWIM? If you wouldn't leave your purse that exposed what makes it ok for your toddler?

Like many have stated.... I can't deem it unsanitary under the listed conditions but I can't do it either. I just don't mix those particular items. It is more of a quirk thing then a clean thing.

I think everybody has their thing or some quirks of one kind or another. My house can be in complete disaray but I can't stand dirty floors so I will clean them A LOT! My homeschool supplies and curriculum must be organized even if nothing else is. DD's toys each have a bin by type. Littlest pet shop must not be stored with My little pony! My irl friend thinks I am nuts about the toys. She does not get why it matters, just throw them all in a box...yada yada. The only bin with mixed toys is the 'everything else bin'. Each bin is labeled and has a corresponding picture. But don't try to open my pantry or a box of rice might fall on your head! Oh, I also have this weird thing about eggs and ice cube trays. I only like to use them in even numbers. I don't want one sitting in the container without its mate beside him.:D

I haven't read all the posts yet....and this isn't a movie or show but, if I want to really laugh or lift my mood, I go to the I can has cheeseburger site! http://icanhascheezburger.com/ The pictures are so great. Simon's Cat on youtube (or simonscat.com I think) is also great. My dh and I find the show, Leverage, to be quite hilarious!

Oh and I wanted to add...I do not think it is acceptable to kick a dog (unless you are under attack). The dogs aren't the only ones who need to behave politely! I would be floored if a guest kicked a dog even if the dog did momentarily forget his manners. A raised knee is acceptable and effective enough.

Voting was difficult because, like many have suggested, sniffing and jumping are very different. A dog owner should be responsible to train their dogs or put them away if the dogs are difficult or in the process of training. Jumping is not acceptable. As the guest, if I am told that this house is home to a dog and I don't make a request or expectation known that I do not wish to have contact with said dog then I am prepared to be "contacted" by the dog. Not jumped on. But, I expect a little sniffing and possibly being brushed up against (which is usually more catlike but some dogs do this) and some 'please pet me' doggy eyes. If I choose to pet, I usually prepare myself to be licked (some dogs are just like that). If I don't want to be licked then I don't pet. A guest with really high expectations is best served by communicating with the host first. By this I mean things like dd is terrified of dogs could you please make appropriate arrangements, or I am not really a dog person and ask about their behavior etc. I don't know about any of you guys but I can hardly get my 7 yr old to not jump on and lick people:tongue_smilie:.

:grouphug: I have lifted your family up in prayer. :grouphug:

That's not bad at all! My 7 yr old dd ran up to me at soccer in front of a fellow hs mom and a ps mom and asked me how to spell our last name!:confused: I was horrified! All I could say was "YOU KNOW HOW TO SPELL YOUR NAME...right?" To make it worse, the dd of the ps mom spelled it out for her! She is the same age as my dd. I wanted to crawl in a hole!!! You should have seen the looks. My bf (the hs mom) had to say something. The next day I made her write out her full name 20 times! We called it handwriting:D.

Yes, I have used it to make these cinnamon biscuit like things. I am sure your cinn. rolls will be yummy! I have not done those particular cinn. buns but everything else I have done out of that King Arthur cook book has been great! If this helps, the general rule to convert sft wheat in a recipe that calls for ALL-purpose flour is: Increase by 1/2 cup cup for every 2-3 cups of all purpose flour called for in the recipe. For replacing Self-rising flour: For every 2 cups of self rising flr, combine 2 1/2 cups Soft White Wheat 2 tsp baking pwdr, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt. To replace bisquik: take the self rising recipe and cut in 5 TBS butter.

Yes, I loved the little awards! The first one mentioned the Papyrus font and my dh adores that font. He is given the pastor's sermon pts ahead of time so he can prepare them for the big screen every Sunday and he always uses that font (unless I intervene and insist on a different one every now and then). It always leads to an amusing conversation. Other then that and maybe the offering thing, I am glad that video did'nt look too much like my Sunday morning. Although, there are some in our church who wish it did. And then there are those who would fall over dead of heart attacks if we had that much contemporary music.:D