[Hair Thickening Spray]

Not that I've tried personally, no.

But this looks like a good starting point: http://wellnessmama.com/391/sweet-salt-texturizing-spray/

 

 

I tried this one.  Seems to work pretty well!  (I've never tried the original though.)  Very easy and cheap to make!

[Math on the Level--reviews?]

Well, I guess that is a big fat NO for me!!   :001_smile:   *sigh*  Back to square one. 

[Math on the Level--reviews?]

Has anyone used Math on the Level?  Any thoughts?  I'm wanting to switch from Saxon.  I have three kids at the elementary/middle school level.  One just starting 5/4, one about a third of the way through 6/5 and another halfway through 8/7--he might just stick with that since he's almost to Algebra anyway).  We are all sick of Saxon.  I want something were it is easier to keep track of exactly what concepts the kids are missing or doing well with.  Something with more of a mastery approach.  

 

Looks like there is definitely a learning curve for mom though with this program.  Is it sound academically?  I was thinking of Teaching Textbooks but have read many places that they are below grade level.

[Foam rolling and pain: when does it get better?]

My physical therapist last year said that the foam roller is very beneficial but would never feel very nice.  My ds loves it so I can only assume it doesn't hurt as badly for him.  The pain did lessen for me after a couple of weeks but I'd never say I like doing it!

[At the neuro ICU tonight - updated in post #197]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Disney/L.A. area aquariums and beaches]

A few years ago (on a trip to Disney) we took a day to explore Corona Del Mar beach.  There are lots of rocks for climbing and plenty of tide pools for exploring.  We went to Crystal Cove State Park a couple of weeks ago and didn't think it had as many tide pools as Corona Del Mar.  Maybe we just weren't in the right spot.  Huntington Beach is good if you just want to play in the water, rent bodyboards and end with a campfire in the evening.  No tide pools or anything though.

[Help me find a Bible that's easy on the eyes]

Kindle Paperwhite. I know, electronic Bibles are icky. I can read a regular Bible for about 20 minutes on a good day. I can read on my Kindle for about 2 hours on a bad day. Go to Best Buy and check them out. $120. Sorry. It's worth it. It really is.

 

This reminded me of what I was thinking last night.  I have the ESV app on my iPad and iPhone.  It is presented in paragraph form, not the two columns.  You can change settings for font, font size, background (white, sepia or black), turn on/off red letter, some other options too.  It has several reading plans built into the app (chronological, memory plan, etc.) and you can even turn on the audio setting if you want to hear it rather than read it.  The name of the app is ESV Bible (Crossway).  

["I hope you die before you're 20!"]

:grouphug:  We are believers but we don't encourage our children to evangelize to other children because of things like this.  Our role as Christians isn't to traumatize other people's children into "believing."  

 

ETA: I know I said things as a young person that I look back on now with very real regret.  I'd speak to the parents.  If the girl was simply repeating something her parents have said or, worse, encouraged, then it certainly won't harm any future relationship between the girls because that's probably over now anyway.  My parents, as believers, would have had a looooong talk with me if I had ever said something like that to a sleep-over guest.  

[S/O is this hot? Baseball games in this heat.]

I know I'm softer. I haven't been to many of my ds's games because I got sick at one earlier this summer because of the heat. He's played in 115 degrees before--not as humid but still awfully hot. I don't know how those boys do it. Lots and lots and LOTS of water and Gatorade. No caffeine or energy drinks loaded with caffeine. Plenty of fruit. My ds has one of those Froggtogg things to wear around his neck while in the dugout.

[Active Christian Homeschool Boards]

Does it have to be a homeschool board?  I find that some blogs have active comment sections for discussion of theological topics.  Yes, knowing what "flavor" would be helpful.  :001_smile:

 

[Who else is going to dress like a cow day?]

Agreed, which is why it is perfectly applied here. There is no more reasonable argument to support homophobia than there is to support coulrophobia. Homophobia isn't reasoned into, it is conditioned. Social pressure acts as a counterweight to that conditioning. 

 

I agree that social pressure is a counterweight to social conditioning but I'd disagree with your premise that the only reason to be against SSM is homophobia.  That is completely against any sort of reality whatsoever.  And that is why shaming won't work on people who weigh these matters heavily in their minds and come up with a different conclusion than five Supreme Court Justices.  It is interesting that the tactic now is to shame and emotionally manipulate people into shutting up rather than debate with philosophical, sociological, theological and biological facts to convince people to change their minds.  

 

ETA:  It's also disturbing that you are comfortable comparing those with a different political view than yours to people who suffer from real, diagnosable mental disorders.  

[Who else is going to dress like a cow day?]

Feeling ashamed to voice socially inappropriate comments is how social pressure works. It may not be elegant, eloquent, or quote worthy, but every time bigotry is called out, more and more people hear the reality of hateful, hurtful programs, and more and more people realize they don't want to be one of the remaining spokespersons for unpopular, unlikable sentiments. It's a fantastic alternative to violence as a means of inspiring change, and far better than doing nothing. After all, can you think of a single oppressive regime that voluntarily gave up control because people asked nicely?

 

I think social shaming works when the person targeted has based his ideas on emotion and unexamined tradition. However, when a person has based his ideas on reasoning from philosophical, sociological, theological, and biological facts, then that person should be responded to with reason, not name-calling. All the shaming in the world isn't going to change the mind of someone who has reasoned himself into a position. That person needs valid, non-emotional reasons to change his mind.

[What popular food places do you not like?]

Also the Jack in the Box signs advertising two tacos for $1 make me sick to my stomach. No one should ever eat a bafflingly cheap taco with a triangle of American cheese. What the heck?

My dh *loves* those things. I swear, we can't drive by a Jack in the Box without him saying how he could go for two tacos. But, in the almost 20 years we have been married, I think I've seen him eat those tacos twice. Apparently they taste good but your stomach isn't too happy.

 

I grew up in the Midwest and remember the E. coli problem. When we moved west, I couldn't believe Jack in the Box was still in business.

[Keeping children clothed when company is over...]

That can't be true. That's like saying by breastfeeding at two, the child is learning to breastfeed for life, or that by allowing a three-year-old to have a story before bed, you're training them to be read to for life! Or that making mud pies is normal and good and will have some benefit forever. Clearly we allow small children to do all sorts of things that we expect them to grow out of.

 

The benefits of breastfeeding are obvious.  Reading to your child does help train them to read and enjoy reading.  It shows your children that you value reading.  Making mud pies is a normal part of exploring one's surroundings, developing motor skills, and encourages kids to play at being adults by "cooking".  I can't think of one benefit in allowing a four-year-old to run around naked from the waist down in front of guests.  

[Keeping children clothed when company is over...]

I think parents are always training a child TO something, whether actively or passively.  By allowing a child to run around naked in front of guests, the parents are training their child that being naked in front of guests is normal and good or will have some benefit to them.  As an adult, I can't think of any benefit to allowing it.  It isn't socially acceptable for adults to invite friends over and then come out of the bathroom with no pants on.  Being four-years-old excuses the child from coming out of the bathroom without pants on but it doesn't excuse the parents from allowing it to go on the rest of the night.  I find that very strange.  If we were at a friend's house, I'd take it as a cue to end the visit.  I'd visit again but if it kept happening, I'd suggest some public place to meet.  Somehow I think the parents would manage to keep their child's pants on then.  

[Letting Amazon prime expire?]

I just became a Prime member last October, and now I can't imagine not having it. But. I live half an hour from a WalMart or Target. Prime saves me a lot of hassle with taking all the kids anywhere, and often, the two day shipping is faster than I'd actually get out to WM or Target anyway, since we only go out about once a week during the week. I tend to buy a lot of household stuff. Toddler cracked a DVD when we were at my ILs' a few weeks ago, three hours away, and we don't see them very often. No problem, my Prime happily delivered a replacement to them in a couple of days. I needed sunblock before we went to visit my ILs, and I like brands that aren't usually found in regular stores. The health food store that might have had what I wanted is thirty minutes away in a different direction than I ever need to go. Again, no problem, Prime delivered it to my ILs' house, and it was waiting for me. I consider it to be completely worth the money for the hassle and time and probably money it saves me (30 minutes each way, plus five kids, plus at least $10 in gas for my van, plus the hefty health food store markup vs. Amazon Prime equals no contest), but I recognize that it might not be that way for everyone. In some of the other places we have lived, Prime wouldn't have been as useful.

 

This.  I can order all kinds of random things (like replacement strings for instruments--just did this yesterday) that would require a special trip to particular stores.  Or saves me time and gas from driving around to different stores looking for a particular type of item.  This past year I wondered if it was worth it so I added up the shipping costs each order I had made.  It was way over what the Prime membership cost.  Plus the savings in gas and hassle makes it worth it for us.  I don't use the streaming much either.

[HELP: Ribs recipes say "long, slow" cooking time best, BUT ....]

This has been a long-standing argument in our house when I make ribs! Dh had a neighbor growing up that made amazing ribs and roasted them in the ovens for hours and hours. The only thing I can figure out is that the neighbor used some kind of wet marinade and constantly basted them. Even then, I'd think the ribs would be dry. I only roast them for a couple of hours. I don't see the sense in cooking them longer when they are tender and ready to eat!

[Wanderlust post: any "travel around the world" blogs/books]

This woman is following Richard Halliburton's travels:  http://uneventenor.com/

 

[Favorite burn remedies?]

I read in an older historical fiction book about placing thinly sliced or grated raw potato on a burn.  I was splashed on my wrist with hot oil earlier this week and got a fairly nasty burn.  I thought of that passage.  The raw potato made my wrist stop hurting within about 15-20 minutes.

["Right (or wrong) side of history" What does this mean?]

I interpret it as a way for the speaker to feel self-righteous.  There are ways of discussing issues of right and wrong without comparing oneself to "those idiots" who came before us.

[I think we have bedbugs]

 

My rash has spread in a few spots and some of the spots are weeping.  This is gross.  I'm SO going to the Dr tomorrow.  Good night! 

 

Doesn't sound like the bites we had.  Ours were more like big mosquito bites that took a few days to go away.  Maybe that is a good(?!?) sign?

[I think we have bedbugs]

We had this happen a few years back.  (We bought a wooden loft bed frame from Goodwill.  I haven't set foot in a Goodwill since.)  Whatever you do, don't set off a bug bomb.  Like a pp said, the bugs scatter and they go into breeding overdrive because they are being threatened.  I was bit all over and DH didn't get any bites.  We thought one of the kids had chicken pox.  Check the beds after everyone goes to sleep tonight.  As awful as that is, that is how we discovered ours.  Goodwill paid for a pest control company to come in.  It took seven visits.  We completely moved out of the house--all our stuff, everything.  It was a mistake not to sleep in the house though because they need to come out of hiding to crawl through the poison and die.  When we moved out, they just went into hibernation mode (which they can stay in up to a year).

 

So, so, so sorry!!!!  It was a nightmare but we made it through.  You will too!!

[In your opinion, what does prayer do?]

I disagree. Those of us atheists who did immerse ourselves in spirituality are completely bilingual, if you will.

 

In any case, the analogy of the different languages is a reflection of subjective perception. Language allows us to communicate subjective perceptions to those who may not share similar perceptions.

Imagine a poet asking a chemist to explain chemistry but only in terms of literary analysis because chemistry, naturally, doesn't actually exist. That's the kind of feeling I get with these kinds of threads. :-)

[Hunter: The Rainbow Curriculum]

Check Hunter's signature above.

So I learned a new thing about this forum. When you aren't signed in, you can't see the signatures. :-) if I had looked again after signing in to post....

[In your opinion, what does prayer do?]

If everything is ultimately reducible to the interaction of chemicals and electricity, what difference does it make? Your feelings of God were simply the effects of dopamine. Isn't your anger at Christian hypocrisy just a different chemical response? If you discount the reality of one, why not the other?

 

ETA: Reality isn't exactly the right word here. Let me try again. If I'm understanding correctly, your position is that experiences of God are chemical reactions + electrical impulses. When a person prays and feels 'peace' or some such, it's simply that their brain has been conditioned to take a certain neural pathway when they do such-and-such. Pavlov's dog or something. OK, so I'm tracking with you there. When you feel righteous indignation that a moral or precept has been violated, that is also a chemical reaction + an electrical impulse. But morality is just as much of an 'idea' or an 'outside reality' as the concept of God is, no? It's not provable in any meaningful sense. Your angry response at the violation of your concept of morality is, I think, the same 'thing' as a chemical response to the idea of a benevolent, powerful being's love.

One simply cannot understand spirituality through a lens of strict materialism. Its like two people having a conversation when they both speak different languages.