Because I have not run across an Episcopalian catechism "program" either. But I do have some resources to recommend. I teach Sunday School at our Episcopal church and I have fallen in love with the materials written by Gretchen Wolff Pritchard. Her web site is: http://www.the-sunday-paper.com/ We use The Sunday Paper Junior which has an excellent parent's commentary on the back each week. I also own her small book, "Allelulia! Amen." It is an excellent description of all the parts of the holy communion. I, personally would go through all of Gretchen's book materials first (they are not very expensive). That would give the kids a good foundation and understanding of church language. Then I would go through the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer, discussing each point with my children. This, combined with regular church attendance and participation in communion, would seem to me a good program. For what it's worth, I would not teach a catechism that was not specifically Episcopalian. It is, by definition, what we believe in our faith, and there are many differences between the Christian denominations. I use many general resources that are not specifically Episcopalian, but with regard to the catechism I would stick to the BCP if I could not find a resouce that uses the BCP as a foundation.

I'm so very sorry. Praying here for you and your family. ((((Kidshappen))))

Only with 2 golden retrievers this time! We drive from Oregon to Michigan. AAA puts out a publication that lists motels that are pet friendly; of course, you always need to call them because their policies sometimes change. It is a fairly thick phone-book type guidebook that costs $14.95. We actually rent a van to travel. We didn't have the space in our other vehicles and frankly didn't want to put the mileage on our vehicles. There was plenty of room for our dog to roam while we were driving. In summer we pack light so we didn't have much luggage. As far as restaurants - we did a lot of drive-thru and eating in the van. We would leave the dog in the van to go eat only at night. Chinese food buffets are good for variety and you can get in and out quickly. If you plan it right you can get motels that include a free breakfast so you can bring it back to your room on a tray or eat in shifts. You can also get a lot of good snack foods at the grocery to eat in the car. We ate a lot of carrot sticks and green pea pods, crackers, lunchables, etc. Probably the hardest part of the "ride" was getting our dog to go potty. We stopped at many rest stops and got out for exercise but she did not "go" nearly as often as she does at home. She didn't get sick but it was sort of exasperating for *us*, walking her up and down a slim patch of grass at a Best Western late at night, begging her to do something. It is much more trouble traveling with the dog but for us it was worth it. When we got where we were going, she had many happy days on the shores of the lake and learned how to swim. We would even take her downtown to shop with us (Traverse City) and she made many friends (i.e., everyone who passed by us on the street). Hope this helps somewhat!

Well I'd post a recipe but I don't make it, having no access to fresh seafood out in the boonies...but it is basically a thin red sauce, clams in the shell, mussels, shrimp, green peppers, onion, and seasoned with red pepper flakes so it is quite spicy. It's a lot like jambalaya but without sausage and chicken. Mmmmmm.:o

I could live on pasta easily 3 meals a day. My favorite is a delicious homemade meat sauce and parmesan cheese and if I could vary the sauces so much the better. There is also a seafood fra diavolo sauce that I adore (spicy red sauce with clams, mussels, shrimp). Now I have to go make some - I'm hungry just thinking about it.

The placement test for the I See Sam books is here: http://iseesam.com/downloads/PlacementTests.pdf This test corresponds to sets of "Little Books" which have a reading level associated with each set. Here are the "Little Books": http://iseesam.com/cat/cart.php?target=category&category_id=60 You would need to click on a set of little books to see the range of reading level.

and there are a couple of things that are very fun. SOUTH OF TOWN: 1. Thanksgiving Point, just south of Draper. Beautiful rose gardens, vegetable gardens, many animals on display in pens, and pony rides for little ones. After being outdoors, there are many lovely shops and places to get ice cream sodas, etc. 2. Near Thanksgiving Point, there is a fairly new hands on science/natural history museum. I can't remember the name but my kids had a wonderful time there. IN SLC: 1. They have a nice zoo. Many hills, though, so it is quite a hike. 2. There is a great planetarium downtown. You can call ahead for showtimes, they have quite a few programs.

As long as he is thriving in martial arts I would limit sports to that for now. Watch some movies together that exemplify good sportsmanship, and talk about it. Then, if he wants to, ease into some competitive games and sports. Some are gentler than others. Eight years old is still pretty young. I bet you'll be surprised where he will be in a year or two. I would recommend avoiding competitive situations for a year or so.

Boy those are nice! They are more tractor than I need but thanks, I didn't even know about this brand. I think I need to have my dh talk to some other men who are "in love with their tractors" LOL. Seems to be the common denominator of men with tractors.

Granola One big package Quaker Oatmeal, old fashioned type. A generic oatmeal can be used, I just use the big Quaker because I don't measure it. It is probably about 12 cups. About 2 cups of wheat germ 2-4 cups of nuts (I use whole pecans) 1 C sunflower seeds 1 C of unsweetened coconut (if you like this) 2 big handfuls brown sugar About three fourths cup of honey About one half cup molasses About three fourths cup of water 1 C of canola oil Mix dry ingredients in large cooking pot. Mix wet ingredients in bowl. Combine dry and wet, mix well. Spread the granola into about 4 big pans and put into a 325 oven. Stir them every 10 minutes or so until they begin to get toasted (not burned). After the first hour turn the oven down to 300 and continue toasting and stirring for another half hour. It is done when the granola is a nice light brown color and fragrant. If you want to add any dried fruit (craisins, etc) do it after the granola is out of the oven. Let it cool completely before storing in covered containers. You want it completely dry and cool. This recipe is VERY forgiving. I use whatever I have on hand. It is heavenly when eaten on top of a big scoop of plain yougurt. To me it is much, much tastier than anything I have ever bought in a store.

it all comes down to the super-delegates. I'm not sure how it is decided at the convention. It is not advantageous to a party if this happens, though, since it would leave little time to campaign between the convention and the election.

as an excellent tractor. Could you mount a snow blower on a backhoe? I'm trying to get as much multiple-purpose use as possible.

I think that it may run from 10-15K. Ugh. If we get it we would have to put off getting a generator for a while.

I have been snowed in more times than I can count this winter. I told my dh that I want a tractor for my birthday this summer, one with a bucket for utility work and a snow thrower to clear my very long driveway and road (.5 mile). The guy who has been clearing my road at $90 a pop recommended at least a 30 hp tractor. We live on a mountain slope so rolling over is a concern. "Green acres is the place to be....." theme song running through my head.

but have you ever even considered getting a dog? Our two golden retrievers have been an immense source of joy to us. Now that one of them is full grown she makes the best reading pillow ever. I am getting great exercise by taking them on walks. The biggest surprise to me is how much I adore them, and I am not really a pet person. There is no way in this world that I would keep a reptile in our home.:eek: Ok, I know this post was not what you wanted. I just think that your boys would pitch in and do so much of the work, and it's nice to have a dog to talk to when you're a kid. I was an only child and I don't know what I would have done without my dog - she was my companion, friend, and therapist. It's that unconditional love thing. Good luck with your decisions!

are soft and easy to blow up and throw around. We have had several over the years and they are fun for a 3yo. They run about $5 for a 9" ball. We got our latest one from Therapro which has free shipping over $25. They have a lot of sensory toys that are so wonderful for little ones whether they have sensory issues or not.

although it is impressive I do not like the crowds. It is better to go at night, if you go. What I do love about that area are the caves that you can visit. I can't remember the names of them (Wind cave? Jewel cave?) but they are spectacular and I have been through a lot of caves in my life, including Carlsbad Caverns. The Badlands are quite interesting. We had a good time climbing around and driving through the area one year. But if you really, really want to be impressed...go to the caves!

I like Lipton's tea best - ordinary black tea. :D Others that I like are Twinings Darjeeling, English Breakfast Tea, and Earl Grey. For the record, I have tried many of the Celestial Seasonings teas and can't stand any of them!

It talks about how the sun is the major agent of change rather than anything we're doing on earth, and that we may be headed for a major cooling period. http://ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=287279412587175

Alfred Hitchcock's Three Investigators series - it features three boys who solve mysteries. I have collected many ex-library copies for my daughters since our grown sons had loved them so much. Also, the Hardy Boys would be worth a try. We have heard some of them on tape that were pretty good.

My kids are too diverse in ages to enjoy the same games (13, 7, 3). I have tried, tried, and failed at getting the younger ones to play board games. They melt down too easily, change the rules on the fly, etc. It is *Pure Torture* for me -- I like following the rules too much, I guess! But I do play all other sorts of jumping games, dolls, play-doh, painting, anything that does not involve a board, cards, or dice.

Some recent downloads include: All The Young Dudes - Ian Hunter Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush '39 - Queen Long Away - Queen Good Company - Queen Killer Queen - Queen Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon - Queen Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits Real Man - Todd Rundgren Mr. Blue - The Fleetwoods I Believe in You - Sinead O'Connor Leipzig - Thomas Dolby Rock and Roll - The Velvet Underground Tomorrow Never Came - Boz Scaggs Yes I am stuck in the 70's, for the most part. :D Dana

if you go to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond, you can look at about a hundred pillows and decide which would be best. I recently got a "down alternative" pillow there that is wonderful, as well as two king size foam pillows that will be used as a backrest against our headboard. The foam pillows look like they will keep their shape forever. The foam pillows were (surprisingly) kind of expensive but we wanted something that was going to last a while. Dana

They have tons of free, simple games with colorful graphics. If you subscribe you get access to more games and no ads. We have subscribed sometimes, sometimes not, it is still a good site even without the subscription. http://www.uptoten.com is the main page. Dana