Same here.

I agree. I started out with 30 Day Shred, and saw results after about a month or two. I really love those endorphins as a stress relief! I did Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism for awhile, but was unable to keep up with the hour long workout. I'm now doing Ripped in 30, and like it the best. I did try Turbo Fire, but didn't feel I got a good workout. I am horrible at the dance type moves, and couldn't keep up! I do better at the non-dance exercises, which Jillian uses.

I would say no, because my experience of speaking up involved a lot of drama and backstabbing. In my case, this involved a mom who had made comments that she suspected her dd had ADD. Later, her dd was accusing my dd of doing and saying things that she hadn't done. I mentioned that perhaps her dd needed some professional help. I thought I was helping her dd, who didn't seem to be getting any help, and trying to protect my own dd. Let's just say it didn't go over well, and she went around telling other people that I had accused her dd of having a mental problem. :rolleyes: And this was six months after I made the remark! From people she was talking to, I learned she expected an apology from me. I did apologize for my remark, partly because I felt sorry for her, and partly because I realized I had made a mistake mentioning it. Fortunately, it ended the drama, as far as I can tell. I believe that there are some kids out there that need help. However, if the parent does not want to recognize it, then you will be the bad guy. Regarding ethics and/or bravery in addressing this, I think you will actually push these type of parents into more denial. I'm not sure what it would take to reach this type of parent, but I don't think I have the means to do it.

I would also check out OEC site, such as Reasons to Believe or Answers in Creation. From what I've found, the YEC science is faulty, but it's hard to ascertain that, unless you do more research.

I'm sorry, I don't have the same experience. I did wear a back brace for scoliosis, but I didn't have surgery. I'm so sorry you are suffering. I think I would keep searching for another doctor. :grouphug:

Seriously! I think Candace looks like she could go into therapy any minute! :lol: I think Doofenshmirtz must have at one time invented something that worked, patented it, and is now living off the royalties. That is all I can come up with! I think all animals are secret agents. Sometimes I wonder about my dog. :lol:

I know you were asking about a piano, and I was looking for something similar myself. However, we went cheaper and got a digital keyboard at Costco, last Christmas. It was on sale for $89. I think it has around 76 keys, and the keys are weighted. It's a Casio WK-220. Her music teacher said it works really well for her lessons. I decided if she stuck with piano lessons, we would get something more expensive later. I didn't want to spend a lot of money, in case she hated piano. So far, she likes it and I think she will stick with it.

I'm sorry, TM. No advice, but here's another :grouphug:

I agree.

I have higher energy levels in the evening, and can work out more intensely. So, I work out after dinner, three times a week. I do it from home, with a DVD. My dd is 11, so she's usually doing her own thing.

I think we got the more expensive one, because my dd and dh wanted to play games. If I remember correctly, that was the difference in price. If all you want is movies, the cheaper one should work. As for moving it, it depends on how easy it is to get to the back of your tv. It isn't hard to hook up, and can be unplugged and moved. However, we have a bigger flat screen which is in a big heavy entertainment center. It can be very inconvenient to try and move it, to get to the back panel.

I believe the number one reason for bankruptcy in the U.S. is for medical bills. We didn't pay on our unsecured debt for a few months, because dh was out of work. I don't know how someone can go seven years without paying, because most cc companies will file a judgment and garnish your wages. When dh started working again, he made enough money for us to pay it off. It had gone to collections, so we settled, and paid a little less than we owed. It was about $10,000 total. Not huge, but when you have no extra money, it might as well be a million. However, I don't know that you get away scot free. It ruins your credit. I hear stories of my friends re-financing their homes at really low rates, however we cannot do that. Even though my dh wasn't working due to the actions of the banks and Wall Street. :rolleyes:

It has been the same for me.

My dh drives for a moving company. He's gone 2-3 weeks a month. When he's home, he's usually working long days, and has only one day off in the week. So, our situation is different from the 3-4 days a week. I would actually love that! It was harder when dd was little. Now that she's 11, she handles it better. She and dh are very close, and dh is good about spending time with her when he is home. I do okay during the day, but miss him a lot at night. I don't struggle a lot with the parenting side of it, but maybe that's because I have only one child. We are doing it because he couldn't make enough to support us, without me going to work. DH really wants me home with dd, and hs'ing, as do I. Yes, because we didn't have any other choice, if we want to hs. I would sacrifice financially, but not to the point where I can't pay bills. The extra money is nice, and the relief from financial stress is also very nice. We've had three years of under-employment and some un-employment, so I am very much enjoying being able to pay bills on time and having some extra spending money. We have also paid off our unsecured debt, and have been able to help others. Now, we're going to work on fixing up the house. The extra money does make dealing with his absence more tolerable. We have a lot of activities during the week. DD has piano, dance, homeschool support group, playdates, etc. She talks on the phone to her friends a lot. DH calls every other night, and texts us. Actually, dd doesn't like to talk to him on the phone. I guess it makes her miss him. This won't apply to you, but it affects us in that dh rarely is able to make it to church. He is either out of town, working or too tired. So, I'm a single mom at church, and have to get involved on my own. We try to find ways to spend more time together. DD and I went on the road with him for 2 1/2 weeks this summer. Sometimes he has a week off between jobs, and it's nice to spend that much time with him. Sometimes I wish he would get a local job, and I get tired of being alone. Sometimes I enjoy being my own boss. There are advantages and disadvantages to everything. I can relate to that a lot.

I have the old Kindle. It works fine for forums, e-mail, surfing, and Facebook. I'm assuming the new one will be even faster and powerful. I really like it myself. And obviously, you get the e-reader capabilities. It doesn't have video or picture taking capabilities, like an I-phone or I-Pod. However, you can store pictures and videos on the Kindle. I just read that there is less choice of apps. However, I don't use the apps much myself. It all depends on what you are looking for. I do play a lot of solitaire. I joked with dh that it was one expensive deck of cards! However, I mostly use it when we go on trips, or out and about at restaurants that have Wi-Fi. The small touch keyboard is hard to type on, and I like to use the big computer at home, with the regular keyboard. If I was only going to choose one, I would definitely go with a laptop or regular computer. You would need a wireless internet router, which will hook up into your internet cable modem. I bought mine at Target, and I believe they have them at Walmart. Make sure you get one that is powerful enough. I'm sure you can do some research on Amazon, and find a good one. I bought a Belkin. As for Adobe Flash Player, I think what they mean is that on an Android device, you can't watch a Flash Player video. I'm guessing that Adobe has some sort of contract with Apple? The "ways around it" usually mean something you can download that will give your device the capability to watch the flash player videos.

My sil had the surgery. She lost 100 pounds the first year. The second year, she gained about 75 back. However, that first year she was exercising regularly at the gym, and was eating really small amounts of food. The second year, she started eating more food, and stopped exercising. She still eats less than she did before, and weighs less, but she gained most of it back. I also watch the Biggest Loser on Netflix. In Season 7, there is a man who had the surgery and gained back even more weight. They have to take off their shirts for the weigh in, and his stomach looks almost deformed. I guess it's because of the surgery.

The beta-hydroxy gel from Paula's Choice works really well for me. Here is the link to her articles on acne. http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn-skin-care-facts.aspx

I agree. I think your questions make sense.

I highly recommend Paula's Choice Beta-Hydroxy gel and her benzol peroxide product. I have also read a good review of this product: MaxClarity

I use them too. Love them. I have sensitive skin, and it still breaks out at age 52. I use her Beta-hydroxy gel, and it's fabulous. It keeps my skin smooth, and controls the breakouts. She recommends her alpha-hydroxy products for those with dry skin. I can use her moisturizers for oily skin, and they don't break me out. I haven't bought her cleansing products yet, but have used her recommendations from her Beautypedia website. I like Neutrogena's Foaming Cleanser. I think I look younger than my age. My gynecologist asked me when I had my last period at my well woman exam, lol. He said I didn't look my age.

I didn't understand the article to say that academics were not important. My take on it was that if you focus on relationships and love of learning, then teaching the academics will be a lot easier. I don't see it as an either/or situation, but more of a sequence to follow. Hi, TM! Nice to see you. For those of you who have responded to her post, she has a dd in public school, taking honor's classes.

We have no oversight in Arizona, other than filing a Notice of Intent one time. I haven't noticed any parents who aren't concerned about their children's education. Most are very committed to homeschooling, but they are accountable to themselves, not a state agency.

I agree. :001_smile:

I can relate. I've been checking out History Odyssey. From reading this thread, it sounds like TOG might be an option. I think Sarita had a change of heart. There was a BEAM article in which she wrote about it. Apparently, she read some book by Schaffer(?) and it changed her beliefs. Perhaps the actions of CHEC excluding SL also contributed to her change of belief. So, my guess is that her and John had a similar POV, or she at least was willing to defer to his. Then he bowed out, she took over, and then had her personal revelation. People complained for YEARS about the problems in the upper level IG's, with the answers not matching the questions. It always seemed that SL cared about the lower levels, and that is their biggest seller. Most people don't hs for high school. You have to wonder if that's why it took so long to revise the upper level IG's. Boy, how ironic. I guess there will be one or two good years of upper level IG's.

We love LOF Elementary, and my dd is in 5th grade this year. She has always loved living math books and begs to read them. However, she hates math curriculums. We made it through MM 4A, and I decided to take a break because she hit a wall at division. We're going to blast through LOF Elementary, and than go on to LOF Fractions. I'll supplement if we need to, and hopefully we can stick with LOF all the way. Although, I'm a later is better kind of homeschooler. I don't mind if she is "behind." If I wait, she catches on very quickly, and then we don't waste a lot of time on math.