I support any and all stem cell research, government or private.

What she said.

I don't get it, either. I guess I'm just amazed that any family would put itself under such public scrutiny. Ego? To make money? I heard about this family here on the forums. I don't watch much TV but when I do I'd opt for Jeopardy or the Simpsons over something like this. Another family I hear about is John and Kate plus 8. Not sure why they invite all the scrutiny, either.

I'm glad you're going.

I have to agree. I can't imagine my husband having a final say like that. We compromise. My grandmothers would turn over in their graves if they thought any of their granddaughters were submissive in this context. My mother and stepmother, as well. Perhaps this works well for some families, but it would not for mine.

Add my two cents to this reply. You and your daughter needn't get involved simply because you both feel it's wrong. And I also agree a sermon on gossip is a good idea. I haven't read all the posts, but are these girls aware of the upcoming ambush? Have they asked for religious counsel? If I were either of those girls I'd never set foot in church after learning that a private confidence was now public knowledge.

I think to be truly educated, you have to take at least a fair glance at the Bible. Many authors reference it, and if you aren't at least a little familiar with the Bible, it will be hard to understand the reference right away. I hope to teach my kids a class using the book "The Bible and its Influence" in the next year or two. It comes recommended from a lot of sources, and I do want the kids to be familiar with Bible and its references before they head off to college. We also study Hindu verses and the Koran, as well. Good to be well-rounded. I guess I should say we have a secular homeschool.

I've an old Stanley (Aladdin) thermos that I filled with coffee at 2:15 p.m. today. It was still quite warm at 10 p.m., but then I wasn't outside. I would think that with a good thermos, you could keep something hot in the bitter cold at least a couple of hours. If he can keep the thermos out of the wind, wrapped in a blanket or something, it might do even better. I hope that helps. Pam

Just finished a book by Christopher Hitchens. Now I'm heading into "The Ode Less Travelled" by Stephen Fry. Everyone sounds like they're doing well. Let's keep it up!

Well, we like the Latin Prep and So You Really Want to Learn Latin products from Galore Park, a UK company.

My kids despise Latin. Tough. They can hate it all they want, but I think eventually they will figure out its worth. My daughter takes French along with it, and she's not falling behind in either one. I'm going to add Spanish for my son in a week or so. You're right about not many kids learning Latin (not including these boards). A woman I know wanted to start our own chapter of a Latin club whose name I can't remember. We needed five students. But with her 1 and my 2, we only had three (see, I can add!). We have almost 150 kids in our homeschool group and we are apparently the only ones learning Latin. Your child can do both if he really wants to do it. And if he's been studying Latin for any time at all, he'll see parallels right away. Good luck.

I just remember to post for the 1st week. My book was "Descartes' Bones" by Russell Shorto. A terrific book.

We have 80 acres which we rent to a man who farms it. We still have the run of the place for hikes and such. Our place used to belong to my husband's parents, so we bought it to keep the property in the family. I agree with the poster who said if you have land, you should be a good steward of that land. Our renter practices crop rotation and doesn't use chemical fertilizers (you should have seen the mountain of turkey poo he used last year). My husband clears downed trees to use in our wood furnace, and the hayfield that used to serve as our horse's pen is baled by a neighbor who gives us a share. We don't remove hedgerows so the little animals that share our farm have a place to live. We feed wild birds, just like a lot of other people do. Having a large property means a certain amount of work. If you don't have the time or the inclination, then a house with a yard might be enough. Sometimes owning a lot of land sounds great until you actually have to do something with it.

My son had his put in almost 2.5 years ago, when he was 11. He had an upper palate expander and a full set of braces complete with a series of rubber bands. He should be getting them out this month. Anyway, his ortho said he wouldn't have done anything sooner because of facial growth, just like a previous poster said. He also wanted to wait until as many baby teeth as possible fell out. And if they didn't fall out by the specified time, they would be pulled. Age 7 is very young, I think. Sometimes there is a degree of discomfort that even older children find difficult to deal with. I'm not sure how a 7-year-old would handle the discomfort, put on her own rubber bands, etc.

I paid $60 for a cut and full highlights. That included the tip of $10.