Not rude. One of the things that makes the student hosting experience so phenomenal is when people keep it real. If you decide to make it, just let him know that it would not be halal for him to eat.

I don't know. I don't do FB, but I know that people really do take the feelings it provokes seriously. She sounds like she was just trying to be nice and didn't understand Your FB etiquette and expectations. If you aren't cleaning up your friends list, then it sounds like you're just being mean and want others to validate that....It is hurting her feelings and it will probably continue to hurt her feelings as long as FB exists.

I'm making some one a meal and we use a lot of sesame oil, then after I sent my husband out to deliver the meal, I realized that maybe most people don't like it. So, I've made a poll...at least I think I've made a poll

Oh my goodness! Where oh where did they find ALL those resources and put them together for a curriculum? Does any one know? I'd love to have some sort of resource like that for my children.

Our children have always said they want to be happy when they grow up! Love it!

:bigear: The young ones eat a light snack-style breakfast at 7:30, then everyone has a full 2nd breakfast around 10:30 or 11, a snack about 2:00 or so, dinner around 5:00-5:30. I'd love to switch it up and actually have lunch at lunchtime. So for "lunch", we eat a typical breakfast.

Sounds fun, but I don't know that many people to write to...however would anyone like to swap addresses through PM and we could send each other letters...

The USPS will deliver stamps if you buy them online :)

For the adults: http://www.amazon.com/CTA-Digital-Pedestal-Stand-Holder/dp/B00AQT653G/ref=pd_sbs_ba_4

Actually a Jewish person can believe in Jesus and you can call them a Christian, but that would not take away their Jewishness. One is either Jewish by birth or by legal Judaic conversion. There are atheist Jews, agnostic Jews, Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Orthodox, and even Messianic. These people have met the Jewish legal requirements of being considered Jewish, regardless of what they believe about God.

((hugs)) Sometimes making friends is hard. Sometimes we go through seasons where we really don't have time in our lives for them. If you want friends to just hang out with, then call or email some one you would like to be friends with and set something up. But go in knowing that sometimes people are busy and might decline. Ask them out to a coffee shop, lunch or pie, or come over to your house for tea, whatever. The activity doesn't matter - some people that are in the same spot like getting invitations. Then you can call them again later (after a week or so) and ask them out again. If after the 2nd or 3rd invitiation they don't offer you an invitation, move on. It's okay! People are busy, not everyone fits together. I find that there are some people that are just hard to get to know! If you don't know any one to ask, then join a Meetup.com group or Yahoo group and actively participate. It took me years to realize that the reason people post on Meetup is so that they can meet people. lol! Sounds silly, but I found groups that had cliques and wondered why they used Meetup at all until I realized that they post events because they actually do want to meet new friends :)

I have a long and complicated backstory and now at a point trying to sort this out... I think Jesus fulfill the sacrificial requirments, (thanks to Rob Bell, although that is all I can agree with him on right now.) But actually going from that to accepting the trinity...hmmm. Is it possible to believe that Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice to satisfy the sacrificial requirements of all the laws, but not actually accept that Jesus is God? ...Well, I know it's possible to believe that, but I guess what I mean, is there a "religion" that has that view? Or maybe just a guide me to where I can find a clear explanation somewhere as to Jesus=God. Everything I've read just doesn't make it clear, nor does it make sense.

Me too. Actually only 5 months and 20 days, but it crosses over New Years so it seems like I'm a lot older.

Have you ever heard the letter 'a' make the short 'e' sound? Even if it is in a different language. In searching, only these 3 sounds come up (standing by itself), but I'm sure I've heard it pronounced like the short e somewhere before. 1. short, 'cat' 2. long, 'ace' (this has the silent e rule, but I couldn't think of another example) 3. ah, 'father' Is there a 4. somewhere prounced short e, like jet?

LOL that she left out South Korea - From a historical prespective, Korea is actually Chinese, according to the Chinese. Korea branched off from China a few dynasties ago, hence the reason why Koreans call themselves Han-gook, Han coming from the Han dynsasty of China. So maybe she left them out because it is known that Korean cultural stereotypes would fall under China. :) On the otherhand, with the rapid Westernization of South Korea, South Korean's culture has changed so much that the entire nation's cultural values are materialistic, so "success" can not really be attritubted to parenting, but about following cultural norm. I did enjoy her first book, even though I went into reading it thinking it was going to be awful.

If she's jumping around at bedtime and having night terrors, she is OVERtired. According to tons of reserach, children between 2yo and 5yo actuallly need about 12-14 hours of sleep per day. Check out the No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers or Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Have you tried putting her to bed EARLIER, like even as early as 6pm? She might complain the first few nights, however you could lay down with her and let your other children play quietly and then put them to bed at 8pm. Our routine for a 2yo and 6yo that share a bedroom: 5:30 Dinner 6:30 Bath, brush teeth, then a story (we start at 6:00 if they are tired) 7:00 Lights out (or 6:30 if they had a 6pm bath) They are generally both asleep by 7:15. They wake up naturally between 7:00 and 7:30. BTW: We don't spank either. I think a child that is so tired that they are jumping around actually needs to be held and cooed rather than punished.

Yep, these! My friend shared this recipe with me. She makes them without vanilla and salt, however she puts a little indentation on top of the batter ball and when she takes them out of the oven, she puts a Hershey's Kiss in the indentation. They get all melty, but after the cookie totally cools, they are the BEST peanut butter cookie. Be warned though - the batter looks like caterpillar poo (for those of us with children that do the Insect Lore butterflies)

Any opinions or experience with either? I have 2 daughters - One is too young to join anything, the other would be just starting out. Ideally I'd prefer a group that is more family orientated and would allow both girls to participate in activities together (at least when my youngest gets older.)

Love all these recommendations! I've put a number of them on hold at the library. To add to the list: The iY Genereration Ready for Anything, David Allen (Organization Guru! David Allen is the best!) Hold On to Your Kids, Gordon Neufeld (I've heard of this but didn't want to read it because I didn't like the title. I finally picked it up after some one mentioned it here on the board - turns out to be the best book ever about children, parents, and adults.) Another vote for: Outliers (another book I found out about on this board.) You Are Not So Smart Happiness Project Power of Habit

Amazon. I type in a book read a few of the reviews, then I look at the other recommendations that Amazon offers based on that title.

Thank you for the sweet encouragement! I feel much better and not so guilty. He's such a good kid that wants to please, he'll take whatever route I ask. I want him to get a college education, but it doesn't matter what kind of degree. He doesn't know what he wants to do for a career yet. Awhile ago we thought about going the concurrent enrollment path and he took the cc college entrance exams. It isn't a problem for him to enroll there. Although because of his age, there is the status issue on whether he is a concurrent student or if he is a college student. They'll ask when he completed his high school program and we'll have to come up with a solid date of him being finished. I guess if we go the cc route, my next step should be to call the university and verify that he could transfer without a high school diploma or SAT scores. ETA: My other fear is forcing him to grow-up too quickly. I know that sounds strange, but since I had to face the adult world so young, I want him to be able to experience the carefreeness of his teen years longer. Would putting him in an adult enviroment (college) force him to face things that might need to be put off for a few more years? I guess that is more of a parenting question...

My son is 16 and will be 17 in February. He was an only child for a very long time and homeschooling was bumpy, but good. We did a combination of classical/CM. Then when he was starting middle school, we had a suprise baby, then we had another surprise right when he should've been starting high school. Technically, now he should be a junior. But I think I quit homeschooling him full time around the time he was in middle school after the first baby - we had to sell a house, rent, and then buy a house. After we settled into our new home, I told myself we'd start doing school again, but weeks would go by before I realized we hadn't done anything. Then more weeks would go by and we still hadn't done a thing. Now I'm at a point looking back and feel like I failed and did him a disservice "homeschooling" him. At this point, I'm not sure what to do. My husband was a high school drop out and I was emancipated at 16 so our experience isn't helping us figure out how to proceed with our son's education. He reads at a college level, but he isn't doing anything schoolwise except working his way through Lial's to get up to speed for college algebra. He unschools on his own: English, history and science. So I guess I'm needing advice or suggestions or other input... Would it be bad if I just gave up high school now, considered him finished with homeschooling and let him go on to community college to get an Associates and then he can transfer that to a state University? What is the greatest benefit of going through the motions of actually finishing high school? He has no desire to go off to college, he took his PSAT as a sophmore and didn't want to take as a junior. Should I just jump back in to homescholing high school - Plan out courses for the next semester, do summer school and have him graduate next school year? Please help.

I was an addict too. Until I realized that I kept buying planners because I was trying to capture time itself. If I had the right planner and the right calendar, then I could keep time and get back all the time I had wasted in my life. It was a very profound moment of clarity for me. After reading Culture Code, I realized that a lot of things that I do is because they symbolize other things.

Yes, but parents aren't that category of leader. They are parents. There is a comfort and security knowing that the person driving knows which way to go, especially if you don't know where you are.

I completely agree with you, but wasn't quite sure how to word it. It seems strange to ask - especially after reading Generation iY and now realizing the epidemic of "adolesence" that lasts until the mid 30's, plus seeing the mentality and attitude of teens with "friend" parents. It's an awkward position to put any child in, regardless of age. The key is to always be listening, then you wouldn't really have to ask. However, I love these replies in which the teens are blank, confused or say that their parents are fine the way they are :)