Hey There, If you pay him, and he has to report it, could you use it against your taxes for childcare? If he's willing to help... even though it's like this... it's better than him being in a bad relationship.... (and having someone you wouldn't want with your kids) and then... HAVING to let him have the kids over there... Could be better! Could be worse! :(

I understand the wanting of the "experience" of having a cat have kitties. You might get a close experience by having a foster mama that has kittens. Often, you can have both mama and kittens after. There are just SO many. I have a friend who has a farm... who keeps cats .... and they keep having kittens. She's a wonderful lady... just doesn't feel the same about this. To ME means... have a cat... have it fixed.... BUT, perhaps it's not all of our responsibility to take only the "unwanted" and not have any "wanted". One thing I would say, is that if you have kittens, you might have the new owners pay for a spay at their vet before taking them. While YOU might have room for kitties and be ok with keeping them forever.... the city is not so lucky! We have SOOOO many kitties born around here... that become ferrel... we don't have enough room... About the dog, I agree that a dog can be outside a ton of them time, at night.... consider putting them in the crate in one of your children's rooms. There's a ton of reasons this is important, including bonding, and keeping the pup safe. If you don't have fencing... that is an issue at well. Though it can't keep animals from getting YOUR animal, consider invisible fencing which is pretty inexpensive if you run the wire yourself. I would consider a dog that could come inside each night, trails behind the children in for goodies... etc.... an inside dog... Really, you might be surprised at how your dog develops if you make it a part of your family, instead of just a "farm dog". BUT, yes... like your children... it will want to spend a ton of time outside. :)

In a garbage bag..... no joke. I remember freezing two boxes like this... You just put the whole peach in it... and then when you want some, grab them out... pop under tepid water... and the skin just slips off... A whole fall of summer frozen peached. An incredible memory at a money poor time. (My dad was in Law School) :)

And you probably don't say "for" you say "fer"... Darn... I can't get rid of that!! :)

Being a dog lover and a child lover, too... I think you should put the dog down, if you choose to get rid of it. Think of it, poor dog knows that you don't love it. You don't want to take the time to train it. You don't seem like you need a dog. Perhaps this can be something that you don't succumb to again, as in... when you see another dog or puppy... that looks cute... "Just say no". Dogs are tons of work! They are just like little kids that never grow up! Not everyone should have one. This isn't to say that I don't think that dogs should ever be rehomed... I mean... horses are great, too! No one dislikes someone selling their horse to another who can just love it up..... I guess I just think about my own pup who is about 6. I can't imagine putting him in a shelter... no one would feed him the way I do... someone else might freak him out... when he counter surfs! :) He just would be so... lost!! Just my thoughts.... If you do rehome him... it almost needs to be..... a friend or something :) :)

My great g-ma was Indian.. and yes... she would have said Indian :) Perhaps she'd say "Native Indian:)" My mom has Irish in her too.... My dad a bit of "Native" :)Indian... Course, my easy skin for tanning might say Indian... but unless you compare my cheek bones.. you wouldn't know... BUT if you saw my great-Uncle with his cool braids... getting ready for war!! Then you'd believe it!! He was young! Our records all burned down, so no evidence besides the cool pics. And... that was at a time when it seems like they.... hid their heritage! Darn!! :(

Feeding a diet free from wheat and corn and other grains like that... I feed a bit of rice sometimes, and he cheats by stealing some food :) With teeth, if there is plaque, you can actually flick it off sometimes. You take your nail... and... scrape. :) Yay! I have to say that while my pups breath isn't beautiful, it's not horrible. Sometimes I wanna ask him if I could waterpik his mouth out :) I wash him pretty often.... and you can look in their ears. I think that the <gasp> raw food diet is the best... and with that many dogs... if you you didn't end up picking it up right away... on occasion... it melts much faster into the grass... when there's no grain... :) A maid would be nice to help, too!! My dream!!

I would until say... jr high school.... Then I'd help with them attending an University Model school or something like that... I don't think I'd want to do Jr High/ High School with my g-kids.... I want help with my own!! :)

That's wonderful!! It's the way many of us believe that you should learn to write. You will need to do printing with them... when they start to really label maps... much later. I agree; familiarize yourself with Abeka's cursive and use that for copy work and their school work. Lucky you! Many would like to start their homeschooling with children who write their letters well!! :) Yay!! I hope my son catches up... this year.... :) He's in 2nd... but he really likes.... Capital letters :)

I think that people are thinking of their own education; perhaps they are pleased with it. Perhaps they are just defensive about what they did with THEIR children. We feel like it's what God would have us do, or We feel like we have a responsibility to educate them to the best of their ability.... We'd be happy to have them involved in______; would you want to think about finding out how much that would cost, and perhaps add it as a Christmas gift for the children? I'm sure they'd love that!! I mean... sometimes you get to the heart of the questions... and you can both be pleased... they will help extra... or they won't... and they won't want to to suggest their help anymore :)

Leave the kids, spend some money for a babysitter to be with them during the day to give your parents a break... It may work to have them come at a certain time, help with dinner, and put them to bed... then leave. Even my mom can use a break.... :) (You know, as can I :)

Calvin & Hobbes :)

Very Good!! I'm excited for you; a dog is a WONDERFUL thing! My advise it to get seriously good training from someone who is a "professional".... and work on recall!! A long orange rope is your best friend... "come" and then sitting before you! Especially with a beagle... and... with me... I'd end up training with a "shock collar" just as a preventative for running away.... not for everything... (just to use as an emergency back up) Anyway, good recall is so important!! The training that I did with my dog 3 years ago is still evident. I didn't use a shock collar, but I've always thought it'd be good to "have an imaginary leash" on him when I'm taking him out without a leash... (like from the house to the car)... He's good... but not totally perfect.... I keep saying I need to do some more training with him!! Yay!! A dog!! :)

On the other hand, my husband grew up with "hot dish/casseroles" almost every night and I think that he'd be happy for "some meal" every night versus having "Taco Bell" late every night... Poor, patient husband.... This is one of my goals each for this coming year! :)

It depends on what type of fillings... as far as "knocking her out". My daughter had fillings when she was that age, and they were so small.... they did it with "no pain reducers". They said the shot hurt more than the filling. She did fine! They also did the "knocked out" on my son. I understand not wanting parents back there. Parents sometimes freak their own children out, by putting "negative seeds" in their minds. I would want to know that TWO adults will be in the room the whole time. Really, just that bothers me. I don't want the Dentist with my child by themselves. Also, they might let her back there, after... they put her little one under. That way she can see what they're doing... but at a time when the little one is already "sleeping". Really, though I see all these Dentist threads... I've had great Dentists and I've always trusted them. I think that without me has been fine! (But, I choose "safe" surroundings for them.) :)

And, if you're going to do it, see about a "Home remodeling" Loan or options at least.... Sorry! I don't have that one time thing to spend, but if you look at our credit cards... you'll see the $5000.00 for plumbing and all the other THOUSANDS that we've spent and will spend... next is pulling out the electrical wire, putting in insulation, and we don't have floors with nice coverings.... Funny how we're in the over $80,000 a year and I don't have enough $$$ for things like new flooring for my house. My daughter just says "Will we ever have a house that isn't embarrassing? Houses drain and then drain some more... and have left me understanding "negative numbers". :( Sorry!!

Funny about this College/University!(Letourneau) When my dad was teaching there (and homeschooling us) he was offered to quit homeschooling... or be fired. I had fun running around campus... and going to classes with my dad... and then... he went to Oklahoma to law school :)

For Essentials, If you're stuck on Rod&Staff, you can do that. There are some sheets that are fun to "learn" to do... but the Dialectic part of doing it in a group..... is really wonderful!! Also, this is a nice transition period towards Challenge. Challenge Saxon.... No you don't have to use it... It's more conceptual... where they go through "how" and "why" things work... problems worked out... and if others are using another way... your student can explain how they got to their answer. There are whole Challenges where no student uses Saxon at home. :)

You could also get the shower, but have gifts go to a spot of your choosing for unwed, or other "mom's spot" or a foster place for babies... etc.... That way you get the fun... and others get the presents... or... if you need one big thing.... I love the http://www.kanoe.us/3.html :)

Dickblick.com is suppose to have lovely chalk. Check out some Waldorf sites if you choose a chalk board. You can get a lovely picture up. The Crayons for Whiteboards seem to wipe off well. The dry erase low odor markers by Quartet are the best. You can see the ink levels and they write well and with "dark" ink. :)

In Oregon, you have a secular OHEN one that looked great and a Christian Based OCEAN one. You also have over in Washington, around Puyallup, a nice "WHO" one and then there's one more. Next year, I hope to drive to WA. The year I did a booth there, they had SWB and Andrew Pudewa. Anyone wanna drive over with me next year?? :)

I'm trying to get a bit in now, but it's been hard... :)

If I was going to do Apple Cider, I'd do the Raw Unfiltered kind... Do you have a HealthFood Store you can get it from?? (and was it Apple Cider?? Or apple cider vinegar?? ...which you can get unfiltered, too)

Gosh.. I'm so ultra conservative freaky modest it's not funny. AND, I don't want my children to be showing their whole bodies... but... swimming mixed gender is just that!! Swimming!!! Sperm don't swim through the water and get anyone pregnant... (i'm sure there's some story that I'll now hear :) I don't want my children to hide behind a curtain like showing something is going to make boys sin. Boys sin on their own, if they don't get themselves under control. I mean... as long as you aren't purposely shoving their bodies in front of the boys. (I do want my children to wear very modest clothing, but not skirts and drapes like I have seen on the other thread) :)

There are different types of hives... or different ways I've had them at least. I had them more when I was younger.... I've had raised ones that look like a million mosquitos bit me. I've had ones that are not really raised too much... that look like a rash (but they were surely hives!) I've had ones that aren't so "mountainy" on me... more spread out. I had hives that would go away when I was outside... but would come back inside... (and "inside" is used lightly.... over the time that I was inside... it was in different hotel rooms, in restaurants and then at home... so not the same environment) Hives are crazy! I know sometimes they've been stress induced... perhaps other food?? We never really could figure it out.... Only once did I know that it was REALLY stress... The night before a test... Other than that.... ugh!! :)