:iagree:Well said, Kathleen. I will just add that I was brought up to "believe" that Santa was real and it was a real let-down for me when I found out he wasn't. I then translated that to God and decided that He must not be real either....boy, was I wrong about that. In my opinion, the whole idea of Santa is deceptive. My dc know that Jesus is real and Santa is plastic. I do tell them to keep that knowledge to themselves if a friend still believes in Santa. I tell them it is their friend's parents who should burst their bubble, not them.

Ditto.

I went to grade school with a boy named Justin Case. No lie.

Thanks for all the input. I read the pluggedinonline review and as soon as I saw the language, including blasphemy, I said no way. Good point whoever brought up other problems we may run into with unsupervised playdates if their son is allowed to watch such things. That's usually why we just have friends over here, and when they are here we have a no TV rule.

Marmot in Mongolia. Yak too.

I use Rod & Staff for grammar which incorporates poetry, but not enough. So reading good poetry books on your own will give them a sense of rhyme and rhythm. Edward Lear is great for your dc ages but also read great poets as well. FLL has some poem memorization too.

I am not planning on this, but my ds9 was invited to a friend's birthday party where they will be going to this movie and it is PG-13. :confused: The mom acknowledges that this may be a problem for some parents...ummm, yea....but how should I respond here? I thought about letting him get to their house after the movie for pizza but will all the boys be discussing the movie? I guess I just think it is too intense for 9 yr. olds. What says the hive?

I was 13 and I still remember reading the newspaper headlines that morning. I loved the Beatles music, the songs written when they were not high on something anyway, I just didn't agree with their worldview.

We did all four years of Biblioplan and followed their schedule. Younger two dc are doing Ancients this year. If you are feeling overwhelmed at any point you are probably trying to read everything on the schedule which I think is hard to do at times. So back off when you need to.

We are using Typing Instructor Deluxe and the kids really enjoy it.

I've used Saxon from the beginning. Oldest is in 76 now. I think the decimal, fraction, percent foundation is laid in 54, not 65 and that may be part of the problem you are having. They are assuming your dc remembers learning these concepts ad nauseum in 54. I think my dc have learned fractions, decimals, and percents better than I ever did at their ages using this program.

I like them and I'm using them in conjunction with Biblioplan Ancients for my 6th grader. But I also found them at a used curriculum sale for $6 a piece (Egypt, Greece, Rome). I would not pay full price for them but I would recommend looking at used sales when you can. There were some for sale here a few months ago at reasonable prices.

Good bladder control usually happens around 16 weeks of age depending on the breed. Help her out by limiting water intake after a certain hour at night.

Are we twins separated at birth? Oh no, that can't be, I'm 7 years older than you. I look at some of my friends the same way...usually they have a better wardrobe and know how to style their hair:lol:. They are more patient with their children and have great solutions for every parenting issue. My mom was always an "immature" mom but now she is finally a fantastic grandmother at 71. Maybe that is me. I don't know.

:lol::lol::lol: I am 42 and mentally I am 26. I still do all the things I did then, just not as often because I have three dc. I still play sports, I wear jeans, I don't wear make-up...yet. I am aware that my choices of activity have more consequences than they used to (sore muscles, etc.) but I don't think I'm that different from my 20's. And I expect the 50's to be this way too. ;)

I told ds9 that he has exactly 10 minutes to find any escapee and then the house goes on the market!:lol:

Cornelia? Hah! I get it.:D

I'm guessing they wouldn't ship very well FedEx:lol:. The baby we're getting is at a reptile specialty place and they won't let them go until they are eating really well, so hopefully that will work!

Umm...how did you get them OUT of the trees?:lol:

I'll try to!

The only thing my dc are missing out on is being home! We are too busy. Oh, and they are missing out on most of the negative socialization aspects.

We'll be getting a baby corn snake sometime before Christmas. I have the right size tank, under tank heater, lights, substrate, dishes, thermometer, place to bask, place to hide. I know it needs frozen mice. What else should I expect? I am not a reptile vet but after this learning experience I may start seeing a whole new clientele! LOL. Any for sure dos and don'ts are welcome advice.

Parvo is fecal:oral transmission, not airborne, just to clear that up. However, it is extremely hardy in the soil and can last a LONG time. Puppies should not be in high dog traffic areas until after complete series of parvo vax (last one must be after 16 weeks of age and preferably before 20 weeks) and then I would even wait to bring them to dog parks, etc. until 6 months of age. And, FYI, bleach may not completely clean up parvo, in my experience. NaOH should which is "Mr. Clean". So I would bleach, let dry and then do MR. Clean as well. Just my vet two cents. Enjoy the new puppy!

Geographically, Greenland belongs to North America. Politically, I believe it is under the control of Denmark. I read that somewhere. So some maps will include it with Europe.

"Weep with those who weep". If she is your bf she needs you to just mourn with her and to gently remind her that not one sparrow falls to the ground out of God's control. I would bring her food, sit in her living room and listen to her. Ask where you can help. Find out who is handling all the arrangements, see if they need help but other than that just be at your friends disposal for awhile. :grouphug: to you and her.