The Nativity Story is wonderful.

Don't forget to complete her puppy series of vaccinations. She'll need two more distemper/parvo boosters (depending on when whe received previous ones and the last one should be after 16 weeks) and Rabies vax after 12 weeks. Bring a fecal in to your vet to make sure she is free of intestinal parasites, roundworms and hookworms are very common in puppies. Start her on heartworm prevention, she is too young to test. If you are in a cold climate you might not have to start this until April, depends on your mosquito season.

OK, I still use my lead-laden Rival Crockpot and I don't have any plans to get rid of it....there....I said it...I feel soooo much better. :lol:

Everyone has a "gastrocolic reflex", it is totally normal. It just means that when you eat then there is a reflex to empty your colon, but usually it is at least 20 minutes or so before any urges, etc. If your dd can barely get through a meal or if her bowel movements are diarrhea then I would definitely have her seen by your doctor. There may be some dietary things you can do to prolong her reflexes, so to speak.

:lol::lol::lol: That's what he might do first! Count the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae for a start to see what species it might fall under. I can't do it from the picture. Looking at the dentition will definitely help too.

The only evidence I personally have is that when it gets to be 20 below or colder around here (MN) I can take boiling water in a coffee mug outside, toss it into the air, and make snow. Doesn't work with cold water. Go figure.

We haven't used calculators yet either, so she'll have some fun learning about them! The flashcards I found for this test are too extensive, like you could never "flash" them and read it all fast enough! So I have to figure out how to help her prepare without scaring the heck out of her either!:D

Thanks everyone, so much, I am feeling better about the decision now. I didn't want her to get in there and find she couldn't do ANY of the test! That wouldn't be much positive reinforcement for test taking;).

My dd11 will be taking this in January. I thought we should get as much experience with large group test taking as possible due to dd difficulty in being timed, etc. I looked at the example questions online and they seemed very close to where she is at now. But....then I ordered the flashcards to help her prepare and after looking at those I may be sending a sheep to the wolves! She is way above her 6th grade level in almost every subject, at 12th grade in reading comprehension and overall was considered at 11th grade for her composite, so I thought an 8th grade test would be OK. Now I'm not so sure. If you have any experience with this test please chime in here, especially if you have a younger student who has taken it. Thanks!

You're kidding right...what....does she have a deathwish? I wouldn't get mouthy with you and I live in another state!:lol:

Pick me! Pick me! :hurray: I need to get out of the city and I work with dogs from hell all the time. Guinea what? Guinea pigs? Guinea fowl? The country? What? Can the sitter eat a psychotic chicken now and then? "Spoiled cat"= redundant. Oh, and as to the birth certificate thing, it is amazing what one can do in this country WITHOUT one, so I'm sure you'll have no problem getting your passports!:lol:

I have a dd11 and the last thing she wants to do is spend time with boys! So every kid is different. My ds9 needs to be around other boys on a regular basis. He is with women all day. Dh is great with him but I try to be very intentional about playdates for him that include many boys. Do you belong to any kind of homeschool social network or is there a co-op he can take a couple of classes at to get a taste of "school"?

At first I read "twins" and was going to cut her some slack, but as I read on I decided not to;). I agree with whoever said leave her alone and let her grow up. No more meals but if she is really struggling in the culinary arts maybe some helpful time-saver tips, etc. would be appreciated. The first month is the hardest, IMO and she is past that...so let her go!

Did it!

Depending on what is causing his liver disease he could end up doing quite well, do they know what they are treating? Infection? Cancer? There has been no liver ultrasound and biopsy right? So they don't know. Just like the cat I had last night:glare:. Costwise, I'll tell you what you would run up at our clinic: x-rays two views on one large plate about $80, Complete Blood Count $56, Chem Scan $83, Urinalysis $30, IV cath and fluids and hospitalization about $80 per day, pain meds and antibiotics about $25. You said he had a urinary cath removed? Was he blocked? That adds a whole bunch more to the bill to anesthetize and place a Urin. cath. Did he have tons of bilirubin crystals in his urine causing a problem? Hope that gives you some idea. He is a young cat so cholangitis would be more likely than cancer and if his kidneys are not involved, as long as he is eating and you can get the infection under control he might do well.

He's lost almost half his body weight? Kidneys, diabetes, hyperthyroidism (but usually those are older and trying to eat you out of house and home), cancer, feline leukemia, bad teeth resulting in tooth root abscess. Those are my top rule-outs just based on what you shared. A good physical exam and maybe some bloodwork and a urinalysis will get you some answers.

Up is by far and away my favorite Pixar flick. We just watched the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills....kids loved it. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers....kids loved it. Ratatouille, another recent fav.

Dd11 is in a monthly book club. So far they have read: The Westing Game A Wrinkle in Time Sarah, Plain and Tall Isle of Swords There are 16 girls in the club and one mom who oversees it all (God bless her;))

Maybe I should have said "helicopter dad" instead of "guard", you know, some just want to hover but have no real investment, others really want to invest and it looks like hovering.

What if this dad is really not on "guard duty" as some have presumed, but he actually cares about what these boys are thinking, saying, doing, because he wants to see them become honorable men and not a bunch of fools like those who seem to pervade our culture these days? I'm going to turn this around a little and hopefully not hijack...I got into all kinds of trouble because of parents who "observed from a polite distance" during my tween and teen years. I understand that we need to move from a position of authority to influence as our kids mature and leave the nest, but I want to keep being engaged with my dc and their friends even moreso during the tumultuous adolescent years. I want to be a model of maturity and true womanhood for my girls and their friends. Whether this is a faith issue or not for this man I do not know, for me it is certainly part of it. But I draw the line at sleepovers....I have no desire to sleep in a room full of 12 yr. olds...who would sleep?:lol:

I am not a guinea pig expert by any means but I understand that Advantage and Revolution are safe to use on guinea pigs. Advantage dose is 10mg./lb. or 0.1cc per pound applied on skin on back of neck. I'm posting Revolution guidelines below as there are different concentrations. Please stay away from Hartz products! And make sure they are really fleas, pigs can get chyletiella or lice too! Revolution should take care of all of those and I would do it 2 or 3 monthly doses in a row. Selamectin -- (Revolution) Calculate Dose in mg and cc A newer treatment for mites and lice requiring a prescription. Apply topically to the skin. Pfizer reportedly advises 10mg/kg for cavies. Selamectin does not have ivermectin's proven safety track record but some cavy owners appreciate the convenience of once a month topical dosing. NOTE: Tubes come in different concentrations (either 60mg/cc or 120 mg/cc). Individual tubes contain from 15mg to 360 mg selamectin and vary from 0.25cc to 3 cc by volume. Example: Mauve tube treats up to 2.5kg of cat and contains 15mg per tube. [Each tube contains 0.25cc at 60mg/ml -- see PICTURE OF PACKAGE] So if the concentration is 60mg/cc and the dosage is 10mg for a one kilo pig, the dose is 0.167cc. If you use the 120mg/cc tubes (which are twice as concentrated), the dose is smaller: 0.0833cc for a one kilo pig. To dose individual pigs, multiply their weight in kilos times either 0.0833cc (for the 120mg/cc tubes) or 0.167cc (for the 60mg/cc tubes). Example: for a pig of 0.5 kilos using a 60mg/ml concentration: 0.5kg X 0.167cc/kg = 0.0835cc Dosage: 10mg/kg Hope that helps! Soph

We did state history as a summer term using the resources from www.statehistory.net as well as the Abeka "My State Notebook". We joined the state historical society for a year and that let us into 26 different places around the state. We did lots of day trips and a few weekend trips to learn as many things as possible in a hands-on way. In MN state history is taught in 4th grade in the schools. Make sure to include a trip to your state capitol and see the legislature in session!

Hi Cheryl, I just wanted to encourage you to persevere. I agree with the above poster about just focusing on a few subjects for now. Abeka is very thorough and takes all day doesn't it? I would focus on math and LA and let your dc see that they have abundant time to try new things, follow a passion, read freely for hours, go to fun museums when everyone else is in school, etc. etc. Make sure the older ones are staying connected with some of their friends as well. Start playing some games at home or incorporating skills like cooking, gardening, sewing, etc. into their days at home so they can see the benefits of hands-on learning. It really takes three years to feel confident in your homeschool and don't be surprised when burnout time hits around March.

Yeah, around here there are many in lockstep with whatever the government tells them to do. The local H1N1 vax appointment line got shut down by 120,000 calls in a couple of hours! I'm still not getting it...even if Remudamom did it!:tongue_smilie:

I'm doing Biology this year with 6th, 4th, and 1st graders. We spent the first 8 weeks on the human body. I outlined them on parchment paper and put their bodies up on the wall. Each week we would learn one or two systems, color the organs and cut them out to tape on the bodies. The two older dc had additional reading and coloring in anatomy coloring books designed for high school or college age. Now we are spending about 15 weeks on animals following the Apologia Land Animals of the Sixth Day, then we will do Apologia's Botany in the Spring. I just teach to the oldest and let the youngers absorb what they will.