I was a major clothing and purse snob. Now that times are tight I am having to rehab myself. Good thing I have a stockpile:tongue_smilie:. Seriously though, I am trying to reprioritize my entire life and see that maybe I am ok with other brands. However, I honestly believe some brands are worth the extra money in the long run. I am not a food snob, and I could careless what pen I have, as long as it writes.

I would buy: Beans (they are like $1 a bag where I live) Chicken leg quarter (I just bought some for 0.59/lb) Rice (you can buy a large bag for a few dollars) Apples (a 5lb bag is usually around $2.50) Bananas (I know these are generally cheap) Carrots (5lb bag around $3.50 or less) Potatoes (5lb bag 3.99 or less) Celery (under a dollar for a bag) Pasta (buy 1lb boxes on sale for under $1) Oatmeal (again around $1 a container on sale) Eggs (1.50 a dozen) Flour, butter, and Sugar if needed Shop around and buy whatever fruit and vegetables are on sale this week. Also, try to purchase meat when it is under $2/lb. Use meat as your side dish not the main course. We are on a very limited budget and I have learned to stock up as much as possible when things are on sale. We plan our weekly menu around sales and coupons. I have learned to cook many things from scratch. Before our finances changed I rarely if ever cooked so we are learning as we go. I would second the hillbillyhousewife. I use a number of her recipes and tweak them to my family's taste.

I totally agree 6-8th grade writing class is not the place for these subjects to be introduced. I personally would avoid such curr. no matter how good it is. I am proud to "shelter" my son and wait until I feel he is developmentally ready for such topics. I don't need others to open his eyes.

I tend to avoid these questions as they stir up a lot of emotions in me, but I notice there has been a grat deal of talk on this subject over the past week. DH was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago and life at our home has never been the same. Sadly by the time DH's cancer was diagnosed it had already metastisized. At this time his overall health is pretty good. He is still in a great deal of pain and depressed though. He has gone through all his chemo treatments and had the neccessary surgeries needed to remove the cancerous tissue and repair the damage it had caused. Now we are left to just wait and pray. During DH's treatment his friend, which happened to also be a coworker, was also diagnosed with cancer and started treatment. She is doing very well and seems to have responded very positive to the treatment. Sadly about a month ago I lost one of my close friends to pancreatic cancer. He had only found out a month prior and never even had the chance to leave the hospital. He was suffering not just from the cancer but also from other illness and had made it very clear that he was ready to "go home to be with his heavenly father." He really touched me because he was so at peace with dying and so certain of where he was going. I pray for all of those who's lives have been touched by this horrible disease. The disease itself is terrible and the treatment for it seems just as bad. I hope everyone finds the strength and comfort they need while dealing with this.

We did a chapter on the card catalog in Shurley about 2 weeks ago and DS had no clue what I was talking about. What do you mean you can't just use the computer??? He laughs at me when I tell him we didn't have a computer growing up.

If I know I have a large amount of coupons I try to go when the store will be least crowded. I use CVS and Walgreens a lot for their deals on toiletries. We have a couple 24hour stores so I don't feel bad if takes long. My normal grocery store, Publix, is only open certain hours. When the store first opens there is only one cashier and after noon it's packed, so I try and go around 9-10. However, I tend to find generic brands the cheapest even with coupons. I am not someone you want to be behind in the grocery store because I write down all the prices next to my shopping list so as they are ringing it up I am closely watching. Our store has a policy that if the price rings up more than what is advertised then you get the item free. I have fought clerks who have tried to correct the price rather than giving it to me free as clearly posted at each check stand. I use to work at the store when I was a teenager and actually know the manager now. He jokes that I am always causing problems. I hate to say it but grocery prices are becoming too expensive not to cut coupons.

DS does not wear a uniform but I have made him a few homeschool T-shirts per his request. DS tends to dress in khakis, shorts or pants, and polo shirts. It is all just our preference in style not for uniform effects.

In my youth and early 20's I was always in fashion. I spent more time on my looks and less on the person within me. As I aged and matured I realized my parents were right; people do judge you on the way you look. I met DH through a mutal friend. He has told me that had he not got to know me he would have never wanted to date me, much less marry me, because I didn't LOOK like the girl he wanted to be with. So what I'm trying to say is sometimes clothing does actually distract people from see the real you. Since meeting my husband my clothing choices have changed dramatically out of respect. I am much more conservative and find myself uncomfortable when men look at me. I know the Bible talks about not bringing lustful thoughts into anothers mind. Don't recall the exact verses though. I think as a Christian it is difficult to be "fashionable" and appropriate. I struggle within myself because I still long to dress in pretty clothing but I do not want to disrespect God or my DH. Sometimes I think the Amish and Mennonite women are the examples I need to be following not the fashion models. Sorry I wish I had a better answer for you.

From your list we read and enjoyed these books. As mentioned previously we actually downloaded the Famous Men books. Of all the books the Sutcliff books were my personal favorites. DS actually checked out Black Ships Before Troy again this year. If I had to delete books on your list I would pick the Time Warp Trio and Magic Tree House books. Although they are fun reads I think some of your other books are stronger in content. Also, I know you are trying to shrink your list, but I would recommend adding, The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare. It was one of those books that we didn't want to put down. A Wind in the Door - Madeleine L'Engle; Gilgamesh the Hero - Geraldine McCaughrean; Black Ships Before Troy - Rosemary Sutcliff; Ancient Mysteries - Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Ancient Mysteries; DVD The Librarian Who Measured the Earth - Kathryn Lasky; Cleopatra - Diane Stanley; Famous Men of Greece (Yesterday's Classics) - John H. Haaren; Famous Men of Rome (Yesterday's Classics) - John H. Haaren; Prince Siddhartha: The Story of Buddha - Jonathan Landaw; The Golden Goblet (Newbery Library, Puffin) - Eloise Jarvis McGraw; Mara, Daughter of the Nile (Puffin Story Books) – The Wanderings of Odysseus - Rosemary Sutcliff; Mass Market Paperback

You can download these two from librivox for free. Famous Men of Greece - John H. Haaren; Famous Men of Rome - John H. Haaren;

We are on our third book in the Saxon series and plan on sticking with it. I originally chose Saxon because it was extremely scripted. (Saxon 3) When we switched over to Saxon 54 I was shocked because the setup changed and there was less hand holding. It took us a few weeks to get use to it. I like Saxon because it is spiral and math concepts stay fresh. The higher levels speak directly to the student, so more independence. Although I still do the work with DS I am able to have him start without me if I am busy. Saxon takes baby steps when introducing new skills which also helps. The biggest thing I see lacking in Saxon are word problems. I know many people supplement with Singapore which might help this. I also feel there are too many problems in early grades. Even now we do evens or odds as long as DS isn't struggling with a concept.

OK I'll give this a try. 7 books total, hmmm...Assuming I have no home library, internet, or library access it would be extremely hard. I think I can live without an official phonics, spelling, and handwriting program. 1. The Bible 2. Usborne History of the World (SOTW would be my actual choice if I could count it as one) 3. WWE 4. A science encyclopedia I would need to search very hard for which specifically. 5. and 6. Two different levels of Saxon (Maybe 6/5 and Algebra) I think I can sufficiently teach the lower math skills. 7. R&S English level 5 or 6. This would not be the best education for my DS I am positive. However, if I were stranded in the middle of nowhere these would be my choices.

The words to the jingles are in the front of the student's workbook. They are also spread out in the teacher's manual, but you have to flip around the pages. We are just finishing the 4th grade book so I really can't comment on higher levels. DS seems to really like Shurley so I think we will stick with it for now. I have chose to skip the writing sections because I felt they were beyond DS level. We are supplementing with WWE and hopefully Writing Tales soon.

When your 8yo picks to read next years history book as a fun read and gets upset that he has to go to bed and can't finish it. When you take your 9yo to visit his aunt in a public high school, and he is browsing her books and points out that the facts are actually incorrect. (It is an IB program and the kids were asking if he could stay.)

:eek: Yikes!

Your credit card person also has a job at Direct TV. Instead of cancelling my service as requested they tried to sell me a more expensive package. Ummm... no thanks. Then insisted on telling me what a GREAT deal it was. Meantime, I was online looking at there site and pointed out they gave brand new customers better deals then they were offering me. :001_smile: Finally silence. Needless to say the Direct TV is off. Still trying to convince the others satallite tv is a want not a NEED!

You can pre-order from amazon here. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Writer-Writing-Ease-Level/dp/1933339306/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232672734&sr=1-11#productPromotions

I go to the gym and walk/run for about an hour 3-5 times a week. If I had the room and the money I would purchase one. South FL is too hot to actually run outside. I have tried exercising outside in the past and my hands swell up. I'm not sure what causes it but it only happens outside in the heat.

DS is a bookworm and would stay in his room and read all day if I allowed it. :) We go to the library about twice a week and pick out books. I place history and science books in a basket to read freely. He prefers the history books so I generally try and read the science books out loud during school time. I also assign 1-2 reading books per week depending on size. I have in the past required book reports but they turned into more busy work than anything. I know he is reading and comprehending the books because he is able to join in discussions related to the topics we choose. I get book recommendations from SOTW activty guide, MFW teacher's book, Sonlight, and Ambelside online. When we find an author we especially like we try and find more of thier books. I liked the idea of reading time = play time.

LOL You would hate our home. I absolutely love Christmas decorations. We have the inflatables and christmas lights out front. The candycane lights are new in town this year and I have been anxious to find them. We have the snowflake lights on the house but I want the candycane lights for the fence. If I had more money I would love to have my house lit up like the ones you see on TV. We don't have any deer but I think they are cute. Christmas is a time for fun. My cousin has a pink tree, but she is 21 so there is your reason.

We keep 3 seperate notebooks for DS. We use one notebook for vocabulary, another for lesson practice, and a third for journaling. We do not use the writing portion of the program as I feel it does not have enough guidance for DS.

I would rather not know. I may be the odd one but I would rather my last thoughts of my pet be nice ones. I have no desire to think of my kitty dead on the side of the road.

Games, science models, computer programs, Evan-Moor products, grammar charts. 50% off is a fantastic discount.

Although I only have a son, I think if I did have a daughter I would allow her to wear clear or a shear colored lip gloss. Burts Bee has some very nice lip products that add just a slight hint of color to your lips.

Normal grammar school age behavior. We are doing Abeka Science and learning the flowers. One of the flowers is Trailing Arbutus and my son smacks his rear end and announces Trailing Ar-BUTT-us every time we study. :lol: Oh well...