If your son is taking AP classes at a public school, the difficulty will depend on how it is taught. I believe that AP teachers are supposed to receive special training to teach the subject at a higher level. However, our experience has shown that it depends on the teacher's commitment to actually teach the class at a higher level. My oldest is finishing his senior year and has taken as many AP courses as possible throughout high school. His results on the tests have corresponded very closely to his opinion of how well the course was taught, i.e. high scores from great teachers, lower scores in the classes that weren't taught any differently than a regular class. Having quite a few basic credits out of the way when he starts college will hopefully give him some flexibility to actually finish in four years. Most state colleges I've looked at give credit for a score of 3 on an AP test. Many private schools only give credit for 4's or 5's. Karen

I think I figured out the answer to my own question. At least on FOR SALE posts, I paid closer attention and was able to edit for one week and then the edit button is no longer available. At that point, if I want to continue posting and have the option to edit my post, I cut and paste my content into a New Thread. Karen

The edit button is no longer showing and I am logged in. Karen

I read in another thread that you can't edit old posts. Does anyone know how long you do have the option to edit a post? Thanks. Karen

When our children were very young, their grandparents and great grandparents were all still living. For the great grandparents, we called them Grandma and Grandpa followed by their last names. Then for grandparents we asked if our parents would mind being called Grandma and Grandpa followed by their first names. So we had Grandma Joyce, Grandpa Harold, Grandma Jo (for JoAnn), Grandpa Virgil, and then all the greats. One Great Grandpa wanted to be called by his first name, so he was Grandpa Pete.

We love that one too. Also, we used to check out tapes for the Boxcar Children from the library. I don't know if they're still available. Those might be more appropriate for the younger ones. If you don't mind cassettes, I saw some for Anne of Green Gables really cheap on Library and Educational Services website.

Yes, we have one. I have to limit the time my 9y/o and 14 y/o spend on it. My 9y/o still has to start it up for me if I want to play WiiFit. That's the only program I use, but the kids have lots of other favorites.

The old standby: socks My 9 yo daughter is getting tie-dyed ankle socks in her stocking.

We eat lots of rice too. In fact I have beans in the crockpot right now to have with rice tonight. Do you fix your rice on the stove or do you have a rice cooker? Rice cookers are great if you fix rice often.

Have you tried cooking the hamburger with onion or other seasonings before you freeze it?

Vegetable oil works, too. We sometimes put ours in the oven, or you can use your stovetop on low if needed. I don't spray mine, but I do melt some butter in it before I make scrambled eggs and they usually don't stick.

1 lb. ground beef, browned 1 can spaghetti sauce 24 oz cottage cheese 1 egg 8-10 lasagna noodles, uncooked 2-3 cups mozzarella cheese Combine ground beef and spagetti sauce. Combine egg and cottage cheese. Layer half of the ground beef mixture, the dry noodles, cottage cheese mixture and the mozzarella cheese in the slow cooker. Repeat layers. Cover. Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6-8 hours. To make this even faster to prepare, I usually buy large quantities of ground beef, cook it all at once, and freeze it in approx. one pound portions in freezer bags. When I'm ready to make lasagna, chili, tacos, sloppy joe's, etc. I just grab a bag of cooked hamburger out of the freezer.

8 slices white bread, cubed 1 lb Italian sausage links, casings removed and sliced 2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 c shredded mozzarella cheese 9 eggs 3 cups milk 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed Place bread cubes in a greased 13 X 9 in baking dish; set aside. I large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Spoon sausage over bread; sprinkle with cheeses. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and seasonings; pour over casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. I have served this to my family and they loved it. I used regular ground sausage rather than links and I didn't have fennel seed. I fixed it for supper once and only refrigerated it for a few hours in the afternoon.

I think that's a great ending to your Christmas letter. Some people may be offended, but don't let that keep you from expressing your thoughts.