I would probably let them play with it for awhile, as long as they are careful. There's a good chance that the price could go higher the longer you keep it.

Thanks for sharing the link. That is great that you have started to work on the debt. Has it been really difficult or not too bad?

I would love to find something that teaches my son basics about the computer as well as spreadsheets. Also, I would like him to learn some very basic programming. Does anyone know where I can find something like this? I have looked into Computer Science Pure and Simple. It appears to be exactly what I am looking for, but I don't like the fact that you have to buy a $95 software program (microworlds ex) to use it.

My husband and I have been watching the Dave Ramsey show on the Fox Business channel and we have been fascinated. We have a hard time believing some of the financial messes people get themselves into, but we really enjoy listening to the people call in with their stories about how they have paid off enormous amounts of debt. It is very inspiring. My husband and I don't have any debt, but we aren't good at saving either. Watching the show has inspired us to be more deliberate with our money. We are going to start a budget, although it seems a bit overwhelming. We want to start saving to pay cash for all future purchases and vacations. Is anyone here following the principles in the Total Money Makeover or Financial Peace University? I would love to hear your stories.

I am looking for some new vegan recipes. It seems that I make the same things over and over. I am including a couple of our favorites. I am others will do the same. SPICY JASMINE RICE WITH CARROTS AND CASHEWS 2 TBSP. Olive Oil 1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced 1 large carrot, grated 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger 2 tbsp. soy sauce (I use Bragg's Amino Acids) 1/2 tsp. honey 3 cups cooked brown jasmine rice 1 1/2 cups thawed sweet peas 1/2-3/4 cup chopped unsalted cashews 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeno and stir fry until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, garlic and ginger and stir fry until soft, about 2 minutes. 2. Add the soy sauce, honey and rive and stir-fry until the ingredients are blended and the rice is heated through, about 10 minutes. 3. To serve, place the rice in a shallow bowl, sprinkle with the chopped cashews, and serve immediately. The amounts of the seasonings are approximate as I don't measure anymore. You just have to find what tastes good to you. Broccoli with Orange Peel and Walnuts 2 cups broc. pieces 1 orange - zest and juice 1/4-1/2 cup walnut pieces 1/2 tbps grated ginger 2-4 tbsp soy sauce (I use Bragg's Amino acids) 1/2 tbsp lemon pepper 1 1/2 cup cooked brown rice Spray non-stick skillet with Pam and turn on heat to med. Add nuts and cook a couple of minutes. Add orange zest and ginger. Saute until zest begins to turn golden on edges. Do not allow to burn. This will only take 2-3 minutes. Add broc., orange juice (you may need to add just a little more orange juice) and cover skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes or until broc. is tender. Add soy sauce and lemon pepper. Stir well and spoon over rice.

My favorite is Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein. Here is an amazon.com link that lets you look inside the book. http://www.amazon.com/Mediterranean-Vegan-Kitchen-Donna-Klein/dp/1557883599/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209207771&sr=8-1

Thanks for providing the link.

I can't help with the high school prep, but I have used both the Scoring High and Preparing Students for Standardized Testing (Carson-Dellosa Publishing). The Prepararing Students for Standardized Testing is a lot more thorough. It has Science and Social Studies as well as the reading, language arts and math. The Scoring High books do not have the science and social studies. Scoring high is also a lot more expensive. Next year, instead of testing, we are just going to use the Preparing Students book so that I can see what he knows and what we need to work on. This is a lot more helpful than getting the test results back and not knowing what he missed and whether it was carelessness or lack of knowledge.

Do you mean cubic centimeters? The metric system was defined such that a cubic centimeter of WATER (under certain specific conditions of temperature and pressure) has a mass of 1 gram. If you are talking about something other than water, you have to know the density of the material.

I wanted to stop taking Allegra because of it suppressing the immune system. I have been using Quercetin and aller-7 from vitacost.com along with drinking lots of water to flush out histamines. These things have made it so that I only have to take 1-2 benadryls the entire allergy season.

How about Geronimo Stilton books. My son loved them at about that age. They are funny and your library should carry them.

We used A Beka math through A Beka 6 with our son, and then we moved to Saxon 8/7 this year. He did well with A Beka. Two areas that A Beka underperformed are: 1. By the time they do 4th or 5th grade math, A Beka has them multiplying 4 digit by 4 digit numbers, and dividing 6 digit by 4 digit numbers. I just don't see the point. 2. A Beka was very weak in geometry.

I have been invaded by ants this spring also. I bought some Combat ant traps yesterday and placed them near the area where the ants were coming in the house. So far this morning, there are no ants. Yesterday, before I bought the traps, I poured boiling water over any ant hills I could find near the front door.

It depends on the humidity and amount of wind. We usually have to turn it on when the outside temp. reaches 70. If it's breezy, we might wait until it hits 74.

See if your library carries any of the Schlessinger Media videos or dvds. Animal Life for Children DVD Series (13 Volumes) Animal Life in Action Video Series (16 Volumes) We haven't watched the animal videos, but we have seen several others, and they are very interesting.

We have completed Mystery of History I and II and have thoroughly enjoyed it. We started when my son was in 5th grade. I love her discussion for each lesson. She also has pretests, exercises, quizzes, activities, etc., and she suggests the child narrate or write important points on notecards. We have also loved reading historical fiction books that go along with the subject matter. I have the Truthquest Age of Revolution I and it looks interesting. However, she just suggests some writing topics to go along with the extensive list of other books she recommends. I need a curriculum that has more of the work done for me, but I don't like textbook type curriculum for history. If you have any more questions, let me know.

We've completed E and F and haven't needed the teacher's guide.

I always spend too much. When we first started homeschooling, I bought everything that looked interesting. However, I am really trying to be deliberate in what I buy now, but it is still expensive.

They are only worth the money if you are going to use them. The guides refer to the Famous Men books, but they also refer to other primary texts as well. They give vocabulary words, people and places (for possible map work), background info, discussion points and questions, and art activities. I accidentally bought one thinking that it was actually the Famous Men book. After looking through it, I don't think that I would buy another one. This is because I am also using MOH and I don't need the info that is in the guide. I hope this helps.

I like Montana Prairie Gold. I also use Kamut, which is actually not wheat. It has a great flavor and more nutrition than wheat. Here is a link for more info in case you've never heard of it. http://waltonfeed.com/self/kamut.html Deanna

Here is a recipe we enjoy. Red Lentil Dal 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 cups chopped onions 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups water 1 cup dried red lentils 3/4 teaspoon turmeric 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I prefer fresh ginger) 1 cup basmati rice, cooked according to package directions 2 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 jalapeño chili, seeded, chopped Saute the onions and garlic in a large pot. Add everything else except the cilantro. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender. After removing the pot from the heat, add the cilantro. I actually use about twice the amount of seasoning, but we like a lot of flavor.

For 6th grade: Saxon 8/7 - 5 days per week, 1 - 1 1/2 hours/day A Beka Language (going to R&S 7 next year) - 5 days Spelling Workout - 4 days Apologia Elementary - 3 days I don't use any of the other curricula

I take NSI DHA and Mega EFA purchased from Vitacost.com. I have never had any fishy burps. I have read that the fish oil should be molecularly distilled to ensure mercury and any other potential contaminants are eliminated. These products have undergone this process.

I have also been an avid lurker, and have learned many helpful hints and ideas from this website. I am also working on getting my posts up to 50 so I can sell on the swap board, but I have a long way to go.

My husband and I have always had severe allergies. We would both have to take Allegra during the spring and fall. However, a few years ago we went to a plant based diet, and it is amazing how much less severe our allergies are. I didn't want to have to take allergy medication anymore once I started paying attention to the side effects. One of the side effects of Allegra is viral infections. This is because Allegra suppresses your immune system. Also, other ideas are drinking a lot of water to flush the histamines. We also take quercetin and aller-7. All of these changes, have made it such that I only have to take 1-2 benadryls the entire allergy season. Deanna