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I just saw today that there will be a children's conference for ages 5-12 at the NC homeschool conference this year. It will be hosted by Children's Conferences International. Does anyone have any experience with these???

I have a DS named Andrew, so I'm partial to that name. His middle name is Zeger, but that's a Dutch family name. Probably not what you want! We would have named our 4th child Luke, but we got an Anna instead. :)

I've had Fedex Smartpost before, and it's always slow. However, this Christmas was the first time I experienced UPS Mail Innovations. It was awful. My package sat 30 minutes away at the Greensboro post office for a week. Here's what the tracking looked like: Dec 12 2011 2:27PM Package delivered by local post office GRAHAM, NC Dec 12 2011 9:23AM Package out for post office delivery GRAHAM, NC Dec 12 2011 9:13AM Package Sorted by local post office GRAHAM, NC Dec 12 2011 8:05AM Received by the local post office GRAHAM, NC Dec 5 2011 7:32AM Shipment Info Received by Post Office GREENSBORO, NC Dec 5 2011 Package transferred to Post Office GREENSBORO, NC Dec 5 2011 Ready for post office entry Dec 5 2011 Package received by dest MI facility Durham, NC Dec 3 2011 Package transferred to dest MI facility Logan Township, NJ Dec 2 2011 Package processed by Mail Innovations Logan Township, NJ Dec 2 2011 Package received for processing Logan Township, NJ Dec 1 2011 Shipment information received

We're up! I included a little slideshow of our trip to the mountains. I hope it works! Following Foundations

Well, I can give you some info about samoyeds, or sammies, as they're often called. They are THE white and fluffy dog. We used to have one. They meet some of your requirements, but not all. 1. White & Fluffy: No dog does "white & fluffy" like a Sammy. :) 2. Not too big: Sammies aren't small dogs, but they're not huge either. The females are usually 40-55 lbs. Males are bigger. 3. Easy to train: Sammies are very smart and can be difficult to train. They sometimes are a bit stubborn and have a mind of their own. It's very doable, though. Ours could do the basic sit, wait, lie down, etc. One issue is that, unlike a retriever that really wants to work FOR you, Sammies would rather work WITH you. I wouldn't call them "people pleasers". 4. Not too messy: Contrary to what you may think, Sammies are not that messy, except for 1-2 times per year when they blow their undercoats. Females usually do this twice and males once. It can last a couple of weeks. 5. Not too much upkeep: Well here's one of the lovely things about a Sammy. They don't have a dog smell. You can get away with bathing them twice a year. They just need to be brushed. Even if they roll in the mud, once it dries, you can just brush it all out. They should never be shaved or clipped....ever. Their grooming requires brushing, occasionally trimming the fur on their hocks and on the pads of their feet, and trimming their nails. 6. Not too hyper: I wouldn't say they're overly hyper, but they do have a good bit of energy. Maybe middle of the spectrum. That said, they have been bred as work dogs. They need a little something to do. They'll dig if they're outside and bored. 7. A dog can that can go on runs: Probably...I would think they have the energy to do that. I don't think they would appreciate running in high temperatures, though. Ours didn't like to go outside much in the summer. Now if it was below 30 outside, we couldn't get him to come inside! I see that you live in Ohio. A Sammy would love Ohio. 8. Very kid friendly: They're the best with kids. They're very friendly and not the least bit aggressive. They're terrible guard dogs because they'd just as soon go home with a burglar if they think he'll be more fun. :) Sammies should be bought from a reputable breeder. They can be quite expensive. At the time (over 10 yrs ago), we paid $1000 for a show-quality dog. Pet-quality cost less.

We don't have much to bail from around here. Our families are many states away, and it's almost pointless to make a big meal for just us. Sometimes we have thanksgiving dinner with friends, sometimes we go out, and sometimes we stay home and watch movies. However, this year we're going to the NC mountains from Thursday-Saturday to cut down our Christmas tree. We're also going to visit Linville Caverns while we're there. Our friend's parents live on the route there, so we've been invited to stop and have Thanksgiving dinner (lunch) at their house. My Thanksgiving preparations have included making a watergate salad to take over there and putting a glaze on a spiral-sliced ham (for sandwiches for our trip and meals when we get home).

We enjoyed Wheel on the School, too! My husband's family is Dutch, so that made the book extra special. Another book that I simply adored was Understood Betsy.

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The breakfast casserole I do is very similar, but I use crescent rolls and the egg mixture goes on top. The crescent rolls are spread out on the bottom of a 9x13 pan, followed by 1 pound of cooked bulk sausage and two cups of cheese (mozzarella & cheddar). I then add 5 eggs beaten with 3/4 cup of milk w/ salt & pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 425. Of course, you could add onions/green peppers with the sausage if you want.

I noticed that Ridge Road Station closed earlier this year. It was my go-to place to buy Playmobil. Anyone know of any reputable online vendors that sell Playmobil at good prices???? Thanks!

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My 3 yr old has been in speech therapy for just over a year now and is about done with it. He did some of the same replacements with certain letter sounds and would also put the last sound in a word first. Visual cues have been very effective for him. I point to my throat for him to remind him how to say a /k/ or /g/ sound, and I touch my upper lip with my finger for a /d/ or /t/ sound.

My kids loved Uncle Wiggily and Brer Rabbit! I've used p3/4, p4/5, Core A, and Science A. There's a huge jump between p4/5 and Core A. My DD did fine with Core A in kindergarten. My DS is going through it now for kindy, and a couple of the books have been a bit difficult for him. We are hanging in there, though. I just have to be very animated when I read and give extra commentary when I think it's needed.

I shop at Aldi when I get a chance. Their prices are dirt cheap. Things I particularly like from Aldi: Cookies (Fudge Stripe are yummy!) Eggs/Dairy Products Traditional spaghetti sauce Frozen corn Frozen peas Hummus Frozen orange juice concentrate I've tried and hated their version of Goldfish crackers, their version of cheddar Chex Mix, and their Italian dressing (maybe it was the zesty kind? Blech.). I'm also not a big fan of their canned green beans. Although, if I put in enough salt, pepper, chicken broth, and a little vegetable oil, I can salvage them. Sigh. Their produce is hit and miss. I buy a lot of other things there. Much of it is not the best, but it's not bad either, especially when you consider the price.

We're up! Following Foundations

:bigear:

:grouphug: Praying for your mom....

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prayers have been lifted!

We're finally up! Following Foundations

Ours is up! Following Foundations

Barefoot in the Park

I have a strong reader. On her own, she reads her Bible lesson, her literature selection(s) for the week (a mix of Sonlight, Veritas Press, and TOG), and any supplementary science books. She reads aloud to me 2-3 per week from a higher level R&S reader. She has free reading time before bed and on the weekends. I read science, history, worldview, art/music, etc.

:iagree: