My youngest has what we think is hand, foot and mouth disease. It looks just like it. Dh had it (as an adult!) and he said it was really itchy on him. My youngest has really, really itchy feet. I can't find anything online about relieving the itch associated with it. Any suggestions?

I have an audio of a bird we are trying to identify, I can't upload it. Is there anyone out there willing to let me email it to you to see if you can identify it?

I would prefer homeschool based but would be willing to look outside that at all groups. Maybe I would just need to start one?! :)

Is there any? We are lookning (SIGH still, rentals are gold up there) to move to NW PA. My daughter is in debate now and is thinking to continue next year. I also would like to get my son into speech and/or public forum debate. Does anyone know?

We have a debate tournament coming up. I need to bring something to it for the judges. I need to be able to feed a snack for roughly 250 people. I don't really want to bring a sweet, I would prefer a salty however I am open to suggestions. I don't want to break the bank either. Ideas?

I am in a homeschool funk. It is our first day after have a month off for sicknesses (I had the flu then sinusitis). I am dreadfully bored. I don't understand why. I like all the stuff we use. I am just tired of.. ok next subject. Math... go do your next lesson (we use TT) then.. next subject... Spelling.... What are the ways to spell the long "i"? Then next subject... Oh grammar. This is the antecedent to the pronoun... yada yada yada. We go through the motions but the kids are just bored. They want to learn, they just don't want to "normal" rigmarole. I was thinking of having them write down all the things they want to learn then systematically going through them and just learning what they need to in order to know the stuff they want to know. However would they get enough that way? Ugh. We haven't been consistent with school in a long time. Maybe we need to muscle through it? Or maybe I need to unschool. The thought terrifies me though. *sigh*

I understand what most of the scores are but what is the "AE" and "W" portions? For instance if the "W" is 497, what does that mean? If the "AE" is 9-7, what does that mean? I think AE means Age Equivalent but why is the first number higher and the next number lower? I have tried finding it via Google but there isn't a resource I could find that just said.. AE = this and W = that. Can someone explain it to me?

You know what I am talking about. I see those pretty planner printables. Some are for daily things, others are menus, financial planners etc. Anyone have any idea what software they use? Here is an example of what I mean.. http://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyOrganizedLife?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav Do tell!

... when he finally learned how to wipe his own bum (I am not talking unsupervised)? I don't remember how old my first two were when they learned. It was like they just did it themselves one day. My youngest will be 6 in June and I have tried to get him to learn to wipe himself but he just cries and carries on. It makes my blood boil when he gets like that. He is just being stubborn (don't know where he got that streak from :P). Am I pushing it to early?

Thank you for the suggestions! Mustard isn't to tangy. I have used honey mustard for dressing before. Lemon/lime isn't to tangy and an excellent idea. I am so going to try it. More, more!

I already have ranch and blue cheese dressing. I want to like Italian dressing. I do. But I cant stand tangy dressings. Yuck. I have tried numerous kinds and have made several myself. I just can't get past the vinegar. It is always to much. If I don't put a lot of vinegar in then it is to oily. I need something besides ranch and blue cheese. Suggestions? Recipes? Did I mention I don't like tang?

I was going to say "should I be concerned" but since I am posting I guess I already am. This is about my 5 (and half) year old. Here is the time line. Thursday - We leave in the morning to go to Richmond for a debate tournament. 10(ish)pm - Friday night he starts complaining of his tummy hurting. I think it is gas since he has passed some already. 11pm - I wake him up gently to move him to his side of the bed, he was sleeping crossways. Within 2 minutes he throws up all over the bed, twice. Then the carpet and finally makes it to the bathroom where it tapered off. 11:15 he is acting fine (like you always do after that) and we move rooms at the hotel. Get back in bed and go to sleep. 4am - he wakes up and gets to the bathroom before he makes a mess. We go back to sleep and no more vomiting. 8ish am Saturday - we are awake but he is a tad lethargic. He also feels like he is running a fever. He also start complaining of a headache. He is drinking fluids. noon - Fever seems a little worse so we hit the store real quick for water, fruit, children's Motrin and a thermometer. Thermometer says 101.4. Give him a dose and it helps the fever and headache. 7pm - We finally leave for home. He is lethargic and doesn't even get out of the vehicle for the duration of the trip. That is 7 hours. He had another dose of Motrin for his headache and barely drank and didn't eat. 2am (early Sunday) we finally are home and get to bed. 10am Sunday - He seems to be doing better. He wants to eat (egg salad) and has about half a sandwich. He goes outside to play with his brother. 10pm - He still seems OK but his appetite has been nil. He has barely eaten. He is drinking some fluids though not as much as I would like. No stools that I can remember and honestly I am unsure on going potty because he can go by himself and he doesn't always tell me. 8am Monday - He gets up and it is pretty much the same as Sunday. He plays outside but barely eats. 8am Tuesday - He gets the runs, has them most of the day. Still drinking fluids, still not eating much. Not nearly as animate as the previous two days. Complaining of his stomach hurting and his head again. 9pm Tuesday - He is really tires and falls asleep on the floor right after we finish playing a card game. 8am Today - Wakes up with his tummy hurting again and bloated a bit. No runs, hasn't peed yet today. He has had some fluid but not a lot. Had a headache again. He took motrin for that. He went back to sleep this morning about 9am or so and didn't get up until after 10am I think. He is asleep right now. He complains of his abdomen below his belly button hurting. If I press it then it hurts him. Does this sound like anything you know of? I am thinking he should go to the doctors but I am not one of those that brings their kids for every single things. What says the hive?

Thank you for the responses. I wasn't clear, that was my fault. I put "anti-God" in quotes as meaning not that the texts were calling out religions, but not trying to discredit a creation theory. Our family is more creationist but if evolution ended up being totally proven and true it wouldn't matter. We still believe God would have caused it. Anyway. :) I am looking at 10th, 11th and 12th grades. 8FillTheHeart... excellent idea. I didn't think to search by subject! I will try.

I need ideas. I am getting a little put out by Apologia. Although we believe in God and the Bible we are not "thumpers". I don't beat my kids over the head with the Bible and we don't go to church. We don't put God in every single itty bitty thing we do on a daily basis. We are using Apologia right now because that is one I have found that explains things well however the "thumping" is just ridiculous. Every. Single. Page. Has something about how God is the designer and yadda. Yes, I KNOW already. Can we move on? Does it need to be mentioned on every page? Even my daughter mentions it almost every time she reads the text. We aren't young earth, we aren't old earth. Honestly? We don't care how old the earth is. It just is relevant to our lives. Not the hill I will die on. I also don't care about evolution. Again it doesn't matter. Another hill not to die on. We are all inclusive, regardless of earth age or evolution God made it all so who cares. However I don't want a science thumps "anti-God" either. Is that to much to ask? Anyone have any suggestions for science outside Apologia, BJU, Abeka? I tried Rainbow Science and it didn't explain it thoroughly enough for us. Help?

So now people are going to hell because others don't want to tell them they are erring in their ways. Yet we wonder why so many are turned off from the Christian Religion? I digress.

I am on a thread on Facebook that is having a heated argument about being "Christian" and watching The Walking Dead. Why can't you be a Christian and watch that show? I don't get it. According to a few of them it is their Christian duty to show the people the err of their ways in watching such an evil show. What constitutes an evil show? I have watched CSI (people killing people), Sherlock Holmes (the one with Cumberbatch, again, it is about crime,)Grimm (fairy tail creatures come to life,) Once Upon a Time (again fairy tales and magic, wouldn't magic be evil?), Nashville (people sleeping with other people) and I could go on. So what, exactly, is an evil show? We could extent it into the realm of movies. I love The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, however, it is full of magic. It has a wizard in it. Wizards are evil. If we call one thing something shouldn't it be applied to all? You could almost construe that any show is inherently evil is some way. So where does it stop? I know, we could all just watch Honey Boo Boo because there isn't any magic, death, blood or mystical creatures. I am sure this thread has the capacity to become heated as well. Aside from personal convictions how can one say you are less Christian for watching that program or any other? Furthermore what gives others the right to judge them as being less Christian for watching them as well?

Do the spots hurt?

Wouldn't matter to me. I have lived with a detached and lived with attached. I can say even if it is attached it doesn't do a lick of good if there isn't a way into the house from the garage :) That was how my house was growing up. The garage was attached but the only door was the big garage door. No other way in or out! The garage we have now is detached. I wouldn't care if there was a path the to darn thing. There isn't and the ground hasn't been dry since we moved in. It is mud... lots of mud. It has frozen a couple times this winder but it has been mushy mud a lot more than it was frozen. Drives me nuts. That said. If you have a detached garage and want to sell the house. At least put down a pathway :)

Well for me I am with SparklyUnicorn. I'd get the ugliest toe (or toeless) socks I could find. :) Or I would do what I want to ans if G'ma wants the kiddos to do something particular that don't tell the kids to tell me, tell me yourself. It isn't the socks that are irritating, is the the person behind the socks (in the socks?) that is causing the angst. I'd also make sure that showers don't happen over there either. I'd just have them come home first unless I am actually there. As for the comparison to a school gym? Apples and Oranges. This is in a private home, not a public school gym. One has no bearing on the other.

UGH. I am on a homeschool loop in my area and someone posted to the look asking about what convention to go to. The Great Homeschool Convention in Greenville, SC was mentioned, And guess what was dredged up form the ashes. Oh yes. It was. Seriously? Get over it people. My goodness. It was THREE years ago. This poor mama has never been to a convention before and all the sudden she is being brow beat about how so and so (Not mentioning names) was "kicked out" and they aren't Christian and the injustice of it all. Good gravy get a grip. That is all, I just needed to vent. People, unequivocally, never cease to irritate me. (Yes, yes I irritate people to but that isn't my point!) :)

What do we count? Groceries aren't low for us. Neither is rent or electric. What are the rules? :)

Well I just answered my own question. Nevermind. :)

I live in NC and the state didn't expand Medicaid so apparently we are ineligible for subsidies. Is that right does anyone know? With that the kids would be covered under Medicaid, I think. So that leaves the hubs and I. According to healthcare.gov the least expensive plan is $476 a month. How in the sam hill is that "affordable"? Our tax return for 2013 will be $25000(ish). That is just over 22% of our income. I think we will just take the penalty, it is a heck of a lot cheaper. That being said I have heard it touted that if it will cost you more that 8% of your income you don't have to have the insurance? Anyone else heard that? This is all so confusing to me. I liked it better when I could just go to the doctor if and when I needed to and pay for it. Besides pregnancy I have been to the doctor twice in 10 years. I digress. Can anyone help me make head or tails out of this?