I don't clean out toys by myself, my girls are required to help. They help decide what they don't play with anymore and what special toys they want to keep. For stuffed animals or other toys that we have large amounts of, I pull out 2 or 3 and say, "Which one would you like to keep?" Our church has a toy giveaway before Christmas, so it helps to remind my girls that we are blessing someone else by giving away our toys. And I make sure that everything donated is in good condition with no missing pieces. We usually throw away happy-meal type toys. I tried rotating toys when they were babies/toddlers, but now they have too many toys and I have no place to store them. Lana

This sounds like a really strange recipe, but it is so good! Last time I made it, I didn't bother stuffing the potato skins. I mashed up all the sweet potato and spread it in a casserole dish, then topped it with the goat cheese and roasted grapes. http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/01/roasted-grape-goat-cheese-honey-stuffed-sweet-potatoes/ Lana

How about this? http://www.lakeside.com/Toys---Electronics/Play-Sets/Emergency-Medical-Cart-Playset/27lh/prod1170212.jmp?categoryId=cat52215 Lana

Maybe Cajun seasoning? Sounds yummy, whatever spices you end up adding! Lana

I thought the exact same thing and my inner 12-year-old boy was snickering! Lana

I file each week's work in a 3-inch binder, separated by subject. At the end of the school year, I transfer it all into a set of giant book rings and stick it up on a high shelf. I'll probably run out of space in a couple of years and have to trash most of it, but for now it works. Lana

Oh, I wish I knew how to knit! Maybe someday.... In the meantime, I am teaching myself how to crochet. I saw a tutorial for a sashay ruffle scarf and it looked easy enough for a child to do, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I've now made 3 scarves - one adult size in eggplant and metallic gold, a child and matching doll scarf in peacock-y colors, and I'm working on my 3rd skein in 24 hours. This one is a pretty turquoise. I figure I can give them to all my female family members for Christmas. I'm feeling like the time (hours) I have spent watching Gilmore Girls is redeemed since I'm doing something with my hands at the same time! As soon as I finish the scarves, I see an afghan in the future... Lana

Lesson 9 - "Children Playing on the Beach" - Mary Cassatt Lesson 24 - "The Family" - Mary Cassatt Lesson 33 - "Master Bedroom" - Andrew Wyeth Lesson 56 - "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" - Georges-Pierre Seurat I flipped through the index and these were the only ones I saw. Lana

With my first, I felt flutters at about 15 weeks. 2nd baby, at 13 weeks 5 days. I actually wrote the date down because I was so surprised I could feel her so early! Lana

I think it's beautiful! And I recognized that it was from the Bible, although I didn't remember the meaning of it. Lana

Sounds like strep to me. Whatever it is, she needs to stay home. Lana

Stainless steel is my preference. I am lazy and don't want to hand wash all my pots and pans, so we decided against anodized for that reason. I've found that it works best to preheat your pan, then add butter or oil until hot, then add the egg or whatever. Rarely does anything stick terribly bad. Scrambled eggs are probably the worst at sticking, but I just stick them straight in the sink and scrape all the stuck on bits with the spatula. Lana

Thanks for the links, ladies! I gave both my girls the reading-level test on your page, Elizabeth, and found a few gaps that we will review and solidify her understanding of the phonics rule. I'm also planning to look through the crash-course, I think that might work for us very well! Lana

My 1st grader will finish OPGTR next week. She is a very fluent reader, although she has a tendency to skip words because her eyes are moving faster than her mouth can speak the words. I need some sort of schoolwork to replace the time we spent on phonics lessons. She already flies through her schoolwork and causes umpteen distractions for her sister when she finishes. Any suggestions on what to do next or what seatwork I could give her? Wordly Wise, perhaps? Lana

I have an almost 9 year old. We've done FLL for the last 2 years. She still has trouble identifying parts of grammar. I think it's just too abstract for them to catch on to, especially something like a linking or helping verb. Action verbs are a bit more concrete, so my dd is usually able to get those right. Does your dd have trouble recalling things in other subjects, or is grammar the main one? My dd struggles with her basic addition facts, but she's got the multiplication ones down pat. Go figure! Lana

New Balance carries narrow width. I usually find some on sale at 6pm.com. Nike tends to run a bit narrow too. Another trick is to use a runner's knot when tying shoes. has a good video demonstrating this. For dressier shoes, check out Jumping Jacks and their other brand, Balleto. They have very high-quality shoes and carry narrows. Lana (who used to have a AAAA heel and AAA toe - try finding shoes to fit THAT foot!)

Will Toms fit if you have narrow feet? I have such a hard time finding cute, comfortable shoes that fit my narrow feet! Lana

My kids are about the same ages as your older ones, so here is what I would do: - Microscope - Telescope - PE equipment (tumbling mats, small balance beam, handspring trainer, balls, etc.) - Swim lessons - Tennis lessons - Homeschool choir fees - Quality art lessons - Flower press - Lots and lots of books! Lana

I hadn't even considered that, I will have a 4th and 2nd grader when we get to SOTW4. I think we might take a year to do American history and a year to do a semester of state studies and a semester of our state's history. That would get us up to 6th and 4th grade, and we could probably resume SOTW4. Of course, that will throw our 4-year rotation off, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! Lana

My dh is also very active, running 10-20 miles a week and bicycling as much as 80-100 miles a week. He also has high cholesterol. A few years ago, he trained for and ran a marathon and then went right into training for a 100 mile bike ride. He was very diet-conscious and ate very healthily, lots of chicken, not so much red meat, and plenty of veggies/fruit. But his cholesterol that year was higher than it had ever been. After doing tons of research, we found that cholesterol is what your body uses to repair muscles. So we decided that his high levels were due to the level of training he was doing and we stopped worrying about it so much. We do keep an eye on his triglycerides, but that is due to some hereditary issues from his mom. Lana

No recommendations, but I would love to find the same thing! I haven't looked into American history much yet, but I'd like to do it next year when my girls are 2nd and 4th grade, then pick back up with SOTW. Lana

No real traditions for *our* first day back to school. However, when all the p.s. kids start back, we pick up donuts and spend the morning at the park! Lana

I'm a member of the church of Christ. Our fellowship uses these scriptures to teach about giving: 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 "Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made." 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 "6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. " Lana

Yes, we are! We always start the first Monday in August. That way we have a few days under our belt by the time the public school kids start in mid-August and I don't feel guilty about our annual "Not-Back-to-School" donuts and park day. This year has been a bit different, because we got due to house showings and moving so we've played catch-up all summer. Lana

Um, a big steak and a bunch of bananas? Real helpful, aren't I?! That would be a tough one to cook for. Maybe fajitas? Could she eat corn tortillas, or just skip the tortillas all together. Lana