My sil did this recently. She was in her 40's when she got her degree and began working. I didn't talk to her, but when I asked my brother how she was doing, I was a little surprised to hear him say that sil "hated it". He said she loved working with the doctors, but hated working with the patients. I've only met sil a handful of times, but she never struck me as a people-person to begin with. So that may have been the problem. But my brother said she chose nursing because she knew she could get a job anywhere, anytime. And they were thinking of moving quite a bit. They like to buy a house, fix it up, live in the area for a while, and then move on to a new area to start all over doing the same. Kind of extended tourists. Works for them. :)

It's been several years since we last went, but you might want to watch your weather forecast. I remember going one year and there had been a lot of wind recently. A lot of the blossoms were blown off the trees and on the ground. It may not bother you, but I was a little disappointed. Also, I'm assuming you already know it's very a crowded time?? We usually take our own food, too, because, if you can find any kid-friendly food, it costs a fortune. Even a bottle of water is outrageous. HTH

:lol: This is my dh, too. He seems to prefer an empty kitchen as he's preparing to go to work. He's usually making his coffee and running back and forth from the sink to his coffee maker, and I just get in the way. (He's the only coffee drinker in the house.) Also, my dh has no set time for rising. It can be anywhere from 3am to 5am. If I happen to be up at those hours, I just try to stay out of his way. :D

Forgot to add a couple of things. First, I didn't have a lot of choice in sharing some things with our dc. Certain relatives' actions have made it necessary. And, second, I would add that I share things I've done right, as well, with our dc. I find these things just as helpful as the things I've done wrong. It all comes down to illustrating the principles taught in the Bible - for us, anyway. And if there are people around us, myself and dh included, who can illustrate something in a way which will really cement that principle onto dc's hearts ... I use them ... to illustrate what happens when the principle is violated. And ALSO to illustrate what happens when the principle IS followed. It's a two-edged sword. :) Kathy ETA: Yet another aspect of this which I discuss with our dc is this. The Lord mercifully takes my 'mistakes' and uses them for good. I remember to point out each and every time He's done this and continues to do this as I go through life.

Whole wheat pastry flour should help. The only place I can find it around here is in the bulk section of our natural food store. HTH Kathy

My answers are in this color. Kathy

Oh yeah. Sometimes I'm my own worst example - for teaching purposes. :tongue_smilie: In all areas, btw. A few of the biggies: - married an unbeliever ... at 17yo ... eloped ... against my father's wishes ... lasted less than 6 months and produced oldest ds - turned around and married another one, 5 years later, at 23yo ... :banghead: Did I mention lack of good Biblical teaching on my parents part (AND the church we were attending)? And total lack of discernment on my part?? :blush: - lousy parenting of now-35yos. Totally failed to teach him the Bible. Self-explanatory ... :sad: - various friends I chose ... too many to recount here, but let's just say I can fully illustrate the verses about choosing bad company and not obeying parents ... along with the associated consequences :tongue_smilie: And on and on it goes. Our dc listen and ask questions. And some of the things I've had to wait until they were older to use as illustrations. I think it's helped dispel the idea that their parents are perfect, too - to show them that we are, after all, human. It also helps illustrate the concept of perserverance ... that when we fall, as all us do, we just repent with much prayer, get back up, and keep on pressing forward. No matter how we feel, we keep pressing toward that goal. And it's also helped keep them from falling into many of the same sins. Kathy

Yeah, my dil is a (retired) policewoman. She was telling us about this once. She said people can actually do everything right at the police training school (?), yet flunk out because they lack 'authority' in their demeanor. Then, she gave us an example - she said something a policeman would say, only in a wimpy voice, etc. Dil actually looks very feminine - tall, blond, thin. But when she talks, she talks with confidence and authority. I figure it must have been her German mother's influence. ;) I actually have a rather soft voice and am shortish, however. I have to depend on my looks. :tongue_smilie:

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:lol: (I'm picturing you gagging down your breakfast here.) Seriously, though, she sounds perfectly fine to me.

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I try not to even make eye contact with them if I see them coming. If that fails, I just shake my head (for no) and keep walking. They usually move on to the next person rapidly - before I've even finished shaking my head. We have these 'Travellers' come through our area starting every spring. They have a large community near where I grew up in SC. They fan out in the spring and work their way up north, conning all the suckers they can in the process. Then, in the fall, they come back through, working their way back home to the south, doing the same. My friend and I once drove through one of the subdivisions these people live in. They live in big, nice, new houses with big SUV's and new cars parked outside. Very upper middle class. Nothing poor about them. They're con artists, pure and simple. One of the major networks once did a segment on them years ago. (I heard once that some them even homeschool. I guess I could see how it would enable more flexibility for their lifestyle.) Also, we've been accosted a few times when in DC. A lot of those guys are just plain dangerous. Once when it was getting close to dusk and we were heading back to our car which we had had to park far away from the touristy area, we were approached by a young male. He came up from behind us and started to talk to me - until he saw dh in front of us. (dh looks much more 'approachable' than I do :tongue_smilie:) He zeroed in on dh and began harrassing him and demanding money. I saw what was happening and stepped up my pace. He glanced back at me and made eye contact. I narrowed my eyes and gave him a look that said, 'Yeah. I see you.' Simultaneously, dc and I started closing in on dh and him at the same time, pretty much surrounding them. He took off running. Another time in DC, there was a whole string of them sitting on the sidewalk in front of a building in a busy area. They were begging for money and one of them began spouting something vulgar. I glanced at him just long enough to 'warn' him, and then told dc to speed up. I'm pretty sure that guy was mentally ill. But I still didn't want to stand there and listen to his obscene language, or expose dc to it. I've found, as a female, it's important to assume a certain stance and look when approached - for safety, if nothing else. It's as if they can smell a mark a mile away, based on facial expressions or body language. I also teach all our dc - ds's as well as dd's - the same. I consider it a 'life skill'.

Sometimes. I have never cooked like his mother, however. We're both from the South, but he grew up with fried everything. :ack2: Fortunately, my mother ruined everything she tried to fry, so I hate greasy fried foods. God does indeed work in mysterious ways ... :D Anyway, I learned to cook lard and butter pie crusts with many different fillings just because dh loves pie. I hate pie. But I love to cook them. It's fun to make them look beautiful and know that someone enjoys eating them. I make one pie which our neighbor loves. (an older man who lives alone) He once told dh that when he took a bite of this pie, all he could do was laugh out loud, it was so good. It also made dh happy to know that my cooking made neighbor happy. (This neighbor is something of a father figure to dh.) Generally, though, I cook what I like and don't try to please everyone in the house. I also taste it as I go to adjust seasonings and such, so it usually turns out good. If it doesn't, I throw it into the compost bucket and whip up someting quick which I know everyone likes, just so's we don't go hungry. ;) I like spicy foods, and some of our dc don't. I try not to make everything in the meal spicy, so they have choices. But since I've built up a stockpile of favorite recipes and taught dc how to cook, they now add their own spices. I'm eating a lot of bland foods these days ... :tongue_smilie: I was thinking you could cook up a batch of his mother's chili and freeze it in serving-size containers. Then, when you make your own chili (which is probably better fresh, what with the veggies and all), just pull out some of your dh's chilli and zap it in the microwave to serve to your dh. That wouldn't be too terribly hard - if it was just that particular food that he's insisting on. If it got to be a whole slew of things, though, I guess that could turn into a nightmare for you.

Here is a link to a board where they discuss vegan eating. http://drmcdougall.com/forums/index.php There are also articles; and many, many recipes at this site under "Food and Recipes". I've never heard of eating only fruits and salads. I would think she would need to include some starches - potato or rice or pasta or beans. Is she trying to lose weight eating like that? I find that non-vegetarians are often woefully uninformed about eating vegetarian. You might keep that in mind in discussions with your doctor. :) ETA: Our dc were all in their teens and younger when we began eating vegan. We've never even take vitamins and they've been very healthy eating this way. In fact, I can't even remember when any of them last visited a doctor for illness. Just to ease your fears about eating vegetarian/vegan in the teens. (I would, however, be concerned if she is only doing this to lose weight and doesn't really need to lose weight??)

If you look at the "Across the Curriculum" points on SWB's outlines here: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/writing-without-fear-producing-good-writers-k-12/ you'll see some good ideas. This is pretty much what our dc have done over the years. Their papers have gradually lengthened as they've gotten older - and once they got used to the idea of writing all the time. ;) HTH Kathy

You can also make them in the microwave or overn without the grease - if you don't care for the grease. We do this all the time. You can cut them up or put the corn tortilla in whole and cook it. Every microwave is different, however, so you'd have to experiment with the times. I start with a couple of minutes and keep cooking until I can break them (they're crunchy and not chewy). Another way to use them: break them up into smallish pieces and toss them into soup or salad or anything.

All 7 of us go to the dentist for our routine cleanings on the same day - back-to-back appointments. We usually begin between 8 and 9am, and finish by noon. We've been doing this for 12 years now. If anyone has a cavity, however, that's a return visit.

Not a course, but this book might have a little of what you're looking for: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1393654911&searchurl=an%3Dmoulton%26bi%3D0%26bx%3Doff%26ds%3D30%26recentlyadded%3Dall%26sortby%3D17%26sts%3Dt%26tn%3Dthe%2Bmodern%2Breader%2527s%2Bbible%26x%3D0%26y%3D0 It has the text of the Bible and takes each genre of literature to categorize each of the 66 books. I found it fascinating. If you buy it, make sure you're getting the entire Bible - almost 2,000 pages - because he also did separate books of the Bible in smaller volumes. HTH Kathy

Have you tried working with her first, before you work with her older sister? I had some success with that when our dc were those ages. I let the older child do something independent while I worked with the younger child until she was 'sick' of school and ready to go play. Then, I worked with the older one. I also found it helped to hold the younger one in my lap until she got tired of sitting. Then, she would go off and play and I worked with the older one.

This may help. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/workshops-handouts/ These are on the Well-Trained Mind home page under the "Site Resurces". There is a whole slew of interesting things to read, for a variety of ages; all mostly based on the WTM book and methods. There are recommendations for writing, rhetoric, and booklists - all right there. HTH Kathy

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I like mine. We get them from Wal Mart.

spaghetti chili and rice fried chicken (usually burnt) and rice and (brown) gravy corned beef and cabbage gumbo and rice hamburgers (always dry and rubbery) fried cube steak (usually burnt) and rice and (brown) gravy 7-layer casserole (a ground beef, rice, and veg thing) scrambled eggs and homemade biscuits (my personal favorite) salad to go with some of the above - when she felt like it a lot of cream of canned soup type recipes which I can't remember now veggies, mostly from cans always milk to drink :ack2: - yuk, yuk, and double yuk She always managed to overcook the meat. Thus, when I went on my first date at 16yo and the guy asked me if I wanted to go eat T-bone steak, my instant response was "NO!!" He was shocked and asked me if I liked T-bone steak. I told him I had never heard of it, so he began to describe it. He finally gave up and we went to McDonalds instead.:) On another date, a guy took me to eat pizza. I had never seen a pizza and I hated cheese. I think I scraped the top off of it, ate a few bites of the crust, and left the rest. He kept looking at me like I was from Mars or something, until he finally asked me if I liked pizza. I said "No" - again. Don't think I ever heard from that one again. :)

Yes, this is what my dh has been seeing for years at his workplace. Only most of them are only threatening to leave to get the raise or promotion. I have no idea if this is something new or what. Dh has only encountered it in this company (12 years here). Dh and most of the guys he works with have gotten minimal or no raises for quite a few years now. I just tell him that I'm thankful he has a job - raise or no raise. Which is true. I also offer support for starting a search for a new job, if that's what he wants. As much as I love it here, I'm used to moving, if that's what he wants to do. It's up to him. Dh actually got a raise and a promotion this year. Mostly because the company moved to a nearby city and his commute doubled. I doubt his raise even covers the extra gas. But we celebrated his promotion and made a big deal of it. He was happy. Guess we'll decide in the next year or so whether we'll be moving ... again. :tongue_smilie:

One of the best fringe benefits for our family has been being home. We have been blessed to live in a gorgeous area for the past 12 years. We are surrounded by forest and have many wild critters. We watch bears, feed a variety of birds, hear all kinds of strange calls, and so on. We've raised 2 raccoons and watched as they returned to the forest to live. We've had a big male black bear peering ominously in the window at us during the bear's mating season as his female lazily ate birdseed at our backyard birdfeeder. Dd's regularly race outside to rescue their chickens from hawks. We regularly see snakes in our yard, on our long gravel road, and, sometimes, even in our house. We've touched a newborn baby deer nestled in the blueberry bushes after the mother ran off. (She came back to get him when we left.) We hear flying squirrels calling each other or fussing at one of our cats who is stalking it at dusk. I sit at my desk and watch a group of wild turkeys pick their way through the field below my slider. We hear ravens calling on our walks. Whiporwills sit on our roof and call in the spring. Great Blue Herons land in the stream behind our house. Otters also play there. And much more. We've been able to share so much just by staying home - and looking. And that's something I never could have predicted would be a fringe benefit of hs'ing. :) Kathy