Have you tried this one? Aveeno Stress Relief Moisturizing Lotion. We buy it a Wal Mart. Works well for ordinary stuff if you use it several times a day. Good luck.

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Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. Just got back to town today. To find the diagramming books, Google "Gene Moutoux" and his website should be among the choices. I would do the link thing if I knew how. :blush: HTH.

Ever tried making your own? We use 91% alcohol + distilled water + a few squirts of liquid dish det for our general spray cleaner for the kitchen and bath counters. We have to use the distilled water because the iron in our water will clog up the spray mechanism. We also use baking soda (no toothpaste) to brush teeth - something I remembered my grandfather doing when I was a child. Our water is so full of iron that it will actually build up on our teeth unless we use the baking soda (and yes we have a water softener). Our dentist once asked me if I drank coffee and tea. I don't touch coffee and drink ice tea once in a blue moon. It was the iron! yuk Anyway, there are books with many more recipes for making your own. It's kinda fun. :)

I can't really answer your question except to offer a few ideas. All our dc have completed the ABeka Grammar series. But I really wanted to make sure they were using what they had learned. So I found some sentence diagramming books (Moutoux) which go from ridiculously easy to very difficult. They flew through the easy stuff and are now on the difficult sentences. On Thursdays I give them the sentence. They have the whole week to diagram it. The next Thursday we all gather together at the table and they all compare their diagrams and discuss them among themselves. When they finish their discussion, I pass out the answer (I copy it out of the book and give each of them one to check their own work.) More discussion follows. Then I give them the next sentence for the next week. The whole process takes less than 30 min., once a week. They love this, believe it or not. And I think it helps them to remember and use the grammar vs checking grammar off as just another subject they completed and never have to think about again. And they have figured out that grammar (diagramming) is a lot like logic ... many, many variations in the way it's done ... very, very helpful for them to see that just because it's presented this way in this book doesn't mean that's the only way it's ever been done. I often hear them exclaim things like 'That's not the way ABeka taught this' or 'I think he just made up his own system here' or 'ABeka never taught us the hard stuff like this' and so on. It keeps them on their toes. ;) HTH

I never liked putting all our dc's toys in their bedrooms when they were young. Too messy and hard to clean around. Also, when I told them to go to sleep, I expected them to go to sleep - not stay up playing with toys and stuff. So I always had at least one room designated as a toy room for our 5 dc (2 ds's and 3 younger dd's). The best setup was when we had a basement. I really don't like basements, so I gave ds's one room and dd's another room. It was great. They could make all the noise they wanted and I could barely hear it. I set it up like so. Nothing on the walls, floors were carpeted, room mostly empty except for laundry baskets and containers along the edges of the room for the toys. Laundry baskets and containers (for things like Legos) worked great because most young kids would rather 'throw' than 'put'; thus, it was much more conducive to their actually keeping the room picked up. When the toys were all picked up, they had the center of the room for more 'physical' play. I also kept the basement door locked (deadbolt) so they couldn't 'escape' without my knowing it. And there was even a bathroom down there. Our ds's usually played roughly and loudly together, while our dd's usually played quietly and calmly together; so they really enjoyed having their separate rooms (not that they never played together, of course). Outside, we always had a huge sandbox. We usually ordered "clean sand" to fill it up. Dh and dc built it by digging four trenches and standing boards on edge for the sides of the sandbox. No seats. They'd rather be right down in the sand. We also let them use the hose any time they wanted and had all kinds of tools/toys they could use. We had some huge, long boards once. They set these up as skateboard ramps, sledding ramps (in ID and NH), and so on. There was so much more, but our youngest is 16 now, and I can't remember everything. But we basically provided the materials and they came up with the ideas. I do remember, however, that I was always looking for 'real' things for them to play with vs just toys. For example, dc and I would regularly visit the local goodwill stores and yard sales to find cheap things for them to 'dissect' or play with. (cameras, old typewriters, old cash registers, anything they were interested in) HTH and enjoy your son. :)

Back in the early '90', when we lived in Idaho, I was telling a woman from our church how I really missed the (deep) South. She was an intelligent, transplanted Californian. She looked at me with a confused expression and said that the only thing she knew about the South was that they had had slavery there. I was speechless, to say the least. She went on to say that that's all she remembered from her history classes in ps and that she had never actually been down South. Sheesh.

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Same here. I can't imagine sending dc in to talk about medical things with a doctor. I mean, good grief, I have a B.S. in Medical Technology and I even have to ask for clarification - frequently. How is the kid supposed to know what the heck the doctor is talking about! And what doctor wants to have his patient's mother calling him on the phone to try to figure out exactly what his instructions were after trying to decipher what the kid came out with? I mean, if the doctor wants to sit and write detailed instructions which the kid can pass on to me, fine. Including side effects and other such details which, in my experience, the doctor doesn't even mention unless asked about. It's a one-in-a-million doctor who will take the time to do that - or even has the time. And it's not really his job to educate my dc about medical issues either. He's there to practice medicine - not teach it. The way I've always handled this is by doing a lot of explaining before, sometimes during, and mostly after, any and all encounters with anything medically related. I want them to know what to expect, what kinds of questions to ask right then while they have the doctor in the room, how to recognize when something's not right, etc. I model this for them and encourage them to ask and talk also. I don't just throw them out there to sink or swim. Not with health issues. Too much at stake there. And way, way too easy for an overworked nurse or doctor to make a simple mistake which could have lifelong consequences. ............IMHO Also, I wouldn't start this process with the doctor's visit. I explain medical things to our dc constantly. Just yesterday we had a discussion about pneumonia - the different kinds, the symptoms, the dangers, how it generally kills, etc. - which came about as a result a cold which 20yod has. And every time I hear they've added a new shot to the mile-long list which they now inject into newborns, I begin a discussion about that whole mess. I explain to them that should they ever have children, despite what the doctor may tell them, they CAN opt out of the shots or spread them out over a period of YEARS vs months, etc. Most doctors won't tell them this. It's more about teaching them to think, IMHO. Law or no law. FWIW

A few things come to mind: WTM, of course :) And Bible study along with much group discussion. Selling the TV and cutting off the net and throwing out all electronic distractions (video games, etc) Stopping all outside activities and just staying home and doing school Year-round schooling, taking off as needed, no matter where or when that happens to be Waiting until ds's were 'ready' before really digging into the reading thing ... which kind of goes along with aiming for a goal vs teaching a specific curriculum Reading this board to get ideas for better curr. and other things Turning all chores over to dc - if they can mess it up, they can clean it up - which led into turning the running of the whole house over to them as they've gotten older Turning Fridays into a day for them to work, uninterrupted, on those longer writing/researching type things; or hobbies; or whatever they feel inspired to work on; or library trips, etc. When I came to the realization that the goal was not necessarily that they all go off and work totally independently, all the time, on everything. I learned to get them started and grounded really well in the subject, and then slowly wean them from my help until they were working on their own ... in general. But! I also learned that this is not an all-or-nothing setup; and that whenever I wanted to introduce a particular book and make sure they were started well into it, that it was perfectly OK to round them all back up and do this as a group. Never say never, in other words. ;) Well, they're about to shut all the computers down, so that's all for now.

I'd wash'em. Our 3 dd's have raised chickens for years. They collect the eggs from the nesting boxes, yard, under the porch, etc. Then, they rinse them in the kitchen sink under running water (not standing water), set them on a kitchen towel, and dry them with a clean kitchen towel before putting them into used egg cartons to store in the frig. After that, they toss any towels the eggs have touched into the dirty clothes, put the basket back beside their shoes, and scrub their hands with dish soap and warm water. (The kitchen person scrubs the counters and sinks when they clean the kitchen.) This has been working for quite a while now. (We used to eat the eggs before we went vegan. Now we give them to the neighbors. We just dropped off 6 dozen this morning on our way here, to the library.) When dd's were younger, they weren't terribly thorough about washing their hands. It only took a time or two of getting "chicken sick" as we called it (throwing up a couple of times overnight) before they got serious about scrubbing those hands, wrists, everything. They never get sick now. I would definitely wash those eggs if you're collecting them straight out of the nest (or wherever). Better safe than sick. ;)

I notice that when my dh has been eating a lot of gunk (= full of fat) he snores loudly. We're vegan. When he doesn't eat gunk, he doesn't snore. I'd start by cutting out all dairy and work from there - assuming it's not an actual physical abnormality, of course.

Before you go out and buy another one, did you check your warranty? We just bought a new one from Sears a couple of years ago and it suddenly got so loud that we couldn't run it when trying to do school in the next room. :glare: So dh called Sears and they sent a repairman out. Repairman tried something, still sounded horrible. He ordered a new motor which they shipped directly to us, and another guy came out and put it in. Works fine now. I'm thinking they put out a defective product and knew it. Yours could be something like that. Make'em fix it.

I'm currently using Patrick Suppes' "First Course in Mathematical Logic". It has many more exercises than the books recommended in WTM and is making much more sense to me. I also do the WTM books every now and then (IL and TL). The only drawback is that there are no answers in the book. I'm doing it with our dc who supply the answers for me. HTH.

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Also agreeing with them to keep the logic. It really does seem to pop up in the most unexpected subjects. However, I noticed that it was only after they had done quite a few logic books that it really began to 'stick' and become useful in the other subjects. So I wouldn't give up on the logic quite yet ... if it was my dc. Which they aren't. :)

Honestly, I can't remember how much money I've spent on curr over the years. Too much, I'm sure. But most of it wasn't spent on 'educating' per se. More on trying to find a curr that we liked, and wasn't all fluff, smoke and mirrors. We've never done online, co-op, outsourcing, etc. Just stayed home and did school. Obviously, it cost more for the first dc than the fifth dc. And one of the wisest investments for our hs'ing has been a copier. ;) We've given our dc the same ed - college bound or not - so not sure what you mean by that - unless you're talking about SAT or ACT type testing? I think it can cost as little or as much as you want it to cost. A lot of it depends on your confidence level. At this point, I'm almost willing to say that I could teach using only my library card (and maybe my copier ;)). But, then, I already know which books I'd use, whereas, when I was beginning hs'ing, I didn't. Live and learn, I suppose....

Also, could we include things like satellite shots of everything under the sun - storms, planets, fires, galaxies, geography, etc.? Our 25yos is constantly asking for these kind of things and we don't have the net at home. He usually asks dh or a sib to look them up when we go to the library. It would be wonderful to have sites we could access without searching for an hours, if anyone happens to know any. Thanks.

:iagree: They truly can be great friends, if given the chance.

And finally ... Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Colleen prepared this wonderful dessert during the McDougall 5-day Program in November, 2008. Many of the participants are planning on making this for their holiday celebrations this year. This is a rich dessert treat so keep this for special occasions! Serves 6 You won’t miss the dairy in this rich and creamy mousse that is also perfect as a pie filling. The raspberry sauce is just lovely and complements many other desserts. 1 cup semi-sweet or other non-dairy chocolate chips ½ cup non-dairy milk 1 package Mori-Nu brand silken tofu (firm or extra firm) 1/3 cup dry sweetener of your choice (white sugar, Sucanat) ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Add the chips to a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler (see hint below) and melt, using gentle heat and stirring often. Remove from heat. Open the box of tofu and pour it into a blender or food processor. Add the melted chocolate and non-dairy milk, sweetener, and vanilla. Process until completely smooth, pausing the blender or food processor to scrape down the sides and under the blade, if necessary. Chill the mixture in serving bowls – or, if desired, in a low-fat graham cracker or cookie crust – for at least 1 hour before serving. Drizzle with raspberry sauce before serving. *A word about tofu: There are many different types of tofu available, ranging from silken and soft to firm and extra firm, but there are also differences within those variations depending on the brand you buy or the way it’s packaged. The perfect textured tofu for this dish is one that is very firm. I recommend a silken tofu for this recipe. Though there are some silken tofu brands in the refrigerated section, it’s just as easy to seek out the silken tofu that is sold in aseptic boxes (which means it doesn’t have to be refrigerated until it is opened), so you can keep it in your cupboard until you’re ready to use it. You might find it in the Asian section. Don’t be confused if the box of “silken†tofu says “firm†or “extra firm.†There is a small difference between “silken firm†and “silken extra firm,†so either one will do. Hint: To create your own “double boilerâ€: Place the chips in a small saucepan. Set this pan inside a larger pot that is filled with ¼-½ cup water. Heat the pots over a medium flame on the stove and stir the chips in the small pot until they are melted. This prevents the chips from burning. Raspberry Sauce 2 cups fresh or 10 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed ¼ cup dry sweetener (Sucanat or white sugar) In a blender, combine the raspberries and Sucanat. Then blend to a smooth sauce. It will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Hint: What is Sucanat? Sucanat, made from evaporated sugar cane juice, has a mild but distinct flavor, with a hint of molasses. It can be found in health food stores or in the bulk section of any large natural foods supermarket.

Here's one that dh and dc love. A little too much peanut butter for me, though. No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Is there a better combination than chocolate and peanut butter? This is a rich and delicious no-bake pie that will have your guests clamoring for more! Makes 8-10 servings, depending on the size of the slices 2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips 12.3 ounces silken tofu (firm) 1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter, crunchy or smooth 1/2 cup non-dairy milk 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (as an optional topping) 1 cup chopped nuts (as an optional topping) 1 Pecan-Date crust (see below) Have your crust ready. Melt the 2 cups of chocolate chips in the microwave or simply by creating your own double boiler. (To do so, place the chips in a small saucepan. Set this pan in a larger pot that is filled with ¼-½ cup water. Heat over a medium flame on the stove and stir the chips in the small pot until they are melted.) In a food processor or high-powered blender, add the tofu, peanut butter, milk, and melted chocolate chips. Blend until very smooth, adding more milk, if desired. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours. Serving Suggestions and Variations: *For a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with a hard chocolate topping, after the pie has been chilled for 2 hours, melt 1 cup of non-dairy chocolate chips. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the pie. If desired, add chopped nuts. Refrigerate for 2 additional hours. *Before pouring the pie filling into the crust, spread ½ cup of peanut butter (or more!) onto the crust. No-Bake Pecan Date Crust By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau This simple crust can be used for a variety of no-bake pies. Makes 1 9 inch pie crust 2 cups raw almonds or pecans ¾ cup pitted dates, preferably Medjool Place the nuts in a food processor and grind until they’re a coarse meal. Add the dates and process until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into a non-stick pie plate or spring form pan. Top with no-bake filling, and serve.

And another. 25yos made this about once a week when I discovered this one. Yummy. CHOCOLATE CAKE We always serve dessert after dinner at the McDougall 10-day live in program in Santa Rosa, CA. Many people do not feel that dinner is finished until they have dessert. The first night we usually have brownies as a special treat and they are always a welcome surprise. My favorite brownie recipe is in the Quick and Easy Cookbook on page 272. They are very rich and moist and we like them even better when they have been refrigerated for a day before serving. This chocolate dessert was developed with a more cake-like texture. This makes a wonderful birthday cake for your special someone! John made me promise I would caution you that these treats are for special occasions only. They are not recommended to be a part of your daily healthy meal plan. I make these when we are having guests over for dinner or family members are visiting from out of town. Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes Servings: 9-12 1 ½ cups unbleached white flour 1 cup Sucanat ¾ cup Wonderslim cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ¼ cups chocolate soy milk 1 6-ounce container vanilla soy yogurt 1 tablespoon Wonderslim fat replacer 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ cup slivered almonds (optional) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the flour, Sucanat, cocoa powder and baking soda in a large mixing bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, add the soy milk, soy yogurt, fat replacer and vanilla and mix until very smooth. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Add nuts, if desired, and stir into batter. Turn into a square non-stick baking pan (8 x 8 inches) and flatten into the corners with a spoon. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool. Remove from pan and cut into squares. Hints: I make this in a square, non-stick, SiliconeZone baking pan with excellent results. After the cake has cooled slightly, remove it from the baking dish by inverting the pan before cutting into squares for serving. If you are going to frost the cake, do so after removing from the pan but before cutting into squares. Serve with Vanilla soy ice cream for a wonderful special occasion treat. CHOCOLATE FROSTING People have been asking for a frosting recipe for many years and I finally have one that I know you will enjoy. This will make that birthday cake really special! Preparation Time: 3 minutes Servings: frosts one 8 inch square cake 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) ¼ cup Wonderslim cocoa powder ¼ to 1/3 cup soy milk ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract Place the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Mix well. Stir in ¼ cup of the soy milk and the vanilla and mix well. Add the remaining soy milk a little at a time until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. Use to frost cakes or brownies.

Here's another one. We love all these, btw. CHOCOLATE DELIGHT Servings: 8 Preparation Time: 2 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes Chilling Time: 3 hours 4 cups low-fat chocolate soymilk 1 ¾ cups couscous 2-3 tablespoons sugar or honey Place the soymilk in a saucepan. Heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat, stir in couscous and sweetener. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place in a covered bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Scoop into a dessert bowl and top with fruit, if desired. Hint: Use fresh fruit in season as a topping, or thaw frozen fruit. Fresh fruit syrups may also be used. We especially like raspberries as a topping for this dessert.

Here's a recipe I got from the drmcdougall.com board. Their newsletters are full of great recipes. I'll see if I can find more. Chocolate Decadence Pudding By Heather McDougall This is a delicious sweet treat to make for your special someone this Valentine’s Day. ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Wonderslim) ¾ cup sugar 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3 cups soymilk 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla With a whisk, combine cocoa, sugar, cornstarch, and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for 4 hours.