Read a few biographies on Laura. She and Rose did not get along very well at all. But I do think Rose had her own issues as well. Rose felt Laura was very cold...much like Caroline...and as an adult, she would go long stretches of time without seeing her parents. It was clear that Rose did feel a sense of obligation to her parents, and she often gave them money, and made improvements to Rocky Ridge Farm. Almanzo never really completely recovered from the stroke he had early in his marriage, and Rose did her best to help both her parents deal with the obstacles of life. Which I feel includes editing (re-writing) her mother's books for publication. In some of Rose's personal correspondence to her friends, she mentions having to fix a lot of problems with her mother's manuscripts as a reason for not being able to take a trip abroad. Laura would send Rose each chapter as she finished it, and Rose would turn her mother's reminiscing into a commercial product.

There are lots of biographies on her life, but you won't necessarily see the same Ingalls family that you've seen in the books. There's a whole lot of messiness between Plum Creek and Silver Lake. And Laura's timeline does not jive with the reality of her life. And then there's the time that Pa hustled his family into the wagon and moved away in the dead of night to escape debt collectors. So, it depends on how much you (and your kids) want to know the real Ingalls family. ;) William Anderson paints a fairly sanitized picture that's suitable for kids. He is the heir to the Ingalls fortune and has the rights to all of Laura's books. If you want to read a collection of articles Laura wrote for her local newspaper when she and Almanzo lived on Rocky Ridge farm, this is a great book: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Ozarks-Ingalls-Wilder-Family/dp/0883659689/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1390321404&sr=8-21&keywords=laura+ingalls+wilder+biography I like this one as well, for more in Laura's own words: http://www.amazon.com/Little-House-Reader-Collection-Writings/dp/006026358X/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&qid=1390321486&sr=8-37&keywords=laura+ingalls+wilder+biography This is one that really gets the blood of Laura fans boiling, as it is a very honest portrayal, and does discuss the fact, that the majority of the Little House books were HEAVILY edited by Rose (as she was, by far, the better writer of the two), and that they are a collaborative effort between mother and daughter, even though Laura is listed as the sole author. I found it fascinating, and I don't care if Rose really wrote them all. http://www.amazon.com/The-Ghost-Little-House-BIOGRAPHY/dp/0826210155/ref=sr_1_48?ie=UTF8&qid=1390321552&sr=8-48&keywords=laura+ingalls+wilder+biography If you delve into serious biographies about Laura (for adults), be prepared to hear that some things that happen in the book are not true. Mary Ingalls went to the College for the Blind on government grants...not money that Laura earned from teaching school (that's Rose's libertarian beliefs at play there). And that Caroline Ingalls was a harsh, cold, unfeeling mother, that Laura really struggled with. Some of her writings about her relationship with her mother were very interesting. And as Laura has said herself, she wrote her stories for her father...whom she adored. Not for her cold fish of a mother, who was more concerned about appearances and propriety than her family's feelings. Although, I myself may have turned a bit bitter after being dragged from pillar to post by my ADHD husband who couldn't settle and be satisfied in one place. LOL And if you really want your eyes opened, read what Laura had to say about the Homesteading Act and the government. Anyway, I adore the Ingalls family. More so in the reality that was their lives. I understand the sanitized version that is the "Little House" series...they were written for children. But the real version is SO much more interesting, complex, and nuanced. She really did lead a fascinating life.

"Switching" is the appropriate word here. Cats also switch their tails. At least mine do...when they're irritated.

That is the weirdest of the "Little House" books, in my opinion. And Jack dies, which makes me cry like a baby ever since I read it at nine. So, when we get to that one, my kids read it to themselves, and then I pick up with "Long Winter". My kids think I'm insane for crying over a dog that died almost 150 years ago, but there you have it. I loved that dog. :D

Yes, those of us in Utah, do indeed think you all are a bunch of wimps. :D Or at least your decision makers are. There is no such thing as "snow day" out here. And all Utah kids walk to school unless they live more than 2 miles from the building. So, yeah...you all need to suck it up a bit. ;)

After five days, each additional day at Disney is only around $5 more per person. We always get 10 day Park Hoppers.

We did fun Latin in first and second grade. Song School Latin. I don't want anyone to think I'm forcing Latin grammar drills on six year olds. LOL It was mostly for vocabulary and to get a feel for the language. We sang everything. :D

Well...I think I'll start out by saying that everything in your school shouldn't be easy, fun, relaxing and smooth. Children need to be challenged with the material you're using. If your child understands everything immediately, and gets all the right answers the first time...your material isn't hard enough, and your child won't be learning. You will also end up with a child who can be prone to melt downs when they are met with a problem they can't solve, or a curriculum where they don't know the answer immediately. I'm not saying that's what is happening here, because I have no idea. But I do know parents who have unintentionally done this, and then are very sorry later on. Secondly, yes, third grade is a step up. Your child should be reading fluently at this point, so you can now move on to pursue subjects more "deeply". If you want to do Latin, the younger, the better. Grammar should be a separate subject (and I started that in 1st grade with FLL). My Language Arts in third grade consisted of grammar, WWE, spelling, and phonics, as well as reading aloud by my child. We also did Math, Latin, another foreign language of the child's choice, typing/keyboarding, History, Science, and Art & Composers. Third grade is a fun year, where most kids are still cooperative and eager to learn, but they should be challenged on a daily basis. Balance out difficult to master material with things your child enjoys, and it will be fine.

Awesome story, Ellie. I relied heavily on people like you when I started homeschooling twenty years ago. I don't think I could have made it otherwise. Although we did have more curriculum choices. BJU, Konos, and Calvert had shown up by then as three new "biggies". ;) I remember going to the homeschooling conventions (when they were actually about teaching your children at home), and just soaking up info like a sponge from folks like Ruth Beechick, John Holt, and Jessica Hulcy. It was new and scary, but also so exciting. And back in the old days, when you mentioned that you homeschooled, people raised their eyebrows nearly off their foreheads. That's why I needed folks like you, who could tell me that everything was going to be just fine, and that I could do this. And now my two oldest have graduated. And, yes, I did it!!! Thanks again for sharing your story!!

Yep, we're born with a certain body structure and there isn't much we can do to change it. I'm an hourglass, and even when I put on weight, my stomach stays as flat as a board. No muffin top ever...I just don't store body fat in my abdomen. My hips are another story, however. And because that seems to be harder fat to get rid of, I do everything I can not to go over the top recommended weight for my height.

I'm not sure you can actually change your body type and shape. You will always accumulate fat on your body in the same places. But you can reduce body fat, and thus not look so "appley".

I don't know that any of us do any kind of homeschooling that would be much different than homeschoolers of other faiths (or no faith), as far as methods or curriculum go. There are threads here related to LDS beliefs and stuff like that. Did you have something specific you wanted help with as far as homeschooling goes? And, yes, join the LDS Beehive social group. Although, I don't think we have one thread on there related specifically to homeschooling. LOL We mostly chitchat. But we're fun!

No, but you're a Disney expert of the highest order! :D I don't bring food into the parks (with the exception of a granola bar or a package of M&Ms stuffed into my bag) because I'm too lazy to carry it. But plenty of other people do without a problem.

Konos. Hands-down, the best out there. I've raised all my kids on it. My oldest two are now in college on full-ride scholarships, and their professors regularly compliment them on everything they know. We love Konos!!

www.cakemixdoctor.com

Okay, well, you've lucked out. Your nine year old is still considered a "child" at Disney, and you will get "child" prices on tickets and meals (a 10 year old is an adult at Disney). So, if it were me...I would consider staying at a Disney value resort, and using the dining plan. Tell me what dates you are considering, and I can punch them in and get a quote for you. Dawn has great ideas for staying off site, if that's something you're interested in. She can give you price estimates for that, and then you can compare. Yes, I just volunteered you, Dawn. ;) You will find as many ways to "do" Disney as there are users on this board. You just have to find what suits you best.

She's going to be offended, there's really no way to avoid it. So, as long as you're okay with that, then respond in the way you posted above. If it were me...I'd just ignore the whole thing or add her back. It's Facebook...she's doing what people do on Facebook. Her "liking" things wouldn't offend me, but everyone is different, I guess.

Honestly, it all depends on your budget. I prefer to stay onsite and use the dining plan. I save my money before I go to Disney. It's so much easier. Do what you can now to save up. How many in your family? And what are their ages? That's the first thing we'll need to know to help you plan.

I don't have a problem with the assignment itself, per se. I loved learning about other people's holidays and beliefs as a child, and I feel that it's an important part of any curriculum. However, I do feel that the teacher should have known that the possibility of a child presenting something that "crossed the line" according to the school's policy on proselytizing may have been the result. I think the teacher handled it poorly (if the news story is accurate in its reporting), and that parameters should have been set in writing and sent home with the children for their parents to review. Perhaps they were, but the story doesn't mention this. I think it's hard enough for parents to understand homework assignments when they aren't potentially mired in controversy. I have many friends complaining that they don't understand what Johnny's teacher is talking about when it's something as simple as spelling homework. This was just a bomb waiting to explode. I think the teacher should have thought it through better, or come up with a different assignment, rather than relying on first graders and their parents to present their traditions in the way the teacher wanted. Maybe if the teacher simply did a presentation on winter holidays and asked the children to share some of their traditions in a spontaneous, "circle time" way, without any big production, it would have been better and less "explosive".

I think the teacher stepped on a land mine here. She never should have asked the class to present family traditions regarding a religious holiday. Of course there will be religious talk and practices associated with it. Why on earth was a religious holiday presentation deemed okay for a public school classroom? If anyone should be reprimanded here, it should be the teacher.

ER...IV antibiotics...stat. Possibly more than one. Go to the ER now. Edited to ask: Is he allergic to penicillin? Because Augmentin usually works great for this. If he is, then Clindamycin and Cipro IVs, given one right after the other should do the trick in a few days.

Dh is five years and eleven days older than me.

I will continue to keep your son in my prayers. So happy to hear your news was good!

If I were you, I would stay in AK and do the lunch at Tusker House. The kiddies will love the characters, and it's a fun place to eat (I can only speak for the breakfast, though). The theming inside is well done, and with little ones, the less rushing around you have to do...the better. However, I love FTBBQ as well, and it seems like the kiddos there have just as much fun watching the all the ducks and birds try to beg food there as they would anywhere else. Honestly, I'd just do what you think the kids would enjoy the most. Tusker House had lots of choices on the buffet the last time we ate there, so everyone should find something they enjoy. Plus, Donald is really cute in his safari outfit. :D Hmmm...my final choice...Tusker House.

My dd is a professional ballerina. Pads are not an option if you want to dance. Seriously. Start her with the junior tampons. She'll do just fine with them. Otherwise, she won't be able to dance. Of the two girls in my dd's ballet class who thought they could do it with pads...one ended up with blood running down her leg during class, and the other ended up dislodging her pad and the blood leaked through her leotard. Her male dance teacher had to whisper this to her. There is really no way to dance with a pad...especially if your dd has heavy periods. That's a recipe for a giant disaster.