Thanks everyone. There is a lot of "raw" emotion in this house, as Chris said. Family therapy is probably where we are headed since it seems I have made a complete mess of us all.

And by this I do not mean that they must be best friends. I would simply like my children to treat one another with kindness and respect. We have 7 children ranging in age from dd13 to ds1. I exagerrate not when I tell you that my children HATE one another and don't try to hide it. I cannot leave my 13yo dd in charge of ANY of the children except dd4 or ds1 b/c they all fight so badly that I am afraid somebody will get seriously hurt. I am at my wits end. Before anyone goes jumping to any conclusions...we DO NOT model this type of behavior for our children. We do not spand, do not use violence to get our way and do not speak to our children like they speak to one another. Are we perfect? NO! We lose our temper on occasion, but for the most part we model kindness, respect, grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, etc. We fail. And we ask forgiveness. We make mistakes and we admit them freely. What are we doing wrong? There are certain combinations of my children that DO get along better than others but even then it is for a limited amount of time. Then they are back to the same old, same old. Please help me. I really cannot take it anymore. I am trying desperately to restore the peace in my home but to no avail. FWIW...dd13, ds11, and ds10 go to ps while I still homeschool ds8, ds7, dd4 and ds1. You would think that the time away would help. It doesn't. As soon as the 3 older ones get home the fighting, bickering, name calling and violence towards one another begin. We have tried time outs, punishments, grounding, taking away privileges, talking, heart-to-hearts, etc. I really am going to have a nervous breakdown if this continues.

So what about the existing "exemptions"? Anything about them? There will need to be a medical exemption for those with compromised immune systems. And what about religious exemptions? They'll have to take my kids away before I let me "require" me to vaccinate them. AND, they will have to sign a paper guaranteeing that my children will not be harmed in any way whatsoever. As if i wasn't burning hot and on fire about this already...:glare:

I had a package come to me with a slit in the top (not like an "oops, the box tore" kind of slit, but a "let's take the knife and open the box" kind of slit", KWIM?) and my book was gone. Empty package. Thankfully it was only a $10 book. I've had buyers tell me their packages were received damaged or with books missing. I've had books damaged and ripped, etc. If people would only do their jobs with care...this wouldn't happen. Doesn't matter if it is Media Mail or not. Media Mail is just supposed to be slower...not more "send at your own risk". KWIM?

Well, you just described my almost 9yo ds. To a tee. He remembers every line from his favorite movie, can put together mega Lego creations, read directions for such things, memorize the number of every Ravens player AND how to spell their names, play every video game imaginable and win...even if it is his first time playing. Need I go on? It is obvious these boys are bright and motivated...to do things THEY are intersted in and things THEY want to do. I feel your pain, though. But, we can only lead a "horse" to water. We cannot make them drink. You cannot force a child to "learn" or "memorize" anything they don't want to. Trust me...I have tried it all. Bribery, coercion, punishment, reward, positive reinforcement, etc. Nothing.works. I do believe R. Moore has a point...'some' boys are simply not ready for formal academics until much later than others. What I am doing with my ds: He does not get to play his coveted video games until his work is done. He gets 5 min. for every subject he completes. It is a real motivator. I taylor his copywork to subjects of interest: Ravens, video games, Star Wars, etc. I word math problems in terms he can understand "If I give you 5 min. of play time for every subject you complete and you complete 6...how much time do you have to play? (mult)" He gets it. I have him make change when we go to the farm to buy our milk and eggs, etc. I have him count out his allowance in different coin denominations each week. I let him read whatever he likes (w/in reason). My not-so-professional advice? Give him another year and see how he is. Are you planning to put him in ps later? That would be a different story. I don't plan on putting mine in ps until at least high school. Oh, and don't forget reading to him. They do remember a lot...esp. when their hands are busy while you read. Don't give up. :grouphug:

I think that number is low. I look around me at church, in the store, at the park, etc. and probably half of those people would be considered at least overweight. It is very sad. Here in America most people choke at the expression, "less is more"...especially when it comes to food. More is always better. Supersize this, giant this, double this, fast food restaurants on every corner, rushed and stressed life, processed foods, etc. People are in to convenience more than health. I say this but I include myself in this. But we are trying to eat more fresh foods and exercise more.

I looked extensively at Guesthollow for this year and really like it a lot. I wouldn't do all of the pockets b/c my boys don't like all that cutting/pasting but that really won't detract from the program. The good thing is...it is free! The other good thing is that you can pick and choose from all the resoures she mentions. It's like putting your own program together except the outline is all there for you as well as resource recommendations. I would go with Guesthollow.

I sort of figured we might just have to get used to it. I will look for the ww pastry flour and perhaps trying using a 50/50 blend next time. Thanks.

My dd13 made black bottom cupcakes last night. Now, assuming she followed the recipe exactly and didn't make any mistakes (which I don't know for sure), they didn't turn out as "sweet" as they usually do. We used whole wheat flour in an attempt to be healthy (trying to avoid white flour) and I know that using whole wheat flour typically makes a recipe turn out a bit, umm, different. Is this typical? The cupcakes are more like the texture of muffins and taste very "wheaty". Any baking gurus out there that can help us? We want to use this type of flour, but are not liking the end result. Thanks.

Hey Jean. We are sort of in the same boat...except we don't rent. We can't afford to do laminate in our living room, hall and dining room/kitchen although we would really like to. Our kitchen has a vinyl floor in a brick-like pattern. It really does look like bricks. Blech. The living room had carpet and we ripped it up b/c it was disgusting. Hall still has carpet. So, we are putting down laminate in the living room only. It will likely look ridiculous, but at least we will have a floor! I would just go ahead and do it. Worry about appearances later, kwim? In a perfect world, our houses could all look like showcase homes but reality is what it is!

Treading gently....it seems to me that the additions are long overdue...everywhere. Our country WAS founded on Judeo-Christian values! We ARE a republic, not a democracy! The far right "agenda" has been crammed down our kids throats for too many years w/out the counterbalance of the other side. Saying that TX is wrong for this is just as bad as saying all states are wrong for teaching evolution. Don't you think? I'm not trying to be nasty and I hope it doesn't come across this way. My kids in ps are taught that evolution is absolute TRUTH while we believe that it is not. However, we grin and bear it and just refer them to the Bible and our belief. I never like when ONE side of the story is presented in absence of the other. Seems like TX is just trying to finally strike a balance. Hope that's okay to say hear...I don't want to be a pot-stirrer...just wanted to present the other side of the 'argument', kwim? However...I am glad that I homeschool my youngers and homeschooled my olders until last year!

My almost 2yo's favorite activity is fingerpainting with yogurt on the table.:leaving: I wouldn't recommend it. :glare:

We want a garden this year. Our soil is a bit rocky and well, not very fertile. I want to try my hand at composting but don't know where to begin...except saving food scraps! Can somebody give me the basics? Thanks!

I was never good with prep work. I could never get my act together to prepare and gather materials for science experiments or history projects, etc. Felt so drained just from the 'normal' responsibilities. My ds (10 at the time) wanted to do more hands-on stuff, too. So, I got a book from the library of science experiments and tole him to choose a half dozen that he wanted to do. I told him to make me a list of materials that we would need and we would go out and gather them all at once. That really helped me. I also told him that he would have to "run" the experiment and I would help. Of course, I read about it ahead of time (easy exp...about 10 min. to read and comprehend) but he took the lead. It worked out great.

Just checking in for an update. Have been praying for you. Update when you can!

Praying for her, the doctors, her family, etc. I missed the original post I think...how old is this child?

Whenever I toast Eng. Muffins, the edges get charred, b/c I like them very crispy. I just pick off the charred edges and eat it. If I were you, if you don't like them like that then just ask the restaurant to toast them lightly. They can do that.

Check out http://www.spinningbabies.com. Lots of tips for getting a baby into correct vertex position to eliminate back labor. Back labor is usually caused by the baby facing the wrong way (face toward your front, intead or your rear) during descent. Hands and knees position is good. Definitely avoid lying on your back. Lie on your side if you can't get into hands and knees. That should help. Good luck!

My ds8 has enjoyed the books from even Fiar vol. 1. Some of the activities are young for him, but we beef them up with extras. He just loves being read to so it works well. I like FIAR...just wish we had been more consistent with it this year.

Funny you should ask, Chris! My latest small world experience was finding out that my cousin went to your church! Will never forget when she told me about this "friend" she had who homeschooled and was on a homeschool board and her signature was Chris in VA...I about fell off my chair. Anyway...then, this past week my brother was in an auto accident and the officer at the scene happened to be our cousin! Didn't even realize he was a police officer!

By all means...please go! All are welcome at church and you don't have to be a "prospective convert" to go. Go and enjoy yourself! Let us know how it goes, Bill!

Nothing much to really know. Fresh eggs are awesome! Only thing I would do is wash the eggs before cracking them. That's it! Enjoy!

I vote Vit. B...thanks! Not pregnant...def. not. Aunt Flo just visited. Perimenopause? Hmmm...I'd hate to think that. Was still holding out hope I'd be fertile for a few more years in case we ever wanted more kids. LOL. Crazy. I can't get an appt. w/ dentist for few months. Booked solid...and this is not an emergency. Thanks everyone.

This is the second time this has happened. My toothbrush is not too hard...soft bristles. My gums are very sore and tender and seem to be receding (showing more of the tooth). They bleed right along where tooth meets gum when I brush. Weird. What could cause this? Thanks.

Thank you for posting this. I have also read that this is the proper interpretation of the "rod". It can be justified b/c many Christians do not take the time to figure out context of scripture, cultural implications at that time OR correct translations! This whole thread makes me sad b/c we once met a family who introduced us to the Pearl method and we tried it. It didn't work and we gave it up quickly...thank God.