Thank you!!! This recipe has all my fave foods. :D

That sounds like so much fun!!! Can you post the winning recipes? These two in particular sound yummy (Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Pie with Pretzel Crust, Peanut Butter Apple Crisp with Oatmeal-Pretzel topping). Pictures too if you have them! What a great idea!

There is a down side to Fostering. Fostering for us was not a good idea...we ended up adopting our foster right out of the gate. I love the little guy dearly and I know if I fostered again I'd end up with a house full of animals. :) I know you talked mainly about a dog but have you thought about a smaller animal like a hamster or guinea pig? They are cuddly and fairly low maintenance and can easily adapt to new situations. I feel for you. I can't imagine not having our fur-babies around. :grouphug:

She should not be going! If she had strep or some other highly contagious disease there would be no question. What she has is IMO no different. She needs to stay away until she is safe to be around. If she goes, you will not have complete control of the situation and the worry you'll have on behalf of your children and the other attendees will ruin the occasion. Obviously she is not responsible enough to make the decision herself so you'll need to. She will be angry but that is not something you can help.

My oldest daughter is like this. She is very bright but is hard on herself if she misses any of her math problems. Starts getting emotional and frustrated when it isn't IMO a big deal. For her is seems to be. It is something we work on.

That is really scary! I wonder how many people are misdiagnosed because of an artificial sweetener sensitivity?! :(

My thoughts exactly. That is why I avoid these types of threads.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

When it is that time of year to choose what the kids are going to use for curriculum, does your DH have input or do you choose everything? I do all the curriculum choosing and purchasing. Did you have to convince DH to homeschool, was he all for it, or did he not care either way? My dh originally suggested hsing to me when we found our private school choice was disappointing us. What do you think? Any advice or suggestions? It is hard to advise anyone else in this matter. The best thing you can do is spend time researching all of the different curriculum choices and methods before you make any firm decisons. Do you ever worry that you will fail at homeschooling? No. I spend a lot of time on our plans and choices. I also have hs'd our son through High School and he is doing great in college. I know you hear homeschool kids getting into great colleges, but do you ever worry that you will do something wrong and your kids won't be able to get into college? No. We've already taken one into college so we have no worries. If you had the choice of a free k12 virtual academy would you use it or homeschool on your own? We do have FLVA but I don't use it because I like to keep my homeschool status and I like picking and choosing my own curriculum. We also have FLVS (different from FLVA). FLVS are free middle school and high school courses in Florida and many homeschoolers include FLVS classes in their curriculum. Do you think it is possible to do k12 with three children, or do you think it would be way too much work that is not needed? I've heard that k12 is time intensive. I think it is definately doable but before you make any agreement be sure to look at the pace charts and time requirements on a daily basis. Also check into what kind of flexibility you can have with k12. My main issue with k12 is that I personally felt that it was more like 'school at home' . I didn't want to that level of regimentation. One of the nice things homeschooling offers is flexibility.

I used pushups on the girls when they were younger. I'm a black belt and in our classes we assigned pushups for misbehavior or goofing off. :)

IMO not newsworthy.

FLVS and Unitedstreaming Spanish. Both are excellent. We use FLVS for during the year and during the summer we do the Unitedstreaming Spanish. Between the both of them I think we're getting a good coverage of the language. US Spanish has gone a long way to review some of the important concepts.

When I was learning to swim my teacher crept up behind me when I was trying to jump off the low board and pushed me in. I have had a fear of diving boards ever since. I think throwing a child in can create big trust issues. I wouldn't do that.

There are several David Macaulay videos. The Spanish courses are fantastic, several to choose from. There are many Standard Deviant videos. Tons of Horrible Histories animations and Animated Classics. Spacefiles, Weathersmart, Stormchasers, Bill Nye, Maths Mansion and several other math programs, Pendamonium, The Harold Syntax and so many more! Don’t forget to click on ‘related materials’ for the videos to get worksheets and teacher helps. If you search a topic you will see ‘media types’ on the left side of the screen. Check out the games and skill builders. My children have really enjoyed those too!

I would have to pass on that exercise. I think it is risky leaving kids in the woods by themselves. What if one get panicky and takes off? If the idea is to experience 'sensory deprivation' then there is a possibility that some won't relate to that. What about wild animal encounters? Not to mention, isn't there some kind of Boy Scout rule that you never go off alone in the forest? I think it is a dumb and irresponsible idea.

I would not do this. I'm spiritual but don't go to church so I've never had to deal with this but your situation sounds risky. I would go without luxuries for 3 mos and give the equivalent of that as a donation. In this economy it could be tragic to not have a 'nest egg' to be able to fall back on. Your dh needs to be considerate of your side. This decision should be made by both of you IMO.

I had lots of guinea pig babies when I was a kid. The mom we had was really good and never rejected a baby. What you might do is rub a little 'litter' on the baby to mask any human scent and put the little guy back in with the other babies. Might also help if when you put him back in, you distract mom with a treat. Keep an eye on him for awhile until you are sure she isn't treating him differently. Good luck!

I have a spreadsheet I made.

None. I grade as we go during the day. It is easier to have them immediately correct any errors right away while it is fresh in their minds and the books are out. Our lesson planning is already done for the week because I do that on the weekend and it takes about 2 hours. I do it while we watch tv. It makes for an easier week.

I don't think you are overreacting at all. You trusted them to show good judgement and letting the kids jump off a rock that was known to have caused injury was very irresponsible. I'm glad your daughter is ok even though that bruise looks bad. :grouphug:

:iagree:

Oh my! You are much braver than I am! :eek:

That is a topsy-turvey or sometimes called whimsical. The technique can be intense. I've been doing cakes for almost a year and have yet to do one. There are some really good tutorials and tips at http://www.cakecentral.com That is the best cake site! The cake is covered in fondant which is something that takes some getting used to but once you do, it is fun to work with. One of the best things I ever did was take the Wilton Cake Decorating courses. You can take them at Michael's or Joann's and usually get half off the tuition and supplies with coupon deals. I never paid full price for my classes. You will learn everything you need to know to make that kind of cake except for the topsy-turvy technique. Good luck!

I got mine!!! I'm trying not to look through it though.

I LOVE my fanny pack!!! There I said it!!! We have annual passes to Universal and I wear my pack (turned so the pack in in the front). It is great for having hands free. I wouldn't want a backpack because it is a pain having to take it on and off for rides and they are too big anyway. I only wear one tiny one though and flip flops. :D