:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I used this when it first came out. We didn't like it because it was so redundant and I was disappointed to find that some of the memory literature was not accurate to the original. Mostly, it just moved very slowly so we changed to Easy Grammar then to HAKE Grammar.

I'm in Tampa Bay and our front lawn was frosted over. It looked like it snowed. The dog was completely baffled. :lol: It is supposed to be super colder tonight. BRRRR!

How do you grade and what do you do with the grades if you don't have to report them? Never assign a grade. I check the work and any errors are corrected. Do you make report card type reports for your own records? Never. I keep detailed records of work completed. Do you use grades for motivation for your kids? Never. Getting the work done and correct for the day is their motivation. They get their free time when they are all done. If you don't have to report such things to your state, when do you start keeping up with grades? I've graduated a son who is in college and the only time I assigned grades was for his HS transcript. All A's because our teaching approach is such that they aren't finished until the work is 100%.

Ebay all the way! I just made nearly $500 on my homeschool books this week. I did a major declutter and put them on a 5 day auction. It was one late night but I got them all up the same day (so that they would end the same day). Using the isbn number to pull up info and pictures instead of individually describing every item is a huge time saver. I print shipping labels via Paypal and only accept Paypal. That makes things very fast and easy. This auction I just did was put up last Sat-ended Thurs nite-spent about 5 hrs Fri night packing and printing shipping and this morning the kids and I each took armloads of packages and dh drove up to the Post office door. Our PO has a bin to just drop off packages. No standing in line. In less than 5 min we had them off. I only have about 5% I'm waiting payment on. I didn't sell all my listed items and generally don't relist unless I can justify the interest with the time and effort and there is added cost to relist. Instead, I donate to the local library for them to sell. I really didn't want to do this auction but I don't like to sell on Craigslist because I'm leery of strangers coming to the house. Selling to our co-ops tends to be a big hassle. I think the key to doing big auctions is to get them up fast so that they end close together and then plan a solid block of time to devote to packing. Enlisting the kids helps too. I think Ebay can be a very efficient way to declutter those books.

I used Clonlara for my first year of hsing many years ago. I was really disappointed with them. I found that I was doing all the accounting and sending that to them and they just signed off on it. Then when annual testing came around all they could tell me was to find a FL certified teacher to administer the test and then send Clonlara the info. They never returned my emails asking about a list of certified testers that they supposedly would provide. For all the 'accounting' work I did it was crazy for me to pay them. I just quit providing the monthly reports and they never even emailed me to ask why I disappeared. IMO their service was awful. They talk a mean game and make it sound so good but the 'notebook' and their 'service' didn't justify the cost and paperwork that I did.

About the TMJ, I had a friend who was having some extensive work done on her jaw. She decided to have it all done at once (in retrospect a very bad idea). It took a few HOURS and she was put under. She woke up and has had horrible TMJ issues ever since. She never had that before. I remember her talking about how bad her jaw ached and then the headaches and persistent jaw pain that she has had to be treated for on an ongoing basis. I wonder if your root canal is the 'root' of your probs too. (Sorry, couldn't resist the 'root' thing). :) I hope you can get some relief soon.

I don't do grades at all. The girls do their work and I check it over. Whatever is wrong is corrected the same day. So basically nothing is finished until it is 100% right. Since they know that they correct whatever is wrong, they just naturally try to minimize the amount of time they spend on corrections. Spending more time at the start and getting more correct is its own reward.

This discussion reminds me of when I was pregnant and working. I had people coming up to me, touching my stomach all the time. It was so strange and uncomfortable for me. The oddest thing was a gal I didn't get along with who came up to me and told me outright that she didn't want to talk to me and proceeded to have a conversation with my 'stomach'....not kidding! She was telling the bump how she didn't like me but that was not the baby bump's fault and she would talk to it instead. Fortunately we didn't run into each other that often and surprisingly we started to get along. I guess the baby was like a mediator? :lol: Why do people take these kinds of liberties??? I would start making it real clear to these people that they need to stop messing with your daughter's hair and stop nagging her about Locks of Love. :)

I think that the young man's family might be putting the burden of being the 'bad guy' on you. Maybe they think that you'll not allow her to stay and that way she won't come to the wedding? I think the young man's family should have made their wishes clearer. However, I also think it is customary to allow singles to bring a date. This girl is more than a date too since they are gf/bf. In the interest of keeping peace, I would treat this couple as adults but put them in separate rooms for sleeping. Hopefully they will understand that around the other folks they need to mind their manners but if they don't, a reminder might be in order. As for the large family that might not be coming, you got that info secondhand so that might not even accurate. I would shoot them an email and just ask them if they are coming because you heard that they may be thinking of staying nearer the church and you have other family that could use the room. Deep breaths. :grouphug:

My oldest didn't have a lot of friends. He never seemed to mind and was active with volunteering and outside classes. I never pushed him because I was the same way and I know that I was most comfortable at home with my family and the few friends I had. HTH. He is in college and doing fine and has no problems getting along with others and making friends. :)

The Carole Marsh Mysteries are very good! They are set in real places and are very engaging.

Yes! Pretty much everything I send is Media Mail. :)

I'm sorry you felt singled out by that email. I don't think that was his intention. He really is a very nice man and has always tried to go out of his way to help. The majority of curriculum authors wouldn't even think of offering individual help like he has. One thing to think about...Mr. Schmidt was very ill in Sept 09 with pulmonary embolism. Between publishing a new book and recovering, I suspect he is trying to lighten the load.

I buy a lot of my books on Ebay, then I sell them right back on Ebay. We are careful about not marking them so I generally make most of my money back on the non-consumables.

Elliptical machine! I would park it right in front of the TV. :)

Her religion has nothing to do with her hair. If somehow her 'fake' hair is being seen as evidence of a dishonest thereby un-Christianlike person then I think that is a real stretch. I've seen some very dishonest Christians with very real hair in my lifetime. ;) ps..I like her new hair. Seems less severe and she looks happier.

I think the key objections are that the other parent did not give consent to the tattoo and that the children are legally too young to have given consent (the tattoo industry takes legal age considerations very seriously). There is also the fact that the guy doing the tattoo is not licensed and did not even come close to observing safety and sanitary regulations. I'm not even sure he used a tattoo grade ink. There are so many reasons these parents are in hot water. Even if this is a teeny tiny tattoo and even if it is removable (this may still leave a visible scar), these parents needed to be stopped. Judging from the extent of their own body illustrations, they may not have stopped at a tiny cross if nobody had objected. They clearly didn't see anything wrong with what they were doing and completely blew off the other parent.

I bathe them once every couple months. Our long-hair gets a lion cut every 6 mos. and I trim their nails monthly or as needed. One of our kitties likes to join us in the shower a few times a week.

Today I completely cleaned up my pantry and made room for all my baking stuff that has been temporarily set up on shelves in the dining room. Whew! it was a big job. I got rid of 2...yep 2...old coffeemakers. I guess we were holding onto them in case of a coffee pot emergency. Anyway...they are gone. I also found 4 (go figure!) springform pans! So now I am down to only 2. This is what being disorganized does to me...4 springform pans. I can't really remember when I used one last. Crazy! I also got rid of some chinese noodles that are ancient and nobody likes them but were unopened so we just kept them. I am getting much better at getting rid of things. The kitchen looks wonderful now! I am really getting into this! :)

Why? :confused: Edited to add...oh I get it...pennies. I couldn't figure it out since I've had this avatar since like forever. Just a weird coincidence. ;)

I just did the same thing. I auction on Ebay though because I already have all of the mailers and I do everything via Paypal. I can print the postage at home and the postman will schedule a pick up or I can go to the post office and since there is already postage on the packages I just bypass the line and stack on their counter. It is pretty fast and nice to have something for all those books. You might check out doing the postage with Paypal and scheduling a postal pickup....it really does decrease the hassle. :)

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: You're amazing! You acted fast and did all the right things. Take a deep breath, things are all well now.

It's very possible due to dander that can settle anywhere. I've also heard of severe reactions from just being in an area where there was an animal. If the dander/hair etc. isn't fully cleaned/removed/neutralized then there could be a risk. Your visit sounds like it was miserable. :grouphug:

:grouphug: Must be that kind of day. My mom just told me on the tele that she didn't know why my brother wanted her to talk to me...sigh...she has Alzheimer's but it is still a little reminiscent of the days before she had the disease and she still acted like I was invisible. Families really suck sometimes. Sorry, I'm not much help. :(