We take lots of supplements (we, meaning mostly dh and I; the children take much fewer. So far, I've been happy with various brands such as Twinlab, Nature's Way, Solaray, Source Naturals, NOW ... Now, I'm having a hard time researching and coming up with some way of knowing if a brand is good and high-quality. :confused: Nature's Sunshine I have heard mostly fantastic things about their products. I want everything they offer. Yet, their products are very pricey, even if you do become a member. I'm wondering how I can afford to get everything from them? Is it worth spending that much $$ on their stuff? If you take these, do you feel THAT much better taking them? I would love to hear if you get everything from them. Is there anyone here who ordered from them and was not that impressed or did not feel that much different? In other words, I'd like to know if it's worth spending the $ on their products? Sorry to sound so cheap. I'm used to ordering supplements from vitacost or amazon - and getting them at far cheaper rates than at health food stores and direct from sellers - brands like NOW, Solgar, Solaray, Nature's Way, Twinlab, etc. When I test them all by putting them in water and/or vinegar, as is often recommended, they have all come out fine. So their quality must be good, right? Does that make sense? I love Nature's Way, since their quality seems to be good and their prices are amazing. But yet I'm wondering whether I need to get a full-time job in order to afford Nature's Sunshine? Standard Process is very good, I know, but you can only order them from a naturopath, etc. Shakee, I have heard is very good also. Never tried it, but based on what many say, it looks like it's good. Other brands I've heard good things about: Rainbow Light Garden of Life New Chapter Organics So, I guess my question is ... and sorry this post is a bit unclear ... is Nature's Way (and even other brands I mentioned above) okay??? If they pass the vinegar/water test, shouldn't that make them okay? Or should I fork out lots more $$ on Nature's Sunshine? I feel that we already spend sooo much on supplements.

I started college at almost 20 and that's what I want for my dc, if possible, also. I think there's a definite maturity issue involved. For us, it's particularly helpful, since my dc (and I myself had the same experience) will be living in a different country, possibly even a different continent. So, maturity is key. I also worked before college. Plus, I got much closer to my parents. I appreciated them more and listened to them more. Like the previous poster, I also got a great scholarship.

We like these a lot - Grammar Practice Simplified. Rainbow Resource has them also.

We have used this, but really do prefer All About Spelling. To me, AAS ... just does not compare. :thumbup1:

I wish I lived near you. Thanks for the book recommendation.

Yes, I first heard about Exfolia from Chinaberry and usually buy it from them anyway. :) Love what you say about being happy and content. Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers, and are famous preservers of good looks. ~ Charles Dickens Love this thread. Peela is wonderful. Everyone's tips here are so helpful. :D

My dc never liked Rainbow Rock. Waste of $ for us.

http://www.victorycoaching.citymax.com/page/page/3513982.htm

This is a great quiz and, IMHO, right on. :)

I love Coldwater Creek and they often have great sales, and, most of all, very helpful sales personnel. I seldom have much luck shopping in stores :confused:. I prefer online. This is THE best fashion book ever. I learned so much. Now ... I have heard really good things about this site. If I lived in the U.S., I would subscribe to it, for at least part of the year. This is what someone wrote about it. This is a paid weekly service but I can't say enough good things about it. Leslie, the owner, is the sister of Leanne Ely from Flylady.net and Savingdinner.com. I pay $9.95 for a 3-month membership and I receive twice-weekly articles with specific links to items that will look good on me (at websites like J C Penney, Coldwater Creek, Kohls, White House Black Market etc), including how to put them together. I love to watch What Not To Wear, but this site actually helps me to dress better! She will also, when you sign up, "type" your body and if you send a photo she will make personal suggestions for improving your appearance. I've paid for a subscription a couple of times, usually right before the season changes when I know I need some new things. I do think it's helped me save money by buying things that really work for me.

Finally, I read this recently: Recently I had the pleasure of meeting an 87 year-old woman who was not only very wise but who also could do more push ups than most 50 year-olds. I had the honor of spending a glorious week at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico to celebrate their 70th anniversary and interviewing the co-founder and owner, Deborah Szekely. Just shy of her 88th birthday, Deborah glows with an energy that one rarely finds in someone half her age. She does Pilates three times a week and trains three times a week with a Navy Seal. When she said "I know that eventually I will get old"... I knew that I had to share her inspiration with you. Ten Life Principles of Deborah Szekely Get healthy! It's never too late to decide to be healthy. "Disease is not required. It is, to a great degree, a matter of choice. Our habit of diet, exercise and attitude can determine the quality of our lives. What good is it to live to be 100 if we don't have the energy, health and vitality to enjoy it? It's never too late to start becoming healthy and it's so simple. When you start, just eat 20 percent less than normal and the excess pounds will go away. Eat slowly and eat local, seasonal and organic whenever possible." Start it. Even if you don't know what's next, take the first step. Once you get going with a project you'll figure out what's next. "We didn't know what we were building, we just did what needed to be done each day." Seventy years later, those days have added up to create one of the world's premier health spas and resorts. And, it all started from taking the first step. Take time for yourself. "Make time for you. Go outside in the morning and connect to Nature's energy. Listen. Feel it. Problems will still be there but you get to share them in a different way." When we connect to something bigger than us and take the time to go inside, we'll find the answers we seek. Start your day with the right attitude. "Each morning when you wake, connect with your body. Spend a moment wiggling and say 'Good Morning'. Expect it to be a good day and it will be." Our attitude determines our outcome. Exercise and get moving! "At 87, I exercise six days a week. I still have a lot to do in my life! You can get as old as you're willing to be. When you turn 60, exercise is doubly important, when you turn 70, even more. I have to exercise even more, not less, when I reach 90. I know that eventually I'll get old, but for me, going on 88 is no different than 68!" Smidgens add up. Many times we'll have 'just a smidgen' of this or 'just a smidgen' of that ... but those smidgens add up. If you eat fast food only twice a week, that adds up to more than 100 times a year, or almost 10,000 times if you live to be 100! Be aware of the long-term, cumulative effects of your choices, even if it's 'only a smidgen.' Let your faith be bigger than your problems. "Everyone has problems. All you can do is your very best and that usually suffices -- just do your best. I'm confident when I know I've done my best -- it's going to work out. The key is to look beyond the day and beyond the problem, by focusing on that future day." Life is about thirds. Life can be divided into three main sections. "The first third, from 0-30 is your youth. The second third is your adolescence, when we grow up to become a person. The third third of life, from 60 to 90 is the pinnacle of life, the years where we have the most freedom and choices -- but you must be healthy!" Climb mountains! "Life is best lived when you have a goal, have a passion and find things that you believe in. These passions can change, just like when you climb a mountain, the horizon always changes. The higher you climb up the mountain the more you can see. As you summit the peak you might see another mountain top. Follow where your passion will lead you. Find the things you believe in and get addicted to mountain climbing." Give back. Being of service to others makes life more complete. "There's just so much to do and I'm in a position to help make a difference ... As an 'Elder', I believe that wisdom is experience plus judgment. I believe the elders are in a position to make a difference."

Sorry this is sooo long ... 3 Keys to Slow Down Aging in All Your Body’s Cells: • Exercise for half an hour a day – Ideally, at least 20 of these 30 minutes should be spent in any activity that leaves you somewhat breathless. • Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (and low in fat and refined sugar) • Spend an hour a day taking part in stress-reducing activities, such as yoga or meditation - I figure that I spend about 30 minutes a day praying and reading holy scripture. That's my quiet time. I love it and need it. The other 30 minutes can be spent doing yoga and other stretching. I have no problem fitting that in, since I love it so much. SUN Stay out of the sun. This is probably the #1 beauty tip. Wear a good sunscreen (I just researched the more “safe” ones and can post a list if anyone is interested - and just for everyone to know, Neutrogena, Coppertone, and Banana Boat are amongst the worst). Nonetheless, I seldom wear sunscreen. I wear a wide-brimmed hat and I am very rarely out in the sun in the peak hours. I try to wear sunscreen on my hands and am considering getting gloves for driving. You can always tell a woman’s age by looking at her hands. The hands never lie. Strong circulation from a healthy heart and lungs mean more blood flow to the face. Diets high in carotenoids – antioxidants found in colorful fruits, vegetables, certain fish and poultry – make skin appear more golden and, therefore healthier. WATER Drinking water is probably the #2 beauty tip. Poorly hydrated skin isn't going to look good under any foundation. I drink water first thing in the morning and after each bathroom trip. I stop drinking water at around 6 PM. I also don't drink much right before leaving the house. Most public bathrooms here leave much to be desired. ;) Ideally, your urine should be clear. I don't drink water during meals. NUTRITION Try to have at least 1/2 of each meal be veggies and/or fruit. I try (but definitely don't always succeed) to juice veggies and have one juice a day. My parents do this daily. Consume 5-9 Servings of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables a Day. One of the most conspicuous things about the diets of the five longest-lived populations is that they all include large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. The most important anti-aging aspect of fruits and veggies is their high levels of antioxidants. As well as host of other benefits, antioxidants protect tissues from cross-linking, a process that causes arteries to stiffen and skin to wrinkle. To test your cross-linking, put your hand flat on a table surface. Take a pinch of skin from the back of your hand and pull it upward. If it springs back, your cross-linking damage is minimal. The longer it stays raised, the more cross-linking damage you have. The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live. You could say that one of the commonest causes of aging is a fruit and vegetable deficiency. Another benefit of fruits and veggies is the high-fiber content. Fiber improves digestion and ensures skin-damaging toxins are flushed from the body. Healthy Fats and Omega 3s Eat plenty of fish, nuts, seeds, and olive oil – these healthy fats are all necessary for radiant, supple skin. I also LOVE Carlson's Fish Oil - has a ton of health benefits and I'm convinced that it helps the skin. Limit refined sugar, highly processed and fried foods as much as possible. Sugar triggers the formation of free radicals, which damage the skin’s supportive collagen strands. SKIN CARE I get facials about once every 4-6 weeks. They’re much cheaper here. ;) I love Paula's Choice but may consider using nothing at all or something more natural. I don't use products daily. EXFOLIATION Wrinkles aren't typically what make a woman look old, but loss of something called "brightness". Cellular build-up and clogged and enlarged pores can make skin look dim and dull. Nothing beats having facials, but if you can't afford them, you can do so at home. Before thinking about make-up, if you can afford to see a really good aesthetician for as long as your budget allows and as often as your budget allows, you would benefit profoundly. One of the keys to keeping skin young is regular and gentle exfoliation. I love Exfolia Cloth from amazon and use it in the shower a few times a week. Always be more gentle than you think you need to be! Exfoliating scrubs used twice a week will help with blackheads and increase brightness. If you use one of the scrubs, the particles should be smooth and feel like sugar in your hand. If they are too big or rough, they can tear skin. Go for a gentle product with a manufactured exfoliant - like micro beads - versus a natural exfoliant like seeds or pits because the rough edges can actually cause little scratches on your skin and cause more damage in the long run than help. This is one time natural is not necessarily better! Use only your ring finger to massage a manual exfoliant on your face as it has the lightest touch - even though it feels so good to REALLY scrub! Always be more gentle than you think you need to be! Always err on the side of babying your skin. I have heard good things about the following, although I haven’t tried any of them yet. Mary Kay Time Wise Microdermabrasion – the entire Mary Kay line is said to be good Biore strips are said to be helpful for cleaning pores Sephora Microdelivery Peel Neutrogena’s At Home Microdermabrasion System Olay Daily Facials Clarity Scrub pHisoderm pH2O Anytime Nurturing Scrub with Gentle Microbeads With Clarins' Bright Plus HP Brightening Peel, $42 at Sephora and Sephora.com, you really see immediate results. You put this peel on with a cotton pad and never have to take it off, and it really perks up your skin fast. You can really see it work, too - if you do one side of your face and not the other, you can actually see how much brighter your face looks! The older we get, the brighter we want our skin to look. We want less age spots, less discoloration and less unevenness, and this peel is a great extra little boost that you can give to your skin every few days. EYEBROWS Believe it or not, eyebrows are really important and can totally change how you look. On top of that, having well-groomed eyebrows makes you look more put-together even if you don't wear make up. I never wear make up. I have my naturally thick and bushy brows waxed once a month. Do what you need to do. If waxing is a splurge, then after professional waxing you can maintain the shape yourself by regular tweezing afterwards. Charla Krupp says that getting your eyebrows done is like a 15-minute facelift. It can really lift up your face. Finally, don’t pluck out any gray hairs, since brows thin with age and you might wind up with no brows at all. SLEEP ON BACK IF YOU CAN OR WITH A SILK OR SATIN PILLOWCASE I’m never able to sleep on my back. I got a satin pillowcase, which, apparently helps with hair loss and facial creases. RETINOL :confused: I have not yet used Retinol, but may as I get older. I know that it helps to fade age spots (an area of concern for me) and you can use it on your hands, lower forearms, and even your decolletage. But I am concerned about adverse health effects, so still undecided. :confused: I have read that every woman over 40 should consider Retinol. I may wait until I’m 50. I’ll see. Retinol is the only medical proven cream that will stimulate collagen growth. Everything else is smoke and mirrors. There isn't anything on the market that compares. Don't bother with Strivectin. It doesn't work and is ridiculously expensive. Retinol is the only real proven topical cream that reduces fine lines and age spots. Retinol is like taking a whip to an old horse; it goads your skin into making fresh new collagen. This from a very trusted friend who swears by the stuff. “Despite Madison Avenue and heavy marketing, no cream has ever been proven to reverse skin aging except retinol. Retinol is the magic bullet. I know that you need a prescription. I know it isn't cheap. But it works. We women pour billions of dollars into buying creams and potions that don't work, but then we balk at actually paying the money for something that does. Retinol works if your skin can tolerate it. Some people cannot tolerate it because it is too drying. Most people get irritation from improper use.” LYMPHASIZING I dry brush and dry loofah my body almost daily. I also rebound on most days. SPIRITUAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH I pray and read encouraging words at least once a day, preferably twice. I laugh a lot. I've always been this way :D. HAIR COLORING I have not colored my hair yet and may very well allow myself to go gray naturally. My dh prefers it and so do I. If you do want to dye your hair, Charla Krupp says, getting hair professionally colored is the one beauty indulgence not to skip.

Peela, you are AMAZING :iagree:. You took the words out of my mouth :D. I agree fully with all that you say - especially mammograms (I'm considering breast thermography next time we travel somewhere that has it); calcium; everything. I wish I could spend more time with you and pick your brains. You're a fabulous wealth of info :grouphug:. Thanks for the reminder to look into more food-based supplements and to eat more plant-based foods. I knew that already, but I need the reminder. I also juice veggies as often as I can. My parents juice daily and they are so healthy. I so believe in pH balancing. The only make-up I've worn for the past 12 years has been a tiny bit of tinted lip balm for special occasions. I used to wear TONS of make up. All. The. Time. ;) I'm 42. Heather, lovely to see you here :grouphug:, I have a whole bunch of info that I hope to find the time (and hopefully not overwhelm ;) to post later.

Books that may or may not fit what you are looking for, but that my 11-year-old dd has loved include: Enna Burning Rapunzel's Revenge Forest Born

WWE - is great, but, for us it's not enough. It does not teach creative writing. The focus, so far (my ds is on Level 2) has been on narration, copywork, and dictation. We only use the workbooks. It's scripted and is a great pick-up-and-go curriculum. But again, it would be much better if there was a creative writing/composition part also. The copywork and dictation are great. The narration annoys my ds a bit, but it's fine. I don't think we'll go up to Volume 4 with this series. We may finish up to Volume 3, since we have 3 volumes. Very user-friendly. We don't do some of the lessons/literature selections, since I know that some would bore my ds. But he really enjoys most of the selections. Writing Strands - we've just started, but I don't know if we'll stick with it. Dd likes it. Ds is not crazy about it. We really love the Just Write series - available from Love to Learn, Rainbow Resource, and Amazon - and I so wish that I had known about them earlier. I did know about them, but I always ignored these books in all the catalogs. These books focus on creative writing and are published by ESP - the same people who make so many workbooks. Very user-friendly. They have workbooks and teacher manuals up to Level 3. I recently ordered the Steck-Vaughn Core Skills books and just can't wait for them to arrive. The sequence is the same every year – grammar and then writing. Seems to be very complete. I've heard great things about these.

I have often read and you can google it also, that the more canned foods a person eats, the higher the risk of cancer. Just to let you know to not overdo canned foods.

First of all, stop worrying. :grouphug: WRITING - Depending on your budget, either one or both of these to me are great. Just Write - We really like this series. Yes, WWE is great, but unfortunately, there is no actual writing. We love the narration, copywork, and dictation, but if it had writing, it would be a perfect and comprehensive program. So, we're enjoying WWE but have also added Just Write :D. I recently ordered these and simply can't wait for them to arrive. I've heard great things about them. Very comprehensive and thorough. The sequence is the same every year – grammar and then writing. Seems to be very complete. GRAMMAR The link above contains grammar and to me, with good literature, and a simple user-friendly program, that's all I want to cover anyway. We're not a grammar over-kill family. We tried. ;) These are also user-friendly and fine. SPELLING AAS is the absolute best spelling program ever. For us, anyway. :D The 2 key things I am trying to look for in a LA program are: 1. If it goes up to 12th grade or at least as high as possible. This is particularly important to me when it comes to writing. The more I think about it, the more I realize that writing is a subject very much like math that very gradually builds skills little by little. If I jump around to different curriculums and follow different techniques, this is harder to do. So ideally, I would love a curriculum for writing that starts out in elementary and goes through high school. I am finding it very hard to find such a program. 2. User-friendly and not too teacher-intensive. I don't want to have to reinvent the wheel. This is very important to me. I don't particularly enjoy teaching writing. I would much rather teach subjects that are more clear - math, grammar, vocab, history, you name it ... but writing, although I was fine with it in school myself ... teaching it is something I don't enjoy.

Oney, thank you for your helpful 2 cents. :grouphug: The library literacy here is our challenge. There are no good libraries here :001_huh:. I guess, they'll have to take a class in that once they start college.

We absolutely love these and have almost the entire series. Couldn't recommend them more. We got them from Rainbow Resource. The ones that are illustrated by Samuel Byrd are much nicer, I think. But they're all good. We also like this series, but they might still be a bit advanced.

Thank you for this. This is really helpful. :001_smile: Yes, I just ordered a logic program and some other stuff - waiting patiently for them to arrive. I'm also looking into having them start doing research reports on a more regular and serious basis.

I really like these - nice, simple, cheap, answer keys in the back. We hated JAG and I wasn't about to fork out too much $ for anything else. I have ordered the Steck Vaughn books and am looking forward to them. I think they might be even better.

We usually have school for about 4-5 hours a day total. A few afternoons a week, the dc are free. Other days, they have extra math practice with their grandfather (Singapore), or dd goes to French class at the Alliance Francaise, or when dh has the time, he teaches them science or something that interests them. I absolutely do not teach or spend time with them in the afternoons. That is my time to relax, take a nap, or cool down from the crazy heat :chillpill:. So my question is about the afternoons that they have free, or even the weekends that they are free and have no friends over or activities to do. I feel that now that dd is almost 12 and is about to start 7th grade, she should be getting more homework. So far, I feel that I have been too lenient with them. She gets a few pages of Worldly Wise or some other similar workbook-type assignment to do. But she's not the type to ever go above and beyond the work that I assign for her :rolleyes:. She does the bare minimum and that's it. How much homework is too much? How can I tell how many pages of, say WW, or some other book I should assign to her? For ds also. I do feel that they have enough time. I would like to push them further and feel that now is right time to do so. According to various sites that I have seen, about 2 - 2.5 hours of homework per day, at 7th grade and up, is reasonable. Any tips, advice, thoughts ... would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting scared and worried since I often feel that my dc are a bit behind, particularly when it comes to LA. Until recently, our LA, has unfortunately been too relaxed and unstructured. I don't feel that way with math. Before I know it, the high school years will be here :eek:. I want to make sure that I have done the best that I could given the truly short amount of time I have with them.

I haven't yet read this article, but I highly, highly recommend this site and his book. He KNOWS his stuff. I recommend it to everyone.

What I love, love, love about All About Spelling is that the dictation and spelling go hand in hand. AAS is the absolute best spelling program, IMHO. :D

WT is a nice program overall. It wasn't our favorite, but it was fine. It gives a good intro into grammar, but I don't think the grammar was sufficient. And this is coming from me - someone who's not a lover of heavy grammar instruction by any means. I can't stand diagramming either. ;)