I like the idea of having being purse-free, but there are some very important items I wouldn't feel comfortable being without, such as my first aid kit. I carry a medium sized purse, which at the moment holds: First Aid Kit (Level 2, includes hemostatic & extra medications, too many things to list) Folding Scissors Lighter Mini Compass Knife Mini Multi-Tool Flashlight Wet Wipes Disposable No-Water Toothbrushes (love these) Tampon (I don't wear them, but other women might need one & they're useful for wound dressing) Universal Solar Charger (phone, iPod, etc.) Travel Tissues Gum Sunglasses iPod Phone (this is my planner) Hair Bands Pen & Mini Post It Notes Alcohol Wipes Flash Drive (usually has pictures for me to print at Walmart, sometimes important files) Granola Bar & Suckers (keeps kids quiet) Lip Balm Keys Wallet I also sometimes conceal carry in my purse. I know it sounds like a lot, but my purse isn't that big -- just well organized. I guess I'm the opposite side of your coin!

I just wanted to reiterate Ann's point that this is not a high expectations problem, but a boundaries problem. I would never let my two year old eat cake with his hands, and saying please and thank you are not optional in our house. Most people would say our expectations are very high, and there are many who would say we're too strict. But I would never, ever, EVER scold someone else's child whose family obviously placed a different set of expectations for him. Even if I was with a family whose parenting style was almost identical to my own, I would not chastise the child -- the parents can see their kids as well as I, and it would be very disrespectful of me to micromanage their parenting.

We only allow one movie a week (and nothing for young children). I think it's natural to be pulled toward a box with amazing flashing colors and music. What will sometimes happen with kids or adults who get a ton of screen time is that they learn to block it out and ignore it. My MIL, for example, has the tv on 24/7. Even when she sleeps, and at high volume. Sure, some people will naturally be drawn more by screens (auditory/visual learners) than others, but I don't think being entranced by it is a symptom of forbidden fruit. I just think some people who spend 10+ hours a day with screens have become adapted to them in a different way.

We don't say the Pledge, inside or outside our home. We don't stand up when ore people do, either -- I wish more pledge-objectors would sit down with us, so people might become more tolerant of non-pledgers or maybe even start to give a little more thought about what they are saying.

...How do you teach it? Especially to students who haven't learned Latin or Greek? I think it's useful to study the classification of animals, so I don't need convincing on that front. I certainly am not asking how to get kids to memorize every single animal, but I think they should recognize local wildlife like Ursus americanus and Meleagris gallopavo (the black bear and wild turkey). I'm pulling those examples from memory, so I sure hope I didn't mess them up. :D I know the most obvious answer is drills, but I thought you guys might have some creative ideas. A game of some kind, perhaps? Feel free to share your success stories in teaching this material. I could use a nice story right now, particularly if it involves shocking a homeschooling skeptic who was certain your kids spend their days playing video games.

Ballet Beautiful. http://www.amazon.com/Ballet-Beautiful-Classic-60-Minute-Workout/dp/B005OAWY7S/

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats

Absolutely!

That's crazy. If the OP would be a size 6 after losing ten to fifteen pounds, we can assume that she's about a size 8. Here are dozens of pictures of women that size, and I don't think they need to take vigorous walks to extend their lifespan. :lol: http://www.mybodygallery.com/search.html?height=any&weight=any&pant=8&shirt=any&zphoto=Large&new=1

We have two backpacks filled with supplies, ready to go. We have a firm rule that nothing can be "borrowed" from them, eg no taking out flashlights because we can't find our normal one anywhere. We also keep five gallons of gas in the garage as an emergency, with that additive you buy to make sure it doesn't break down over time. We keep a gallon of water in the car (the carton kind you can buy, so it's totally sealed), along with two knives, a car tool kit, lighter, extra blanket, water purifier, granola bars, and flashlights. In my purse, I keep a knife, flashlight, scissors, gun, and a first aid kit that includes everything from a miscellany of pills to band aids to hemostatic. I also keep a small road atlas and a guide to the railroad lines in case the roads are inaccessible. Where's my merit badge??

We love canned black beans for this awesome soup: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-and-salsa-soup/detail.aspx

I have been asked by some homeschooling families we know to put together a seminar for adults about science. Some of the questions include: What is science? How do we know what is true? How are studies conducted? Are statistics really accurate? I was asked to put this together following a conversation where others expressed frustration about not being able to make heads or tails out of news articles that showcase statistics and studies. Basically, they want to know how to spot bad studies. I also want to make the case for statistics, as one person said that he never accepts statistics over the accuracy of just polling his friends and family. :svengo: These are smart, warm, open minded folk. They just don't have a strong background in science or statistical analysis. If you were giving a presentation about this kind of thing, are there any other important topics you would include? What resources do you recommend? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed!

We regularly live in tents for three weeks at a time, and we've winter camped in temperatures as low as 15 degrees without any problems. I know that isn't the same as living in one full time, but I really think you'll be more comfortable and will save money by getting a nice tent and heating it with a small heater, rather than trying to build something on your own. Here are a few good tent options, all well made withstand the elements: http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Copper-Canyon-1312-sleeps/dp/B000K7D1TK/ http://www.amazon.com/Kodaik-Canvas-Flex-Bow-8-Person-Deluxe/dp/B001NZWQ1C/ http://www.amazon.com/Trek-Tents-Cotton-Camping-Person/dp/B002OOY05G/ http://www.amazon.com/Wenzel-Klondike-11-Feet-Eight-Person-Family/dp/B002PB2HPS/ Coleman makes a heater that's pretty safe for tents: http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-SportCat-PerfecTemp-Catalytic-Heater/dp/B0009PUPSI/ But I prefer the Mr. Heater (if you don't have very young children): http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F232000-Indoor-Safe-Portable/dp/B002G51BZU/

Thanks for sharing! I'm definitely going to check them out now.

I recently saw that audible.com is offering a bunch of modern scholar lectures. Has anyone here tried them? Are they similar in quality to The Teaching Company? I tried searching the forums and couldn't find any reviews. I'd appreciate any feedback you could give me! :cheers2:

I say this gently... Her anxiety could be very real. She is probably not consciously trying to manipulate you. But nevertheless, have you considered that her anxiety is caused by the emotional cycle being played out? In a way, despite her anxiety, playing the same role might be comforting on some level. It might look to an outsider that she is merely manipulating you because the reality is that she is following a pattern, feeding off past experiences. I'm not saying this to place blame on you -- not at all. I'm just saying that if it is an unconscious pattern that she has developed, that puts power in your hands because you can consciously change the way you react to her and help create a new pattern. I honestly think seeing a psychologist is a great idea. You shouldn't feel any stigma about it. Just breathe, and remember that your daughter is her own person.

1. We want to raise our kids. It seems like most people these days let public institutions and television raise their kids for them, but we just don't agree with those perspectives and we don't want our children to be inculcated into those doctrines from such a young age. (For full disclosure, we're libertarian atheists.) 2. We want to teach our children to think in a critical and objective way. Even the elite private schools don't place very much emphasis on logic, and we believe that this is the ultimately the most important skill that we can impart to our children. 3. Independence is very important to us. Our goals are to live off the grid, educate ourselves at home, teach our children skills they can use to run their own businesses, visit medical doctors as seldom as possible, raise or hunt as much of our own food as we can, and live without debt. Homeschooling is just one of the ways in which our independent lifestyle manifests itself.

For what it's worth, I'm going to try to get out of it. "I'm ready to buy my upgrade and extend my contract! Oh. You're not honoring what you said about being grandfathered in? After we've been loyal customers for the past ten years? Okay. Well, let's not do the new phone then. I need to check out the plans at Sprint, since they offer unlimited data." It may not work, but it's amazing how effective the let-me-talk-to-competitor tactic can be.

Double post.

When I was 13, my father twisted my arm behind my back while calling me awful names and screaming at me in the mall. I remember very clearly that my first reaction was a flood of happiness and elation--finally, he made the mistake of abusing me in public, and I could get out of that situation. No one helped. He worked himself into more of a frenzy, twisting my arm until I was forced to sink down onto my knees, perspiring and crying out from the pain. My little sister was crying, begging him to stop. We were near an exit, so many people walked past us. About ten people continued to shop within eyesight/earshot, pretending not to notice. Finally, I began begging for help, fearing my arm would be broken. "Please! Someone help! Please help me!" No one helped. Not a group of young men in their twenties. Not three middle aged men, who scowled but kept walking. No one even called mall security or 911. My fater laughed and asked why I thought anyone would want to help someone like me. Eventually, he released my arm. It was severely bruised and I couldn't use it for several weeks after that -- I don't know if it was sprained or if there were hairline fractures. That doesn't matter. There was nothing he could do that could have hurt me more than those people who didn't help me. I lost my faith in humanity that day. I will always remember their faces. The way they stood up a little straighter but wouldn't look me in the eye. The ones who continued to shop as if everything was fine. So yes, I am extremely skeptical when I hear people boast that they would have done something. And as a survivor of s*xual abuse, I know what you mean about people not wanting to hear about it at all. But I have a conceal carry permit, and I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that I am 100% prepared to kill any monster I come across. And I firmly believe anyone claiming nonviolence because the victim would witness it, doesn't understand the hellish nature of what being abused is really like.

You said he doesn't want to do certain things...but it sounds like all things! I mean, does he refuse to give oral tEa? Will he not agree to participate in a mutual self-brewing session? There's lots of tEa related activity that could make you satisfied and help you feel intimately connected!

Nope! I think two of the most common problems is leaving air bubbles in it (the tiny swimmers escape this way) or the wetsuit slipping up during the swim (but sliding down again by the finale so it wouldn't be noticeable).

I see from the poll that you mean a dip without protection. Contrary to popular belief, withdrawal only has a 4% pregnancy rate and thus is very unlikely to be the culprit. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/reprints/Contraception79-407-410.pdf I think it's far more likely that there was a wetsuit malfunction! The "typical use" failure rate of wetsuits is 15%. There are a lot of ways wetsuits can fail -- feel free to google it for more info.

I'm not sure what you mean by playing around. Do you mean diving into the water without a wetsuit, then putting it on after a few waves? Or do you mean giving a pre-swim massage? Or swimming up the (hopefully recently flushed) sewer pipe beforehand without a wetsuit? I could do this all day!

I answered yes, but we're considering making some big changes to what will happen to our bodies. The current plans are to donate all our organs and be cremated. However, we would both prefer to be cryogenically frozen. Try saying that with a straight face! We can either use our savings or plan to purchase life insurance to take care of the costs. The main obstacle is that it is much better to find a local lab, but there isn't one in our state as of yet. We do have living wills, which state that we want the plugs pulled if x, y, and z. Unofficially, we have also talked openly with friends in family about our beliefs regarding euthanasia. If I were to suffer from terminal illness or dementia, I would take steps to end my own life (my husband would assist me if necessary), probably using an exit bag. So yes, I would say I have prepared myself for death -- as much as one can, anyway.