:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5::leaving:

I don't think I was much of a screamer, but I sure wasn't pleasant to be around! My husband still likes to brag about the times I bit his arm and punched him in the stomach. That was child #1. Child #2, I didn't hit him at all, but he wasn't allowed to speak to me for the entire event. (I had a very fast delivery so it was only about 30 min. that he couldn't speak to me.)

There a very interesting book I've just read, called It's a Long Road To a Tomato by Keith Stewart. It's more of a small collection of essays he's written about being a small organic farmer in this day and age. It's really enlightening. Yes, I agree that we should get rid of the agricultural subsidies and single crop farming in this country as well.

Well, I really liked this book. It's kinda hard to take out a couple of passages and get a real acurate feel for the book. Both my husband and I came away with a very different view point of the working poor in America. Since she lived it herself and reported on her experiences I don't see how her view point isn't valid. Anyway, I just thought I'd throw out that I like it! :001_smile:

:001_huh: Okay, I'm ashamed to admit it...but I was also a big VC Andrews fan. What was the appeal with those books? Next time your in a bookstore, check out the VC Andrews section. They've multiplied like rabbits. How many times can a bad story line be repeated before people stop reading??? I liked a few of the Sweet Dream books as well. The first book PS I Love You was my favorite book in 6ht grade, and caused me to purchase many other Sweet Dream books, but I realized after a while that most romance novels just aren't my genre, so I gave them up. (I do still have many fond memories of "PS I Love You" though.) I also read half of John Jakes books. In junior high I read tons of Lois Duncan books. Oh...in 6th grade I also read Amityville Horror. I had to sleep with my grandmother (who I was living with at the time) for two weeks straight after reading that. She's get onto me saying "I don't know why you read books like that," but never actually forbade me to read it, although I don't know if it would have done any good. (Okay...here's the stupid part...I'd read that book, get scared out of my skull...then 3 months later I'd forget how scared it made me and read it again...then three months later I'd read it yet again...) I didn't start reading Stephen King until late highschool/college. I have to say I have a love/hate relationship with his books. Some of his books like "Salem's Lot" I loved. Others if his I just can't stand. I couldn't even read half of "Pet Cemetary" before closing that book. I haven't been tempted to read any of his for a long, long time. I also went through my Anne Rice phase right after I got married. Okay...digressing away from books I am ashamed to have read... Anyone else read the Beverly Cleary teen books? I guess they would have been the forerunners of the Sweet Dream books in their own way, but I loved them. I know they were old fashioned when I read them in highschool in the 80's, but there was something sweet and appealing about them. Finally...a couple of my favorite books from preteen/teen years. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster and Up A Road Slowly by Irene Hunt. I've read hundrends of books but those two stand out in my memory.

I think you were trying to do to much to fast. Start by setting up one new habit until it becomes a habit, then add one more. I like Flylady as well, but I have problems trying to do too much too soon and end up burning out.

Trying to decide where to begin...yesterday my dd 13 and I had a rather huge blowup about school, study habits, and the works, with the idea of going back to ps discussed as well. She attended PS until middle of 3rd grade and has no desire to go back, and I'd rather her be homeschooled though highschool as well. So, we ended discussing what we can do to help improving her study habits, etc. The topic of reading came up. I guess she's having a hard time understanding what she reads. I know she CAN comprehend some of it, but it seems that anything remotely hard she shuts down. Here's the kicker though...I was trying to show her that she can understand some of what she reads, and mentioned Twilight as an example. (Not that Twilight is by ANY means difficult or quality lit) She said she found an audio version online and once she listened to it the book made much more sense. I mean...come, Twilight??? If she needs to listen to Twilight to understand it, then how on earth is she going to even begin doing the Great Books in highschool??? She's in 8th this year, but earlier this year we agreed that she'd take one extra year before beginning highschool, so I figure I have one extra year to prepare her to read the Great Books. What can I do? I have a sister who completely cannot remember one thing she reads from books, but is such an auditory learner she hears something once and she practically has it memorized. I learn mainly by reading, but if I were to stop and get directions, I'd forget them by the time I made it back to the car. I guess I'm saying I understand completely about visual vs. auditory learners and that they can range to the extreme. I can always get audio versions of books and have her listen to them, but I can't go with her to take the SAT's and read the questions out loud. One last thing...she is rather passive agressive, and anything that she has to put forth the slightest effort on she tends to make harder. (Not just with school work, but everything, including making her bed). I don't know if she's really having trouble or if she's not putting forth the effort she needs to. I just know she loves the Twilight series and has read the books more than once. It's pleasure reading for her, not a school assignment, so for her to have to listen to the audio book really throws me. Any help or sage advice from the hive mind would be greatly appreciated!

I have mixed feeling about it as well. It's not a clear cut black and white issue. I agree with you...I don't trust it to completely get out of hand and people abusing their power or authority.

I'm not saying I couldn't come up with my own shortlist of people I think should seriously be sterilized...but where should we draw the line? What abuses would constitute the right to be forced sterilization? Would that list change with each presidential administration? I'm sorry, child abuse is HORRIBLE, please don't say I don't care about the welfare of children, but absolute power absolutely corrupts, and I don't think in a democracy we there should be anyone making those decisions. And yes...states were allowed to forcibly sterilize someone as punishment (although probably not for child abuse)

Okay...when I first posted my reply I was going on memory what I learned in a sociology class in college...but the last 30 minutes I've been reading more to refresh my memory...should've done that first. From what I'm reading it was pretty much before WWII. I think it was state laws and state govt. involved, not national govt. So I shouldn't have said it was ruled unconstitutional (my bad) but that's what I thought I remembered. Here's a quote from Wikipedia: After World War II, public opinion towards eugenics and sterilization programs became more negative in the light of the connection with the genocidal policies of Nazi Germany, though a significant number of sterilizations continued in a few states until the early 1960s. The Oregon Board of Eugenics, later renamed the Board of Social Protection, existed until 1983, with the last forcible sterilization occurring in 1981.[23] The U.S. commonwealth Puerto Rico had a sterilization program as well. Some states continued to have sterilization laws on the books for much longer after that, though they were rarely if ever used. Here the link for the full wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_sterilization It can get you started...also do a google search for Eugenics. America wasn't the only country practicing Eugenics.

Actually...this country did use forced sterilization to keep people "they" thought shouldn't procreate from procreating. It was outlawed as unconstitutional. Now...I know there are parents who I would love to do a little snip-snip and prevent them from having more kids because they are awful parents, but in the end, who am I to determin who can or can't have kids? Should the government? I wouldn't want the gov to be able to make that decision for me. (I guess the arguement could be made that we use the govt. to remove children from unsafe homes...) here's one link discussing this: http://www.cfif.org/htdocs/freedomline/current/in_our_opinion/un_sterile_past.html

I'm not a fan of forced sterilization either...however taking custody away from the parent is fine by me in this case...

No clue, but I've just started raising chickens myself and here's an excellent forum for this: www.backyardchickens.com There is a ton of information on that site. So if you don't get the answers you need here, you might want to check it out. Good luck! :)

I agree...I thought it was rather boring. Glad the kids seems okay besides some scrapes and bruises.

Joanne, did you read "Stranger Besides Me"? I've had to do some serious detoxing after that book, but I'm now pretty much free to allow my kids to free range quite a bit. I've even let my kids ride their bikes half a mile to the grocery store for snacks when they were bored, and they were 9 and 11 years old. Oh, I read the Green River Killer book as well. :001_huh:

I've enjoyed reading all the replies to this thread. It's always interesting to see all the different opinions here! Just thought I'd add in my 2 cents... My mother was a quadriplegic, and I grew up parking in handicap spots from age 12 on up, until I moved out of her house. Most of the handicap spots really aren't designed for handicapped people or cars. Sure, if you have trouble walking then it can help, but people in wheelchairs need lots of extra space to load in and out of their cars. What good is a handicap space when you have to back the huge van out practically in the middle of the isle, lower the lift which take about 10 feet, and then another 15-20 feet so you can line the wheelchair in front of the lift, then lift the wheelchair in the van, another 2-15 minutes securing the wheelchair to the van before you can move the van? My opinion is stores can reserve whatever spaces close to the entrances as they want. I'll park a little further back and give thanks that I am able to walk the few extra feet.:001_smile:

Um...I'm not laughing at this one. That was basically what I was taught in school. The hen lays the egg, then the rooster would come sit on it and fertilized it. I could never figure out how the rooster could fertilize anything through a hard egg shell. But, I didn't know how humans reproduced, so it's not like I knew enough to ask questions. Now, my dh and I just built a chicken coop and are raising chickens for eggs. I was telling my sister about this, and she asked how we would know that the eggs weren't fertilized. I told her because we don't have any roosters. I spent 20 minutes trying to explain this simple concept to her, but I don't think she ever got it. (and no, I didn't tell her that a rooster "sat" on the egg. :001_smile:)

Oh...I've got one from my dh as well. And yes, my dh is actually very intellegent, but doesn't always have the best common sense. ANYWAY...last year we grew some corn stalk in our back yard. My dh thought he'd give the kids a quick improptu homeschool science/nature lesson. He was pointing out the different parts of the corn plant, and when he got to the stalk, he explained that was where they make corn syrup from. I just looked at him and asked him where he got that from. He said that regular cane sugar came from the stalk, and it was the same with corn. It's such a good thing he never comes on these boards to tell on me! :lol:

Well, right now I'm single parenting it, and I need time to do other things in the house that I used to be able to rely on my dh to help with. I need my kids to be a little more motivated as well so I'm not nagging, which then turns to frustration, then yelling, and then it all goes downhill. Here's my new policy I've just implemented, hopefully it'll work. They get their schedule at the beginning of the week. If they don't get everything done for Mon by bedtime, then I get to take away one item. (like their Ipods). Tues, they have to complete the rest of Mon's work and Tues's work or I get to take away something else of theirs, etc. I'm being more relaxed about what time everything gets done. If my dd wants to sleep in, then I can do some one on one work with my ds, or do some housework. She's actually liking the independence of going into her room at night and doing her math as "homework". However, I wouldn't let her interupt MY life...as in, if I had an apt, or need to cook dinner and she wants my help at that time then too bad. She can learn to work when I'm free to help her.

SURRRRRE you were........;)

I'm in the middle of the second book right now, and I know what you mean. However, I'm able to overlook a lot when I read. I figrue it's fiction. As long as it's written well that is. :001_smile: The facts were that women didn't have rights as we do today. I don't know about the historical accurecy of spanking wives back then, but what bothered me was the lack of legal options a woman had. Men were allowed to beat their wives. Rape wasn't always punishable by law. Women's property automatically became her husbands when she wed. Women weren't allowed to say "NO" to their husbands. I guess I've read other books, such as "The Red Tent" that doesn't romanticize what women's life was like in the past. All I can do is get down on my knees and thank the Lord that I was born in this time and not in previous times. And...keep in mind, there are groups of people out there (today) that believe spanking wives is not only right, but Biblical. A couple of years ago or so someone posted on these forums about Domistic Discipline. (yuck) The author of "Outlander" doesn't classify these as romances. She wanted to do historical fiction because that genre had the greatest flexibility. To be honest, what bothered me wasn't that Jamie spanked Claire, it was that Claire forgave him. Yea, it's just a book so I let it pass, but I started thinking about what my own reaction would be, and if I were Claire I'd have stopped loving and respecting Jamie right then. There's no way I could ever love and respect a man that did that to me. But then...I'm not a submissive wife by today's standards, so I don't see how I could be a submissive wife by 1700's standards! :lol:

So, so true!

If you are interested in herbs, a single herb you can take is Red Raspberry. You'd need to take it as a supplement every day, not just during your PMS cycles. Please try to find a good herbal source, I use Nature's Sunshine. Most brands you get in the grocery store aren't worth anything.

I'm slightly laughing over here because I can be a lot like you, and my dd 13 sounds just like your kids! She can be SO forgetful it isn't funny. Yes, my dd is a joy for everyone else to be around, everyone loves her, she isn't rebellious and is invited over to peoples houses a lot. From my point of view however, she can't remember what I tell her to save her own life. And when I find out she hasn't done something I told her to do, she gives me these huge puppy dog eyes and exclaims "But Mom! I forgot! I promise I'll do it next time..." blah, blah, blah. I've just had to come to the conclusion that unless I make her want to remember something, she wont. Now she has actual punishments when she forgets. When your kids take out the monopoly board when they are supposed to be taking out the trash, take away the game for a week. If they play with their friend instead of doing their homework, then ground them from going outside for two days or something. I know it will be hard, (trust me, I know) but once you start setting up consequences for behaviors, they'll catch on. :)

No way no how. I completely agree that it's unfair for the millions of men who are not sexual preditors. I think that there are many men who would rather cut their right hand off before hurting a child. However, as a child my sisters and I had an *unpleasant* experience with a male babysitter (a son of my mom's best friend), and I don't care how well I know a family or if I'd trust them with my life...I'm not trusting them with my kids. For what it's worth, I can pretty much count on one hand how many times I've left my kids with female teen sitters as well, so maybe I'm just overly paraniod. We used to do babysitting swaps with other friends though, and that seemed to work out well. I'm just glad my dd is 13 and can watch her younger brother now. :lol: