We use ours almost everywhere. Chase gives us better rewards for groceries (non-Costco), fuel (non-Costco) and fast food. Also, while MOST places take AMEX there are still a few that don't, especially smaller businesses because their fees for the business owner are higher than MC/Visa (but the benefits to the consumer are better). I know our AMEX will double manufacturer's warrenties, and there are other perks.

I wonder how they compare to the FLDS/Warren Jeffs. I've seen somewhere that Jeffs will only use the Book of Mormon that has a publication date of 1976 or older, and some of the memoirs that have come out from people in that group would agree with the ban on people of color in the group.

There is this yahoogroup: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HolidayGrandPlan/ that sends weekly plans for cleaning/organizing the house and planning for the holiday. I STRONGLY recommend using the daily digest, because it's a VERY chatty group. There is also this site: http://christmas.organizedhome.com/

I'd prefer a paper calendar, only so that it's harder to remove things from the calendar. If I were going to use dry erase, I'd have to hang it high enough that no one would accidentally brush against it, which would make it harder for me to use since I'm only 5' tall.

I'm not terribly organized, so I won't offer you tips that way, but I'll mention this. I have a friend whose mother was VERY PARTICULAR about their wall calendar, so she always wrote in VERY neat printing when something was added to a box, and wrote in lines starting at the top of the box, assuming that other things would need to be added. If something was cancelled, she didn't just cross it off, she used medical tape to cover the text so that something else could be written in that row (I'm guessing she'd love the new correct-o-tape you can get now). So! If a TIDY calendar is important to you, I'd stick with looking for white backgrounds. The correcting tape is almost always white, and you'll be able to better hide corrections/changes. If you're dealing with many people, are you interested in one of those multi-person calendars? Otherwise, you could consider assigning everyone a color. I do that on my google calendar, and I did it in college. I used a desk blotter as a wall calendar and assigned each class a different color ink.

:001_huh: I really need to stop being surprised by people. It's hard, though, when weird stuff like this happens. Maybe you need to offer party planning services for her :lol: Might be a simple way to make a little extra cash :)

Just want to echo the comment about Deism. And to the previous poster who mentioned the idea of Jesus being a Buddhist, I offer you Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff.

If you want some really fluffy myth reading, Kate McMullan wrote the "Myth-O-Mania" series that retells several of the Greek myths from Hades's point of view (rather than Zeus's). Thing 2 is 9 and he enjoyed those (he also likes the Riordan books, both the original PJ books and the new Camp Half-Blood series he's writing.

I think it's a little incorrect to say that this board "promotes tolerance." There are plenty of discussions about faith and the One True Path or whatever. I'd say this board promotes "respectful discussion." There are loads of people here, posting regularly, who think other posters are bound for hell, or are apostates (some of whom might embrace that title, others are offended by it), think they're members of a cult, that they believe in false idols, the whole thing. To be fair, there are posters who think others are delusional, or poorly educated, or believers in fairy tales. It goes both ways :001_smile: THAT SAID, there is generally an expectation of respectful discussion, especially in threads that are meant to be open to everyone's input. There is also an expectation of commenting in an "I" statement ("I believe that fairies are real.") versus attacking "you" statements ("People who don't believe in fairies are going to freeze in a ocean of bubble gum otterpops for all eternity"). I don't think that means I'm tolerating non-believers, exactly. But the "I" statement isn't inflammatory and helps continue the discussion. Similarly, questions are expected to be asked in mostly objective language (and I'll admit, I don't always use this). "Can you tell me more about your fairy beliefs?" is better than "Are you insane? Little flying people? Tinkerbell? How can you seriously believe they're real??"

We have our own domain, so our kids have email addresses under that. We have friends with email addresses and they just use a fake name for the kids. The important bit is to have the kids use an email address that is relatively easy to remember and share and keeping track of the password. Thing 1 was registering on a couple of different sites to play some games with a friend and while I allowed the sites, I didn't sit with him while he registered. He used a different login name and password on each site and then thought I would psychically know them. :001_huh: He then was introduced to the joys of "resend my login and password" features at some sites and I handed him an index card to make a list if he didn't want to just stick with the same name everywhere.

We have TTR and like it. I have a hand-me-down of Settlers and have found that it's missing a few pieces. Does anyone know where I might be able to get replacements? FWIW, my kids play TTR just fine and they're 11 and 9 (they played last year, too). Thing 2 doesn't always think of the multi-tasking aspect of the routes unless we mention it, but we often don't play for points so that's not a huge problem. Other games we have that both boys can play: Racko Dragonology Apples to Apples Jr (they get the concept of the game, but need the junior level because of the word choices) Monopoly (with the speed die, but paper money) Risk Phase 10 (this we frequently bring to restaurants and just pick a Phase at random to play) Set Mille Bournes Blockus Castle Panic (Thing 2 likes this because it's cooperative) Boggle

at one point our public library actually gave kids a book at the end of the summer reading program (unlike the metric ton of rubber ducks that they seem to be giving out currently). One year the first book of the "Warriors" series was a choice for the older kids (the reading program is split - there is a "teen" program and an "under teen" program. The younger group had several choices of books from "beginning to read" things thru chapter books, with the Warriors book being the longest thing offered). One day we were at the library and a girl was choosing her book. She was around 11 and was showing the books to her mom. The Warriors book looked interesting to her because it was about cats. The mom said, "Does it have magic in it?" The librarian replied that it didn't contain magic, but the cats did talk, while doing "cat things" in the forest. No dice. Are there people ban all books with talking animals because of an implication of magic? Well, clearly there are. I need to stop being surprised by people. I wonder if her kids read Mrs. Frisby or Black Beauty?

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11267885&whse=BD_827&Ne=4000000&eCat=BD_827|11121&N=4007604&Mo=43&No=3&Nr=P_CatalogName:BD_827&cat=11267&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=11121*11267*11953*&topnav=national - this jar is 67 ounces. They might also sell a case or similar of the traditionally sized jars (they had a listing for a different Prego in 14 oz jars, and you had to buy at least 4).

We were just using a car with one of these. FWIW, we had to have the volume on the mp3 player turned up all the way, and then sometimes we needed the car volume up louder than we would if listening to the radio. Some of that might've been what we were listening to and on what device (an audiobook on Thing 1's Sansa Clip), but I mention it because it might just be a volume thing. I know I could have the volume on the radio down lower when we used my ipod Touch. Aside from that, yes. You need an auxiliary cable. My mom bought one from Radio Shack (it was her car) - it was blue and looked like it had headphone plugs on both ends - one when in the aux jack and one went in the mp3 player where headphones would go.

There was something said by a previous posted that made me think of the Jewish "hierarchy" of giving. A friend told me about it when I was participating in a charity auction for someone I strongly disliked (she was dying and the fund was going to help her family pay for medical expenses and her children's educational needs). I suppose my giving might have been "unwillingly" but I think I donated generously, and I wasn't specifically asked (there was a general call for donations), and I had never participated in something like that before. So who knows. Anyway. If anyone else is curious, here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzedakah And the list is:

A somewhat related story. I have a good friend whose grandparents were regular church attendees. When she was younger, her grandparents tithed using those envelopes provided by the church (with numbers and then the numbers are assigned to people, or your write your name on them so there is some record of your offerings). At some point the church decided to start posting IN THE BULLETIN what everyone had put in the plate the week before (with the list also posted in the church). After that, Grandpa switched to cash in the offering plate - that his giving was no one's business but his and God or whatever. I'm now curious if there are still churches that do this (post tithing amounts publically).

Yes, it answered my question. I appreciate that you answered it kindly. Hopefully you didn't think I was asking rudely - that wasn't intention. I really was just looking at it from a strictly mathematical POV. As for your ETA, I've always found your comments on the board here to be polite and well thought-out. I enjoy reading them even though we don't share the same beliefs. I don't find them to be judgmental or rude.

This kind of confuses me. You make a donation to the church and then go to the church to ask them to help pay for things that you can't manage right now because you've made a donation to the church? Aren't you just basically getting back the money you've just tithed? Is it to reinforce the tithing practice? Sincerely, The lady looking at this strictly from a financial/math perspective

Yep. YOu build it yourself by assembling the templates from individual sources. :D I think you might have to hunt for each of those things individually in order to find THE ONE that works for you. I know I've kind of given up on pre-printed planners because every one seems to have things I don't need and lacks things I do.

DO you have ROgue Bores? I read a delightfully hysterical YA series by Louise Rennison and at some point the narrator's father spends several months in New Zealand "dodging rogue bores." Several parts of the books are loosely based on the author's real life, including the bore business: http://www.georgianicolson.com/meet.html

I think the problem with this and the OP is that they leave room for the guest to say, "oh, we don't mind getting in really late" or similar. The OP mentioned that they'd be done with schooling at noon. That's terrific. We'll just sleep late (what with getting in a midnight) and then have slow coffee while you guys finish up. See? You all are trying to phrase it in a way to make things easier for your guests (which is lovely), but they'll just say they don't care. Like, if I say, "Oh, after lunchtime would be best - I'll need the morning to tidy up!" YOu could say, "We don't mind the mess! Plus the kids will probably undo any tidying. I'll bring lunch with me and then you don't have to worry about that." OR whatever. When really you want to say "We can play after 1." Are the in-laws flying in? Because I can completely see that they're going to balk about not arriving until noon on Thursday if they've already purchased tickets, so if DH is really going to put his foot down, I'd have the name of a hotel near the house on hand for that call.

I don't know how it would work now, but in 1988 or '89, my Girl Scout troop planned a road trip to Savannah, GA (from Upstate NY). We did gobs of fundraising, planned the route, arranged for a very low cost place to stay on the way down and while we were there (yay Girl Scout camps :) ), planned food costs and sightseeing, etc. The whole thing. This was my sophomore or junior year of high school. While we planned it for over a school break, we still "needed" to miss a few days of school right before (or right after - I forget which) to do a drive of that length. We met with the Principal and explained the situation and were allowed "excused absences" if we made up work we would miss (getting that work ahead of time) and we wrote some short essay about what we learned (each, not a cooperative essay for the whole group). So, yes. I'd be willing to take my child out. However, vacation flexibility (especially living so far from family and the cost of traveling during traditional vacation times) is a perk to homeschooling. It wasn't a major decision factor, but it really helps. We're currently on vacation in NY (seeing family). Back in AZ, school started on August 8th.

I've skimmed thru the thread, but have you looked for this guy on your state registered offender database? No one wants to have to find that out, but that's something that could easily be done from home.

I'm not an examiner, and I don't play one on TV, but I would agree with that assessment. The documents I just read mentioned that you'd need to include a copy of your license to exempt you from the general education requirements. I'm glad I went and read thru those because I think it's possible I may have hit several of them as general education or required classes for my education degree. Woohoo!

http://www.llli.org/lad/talll/talll.html :) You'll need to attend a full 4 month series of meetings with a group. This is so a leader gets to know you somewhat and you get a feel for the group (because not all groups are the right fit for all people - it's just the nature of human dynamics or whatever). FWIW, IBLCE just changed the requirements for IBCLC so that it's not as easy as it used to be (if you were a LLL Leader). http://americas.iblce.org/pathways-to-becoming-an-ibclc It helps, I'll grant you, but now you will have to have college level course work that's relevant, too. I know many people were getting certified last year so that they got it in before the requirements changed (there is still a continuing education requirement, but the old pathways that included LLL LEadership didn't require college coursework). Once you've been attending meetings, it's definitely okay to approach a leader and say that you're interested in becoming a leader. It's not being rude and most leaders will welcome someone to share the work :)