Thank you!

This has been so very helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to all of my questions. Like I said, we believe in what we are doing and we aren't planning to change but sometimes it's hard when every other person thinks it's wrong. When we left the church and explained what we were doing to the pastor, she said it was very wrong. I've struggled with what she has said even though I feel this is what we have been led to do and that we have made the right decision for us. ^ This is what I need to remember. Thank you for saying this. I appreciate you telling me how your service goes. Dh does most of the teaching for us and I help and add to it when I can. It's mostly aimed at our kids but I would love for dh and I to have more of a study time together. I think I'll talk to him about this. The only thing we don't do now that I wish we did was music. I always enjoyed listening to the organ at church when I was growing up so maybe I'll get a CD that we can sing along with. We are getting a piano soon but it's not the same as hearing the organ music. :lol::lol: My dh has a good sense of humor and when people look at us strangely after we've told them that we homeschool and we also have church at home he loves to tell them (with a straight face) that we have started our own cult. Unless they know him well they aren't sure how to react lol

I was wondering the same thing. We were looking into being a foster family for a local Christian organization but you must have a recommendation from your pastor so we never went further than looking at the application.

Oh I should have searched, I thought it was a pretty slim chance anyone else did it :) Did you start out on your own? We are kind of happy just doing our thing by ourselves at this point but who knows if that will change, dh is very introverted so I think it would be very difficult for him to be open to other families but maybe someday. Would you mind telling me how your service goes (not sure what to call it, sorry if that's not the correct term). How did you meet the other families? Do you get grief from other people about not being true believers because you don't go to church? Thank you so much for being willing to answer my questions! We believe in what we are doing but it's nice to hear that it's working for others too :)

I was on bedrest for 3-4 months with each of my 6 kids which equals a lot of time! What I enjoyed receiving was; magazines, nice smelling hand lotion, home cooked food (people got us take-out but nothing beats home cooked!), something to keep all my treasures in like pretty little baskets (I couldn't get up and clean but at least I could organize my little area!), a gift subscription to Pogo.com, Netflix, and I would have loved an Amazon gift card :) I was on Terbutaline as some others have mentioned and while I love to sew, crochet, and cross stitch, I just couldn't do it while I was on that medication. That's why the Pogo subscription was nice, I could get my mind going really fast on some of those games lol.

I haven't done the trial yet and I'm not sure that I will. I really wanted access to my HST+ database from different computers around the house so last week, dh bought an external hard drive that connects to our network. I'm excited because I'll be able to have the database on the external hard drive and connect from any computer and I can also backup all of our pictures and things on there. Plus I"m going to put all the PDF's on it (FLL, REAL Science, etc.) and I can even use the iPad. It's a one time cost instead of $60 a year. All that said, I still might check out the trial (not free?? :() for HST online because it does sound neat.

Just curious if anyone else out there does church at home. We searched for years for the right church for us and never found it so we decided to just do church at home by ourselves. I'd love to hear from anyone else who does this. We've only been doing it about 6 or 8 months now and so far, it's been working really well for our family. I'd very much enjoy hearing how other families do this and how it's working for them.

hence why Hence why you should pay attention during grammar class. :)

Awww, so sweet! :001_wub:

Bump :)

My son (6 yo) does great when he is working in his handwriting workbook and the letters look pretty much like the example. However, when he writes on his own or does copywork the letters look like how he wants them to look. I know we are supposed to tell them to correct them but I've been bad and haven't done that as much as I should. If I have him re-write everything as he goes, I'm afraid he will lose his train of thought when he is writing a story or letter or that he will get frustrated with his schoolwork because it's going to take 10 times as long to get stuff done. It's not that his handwriting looks bad, it just doesn't look like the model and we are working on Italics so it's important that his letters look like those shown for when we go to the connecting letters. I always write using the correct Italics model but pretty much everything he reads is different than the way he writes which is probably one of the reasons he writes like he does. Do I just start correcting now and deal with the fact that we may not get as much done for a week or two? Do I have him re-do some of his stuff (say 50%) as we go and work up to more? Ugh. This is my own fault but I'm not sure how to fix it!

I'd love to have the split pea soup recipe. I inhale the stuff =) Your prices are definitely higher than ours (and distance wise, we aren't too far). I paid 99 cents per pound for broccoli last week and 10# of potatoes would be $2.50. Pasta is generally 99 cents a pound (little more for WW) and jarred sauce is about $1.20 although sometimes I buy it in the can if I can find a variety I consider healthy enough and the cans are about 89 cents. Here is where I buy my produce but I think they are more of a local place (I only buy produce here, I think the prepared foods are too expensive) http://www.valliproduce.com/do/viewAd?id=2&pageId=1 and Aldi if it's cheaper http://www.aldi.us/us/html/offers/weekly_ads_ENU_HTML.php?WT.z_src=banner&WT.ac=Banner-without-Alt-Tag When all 6 of my kids were home it was more expensive. Plus they complained that "there is nothing to eat" because I keep ingredients in my pantry, not food lol. They just choose not to eat what I fixed and once they had jobs and cars of their own well... that was their choice :)

Wow, I can't imagine spending $250! I try to only go to the store every other week so that helps a lot. At the ethnic store I can pretty much fill up the cart with fresh produce and it's under $100. Besides that, I buy bulk grains and dried beans and peas once a month through Azure Standard and odds and ends I try to get at Aldi's. Sometimes I'll splurge on prepared soymilk or maybe some tofu but I try to make those things when I have time. I make lots of stuff from scratch too so that helps a lot. I can't seem to export from my meal planner but here are some things we eat for dinners. For meals that aren't veggie based like salad or stir fry we have veggie sides; steamed broccoli, kale chips, roasted carrots, potatoes, asparagus, etc. I can give you more dinner ideas or recipes if you like. Just let me know :) I keep thinking I should make some Youtube videos on how I make some of this stuff because people ask me on a regular basis. Plus my daughters who have gotten married call and ask "how do you make...." and I'd love to just point them to a video lol --Dinner Ideas-- Dinner salad Stir Fry with rice Burritos (homemade burritos shells or cheap corn ones - the flat ones where are about 50 in a bag) Veggie Burgers (usually black bean) w/homemade buns Honey Baked Lentils (I found that recipe on here and it's a winner!) Mac and Cheese (homemade vegan cheese sauce) Vegan hot dogs (from scratch and buns that I make) Chili (from dried beans) WW Pasta with red sauce (I get whatever cheap sauce is the healthiest I can get for a decent price) Black Bean soup Mock Turkey w/stuffing (a tofu dish) Nachos (I make the corn chips with those cheap corn tortilla shells) with refried beans I make from dried pintos, vegan cheese sauce, romaine, and tomatoes

We are vegan and I try to feed my family lots of veggies and fruits (Fuhrman/McDougall style). We use Azure Standard, Aldi's, and an ethnic grocery store. I'll probably buy some things from the farmer's market this summer. Thanks to this thread, I'm going to check out Costco. There is one by my dd's house about an hour away so I can stop there when I visit her. Is there a membership fee to Costco? We've never needed supplements, my iron levels have always been fine except the time I decided not to be vegan lol - I went vegetarian and ate eggs and cheese for a time and was anemic for a little while during that time but then I was breastfeeding and pregnant at the same time. We LOVE nutritional yeast. I can't imagine that someone doesn't like it. I think it has a nutty/cheesy kind of flavor. I'm not sure what you are paying for flax seed meal but I buy the flax seeds and put them in one of those Mr. Coffee bean grinders as I need them. Keeps them fresh and it's super cheap (a dollar or two a pound). We used to belong to a CSA but we had to go and pick the veggies and I had a hard time with that because I was pregnant and some of the kids were too little. I probably won't do that again but the price wasn't bad. I really don't feel like we spend much on groceries - usually about $50-$75 a week I guess and that's for 5 people currently living at home. It was much more when we ate cheese, milk, and eggs. Plus even if we did spend a little more, we almost never get sick so we've saved a large sum of money on healthcare and I'd be fine with spending more at the grocery store.

I hadn't thought about it this way. It would really be a good experience for the kids to know they are doing a good deed and providing a loving home to a dog who currently doesn't have one. Yikes, I didn't know that! Like strong as in bad stinky wet dog or just something unusual? I think I need to spend some time around a Basset! I want a Basset because I've always thought they were so cute, they are medium size, and from the reading I did they sounded like a good family dog - one that would fit well with our family.

I would love to join in! My house needs it. I started really weeding out last week so this is perfect for me. I won't be able to go straight through until the 7th though because we'll be out of town for a week but I will do all the other days (minus a day or two for packing). I actually took before and after pictures of my pantry but I am a little embarrassed to post the before ones. Maybe when I finish the top shelf I'll feel good enough to do that. Will there be a social group or do we post on here?

Here is the one I make on a very regular basis. I sometimes use bread crumbs in place of the hamburger bun and since we are vegan I substitute flax seed meal mixed with water for the egg. I almost always double the recipe. My 6 and 4 year olds ask for these often :) Quick Black Bean Burgers http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/our-homemade-quick-black-bean-burger-10000001932647/ Ingredients 1 (2-ounce) hamburger bun, torn into pieces 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 teaspoons chopped garlic 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 teaspoon grated lime rind 3/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 large egg white, lightly beaten Preparation 1. Place bun in a food processor; process 4 times or until crumbs measure about 1 cup. Transfer to a bowl. 2. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and beans in processor; pulse 8 times or until beans make a thick paste. Scrape bean mixture into bowl with breadcrumbs. Stir in rind and remaining ingredients. With moistened hands, divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions (about 1/3 cup mixture per portion), shaping each into a 3-inch patty. 3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan; reduce heat to medium, and cook 4 minutes or until bottom edges are browned. Carefully turn patties over; cook 3 minutes or until bottom edges are done.

We are thinking about getting a Basset Hound. Can you tell me about your experiences of either getting a puppy or adopting a dog that is out of the puppy stage. I really would like a puppy, they are so stinkin' cute :D but I'm a little concerned about the chewing stage and potty training (although I've potty trained 6 kids so I am pretty confident I can do it lol) How long do those things last and do you think it's worth it to go through that for a puppy or better to skip to a little older, easier dog age? I want my kids to bond well with whatever dog we get so I was thinking a puppy would be better for that, they could grow up together. On the other hand, adopting a dog is less expensive and I wouldn't have to deal with some annoyances that come with a puppy as long as I went with a good rescue agency. But with a rescue dog could come problems too... I'd love to hear about any experiences you've had with getting a puppy or adopting and if you'd recommend one over the other. Or maybe it all depends on the dog or the dog breed?

Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that :) I guess was still a little afraid I couldn't do this without the teacher's manual.

First I wanted to say that I was definitely confused about the shipping on the BSGFAA website. I had posted a week or two ago that shipping through their company was going to be $12 to send one set of student pages. That was correct if I used UPS but I didn't realize they also offer USPS shipping and that was only $3 or so. I was much happier with that price and placed an order. I wanted to post that in case anyone else was thinking about ordering and was hesitant because of the high shipping charge. Now for my question I have the student guide for the beginner level, lessons 1-26 sitting here. On the Apply It! section, it begins "What did Grace give Samantha?" and continues with more questions. Are these questions based on something in the teachers manual (which I didn't buy) or are the questions simply based on the picture to the left of the Apply It! section and I'm supposed to kind of explain the picture to the kids in my own words?

I have one kid working in MM and I only have him to 1 - 1.5 pages a day and many times it's only some of the problems on the page. He is a young 1st grader though (just turned 6), I'm sure he will do more as he gets older.

I've been vegetarian for about 12 or 13 years now (I forget). I was vegan for a while in the middle of that and got pregnant and lazy and started eating lots of dairy and gained a bunch of weight. Back in October I started following a very low fat vegan diet again. I love it - I feel great and I don't really feel hungry. I started with the Eat 2 Live program but I keep over-doing on the nuts. I switched over to Dr. McDougall's plan (no nuts, lots of whole grains) and now the weight is really dropping off with no effort. There are lots of good recipes on Dr. McDougall's site - http://www.drmcdougall.com and he has the whole plan on the website for free. There are lots good recipes on Dr. Fuhrman's site too but you have to pay - I'm a member right now but I'm not sure how long I can justify paying. I've also found lots of good recipes online just by searching for "low fat vegan recipes" or "fat free vegan". :iagree: This exactly! I had a hard with this too when I first was vegetarian/vegan. We eat all kinds of non-traditional meals now though - it just took a while to get to that point. We eat lots of things that people might consider sides and they are our main dish. For the anemia problem, how about cooking in cast iron?

I happen to have the book sitting right here. I'm getting ready to list it for sale :) Here you go! 6 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 1 large bunch cilantro, chopped 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon Oriental hot chile oil 3/4 cup freshly ground roasted peanuts or homemade peanut butter 3/8 cup naturally fermented soy sauce 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 1/2-1 cup warm chicken stock or whole coconut milk

I wanted a Vitamix for a long time (many, many years!) I finally got one this past Christmas and it's all and more than I had hoped it would be. It is definitely the blender of all blenders, I absolutely love it. I've had several standard blenders over the year, plus I've had a Magic Bullet, and a few immersion blenders. The Vitamix is so much better, it's not even in the same league. I hear the Blendtec is good as well but I haven't tried it. I really like the tamper that the Vitamix has, I'm not sure how I'd make nut butters and other thick things if I couldn't use the tamper while I was blending. I highly recommend the Vitamix.

Just curious... Do all little boys have bad aim or is it just mine? I have 6 kids - 3 girls (older so they've been potty trained for a long time so no worries with them) and 3 boys ages 6, 3.5, and 2.5 (recently potty trained). Their aim is terrible! I have to clean the bathroom floor at the very least, once a day. It's not just one of the boys, but all 3 of them missing!