Gasp! Baby It's Cold Outside is one of my and dh's favorites! In fact, the dh was just saying we should get the sheet music so that ds can play piano to accompany the two of us when we sing it. My other favorite is Little Drummer Boy. Hated: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, the Barking Dogs one, anything of that ilk.

I'm about 2 1/2 months into homeschooling my 6th grade ds, so take my words as those of a newbie. I *wanted* to homeschool from the very beginning, but dh wanted the boy to have a more normal and typical public school experience. It was good for awhile--I had a job that permitted me to take him to school in the mornings and pick him up in the afternoons and even volunteer an afternoon or two in the classroom every week. Things went bad for him last year, both with an indifferent teacher (who would have been his teacher again this year) and with some bullying issues where ds was the victim. So dh finally agreed that homeschooling might not be a bad idea. For all the difficulties ds had last year, I'm kind of glad we started out with public school. Ds enjoys homeschooling. He knows what he's doing in language arts and math and history is rigorous and that he's learning a lot. That's not to say he doesn't try to dawdle a lot, but he gets it. He inherently likes learning and he *loves* to talk about what he's learning so this kind of personalized education is *perfect* for him. He and I are reading the same materials so he can have great discussions about his reading (in studying ancient history this year we've spent *way* more time on Ancient Egypt than I expected because he just can't get enough of it!). Writing is a struggle for him, but I *think* it's getting easier just because he can think better without the chaos of 53 other students around him. He still doesn't *want* to write but once we get past his resistance and talk over what he wants to say in his writing, he actually has a really nice writing "voice" that I don't think he'd ever get the chance to develop in a school setting. Science is an area that was very neglected in his public school. Science happened every other Friday, alternating with Social Studies. Factor in teacher in-service days and assemblies, and he got science once a month. Now we do more science, and it's the kind of science he's interested in, so he's very happy. He still does a fair amount of his education outside the home. He goes back to his old public school twice a week to participate in Orchestra and gets to have lunch with his friends while he's there. He's taking a co-op class taught by a high school senior where they learn about famous ancient battles and re-enact them. He's participating in FIRST Lego League and he's on the math team at our local Homeschool Resource Center. In all these cases there are fewer students and he is *thriving* having these more personal relationships with his instructors. For me, the biggest struggle has been finding a balance. I think he's brilliant, so I naturally want to work him too hard. Then I realize I'm pushing too hard and back off too much. But we're finding our balance.

Oh my goodness...I am so very sorry for your loss. A dog's love is a beautiful, unconditional thing. I know it's hard, but she would want nothing less than for you and your family to find joy in the time you had with her and to find the kind of joy in each other than she found in you. You'll be in my thoughts today...

When I moved out of my parents' house it was to go to college. First year I was living in the dorms with my best friend from high school. Obviously, I didn't learn anything then. But the second year she and I moved into an apartment together. She did grow up eating very healthy. Her family was traditional Chinese, and her mom was an EXCELLENT cook. Everything tasted so fresh and wonderful at their house. So when we went grocery shopping, honestly, I was at a loss. I watched Fei to learn what kinds of things to buy. She didn't cook too much, but I learned what I could watching her when she did. I started dating dh halfway through my freshman year in college and by my sophomore year we were inseparable. We ate out a lot. I was at college on scholarship; I was paying my own way. So he (his parents, really) paid for all our meals out. I felt bad about that. And I felt like a way in which I could even the playing field and give back would be to make more meals for us. So, little by little, I learned to cook. Dh has a *strong* family history of coronary artery disease, so he was already eating for that at the age of 21. To this day he doesn't like *heavy* meals--he's not a meat and potatoes kind of guy--so when I cooked, I'd use recipes that were the kinds of things I'd see him eat in restaurants. And over time it got to be easier and more natural to cook.

That's happened to me so many times. Perhaps by fresh, they mean freshly-thawed. And if so, the least they could do is make sure it's really thawed.

N.O. I do not cook like my mother. She hardly cooked, and what she did cook was repulsive. She truly did not care about nutrition. I think she believes food is just something you had to put in your body to keep running--and the less fuss, the better. Even today (well, truth be told it's been about 5 years since I've been in contact with her), she considers salami dipped in salsa to be a perfectly legitimate meal for herself.

At the age of 42 I've only recently started frying! I *did* start a grease fire when I was home alone sick from school at the age of 11. I was craving my dad's fried potatoes so I tried to make them myself. When the pan caught fire, I called the fire department...not because I thought I needed a fire engine, but because I knew I wasn't supposed to put water on the fire and wanted to know what to use instead. Needless to say, when they figured out I was a child at home alone they ordered me out of the house and sent two engines. Of course the fire had burnt itself out by the time they arrived. It was all really mortifying. Fortunately the only damage was some smoke damage to the ceiling, which my dad cleaned and repainted that weekend. Besides that experience, I only have one working eye (I'm blind in my left eye due to a football injury when I was 5), and I've always been afraid I'd end up with grease spattering and blinding my one good eye. But then, a couple of months ago I got my Cook's Illustrated in the mail and they had a recipe for the perfect fried chicken. I had to try it (and it was really freaking good). So now I fry.

:iagree: They're so simple, but so perfect...and so expensive if you buy them rather than make them.

Ds (11) is getting a netbook this year. Dh talked about getting him one with a processor good for gaming but I put the nix on that. He already has a desktop computer that's good for gaming. The netbook is for schoolwork. I don't worry about him spending unsupervised time on the Internet. His desktop is in a common area and his netbook will be for when he's in classes or when he's in the family room or living room with us. I also got him a subscription to Make magazine. I've asked relatives to give him giftcards to thinkgeek, leatherworking tools/materials and camping/backpacking supplies.

I'd bring toast a la Snoopy! :)

I'm so sorry. It's so hard to lose a good cat.

Tonight it's just pasta with alfredo sauce and roasted zucchini and mushrooms. And maybe some fruit on the side. The only things I make the day before Thanksgiving are the pumpkin pie and the cranberry sauce and I can do those in the early afternoon while the ds is doing schoolwork.

I'd also like to add that while I cooked with my dad growing up, I wouldn't call it good cooking. We were poor; my mom would not have approved of any deviations from the standard shopping list, so we ate hamburger in some kind of tomato-based sauce (Sloppy Joes, meatballs, spaghetti, etc.) 6 nights a week with chicken once a week. All vegetables came from a can except for an iceberg lettuce salad once a week and Jello was a perfectly valid substitute for a vegetable. So once I moved out of the house I felt like I was starting from scratch. The dh and I started dating less than 6 months later. Dh's parents were both psychiatrists with busy practices and dinner at his house was frequently frozen meals. So for him, me taking the time to cook was HUGE. He was incredibly appreciative of my amateur efforts. That, in turn, gave me the desire to keep cooking and keep learning. And I have to say, even now, 24 years into our relationship, he is still very appreciative of my cooking. I think an appreciative audience is a huge factor in wanting to learn to cook.

I like the idea of changing the green beans out to something more savory. Can't go wrong with bacon! If the ginger green beans are a particular favorite, I'd consider roasting the carrots with kosher salt and pepper.

It doesn't really surprise me. My mom didn't like to cook, she was terrible at it when she did, so my dad and I did all the cooking growing up. I happen to enjoy cooking quite a bit, though I go through spells where the menu planning seems like such a bother--I feel uncreative and NOT IN THE MOOD for my usual fare. Finding new recipes on the Internet usually helps. The one person who surprised me was my husband's cousin's wife. Cousin has always been a foodie. In his medical career (he's a gastroenterologist), he's moved around quite a bit--medical school, residency, a few shorter practices before settling in. Dh and I loved to go visit him because he always knew the great places to eat. And when he came to visit us we'd eat out some (because he'd always research restaurants near us and have places he wanted to try while visiting), but he also was very appreciative of the meals I prepared for us at home. Being very focused on his career, he married pretty late in life. And he definitely wanted a SAH wife/mother. His wife is pleasant enough, but she doesn't bring a lot to the marriage. They have a maid to take care of the house, and a nanny to take care of the child. Her conversations tend to revolve around the aches and pains of being a 6 ft. 3 in. woman and the vacations that they take. And the woman CANNOT COOK! And she has no interest in cooking. To me it seems like such a simple way to make her husband happy. So they eat out just about every single night. We met them in Maui last year between Christmas and New Year's--we rented a condo together. She had made reservations for dinner for all of us for every single night. And they were foodie-type places, so dh was paying at least $200 for dinner for the 3 of us every night. After a few days of that I couldn't take it anymore and asked her to cancel my family's part of the reservations so that we could cook dinner for us. I mean, I like a nice restaurant as well as the next person, but there gets to be a point where it's just ridiculous and an embarrassing waste of money. She decided to make breakfast one morning while we were in Maui. Scrambling eggs and frying up sausage seriously stressed her out and I ended up volunteering to take over.

I am actively thankful for these things every single day: 1. I am thankful that I have a home that is safe and warm. 2. I am thankful for my dh. He is kind and funny and devoted. He is a wonderful father and he is able to provide for us in a way that makes me feel secure. 3. I am thankful for our health. 4. I am thankful for my son. I didn't think I'd ever have children--I didn't think I wanted children--but I am so thankful dh wore down my resistance. 5. I am thankful that I have the capacity to love a child wholeheartedly.

I'm the kind of person who either lets it totally ruin my day and let my day fall into an unproductive mess, or I move wholeheartedly into my work to avoid thinking of what's bothering me. I definitely prefer having the latter reaction. It's hard. I ruminate over things like you describe endlessly. It's so frustrating!

We've only been at it since September, and the dh has had a day off here and there--one day while we were remodelling a bathroom, and then this week with the snow we've had here. I *wish* he could see what a real homeschool day looks like here. But ds and dh have so many things they like to do together that the plans I've made just fall apart. Dh probably thinks every day is a goof-off day!

Ds (11) is using the 4th-6th version in conjunction with HO Level 2 Ancients. I was skeptical because they've gotten pretty mixed reviews here and ds isn't generally a crafty guy. But he seems to enjoy them as a break from reading/outlining.

Thanks!

This is our first year using HO. Ds is 11, 6th grade, and this is his first year homeschooling. It was pretty easy and obvious for us to start with Level 2: Ancients. Take a look at the sample lesson plans for L2 Ancients, v. the sample lesson plans for L2 Early Modern. I was looking at them a few weeks ago, and the work definitely seemed more challenging in L2 Early Modern...stuff that ds will be ready to do in 2 years, but not now. I'd consider going with L1, but enriching it with the L2 texts you think will appeal to your ds.

A male cat neutered early is much less likely to have a spraying problem. Also, it's been my experience that male cats are much more affectionate, particularly long-haired male cats. I've had so many cats, it seems strange to make generalizations like that! I think I'd look for a gregarious kitten, one that doesn't seem easily spooked. When you have a fearful kitty, then you have one that *might* be afraid to come out from hiding to use the litterbox.

I had a doctor's appointment today at 2:30 and I asked the dh to come home early and drive me to it. I'm so glad I did! I'm not sure he'd be home yet if he had left work at his regular time!

I doubt this will be of any help to you, but I buy two copies of whatever ds is reading for literature: A new copy for him and a used one for myself. When he's reading, I read.

I'm reading The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt and enjoying it quite a lot. The Hunger Games trilogy was some very compelling YA fiction. I read The Passage this year as well and it really got under my skin. I had bad dreams every single night until I finished that book. I also like to plug Douglas Coupland. He's one of my favorite authors. I have pretty much everything he's written. This year he came out with Generation A. And now there's a new book...Player One, which I'm going to read as soon as I'm done with the Byatt book.