Yes, it is always hard for me. Two years ago I put my oldest in school in February. She's back home now, and I've managed to learn that once I get past February, it will be okay. We're heading to Mexico on Friday, and won't be home until March 1st, so if I can just make it though the next two days... Lori

I had to read this thread when I saw the subject line. :D I think this is where people get the impression that it is not biblical for women to cut their hair (I Cor. 11:2-16, pasted from Bible Gateway): Head Coverings 2Now I commend you(B) because you remember me in everything and(C) maintain the traditions(D) even as I delivered them to you. 3But I want you to understand that(E) the head of every man is Christ,(F) the head of a wife[a] is her husband, and(G) the head of Christ is God. 4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5but every wife[b] who prays or(H) prophesies(I) with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same(J) as if her head were shaven. 6For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 7For a man ought not to cover his head, since(K) he is the image and glory of God, but(L) woman is the glory of man. 8For(M) man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9Neither was man created for woman, but(N) woman for man. 10That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.[c] 11Nevertheless,(O) in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And(P) all things are from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16(Q) If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do(R) the churches of God. I don't have time to brush up on this scripture, but I vaguely recall that Paul was addressing some problems in the chuch at Corinth, and in order to fully understand what he is saying, you would need to do a bit of research, and know the context of the passage. Lori

Before I conceived our first child, I was having fertility issues. I had one woman go to the trouble of calling me on the phone to tell me that it would help if I stood on my head after intercourse! You may as well tell someone that standing up after intercourse is a method of birth control.:001_huh: Lori

My dd has some blond hi-lights in her hair, and now she wants to go back to having dark brown hair. I'm going to attempt to do it myself so that I don't have to spend a fortune at a salon. I picked up a kit yesterday - LÓreal Natural Match - but now I'm noticing that it says: "4N is for you if both your natural and current colors are dark brown." Her roots are dark brown, but much of her hair has been lightened from the sun, as well as having artificial blond hi-lights. I'm planning to take it back today and exchange it for something else, but I have no clue what to get. I chose this product because it has no ammonia and because it claims to be natural looking. She has a few important events coming up, including a concert for her voice lessons (lead vocals for her), and a trip to Mexico. I really want to be sure I don't mess up her hair. She really wants me to darken it, or I'd just leave it alone. Her hair is quite long, and very thick. Thanks! Lori

We're not in a co-op this year, but have been in the past. My kids are in quite a few things, and I'm (usually) happy to drive them since I can see the positives for them. We all ski/snowboard once a week with a large group of homeschoolers (we are signed up for homeschool lessons), and this is the best opportunity for us to connect with our homeschool friends. Unfortunately, we only do it for 6 weeks per year. Dd 15 - Synchronized swimming 2x/week, Hip Hop, voice lessons, Young Life. Ds 13 - Drum lessons (since this is private, it doesn't give him relational time with other kids). Ds 11 - Badminton 2x/week. Dd 8 - Karate 2x/week, and tap dance. Most of the activities I've listed don't lead to building friendships. We only seem to be able to build lasting friendships though our homeschool related activities, since the other kids they meet all have lives that revolve around their school friends. I hope you're able to find something that works. I sent my kids to school for a year, and I would take that year back if I could. Middle school age is such a hard time to start school for the first time. :grouphug: Lori

I agree with Susan on this. In 2006 I took on the daunting task of coordinating BC CHEC's first annual homeschool convention (Susan was our speaker that year). As the coordinator, I saw the convention as a vehicle to serve the homeschool community. It's so backward when an organization that was created to serve people begins to serve the organization. I see this sort of thing creep into so many Christian organizations, and it breaks my heart. The organization is for the people, not the other way around. Just my $.02. Lori

:lol::lol::lol:

Joanne, I just want to say that your website is an amazing resource! I can't believe this is the first time I've noticed it, considering how many of your posts I've read. Based on what I've read on your website so far, I think you'd probably really like Hold on to Your Kids. That book encouraged me to parent from a non-punitive, attachment based point of view, but the articles you have on your website are what I've been looking for as a more practical way to implement Dr. Neufeld's philosophy. I just wanted to say, "Thanks", and encourage others who are reading this thread to take a look at your website. Lori

I just had a thought. Did Faraday say that he was "in love" with Charlotte, or that he "loved her with all his heart"? Could he possibly be her father? Lori

Thanks for posting this. I just put them both on hold at the library. My teens read so much that it's difficult to keep a good supply of appropriate books on hand for them. Lori

I find this interesting. I've sometimes wondered about this. When you say that it's not scriptural, do you mean that there are verses to disprove this theory? Or do you just find no scripture to specifically prove this? As I've wrestled with some of the questions Heather has mentioned, I've found myself following a path of reasoning that makes me wonder if there will still be an opportunity to accept Jesus' sacrifice for our salvation. There are many verses that possibly could point to this. Romans 5 has a passage that makes me wonder: "12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." There are also some other verses and thoughts in scripture that make me wonder if this is the "key" to reconciling some of the pieces of the mystery that just don't fit (according to my limited understanding). I certainly wouldn't say that I "believe" this deviation from typical Christian doctrine, but I would say that I can't be certain one way or the other. I'll be watching this conversation. I love the element of grace found in Reformed beliefs, but like Heather, I just can't reconcile in my heart that the character of God creates life knowing that those He loves will be eternally separated from Him. Lori

Delaying it is definitely something to consider. Dd is having trouble speaking clearly. The appliance prevents the tongue from touching the roof of the mouth. She just joined a musical/theater production. The auditions were on Sunday, which was only three days after having it installed. She had a pretty hard time with the audition, and said she almost cried because the kids started to laugh when she stumbled on her words.:glare: She's a trooper, though, and kept on trying. Lori

I've been told that she will still require braces at some point. They will put some sort of device in her mouth to prevent her jaw from moving back after her current appliance has done it's job. When she's in her teens they will figure out the next step. My oldest dd has braces right now, and had to get one tooth extracted. I wouldn't be surprised if the youngest needed a few extractions, too. Lori

Yes, my dd (15) really enjoyed this. She made some very positive changes in her life after reading this book. I started reading it out loud, and she took it to bed that night and devoured the rest of the book. It's written from a Christian POV, but there's plenty of great content that would resonate with those having different belief systems. Lori

No. I prefer to teach my dc the Bible. Even during the year I had them at a private Christian school, I had to spend way too much time undoing what they had learned. The teachers there were Christians, but didn't have any formal Bible training. Most had been educated at secular universities. Some of the stuff they taught was pretty flaky, imo. If a parent would like their child to receive some sort of Bible education, they would probably be better off finding a church that would offer a systematic Bible class, although I still wouldn't want my dc to be receiving their Bible education in most Sunday School classes (can you tell I'm pretty picky about this??). Lori

Well, my oldest is only 15, so I'm not able to offer much advice. The book I recommend for every parenting issue is Hold on to Your Kids by Dr. Gordon Neufeld. Here's a link to the author's website http://www.gordonneufeld.com/ but you can get it through Amazon. It's a great book, and isn't all about "rules", or "how to" advice. He talks about relationship being the key to parenting. Time for me to read it again.:tongue_smilie: Lori

Thanks everybody. I called the ortho office, and they said it would be okay if I spaced her tightening turns a bit further apart, as long as she still gets a certain width by her next scheduled appointment. I'll try to get the dye free Tylenol, and maybe just mix it in with a smoothie, since she hates the taste. Thanks for some of the great food ideas, too. Time to get some writing done. Hopefully the news that she doesn't have to "endure the turning" today will encourage her, and help her to focus on school. Lori

My 8 yo dd has a very small mouth, and there's no room for her teeth to come in. The orthodontist recommended a device that fits across the top of her mouth. Because the roof of the mouth still has cartilage at this age, the jaw can be widened, and then held in place while the bone forms to keep the jaw wider. She had the appliance "installed" five days ago. Every day I'm required to adjust it so that it widens by 1 millimeter per day. Dd is having so much trouble with it. Her jaw is constantly aching. She's finding it difficult to eat, and she's already below average weight. I bought some Ensure drinks for her yesterday. She loves them, but they're chocolate with sugar, and she was bouncing off the walls while I tried to teach her math this morning. By the time we were half way through her spelling list, she was falling apart emotionally, and sobbing (she loves spelling, so I let her spell the words out loud, and that helped her to complete the list). She has to wear this thing for 4-6 months. I would assume it would get better, but I'm not sure if she'll be able to adjust if I keep making it tighter each day. She has to have it adjusted by 16 mm before her next orthodontic visit. They told me that by the time she is done, she will likely have a space between her front teeth the size of a drinking straw (which will close when her teeth grow in). Has anybody had experience with this sort of thing? Will it get better? Are there some soft foods that a picky eater will enjoy that aren't full of sugar? She tends to react to food dyes a bit, too. This makes it difficult to give her pain relievers to help take the edge off (all the children's pain relief seems to have artificial color/flavor). Any advice would be appreciated. I feel so bad for her.:sad: Lori

I haven't been following this very closely since I'm in Canada. How does this law work? Does it restrict sellers only? Will Americans be able to purchase used books from Canadians? Will Americans be legally permitted to sell used books to non-Americans? I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but I've wondered about this a few times, and didn't want to start a new thread just to find out. Lori

:iagree: Help her set it up, and make sure you have access so that you can see who her friends are, and what they are talking about. When my dd first set up her account I went to check on it, and saw that her profile said that she was "single", and interested in "men". :eek: When I went to change the setting, I realized that "single" was the closest thing to her situation, and you could only choose from men or women. I was glad to see that you can just leave that part blank.:tongue_smilie: Another thing that has come up is that one of her acquaintances who attended Christian school with her for less than a year has photos of herself kissing another girl. It's a bit of a learning curve, but gives us many opportunities to discuss life outside of our safe little homeschooling world. Lori

I forgot to add that I'm sorry to hear that you're having a low day.:grouphug: Lori

It was originally written in Greek, so different translations and even different versions are going to choose a different English word. There are several words for love in the Greek language. This one is the word that comes from agape, which is an unconditional love, as opposed to the Greek word phileo, which is a brotherly love. The KJV was translated a long time ago, and chose the English word "charity". More modern translations have the word "love". I don't have time to look up all the exact Greek words and references, but this should give you an general idea. I'm sure all the Bible scholars will jump in and provide more detail.:001_smile: Lori

Thanks! I'm trying to figure out how many of these books we can cover each year. Lori

I'm looking at the Explorer Bible Study, and wondering how many lessons are in each book. I'm mostly interested in the Quest series (high school), but most of the posts I've read about this resource have been on the K-8 board, so I thought I'd ask here. Thanks, Lori

My dd (15) has read it. She said that there's a lot of magic, so if you're not comfortable with that, then you may want to skip it for your son. She said that the magic consists of when people read certain things, it makes the things they read come to life. She also said that the characters can create fire. According to her, this book is closer to Eragon than to Harry Potter. She said that there are also some relationship/romance issues. The main character falls in love. There's kissing in the series, but she can't remember if it's in the Inkheart book or one of the other books in the series. I hope that makes sense. Excuse the grammar. I'm just typing what she said.:tongue_smilie: Lori