We had a bedbug infestation this year. I wouldn't wish bedbugs on my worst enemy! We didn't realize what the problem was until most of the house was infected. We decided to go with whole-house heating treatment. We had treatment in late July, but had to have another treatment in September. They had closed off the bathrooms, not realizing that there was a closet connected to the master bathroom. There were still bedbugs in the closet, so we had more bedbugs. When they reheated the house, that took care of the problem. Check mattresses, especially at the head of the bed. Look for black dots, as previously mentioned. You could have a pest control company check out your house. They would be able to let you know if it's bedbugs, or something else. If only one room is involved you may be able to treat it yourself. There is a lot of information available online. I hope that you don't have bedbugs! Susan

This home is just 5 minutes from mine, I'll have to drive by and check it out. Of course, the price is waay out of my home budget! Hope you and yours are doing well! Susan

You might want to look at TruthSeekers by Awana. This program is for churches that want a program that is easier to use than the traditional Awana program. It does not use uniforms or their traditional award systems. It is meant to be used as a large group/ small group program, with a game component. It can be used at any time: Sunday AM, Sunday PM, weeknight. Take a look at truthseekers-us.org Susan (frequent lurker, seldom poster)

Praying for you and your family, Valerie. Susan

I got a Kenmore French door fridge earlier this year. It has water, but it is a button to push inside the fridge, so it is very unobtrusive. It does come in white, although mine is black. I do like the pull-out freezer drawer.

Congratulations Valerie! Wishing you and your family the best. You know that I usually lurk here, but I had to log in to send my best wishes! I am planning to find a part time job while my last ds finishes his last 2 years of HS. Keep in touch! Susan

At the wedding of my nephew and his lovely bride they served individual mini-pies in 3 or 4 flavors. They were delicious, and were a big hit. The mini-pies make for less mess as they don't need to be cut. Mini-pies, cupcakes and carrot cake would make for plenty of desserts and surely everyone would find a dessert to enjoy. Susan

BJU Earth & Space DVDs are appropriate for high school students. There are no childish skits on the DVDs. The course is challenging and worthy of high school credit.

I used Stevenson Reading with my son with learning difficulties (maybe undiagnosed dyslexia). We started when he was 7, and used it until he had completed everything that was available. It is important to start at the beginning, even though your son probably has some reading skills. Stevenson teaches using nemonics and starts with long vowel sounds. These are peanut butter and jelly words (like oa & ea) and layer cake words (silent e words). It builds from there. There is a spelling component. I haven't checked out their site in a long time (my ds is 16 now), but at one time there was a way to ask questions on the site. They have simplified their teacher's manuels to make them easy to work with. I hope this is helpful, Susan

My son picked "Fingerprints of God" by Steven Curtis Chapman. The chorus is especially meaningful. Susan

Currently we pay $40 per child. We have been involved in several Awana programs over the years, and they all had different ways to cover the costs. Besides uniforms and books, remember special theme night activities and Awana store night. Those special activities can really add up. Also, the fees cover awards. I'm not only talking about the regular awads like wings, jewels and patches, it needs to cover the end of year awards. These awards cost about $3 each for Cubbies and 1st & 2nd books in Sparks, and about $10 for 3rd book in Sparks. In T&T the 1st book award is $5, 2nd book: $10, 3rd book: $12, and Timothy award is $19. So these costs are figured into Awana fees. Many churches have multiple child discounts and scholarship programs to help those in need. If your child is involved in scouts or sports, how much do you pay to participate in those? Awana isn't Sunday School, which is free to participate in. Awana is a special program that includes a lot of incentives for the children who participate. Some churches have a budget that covers most of the costs, some don't. Only you can decide if this is the best use of your family's limited budget. Susan

Valerie, If we had sold too much we wouldn't have had time to talk! Take care, Susan

Carol, I guess that I shouldn't be surprised that I sold Writing Tales guides to someone from WTM. That was where I heard about them myself! I hope that they work well for your son. Susan

Hi Valerie! I just wanted to let everyone know what a pleasure it was to meet Valerie at the TAFA booksale in Ft. Worth. There weren't a lot of shoppers, and most seemed to have a good idea of specific things that they wanted. They were not looking for BJU or Abeka, but were looking for Math-U-See, Teaching Textbooks and SOTW. I was surprised to sell my Writing Tales teacher's guides. I thought that no one would have heard of them. But they sold quickly, the buyer showed me her shopping list, and Writng Tales was printed on it. I still took home lots of stuff (and have to figure out what to do with boxes of curriculum), but I was fortunate to sell quite a bit. I had been saving things for a while, and decided to try to unload some books as my youngest begins high school this year. Valerie had her books marked at value prices, and they still didn't sell. I don't know what she could have done differently. I enjoyed chatting with her, it made the time go quickly. Susan (TXSusan - rarely posting, often lurking!)