AMDG Thanks, Nutella! I tried italki first and contacted about a dozen professional tchr and a few of the tutors. It seems that everyone has a standard computer pkg and when I mention my specific needs none of them could commit. If someone just wanted conversational Spanish, though, they're mostly a really good price. I DO plan to use italki for some informal language partners, though! Thanks again!

AMDG I will definitely get with you if my lady doesn't do out! Thank you!

AMDG I checked into both 121Spanish and 121onlineprofessor. 121spanish either couldn't provide tutors on Sunday or were not helpful figuring out a Catholic tutor or materials or something. I can't remember now. 121onlineprofessor, however, is where i'm headed! The person was so helpful on the phone helping me figure out which tutors might be particularly suited to my goals and most familiar with the kinds of materials and literature I would like to use, et c. I viewed some of the videos and one of the ladies just seemed like such a sweetie pie! we've been texting via skype to discuss materials for learning using texts for grammar plus scripture reading and readings of the saints. She has lots of those materials and I can't wait to get started with her. I hope it goes as well as I hope it goes! Thanks for the help!

AMDG Aww! Thanks you guys! HSA didn't work out for me. I compared several and cant remember everything but I believe it was because their tutors can't meet on Sundays. I'm on call 24/6 (every day but Sunday) so I can only to commit to Sundays so . . . we weren't a match. I really appreciate you guys, though!

AMDG Hello, all! It has been ages and ages since I've been around (My kiddo is grown and gone!) but I have a question and I knew you could answer it! The hive mind knows! I am in a peculiar situation. I am an American Sign Language interpreter. I was approached by a priest at an Hispanic parish about starting a Deaf ministry and ASL mass at his parish. Well, we did that. I don't speak Spanish, though, so the (VERY CUMBERSOME) way we do it is this: Father celebrates mass in concurrent ASL and Spanish. An interpreter sits in an alcove with a headset and translates into English. I interpret all the readings, music, responses, et c. Father is learning ASL but celebrates mass by memorization. We make it work but I would like to learn spanish and I have a wonderful, rich opportunity to use it. I have tried learning on my own but . . . Well, I keep not managing to do it. So, I need a tutor. Anyhoo, this is The dream tutor I'm looking for: -- native Spanish speaker -- Mexican/central American -- can focus on teaching BOTH conversational Spanish AND the mass. -- can meet online w/o tons of technical problems -- well organized, good teacher -- well-rounded Spanish instruction (includes speaking, listening, reading, writing) -- includes lots of literature and movies as activities (even as a beginner I want to read fairy tales, et c.) -- can evaluate my skill and meet me where I am. And not Live Lingua. We weren't a match. I do have a strong preference for a person who lives in Mexico or Central America but it's not an absolute deal breaker if s/he doesn't. So, anyone have any ideas? Do you have or know of a spanish tutor you'd be willing to share? C'mon, Hive Mind, don't let me down!

AMDG Hello, Everyone! By the end this will sound all convoluted and complicated, probably, but I'm really just asking for resources for my own history of sewing/textiles summer study. I'm really getting into sewing and loving it. This summer, when I have a bit of breathing space, I'd like to study the history of textiles and sewing from a Catholic perspective. I would love a mix of resources that would include: -- Something textbook-ish for the history of sewing, and for the history of textiles. -- Something to watch of a documentary nature for both. -- Something that ties faith into both . . . for example, I once read a wonderful book about a boy and the construction of a cathedral in Paris. The boy was a sculptor's son and there was so much interesting detail about sculpting and whatever coming of age story plus an interesting back and forth b/t spending on the church vs spending on the poor and it all culminated with St. Joan of Arc marching through the city. I would love something beautifully written like that but with sewing as the backdrop instead of sculpting for the cathedral. -- A movie for each -- An interesting destination I know that's a lot to ask but just if you have ideas, I would much appreciate them. And FYI, I have a great love for beautiful language and old books so . . . that's more my style. Crossed Fingers!

AMDG By all means! Discuss! I've only ready the first chapter and looked at some of the experiments at http://ithacagenerator.org/caveman-chemistry/ I'd love to know your experience! Please share!

AMDG Ha! Sure . . it's Caveman Chemistry! Here is the link: http://www.cavemanchemistry.com/

AMDG Wouldn't you know I'd find it as soon as I posted the question. Have a GREAT day!

AMDG I notice that you're studying ASL. There is a large monthly silent dinner in Tulsa well attended by lots of deaf and hearing. Also, if you go south and east in OK, it gets more lush, green, and hilly.

AMDG Well, it's here and I'm so grateful. Logging off for lent and will see you on the other side.

AMDG Ach. . . Alas, it seems that I can either read or write about reading but not both. I haven't been very faithful about logging in but I wanted to pop in before I log of for lent. I'm positively LOVING reading the Great Books and am up to Plato. I am about half way through The Republic. I live it so far and find it so meaningful in so many ways. Socrates is able to speak about my own goals/reasons for homeschooling and ed philosophies than I ever could. Hated Thucidides. Loved Herodotus. See y all after lent.

AMDG I have a kiddo that used to really have a hard time with this kind of teasing. It bothered her to be teased but it was an outrage for her to witness other kids to be teased. We were often witnesses to the teasing and considered it good natured and not a problem for most of the kids on whose behalf she was outraged. We also feel that some people relate this way and that as long as it didn't cross certain bounds, it was ok. We felt it our duty to instruct her in way that teasing is okay and when it was out of bounds. We also talked to her about developing a thicker skin, cutting Pl some slack and tolerating appropriate teasing with grace, and when she couldn't to speak up with as much grace as possible. With out of bounds teasing, we taught assertiveness and going to an adult when necessary.

AND My daughter and I already abstain from meat all the time so, unless we choose something else to abstain from, I'd feel we weren't doing much. Lent is the time we usually select our Friday abstinence for the year. In addition to our regular practices and devotions we have Friday evening dinner and stations. My daughter and I will also be doing the 33 day consecration again. We have done this before and really lived doing it and since we haven't done it I a few yrs, we thought it was time. We also make a crown from some vine that grows here and fill it with toothpicks a la crown of thorns. Acts of service, kindness, sacrifice, et c mean we can extract a thorn from Our Lord's crown and place it in a silver bowl we have by it. On Easter morning when we wake a miracle has occured! The thorns are gone and something lovely is in their place. Of course the Robin red breast and dogwood feature prominently and we have a bare branch and on Easter morn it is covered with flowers. My 14 year old still loves these stories and so do my husband and I and we never tire of them. On Good Friday after stations we observe silence. I feel like there is other stuff and am sure there is . . . But I'm not thinking of it right now.

AMDG The single most important daily chore I have is keeping my eye on everyone else's pick up. When things get left around . . . I don't know, it really is that slippery slope. I ask my family to pick up after themselves and I go so far as to take pix and text them to offenders. Yep. I also walk through the house and make sure everything is in shape twice per day: once in the afternoon and once in the evening. Doing the above is a tremendous factor in our happiness. Really. We are all so very much more happy in a tidy, uncluttered home. I tidy and clean the pantry and fridge, including wiping shelves and sweeping floor (pantry) every Monday and also, having taken inventory while cleaning, make the menu for the week. Then I do the shopping. On Tuesdays I cook. I cook, make, bake, whatever, almost everything for the week. I try to be very, very, good about cleaning as I go b/c I don't clean after supper each night. Cleaning is pretty light b/c I cooked on Tuesday and my family does all the after supper clean up. On Fridays or Saturdays we dust, sweep, and mop. I wish I had a schedule for deeper cleaning but really, just do what I notice.

AMDG I have to know, Rosie! Have you tried the olive oil and sumac on your popcorn yet?

AMDG Well, I apologize for not actually having a recipe. I've had to just play around but this is what I do: a couple of v.e.r.y! ripe bananas -- such as ones you'd use for banana bread a few dates, pitted and roughly chopped OR a handfull of raisins OR something else sweet. I would like to try figs but haven't yet. Place into food processor and blend till you have a fairly smooth, kinda liquidy, batter-like mixture. Stir in enough oats to make it cookie-dough-like and let sit till oats are a bit softened, not too long. Stir in anything else you want. I used walnuts and next time I'm going to use walnuts and raisins. I used a cookie scoop and scooped out all the dough into cookies. I had to look up a recipe for regular cookies and I used that temp and cooking time but don't remember what it is, just now. I think I cooked it less time than they called for, though. They were quite good in our opinion. However, please remember, if you haven't been eating added/refined sugar for a while, these are yummy and sweet. If you have only just now given up sugar, you might find them too . . . not sweet. When we first tried several of our now-much-loved recipes, they were not satisfying b/c they were't sweet enough. After a number of months at sugar free, we think they're great! And about the ice cream . . . banana, banana and cherry, banana and cherry with almonds and a bit of almond extract are well liked by my daughter and me. I like banana, cocoa, vanilla, and almonds. It isn't sweet enough for my daughter. The cocoa really uses up most of the sweetness of the banana. We also tried frozen cherries and lime juice to make a cherry limeade sherbet. I was the only one who liked it. My daughter thought it was too tart. Oh, I think I'll try a bit of baking soda or powder next time in the cookies. I hope you like them!

AMDG We mostly use fruit for the sweet or as a sweetener. For example, we make "ice cream" with frozen bananas and cherries and cookies sweetened with bananas, dates, raisins or some combination. I haven't used the other kinds of sweetener yet. Especially since you have some digestive issues, I strongly recommend looking at some of the side effects of some of the sweeteners, especially xilitol.

AMDG When we were looking for a house we got a figure from the bank or mortgage company or whatever for what we could "afford." It was such a large number and in the first weeks of shopping around, I kept selecting houses based on that figure. Oh, such houses! My husband kept saying that there was no way we could afford the kinds of houses I was picking and I kept arguing that the professionals must know. He kept insisting that they must be dealing in monopoly money or something. This went on for a time but we finally got a house my husband said we could afford. And not long after came the big burst of the housing bubble. When I think back . . . I am so grateful for my husband's wisdom b/c, in that area, anyway, I don't have any of my own. It's so important to know your resources and be good stewards.

AMDG So, so sorry. Poor, faithful friend.

AMDG Well, trying to put the most positive spin on it, maybe she's thinking that if they can both go, she can finally get the toys decluttered! Could it be something along those lines?

AMDG Well, I think that sums it up so nicely I can't imagine what I would add. Thank you for being able to express the sentiment so nicely and succinctly, elishiba! Well, I would add this . . . I do apologize for not fielding any questions about using it. I would always want to do that but obviously miss queries sometimes. I do tend to drop topics when they get contentious and not go back so I may have missed something that way. Also, I tend not to glance past the first page so if it rolls over to page two, I wouldn't see it there, either. I apologize for missing opportunities to answer!

AMDG Well, I have given up sugar and I'll tell you right up front: it isn't easy! It is possible, though. My kiddo has pretty bad headaches and in searching for some relief, we tried giving up sugar. My daughter felt that facing a future with NO sugar was not a future she really wanted to contemplate so we started off with having no sugar all days but one and then we'd have one sugar day per week. My daughter almost immediately felt a difference in her headaches and fatigue and I felt an e.n.o.r.m.o.u.s difference. We played around with which day to keep as our sugar day. We started with Saturday but we felt awful on Sunday and especially Monday. We didn't want to start the week off that way. We tried shifting to Thursday and did that a couple of weeks. This all started last August. Eventually we just gave it up altogether and decided that we'd still just have sweets on special occassions. However, Halloween, All Saints, Thanksgiving, end of semester parties and cast party all came along, back to back, and the next thing we knew, we were right back at eating sugar as before. A week or so before before Christmas, my girl came to me very tearfully and said she just couldn't go on eating it b/c of her headaches. We went to no sugar then. None at all on a regular basis and have decided that we needed to define the special occassions that we'd have sugar. I am at a place where I'm ready to say never again when I'm home alone and have all food things at home that don't have sugar. I'm good when we eat out and I dont have very much problem with cravings that can't be managed with fruit or sometimes 85% dark chocolate. For both of us, though, the most difficult of all is going to parties. When someone makes a lovely dessert it is very hard to say no. It's hard to say no to a person who worked hard to make it and it's hard to deny myself a yummy homemade goody. Recently, we had both a Valentines Day party and a birthday party. The Valentines party was much easier on us. The sugary offerings, while looking really good, were boughten and less tempting and the food was NOT the focus of the party. At the party last night, though, the cupcakes were homemade and the food and just sitting around visiting and eating was the party so, it was very difficult. We did it, though. We have another party coming up in a couple of weeks . . . Sigh . . . I really believe my daughter will have sugar at that party. Her headache will spike and she'll go back to no sugar with a whimper. I feel better in every way. I never want to go back. I face temptations/challenges for sure but I really do hope this is the end of sugar for me. While my daughter's headaches are about halved, they aren't gone. We are starting the UW headache elimination diet and my daughter really hopes that she will discover that it was something else altogether. She's hoping that she'll find out that dairy is the problem and sugar was getting a bad rap. She'd be happier still if it turns out to be onions or something.

AMDG I see that I don't altogether understand "work from home." I rather thought it meant that the work actually took place in the home: daycare, transcription, some engineering, instrument teacher/tutor if tutoring in one's own home. I thought that things that required the bulk of the work to be done outside of the home as not work from home: construction, photographer, instrument teacher/tutor if traveling to a public space or the students' homes. So, I didn't answer at first b/c the bulk of my wk happens outside my home. I'm an interpreter and go to the clients. I office at home but leave to do the actual interpreting work. I cannot tell you how much I love interpreting. I used to be a teacher but when my daughter came along I just didn't want to wk anymore. After a while I wanted to do something but didn't know what . . . I finally decided to try my hand at interpreting (ha, I love puns . . . I'm an ASL terp), and was smitten. I'll never look back. I strictly freelance. I've subbed in schools once or twice and for other places that have staff interpreters and those are not at all for me. I love freelancing in the community and I love seeing such a variety of the human experience from this perspective. I just love it.