Pinyon nuts are very common in that area, and were an important food for prehistoric people (and are still important socially today). They're good raw, or toasted with a little salt. Places like Trader Joe's usually have them. [ETA: Now that I think about it, these are probably a seasonal item in Nov/Dec, sorry...] I make a green chile dip that's really easy: mix together a small container of sour cream, a small can of roasted green chiles (drained), a chopped onion (pan-fried until soft), and a little garlic powder. Fry bread is a great idea. Or, you could find a recipe for posole (a stew made of hominy, meat, and red or green chile) online, Epicurious.com seems to have a bunch.

H.M. Hoover wrote for this age range. I liked This Time of Darkness a lot at that age, although I haven't read it in several decades. Just a heads-up, the Christian content in the C.S. Lewis Space trilogy (mentioned earlier) is much more pronounced than in the Narnia series. It also has some pretty strong messages about what he considered proper roles for women. Parents who find things like the transformation of Susan or the "battles are ugly when women fight" content in Narnia disconcerting should pre-read "That Hideous Strength." I think these are intended for high school/adult readers in any case, although YMMV.

Thanks for posting this, I was really wondering where that site came from. A lot of what was written there (like the creepy "disclaimer" at the end) makes perfect sense now... Shudder...

I don't know anything about major impaction, it does sound like a call to UCSD is in order; if he can't take bio courses, that won't work! In my experience (working in a university, but in a different field) getting research opportunities comes more from getting to know professors than anything else. Students who stand out in class (for good grades, participating in class, asking/answering questions), go to office hours, and ask about volunteer opportunities and follow through on them (even for menial tasks) are the ones who spring to mind when a good opportunity comes up. Is your son the type of person who will do this in a big class, or will he "blend in" out of shyness? If he feels he's do better in a more intimate setting, maybe the honors program is a better option. However, the amount of time and support faculty get for research is greater at research universities, so there might be more opportunities at the UCs if he's the type of person who will stand out in a crowd.

I live in Arizona too, and I just wanted to mention that every Spanish speaking immigrant I have ever met would LOVE to speak English fluently. Everyone knows it opens doors to better jobs and more opportunities. I have met six-year-olds who were the primary translators for their families, and those families were PROUD of them. Those parents knew that without English their own opportunities were limited; they were so, so happy their kids were getting a chance at a better life, and speaking English was a big part of that. Many people can't afford to pay for English classes, or the time off from work and family obligations to attend. The jobs one can get in the US without speaking English do not pay well, and many people desperately want to send money to needy family members back home, so they don't have extra money for things like classes. I have never met a Spanish speaking immigrant living here who "didn't feel like" learning English, but have met MANY who would probably give their right arm to do so. That website is stupid and racist. Maybe if more of us learned Spanish, we'd actually be able to talk with our Spanish-speaking neighbors and find our way out of some damaging stereotypes.

If he really likes all of them equally, I'd favor UCLA or UCSD. I know you liked the honors program at Cal Poly Pomona, but the other two have more "name recognition" in their favor, and that kind of thing can sometimes tip the balance between two otherwise equal candidates trying to get job interviews or applying to graduate school. When I was in college the major you applied under meant very little; many people changed their minds after a year or two.

Among people I've known, it's been the last group you listed ("normal mix"), and the scholarship money was a big factor. I wasn't in it myself though, hopefully others will chime in.

:iagree: A lot of dogs *never* get over that escape instinct, especially once they've gotten a taste for wandering! I'd keep him in the regular fenced area, it's nice and big. Once he's been trained with the collar the larger, underground fenced area has potential for times when you're with him, but I wouldn't leave a flight risk dog out there unsupervised. Fast, determined dogs can dive through those barriers when they're really fixed on chasing something. The shock collar only works when the dog is close to the barrier, so if he dashes through at top speed he can break through and just keep on running.

Can you leave the washer door open easily? I love our front-loader in most respects, but it's in an area that gets some traffic in the house, so leaving the door open is kind of a pain. But, if we don't leave the door open to let it dry out after a load, it gets a mildew smell (and in dry Arizona, that's saying something). It's only a couple of years old, so I don't think they've entirely worked that kink out.

Part of this depends on the graduate school as well as the program. Some universities and departments are better funded than others. Most people apply to several programs; if they get in, they may or may not be offered a funding "package," and then compare the offers they get from different schools (along with other considerations, like how good the program is and how well it fits their interests) to decide where to go. In general the "hard" sciences and engineering are funded better than the social sciences and humanities. At my university, grad students in all fields may get stipends or research assistantships, but the ones in hard sciences are paid more.

A friend had something similar happen that turned out to be a blood clot in her lung. She had a family history of this but it had never happened to her before, and it was pretty serious. I'd at least call your doctor's office and see if you could have a phone consultation with a nurse or something.

Is the pooped-upon area sand or loose dirt? I've heard some people say they've discouraged cats from using those areas as litterboxes by burying chicken wire just under the surface, making it uncomfortable for the cats to scratch loose dirt over their poop. Maybe you could offer to install some for your neighbor?

After reading the Facebook post linked some pages ago, I followed the link to the BioLogos site Ham warns is "very liberal," to catch a glimpse of some people "shaking their fist at God's Word." I was expecting a website dedicated to "un-schoolers for free love" or something, and all I got was... theistic evolution? Clearly, we have different definitions of "very liberal." Is the range of views represented at these conventions THAT narrow?

I agree with those who said they'd never force someone who finds it truly upsetting to do dissections. However, I think it is shocking that our food system allows us to both eat meat regularly *and* be upset by dissections. Perhaps we would eat less meat and demand (and pay extra for) better living conditions for the animals we do eat if we were forced to think about where our meat came from on a regular basis, and perhaps that would be a good thing. Please don't think I'm judging anyone here, I'm a meat-eater myself. It's the system I have a problem with.

Out of curiosity, are the people who are opposed to dissections (of quickly-killed animals, not the decapitate-your-own-turtle thing) all vegetarians? How about those opposed to the tadpole temperature experiment? I feel like those of us who eat animals (and I do) cause much more "harm" than this on pretty much a daily basis. I suspect conditions on a cattle feed lot or a small chicken cage are just as uncomfortable as those in a low-temperature goldfish bowl. But there are probably viewpoints I haven't considered.

I've had two and they've both shed a LOT. We've just discovered the Furminator and have been using that every few weeks (along with regular brushing) and it helps, but if you dislike dog hair this is not the dog for you! We've adapted by having light-colored flooring and not wearing dark pants. :D You might look into dog breeds recommended for allergy sufferers, they're the least shedding-prone of all dogs. You can find photos and information here: http://www.akc.org/about/faq_allergies.cfm

My doctor said it's pretty common to lose a little weight at first. For me, part of it was that the constant snacking meant I was never very hungry at meals. My weight gain slowed way down for the rest of my pregnancy, but under the circumstances she said that was okay; they don't push the weight gain as much for GD patients as they normally would. It sounds weird, but this is one time when eating more fat is a good thing-- it gets the calories in without the carbohydrates. Eggs, bacon, nuts (especially cashews), and avocados helped me.

As far as I know, the reason for not storing food in the can is that acidic foods start to react with the metal once the can is opened. This can make things like tomatoes taste bad, but I don't think it's a safety concern. Botulism bacteria grows in anaerobic environments, so it's a concern with swelled-up unopened cans but not opened ones.

What about BFSU? (Someone asked this pages ago, but I didn't see an answer yet.) I like the looks of the online samples, but reading that evolution isn't discussed concerns me. To those of you who've used it, is it left out in a way that doesn't impact the lessons (though I'm having trouble imagining how one would do that in biology)? Or in an odd way that leaves obvious holes (as I would personally consider RS4K to have done after looking at those samples)? Is it "neutral," or "awkwardly fence-sitting," or "fence-sitting but not tweak-requiring?"

I do think jeans are perceived differently in different parts of the country. In the southwest, I've seen women in their 70s (and my grandma into her 80s) wear jeans and look downright classy with the right accessories.

Maybe the Robin McKinley version of Robin Hood? It's called The Outlaws of Sherwood; the main characters are young women, and I remember it somehow being romantic without being either physical or sappy, just what I wanted at that age. I also remember loving Mary Stewart's A Walk in Wolf Wood, which is pretty evenly split between boy and girl protagonists. Maybe T.H. White's The Sword in the Stone? (The sequels may be a little mature for her.) It's not girly exactly, but probably appealing to girls. Add my vote for the Karen Cushman books too. The girls in them manage to have that familiar pre-teen angst in a funny, matter-of-fact way rather than an annoying one, especially Catherine Called Birdy. Elizabeth Marie Pope's The Perilous Guard is a little too late for you right now (1558), but she might enjoy it when you hit that period next.

I had this with my second baby, and was given an eating plan with the quantity of protein and carbohydrates I was supposed to eat for each meal and snack, and how often; it was actually pretty easy. As long as I did a decent job of following it, my numbers were great. I think this kind of a plan is pretty standard, you might ask your doctor about it. What I mainly remember is the forced snacks! I had to eat every 3 hours or so, even when I wasn't hungry at all. If I skipped a snack (especially the bedtime one) my blood sugar really suffered. The smallest snack I could find that filled my carb/protein requirement was a date and a string cheese stick. A string cheese stick was a really easy way to add protein to a meal that might not have had enough otherwise, so I ate it all. the. time. I haven't touched string cheese since! I was told that breakfast is usually the trickiest time of day-- there's a nightly perfect storm of blood sugar changes as you go longer without eating, and the levels of the hormones that put your insulin out of whack in the first place rising overnight (the same reason "morning sickness" is usually worst in the morning, interestingly). So, getting breakfast wrong tended to put the whole day off course. My breakfast had to be really protein-heavy, I had an egg and a slice of cheese on HALF an English muffin every morning. Be really careful about fruit/juice in the morning, and also milk and yogurt-- they both convert to sugar really fast. By the time my first snack of the day rolled around a few hours later milk and yogurt were fine, though. Like many people here mentioned, pizza and potatoes seemed to wreak havoc even in what should theoretically have been perfectly safe quantities-- but oddly enough, desserts in moderation were fine for me! ETA: I don't know what Nourishing Traditions is, hopefully the above isn't totally useless with it...

I took it as a malaria prophylaxis too for a while, but it gave me such terrible sun sensitivity I had to switch to another drug. I didn't have any other side effects though. (Larium was another, more psychedelic story... yuck...) Sounds like a call to the doctor is in order though, it seems likely there's an alternative antibiotic you could use that would sit better with you.

I think Dreamfields brand tastes just like regular pasta, at least once I've put the sauce on. Maybe you can taste something I don't, though. I don't really remember how low in carbs it is, but it does have more fiber (and a lower glycemic index) than regular pasta.

Harriet. I love the name, but it sounds terrible with our last name. Also William (which we'd have used if we had a boy).