Another vote for sparkpeople.com. I started in April and have lost 27 lbs so far!

I highly recommend checking out www.sparkpeople.com I am calorie counting and have lost 25 lbs (as of this morning). I track my nutrition on their site and you learn to make your calories count and not "spend" them on poor food selections. I have not tracked my fitness, but loosing weight is more about what you eat (and don't eat) than it is about exercise...it's all about calorie in (and calories burned--that's the exercise part). But the bottom line is if you eat the correct number of calories you should lose weight. Good luck!!!! I know it's hard, but if I can do it, anyone can!!! I still have a LONG way to go but it's nice to get that first 25 off!

I have a good friend that has been trough several printers and has done a ton of research. She says that ANY Kodak printer is going to give you the most copies per page for the amount of ink/cost of ink. When I get ready for a new printer, I'm going to go with a Kodak. I have been using a Cannon and it sucks the ink! I'm switching back to my HP since it's a little better.

Thanks Julie! I'm looking at the HST and I'm guess the main thing I'm wanting some feedback on is the whole thing of being about to plan out what lessons we will do and what days and then being able to easily "bump" them to another day when we have things come up.

anybody?????

I need to find a computer based planner and basically, here is how I want to use it: I need to make a calendar (any format will do...just something with the dates) and be able to list what lessons we are going to do that day (i.e. Monday, 6/28/10: Math - 52, English-73, History 27-28, well, you get the idea). What I want to be able to do is "bump" whole days or individual subjects to the next day and "repopulate" the rest of the days. That way, if we end up with a field trip, sick day, etc. I can "bump" school to the next day and keep moving. Right now, I'm doing this on paper and UGGG it gets messy! I would like to do a better job of planning out our year and want to know if there is a planner out there like I described. Also, I'm open to any new ideas! Thanks, Pam

My dd has asked me about these books and I would like to find out from someone who has read them if they are appropriate for an 11 1/2 yr old that is an advanced reader (and somewhat mature for her age). I just don't want to expose her to too many (if any) "adult" topics at this age. She is interested in the Uglies series. Thanks, Pam

Will my dd be prepared to go straight into pre-algebra? If so, which program do you recommend? Saxon? TT? Something else?????

me too! Anna's plans are amazing! I can't wait to start my first project next weekend!

I usually start and do mile 3 and 4 or 4 and 5. I just feel like when I go into the 2nd mile it's not quite fast paced enough. I know she has tons of DVD and really want to get opinions on the others before I buy one. I would also like to find any other DVD's that might be along the same "speed" as Leslie. I'm so out of shape and not very coordinated that I need something like her to feel like I'm accomplishing something. I've been doing the DVD for 3 solid weeks now and adding 20 girl pushups and around 100 crunches (or at least best I can do) and I've lost 4 pounds. I've changed some of my eating, but not much. I've got to work on that part next.

I have the 5 mile Fat Burning Walk and I've been doing 2 miles. I want to work up to 3 or more. My problem with that DVD is that when I go into the 2nd mile, I don't feel like the pace is as fast as I would like. I was wondering if anybody knows of any of her DVD's that I might like better. Thanks!

I need to bring an appetizer and a sweet for about 30 moms. Anybody got some good ideas to share?

5th/6th grade DD has finished 1 year of Latina Christiana and I am wanting her to take a break from Latin and focus on learning Spanish. I really want to program that is computer based or has DVDs along with it. I have no background in Spanish (or Latin) and am afraid I may have difficultly helping her should she encounter problems. Does anyone have suggestions for what program might work best for us? TIA!

Common Sense Parenting http://www.boystownpress.org/Scripts/prodView.asp?sku=39-018 It's published by Boys Town Press. I can recommend the techniques outlined in this book because I know first hand that they work! It is so important for parents, especially those that are struggling to learn how to approach discipline as positive teaching rather than punishment. This book teaches parents to focus on teaching social skills to children, recognizing good behavior and teaching before problems occur, and teaches parents how to effectively correct children's negative behavior. It is a great model!

I buy the organic spring mix (We usually don't eat it all before it goes bad but it is still way cheaper than buying it at the reg. grocery store). I also buy grape tomatoes and Stacy's Pita Chips every time I go.

people to post pictures of their school rooms, organization ideas, etc? What does everybody think? Wouldn't that be a great sticky???

Pamela, My husband and I worked in group homes for a number of years. We were called Teaching Parents instead of house parents. You can find some info about the model of care we followed here: http://www.teaching-family.org/ I have never been a foster parent, but was a social worker for foster families. A few things you may want to consider just off the top of my head: Foster parents live in their on home and in group homes, the home is usually agency owned. (I'm not totally sure about TX though). Foster parents usually have the kids 24/7 and in group homes, the staff usually gets time off each month. We worked for wonder agencies that allowed us to work a schedule were we were on usually 10-14 days and then have 4-6 off. It was great! Our agency allowed us to homeschool our natural children, some do not. In a foster home, usually one of the parents has to work. In a group home, that IS your job. In foster homes, you have a say on who can came and when they have to go and in a group home, you usually don't have any say. There is alot more to consider and I would be happy to talk with you. Alot of it also depends on who you work for. I can give you a call if you want to talk some more, just PM me your number. We've worked in group homes in several states and have over 12 years experience doing it. Pam

My 11 yr. old dd has a laptop that is hers. She usually keeps it in her room. We have antivirus and spyware, etc. on it. She taps into the wireless router. She is free to chat with approved friends (only 2) and she is active in a message board (which I check from time to time). I also check and spot read chats and emails on her system. She asks permission before she googles or goes looking on wikipedia for anything. She also ask permission before looking up anything on youtube. She is very aware of internet safety and our rules and thank God, she follows the rules (at least for now). I pray that she is safe and makes wise decisions. She is allowed online when she has taken care of her responsibilities with school and home. It really depends on your relationship with you children and their level of trust and responsibility.

nope...not needed. I got the TM for 2nd grade and it's not really necessary either.

Has anyone had any experience with any online classes for middle school grades? I am thinking of adding one for my daughter. She is very computer savvy and I thought that if she likes it and does well, I may eventually add more (or even let her do most of her classes online or just using software).

How about marketing to realtors that show some of the upscale homes in the area, some of the private owned coffee shops, maybe hospital gift shops...just a couple of ideas.

Anyone know of a good place to find nice furniture online for a good price? TIA

We might be putting an offer on a house today! Last week, we were told that we have to be out of our rental by the end of Nov. despite the owner telling me a few weeks ago that there is no rush in us finding a house and to take all the time we need. We had planned on buying a house by the end of Nov., but had kind of talked ourselves into waiting until spring or just waiting until the right one came along. We've had a hard time finding what we like so now, we are kind of settling on one that doesn't have everything we want. (And I'm not sure that we would EVER find that house!) Well, we have 3 houses we're looking at. The house we are going to put an offer on is a bit bigger than we wanted, the kitchen is small, and there are some datedness issues, but there have been some updates and it has a GREAT backyard with a pool. It gets HOT HOT here during the summer. We had a pool last summer (in another state) in a house we rented and LOVED it! My husband had gotten a job in another state and moved out here in April. We moved to join him in Aug and have been renting. Things are going well and we feel it is a good time to buy for us. This is a military town and the real estate market has not been hurt by the recession. It's our luck that we would be needing to buy a house in a town like this. You don't get much for your money. The house that we are planning on getting is kind of expensive, but we have 20% to put down. There are two other house we are also considering...neither has a pool. :( One is a similar size and newer with a really nice kitchen and bigger closets, but still needs some minor updates. The third one is a bit smaller, a good size, but the openness of it makes it my least favorite. I'm so scared about all of this and would appreciate any prayers on our decisions. TIA

we use one for everything we can, but pay it off every month.

I have a list of main dishes that I cook written on a sheet of notebook paper and I keep in on the side of the 'fridge. I guess right now, I have somewhere around 30ish on there. I typically shop the sales for whatever meat is on sale that week and go from there. Once I know the main dish, then I plan the side dish. Those are usually steamed veggies and/or salad and sometimes a starch. We rarely, if ever, do a bread. From time to time, I seek out something new and different to try that is both tasty and fairly easy to make. The family gets to vote if it's a keeper or not. I am blessed with adventuresome eaters.