I recently read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and really enjoyed it. The author is a Christian but it is quality literature. (Isn't it sad we have to use the conjuction "but" in that sentence?) I also liked A Song I Knew by Heart by Brett Lott, although you might want to preread that one and see if it fits your group. It is also a quality contemporary novel by a Christian author. Elaine

What about Evangeline? It isn't in the Bible as a girls name, per say, but I think it is a pretty name with Christian significance. Elaine

I agree with those who think that this is sad, or maybe even wrong. I certainly hope my daughter doesn't want to do this some day. Elaine

That's true. I just meant that we are often giving answers to questions we aren't really "qualified" (in the sense of having a degree in counseling, medicine, etc...) to answer. I have no objection to that, though. I have gotten excellent advice from the ladies in this board on a variety of issues and have often applied it with good results. Elaine

Honestly, if that is a problem for the Bible study we should probably stay off this message board as well. :D Either that or really change the board rules about what are and are not acceptably topics. I think that you have to treat people like adults and assume that they are going to take what is helpful and walk away from what isn't. A Bible study can be a very supportive environment for like-minded women to pray and seek the Lord together in the midst of life's challenging circumstances. Now there are definitely unhealthy church groups around, so if you sense an atmosphere of spiritual abuse or a place where people are vying for power using religious terminology, I would grab your friend and run. What you described sounds ok to me, though. Elaine

Am I reading correctly that your girls are of a different ethnicity than yourself? This could be completely off base, but I wonder if they just want to look like you, which would seem natural at their stage in life. this could especially be true if they are adopted and may be processing elements of their identity and connection to you as their mom. Earlier this week my adopted ds (4) told me he really wished he could crawl into my "tummy". He kept repeating this throughout the day and was even kind of pulling at my abdomen.....I'm sure it would have sounded really weird to an observing stranger, but I knew he was just having some feelings about being adopted and it gave us an opportunity to talk. You could explore this angle a bit and see how they respond. Elaine

Congratulations to your son! :party: Sorry that those around you were so rude. That is especially strange about the man discussing his hangover......Huh?! :confused: Elaine

I agree with others that it is very odd they are forcing you to state a preference. We very intentionally did not give a gender preference to our agency when we adopted our son. Try just writing "no preference" instead of leaving it blank. :grouphug: I know how hard it is going through the application process. so often we felt like, "Who are we, trying to play God?" It is a weird experience in many ways, knowing that if it was a pregnancy we would have no choice regarding gender, ethnicity, disabilities or lack thereof, etc.... Blessings on your family as you wait. It will all be worth it in the end! :001_smile: Elaine

I am also a stick figure, except that my middle is expanding now that I am middle age, so I sympathize. The funny thing is, I am really hoping that my daughter turns out a lot bigger in the bust than I am. Our culture places such a large emphasis on bre@sts that I guess I feel like it would be easier for her to feel beautiful if she isn't as flat chested as I am. Oh well......I guess none of us can match up to the images of women that surround us everyday, everywhere. It is hard to be content sometimes and trust that we are loveable. Elaine

I was particularly amused by this quote in his "grade 6" essay : "And that's the real reason for education, to get those good grades without thinking too much and using up too much time." :lol: Yeah....seems to be the core of the problem here. I think I would like Mr. Perelman to teach my children. The robot graders, though, is an appalling idea! It is only a short time before teachers start using the robo-graders guidelines as their own so that schools can get better rankings.....yikes. Elaine

I would go with khaki. You might also want to experiment with different kinds of fabric. I have the same problem, and we need to avoid fleece sweatshirts. (My husband jokingly says, "how about mohair?" Ha. :lol:) Elaine

Ahhhh....that makes so much sense. I did not know that!:blush: Elaine

Not in reference to the original quote, but the experience of doing a google search and having the WTM board come up on page one is a frequent occurrence for me as well. Then I think, "Why didn't I just check with the Hive in the first place?" You all are an amazing source of information! Elaine

Did you know that Sandra Boynton actually has a cd in Latin which is making fun of those "Chant" cds out there? It is called Grunt :Pigorian Chant and is a dialogue between a farmer and his animals. My ds11 thinks it is very funny. I thought my fellow Sandra Boynton fans who are also teaching Latin might be amused. Elaine

ds11: someone who designs new Lego sets for Lego dd8:an artist ds4: to type on the computer :) Elaine

I also have a low body temperature as my normal. If your temp is up two degrees above your normal, you do have a fever, even if it is not the traditional "over 99 degrees". I would count yourself as feverish and head for the doctor now. Just my experience. Hope you make a quick recovery and feel better soon! :grouphug: Elaine

I've been leading a book club for middle school age kids and I love it! We meet once a week with kids from our co-op. I think the key to making it interesting has been facilitating thinking questions that force them to make connections across the text and with their own lives. So many discussion guides I've looked through strike me as horribly dull because they focus on basic narration of the book or they use books to teach voacabulary, etc....all good skills but no fun for a book club, IMHO. I did learn the hard way that I need to get input from all the parents before choosing books for us to read, to make sure that they are new to the kids and that no one has strenuous objections to the content. (The Hive helped me sort that out when I assigned The Giver by Lois Lowry.) Our very talkative group tends to talk over each other, so I am also focusing on trying to help the kids develop skills in group discussion. Sometimes I need to put as much work into planning that aspect as I do into creating the questions for discussion. Have fun with your club!

You can make jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) for dinner. They are the traditional New Year food and kids usually love them. This is the year of the dragon, so you can make a dragon craft. Elaine

Nukeswife, thanks so much! That is just what I needed to know. Elaine

I know the placement test for WWE is supposed to be on the Peace Hill Press website, but I can't find it. Can anyone give me some hints or a link? Thanks so much! Elaine

Statistics was my favorite math class next to Geometry. It is math I still use today in normal life. I did take it in college, though (as a requirement for my psychology minor). We love LOF here, so I would probably seriously consider that when the kids reach upper high school. Elaine

I would want to know if he acts this way at home in China. Think about the incredible amount of stress this small person must be under: mom is about to leave for a long time, leaving him to attend school in a foreign country in a language he doesn't really understand with other children whose culture he doesn't understand and who will probably think he is "goofy" even if he doesn't act that way. (Sometimes if people are going to focus on your differences, you feel like being a bit more different just to be "in control" of their response to you.) If he doesn't act like this in China, I would just try to support him the best I could during this challenging time. And even if he does act this way at home, it might be better to work on the issues once the acute stress was over. Elaine

Watership Down would be great for this! I just finished reading this with our Middle School book club, and we spent a lot of time talking about the leadership lessons learned. It is a great book that will grab the attention of boys and girls alike, I think. ElaineJ

Yay! :D I just joined. I signed up for an account on Goodreads yesterday for the first time, but was disappointed to find that I don't seem to have any friends with active accounts. I am looking forward to discussing books with you all. Elaine

If they are planning on breastfeeding, there is a LLL book I found extremely helpful as a new mom. I think it is titled The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (as cheesy as that title sounds :tongue_smilie:). I also really like Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas, but it is written specifically to Christians. Elaine