Okay, any other homeschool moms read this and have comments like: "Good use of adverbs," or "Nice variation in sentence strength," or "strong verb there." Great piece of writing and I hope they have a wonderful life together.

Once again, I'm guilty of reading just the first and last pages of replies. We've not had many family deaths since having children (I took my now-18 yo to my dad's funeral, but she was just 5 mos. old) but plenty of church friends, etc. Thursday, I'm going (alone...) to the service of a homeschool dad who died unexpectedly. The kids weren't that close and they don't want to go, and that's fine. My good friend is also going alone, leaving her kids at home, as she pointed out that the new widow is not really a very public person and probably will feel overwhelmed by the service as it is. I had not really thought about how overwhelming a crowd can be. It's a show of support but it can be "too much." There are so many other ways to care -- especially about a month after the death when the shock turns into the new normal... The out of town company goes home and the grieving family must continue to do what they do. That's a good time for "thinking about you" flowers, a meal, a hand with housework... One thing my dh did that was helpful was to take dc to a funeral of someone that they didn't really know themselves. Dh kept his composure and I stayed home with the then-baby. The dc that went were able to see what a funeral was like without being emotionally attached. Not that anyone wants such a situation, but it turned out to be good. Now when someone from church dies, we ask if they want to attend. If someone we're really close to (family...) dies, we'll ask that they go, but otherwise, we don't want to force the issue.

If you decide on a garage sale, you must follow the rule that says: It's not coming back into the house (or backyard...) ever again. What doesn't sell must immediately leave your property as soon as the sale is over! Why it's good to get rid of seldom-used things: 1) House looks better. 2) Someone else gets a chance at a new-to-them toy or whatever 3) You will have more room in storage cabinets and closets, meaning that the remaining things won't be crowded any more. 4) You teach your children that items come into your lives to bless you and when they are done blessing you, they then enter someone else's life to bless him. 5) It burdens kids with a lot less stuff once they move away. 6) It gives you less to dust, insure, fix, store, etc. Getting rid of stuff makes not only room in your house, but time in your life! 7) Paring down means that the remaining items are more important. If your ds has four pairs of baseball pants, he's likely to get lazy about caring for them because he knows where to find at least one pair. If he has just one pair, he'll hopefully take better care of them, making sure they get washed and put up...

Well, the reason manufacturers shy away from this is that it's not usually a good idea to leave food at room temp for four hours before cooking. Even frozen food. You really need to spend no less than two hours traversing the "danger zone" of 40 F to 140 F. Not to be a spoilsport or anything. Would you be okay with something programmable that would start cooking within two hours of taking the food out of the frig, cooking it, and then holding it on a warm setting until it's time to eat?

According to google translate: discentes non est poena Reminds me of a funny. My youngest dd was getting to be quite the drama queen, complaining of everything in the grand tradition of the princess in Princess and the Pea. Finally her cousin said to her "suck it up" when she had worn him out with her meaningless complaints. That phrase stuck and we stuck "suck it up" into google translate and got: nutrientibus eam sursum I sent it to my friend (who is learning Latin with her kiddos) and she tried to guess what it meant and said, "Huh, 'breastfeed on high'?" so I told her what it really meant...

I don't know if they still sell it but Hamilton Beach has a 3-in-1 crock pot that we have and use a lot. It has the typical base and glass lid and it comes with three different crocks: 2 quart, 4 qt, and 6 qt. You use the one that fits the recipe best. The crocks stack in each other for storage. The one I have is boring looking, a white base with three white crocks. I've seen more current ones. One had all black crocks in a silver base (I think...). Another had three different colored crocks (blue, green, salmon or something like that).

chili spaghetti pie kabobs many soups

If you are not a mani/pedi sort, ask the lady who cuts your hair (if you have one!!) who she recommends, unless she does it herself. Most know reputable nail places and can recommend one that is clean and not the least bit sleazy. My dd wanted to get a pedicure for her birthday, with one other little girl. I had no idea where to take them. The two spas near the house were too expensive but the lady who cuts my hair said to go to a certain beauty college that has a good reputation. We made appointments and while the place was far from fancy, they had nice chairs and everything was clean and good. The two young ladies that did the pedi's were bubbly, kind, and very happy to have two pairs of pretty little feet to work on. They played it up and it was a good experience. And it was affordable. Maybe check that out, but make sure you avoid any nasty beauty schools that are sort of rough. Ask around.

I am in a co-op and we're starting our sixth year, with me leading the co-op five of those years (stepping back now). When we discuss classes, the main concern we get when we discuss elementary/middle sch history is "we're doing history at home." Moms are not wanting to mess up their four-year plan (or whatever...) by adding a different history at co-op. So, I recommend not trying to cover a chunk of history "home style" at the co-op. Moms simply don't want to be covering medieval history at home and modern USA at co-op. What has worked for us is for us to take a snapshot of a piece of history and dive in deep and have fun. This year (as I did in 2008) I'm teaching an elections class. I guess this is more civics than history. In the past, we've had successful classes on Lewis and Clark and Egyptian culture. Neither of these classes covered a lot of time but instead took an interesting look at a slice of history. In Egyptian culture, the kids made pyramids, mummified a mouse caught in the teacher's garage (squeamish kids mummified apples), etc. In the Lewis and Clark class, the kids learned about the historical characters, medicines, diets, politics, and nature encountered on this trip. They wrapped up the class with a play and a poem performed before parents. Oh, another study we did was a study on Presidents. Each kid did a presentation during class and the students learned a lot of interesting facts about the presidents. So, I would suggest that you find an aspect of history that you can dive in deeper with. Just brainstorming here... How about: Philadelphia Life on the Mayflower Life of a 10 year old child at different times in USA history (what would a 10 year old Pilgrim do, a 10 year old slave, a 10 year old sweat shop child, a 10 year old in 1920) Landmarks Explorers Founding Fathers USA Symbols (Uncle Sam, etc.) USA Documents Jamestown California Missions National Parks Farming in America Transportation in America Dust Bowl Inventions in America Pioneers Biomes in America Cowboys (I want to do this one some day!) So, I recommend, instead of doing a chunk of history just like it would probably be done at home, pick something interesting and jump in.

If I heard from DH that I need to work on modesty, I would. Sometimes styles that were modest and flattering become just the opposite when a few pounds hit the butt over the years. If it were one busy-body telling me that I need to work on modesty, I'd let it go. If it were in a professional situation, where a supervisor told you to dress differently, I would definitely get on it right away. If it were a coworker, I'd ignore it. If you are hearing it from several folks, it's worth considering. If in doubt, ask a good friend with your values if you need to improve cleavage coverage, butt tightness, etc. If it is simply someone with different religious values, let it go. Though you don't give many details in OP, I'm guessing you're just fine unless you've recently decided to do everything in a string bikini or less. My guess is that it's someone related to you or someone at church -- someone with a long-term relationship with you. If so, practice saying, "I'm happy with my clothing choices, thank you." Repeat it over and over. If it's in a religious situation where it would help, say, "Dh and I are happy..."

This -- it can be sign of aneurysm too (did I spell that right?). Yes, you always go to ER if you have "the worst headache of your life." Sounds a lot like a migraine though. But, if something burst in there, you do want to know about it.

I came a little too close. When I was about 3, I was riding on big brother's handlebars (kids these days never know that pleasure) barefoot and let my feet relax too much, bloodying both of them up horribly. One of my earliest memories in life is going to the ER to get cleaned up.

I think it's mainly so that folks don't feel too comfortable with the refreezing thing and thaw-refreeze the same old piece of meat a dozen times. While cooking kills bacteria, freezing simply suspends it -- sort of puts it in a coma. When we thaw meat, the bacteria (and nearly every chunk of meat has some...) starts multiplying. It will multiply slowly in the refrigerator (that's why we don't keep a drumstick for 3 or 4 months and then eat it) and very quickly at room temp (that's why after two hours at room temp, we should trash meat). Our bodies can handle a little bacteria but not a lot. So, if we thaw a piece of meat with a little bacteria then the bacteria reproduces some. If we refreeze it, it has more bacteria than when it was frozen the first time. I guess that's about the amount we can handle (assuming it didn't sit in the frig for a long time). If we thaw it again, once again, the bacteria multiply. If we refreeze it (third time in freezer) it's probably pretty full of bacteria. Etc., etc. etc. So, perhaps either on refreeze or no refreezes are the safe way to go. Remember too that bacteria produces toxins, and that's what makes us sick. Cooking food will kill bacteria but the toxins remain behind. A half year ago or so on here, I said that having germs in meat is sort of like having a pack of wild dogs in the backyard. You can shoo them out with your shotgun and get rid of the dogs (that's like cooking meat) but you are stuck with the toxins (that would be all the poop they leave behind). So, when you cook meat, you kill the bacteria but the toxins remain. Also, do consider that freezing meat does diminish the quality just a bit. A colder freezer forms smaller ice crystals than a not-so-cold one and therefore causes less damage. However, after a couple freeze-thaw cycles, I would think the meat would be weird texture and taste due to the degradation of freezing. If you thaw meat and then quickly cook it, you can safely refreeze it because you've got the bacteria count down low again.

Okay, so I made two of my Facebook "friends" into "close friends" this summer. One had just gone through a divorce and one is just a nice gal. I really love them both. Well, both are downright chatty and it's filling up my inbox and taking a lot of my time. You know, "clipped my toenails today" complete with photo. Ugh. It takes time to plow through all their important events and forwarded messages of cutesy sayings and such. So, I am guessing I can somehow move them from "close friend" to simply "friend" where I check in now and then and avoid having ten or more messages daily from them. Will they KNOW that I un-close-friended them? I want to do this stealthily and not hurt feelings. I don't reply to their messages very often, so it really won't change how I interact with them -- it'll just save my delete key some wear and tear. So, can you un-close someone without them knowing?

You know, they are both really excellent and I've owned both at one time. You know, you get interested and for $7 pick up a used old one at the used book sale... I got good ideas from both. Both are full of terrific ideas and would be fun for the ages of your little ones. I actually think a lot of it depends on YOUR style. For example, reading through Konos excited me more. However, I liked the format of Weaver more. If I had to choose one or the other, it would be Weaver because I actually think our family would be more successful using Weaver than Konos. I just liked the organization of it. Have you considered My Father's World? I like its organization even better than Weaver and Konos. And, I also like Christian Cottage unit studies. If at all possible, look at online samples (or even better, borrow them for side-by-side comparison). Whatever you pick needs to click with you. And we're all wired differently. Have fun!!!!

Okay, joining in late here. The stars are out and the moon is full and Bassooonaroo will have sweet dreams in this menopause-friendly ensemble in pure cotton. Her pyjama shorts are a wonderful distressed amphibian print over a sunny background. Forgiving elastic waist keeps Bassoonaroo from regretting the apple pie a la mode that she enjoyed with guests as they celebrated the end of summer. Her stunning snow white pyjama top is truly a one of a kind vintage artwork created by a talented prodigy artisan. Created in vibrant primary colors, each print on the top is a unique print of a genuine tilapia obtained by our trained shoppers who spotted them at Albert Son's, in the south. The top is a generously oversized non-pima spun cotton knit hand crafted by the world famous Haynes (like Cher or Madonna, he is known by a mono-moniker!) and sublimely procured at W. Al Green's local market as our buyers spotted it near such items as pot scrubbers and laundry detergent. (Okay, just what was a I wearing. Pajama bottoms that are faded yellow with frogs jumping all over them -- huge elastic waist. The top is a remnant from MFW/ECC -- instead of doing fish prints on paper, we all made tee shirts using fabric paint and cheap tee shirts using the cheapest whole fish at the grocery store. Mine is a terrific night shirt. Night sweats call for all cotton and loose. And I remember reading "pyjama" with the Y in a VS catalog half a life ago and thought, "If they use a Y, then they can charge double?")

To the doctor... A viral sore throat can feel pretty rotten, but there is something horrible about how a bacterial throat feels. Also, a doctor once told me (but I was too brick-headed to experience it when I had a chance) that a well-developed strep throat creates a certain brand of horribly bad breath. You were exposed to it. And, even if the folks you were around were not still contagious, just knowing they had it means that strep is currently "out there" in the community. You can wait out an ear infection to a certain extent but you don't wait out strep. There is a chance it is "only viral" but since there's a good chance it's strep, get it checked out...

As we played with our rats this AM (they all get out of the cage for at least 20 mins. every morning, plus individual time as the day allows), I thought about this thread. Yes, some rats use wheels. Of the nine we've owned, three have enthusiastically used the wheel. Of the others, some sniffed it or got on and immediately off ("Oh no, it moves!") and the others surely thought, "Get this thing out of here -- it takes up too much space." Right now I can hear Boo running on our wheel. She's our only current user. A two-story (or taller) cage is a good thing if you can afford it. This cage http://www.petco.com/product/113054/WARE-Chew-Proof-Small-Animal-Critter-Cage.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Rat_2-_-WARE%20Chew%20Proof%20Small%20Animal%20Critter%20Cage-113054 encourages obesity. It's boring. This cage (if equipped with lots of goodies that are moved around or changed out weekly) http://www.petco.com/product/106171/Petco-Rat-Manor-Habitat.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Rat_1-_-Petco%20Rat%20Manor%20Habitat-106171 encourages exploration and exercise (though the wire floors should be covered with plastic to prevent bumblefoot infections). Also, some other things I forgot to mention that rats might like: Give them empty (or better yet, almost empty with about 4 squares left) toilet paper tubes. Give empty boxes (cereal, cracker, Kleenex with the plastic window removed). Also, drape some sort of cloth over their cage such as an old sheet or square of fleece or flannel. Some rats (not all) love to reach through the bars and try to pull the fabric into the cage. They usually fail because they start pulling from several different locations, which just jams up the whole effort. But it's fun to watcfh. And I'm sure you've cut out all the junk food now... ETA: And why would someone like rats? Okay, yes, they have a bad reputation as being subway terrorists and plague spreaders, but just ignore that for a bit (because the pet rats you would get don't carry the plague and are not going to jump someone on the subway...). Pet rats are cute, funny, smart, and clean. They come when you call, can be taught tricks, give kisses, and are otherwise quite dog-like in their behavior, especially if they are handled a lot (otherwise they can act sort of wild). They are funny like kittens when young and snuggly like an old cat when older. The main drawbacks are that they tend to have health problems. For a year or two, they simply sail along happy and active and then they get respiratory infections, heart disease, cancer and/or tumors (okay, other things can get them too). Tumors can be removed and respiratory infections treated (to an extent... after a while the antibiotics quit working) and the heart disease simply gets worse over time. They only live 2 or 3 years. You hear of the rare rat making it to 4 or 5 years, but I've not met that rat myself.

Rat owner here. We have owned 9 rats, saying goodbye over the years to 6 of them. The last one that died was obese. Even as a 7 week old baby she preferred to not move much. And eat a lot. If we got her out, she sat there. If we rearranged the cage, she sat there. Etc... We started her on thyroid medicine and for her, it really improved her energy but she died a few weeks after that -- not due to the thyroid, but when we evacuated due to the fire the smoke seemed to really effect her (and other pets -- sadly lots of pets died during the evacuation or soon afterwards due to respiratory issues). This rat was obese not due to junk food as her cagemates were not fat. One was a tad pudgy but not fat at all. The others were lean. So, rats CAN have thyroid issues. Discuss it with a vet. A trial of thyroid meds (we took soloxine if I remember the name right) might make sense. Other ideas: Every time you clean the cage, rearrange it. Use ferret tubes, hammocks, "space pods" http://pet-beds.info/pet-beds/lixit-critter-space-pod-2-large/ etc. Don't put the bedding or fleece in boxes or igloos but outside of the sleeping boxes so she has to move them in. Give her lots of packing paper or safe newsprint (soy ink), toilet paper tubes, scrap paper, etc. Let her rip and rearrange them. Get her out of the cage a lot. Let her explore "safe" rooms (where she won't knock things over or chew on cords or find poison). Our rats love their daily tromps outside the cage. Let her run up and down stairs. If your grass doesn't have pestisides, see if she enjoys being outside under your supervision. Give her a bath. No rat sits dully through a bath - they all fight or at least get nervous. Plus she'll be all fuzzy when done! If Calliope answers to her name, have a few people (at least two) sit around a relatively empty room and have one person call her. She will run to the caller and the caller will pick her up and pet her and make her happy. Then someone else will call her. (For a skinnier rat, the caller can give the rat a Cheerio, but we're trying to lose weight, not gain it). Yes, some rats use wheels. Many that won't use a typical pet store wire wheel will use the Wodent Wheel because (I guess...) it feels safer because it has a solid floor and is more enclosed: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=wodent+wheel+12 (wow, high prices, I paid about $15 for a 12" wheel). I've never met a rat that likes the large hamster balls, so don't bother with those. Lots of ideas here for fun: http://www.dapper.com.au/toys.htm Fishing for peas is one of my rats favorite activities (frozen peas in a dish of ice water). Keep an eye on diet. It should be low fat and no more than about 15% protein. Rat blocks are good but, like us, rats need a smidge of variety. Some healthy people-food includes veggies, fruit, grains, pasta, nuts (go easy on them), and seeds (again, go easy). No junk food though! Today, for example, my rats had a smidge of watermelon, a few pieces of broccoli slaw and some grilled chicken breast. A quick google should give you a list of forbidden rat foods. Oh, and you probably don't want to hear this, but the absolute best thing for getting a lone rat moving is (drumroll please....) another rat. So, find a girl rat that needs a home (check local rescues) and THAT will get Calliope moving. Rats actually get depressed when they are alone and won't move more than necessary. When we had just two rats, one died rather suddenly leaving the other alone. Since we were heading out of town a week after the one died, we didn't get a buddy at that point (we didn't want our rat sitter having to do an introduction) but got one as soon as we got back in town. So, our rat was alone in her cage for about 4 weeks and she did NOTHING during that time. As soon as the new rat was introduced, she was active again. So, if at all possible, get her a buddy!

Check for bedbugs and sniff it for weird odors. Casually ask why they are selling it. Then buy.

If you find these things interesting "How Many Licks" is a good read as is "Guesstimation" or for younger kids "Every Day in the World" or "Every Year in the World" (not sure of those titles...). But with How Many Licks, be sure to edit it a bit because there are two quick chapters on how many folks are having tea and how many people are really really enjoying that tea right this moment. Of course, I am neither having nor enjoying tea at this moment because I am typing...

Another Ticket To Ride nut here. We have Europe, Germany, Switzerland, Nordic, Asia, and UK (printed from an online source), and after a few days of fire evacuation, ventured to the Hobby Town store to (finally) buy USA. Great game. I don't really care for the card game (ie. the one without the game board) but it's okay. The board games rock and the kids all know their geography very well. They could sit down and draw a Switzerland map quite well. Other games we like are Euchre (played with a normal card deck), Carcassonne (don't think I spelled that right), Apples to Apples (I like the Junior version better than the adult versions), Catch Phrase, and ... well, my mind is blank now.

Interesting thread. DH and I are ... well, simply white. As far back as we can go (and it's not really that far, but several generations), all we see is European white. Sort of boring. DD is looking for scholarships and is a bit dismayed at all the scholarships she's seen for whatever nationality/race/ethnicity. Duh... She told me that she read on facebook that her cousin (my niece) got a sizeable scholarship for simply being Hispanic. Oh, yea, I forgot, DBro married a Hispanic gal. I guess I knew that but over the years, you sort of forget because she's just one of us but with dark hair and nice olive skin. And this cousin/niece is the cutest blue-eyed blonde. Go figure. Oh well.

Yup, last year when "Rocky Ford" melons were implicated, I just went off cantaloupe altogether, although they are one of my favorite tastes of summer. Yummmm. The name Rocky Ford wasn't trademarked (is it now?) and Jensen Farms was using the name although they weren't right there in the Rocky Ford area. Gave all the Rocky Ford melons a bad name. This year, we're eating a Rocky Ford melon or two a week. I always scrub the outside with a mix of grapefruit seed extract and water so that I am not pushing germs in when I cut. I figure also that they are being extra careful to have clean as possible melons from Rocky Ford since they are rebuilding their reputation that Jensen Farms tarnished last year. Now, we're on a road trip to the midwest. We're going to hold off on cantaloupe while we're out here. Yes, contaminated soil or water can grow the germs right into the melon. I guess you could grow your own -- keep the neighbor's cat out of the garden though since it's not a litter box! Oh, and while I love sprouts, we don't eat them. It's the same problem of how to kill germs that are inherently IN the plants, sometimes coming from the seed the sprout came from! Even homegrown sprouts are at risk from the conditions (wet and warm) that they grow in. So, no sprouts.

Oh, today was the last day of the summer season at Rock Ledge Ranch (at the edge of Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs). However, they are open for Labor Day, Powwow (but that's a totally different feel -- not a good history day), and some other days (hog butchering, harvest, etc.). Google them. If you can scrape together 20 people, you could go as a school group during the fall, but you have to make reservations in advance: http://www.rockledgeranch.com/