If you order a new one, the old one is sure to turn up! LOL

I am seconding this post heartily! The only curriculum in my doorframe-high stack of writing materials that clearly explains the construction of a thesis statement for a persuasive essay is The Lost Tools of Writing. In order to successfully use the program which is laid out in a slightly confusing manner, the teacher must invest a good bit of time beforehand listening to all the CDs and DVDs and going over each lesson prior to it being taught. Despite this small flaw, the focus of the Invention stage of this program is worth the cost of the entire thing. It is one of the few programs that clearly explains the creation of a thesis statement that can be defended and that deftly guides the kids to really think deeply about the topics they write about. http://www.circeinstitute.org/lost-tools-writing eta: There is considerable Christian content in the CDs especially the first one.

Congratulations, Bill. That show was part of my childhood. Thanks for bringing it back. Glad you dropped in at The Hive. We've missed you.

I hate to say this, but when I bruised or broke my tailbone horseback riding, it didn't really get better for over a year. Long drives were the worst. I went to a medical supply store and bought a special square seat cushion with a cutout for the car and a doughnut pillow for my chair at home that relieved the pressure from the tailbone area while sitting. I spent this money gladly after a 5 hour drive left me screaming in pain. I had never before screamed in pain and decided it was not an experience I would chose to repeat. I advise sending someone else to pick up the pillows.

Portland also has its own minor league baseball team, the Sea Dogs.

Oh, one more thing, Mainers love their dogs! Well, two more things. There are plenty of trails for biking/running/hiking in Portland. http://trails.org/ http://trails.org/our-trails/back-cove-trail/

I was raised in Maine and live an hour and a quarter north of Portland. Portland is a perfect "mini" city. There are incredible restaurants, trendy shops, regular big box shops, a farm market, cultural events, arts community, access to boat and ferry rides, a childrens' museum and art museums, a university, a beach, a mall, an airport, and a train to Boston. It is the creative hub of the state in terms of entrepreneurs and artists. There are lots of outdoor recreational opportunities within a short drive. Mainers tend to be very outdoorsy. The winters are long and rough, less so in coastal locations like Portland due to the mitigating effect of the sea. There can be snow pretty much late November/December through late March. And Portland is infamous for having very poorly cleared sidewalks! But their road crews do a very good job. Portland is a very expensive place to live compared to the rest of the state. Many people live outside the city and commute. I would rent first and then decide. There are some run down areas that you most definitely would not like to live in (though those are fewer and far between now) and others that are spectacular historic districts. If you are considering brick and mortar high school, Thornton Academy has sending towns (not sure which ones) that pay the cost of tuition for residents. https://www.thorntonacademy.org/ If you want a good taste of the "flavor" of Maine look at this magazine. http://www.downeast.com/ It often features Portland. This is the local paper: http://www.pressherald.com/ Also you will find that the majority of Mainers don't have a snooty bone in their body. Wealth is often downplayed here as it would be putting on airs to do otherwise. In Portland proper, women may be dressed up more than you'd see anywhere else in the state, but life here is not a beauty contest. Also Mainers are generally very neighborly without being intrusive. When we lived in NY for 7 years, ONE neighbor was friendly. We lived here one week and had seven neighbors come by offering whatever we needed to help us get settled in.

Borrow Amy Decyzyn's Complete Tightwad Gazette from the library or buy it used. The numbers in her book are dated as the newsletter this is compiled from was published in the 90s, but the advice is timeless. I have not found another resource as complete or as funny. I reread this book often when I need a booster shot in the frugality department. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Tightwad-Gazette-Amy-Dacyczyn/dp/0375752250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407504386&sr=1-1&keywords=complete+tightwad+gazette

I am thinking of going back to film for photography for important family memories because the digital images lifespan is constantly endangered by technology change and the lifespan of the preservation media (CDs, USBs don't last forever--remember floppy disks????). Properly printed and stored photos can last a hundred years. Floppy disks lasted maybe 10? CDs get scratched. I can use digital for my less important pictures and request a CD when I print my film (best of both worlds).

Smoke Signals

My healthy and as protein-packed-as-I-can-make-them pancake/waffle recipe for my picky eater: 1.5 cups King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat Flour (this is the only whole wheat flour I've found that is ground finely enough to sub for white flour) 2 tablespoons King Arthur Organic White Flour (gives them a little "lift") 2 teaspoons baking powder (I use Rumford aluminum-free) 1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt 3 pastured organic eggs 1 tablespoon organic olive oil or melted pasture butter 1 cup organic pastured milk (you could substitute almond milk if there is a lactose issue) Real maple syrup as a topping Do not stir this recipe until the griddle is ready. This recipe is pretty forgiving so you can increase the amounts of dry ingredients a bit without throwing it off. Note: the first pancake off the griddle never tastes as good as subsequent pancakes. I have no idea why. We compost that one.

I would definitely get The Elements by Theodore Gray. This is the link to the hardcover which is nice to have because the book is so large. http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Visual-Exploration-Every-Universe/dp/1579128149/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404601095&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=the+elements+theodorre+gray Also this one: The Illustrated Guide to Rocks and Minerals http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Rocks-Minerals-fascinating/dp/1780190859/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404600955&sr=1-6&keywords=rocks+and+minerals http://www.amazon.com/The-Elements-Visual-Exploration-Universe/dp/1579128149/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1404600660&sr=8-1 The Practical Geologist http://www.amazon.com/The-Practical-Geologist-Introductory-Identifying/dp/0671746979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404600739&sr=8-1&keywords=the+practical+geologist Geology "living book" The Annals of the Former World by John McPhee (narrative science) http://www.amazon.com/Annals-Former-World-John-McPhee/dp/0374518734/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404600768&sr=8-2&keywords=the+practical+geologist Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals, Petersons http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Minerals-Peterson-Guides/dp/039591096X/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1404600842&sr=8-12&keywords=mineralogy

When I was growing up in the 70s, there was a homeschooling family on a farm we passed daily on the school bus. The kids would whisper about those "weird homeschoolers" (whom they had never met) as they were driven to the most mediocre middle school on the planet. But unfortunately, my first introduction to homeschooling was vaguely negative. When my son was three, a coworker of mine was homeschooling her preschoolers and we joined in rather than start preschool so (in my opinion) young. We had a great time and it inspired me to look on the bookshelves of the local Barnes & Noble for books on homeschooling. They were few and far between! But The Well Trained Mind was among them (right next to the unschooling book that my friend gravitated to). So when my son went to school and never seemed to fit in academically or socially (public K, and two different private schools for 1st and 2nd), we got tired of paying for nothing and brought him home. Soon he will be going to private high school, but those homeschooling years pretty much saved his love of learning. So I am equally grateful to my unschooling friend and Susan Wise Bauer's classical education--vastly different but both providing alternatives for kids who don't fit the factory-model of learning.

You can grow your own saffron! http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/2405/how-to-grow-saffron/page/all

Do you have a comb hairdryer like this one? I used them when I was young and had long hair. They seem to prevent some of the tangling right after the wash. http://www.amazon.com/Infiniti-Pro-Conair-Hair-Styler/dp/B001330XFA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404060025&sr=8-2&keywords=comb+hair+dryer

Popham Beach in Phippsburg is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the East coast, has an interesting fort, and trails and nearby Reid State Park has tide pools and an interesting rocky area as well as a nice beach. These two are my favorites other than Acadia National Park and Schoodic Point. The Hermit Island campground everyone is talking about is on the same peninsula as Popham Beach. It is also gorgeous, but the reservation system is complicated and must be done early in the year (though before opening day and after closing day Hermit Island is open to day hikers). p.s. Old Orchard Beach is very tacky.

I feel your pain. With moving to India, then back again, then to a new state, my to-do list is typically 150-200 items long! I often feel completely overwhelmed, especially when accomplishing one thing is dependent on getting two other things completed prior. It helps to list everything as steps instead of projects. Steps get crossed off the list quite frequently. Projects seem to languish and stick around forever. So instead of writing "Get new driver's license." I would write "1. Find state DMV online. 2. Print out directions to closest office. 3. Print out requirements for a state license. 4. Find passport. 5. Find social security card. 6. Find electric bill. 7. Find deed. 8. Put all documents in a folder. 9. Go to DMV and apply for new license. All these little steps are do-able and can be done in spare minutes. Of course, this did not stop me from accidentally bringing my son's passport instead of my own resulting in my having to return to the DMV another day (an additional 3 hours of driving and waiting in line). And yes, I did cry when I realized I wasted an entire afternoon and when I had so very many other things to do!

We are veteran long distance travelers-- 8, 10, 14 hour trips from birth. For you: Dramamine and chewing gum (gum really helps my dd's motion sickness) and snacks that come in teeny tiny bits (like popcorn or nuts or sunflower seeds or cereal), eat ONE piece at a time so that you are basically constantly eating--I, for one, have never ever fallen asleep while eating. For the little one (and maybe even the big one). Numerous rolls of Scotch tape (the good kind, Scotch "Magic" tape or something like that). Let them tape all their stuffed animals, tape papers together, make tape chains, tape themselves into their car seat. Hours of fun if you have enough rolls. You afterward should be able to just pull it all off and the backseat will be undamaged. Also good (for those who don't mind the need for a quick vacuum after the ride): a hole punch and construction paper. Basically anything that is "out of the ordinary" (make paperclip chains? rubber band balls? a box of Bandaids to doctor all their stuffed animals?) for when their eyes tire of looking at books and their fingers tire of coloring.

There is a book along the lines of trusting your gut. It is geared to personal safety. I believe it was written by a police officer or security professional. It may have been profiled on Oprah years back. It has been discussed on this board before, so I am hoping someone here will know the title. Anyway, it would probably be a good read for the OP since she wants to gain experience and strength in this area of her life. I found it: The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker http://www.amazon.com/Other-Survival-Signals-Protect-Violence/dp/0440508835/ref=sr_1_1_ha?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402501321&sr=1-1&keywords=the+gift+of+fear And remember, you don't know for sure what the woman will do with the kitten. There are certainly more regular kitten adopters than fighting dog owners out there. Let your heart take some ease in that.

I loved his gentle masculine perspective on things, his positive attitude, and his charts and graphs. I wondered why he hadn't posted lately. :sad: My condolences go out to his family. He will be missed here.

And if your child happens to be a middle or high schooler, this one looks like it has every detail anyone would ever want to know about nest construction. Avian Architecture by Peter Goodfellow http://www.amazon.com/dp/069114849X/ref=rdr_ext_sb_ti_sims_1

I have no idea how old your child is but will share this lovely picture book in hopes you or others could enjoy it. It is based on a folktale and has lovely illustrations of the different types of nests different species of birds make. (No specific detail on the weaving though). http://www.amazon.com/The-Magpies-Nest-Joanna-Foster/dp/0395621550/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401234880&sr=8-1&keywords=the+magpie%27s+nest

We found these Math without Borders video lectures to be extremely useful alongside Foerster's Algebra I as they are made specifically for that text. http://mathwithoutborders.com/ You will probably want the teacher's edition if you want answers to even numbered questions as well as odd.

I only used the conjugation section because I couldn't find anything modern that really covered it well. Though I think ALL would have covered verb conjugation. I think I remember her including some in the sample, but that was a while back. You could also make your own book of sentences to parse and diagram, but it is less work to buy MCT's already (mostly) done for you. He doesn't include diagramming but you can always turn to the Reed and Kellogg online diagrammer http://1aiway.com/nlp4net/services/enparser/ to help you if you get stuck. Be aware that many of the sentences in Practice Island are written to include the vocabulary words in Caesar's English--that's why some of them seem a bit highfalutin'.

Older grammar texts seem to spend more time on conjugation. Here is a vintage text, Higher Lessons in English by Reed & Kellogg, that I really like. (Note: preview example sentences in vintage texts before using to be sure to modify any stereotypical language that was common at the time but no longer acceptable). The section on verb modifications begins on page 199, lesson 129. Conjugation begins on page 203, Lesson 132. https://archive.org/details/higherlessonsin09kellgoog They also wrote Graded Lessons in English (a book for younger students). Verb conjugation begins on page 201 lesson 91 in this volume. https://archive.org/details/gradedlessonsin05kellgoog