We will be starting this Monday. Ps starts sometime in early August, but we are starting July 14th. My husband will be gone for a week and a half on business, and this is our first year back to hs, so what are we waiting for? I told the kids we can go ahead and get some under our belt and take a break when the other kids are in school. Sounds good to me. It's too hot outside to do anything anyway, so why not?!?

One's my parent's used to say (that I said I would never say to my children-but have at least one million times) are: "Now, stick that in your pipe and smoke it"...said when child's opinion really doesn't count "How 'bout them apples?" "You can get glad in the same pants you got mad in!" My cousin used to exclaim "Scat cat, get your tail out of the gravy!" for what purpose I'm not sure, but was still pretty cute. Personally, I say to my dh "It's a good thing I have you to tie my shoes". Taken from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" whenever he is trying to "fix" my problems I just want to vent about. He likes that one!

I just got a new kid craft book that had a really cute one for boys if they're interested. It showed a bird house (in the book they have you build one, but I think you could probably get a pretty inexpensive one from a hobby store). They use kind of a mosaic idea with just plain rocks and you mosaic them to the house. Paint the window frames. Then for the roof, you cut wood shims down to maybe 1" pieces and glue them to the roof to make it look like a wood shingle roof. Cute.

We have been around the world and over the hill with our cable company with the Internet service and cable. I told them to cancel it two years ago and handed in my digital box. They did not shut it off, so I guiltily enjoyed it for more than 6 months without paying for it. They called to offer a special deal for cable and internet for 12 months for a special price, otherwise my internet would go up even higher. To alleviate my guilt, I accepted. At no time did they even change it on my billing. It shows that I only have internet, but no cable. When I called in about the billing, the rep was trying to sell me on cable. It occurred to me that they didn't even have it down that I had cable. So now, the internet will go up in Oct., and I'm waiting to see what will happen. I could really live without it right now. I have become very aware of the marketing that is geared to my children...making my 7 yo dd want to be an adult woman. At any rate, I decided if they cut it-fine. I wanted to go back to basic tv so they wouldn't have as much to watch anyway. But as many times as I have talked to them and subscribed to cable, they are messed up internally, and I'm fine with that. I have my children watching videos now instead of cable, and I only am keeping my computer hooked up for the Closer to start in another week. I used to be addicted to HGtv, but now it's gotta be TNT. I'm so weak!

I have a Sansa MP3 player and I love it. They aren't really expensive, but it has held up pretty well. I actually got mine used b/c I had never had one before and wanted to try them out before I spent a lot of $$$. At any rate, you can get a pretty good one for about $40, and they also make a docking station for it so you can listen to it at your house. Check Amazon.com

When I was pregnant with my youngest, my oldest ds was 5 turning 6, and dd was 3 turning 4. We watched "While You Were Sleeping" with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. Well, the one line both children could remember from the movie was "Nice Panties", and much to my embarrassment would repeat it several times. Well, during bedtime prayers that night, my ds asked God to help Mommy quit drinking so the baby would be ok. I just about busted a gut ('cuz I don't drink....alcohol). So I got to explain what kind of drink they were talking about in the movie....It was pretty funny. (And I'm greatful I don't drink!) :D:D:D

I am on a new kick of trying to cut out so much eating out (although you have to admit....it does keep the kitchen cooler, hey! and cleaner!), and too much junk. I have been reading a good book by Jonni McCoy called "Miserly Moms", and her "Miserly Meals" cookbook. This cookbook is pretty good reading so far, and the per serving cost on the recipes is suppossed to be .75 or less. She recommends instituting a soup/salad night, or baked potato night (you could microwave). I'm trying the soup/bread night, and perhaps a baked potato night. Here's a pasta salad recipe to try. I haven't tried it yet, so let me know how it is: Pasta Salad 12 oz. pasta spirals 3 T. oil 1/4 c. red wine vinegar 2 cloves garlic, pressed 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. pepper 1/2 t. Italian seasoning 1 c. chopped broccoli 1 c. diced carrots 1/2 c. diced celery 1/2 c. diced red onion 1 red bell pepper, diced Cook pasta according to directions. Run under cold water until pasta is cool. In a large salad bowl mix the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add the pasta and veges, and toss until dressing is evenly distributed. the flavor improves the second day if covered and stored in the frig. Option: Add 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese to the veges while tossing.

Some of the movies will record and some will not. I did convert as many of our VHS to DVD and am glad I did. I put them all into a video storage notebook I got from Amazon, and the few videos that didn't switch to DVD, are still out on the shelf. I cut down from over 120 videos, to maybe 25 on the shelf, so it helps. I figure I'll live with this for a while. If the movie is one I love enough, then I will spring for it on DVD. But I have to love it!!!! Hope this helps. It is kind of time consuming, but I maybe did mine in about 4 days b/c I was motivated to get it done.

My dh used to say I kept the road hot all the time. I went somewhere everyday whether I needed to or not. But after several years have gone by, and I have collected some really cute little kiddos (well, their not so little, just kind of little-ds 9, dd 7, ds 3), I have decided that unless I really need to go, I'm not budging out of my house. First of all, gas prices eat you up. Second, by the time my children have argued and fought the whole time we've been in the car, it hardly seems worth the trip. When we arrive to our destination, I feel like a screaming banshee. Who can enjoy that?!? All kidding aside, I don't enjoy going like I used to. I think as we get better with age, we enjoy being in our homes, with our families. There is a very big thing that cancels out everything I just said. DATE NIGHT!!!!! Then, I'm outta' here! My hub and I go out for dinner, go downtown and enjoy the atmosphere, then to the cheesecake place for coffee and dessert. It doesn't take much to please me anymore, and I am now proud to say I am a BIG homebody!

There is a series by author Joy Berry. She has some good books like, "Let's Talk about Feeling Angry", "Let's Talk about Disobeying", lying, "A Children's book about Interrupting, help me be good", and more. You can do a search on her to see complete list of titles. She has written a good many. My oldest ds enjoyed these. Hope this helps!

Thanks for that. And I agree, too, with the one who said we are stewards of our children. We will be held accountable for how we teach and train them. I've had multiple conversations with my ds, 9 1/2, about the movies that are coming out today with the inappropriate humor. I don't know what you think about Eph. 5:4 and what it says about "coarse jesting", but I think it definitely applies to some of todays kids' movies.

When I first replied, I hadn't read your last entry. I don't know about you, but I tend to try to find a way out of these situations. If there seems to be no good way to resolve the problem, then change the situation. I.e., the girls riding home. Either become unavailable to take the other girls home by changing your schedule, or something. I'm grasping at straws when not knowing your situation. Some things we can't change, but the things we can have an affect on, then do. I don't know if it helps...you may not be able to change your schedule due to work or other children at home. Maybe encouraging her friendship with the exchange students....her invite them both to do something. Now, I have reached the bottom of my barrel. I wish you luck!

I know this has been a problem with children today. I agree they are self-absorbed. Mine can be, too. I try to teach my children to think about treating people the way they want to be treated. I wonder what would happen if we encouraged our children to be the one to invite some of those children doing the unintentional leaving out to do something, if that would go anywhere towards demonstrating proper behavior, or would this then make them worse? What do you think?

And where is the age appropriate shopping store for the younger girls? I want to go!!!

I don't know if anyone out there has read Dave Kapelian's (?-I think that's the author's name-I don't have it here near me) book "The Marketing of Evil". It had a chapter that really opened my eyes concerning marketing that is specifically targeted toward American teenagers and the lengths that they go to in order to sell the next big thing. The book itself is very well written, but reminded me I need to be on my guard where my family is concerned. I can't afford to get comfortable and think everything is ok just bc our lives are centered around church and school. This is my first year back to homeschool since my son was in 1st. He has gone to a public school for the last 3 years. And I am so excited to bring them back home and get back to the business of raising our children. I feel like I've been in a bubble these last 3 years, barely getting them to school, home, fed, homework and to bed. With too much tv viewing to anesthetize them. Sorry for the rant. Too much pent up energy, I suppose.