I'm coming, too! I don't post much anymore but I just can't pass on this. My MIL has been a quadriplegic for nearly 30 years. My FIL gave up his medical practice to care for her full-time. This year marks their 50th anniversary. Has it been very difficult? Heck yeah. But it has also been a lesson in character and perseverance for their kids and now, their grandkids. It was one of the reasons I wanted to marry my dh...I knew this was the role-model he had and respected and that I could also trust that I was marrying a man with similar character.

I bought one about 7 years ago at a yard sale and the lady said it was 5 years old at the time. I LOVE IT! We have not had one issue with it; still has great suction, picks up everything. Plus, after using vacuums at friends' houses (when helping out for whatever reason), I realize how fabulous the 8 pounds really is...everyone comments on how easy it is to use. I just bought another one at a yard sale so I can have a replacement if our current one EVER BREAKS! Highly recommend.

Well, check me if I am wrong here but isn't unschooling about the "delight-driven" preferences of the child? Your dd was wanting to read this book, yes? You didn't make her stop playing and force her to read this book, no? Seems like a completely perfect unschooled moment to me... :) Did I miss something????

You didn't by chance live in Dundee, did you??? :001_smile:

Is that pic on the Terwilliger curves? Couldn't tell... I remember in the early '90s when it snowed so much around Newberg that we had to park our car at the bottom of our road because a) who has front wheel drive there, much less 4 wheel drive and b) who owns a shovel to actually shovel the drive?! That was a fun few weeks...seemed like it went on forever because no one could stop talking about it. Everything shut down..you'd have thought it was Armageddon :). I moved there from Colorado so I just sat back and enjoyed the show. Now we live in central Oregon and well, all we do is snow (since we are all skiers, it works for us).

That is simply amazing...angel lions!

I'm in, although I am a little freaked out about writing it all down...that could be painful...

I am one of those (probably unsafe) people who will stop traffic if there is an animal in the road. I routinely pull over and try to get loose dogs into my car if they are on the highway. I stop or slow for any animal that is trying to cross the road. If the animal seemed sick or in need of care, I would call the sheriff or animal control and would wait for someone to come. I realize this can be unsafe in itself but I would not be able to pass and do nothing. Just could not do it.

Would anyone be offended with alcohol? I was at a white elephant exchange once and someone had brought a 6-pack of very expensive micro-beer and I thought there was going to be a throw-down before it was all over (very good-natured, of course!). It was THE gift that everyone wanted, hands-down.

We have done (with modifications) the Principle Approach (some with the NOAH Plan) for a few years now. There is so much about it that I love but it is a lot of prep...until you get used to it. I nearly gave up when we first started but there was so much great about it that I was determined to stick with it. There is more of a flow now and we have kept what we love and eliminated what we don't. One of its best features is that it is more a method than a curriulum (well, NOAH Plan is curriculum) so you can implement the ideas with most curriculum. I will try and write more later...I have a co-op to get ready for now.

Bumping in case anyone else has thoughts about this :001_smile:

Ok, there's one I have not heard of...what's LDTPM???

Lost Tools of Writing. It's the writing curriculum the Andrew Kern wrote and is published through Circe Institute. You can look at it at losttoolsofwriting.com or circeinstitute.org. I keep waiting until my kids are old enough to start using it. I think next year is THE year!

Thanks, Dawn. So, when you say "good", would it be worth buying the set? How did it help your son with reading?

ETA: I thought I should clarify that these are a 3-dvd set entitled The Two Andrews: On Writing and Teaching Writing. They did a kind of workshop/symposium together and produced the video from it. I have this DVD set on my wishlist and am wondering if anyone has seen it and what you thought of it. I love, love, love the LTOW and we are working our way through some of the IEW material and had thought a couple of times that it would be great if they would do something together. Anyhow, if you have any thoughts on the dvds, I would love to hear what you think.

Excellent children's book (A Yiddish Folktale) that I bought and my kids and I have read and re-read... It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach

Subscription to a running magazine Have his winter running shoes "screwed" at a local running store for winter running (if you live in a snowy, icy place) If he's a distance runner, gift cards for "Goo" and accessories from running store (or stock a box full of his faves) Running shirt that has removable sleeves If he's a trail runner, lots of black running socks (took me a few years to figure this one out :001_huh:)

Yew Nork (New York) :001_huh:

It's a little drive but if they have time, they MUST drive up to Kittridge just outside of Denver and go to Dick's Hickory Dock (dickshickorydock.com). It is fabulous bbq plus you can sit creekside and watch the gorgeous scenery and eat baked potatoes the size of a shoebox. It was our FAVORITE place to eat in the summer because it's always 10-15 degrees cooler up there.

Oh my gosh...I knew I shouldn't read it but I did and now all I can think about is that poor little 2-year old boy. I don't even know what to say...it makes me so sick.

Thank you all for posting your thoughts on this. It has been very helpful as dh and I process this. It seems clear to me that I was over-reacting to this and am thankful for the balance your comments have brought. I see so much of value in what he has written and think I can approach it with more openness now, rather than with reservation. Thank you so much. :001_smile:

(I am a melancholy and therefore process internally so it normally takes me two or three times to get one complete thought out there.. :tongue_smilie:) So, what raised the panic in me what that it seems to me that even though we don't hs to shelter or cocoon (we are Christian but it had a lot to do with academics and schedule flexibility), and even though we are involved in our world and culture, etc...that it ISN'T ADEQUATE. My interpretation from reading the book is that our kids have to be on the front lines of the ps in order for their faith to be forged and real.

Yes, see...this is what is bugging me, I am realizing, after reading all the responses (like caffelatte's...I mean, you went to ps but that didn't prevent the rebellion...it had so much to do with the parents). There are so many variables that come into play and it seems (to me, at least) that he is making his conclusions in a very generalized, and pretty harsh, manner. That said, though, I still find so much of value in it. I just wish he had presented it less over-reaching. It makes it so much harder to wade through.

I have read it and actually, I think it was probably that book that prompted me to find Kimmel's book. It's probably going to drive you crazy (if you are not a literal 6-day Creationist) but there is still good stuff in there. :001_smile:

See, this is probably where we fall out on things: we do a ton of stuff in the community (sports, volunteering, etc.) and we have friends who are not Christian. But, from what I am reading in this book, that is just not adequate. Here is an excerpt: "Parents who raise their kids in controlled environments study the Bible, but they can afford to have comfortable Bible studies. These parents pray, but they can afford to pray comfortable prayers. They can spend their time thanking God for the protection and safety their children enjoy in their spiritual attics and biospheres. And I can see why this is attractive. The alternative is clearly nasty. If you choose to raise your children on the front lines, there is no such thing as a comfortable Bible study. You are forced into the Bible out of desperation, and there's no way you get to settle for superficial answers. When it comes to prayer, you seldom get to share any conversations with God that doesn't include a discussion about some imminent threat that is staring down at you or your children. Prayers don't get to be short and sweet, either.... In fact, I'd have to say that raising your kidsin the world guarantees that you'll never be comfortable with how much of the Bible you know, and you'll never be satisfied with how much time you've spent in prayer. You'll just become more comfortable with God. You'll be satisfied with Him, too. In the process, your kids will see something this is hard to detect inside the safe confines of a controlled Christian environment: Walking headlong with Jesus into the challenges of the harsh world is the safest place we can ever be.... It's much easier to choose a path that doesn't require us to pay close attention to what is happening in our kids' lives. It's also nice because it accommodates our lack of biblical knowledge and limited spiritual experience. It's a plan that actually works...as long as Satan doesn't challenge it. The problem is what to do when something goes haywire and our kids start seeing their spiritual lives for what they really are -- inadequate for the challenge. This, of course, catches parents off guard. A sudden change in kids' behavior this is contradictory to everything they have been taught sends Mom and Dad into a tailspin." There is much more like this but that's a general idea. He states in several different ways that we are choosing the easy path for our kids, because it costs us and them nothing, and leaving the battle for the rest of the Christian world. But like I said earlier, I think these things bug me because that is not what goes on in our home. It feels disingenuous to be making some very valid points but with this over-reaching blanket. He is making some big assumptions about families who choose to homeschool or Christian school. But then I think "Maybe we aren't a controlling home but we need to be out there in the public schools nonetheless. Maybe by it's very nature we are producing untried, weak, wishy-washy kids?"