Eeew. I can't imagine resembling a cadaver is a bandwagon I'll jump on either. Barb

Well, we can't agree on anything, or even vote on anything, unless we first define our terms. You wrote: No, this is incorrect. A theory is an explanation that used to be a hypothesis (an educated guess) and has long been properly supported by experimentation and can be used to predict new data. My point was, you wouldn't say that gravity, relativity, or the revolution of planets has not been proven, right? But we still refer to them as theories. A theory is not simply an imperfect or fuzzy fact. Theory = well-supported explanation that can predict future happenings. Fact = single data point. Apples to oranges. We refer to facts as proven and theories as supported, but the essence is the same. Someone who states evolution is a fact (or isn't a fact) is using incorrect terminology. There is no hierarchy that runs from wild guess to hypothesis to theory to fact. It is frustrating to have a conversation about evolution (or read an essay) that states "evolution is *just* a theory" like that explains it all. We need to at least get to the point where we're beginning at the same starting line. And hey, just to confuse the issue a little further...I'd like to reiterate that the 'fact' of Pluto's planethood has recently been refuted. So facts are not the infallible pieces of information we believe we rely upon. Evolution isn't a religion and it isn't something you believe in. Evolution is a scientific theory you either rationally accept, partially accept, or reject. People aren't 'evolutionists' they way they are fundamentalists or democrats and one doesn't have faith in Evolution the way one does in the bible or in a deity or even a political party. A person can define oneself by her faith, but I've never known someone to define oneself in the same way by a small branch of Science. Unless of course someone makes his life work studying Evolution. That is the only time it becomes accurate to use the term 'evolutionist'. Just as someone who studies plants is a botanist or Physics a physicist. Because evolution is controversial in some circles doesn't make it any less true in this circumstance. Barb

Agreed. Consolidation of threads is confusing and I never go hunting for the update once it's consolidated into an earlier thread. Barb

No, but I don't feel compelled to "teach" books either. I would much rather my kids read, read, read wonderful literature without waiting for me to catch up. In the meantime, we discuss literature, movies, and politics on the fly. We do poetry or short stories, but never novels. It seems to work for us, because my oldest got a 780 on her Literature SAT II, which I say to take the sting out of the embarrassment I feel for admitting this on TWTM board. I. don't. teach. literature. Whew! That actually feels pretty good! Barb

Well, be encouraged. Stage one costs considerably less than stage two and gives you some time to get used to (and save up for) the big hit that stage two will be. Don't feel compelled to begin treatment right away. Unless there is considerable wearing of the teeth, a palate expander can be done any time before full growth is reached, although ideally before or during the puberty growth spurt. My kids have never done expanders before age 10 or so and they've had terrific results. If you need some time to wait and save up...take it! Another piece of advice--look for a second or even third opinion. You may as well be marrying an orthodontist for all the time you will spend in the office. Be sure you feel respected, unrushed, and appreciated. It is important that you not only like the ortho, but the office staff as well. I learned my lesson with my oldest. I *hated* the office but didn't realize how much time we'd be spending together. What an 18 month nightmare. I had much happier experiences with my next two daughters' orthos (in different states). But if I'd gone with the first ortho I'd visited in either case, I would have had very different experiences. Good luck! Barb

I was going to say the same. Don't lend the money unless you are willing to consider it a gift. Barb

Your instincts are spot on (which I'm sure you knew, but it's nice to hear, right?). A child like this needs social teaching the way you'd teach Math or Science. Although it's more unusual in a girl, my oldest daughter was this way. Interestingly enough, girls seemed to have a little more patience with her than I'm sure boys would have, but they still liked to mess with her...tease her and tell her blatently false things to scare her and make her cry because she took everything at face value. Adults seemed to find her charming rather than pedantic because aspergerish tendencies look a little different on a girl than a boy, yet everything you've said is familiar. Being home allowed Meg to venture out into the world in small doses, then retreat when it became too much. I would help her come up with things to say to people to break the ice or have something to talk about. Like you with your son, I'd have to teach her social cues...but the good news is, over time she got it. She still has issues, but sees them for what they are. Rather than seeing herself as defective or the rest of the world as mean, at 17 she can understand irony, sarcasm, fantasy, and body language better than most people because she's had to work so hard at it. Now, since females are naturally more hard-wired for communication maybe it was easier for me to teach her than if she had been born male. So take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. But my advice is not to give up. He was born, not made the way he is. Practice every day. Encourage him. As my daughter says, homeschooling doesn't make people weird...weird people homeschool :p Barb

Why is it that I have straight teeth--no braces--and everyone in my family has straight teeth (brother, mom, dad, grandparents, etc), but my children's teeth all grew in like those hillbilly teeth you can by at the Shell station? Adding insult to injury, my mom's people are actual hillbillies! I blame my husband. Barb

Oh no, what a terrible, terrible thing. I'm so sorry for your family. You will be in my thoughts today. Barb

Yeah, you're absolutely right. "Descent of Man" is a better term for what we're talking about. Microevolution could be considered one of the facts on which macroevolution is based. Barb

Evolution really cannot be described as a fact because a fact refers to a a single event or observation. The theory of evolution takes multiple facts and works them into an overarching explanation of how we came to be. A theory is not a guess or the opposite of a fact. By definition a theory cannot be definitively proven...only more or less supported. For example, we do not say "gravitational fact" but "gravitational theory." Does that mean there are some people who don't believe in gravity? Of course not! It just means gravity is an abstract phenomenon that we must go around the block to describe. Gravity needs an explanation, just like the origins of life. Good theories are well supported. As we learn more and more about how physics works at the micro and macro levels we are better and better able to explain how we think gravity works. A good theory is able to absorb new information and survive in a slightly altered form without the need to throw the whole thing out and start over. An even better example is planetary theory. Planetary theory advanced from Ptolomy through Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton. Each of these men sharpened the theory by adding to the storehouse of facts and educated guesses, shifting and adjusting the theory where necessary, but never throwing the whole thing out and starting all over again. We still refer to our planetary system as planetary theory, because the term simply refers to an explanation for a complicated phenomenon. That the Earth revolves around the sun is a fact...how that affects our seasons, the phases of the moon, and what we see in the sky each night are all pieces of the theory. Think of it this way: it used to be a fact that Pluto was a planet. Recently that 'fact' was in fact disproven. We didn't throw out the entire theory of planetary movement simply because Pluto no longer fit into the definition of a planet. We dumped poor Pluto and moved on :) So I suppose what I am trying to say is, the first choice in the poll is a false choice since we can never go back and directly observe the origins of the humanity. There will never be the "fact" of Evolution because the terminology is incorrect. Barb

I was going to suggest something similar. We used Thinkwell along with Thomas/Finney which is what a few guys on College Confidential recommended. Some really ambitious people on that site attempt to teach themselves upper level material outside of class when their highschools don't offer it. Thomas Finney was said to be great for self teaching and my daughter found it was so. It's easy to find it for a great price on the used market. Then, if your student doesn't feel he really got Calc, he can always take it again for credit at the community college or during his Freshman year. Barb

Stacy, I know I keep coming back to ALEKS, but I think he's a perfect candidate. It isn't cheap, but it's self paced and he only works on what he needs. Anything he knows, he tests out of. I was a little confused in your original post. I wasn't sure whether you were asking for curriculum advice or whether you should start Algebra I right away, or a little of both. I would caution against Saxon if you didn't use it with success for the lower levels. If he's good at Math it could prove to be too incremental. Let him take off. Barb

Hey that's a good start! Try going from there to change recipes you already love before trying to branch out and start all new things. Here goes: meatloaf: try buy the 93% lean ground meat, and depending on your recipe, substituting egg whites or egg beaters for whole eggs, toasted crumbled whole wheat bread for bread crumbs, and yogurt for sour cream. fried chicken: Oh, that's a tough one to give up. Save the real thing for the occasional birthday dinner. I haven't tried this, but it looks like it might be worth a shot: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Oven-Fried-Chicken-IV/Detail.aspx Although I would try skinning the chicken pieces and using lowfat yogurt in the place of sour cream. country fried steak and gravy: Um, yeah...no way to fix this one. That's got to go. white rice and gravy: Okay, how about brown rice and defatted gravy? Use the drippings and lose the fat. Do you have a separator? These are great: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-2-Cup-Separator/dp/B000BGTZSG/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1203573932&sr=8-2 mashed potatoes and gravy: Best saved and eaten sparingly, but red potatoes have a lower glycemic index and if you can get used to sweet potatoes, they are a wonderful alternative either baked or mashed. biscuits and country gravy: Nope, I can't think of a substitute. butter-laden corn bread: I'd still indulge in the cornbread at first, but leave off the butter laden part. Try switching to the healthiest oils possible. Hopefully you don't put sugar in your corn bread...ick :)) White bread: To wean yourself, look for whitewheat. It has the fiber of whole wheat with the texture and sweeter taste of white. Nature's Own has a brand called Whitewheat made with unbleached white flour and has 5g of fiber per 2 slices. Sara Lee also has a brand. Here's an article on it: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-03-16-white-wheat_x.htm sugar in coffee: Have you tried Stevia? I hate sugar in my coffee, but my husband swears by it. Try going half sugar and half Stevia to transition. fudge: Maybe the occasional piece of really dark chocolate? homemade cookies: If you do make cookies, try using half whole wheat flour (King Arthur sells a light whole wheat that is closer in texture to white flour) and making a half batch...just enough for everyone to have a 3-4 and then give the rest away to a neighbor. pies: Yep, that's gotta go, but how about stewing apples or peaches and then sprinkling a little brown sugar and cinnamon on the top? Miracle Whip: :eek: Oh yes, please lose the Miracle Whip. You can't possibly fail unless you completely fail to try. Each day is a fresh start. The secret is to make good individual choices that add up to an overall healthy diet. If you indulge a little here and a little there, it can really add up. Keep a food diary for a while to see where you are doing well and where you trip up. On the flip side, deciding to make a half batch of cookies is not a failure as long as you eat a few and then get rid of the rest. Decide where you're going to expend the calories and do it consciously to reward yourself in the context of your overall diet. When tempted to eat 3-4 bites of leftovers or a handful of chips, ask yourself, "is this worth wasting calories on, or do I want to save the calories for something I really want? Food is one of life's richest sensual pleasures, so even in the context of your health situation, don't unwittingly punish yourself by holding out on yourself too much. Make it work for you. Maybe you'll get into Ornish range, but trying to do it all at once could really shatter your motivation. Find ways to make healthy food more flavorful (start shopping at Penzey's spices...they are out of this world and often cost less than what you spend at the store). I hope you find some helpful things in here. Good luck on your new adventure! Barb

Oh, thank you for posting these! They are really beautiful. The moon is big and bright now, but we were socked in with storm clouds during most of the show. We only caught a few glimpses. Rain in the desert for the Superbowl and the one night we get a total lunar eclipse. Last fall/winter we went 150 days without rain. What a weird year. Barb

Heh, my husband works in hospitals (finance, not medicine) and there was one whose C-Sect rate was 55%! And that was the published rate. I personally never met one person who walked into that hospital to deliver who didn't hobble out with stitches. I've had a lot of friends who are doctor's wives that I've met through my husband. I've talked to my fair share of OB's. Generally we don't see eye to eye, so we just skirt shop talk :) But there was this one doc, the husband of a good friend of mine, who was a resident although not an OB. She and I were pregnant at the same time and he was aware of my plans to homebirth. He used to try to scare me out of it, and we had it out a couple of times. He defended the routine use of cytotec and pitocin (regardless of the risks, of which he was perfectly aware) and planned c-sections on the grounds that doctors have right to a good night's sleep and regular hours. No joke, he actually said that. Yes this is one guy...but he's the only one loudmouthed enough to blurt it like that. According to my husband, he really believes it typifies the culture. No big surprise to me. Barb

Not to be unnecessarily argumentative, but I really need to point out some common misconceptions. Retaining part of the placenta usually happens when an overzealous practitioner begins pulling on the cord before the placenta is ready. I'm not saying this necessarily happened in your case, but that it is the number one risk factor. I hemorrhaged with my first child as well, although without placenta retention. She was very large and came popping out in one push. They immediately whisked her away to clean her up rather than putting her immediately to the breast to clamp down the uterus, thereby exacerbating the situation. I had 4th degree tears because I was laying on my back with my feet in stirrups to push through my mandatory episiotomy. My OB/hosptial birth was a nightmare. It took as long to physically recover from that birth as I've heard it can take to recover from a C-section. Emotionally took years longer. My midwives have always known of my tendency to bleed out and I threatened to do so with my 4th and 6th children. They were careful to have me ease the baby out on hands and knees, to remind me to immediately nurse to get the placenta working, to give my uterus time to clamp down on its own rather than trying to yank it free prematurely, and to be ready with an oxytocin shot if things began to look hairy. Their expertise and willingness to work with my body rather than impatiently take over, nipped potential ugly situations in the bud before they had time to escalate. That's why homebirths have better outcomes for normal-risk moms. Many complications during labor and delivery are iatrogenic in nature, that is caused by the actions of the practitioner. Then the doc can come in, scalpels flying, to save the poor mom's life when hospital policy, the machines that go ping, and the doctors and nurses themselves have all contributed or even directly caused the situation they all find themselves in. Well, of course there's no guarantee that anything is completely safe. Driving home from the hospital is probably statistically riskier than a low risk homebirth. But seriously, google the terms homebirth and safety and you'll find stacks of evidence that homebirth with an attentive midwife is not only easier on mom, but safer for everyone. Barb

Yep here too. What are the chances, in Phoenix? :confused: Barb

I agree. Math is so much easier because there is a right answer and a whole lot of not-right answers. Writing is so mushy. And it's never done! No matter how good it is, it can always be better, right? It's so hard to leave good-enough alone. Barb

Yeah, I remember reading that years ago and taking it as gospel, but in this case, they were mistaken. A student can take the PSAT as many times as she wishes, but the 11th grade test is the only one that counts for NM. My daughter took it twice, once as a sophomore and once as a junior and it didn't hurt her. For all sections, to score in national merit range, the secret is to be overprepared. By that, I don't mean use 18 prep books, but to be working at a higher level than the test. The test is designed so that an average 11th grader can obtain an average score. To score in NM range, reading and writing should be on the college level. How to get there is the trick and is up to the individual student. Ideally, the student should be beyond the math tested, so that it isn't a struggle to finish the entire test. Material that is overlearned is easier to spit back on a timed test. Aleks helped us a lot in this regard. We used Singapore for the earlier years and then the Dolciani books through Trig. Oh, and the official SAT study guide is invaluable for practice. Have your student take the test, then parse the answers missed to see which types of questions are likely to trip her up. Go through those questions step by step until they are understood. I hope this makes sense. I'm having a bout of insomnia, but my brain seems to have gone on to sleep without me tonight. Barb

I dread it more with each child. When I was in my 20's I was game...open, honest, and humorous about the whole thing. But at this point I'm so over the horrified stares and disbelief that I've been actively avoiding the subject with my 8yo. I keep hoping one of her sisters will clue her in, but they seem to be saving that particular pleasure for me Barb

You're right. That was harsh to the point of stunningly arrogant. Studies have shown that homebirth is at least as safe as hospital birth for healthy women. Some have shown it is considerably safer. Example: A.M. Duran stated in The Farm Study, published in the American Journal of Public Health in March 1992, that "home births attended by lay midwives can be accomplished as safely as, and with less intervention than, physician-attended hospital deliveries." Dr. Lewis Mehl compared matched populations of 2,092 home births and 2,092 hospital births. Midwives and family doctors attended the home births, while OB/GYNs and family doctors attended the hospital births. Within the hospital group, the fetal distress rate was 6 times higher, maternal hemorrhage was 3 times higher, limp unresponsive newborns arrived 3 times more often and there were 30 permanent birth injuries caused by doctors. In another study, Dr. Mehl compared matched groups of 1,046 home births with 1,046 hospital births. There was no difference in infant mortality. In the hospital births, there was greater incidence of fetal distress, lacerations to the mother, neonatal infections, forceps delivery, cesarean section, and nine times as many episiotomies. Infant mortality is lowest in countries with the highest rates of homebirth. In the USA infant mortality is going up all the time because doctors are trained to fix things, and they often attempt to fix what isn't broken. Attempting to hurry along or control a normal, natural process like childbirth is akin to pulling a butterfly from a cocoon. Unlike the typical OB, a midwife remains close by, waiting and watchful during labor and delivery. She is highly attuned to the nuances of the laboring woman and is quick to note potential problems, often solving them before they escalate. Midwives are better trained and more patient with situations such as shoulder dystocia or stalled labor. Midwifes carry oxygen and pitocin in case of hemmorhage. In an emergency requiring C-section (often caused by the interventions themselves), the standard for "decision-to -incision" in a hospital is 30 minutes. A woman laboring 20 minutes away is still well within the standard so long as the hospital has been alerted she is being transported. Finally, a hospital is possibly the germiest place possible to bring a baby into the world...barring perhaps a Walmart. I understand that homebirth isn't for everyone, just as homeschooling doesn't suit every family. Even in the face of evidence many, probably most people will feel safer in a hospital and that's a personal choice. But remember, technology isn't virtuous simply for being modern. Don't trash those of us who decide to step outside *your* personal comfort zone. Barb

Welcome back!

I don't think it's wise to decrease your sleep right now, particularly if you're in your first trimester. Pregnant women need several extra hours of sleep a night (or tacked on with a nap). 9 hours plus a nap is not out of the ordinary. Sleep deprivation can cause problems with your immune system which is not something you want to be struggling with when you're pregnant and have 4 little ones. No, please listen to your body. Getting things done is not as important as your health right now. Barb

Volty, I tried to rep you for this comment because I just wanted to say, wow, thanks for the perspective (I must have repped you before because it wouldn't let me). Never thought about it that way since my 5 oldest are daughters, but how true. My 17yo has outgrown the typical 18yo and generally hangs out with guys in their early 20's she's met at work or classes. She has one friend who's 18, but he's the exception. Not that an 18yo can't befriend a 16yo, but yeah, I guess he has to be on guard. Poor guys. My son is just two, but I'm filing away the insights I gain from you all so that I'm a pro by the time he hits his teens. Barb PS to Doran: I think at this point the discussion has taken on an abstract life of its own. This has been really helpful to those of us with teens or those of us who see those years looming on the horizon.