I'm not certain, but the impression that I have is that the EOC is less likely to make explicit statements about things like medical technology, birth control, and political issues than the Catholic Church. In Orthodoxy, local bishops and priests can have differing opinions about these things and can instruct their individual flocks or individual parishioners on what is best in their situation. There are canons that are agreed upon as true for the whole Church, but bishops and priest to some extent have authority to guide people in one way or another if there is no canon for their specific situation. The bishops will convene if there is a matter concerning doctrine, or a matter that is large enough to affect the Church as a whole. In these cases, bishops have an equal say in making decisions. There is not human authority- only Christ. On an individual level, we are told to ask for guidance from our priest, who will in turn seek guidance from their bishops and so on if the matter warrants consideration. There have been some official statements from Orthodox Churches regarding bioethics and medical technology which you can easily find on the internet.

I could have written this post a couple of years ago. Although it has definitely gotten better, I still have weeks or months where reading online becomes a problem for me. The way I resolved it was to have my husband password protect our computer so that I could only use it when he signed me in. In general, it's not ok to have someone else be responsible for our addictions, so I'm aware this isn't a perfect solution. Another thing that helps me is to set goals for the day and not allow myself to use the computer until they're done. I expect basic chores and schoolwork to be done before my kids watch any Netflix, so I try to set the same standard for myself. It doesn't work for me to do "15 min on, 15 min off" because the temptation to turn the "15 min on" into "an hour on" is too strong for me. I have to get everything done first. I also know that when I start to feel the urge to spend hours online that something is bothering me and I need to examine my physical/spiritual/mental health to see what is causing it. What am I escaping from? Anyway, hugs to you. I know how hard it is to break free of something like this. Food and internet addiction are similar I think. You can't stop eating cold turkey, and there are things that probably need to be done online. So the solution is very complicated. Good Luck

If it were me, I'd just say he's not available. Then I'd make sure to let your friend know how much you appreciate her efforts to include him.

Wonderful news!

Hugs and prayers, Kathryn. Honestly? I think it's time to get some legal advice. If you suspect that this is a way to build a case against you, I would be proactive about it. Find someone who deals with this kind of thing and figure out what is the best thing to do. I'm going to say, gently, that going to these therapy sessions has probably "opened a door" in your mother's mind. You may need to be explicit and say that you no longer want any contact from the therapist or from your mother. But I would probably talk to someone first to see what the laws are. In the meantime, I hope you're able to find time to relax a bit and enjoy some time with your kids.

I use one and I love it as well. However, I had to try a couple before I found one. The Diva cup is the most popular I think, and it comes in two sizes. Mine wasn't comfortable, so I tried La Luna (stem cut off) and it works really well- very comfortable.

It's a felony in my state. Up to 5 years in prison.

I have the same problem :) Love those bags but they fall apart.

There's a brief overview on Orthodox Wiki: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Septuagint And another history here: http://www.kalvesmaki.com/LXX/index.htm I know there are differences between the Septuagint and other, more modern, OT translations. The history is a bit murky as well and there are disagreements about the details.

We did them every year when I was growing up. My mother was wonderful at it. Me, not so much. But I do remember that smell - melting beeswax and vinegar - as the smell of Lent. :)

LOL I just finished my bottle of homemade kombucha brewed by my midwife/best friend. edit: I'll have to ask her about her personality type.

I will probably go with the classical pronunciation but we did strongly consider ecclesiastical. We're not Catholic, but we have a lot of singers in my family, including myself. I've been singing in Latin and Italian for a long time and the switch will be difficult for me as a teacher.

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What is the difference between the US and Standards editions? Would anyone be willing to explain to me why they chose one or the other?

Huh. I've been Orthodox whole life and I've never heard of systema. I guess we learn something new every day!

I was raised EO, but had to re-commit to it as an adult. I had a series of experiences in my 20's that left me convinced I am in the right place. If your situation isn't working for you, I think it's ok to explore other traditions or belief systems. Sometimes this brings about change, and sometimes it solidifies the faith you already have. Hugs.

I'm right there with you! My 6.5 year old does a lot of what you're describing. I think that it's partly his age, but maybe also the emergence of some logical thinking and reasoning skills. That doesn't make the day any easier though!

Vanity has nice long tanks in a more flattering material. Some even have a built in bra. I wear them under my clothes often. There are lots, but here are a couple of examples: Misses: http://www.vanity.com/convertible-shelf-bra-basic-12.html Plus size: http://www.vanity.com/convertible-basic-9.html

We dealt with a bully and ultimately pulled our son out of school rather than let things escalate (he was in kindergarten, so no real ties to the school like you have). Here is what I would do in your situation: 1. Write a brief email to the school ASAP. Tell them that your daughter is being bullied and you expect it to stop immediately. Follow up in person the same day. 2. Gather any proof that you have - screenshots, emails, or a laptop that can access your daughter's facebook wall - and bring it to the meeting. If it were me, I'd check out other social networks as well to see if anything has been missed. If possible have your daughter write down what she knows about what's going on. Familiarize yourself with the school's disciplinary policies as well as your local laws on bullying and harrassment. Decide ahead of time what you want to happen at this meeting - generally speaking, if there's no proof I'd be asking for an investigation to be completed within a few business days. If you do have proof, I would expect action within 24 hours. 3. Be very calm and explain your concerns and expectations. If any of this slander is sexual in nature (which I think you're implying), explain that this is bullying and sexual harassment and ask what will be done about it. Repeat back to them any promises or commitments they make ("what I hear you saying is...") then write it down if you agree. 4. Follow up with an email outlining what was discussed and any decisions/ commitments that were made at this meeting. This is so that you have in writing what took place and what the expectations are. 5. As an aside, if you have ANY proof at all that the mother is involved in this - something online, something in writing, or a friend she spoke to who is willing to make a statement for you - I would contact police immediately in addition to what I said above. Slander and sexual harassment are serious business and I would never tolerate that from another adult. :grouphug: Good Luck with this. I really feel for you.

Achievement is unacceptable!!

Oh man, I loved singing that. I do agree with you, though. It's a workout!!

Not a waste of time at all! In our case, we do have private speech therapy but it isn't covered by our insurance so we pay a LOT for it every month ( more than we spend on food) - and that's with a discount from the hospital! I am only holding onto the school services in case it ever becomes impossible for us to afford the private speech. We're always grateful if my husband gets a raise, but it's also scary since the price of speech therapy is based on income and we could be asked to pay a lot more in the future. In the schools, the therapy depends on what is written in the education plan. It can range from assisting with speech impediments to learning conversation skills / answering basic questions for those with communication difficulties.

Ugh, this is the worst. When I worked in special ed I was told to stop teaching my 4 year old student how to read because although she could do it, it wasn't "age appropriate". This makes no sense whatsoever. :laugh:

I guess this is kind of a JAWM post. I think I just need a hug. This has been a very stressful month with our sweet DS. I just got done with our "transition meeting" at my son's former school. They have these for all kids on IEPs who are moving from preschool to kindergarten. We pulled him out of preschool a couple of weeks ago because the school has had a bunch of "lockdown" days recently and we were sick of being afraid to drop him off. Plus his anxiety about school was through the roof and I was planning on home schooling next year anyway. So his teacher said we need to meet with the special ed coordinator about receiving speech services next year through the district. Fine, no problem. I showed up expecting a brief one on one but there were SO many people there- teacher, speech, ABA, psychologist, psychiatrist (!), school principal, special ed coordinator. (Half of these people didn't even show up for the IEP meeting, but here they were.) My kids were playing quietly with some toys - they've been to several meetings there and it's never been a problem. It's a large classroom and neither they nor we were disrupted by the arrangement. But the school counselor got up and tried to usher them into a different room alone. Um, no. Neither of them are your students and there is no reason at all to separate them from me. My kids were like "do we have to go with this lady" and I just said "No, you're doing a great job, go ahead and play." The counselor was like "well they wanted to go with me a minute ago." I'm really baffled why she would ask them in the first place without talking to me about it. <_< Then they explained to me how tough this whole thing is for them and they have no idea how to do the paperwork since we're open enrolled. I kind of laughed it off, because I know we're a bit off the beaten path. But then the special ed coordinator said "We need you to know that we have to dismiss services for the rest of the year because of the choice you made- of course that's your prerogative." This make me :001_rolleyes: because dismissing services was a big reason we were there in the first place and I'm fine with it. But to say it like that was so strange to me, like "you need to know it's your own fault that your son no longer gets the fabulous opportunity to have 15 minutes of speech twice a week with three other kids - I hope you're proud of yourself." Then they told me that they had no info yet for where and when we would be having speech next year. So....what are we even doing here then?! That was the purpose of the meeting. I left feeling like the whole point was so that they put on paper that they'd had this meeting and maybe try to make me feel guilty about pulling him. By the way, I'm always friendly at these things and I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I used to work with special needs kids in the schools and there's a lot of meetings and legal issues that they have to deal with. I guess that's why this is a JAWM- I get it, but they really could have emailed me to say they had no info for me yet and saved us a trip across town.

I think it's great to teach young women leadership and assertiveness skills. However, I'm not particularly convinced that this is the best way to go about it. I find it frustrating that women who are disagreeing with it here are being treated like they either don't understand it or don't understand the larger issue - that men and women are treated differently for displaying the same behaviors. I really don't like how this campaign separates out girls and young women and teaches them "how to lead" rather than teaching girls AND boys how to challenge and overcome inappropriate gendered behaviors. It's still placing the onus on the girls to behave and interact a certain way in order to bring about change. If we really want to change the way that women are treated in this world, we need to address all sides of the issue. Teaching children to work together at a young age - giving equal opportunities to lead (and also to follow good leadership), and having adults who model this behavior is much more effective than trying to change only the young girls' behavior. A community based approach that includes young men and boys and does not put the responsibility to "be heard" on the shoulders of girls would be much more effective in my opinion.