It extends beyond novels, as well. The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, used this method often to obscure individuals within his own diaries. It was his wish that his papers be destroyed upon his death, but his family did not do so. Perhaps he knew that this desire may go unfulfilled and so "changed the names to protect the innocent" and, at times, the guilty.

We used to borrow materials regularly from this resource! In fact, I may have posted about it here at some point. The link didn't work correctly for me. If you have the same problem, try this one: http://www.hepn.com/library/content/ It is open to educators in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. :)

Just with towels, Aggie. I often add baking soda to our detergent because we have hard water. The last two weeks I've been adding Calgon water softener instead and haven't noticed a difference. We use towels once because hanging them for reuse contributes to a mold issue in our bathroom. The towels are in the basement until there is enough for a load. Odors were a problem even during the summer when I dried them on the line in the sun. I didn't try bleach because I don't like using it and my towels are all dark blue and I'd like them to stay that way. ;)

I have this problem from time to time. I toss 1/4 cup vinegar in the basin of the washing machine and put 1/4 cup baking soda in the detergent dispenser. :) Problem solved. I no longer use detergent on my towels at all and never use fabric softener on them.

I'm in the same position. I usually reevaluate things in January, but this month I hit a wall and panicked. I will be happy to start the new year out with some changes already made, though. :)

If you mean on a post within a thread, leaving "Rep" for someone, I believe that option has been removed.

I really enjoy my Zen. It was a gift from my husband so I would have something to do on my first plane trip. I didn't use it because I spent my time reading, but I have used it since then. I have ripped classical music from CDs and copied it to the Zen. We can download movies and audiobooks from multiple websites, including our library system. We downloaded some dissection videos for our oldest to watch on her own. When we traveled to Mexico, I put pictures of my children on there to have with me. I do not like to block out the sounds of my environment, so I only use it for music from time to time at home. When I do, I put in one earbud and leave the other out.

Kaufman's Butterflies is good. We tend to prefer Audubon Field Guides for birds over Peterson's. We also have Audubon guides to trees, butterflies & moths and wildflowers. There are a few more we would like to own. Sibley birding books are very good. Sibley's Birding Basics is a good overview. The Sibley Guide to Birds is expansive and, some might find, expensive. I didn't note your family member's ages and signatures don't appear in the "Reply" view, so I don't know if you have younger children. Our youngers enjoy Fun With Nature and More Fun With Nature as good hands-on books. If you want exact titles for specific topics, I'd be happy to share our preferences. I tend to rattle on regarding this subject, though, and often give more information than was wanted. :blushing:

Wisconsin is beautiful and not generally as FRIGID as it is right now! The homeschool laws here are very good. There is no testing and record-keeping is not required. You must submit a yearly "intent to homeschool" form, but there is no oversight. No one can demand your records, curriculum, plans or anything. No one can rescind your right to homeschool.

Wonderful, Tammi! We arranged for our club to sing at a nursing home last night. We've committed to go back in mid-January. What types of activities are you doing with the folks tonight? Could you report back tomorrow about how it went, or changes you would want to make?

Our family joined 4H for the first time last fall. We live in Wisconsin. Our 14 year old is a "regular member". Our 9 year old is an "Explorer". Our 7 year old is a "Cloverbud". The group we joined is family-oriented, so our entire family attends the monthly meetings. Our 5 year old thinks he is a "Sprout" and the 3 year old also thinks she is a member. ;) During the meetings, the little children sit with my husband and I off to the side. Our Cloverbud was given an activity book to work in, courtesy of the UW-Extension. She could complete it and enter pages in the fair, or just keep it for her own enjoyment. The UWEX gave the same book to our Explorer *and* our "Sprout". :) Our Cloverbud was able to enter items in the County Fair. Every Cloverbud received a green ribbon for each entry, as well as a small trophy. Her entry (she only did one for our first year) was "judged" by a high school-aged 4-H Member from another club who was very encouraging and positive. This helped to give her an initial experience with judging without any actual critique. As for scheduling, our club (like most) meets once per month. It is very easy for us to commit to that. Our goal for this year is to complete one fair project per month and the children can then choose which projects they actually want to enter later. Project books, if not readily available through your club, can be purchased online at http://www.4-hmall.org/ very affordably. Our UWEX provides free project books for many topics. We borrow them, glean from them and return them for another family to use. In our county, if not in the entire state, you are not required to follow the format of a project book. Occassionally, there is a separate activity for Cloverbuds in our group. I prefer that our daughter stay in the regular meeting, but if a separate activity is planned, we let her go. They are always in the same building, but in a different room, led by another Cloverbud mom. Your local UWEX office might be able to share which local groups would be a good fit for you. You can ask about groups that share your interests, have a good number of Cloverbuds, are primarily made up of homeschoolers or whatever deciding factor you may choose. We are the only homeschoolers in our group, but that has not been a factor.

We have a 9-passenger Suburban and it is the perfect vehicle for our family. Five of our six children are still in some form of car seat and all easily fit in the Suburban. This was not true of the minivan we had before the Suburban. We can fit a month's worth of groceries in the back of the Suburban without piling bags around the feet of the children. Again, this was not true of the minivan. We have been caught in winter storms and easily switched to 4WD. Another option not available to us with our former minivan. The heavier build of a Suburban is safer on wintry roads, too. Yes, the gas mileage is less than the minivan but the trade-offs were completely worth it. We even have an aftermarket tank that holds somewhere around 50 gallons in gas. We did *not* know that when we bought it (used, obviously). The first fill-up really shocked us! Now, however, we feel much safer when we set off in winter. We have room for the emergency supplies that are recommended. When we head down a road we've never traveled, only to find that it peters out into little more than a wide path, we are able to crank around and get out without panic. All of the nature paraphernalia that my children insist upon toting around now fits without a scuffle over who brought too much stuff. LOL We can also accommodate all the things they pick up to bring home! It feeds the Adventurer in my husband. :001_smile:

We like CalcuLadders here, and I recommend purchasing the CDs. I am unfamiliar with Susan C. Anthony's materials.

I am interested in this, also.

I have several old college Latin, German and Spanish textbooks. I find it very enjoyable to read the slips of papers and notes left behind by the original owners, all in lovely cursive writing. It heightens the appreciation of the language, I think.

Our son has strabismus / amblyopia / esotropia and is seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist. Prescription glasses and patching the right eye for 2 hours daily was the original approach. That's when we learned our son also has latent nystagmus. Patching causes his eye to "bounce", which results in difficulty focusing. The only time he experienced improvement was through chiropractic treatment. Our schedule disallowed consistent appointments for a time and the ground gained was lost. Even though he is seeing the chiropractor once again, there has been no improvement. His next ophth appointment is July 29th. I would like to be educated on the subject of vision therapy before that day and arrive at the appointment with a list of potential vision therapists. I am hoping for a referral. Our insurance will cover vision therapy given by an MD, DO, PA or NP. Interestingly, they will not cover an optometrist or ophthalmologist. We live in West Central Wisconsin, so regional suggestions are welcome. I am also interested in home-based approaches and particularly so if we cannot find a vision therapist in our area. Thank you!

Perhaps you could join your local Freecycle list (freecycle.org). The rules state you ought to offer something to the list before asking for anything. Once you've got a feel for how things work, post a "WANTED" email requesting a microscope. You never know if someone might have one collecting dust that they'd be happy to give to you. Watch yard sales, too. They are rare, but they do pop up now and then. If you are a member of a local homeschool group, perhaps a family who has finished using their scope, or they are graduating their last child, might have one to give to you. You have plenty of time. :) One will come along before you need it, I'm sure.

If I am reading your signature line correctly, he is 17 years old. I suggest doing it now while he is still under your roof. He may not have insurance in the future when they *need* to be removed. I have had two removed. I have a third that needs to go *now* but I have a seven week old who won't tolerate my time in a dentist's chair just yet. I wish all four teeth had been taken out years ago to save me the pain and frustration I've dealt with.

My husband sells Alltel. They are being purchased by Verizon so both companies will see a great increase in coverage area. Also, the free mobile-to-mobile (family, friends, online buddies) will obviously expand. US Cellular? *shudder*

How about a half and half option? Bring half of the eggs in, using an appropriate environment in which to hatch them. Leave the other half undisturbed and mark the area with "CAUTION: LANDMINES" or something to keep people away. LOL Last year we watched a large turtle lay her eggs on the side of the road. If it had not been state forest land, we would likely have moved them. I'm sure, on that narrow road, that the eggs were crushed as they were only inches from the paved edge. You just never know when those pesky gov't folk are watching you try to save the day, though. :glare:

For those who don't want tape to show, use a piece of duct tape the size of the wart and just cover it with a bandage. We are using apple cider vinegar on our son's wart and it does seem to affect him sometimes. It's cold because we're using "the good stuff", Bragg's brand, with the mother in it. The placement of the wart also makes it particularly sensitive for him. Our doctor also recommended banana peels, apple peels or orange peels. Increasing your child's Vitamin C intake during treatment and for a time after the wart disappears is supposed to help, since they are caused by a virus.

Unfortunately, it always does. :glare:

I can't speak to the insurance issues. My gall bladder issues started when my daughter (born July 2005) was about 6 weeks old. The surgeon said something akin to "Dietary changes can help you keep your gall bladder but no one really sticks to that." Well, being of a personality to take things as a challenge I decided to keep my gall bladder and prove him wrong. I still have testy moments (like after consuming way too much homemade kettle corn the other night) but a quick switch to a temporary high-fiber, low-fat diet is just the ticket to get me back on track. :)

Option Three: The cable guy made a safety decision. Do not connect your television to the free cable TV. ;)