Or maybe it is, and he's tired of having to physically drag you away.

Or compliment her about her booKs......:lol: and I don't mean WTM.

Actually the school policy is usually that they won't pay for busing students that live within a certain radius....apparently in your area that's 2 miles. It's not that they are telling you the child has to walk alone, it's basically telling you they won't provide busing. BUT....that most certainly does not mean that a parent has to send their child walking ALONE that distance and/or past whatever households. I didn't start walking to school without a parent until I was in Junior High....before that the mothers in my neighborhood took turns walking all of us to school each morning and home in the afternoon....on rainy days they drove. There were 4 of us girls that hung out together through most of elementary school and therefore 4 families taking responsibility for our safety. And this was in the 70's. By Jr. High we were allowed to walk together as a group without the parent. While we didn't have addresses to offenders like is available now, there were certain households that we all knew were creepy people and we would cross the street to avoid walking near their house.....obviously silly in terms of safety, but the point was that everyone in the neighborhood knew which houses were strange. I do realize that a large majority of parents work so while dropping the child off is probably do-able, picking them up at 2 or 3 in the afternoon doesn't work as well for a working parent who doesn't get home until 5 or 6. But of course, then you have the issue of latchkey kids. And honestly, I still believe it's the parents responsiblity to ensure their childrens safety, if they can't provide it then they should find an alternative. Most schools have some sort of afterschool program just to help combat the latchkey kid.....or they need to hire someone to pick up their child. I don't think being dropped off by the bus at an empty house is really all that much more safe....offenders know the routine and frankly, don't always offend right in front of their house. How many of them cruise the neighborhood around bus time to see which kids routinely go into an empty house? The news scares me and adds reason 1,374,285 for my happiness that I homeschool. But, it still only lessens my childs risk, it does not eliminate it. Unless you keep your child within eyesight 100% of the time, a determined offender can get them. I hate to compare children to material things, but it's like the old adage, make your house difficult to rob and the thief will move on.....have bushes for a thief to hide in, leave windows or doors unlocked, keys under the mat, etc. and you're inviting the thief in. If they can't get in your house easily, they're likely to move to another house down the street who has made it easy. Homeschooling offers us an extra level of protection against our child being victimized, but just a thief that has a purpose for wanting in OUR house no matter how protected, they'll come in....or an offender who truly wants OUR child will likely find a way to do so. Most offenders are opportunists, they take the easier to get, but some become obsessed with a particular child and that's scarier. I don't think that the incidents of violence against children has risen in the past decade....I do think that the news media reports on them more, and the internet is definitely taking a larger part in the word spreading. Oh, and having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, yes, I can tell you that the homescoming incident took place in a notoriously high crime area. It doesn't surprise me what happened. It sickens me however to know that people were watching and not doing anything...but it doesn't surprise me. I predict that they're going to find out that the 5 boys were joining a gang and this was an initiation of some kind....and the onlookers were gang members. That would be quite typical for Richmond. A very scary town, day or night.

No soda in our house, ever. It has no nutritional value, empty calories or artificial sweeteners, rots your teeth and the lining of your stomach. As a teen I used to drink soda all the time.....until the day I was changing the oil on my car, had my soda sitting on the sidewalk beside me and my dad walked over and poured it on the corrosion on my battery cables.....and the soda ate through it like a hot knife and butter. He'd been on my case about soda for years, but my mother was a soda drinker so it was always in the house, so of course I drank it too. I won't say it was immediate, but I do look back and see that as the turning point against soda in my life. It does sound like your kids drinks other things that are sweet so hopefully they'll be able to get over the need for soda (assuming you decide to let Dad have his way in this). Most kids I know soda is the only thing they drink, except milk on their cereal, lol.....so they have an enormously difficult time weaning themselves off and of course hate things like water as having no flavor. I have a friend who buys Torani syrups (like they use in coffee shops to flavor coffee) and puts it in water for flavor. She gets it at Smart & Final. I've had this a few times and it is really tasty, but not fizzy like soda. Good luck in whatever you decide.....generations of us grew up on soda so it can't truly be evil, but it's also not high on the healthy list.

:grouphug: He is definitely testing that "no more than you can handle" idea isn't He....I pray that you find some peace in your life amongst all the unheavel. I also pray that your sister find everlasting peace in the arms of Jesus.

Probably bad form to reply to your own post, lol....but here is information on the new credit card laws: http://credit.about.com/od/consumercreditlaws/a/creditbillright.htm One of the major parts is not allowing "unfair rate charges"...which seems to mean that there are limits to how much higher they can raise them annually....so if they raise them NOW they'd be grandfathered in I guess. Another biggie that I don't recall reading about (or maybe because I don't carry balances didn't pay attention to)....but if they raise your rates it has to be on NEW purchases, not on your previous stuff. Your previous purchases apparently stay at the old rate....that's another reason they are probably raising rates, especially on people with large balances so that the old purchases are at the new rate! Yikes. The other biggie to go along with this is that after the minimum is paid anything over the minimum payment gets credited to the higher rate balance first. That's a popular ploy for years on those special promo rates, or transfer rates.....they're really low but if you keep using your card they pay off those low rates first and your new charges accumluate finance charges at an alarmingly higher rate. Just like the common advice to pay off the higher interest items in your financial portfolio first, now the credit card companies will have to do so as well. Anyway....go to the link and read it, there are lots of small changes that make life a little fairer for the consumer, like payments received by 5pm (instead of 11am) are credited that day....eliminates that ploy of "it's not our fault if the post office doesn't deliver until 3pm". And longer time between mailing the bill and payment due......etc. These changes go into effect Feb 2010.

Isn't there some major changes coming in the credit card industry early 2010? My brain is sleep deprived, but I am fairly sure I read that the industry is raising rates and beginning to charge annual fees and some are even doing away with grace periods!!!! all because of the new law that Obama's Admin has created. When I'm more awake I'll go try to find it, lol. We pay everything off and haven't carried a balance in years.....our rates were raised from the 8's to now 10.99% and the other card from the 9's to 11.5%.......but honestly, I don't much care and since we've had it forever I don't want to close it. Yes, we'll be screwed if we ever have an emergency and have to make monthly payments instead of paying it off, but I figure whatever that emergency will be is gonna be big enough that I don't think I'll be worrying about 10.99% interest. Now...if they think I'll put up with the 20's that some of you mention.....ummm, no on principal I think I'd have to call and complain. Not sure if the rates I have are low because we've been good customers for such a long time (USAA for 25+ years with the credit card for at least 20 of those years.....Chase for probably 5+ years). The USAA card has a large enough line of credit that we could actually buy a mid-size sedan and still have leftover, lol. So I figure super big emergencies would definitely be covered. The Chase card has $8k line of credit but we only use it because it has rewards attached.....I typically max out the rewards each year....in fact I think I already have this year. I know I've also read that competition for GOOD customers with decent credit is intense....so I would definitely suggest that you call and indicate that you may just have to take your business elsewhere if they don't lower your rate. Oh, but be careful if you do switch cards.....go to someplace like bankrate.com to find out what they're offering, but read the fine print. A lot of cards now start you at a nice low rate, but then if you are late with a single payment it jacks up to 20's. And there are a lot of complaints I'm hearing about these companies tactics for making your payment late.....like you mail it a week before the due date but somehow it doesn't get posted until the day after so now it's late. Another reason I pay online, I can see exactly when payment is made.

We have cards to 8 different library systems....not 8 libraries, but 8 systems. THe largest system has 14 branches, most have at least 5 or more, only 1 has just a main branch. We are definitely frequent flyers, lol. There is one library (the one with the 14 branches) that our little branch has hardly anything....so we are constantly putting things from other branches on hold to be delivered to our branch for pickup. When you walk in the front door the librarians at the desk in the middle of the room look up even when they're helping someone and say "hello". Very friendly. Well, when WE walk in even if we veer off to the stacks first, they get up and go over to the hold bookcases and pull our holds. AND, if we are in the stacks long enough they'll have the holds all processed and checked out to us, lol. We always stop and talk for a few minutes finding out what's new with them and telling them our latest and greatest. At Christmas we always bring a big box of goodies for everyone....and our two favorite librarians we've learned their birthdays and try to remember to surprise them with cupcakes, lol. We have such a system going that we never pay fines....we make the circuit of libraries on the same day each week, so we can check the online accounts to renew what's come up due, and return what won't renew. When we hit the library on whatever date we felt like it we were constantly late and paying fines. In the summer when our schedule changes and going the same day each week doesn't happen, I mark the calendar to designate that something is due at the library so I can go online and renew it. While I know the library needs our support, I prefer to donate books that we're done with rather than cash, lol. I can't imagine how homeschoolers survive without a decent library......and yet so many on this board complain about their poor library. To me, that would be grounds for moving, or actually for having never moved there in the first place, lol. Each of the kids have cards and most of our cards are maxed out or darn near....we have 2 full size bookcases of nothing but library books. I joke each year when we review our homeowners insurance that we should have a rider for the books because no way will the insurance company pay for several hundred books if they get destroyed by fire or something. But I don't have the courage to call and ask what that would cost, lol. Viva la Library!

I'd rather touch doorbells and doorknobs than the games at Chuck E Cheese! Though going to Chuck E Cheese to avoid the candy behavior certainly is a wise choice! We have such wonderful weather here in Arizona for Halloween....it's in the high 80's today and probably will be next weekend as well....so most of the time folks are either sitting outside passing out candy, or those that do stay inside have their screen door so you can just walk up, shout Trick or Treat and hold your bag open.....the homeowner drops it in. My kids actually don't like that arrangement because they don't get to see what they got first, lol.......kinda like the old Charlie Brown Halloween special where the adult drops the goodies in, the gang all stick their heads in the bag and call out what they got....and poor Charlie got lump of charcoal.

:grouphug: I agree with the other posters, don't throw away books/photos/other paper that is water logged. There are companies that can restore them...not to perfection but at least making them useable. Your insurance company probably knows several to recommend, and should pay for it as well (obviously depends on your policy, but it's part of the restoration process). When we lived in California an earthquake shook our house strongly enough that many of my heirloom knick knacks fell and broke. I grieved for the loss as it was irreplaceable, many were generations old. I couldn't bring myself to throw them out, but of course, couldn't display them broken in half....or so I thought. Then a dear friend reminded me that their breaks and cracks were now a part of their history.....not one I wanted, but nonetheless part of their story. So, we had many of them repaired as best could be...some still have holes where the pieces were too shattered to save, but they are proudly on display once again. Your photos may be the same way....they may have burnt edges, or warped from water damage, faded, whatever....but remember, photos are really meant just to jog your memory so that the true memories of the occasion of the photo return to you. Have them repaired as best they can and then display them in a photo album so that you can continue to flip through and remember your life....the children and their antics as well as the fire. THe pain of the loss will always be with you, but just like the loss of a grandparent, the pain will subside to a tolerable level and become a cherised memory of a time when your friends showed you the love you knew was always there, but the evidence was precious. :grouphug:

I was wondering the same thing...I'd never heard of any of these so went to look for them at my library....first one I look up is Tori Amos and the only album they have of her is called Abnormally Attracted to Sin and the cover of the CD is her stretched out in what could be construed as suggestively. So I was just coming back to ask if anyone else gets so confused by titles of songs and albums....some of them sound innocent and are anything but, and then ones like this one are suggested as being innocent but wowzer the titles don't give that impression. And Dawn Landes album has songs titled Private Little H*ll and Goodnight Lover. I guess everyone's idea of appropriate music is different.....I too wish we could listen to more of an album before borrowing/buying. But I guess copyright laws don't make that possible. So, I guess I'm stuck with my current system...........continue borrowing albums from the library that the kids request and prelistening to them before I let them have them. No buying albums unless I can hear the entire playlist first (which typically means borrowed from the library....seeing a pattern here, lol). Well, the good news is that since we can only have the album for 3 weeks from the library at least we have an ever changing playlist, because most times I don't want to listen to the same song more than a dozen times in the same week, lol. I hated radio growing up because it was the same top 50 time and time and time again.

Considering that your child's life is in danger if those PB playing children share toys with him, as a fellow mom, I would most definitely want to know! I can't imagine how I would feel if my sticky finger child caused harm to yours simply because I wasn't made aware to not bring the PB&J. I think it's important that you approach it correctly. I've seen parents get very pushy about it and I'm sure that would be what turns people off. I think in your case I would approach the leaders of the group first and ask for their advice (people LOVE to be asked for help rather than told what to do, lol). Tell them of your child's life threatening allergy and ask if there is an easy way to make people aware and request that peanut items not come to park day? "I hate to impose, but it's so dangerous for my son, you understand don't you?" Approach them humbly and with it as a request not a requirement...you know, the catch more flies with honey approach, lol. Now...if that approach garners negative reactions then you'll have to decide if it's worth staying in that group. I realize I may be very fortunate, but my area has quite a few groups nearby so if I got a negative reaction to something so important, I'd probably move on to another group. Even with that request, I would still be on the lookout and not let my guard down. New members, or those that didn't hear or remember the request may still bring offending foods. But, awareness is the first step! Obviously you'll not want to be eating items of unknown origin, and will bring your own food for your child, but not having nuts and PB on their hands while they play can go a long way towards being safer for your child. It's slightly different because it's not quite as life threatening, but we have several children in our group that are gluten intolerant and others have various allergies (though not nuts). Because the mom's have made us aware, we have been able to be clear about the foods that are brought to potlucks and such. We have a policy now to list the recipe so that everyone knows what is in it....and because we often are exchanging recipes after a pot luck anyway, this saves time. I'm not saying that your group needs to do this, just saying that once a group is aware they often will rally around the need. At least the good groups will!

We have the Lifetime Super Membership (we got it for a song when it was included in the 40% off sale). As others have said the membership books are released to the general public 2 months after Members get them.....and average $15-18 each (a few as high as $24). Below is the schedule for the rest of 2009, and the tenative schedule for 2010. A one year membership is $75 full price, so if you would likely buy just 5 of the below books in your 12 month membership you would break even.....and yet you'd still have all the others at your disposal for later use. Plus you get a 30% discount off any purchases...including off sale prices! By the way...RIGHT NOW in the Super Member area is not only the October book, but July and September are there, so you'd actually get 14 months because you're free to download whatever is in there. (If July and September interest you, I'd purchase a membership immediately, as I can't recall them leaving this many month's up at once but I did just check and on Thursday, October 22 at 7am, all 5 books are there and have been since the posted the October books a week ago). 2009 July: Preparing for Poetry; A Peek at Poetry & Poets September: George Washington Carver October: Playtime Around the World, World Cultures November: Citizenship December: Human Reproduction 2010 (for 2010 there will always be two books, the first is early elementary, the second is higher grades) January: Learning to Live with Less; Great Depression February: America the Beautiful; The Earth March: One Celled Living Organisms; Living Organisms April: A Look Insidea a Castle; Kingdoms of Western Europe May: Snakes; Reptiles June: Rain; The Water Cycle August: Things that Go; Transportation Firsts September: Knight Games; Kindgoms of Eastern Europe October: Oceans, Lakes and Rivers; Lighthouses November: Trees; Forest Fires December: Who Invented That; Great Inventors & Their Inventions Oh, and one other benefit of Super Membership.....you have access to all the co-op supplement activities. Hands of A Child does monthly co-ops where those joining the FREE co-ops work to add supplmental information (links, art, library books, science, preschool, math, etc) and the co-op work is available for download by Members. They have about 2 years worth of co-op stuff available for a wide range of the books, so if you already have several of their books, you might find co-op additions to use.

No, Jotham, Batholmew and Tabitha are the Advent Trilogy. The Easter one has been delayed yet again....it's called Mystery of the Temple Court and takes place 30 years after Jotham, starring Jotham's son! I have lost count on how many times it's supposed to have been released, but the latest on the website says "Winter 2009/2010".

Sorry, I'm not Catholic, so I have no clue what Catholic-friendly means....they are most definitely Christian as their entire focus is on the Biblical times of Jesus' birth. There is an "all about us" section on the website that says this about the author's theology: "I believe absolutely in the selfless, self-giving love of a creator God as the foundation of the universe, and in the example of Jesus Christ His Son as the model and goal for our own lives. I believe we could enjoy the benefits of Heaven on earth today if only we could grasp the depth and sufficiency of that love, and reflect this selfless love in our attitudes and actions towards others. I stand with Martin Luther's 'Justification by Faith,' and with John Wesley when he writes that Love is, '...the attribute that sheds an amiable glory on all (God's) other perfections.'" If that doesn't help, you might write to the author and ask him....he does appear to answer questions from readers on his website. Or, perhaps a Catholic on this board has read the books and can more precisely answer you.

Luke, I am your father.

It's a series of three books....the first is Jotham's Journey, then Bartholmew's Passage and last is Tabitha's Travels (which won't be reprinted until next year, the other two are available on Amazon and probably other book stores. You do NOT need all three books at once, so wait and get Tabitha after it's reprinted, as used are going for ridiculously high prices!) Each book is divided into chapters to be read one per night throughout Advent. Amazon tells it better than I can: In this widely popular, exciting story for the advent season, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem. The stories are exciting and engaging and even though we read them every year and we still love hearing them. Each night's reading is maybe 10 minutes, so it's easy to fit it in. There are also suggested devotionals, lighting of the Advent Candles, etc, so you can easily make a nice half hour to hour session each evening if you'd like. Amazon has the "see inside" for Jotham so you can read a page or two to get a feel for the style.

Thought I'd pass on this email I got today....we are lucky to have the original books from several years ago, but I know every year since they went out of print that many people have lamented not having a copy.... BARTHOLOMEW'S PASSAGE REISSUED! After years of waiting, and literally hundreds of letters, emails, and phone calls from fans, we're thrilled to report that Bartholomew's Passage is once again available for purchase! Kregel Publications (Kregel.com) just re-released the book, and you can buy it there, at Amazon.com, or order it through your local bookstore. HELP US PASS THE WORD... that Bart is Back! Jotham's Journey was re-issued last year, and is also available. And we're happy to announce that Arnold just signed the contract for Tabitha's Travels to be released again next year. Thanks to all of you who have waited so long and so patiently! Order soon -- Advent is just a few weeks away! For more details and other books by Arnold Ytreeide visit JothamsJourney.com

That's usually so that the backing can be brought around to the front eliminating the need for binding.....not the most attractive way of doing it, though popular with those not quite ready to tackle binding (which isn't nearly as hard as it sounds!).

Not exactly....... Keep in mind that 45" fabric is usually only 44"....and then there is usually a 1/4" to 1/2" selvedge edge on each side that you will want to cut off....that makes 45" fabric as small as 43". So, be sure to measure it before you buy and NOT include the selvedge edge. Your best idea is to press your pieced top well, fold it gently so you don't get creases and take it with you. Then lay it down on top of the backing fabirc you're considering. Your top may not be perfectly square either, and you want to resist the urge to just make your backing "out of square" to fit it.....it will never lay right if you do that. Taking your top with you means that the ladies at the quilt shop can help you see if your quilt is true/square and give you some pointers if it's not. This is a frustrating but important step if you want the backing to lay flat and the front to not bunch when quilted. If the backing you have your heart set on is 45" (and in reality 43") it's not the end of the world......I have a couple of suggestions for you to make it work..... 1. Very popular right now is NOT having a single fabric for the backing....but in cutting very large rectangles and squares and piecing several different fabrics to make it the width/length that you need. Typically this is done random/uneven, in other words you make them different sizes rather than uniform. Often people will use some of the fabric leftover from the back....but the idea is to give some the backing some character and interest instead of just one fabric plain. 2. Or, you could simply put a border around the single piece of fabric to make it wide enough. If your front has a border, duplicate it on the back for interest. 3, Or look into 54" or 60" fabric.....a good fabric or quilt shop should have a few that are specifically for backing (even as wide as 90" which is definite overkill for your quilt unless you'll be making another of course). This solves the problem as it's more than big enough.....the downside is that the selection tends to be limited. Whatever you do don't forget to put a label on your quilt....future generations will want to know who made it and when. Many quilt shops that fabric patches that you just use a fabric marker to fill out the information.....experienced quilters tend to make their own. But there are soooo many antique quilts with nothing on them, and it's sad to not know the story behind them, or even who put so much love into it.

Not exactly high on the healthy meter, but yummy! 2 lb bag of frozen hashbrowns (use the little diced squares not shredded) 3/4 - 1 pound of cooked ham, cubed 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated 1 onion diced fine 1 red pepper diced fine 1 cup milk dozen eggs make layer of hashbrowns/ham/cheese/onion/pepper.....repeat until it's all in there. Beat the milk and eggs together and dump over the layers. Cook on low overnight (at least 8 hours, but have done it 10+ without problem).

Don't you use a wash cloth in the shower to wash those nether regions? Except for shall we say "volume" what's the dif? Our wash cloths and towels are washed in hot water with bleach. We also use cloths in the kitchen instead of a sponge (want to be grossed out, look at a used sponge under a microscope, you'll never use a sponge again!). These are used for cleaning up once and then put into a bucket of water waiting for the next load of towels. I buy them in bulk at the dollar store, we probably have 50 or more of them even though we wash towels probably 2 or 3 times a week.

My grandmother wanted me to have an education, so she kept me out of school. (Margaret Mead)

Gosh, I don't know....my mother always told me if you can't say something nice.....................

But I don't think Lisa (and definitely not Blair) would be a vet?