Kerrygold! Though I always use the salted. I make mine with 2 tablespoons grassfed butter and a spoonful of coconut oil and a touch of stevia (I use Trim Healthy Mama stevia, but any will do). The key is blending it in the blender. Delicious!

I'm grateful for this thread because I was unaware they had been revamped. I like the look of the new and will be using it next year for my two sons. One of my sons is coming out of two years of CC's Essentials, and I will be using this next year while he is in Challenge A to keep grammar concepts fresh and to shore up his latin. My older son will do this and I plan on using an old book that my husband used in college to teach diagramming. I was sad to see that they no longer have Tom Sawyer as one of the choices, though. :(

Guilty of all, but I still love love love the idea of loop scheduling and think it's brilliant. But hey, it's like a common thread that runs through all (or almost all) homeschooling moms. It's one of the things that, despite differing curricula, ties us all together through a common weakness (or illness, as some might say-haha) It's just who we are. We are constantly trying to be a better homeschool mom that we were last year, last week or even yesterday. ;)

I am using the same Phonics Pathways book that I taught my older three children to read now with my four year old. I'm pretty sentimental about it. I'm saving it in case I get to use it with my future grandkids. :)

I have really found Nicholeen Peck's book and website to be very helpful. Her book is A House United: Changing Children's Hearts and Behaviors by Teaching Self-Government. Nicholeen has four children, but she has fostered many, many more than that. She claims to have gotten most of her methods and techniques from the Utah Youth Village. I know nothing about that organization other than the fact that they facilitate foster care, but being foster care spanking and the like are not allowed. I think she has a really great grasp of using alternative methods for not only discipline, but training. She is really big on using reasoning skills to get the children to see for themselves the impact of their choices. She also really focuses on the principle of cause and effect. One particular device that I think is the bomb is SODAS: Situation, Options, Disadvantages, Advantages, Solution This is meant to get the child to think through various situations and to reason on their own what a better choice would be. Instead of getting a lecture or being yelled at or whatever else, they are taught to think it through on their own. Here is the example in her book: Situation: You are at the store with the family shopping for new clothes for your sister, and you become bored. Options: 1. Stay with the family 2. Whine because I'm not having fun 3. Walk off by myself Disadvantages: 1a. I might still be bored 1b. I won't get to see the stuff I want to 1c. I have to listen to girl stuff 2a. I will get criticism from my mom 2b. I will get myself in an even worse mood 2c. It might take longer to get done shopping 3a. I could get lost 3b. I would get criticism and consequences when found 3c. If I get lost, we might end up at the store even longer Advantages: 1a. No one gets worried or upset 1b. I don't have to talk with anyone about bad behavior 1c. Maybe we could look for something for me too 2a. We could leave sooner, because mom will get tired of me 2b. My opinions would be heard 2c. None 3a. I get time alone to see stuff for me 3b. Mom knows how I feel 3c. None Solution: I choose to stay with my family. She says that when her son was 7, they went shopping in a large store for clothes for his sister. Her son was grumpy and complaining because he didn't want to be there. Then he walked off on his own without asking her. The whole store went looking for him and he was found. At that moment she knew she was not in the proper frame of mind to teach him about appropriate behaviors, so they went through this exercise when they got home. The cool thing about this particular device is that you can use it to train-which is the same principle that is advocated by the Pearls, but without the rod or constant threat of the rod. By training I mean taking certain situations that could come up and having your child do this exercise. Anyway, this is just one particular practical tool that she suggests. Obviously, you can't do that with an infant, or a toddler, though you could talk through some situations even with a toddler. Here is a favorite quote taken from her book that I especially love: Your spouse and children are not just people, they are eternal beings with spirits. What we do in our homes is so much more important than just parenting. We are given charge over an eternal soul. When we interact with our child, we are talking and communicating to a spiritual being. Nicholeen and her husband Spencer were featured on the show, The World's Strictest Parents. I believe they have the episode on which they were featured on their website. It will bring you to tears. They had two different teenagers from broken homes who came to them in a very rebellious, very scared, very angry and hurt emotional state. I felt that the way they handled them was superb. http://www.teachingselfgovernment.com I'd welcome any book recommendations from others as well.

I have always been borderline anemic and I have the same problem around that time of the month. I also take Floradix and have seen improvement. I find mine at Whole Foods. As as a side note, I was having the same problem with heavy bleeding and it turns out my estrogen/progesterone were out of balance (this is seemingly an epidemic among women in their mid 30s-early 50s). As soon as I went on bioidentical progesterone cream, my periods not only were lighter, but did not last nearly as long. I was having periods of up to two weeks or more and the progesterone put me back on a very regular seven day period. That might be TMI -sorry if it is- but I know I was feeling desperate and going to see a doctor who specialized in bioidentical hormone therapy has changed my life. It's worth checking into because your periods should not be that heavy. Best of luck to you!

I only recently discovered the big wide world of bento boxes, etc. There are so many wonderful ideas posted out there about what to put in them. You ought to check out Flickr groups where people post pics of what they put in their boxes. Google "Bento Boxes" or "Laptop Lunches." That will get you out of any kind of "What's for lunch?" rut. The pictures are very inspiring for a visual person like me. Watch out, though! Viewing those threads will make you HUNGRY. :P

This made me smile! I love Hermione. What am I saying? I love everything about Harry Potter. All of the characters just rock.

I love Neville!! That is a cool shirt. And I have a little soft spot in my heart for Snape, too. Especially after the 6th & 7th books. The important Snape scenes in the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 just about ripped my heart out. And this part: "Albus Severus," Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Ginny could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be waving to Rose, who was now on the train, "you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." makes me cry...every.single.time.

This was the first book that came to my mind. :) Looking forward to seeing other suggestions.

My daughter took formal lessons before our move last summer. We loved that teacher, and my daughter really grew as a pianist. Our house didn't sell (still hasn't sold!!) so we had no money for piano lessons here. So as a compromise we bought Mark Almond's Piano for Life and Piano for Quitters. My husband and daughter were able to see his lecture/display at the convention. I was very skeptical at first. It teaches you the chords and then encourages the student to explore and make music on their own with the chords they've learned. I'll tell you...my daughter had reached a bit of a rut, playing the same pieces over and over. Once she started doing the DVD program, I was amazed at what I heard coming from our piano. My husband watches it with her and he was also playing amazing music. Now my daughter gets a little irritated because she and Dad both want to play all the time and they have to share the piano time. :) She still wants to go back to formal lessons, which we will do when we can afford it. But for now this method/perspective is a breath of fresh air. Right now she is teaching herself to play guitar. I need to look and see if there is something similar for learning guitar. Best of luck!

...I'm so distracted reading the post on the Pearls that I forgot to change forums. Sorry!:001_huh:

Has anyone used this? Experience? Reviews? Thoughts? I'd like to order this for my daughter-she has never had any formal logic, and she does enjoy solving "crimes" or anything to do with forensic science. Money is tight and so I want to be very certain this is a worthwhile product before I spend the $40+ on it. Thank you!

Has anyone used this? Experience? Reviews? Thoughts? I'd like to order this for my daughter-she has never had any formal logic, and she does enjoy solving "crimes" or anything to do with forensic science. Money is tight and so I want to be very certain this is a worthwhile product before I spend the $40+ on it. Thank you!