I'm not seeing as many yard signs this year as I have in the past. Usually, my entire neighorhood is covered with yard signs supporting the candidates from the Democratic party, but not this time. Does this mean that the people aren't planning to vote for Obama, that there a shortage of the signs, or that they don't think they need to bother? What are you seeing where you live?

So, have you gotten him some books on small engine repair? Seriously! I'd check out several from the library! I suspect he would learn a lot from that, and it would help him to prepare for a job doing small engine repair as a teen. Look ahead. He sounds like a natural mechanic. At the very least, help him learn what he needs to take that interest to the next level. Along the way, he'll learn a lot of the things you think he should. He may or may not want to do small engine repair for a living as an adult, but the knowledge will never hurt him! There's an unschooling book by a lady named Alison McKee - have you read it? I don't recall the title, but I remember her teen son loved fly fishing and learned math and a lot of other skills as he developed a business selling flies he had tied. I've seen that same thing happen with my dc as they've explored their interests. I'd encourage you to see what you can do with their great loves!

Overall, a good performance by both of them. I was impressed by her ability to speak well, as she did during the convention, and I found her delightful. Joe Biden did a nice job, too. It bothered me that they both tended to use their time to give platform statements and to attack the presidential candidates instead of directly answering the questions, but that seems to be par for the course in recent vice-presidential debates. I was hoping for this time to be different, though. Funny, I thought her accent sounded like she was from Montana, but I guess she did live there for awhile. I've never known anyone originally from Alaska to know what they usually sound like there. I've thought long and hard about the mothering issue, too, and the conclusion I've drawn is this: she's going to be a working mom, whether she's governing Alaska or serving as our vice-president. That's the choice she's made, with the blessing of her dh and family. They seem pretty flexible and willing to do what it takes for her to serve. Given all that, would I rather have her use her abilities to serve only the people of Alaska, or would I rather have her serve the whole nation?

I do think his approach to discipline has some measure of helpfulness in it, although I didn't think it was specific enough. That's a common problem in his books, IMHO. I like him, but he's better at radio bites than fleshing out a full idea. I certainly disagree with him about the existence of ADHD. Shortly after that I read How to Discipline Kids without Losing Their Love and Respect: An Introduction to Love and Logic by Jim Fay. This approach had some similarities to Lehman's, but it was much more honoring toward the children and was more specific in exactly what to say to them, IMHO. It's a very thin book, as it's just an introduction to Love and Logic, but I have found it to be very effective with all of my dc. I'd encourage you to read it, if you are looking for discipline help.

Guitar lessons.

Any ideas at all?

Have you tried an anti-histamine? Your reaction sounds like the typical allergic reaction to a bug bite, but in soft tissue. I'd try some benedryl. So sorry you have to deal with this!

Apparently, everything isn't available for download, but a lot of it is. When you open the video link to see the segments, if there is a floppy disk icon, just click on it to download the video. This is in the basic format, not the plus version, although I'm sure you can do it there, too. Just thought I'd share! I can't be the only one who has wished for downloading abilities because of internet service that gets dropped at inconvenient times!

Thanks, everyone. Dh just told me to take her in for the IV. Bless his heart! He doesn't really care one way or the other, but he knows losing her will hurt the rest of us, so he said we should go ahead and try to help her. If she can live awhile longer and be more comfortable and happy, great. If not, we'll have tried. Time for a good cry. I love that man!

We just stock up on the usual stuff that doesn't go bad - TP, beans, rice, canned pineapple and applesauce. Soon, cranberrries will be ripe and I'll buy enough to freeze for the year. We buy meat by the 1/4 or 1/2 steer and freeze, so it lasts quite awhile. We hit Sam's Club once a month and buy our favorite cereal in bulk. Really, we aren't doing anything now we don't usually do. The only thing I think we really should stock up on that we don't usually have is bottled water.

I have several human body books, but none of them grab me. I'd like something I can read aloud to all of my dc together. Any ideas?

One of our cats is quite old and has kidney disease. We could shell out several hundred dollars to keep her going for awhile longer with an IV for several days at the vet, but she'd still have kidney disease, she'd still be very old, she still would need special food and sub-cutaneous fluids every day or two, and she could still go downhill again at any time. The costs and emotional stress of keeping her alive will never end. However, I'm concerned it will mess up my dc for an important event that is coming up if the cat dies right beforehand, which is likely if we do nothing. Yet, if it isn't this event, it will be another one. There isn't a good time for the cat to die, KWIM? What would you do? How do you decide these things? ETA: I'm not against having her put down, but the decision about that is part of this bigger decision.

No, I think you should make it possible for her to bow out gracefully. Large group sleepovers tend to lead to relationship issues being magnified. If she already isn't comfortable, she's right to want to stay home. Make it easy on her and don't let her go. You be the bad guy so she can save some face with the other girls.

Do they make rice milk with it, too? That's really my goal, as we don't eat soy. I just don't want to shell out the big bucks for one and discover we can't get decent rice milk from it.

Great! So, will you hire an accountant to keep track of your business finances or will you want to save money and do it yourself? If you want to do it yourself, finish the class. If not, drop it now and don't look back! You'll be out the money, but you'll save a lot of time and stress. Life is short. Run with your strengths!

My biggest concern is the thimerosal in the flu shot. It has 25 mcg. of mercury, which is a neurotoxin. If your family has a history of Alzheimer's or other mental or behavioral problems, I would insist on getting the flu shot that is thimerosal-free. Also, you shouldn't get the shot if allergic to eggs.

I want to make my own rice milk, but I am tired of the mess of using the blender and straining out the rice myself. I'd like to be able to just pop the rice and water into the machine so it can cook and strain itself. I'd like to be able to make almond milk, too. Any recommendations? Amazon has quite a few, but since they are pricey, I'd like to get something that has actually worked for someone!

Has anyone actually upgraded to know if it was worthwhile? Do you know if you can download with the plus version if you subscribe as a homeschooler?

The friends I spend the most time with are friends from church, either my current one or my previous one. Most of them have children near in age to mine, and the majority of them either homeschool or have tried it at one time or other. Sharing a similar lifestyle and belief system helps tremendously! I do find, though, that just attending a church doesn't help a person get connected. It takes getting involved, either in Bible studies or in service opportunities. I was acquainted with most of these women for years before we finally were in a close-enough setting to really connect and develop a good friendship. For a few, helping them get started in homeschooling was what finally brought us close enough to develop a real friendship.

Of course, I would still be your friend! Little girls can't wait and they can't aim. You do what you have to do. I think you two were pretty resourceful! You might consider keeping a complete change of clothing for her in a ziploc bag in your car. Actually, it's handy to have a complete change for everyone in the family! When someone spills a drink all over themselves, falls into a puddle, or has a bathroom accident, it's good to be prepared! The ziploc keeps the clothes clean while not in use, and then the dirty/wet stuff can go into it and not mess up your trunk.

Yes, some aren't comfortable with her. Some of us like her just fine, but really aren't comfortable with McCain. Yet, as conservatives, when our choices are Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin, we will vote for McCain/Palin in an instant. I suspect there are liberals who are going through the same type of struggle with Obama/Biden.

If the grandparent is an individual that you love and respect, and whose influence on your child would be positive and welcomed, then I do think trying to cultivate a special relationship is important. However, if that individual is someone whose very poor choices in life would likely have a negative impact on your dc, then cultivating that relationship would be counterproductive. With grandparents who live far away, I do think keeping them in the loop regarding what is happening with the dc helps them to feel more connected, which in turn encourages them to reach out to the children more than they might otherwise.

I'm just trying to decide if it's worth upgrading via my homeschool buyers co-op subscription. Do you find the Plus version worth an extra $60 a year?

Not this weekend, but next, I hope! It looks great!

Do you get email notification when books you have requested are in at the library? I save mine, even though I rarely need them, in case this same problem happens.