We are looking forward to our trip, and now we'll feel better about heading off into the unknown! I appreciate all your suggestions!!!!

We want to stay overnight on I-55, east/north of St. Louis, within an hour of the arch. We don't know what areas are good to stay in, safety-wise. What areas should we look at, and what should we avoid? Thanks!

I know there are things I've wanted, that when I first brought them up to dh, he didn't think they were a good idea or even possible for us. Over time, as I let him know again what I thought (not constantly, but occasionally), he gradually began to look for ways to make it possible. Eventually, he told me that we were going to do whatever it was. No promises, but sometimes men are so focused on (and even overwhelmed by) the reality they see that they aren't able to see other possibilities.

I hate being out of the loop, but I also get stressed out by knowing too much about what is going on in the world. I just want to live a simple, quiet life, KWIM? But, then I feel like I've put my head in the sand and try to get current on what's happening in the world. I read about murders, collapsing carnival rides, possible security breaches with passports, kidnappings, all of presidential candidates, government intrusion into personal DNA and medical records, and... I get stressed. How do you find a balance between keeping up with the world and keeping your stress level under control?

We've had very good experiences at the hotels we were able to book using the HSLDA discount. Of the chain options, I think Sleep Inn was the cheapest we've used, but the rooms there were very nice, too. Definitely a few steps up from Super 8, and with the discount, about the same price. If you have HSLDA membership, go to the members perks section, and request your discount # so you can compare prices. You may be able to go cheaper and better.

It's a good thing. Those who ignore it sometimes have to live with awful consequences. Be glad, glad, glad you have it!!!!! I've seen creepy people like the guy you described, and I'm thankful that I noticed! Sometimes they make my skin crawl the moment I see them, and other times it's just the weird things they do. The last one was a very friendly guy in the vet waiting room telling my 11 yo he was new in town and wondered where to get his bike fixed. Um.... an 11 year old would know this? Dc said, "I don't know," but in less than a minute I finished paying and turned around to get the kids and the man didn't ask me - the one who would know. I smiled pleasantly at him, and he looked down immediately, like he knew he had been out of line. Seems like a person who really wanted to know about bike repair shops would ask me, don't you think? Hmm... that reminds me that I meant to talk with dc about that situation. It seemed innocuous on the surface, but my mommy radar told me it was an "I'll meet this child today so I'll seem to be a friendly, safe person the next time we meet and mommy isn't there" situation. Blech. I'm not overly paranoid about my dc talking with people they don't know, but this one was just... off. Too many details, just like it talked about in that book. What was the name? The Gift of Fear, or something like that? Momof7, I'll keep you and your dc in my prayers. Did the kids notice the guy at all? Would it worry them to point out that he was acting weird and that if they ever see them again they should let you know immediately or get help from some other adult?

However, I also have to pay more for books online. So, I try to buy at curriculum sales whenever possible, but I try to sell online.

Life of Fred is the only math program one of my dc has ever enjoyed. We started Fractions, and although it was a hit, we switched back to Singapore because I wanted more intense practice. However, I was just reading about someone who used Life of Fred with ALEKS for high school math, and wondered how ALEKS would work for 6th grade with Fractions, then Decimals and Percents when done with that. Would it be enough? Has anyone done that?

The 3rd grade book throws an awful lot of new material at them, IMHO. It's a big adjustment from the others, but I do think it's effective. We've jumped ship after 3rd grade, so I don't know about after that. I'm very pleased with the solid foundation it provides, though. We use the 1st grade book over two years, for K-1, then move on to 2 when done with that. My kids loved the color pages and the workbook format. There's too much on a page, particularly by 3rd grade. We cross out a lot of the review problems.

Not muddy at all! I appreciate your help!

A house near me has been renovated with a green roof. The paint is red. Not a brilliant red, more of a darker, subdued, redwood stain kind of red. It's actually very pretty. Much nicer than the white it was before. My dh, however, thinks it's atrocious, so... whatever. I think any of the color options you mentioned would be fine, as long as the two houses are different. I really like yellow houses with green roofs - they look happy to me. :)

On the ITBS, are the circles the children fill in next to the letter/number of the correct response, or is that letter/number actually inside the circle? We have a test prep book from the library, and I want them to practice filling in the answers on another sheet. If possible, I just want it to be the same format as what they'll be doing on the test. Thanks for any info you can provide!

I assume you really want to get rid of stuff more than get the cash. If money is more important, price higher and then donate what's left and itemize it all carefully so you can deduct on your taxes. I would price things as I wanted to pay for them. $1 or less for all kids' clothing items. $2 or less for all adult clothing. Coats could go as high as $10 if name brands in great shape, $5-8 if not. Shoes $1, boots $2 if in good shape. Now, with all of these, if you buy high quality or designer items, up the price some, but only if they are still in style. No one cares what brand it is if it's out of date. Out of style means low prices! At my last sale, I priced all clothing for $.25 each piece, and I still only sold about 1/4 of it, and that was almost all kids' clothing. Other stuff - about 1/4 of the purchase price if it's in good shape, less if it's not. Higher only if it's new. You get the idea. Have fun!

It works! What a relief to be able to view boards this way again! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!:party:

I can't find a way to do this, so maybe it isn't an option. It just bugs me that the threads move to the front of the line every time someone new responds. I want to be able to organize them by date of original post and keep them that way, regardless of new responses. Is there a way to do it?

Ours has quite a few on learning guitar. Not sure about piano.

I figure it will be the annual breakfast in bed - scrambled eggs, toast, cereal, and juice - made by my dh and accompanied by handmade cards from the dc. Hugs and kisses, as they spill the juice, and then... the rest of the day will be just like any other Sunday. Oh, except that at some point we have to call the female relatives to wish them a happy day, too. What do you expect at your house?

Everytime I get that kind of sore throat, it turns out to be strep. You'd probably see some white spots on the back of your throat if it were strep, but not always. Just a plug for the nice doctors at your nearest urgent care clinic. They can prescribe! :) Susan Wise Bauer asked a similar question last week and got lots of responses. Here's a link: http://67.202.21.157/forums/showthread.php?t=24644 I hope you feel better! I'm praying for you!

If there's a discrepency on their website, it might come back to haunt you later. Save the letter as proof that they knew they owed you money and not the other way around! Congrats on getting your refund!

This is so true, Jessica. The dc I had to tether didn't need any kind of restraint at all by 4.5. Reminders, yes, but the understanding was finally there. Work on whatever you can right now, and make it as fun as possible for him, but know that the increased understanding that comes later will make all the difference in the world.

I agree with the others. A tether is fine, as long as he can't/won't undo it. I used a long piece of ribbon with one of mine at that age, since the harnesses you can buy at Target were too small by then. I just tied it around dc's chest and the other end to my wrist. The dc loved it (that puppy on a leash thing), and it worked great. Mine actually preferred it to a stroller, even when given the choice. Kids with that much energy need to move!

Someone, please answer her questions! And while you are at it, maybe you know the answers to mine, too! :) I have a Champion juicer, as well as a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Which attachment would work better for grains, the Champion mill or the Kitchen Aid? Or, is it really just better to go ahead and buy the Nutrimill?

That's great that he was able to complete it! Great job, EKS's son! We're taking the ITBS this year for the first time, too, and I already know that the timed math computations are going to be a challenge. How does that affect the score, do you know? Do they acknowledge in any way that the child didn't complete part of the section, but still let you know how he did on the part he completed, or is it a score based on the overall number he was expected to complete, whether or not he did?

Remind me never to travel to Bolivia, okay?

I don't care what it is or what it says, you don't write in a library book! I don't think most of the books in our library are good enough to deserve even having been printed, much less purchased with my tax dollars, but... you don't write in a library book! Grrrr.... What bugs me the most, though, is that all of the really good books that I want my dc to read are being purged from the libraries because not enough people are checking them out. That's great when I can find them at library sales, but it doesn't help the next mom looking for something better than Captain Underpants.