I would be finishing my own education and then starting my own business. Those things are on the backburner right now. :) No rush, I plan to live a long time. LOL

as much as I ask, but the key is that I usually have to ask. lol ;) He has a very flexible work schedule right now and so he does less "work" and more carting the kids around or giving me a break by overseeing general kid stuff, which I appreciate. Dh is a family man, more than most men I've ever met...but for me, the home is always just more at the heart of the whole person God made me...in this life He gave me. Not that wife-mom-homemaker is ALL that I am, but it sure reflects ME more than it does dh and so naturally, I care about homemaking stuff more. I'm much less resentful now than I was years ago that dh hasn't really figured out how to just DO this sort of thing on his own. It's not in his makeup (as a man and with the family situation/parents he had) and that's OK. :)

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson and loved it. Next on the pile... The Good Teen by Richard Lerner (parenting) The Beautiful Fight by Gary Thomas (Christian/spiritual) Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck Touchstone by Laurie R. King (fiction, author of Beekeeper's Apprentice but sadly not in that series) The Illiad by Homer (888 selection) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (888 selection)

The catch-22 is that you have to really get a great recommendation for a camp from someone you trust or just send your kids and find out. But I'm very leary about "testing out" any overnight thing so we're kinda stuck. lol As a kid I was molested by other girls at a sleepover and so I have that experience coloring all overnight activities for my children and think I can't be too careful even if it means I never get a week-long break (which I would really benefit from, actually!!).

I really love: The School of Athens and Madonna of the Chair by Raphael The Birth of Venus by Botticelli The Swing by Fragonard The Embarkation for Cythera by Watteau The Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir (I was blessed to see this and it's gorgeous!) Rest on the Flight to Egypt and The Return of the Prodigal Son (and several others) by Bartolome Esteban Murillo Several by Monet (the Rouen Cathedral pieces, poplars, and waterlilies), Sisley and Renoir. I love the sketches of DaVinci. Almost everything by Nicolas Poussin. And I must say that I'm both enthralled and repelled by Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa and Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. But that's a good thing...art is an experience!

He collects the miniature figurines and plays almost weekly at a local comic book shop where they have fun tournaments! (Think Dungeons & Dragons based in the SW universe...) They also do other board game/tournament type things and sometimes kids just go to hang out and talk about comic books, graphic novels or find other kids to talk about their obsessions. LOL My ds also takes golfing lessons every summer and goes to the driving range with his dad and some buddies. :) Ultimate frisbee is another good one. Also, we're just getting into Geocaching! Very fun!

Seriously, the only thing you may have in common that (probably) won't cause friction is each other (notice I didn't say your opinions LOL) and sharing about things you've done recently, through photos and general conversation, can really fill the time! People like to talk about themselves and so even if you aren't uber-interested, and they aren't either, you'll at least get to know one another a little better in the process of sharing photos and stuff. :) It's a good conversation sparker! Take photos while you're there, too, and maybe next time you visit you can bring them out. OK, maybe they'll all be sitting-on-the-couch portraits, but hey! It shows you care and recalls the short time you spent together.

or Halley's Bible Handbook. There are many Bible commentaries in one volume that would be good, too! The MacArthur Bible Commentary and there is one from Zondervan... :001_smile:

are we going to eventually be seen as untrustworthy or not a seasoned, friendly poster?? I understand the practical uses for a sale board now, but just for discussions? :001_huh: I don't get it and think it will just be a cause for, well, nothing positive really. LOL I don't want to be a party pooper, though, and think it's fine for those who want to play that game. I just don't. LOL :D Is the rep stuff enabled on the curriculum board?...

LOL It probably wouldn't happen in school but that's because it would be seen as stupid or babyish by the other kids and they'd let him know it, and the teacher(s), understandably, don't have time to deal with everyone's upsets. He may BE behaving childishly, but at home you can deal with it firmly AND sensitively, affirming that he is an intelligent kid who CAN do a great job. :)

came up to my door with several packages and as I came outside to greet him he said, "Merry Christmas!" I laughed and said something about it being like Christmas when I get so many boxes and he said, "Yeah, but it's even better when you don't take down your Christmas window clings! hehehe!!" Smarty pants! I took it down right there in front of him. LOL (All in good fun--we get a lot of deliveries so he's been waiting to see if I'd take the dumb things down on my own. :tongue_smilie: )

Same here on both counts. I love a dressing/vinaigrette with *mustard*! :iagree:

I love your new avatar--such a cute pic and I like it even better than the other one. :001_smile: And hey, new smilies!!!!

and would say that Columbus is more kid-friendly and it's a more "compact" city. Very easy to get around and lots to do. -The Columbus Zoo (I like it better than the sprawling Cleveland Zoo) is more kid-friendly -COSI (very fun, I like it just as well if not a bit more than the Great Lakes Science Center here in Cleveland) -Shopping is great in Columbus! -German Village in Columbus is very nice and The Book Loft is a very cool bookstore to check out. (Small aisles and NOT for strollers but you can pop in and out!) -Check out Graeter's Ice Cream and see how it's made in their Bethel Road store (AWESOME ice cream) -The Short North area has several great little art galleries (maybe you could do a galler hop?) -Wexner Center, modern art space on the campus of OSU (which is a great campus to stroll around on, btw! See the horseshoe, our stadium. :)) -Great J.C. Penney outlet store (southeast-ish of the city, but not far) -Columbus is the capitol--check out the statehouse! Last month they had a neat etch-a-sketch exhibit so see what they have. -The Main Library downtown is very nice and has a fun children's area -The Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Garden is really nice. In the spring they usually have a free-flying butterfly exhibit -Columbus Art Museum (No, not as awesome as Cleveland's, but ours in under renovation and most areas are still closed. :( Columbus' museum is good.) -Craft Museum, Ohio Historical Center, a topiary garden that recreates Georges Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte...there is a LOT to do!! Great malls that have more than just shopping, too. There is more info online, too. I love Cleveland, but for a quick family trip, I think Columbus is much better. :o http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/ http://www.columbusalive.com/

Without disclaimer, we homeschool because God told our family to do it.

**Spoiler in here** I read the book a few months ago and felt the same as Colleen on her 2nd time through it. I found the young man very immature and he had such a hypocritcal denial of his need for others even though it was that dependence upon, and relationship with, other people that allowed him to continue on his existential little journey and get as far as he did. I don't know if I could watch the film now that I now how he's portrayed. I DO feel terrible that he didn't survive, but not as much as if he'd made better choices and been less self-centered and stubborn. However, I believe that he may have had some slight mental instability working against him as well and so I do have sympathy for him and his family.

we have Kindergarten, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 8th grades going here and I am teaching/helping for about 5-6 hours a day. But the K-er is only doing an hour or so, while the 7th and 8th grader do at least 4.5 hours.

maybe it will help? http://ling.kgw.tu-berlin.de/cho/Bible/

Living in a large city makes it difficult to do so many of the things I'd like to. We rent our home and don't have the land for a garden. :( BUT, I've decided that we need to cut down on the sheer variety of foods we eat. I was really struck by the photos in the other thread about how others around the world eat. They don't have a different meal every night of the week for 10-14 days straight! And yet, we've gotten so used to doing just that. For simplicity's sake and in response to the rising food costs, we're going to start buying certain items in bulk like rice, pasta and flour, etc. and spend the rest on as much local grown meat, poultry and produce as we can and that is what we'll eat. I think about the farmers who live on their own food and during the winter, they eat whatever they've canned and the (few!) other options there are at the moment! They might eat chicken with potatoes or rice 3-4 nights a week and they are OK with it. My kids complain that we never have anything NEW for lunch. There has to be a fundamental change in how we are thinking about food. I want to enjoy eating, yes, but I want our tastes to become simpler, our expectations less commercial and our craving for such ridiculous variety to be quenched. I want meals to be easier!! LOL I'm just tired of cooking being such a battleground. Can you tell what topic I've been reading up on? LOL Right now it's Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck.

is usually something like, "We set our own standards and then work to meet or exceed them. In some areas the goals are similar to what the schools do and many times they are not. But I've found that testing is only one way, and not always the best way, to gauge what my kids have learned." Most parents nod at that last part because they're tired of all the standardized testing required. If I add anything about not having to teach to the test but being able to broaden our learning horizons with all sorts of subjects or, on the other hand, focus more intently on a topic as we wish, the nods are usually more vigorous. LOL If they shake their heads in disgust, I just walk away with a shuffle and limp like Igor to let them get the full effect of our weirdness. Kidding!! I've never had anyone question me in a confused or rude manner. Yet. :)

I do the lounge pants and t-shirt combo thing on most days. If I need to run out, I just throw on my jeans instead. But I always do my face routine in the morning...I think that's because I have always needed to do some sort of skin care routine and the make-up just tends to follow soon after. When I was young it was for acne and blemishes and now that I'm mid-30's it's anti-wrinkle stuff...and for blemishes, still! LOL I do foundation, a light dusting of powder and blush, earth tone eye liner and a tinted lip gloss. EVERY day. I wear the same plus mascara and maybe darker lipstick when I go out.

The regularly used things like vitamins, pain relievers and prescriptions are on the shelf above my spices in the kitchen cabinet next to the sink. I've got them corraled in little organizer trays that are about 3 inches wide and 10 inches deep so that it holds the bottles in one neat row (one in front of the other like they are on display in the store, if that makes sense). They slide out easily and the bottles aren't falling around in the trays/bins. The rest of the stuff like cough/cold medicine, bandaids, etc. are in a shallow bin in my linen closet in the upstairs hall.

...and I quickly discovered that unless you are a person who can get away with wearing something form-fitting enough in the first place, which is what Spanx are best for, it's not worth the discomfort and silliness.

and I would try to meet some of those needs, anonymously. :) I'd probably give a portion to our church as well.

Ummm, may I eat at your house for a month??? LOL Yummy! *applause for Mrs. Mungo's effort*!