good teaching videos (for Photoshop Elements, etc.) on YouTube! One thing that I'd like to do is take all of my *paper* and scan it so that I can use it in digital scrapbooking. I have a feeling that I'm going to be doing digital SB much more in the future, but I have TONS of paper and don't want to waste it! I'm sure I'll keep it for my dds to use or to make smaller albums for my parents, etc. One of my favorite sites so far is Cottage Arts: http://www.cottagearts.net/tutorials.html

This describes us (me!) to a "T". Ditto.

any NON-tomato sauce/pasta dish. When we had our 6th baby, we got, I'm serious, *7* different baked ziti or penne dishes. That's out of 10 meals. :o Not that we didn't appreciate it, but...LOL Some of the usual dishes I give are: Turkey or Chicken Tetrazzini Beef Stroganoff over noodles Meatballs and gravy over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes (sometimes I give more than one side for variety) Baked Parmesan Chicken A pork loin roast that I have a good recipe for A beef roast or roast chicken or turkey breast The good old chicken and stuffing in the crockpot bake Chicken a la King (over biscuits) Beef and Broccoli over rice or noodles Chicken stir fry over rice or noodles White (Chicken) Enchiladas White Lasagna I always give a vegetable and bread or other starch side. Sometimes I throw in dessert, but usually not homemade. LOL Or I'll give a whole pineapple or melon for dessert, especially if it's a slightly spicy or Mexican meal. :)

Hungry Planet looks like a great book for our kids (and dh) to see. :)

told us that he felt it would go against the Hippocratic oath to not vaccinate because he feels that vaccinations prevent harm (so NOT vaccinating goes against "do no harm") and that his practice focuses on preventative care (above all else, apparently), so he would not be able to accept patients who were not concerned with preventative care for their children because there is a fundamental ethical difference between us. Nice.

I'm awaiting my copy of The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears...you may want to check that one out! He's not anti-vaccine, but supports separated and (some) delayed vaccinations. He gives a schedule as well and it seems like there is a lot of information about the diseases and vaccines themselves to help you make the right choice for your family. As to the original post(s): We delay all vaccinations until after 2 and, due to periods (like now!) of no health insurance, get our children select vaccinations slowly over a pretty long period of time when we can. We are only giving the chicken pox vaccine to our dc 12 or 13 and older who haven't had it yet--none of them have! :o NO HPV vacc. for our daughters. I never intended to be so unorganized about this whole thing but our lives have had some major financial ups and downs, periods of no work, etc. and vaccinations are just not a high priority when we're unsettled. Sad, but true. Our children are rarely sick and we avoid the doctor's office (and definitely the free clinics/health dept.) like the plague. LOL

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has paid out almost $2 billion to American families whose children have had adverse reactions (and worse?) to vaccinations. Why would they be paying up if there weren't a very real potential for harm? For crying out loud, I wish they'd just fess up. LOL The equivalent of this compensation program in Great Britain has paid out millions to its citizens, too. This is an interesting story--thanks for posting!

We own every one of his books. Some are better than others, but we've enjoyed seeing his writing style and subject matter broaden and deepen over the years. I think he's an amazing writer; it's difficult sometimes for people to see the talent beneath the horror or bizarre, but he is a master at creating characters with rich *minds*. He's got this odd stream-of-consciousness thing going with so many of his characters that is totally believeable--I always catch myself saying, "People DO think like this! We DO have weird thoughts and imaginings and mental tangents like that!" I also enjoy seeing so much of HIM in his work...he loves to use cultural icons and music (no doubt his favorites) in most of the stories. That said, our children will not be able to read them (if they choose) until they are 17 or 18. I don't think that all people can handle the imagery or should even try. I was not a Christian when I began reading King as a young teen and think I should have waited. Now, as a Christian, I have no qualms about putting down one of his stories if it's too much and there are a few of his books I will not revisit but keep for nostalgia. :) Also, please don't judge King's work by the MOVIES that have been made from his books! LOL Ack! Not very many good ones. :) Misery was good, though, and a few others. If you'd like a suggestion for a first book to read that is less horror-ish, try Bag of Bones. Very good ghost story. Every Stephen King fan has their favorites and LEAST favorites. (I couldn't stand Tommyknockers or Lisey's Story, although the latter was well-written.)

The premises of most of his books are very good, but he can't quite get the delivery, IMO. I thought Black/Red/White were too obvious and sappy. Lots of eye-rolling going on here. LOL Just not my style and I believe his writing isn't consistent--he is still developing his writing maturity. His other books are OK, but some are darker and I'd probably preread for a teen under 16. I really feel that he *has* made a big impact on and upped the ante for the Christian fiction community, which until this past decade has been pretty slim pickings for me. I'd love to have more options for clean but exciting thrillers, mysteries and even popular fiction type books!

One of the hardest things for me when I was a child/teen was getting up early for school and not being able to ease into the day. I'm not a morning person and my dh and kids aren't either! We try to get up *just* early enough to be able to waken fully, putter around a bit and get our attitudes on straight before school! I know that in part I do this because of how poorly suited *I* was to the public school routine (and lack of challenge, but that's another story), but really it just makes sense for us. We get up, get breakfast and after one chore each, my kids can do what they want until school starts at 10. Oldest 2 sometimes check email, youngest school-age ds likes to do a little bit of BrainPop Jr. I have Sprout on t.v. for the toddler or the news on for me and the older ones. I savor my morning Dr. Pepper and my girls will often work on a craft project for their free 30-45 minutes before we get down to business. Life is so much nicer this way. :) And I like showing our children that life can happen in whatever way we choose! The 9 to 5 life is NOT a given if it doesn't fit. (Not that there's anything wrong with it.) Flexibility within a loose routine is paramount in our lives. It helps us to be available for so many more opportunities, not the least of which is serving others. Again, that's another topic. lol :D

I tend to preview more of the books they read for pleasure than the ones that would be for school or that are well-known in the first place. I feel more confident allowing them to read a classic or assigned book from a curriculum I trust/have good experience with--but I will read it if I'm interested in reading it for myself anyhow or if it's one that I specifically want to discuss with them beyond what our lit. program covers.

Oh! I'm sorry if I missed your intent. :) Sometimes I just get going... lol ;)

There are many Christian leaders and founding church fathers, etc. who were, quite frankly, wrong about some things. :) I don't hold any human being above the word of God and know that we're all capable of misinterpretation. I feel like Martin Luther may be saying that it was a sin for Onan because God had directed against it at that time--even Luther says it "was" a crime, not "is" a crime. For Onan, then, it was sin. This is what I believe to be true about this passage. And I believe Calvin was/is just wrong on this based on that one quote. I don't throw out everything else he's ever said or believe he's a false prophet because of it, but I hold his words against the word of God...and believe he was in error on this issue. When God speaks specifically to an individual or group of people, it's our duty to really use discernment to discover if that applies to all believers or is being used as an example of a greater principle OR to show that God cares about our hearts and motivations. The word picture or story is sometimes simply the illustration used to convey a greater truth. The actual truth He intends for us to receive. :) I believe this explains why the "be fruitful and multiply" issue has caused such division and some have based an entire theory of childbirth/childraising on verses such as these.

there's evidence that college bound kids who have used TT have trouble? I would like to read about that. I have a hard time believing that any child who wants to go to college but may be (*gasp*) average in ability is shooting himself or herself in the foot by using this program. Average children get into college, too, and do just fine. :) Accelerated children looking to study in hard sciences/math? Sure, TT is probably not rigorous enough. But goodness, the generalizations that it's a waste of time for ALL college bound kids seems unfounded maybe? And I'm not even in love with the program... LOL

the threaded part of the page (at the top) when I choose hybrid mode. *sigh* It's supposed to help find specific posts but I can't scroll through that part half the time! Makes finding a place in a thread really tough and I don't have the time/motivation to try and keep up many times. THEN, I feel like I'm posting and running and don't want to be a bad conversationalist. LOL

so forgive me if I've repeated thoughts or ideas here. :) I think that an important question to ask before subscribing to the Quiverfull lifestyle is, "What about prayer?" and "Do I serve a God who answers my prayers about what concerns me and my family?" "Can God reveal to me the size of our family, either now or down the road, rather than keeping us guessing in order to teach us trust?" Truly, if we believe that God knows how many children we will have, do we believe that He will then keep us waiting without a clear answer about how many that is? Even one at a time as we go? I believe that the true "Quiverfull" mindset is one that does not exclude prayer with the utmost belief that God can and does answer specifically about our family size. What is the difference between 2 couples, both for whom God has planned, say, 8 children and the 2 choices they could make: Couple A decides that rather than (or maybe in addition to?) pray about both their family size AND the timing of children, that they will leave it up to God and be surprised. They won't put their desires into it even though God has made it clear that He cares a great deal about them as long as they are aligned with His will. Do they pray after baby #1 to see if and when God will allow or bless them with another or do they forgeo the expectation that He could and would answer them specifically because the greater lesson for them is trust, one which another couple may not need to learn in this way? And, they end up with 8 babies as God planned beforehand. :) Couple B decides that they also want as many children as God has planned for them, but also know that there is a good chance that in the way God has created a woman's body--and all women differently--that those babies could be spaced very close together. Because they feel God cares for the mom's well-being and ALL of their life circumstances in creating this family, AND they believe that the wife being in optimal health before subsequent pregnancies is a way to honor that desire for more children, care for God's temple (her body) and those future children... AND they believe that God will give them an answer about the perfect, planned size for that family, they choose to use a method of prevention in between pregnancies. And they choose that method prayerfully, open to when it should or should not be used, knowing that God could work around any stubborness or lack of prayer/seeking His will and bless them at any time, too. They pray after each baby and finally feel peace after baby number 8 that their family is complete. 8 babies, just as God planned. :) For me, quiverfull as it is commonly explained, is an all or nothing mindset that cannegate the power of prayer and the many, many examples of God's specific answers AND his care for wives and mothers. It seems to imply that God actually does not have a finite number of children for us, or that timing is the more important issue than number, and that His sovereignty does not work through the natural laws that He lovingly put into place to create life and keep our world together. LOL ;) It also seems to imply that this is the Biblically correct way to grow a family when it really is a personal conviction based on that couple's relationship with God and what He wants to teach them. I'm not saying that anyone here is being judgmental about this, but we all know that certain statements about how WE have chosen to follow the Lord can, by default, sound like a condemnation of any other path. I'm particularly worried about how moms who suffer post-partum depression or other physical ailments or stresses deal with what seems like a choice between the guilt of feeling that they are less than righteous enough or not trusting God enough in the growing of their family if they care about their own health or the timing of children...or the severe health issues they will most likely face if they get pregnant right away after an extremely difficult previous time. If the Bible really supports this quiverfull idea, then it would logically mention any circumstances where it would be OK to give the mother's body a rest (to take care of her body, His temple? to best prepare for another child?). But it doesn't, and so it's all or nothing. The quibble is in the details, don't you think? Is it the TIMING or spacing that you really need to give up to Him? Or is it the daily seeking of His will in expectation that He is sovereign and yet directs us? We cannot thwart His will and yet I believe He can bend it at His delight for OUR cares and desires because He loves us, so long as those desires are not an obstacle to His ultimate will for us.

For most of our puzzles and games with tiny pieces, we put cut off the title or even the whole top off of the box and tape it with packing tape to a sturdy zipper type bag with the game inside. Shows some of the original box, but takes up less space. I love that there are larger size ziploc bags now, too!!

it is definitely getting it all done and making sure that the elementary aged kiddos get enough of my time for their school work, too. So many things to cover, so little time. :confused: And then to make it all enjoyable AND rigorous... But I'm also enjoying the challenge a bit more now as well, so I can't complain.

Aside from my laptop and all-in-one printer (and the internet...), my kitchen timer to keep us on track when we have very full days is a big plus. Also, my FAT 3-ring binder where I put all of my teacher's materials, copies of legal stuff, lists, master copies for maps, worksheets, math charts, etc. and whatever else I can fit in. I like having it all in one place! :D Also, our nice t.v. trays and/or our Belkin CushTop laptop platforms (basically a ventilated, cushy-but-firm, inclined lapdesk)--we have 4 laptops here :rolleyes: and someone always needs to use one for school so it's nice for us to be able to use them comfortably while sitting on the couch! Or a bean bag chair...

I just found Kiss My Face Liquid Rock Roll-On, too, and I like it a lot. Bought it for myself and all my girls through Vitacost. I've also used the Crystal brand roll on.

Thank you! Those 2 photos are SOOC, just resized! I am going to play around with Photoshop to see if there's a way to *crisp* up some of the other photos that turned out just a little blurry. Not quite sure how to do that yet...LOL I'm not going to mess with the color at all. This was our first time using that zoom lens--the 75-300 like yours, I think--and my dh took most of the pics. So I probably don't have any solid advice yet. :p We sure had fun, though! Now, I just need to figure out if I can hook up the Rebel to my Celestron telescope...

used a tripod and tried a few different setups with the zoom lens on our Canon Digital Rebel XTi. We did OK, but still have a lot to learn about how best to take photos of celestial stuff! LOL Lunar Eclipse 2008 Dh used the self-timer thing so that it would go off on its own without our touching it and our zoom is 75-300.

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer Fleming and The Best American Short Stories 2007, edited by Stephen King. I'm enjoying both, particularly the short story collection! I don't read enough short fiction and I really, really like the genre. These are both for my 888 and I recently finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Uglies (YA fiction by Scott Westerfeld).

Here are the first 2 photos I've put up...I need to touch up a few others, too. Still getting the hang of this camera! Lunar Eclipse '08

Dh brought home a package of some Charmin Ultra Strong and it was TOO thick and soft for me. LOL! It was like using a cotton towel and that's just wasteful. :p Some things ARE too good for your bum.