I still haven't read the third book in the Divergent series either, and I am usually pretty good with series books. It doesn't help that my 14 yo dd really didn't like it at all. I'm still waiting to finish the Sue Grafton series, but I only get her books from the library because to me they aren't worth owning. :)

I finished The Goldfinch. I'm excited! Can you tell? :party: Now to decide how I feel about it. :svengo: I'm starting The Historian this week.

Wow, guess I should have kept reading. I'm really surprised he didn't like the Percy Jackson books. Not everyone in my family liked the Egyptian series (Kane chronicles), but we all enjoyed the Greek set. I hope you will share anything you find that appeals to him!

:iagree: Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson! Everyone in our family loves the series!

Lime Jello Salad. The ingredients make it sound like the grossest thing ever made, but don't knock it until you try it. At our house it is simply called, "Green Stuff," and it is requested for every holiday under the sun, but I am expected to make 2 batches of it for Thanksgiving. We have used walnuts, but now it is usually slivered almonds. I also make one without nuts for my ds with a tree nut allergy. (Who in their right mind would think that mayo, cream cheese, and cool whip would taste good together??!) http://www.cooks.com/recipe/9c4gj0l0/congealed-salad.html - is close, but the proportions are not quite right. I think it's 2 small lime jellos, 1 cup boiling water, 1 package cream cheese, 1 can crushed pineapple including juice (we like pineapple tidbits instead sometimes), 1 cup mayo, 1 cup cool whip, and nuts are optional. I think that's it, but don't quote me on it. LOL

I eat. Probably why I am now a good 70 lbs overweight. If I can get myself motivated to exercise instead of eat, I feel better and lose weight. If not, I just keep eating. I really need a better coping plan.

We dry our razor blades and the spot where we leave them, and they last quite a long time, but I agree that the price is way out of control.

But now all the great minds want to know what kind!

My 14 yo dd will be wearing a grey wool coat/jacket from the boys department. She just told me the other day that it is her favorite coat. She's not very tall, so coats from the missus department tend to run too long everywhere. The boys' coats tend to be warmer, and bigger by size than the girls' ones. It was one of my best purchases! Hit a huge sale last February (still winter here), so she was able to wear it part of last winter, and it still fits her this year. All that to say: check the boys department. :)

Yes, I'm pretty sure my oldest was 7 when he pulled that. The first time he did it, he had to stand in the corner until he was willing to work. I don't remember how many times he did it maybe a handful. The one consequence that seemed to have the best result with him (but wouldn't have worked with his younger brother) was to put him on his bed with nothing. No covers, blankets, or pillows. No books, toys, music, etc. He was told that his job was his school work and chores and if he wasn't going to do anything, then he should do nothing until even work sounded good. He was there all of a day, maybe even two, but he rarely just stopped working again. It was definitely a power struggle. He may have won a battle or two, but I think his dad and I won that war. He's 22 now and a very good worker. ;)

I finished The Book Thief and Whose Body yesterday. Lots of books still on my reading list. I'll let you know which ones grab me enough to keep me reading them this week.

:grouphug: Glad she is getting to come home for a few days!

What about using MEP http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm or you could use something like http://www.schoolmadesimple.com/calculadder.html for drill work.

I find that the more students I have take these tests, the more annoyed I am with the entire process.

:grouphug: :grouphug: and more gentle :grouphug:

Hope you are all feeling better! (If you only knew how much courage it is taking me to even comment on this particular type of illness. Spiders, rodents, and leeches have nothing on my fear of all of us all getting *that* bug again.)

Not in this house. The just for himself part would tweak me every which way.

Ds is in and taking it for practice. He's taking it at a different school than is older siblings did because the local one is no longer offering it. (Not even to their own students!) And, of course, we are all sick, so he is not at his best this morning.

I can't comment on the Cottage Press products, but Classical Writing has been around for years, and while it is not for everyone, it is one of my favorites, and while I try every new thing under the sun, I have come back to CW more often than not. :) As a matter of fact, I just decided to use CW for Older Beginners with my youngest because I didn't give him as firm a foundation as his older siblings.

And it is in my pile from the library! (On your recommendation.) :)

I think I follow Kareni around for her book suggestions! :thumbup:

I finished Naked in Death and Glory in Death by JD Robb. They were okay. Everyone here is sick, and round two started this weekend, so we're all tired and grumpy, which makes me enjoy light reading even more. I started Whose Body? and am enjoying it. I finished a couple other junky vampire type books last week too as I was too tired/sick to really read or think. I'm hoping this week is better, but it's off to a not-so-great start today. I want to get back to The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, but am thinking I don't really want to finish Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.

Bonfire? I also live that rural, so I understand your frustration about trying to get rid of stuff. Honestly, I've done better when I have asked for a small fee than when I try to get rid of something for free. Maybe try selling it for a low price?

I'm going to continue fighting this lovely cold and cough that has hit me and the rest of the household. I'm also going to try and clean up my dining room and living room. They are disaster zones due to being stacked with books (dining room) and strewn with kitten toys (living room). I will do somewhere between 3 and 7 loads of laundry today and probably about that range tomorrow too. And, of course, there are the basics of dishes, dinner, and daily vacuuming. I'm tired and my head hurts...and I'd really rather go back to bed.

Have you tried the Flavia de Luce books on audio? I love the narrator!