I disagree, but different strokes for different folks. Saturated fat tends to contribute to bigger, more bouyant, less sticky particle size. The coconut oil omega ratio is much more desirable than most vegetable oils, meaning it may create less inflammation in the vessels. Cholesterol isn't a problem until it starts sticking, and it likes to stick to damaged, inflamed vessels. Many of us have damaged and inflamed vessels because we overdo the omega 6s among other vices.

Well, you could give her cheerios, and then her triglycerides might rise, her VLDL would likely rise along with it. Her total cholesterol might drop a bit, but her ratio might be less desirable.

Those who do not believe saturated fat is the devil it is made out to be actually do have science on their side. Here is a starting point: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html The author has since fleshed out that concept even more. The saturated fat leads to heart disease hypothesis stands on tenuous ground. Most of us are well aware of what the government guidelines are. We've done our own research and come to a completely different conclusion. eta: some interesting reading here: http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2011/08/if-there-was-time.html Once you dig into the actual studies, it becomes very, very interesting, and very clear that the saturated fat causes heart disease hypothesis is quite flawed.

Misty of Chincoteague, as we're off to Chincoteague for vacation in a few days. My DS1 (7 yo) has read it and Stormy several times, but DD (4yo) has not. It was a nice read aloud as she is able to follow along a bit with it. Before that we read The Wizard of Oz (unabridged). Next up: The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

I have three and I feel like this as of late. The 17 month old is busy with a capital B. He is forever climbing onto the dining table, the kitchen table, pushing chairs around the kitchen to get to things, trying to steal writing implements to draw with, etc. My oldest was not like this, my 2nd child was kind of like this, and the third...well, he's doing me in!!! He's starting to play on his own a bit, and is starting to look at pages of a book, etc. so I plan to keep encouraging that. I often do school w/ him snuggled into the Ergo (back carrier) because that's the only way I know where he is. Sometimes he's not happy about it, but he's often unhappy when he's on the loose too (because I won't give him access to my cell phone, the computer, a knife, a pen, a marker, etc, so it is always something anyway.)

Fairytales makes some products that supposedly discourage lice (it might help to feel you are being proactive?). The NYT had a piece in about using cetaphil to "smother" the lice in lieu of some of the more harsh/pesticide laden treatments. That might be useful info for your just in case (hopefully you won't need it). http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/the-alternative-medicine-cabinet-cetaphil-for-lice/ I've also heard it is important to buy a really, really good lice comb, not one of the cheap ones that comes in a standard kit.

Holding you in my thoughts.

SET http://www.setgame.com/set/

Gary Taubes has some talks on cholesterol on You Tube that you may be interested in.

We host brunch pretty often for family/friends for various events. My default menu is: a sweeter overnight french toast recipe (prep the day before, pop in the oven the day of) a savory egg casserole or strata fruit coffee sometimes some cooked sausage links or the like, but not always muffins/croissants/bagels (some or all) depending on the size of the crowd and whether the kids will eat the egg or french toast dishes (depends on the crowd I'm hosting). coffee juice (OJ). If I'm really doing it up, I'll pick up some of the fancier juices from some place like Trader Joe's where they stock some really interesting options. eta: this site is really good for brunch recipes IME: http://www.bbonline.com/recipe/index.html Lots of overnight french toast recipes on that one.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35058886/ns/health-heart_health/t/small-ldl-particles-pose-biggest-risk/

ITA w/ several of the PPs. The Friedwald equation is used to estimate LDL; they don't directly measure LDL using a standard cholesterol test. If her tris are under 100 and her LDL is on the higher side, she probably has big fluffy LDL particles, which are though to be pretty harmless. Gary Taubes' work is great. I also like this article as a primer if this topic is new to you: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35058896/ns/health-heart_health/t/bad-cholesterol-its-not-what-you-think/ My mom has #s kind of like your DD. She has very low tris (in the 60s) and likely has big fluffy LDL particles (sat fat and coconut oil can do that, but bigger fluffier particles are much more desireable than small, dense, sticky particles). My mom's VLDL (estimated using triglyceride #s) is only about 11, which is awesome. VLDL is smaller, denser, and stickier, and thus thought to be more dangerous. When my mom was on statins many years ago, her HDL was only in the low 40s, and her tris were well over 100. Those two #s are *not* good when you look at the evidence. Personally, I'd rather have higher LDL #s with low VLDL and low triglycerides and good HDL, vs. having a "normal " LDL level but with poor HDL levels and higher triglycerides. She is not on statins now. There is an "Iranian" equation that can be used to calculate LDL in tris that are under 100. http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/weight-loss/low-carbohydrate-diets-increase-ldl-debunking-the-myth/ Look into "pattern A" and "pattern B" density patterns for cholesterol when doing your research. I would definitely recommend Gary Taubes' work, Good Calories, Bad Calories (terrible title, well-researched book). If you want a start on it, he wrote a NYT piece called "What If It Is All a Big Fat Lie" a few years ago that is fairly lengthy but will give you some idea of what is in his book (which fleshes it all out in much more detail).

I feel for you. My 7 and 4 yo pick at one another and it makes me crazy. I'm not experienced w/ older kids yet, but at their ages, for "school" today I'd have them work out a solution. I'd calmly state that this cannot go on. You need to know what they are going to do to make it stop. Have them work out some sort of written contract maybe? I'd have them work on a list of problems and possible solutions, etc. I think it will be easier to hold them accountable that way, and they will be working together on solving a problem. It also might help them "own" their own problem. Hopefully someone else will have a more clear vision for where that could go, but off the top of my head, I think that's what I would focus on. I haven't read How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and How to Listen so Kids Will Talk recently, but I wonder if that might help? I think they touch on sibling rivalry. I've read Siblings without Rivalry but it has been a while.

I love it. I maxed out my # of months but have enough months remaining to get us through the holidays and a bit beyond. Phew! ;) Prime is wonderful. I wish it wasn't at times LOL, but I've really grown to depend on it sometimes. I have a 17 month old who still naps, and with HSing, sometimes I hate taking the time to run out to the store for something small. I can often find the item on prime and have it in 2 days. I do a lot of Christmas shopping on there. Not only does Amazon offer some amazing deals just before Christmas (I've picked up sweet deals on things like a Thames and Kosmos science set for a great price), but you can have the items shipped to other addresses. That means I don't have to schlepp to the post office in order to mail toys for Christmas/Bdays for kids in the extended family. That is worth a lot to me these days. Shipping isn't cheap and I love that I can just get stuff sent directly to others. My mom and dad don't have internet access so I often order things for my mom like her laundry detergent, etc. on amazon (for a good price) and have it shipped right to her. She likes a lot of the same products I like, so if I see something we use a lot go on sale, I pick up one for me and call her to see if she needs one too, and I can have it sent directly to her doorstep. When we visit my parents out of state, I also use Prime to send diapers (we use cloth at home but I use sposies when we travel for more than a weekend) directly to their address so they are waiting for me when we arrive. (eta: baby/kids are "qualifying" purchases on amazon, so for every $x you spend, you get a free month of Prime added on. I've had the amazon mom prime thing for so long I forget if it is $25 or $30? THere are also lots of things that qualify that you wouldn't think of. For example, I buy almond flour and it is a qualifying item for some reason LOL. Once you do the trial and have the amazon mom prime thing, all of your purchases ship prime (books, etc.). Subscribe and save does not.

I occasionally can save a little money at WFs. Last night Maranatha PB was on sale for 4/jar. THere was a $1 hang tag hanging around the neck of the jar. That could be stacked w/ $1 off from the WFs coupon circular available in store. THat made my 5 or 6 dollar jar of PB $2. There was a coupon for 1.25 off of a carton of almond milk (we use it for smoothies) and the regular price was only 1.69. We don't buy a lot of convenience foods but picked up some granola bars and cereal last night for an upcoming vacation. We were able to match up stuff already on sale with a coupon, which made it a much better deal. Overall though, I usually don't find them all that worthwhile. I find we save more by minimizing waste (planning leftovers, dealing w/ them appropriately...freezing before they go bad, etc.), meal planning, freezer cooking, "stacking" recipes (make a few recipes that use overlapping ingredients back to back, so you aren't using 1/3 of a piece of ginger and 1/4 of a bunch of cilantro on one recipe, kwim?). We also buy in bulk when we can (a half or 1/4 of grassfed beef for example).

I don't put much weight on public school standards. In many ways I consider them very much a "minimum." However, I believe part of the beauty of home education is the flexibility we have to choose curricula that may be excellent, but not align neatly with PS standards. For example, I looked through our state's recently, and noticed I've never directly taught probability to my rising 2nd grader, who is moving into Singapore 4a. When I went over it with him (for fun), he understood it easily, but I've never used a curriculum that matched up exactly with state standards in my state. I think there are lots of examples like that if you look at HSing vs PSing, and it simply does not concern me. I choose the best curriculum that I can, and my choices may not always neatly align with when my state thinks concepts should be taught. I personally don't think it is a detriment to learn it in year 4 vs. year 2, etc. in many cases. Singapore teaches long division "early" as compared to many PS schools. Our history likely does not align with the district's idea of what my child should know at X grade. I don't really have any desire to chase the PS standards. They don't hold much meaning for me at all, really. ITA about HSers returning to school being representative of a specific group, making it extremely tough to generalize one's experiences with that group to the larger population of HSers.

Well, in terms of them already being worn...if they have been worn substantially, yes, I think this can be a problem from an alignment standpoint. If you put a pair of well-worn shoes down on a table, they may "roll" inward where the sole (not the insole, but the regular rubber sole/outer portion) has been worn down more towards the midline if the previous owner was a pronator, for example (very common). So I do think it *can* be different from breaking in new shoes. I can and do buy used shoes for myself and my kids, but only when they are in excellent condition. I look at the insoles, the soles themselves, etc. I have an amazing pair of vintage Frye boots that I adore.

Montessori push pin work picking up quarters and putting into a bank transferring beads, pieces of popcorn, cotton balls, pom poms, etc. with tongs and tweezers pinching clothespins (integrate into games, etc.) drawing at an easel (works entire shoulder area vs. just hands) pinching things out of clay (mix in small beads or doodads and let him dig through it and pinch things out of it). rolling out playdoh (works shoulders, wrists, etc.) stringing beads or small jingle bells with a hole at the top onto pipecleaners, yarn, string, small wooden skewers, etc An often important and overlooked issue w/ fine motor skills is that proximal strength has an impact on the distal fine motor stuff. Working on core strength (abs, back, gluteal muscles) in addition to working on shoulder girdle strength can have a positive impact on fine motor skills.

My 2 favs are the hummus and the cheese sticks/string cheese.

:bigear:

I love it. I'm one of those people with a long, messy list of bookmarks on my computer. Pinterest is working well for me, as I can organize into boards (I have boards for science projects I can do with both kids, reading lists for each child individually, general resources for HSing (test supplies, etc.), Christmas crafts the kids can do, crafts I want to do, a board for recipes, etc. This is the most organization I've ever had for my bookmarks. Certainly it can be done other ways, but as a visual person, it is working well for me. I also really love eye candy for home-related stuff. We just moved into a new house a few months ago and I love that I can organize my ideas on pinterest for the house. FWIW, I don't have a FB account. I signed up for twitter just to use Pinterest. I am generally okay with my lack of perfection. I love the eye candy but would never spend the time it takes in order to complete certain projects. I pin stuff I find inspiring, stuff I intend to do, etc. I think the way I have it organized means I'm more likely to actually do some of the projects with my kids. Easier to find, easier to plan, etc. IMO.

I am in your state and went through a year with a terrible LL. I've always heard LLs complain about how hard it was to evict tenants (we have a few friends/family who rent out properties). DH and I hadn't rented in almost a decade, and when we ran into problems with our LL, I was *shocked* at how difficult it can be to break a lease in our state. A LL doesn't have a right to enter without notice, and there's something in the law about "right to quiet enjoyment." Him staying there I think would fall outside the right to quiet enjoyment and he doesn't have the right to sleep there on a regular basis. THe cats may or may not be something that would allow you to break the lease. Even w/ things like mold, apparently in our state you have to *prove* the issue w/ the house caused the health problem, which from my reading seemed more difficult than you might think at first glance. Have you googled landlord tenant law in Pennsylvania, or tenant's rights in PA? You may need to seek an attorney's advice. I know how awful it is to deal w/ a bad LL. We dealt with it for a few months before ending our lease early (legally). eta: I agree w/ PPs. IME, the first few things were just warning flags of what was to come. Our LL was horrible, but yours may take the cake!

My 7 yo has a fairly low tolerance for scary/intense stuff. He had a few nightmares when reading these (but again, he's really sensitive). Once we made them "daytime only" books he enjoyed them. His tolerance for this stuff has improved in the last few months (he's now 7.5).

Our premium is about 6500 per year, and DH's employer gives him an extra 2400 per year because he doesn't take the insurance through them (small business). We have a 5K deductible (for the whole family, not each individual). Once we hit that everything is covered at 100%. Childhood WBV are covered at 100% even if we haven't met the deductible. We use an HSA (deposit our money). We have an HRA through DH's employer. They put 1200 per year in it. It carries over, so we could use that to pay off bills when we haven't met our deductible. We essentially don't have an RX plan unless we hit something like 3000. I take a generic med that is about $4 a month and we use our HRA to pay. Our plan is through Golden Rule (United Healthcare). We found out about it through a professional organization that DH is affiliated with. Costs keep going up. Our premium rose a few hundred dollars this year. DH works for a small business and if we were on his company plan it would be 1000/month, but there is only a few hundred dollar deductible. It is a great plan, but very costly.

Coffee, breakfast for all, dog walked, and a load of laundry started. We cosleep with the 17 month old currently, and I can't wait until he can stay in bed on his own without waking up as soon as I get up. I am an introvert and my day goes sooooo much more smoothly on the mornings when I can get up and get the day started before he's up. I l=:001_wub: that quiet time, and I can get so. much. more done when my kids are all asleep. The other two are 4.5 and 7.5.