:grouphug: Your daughter is a very brave person. Tell her to stay strong. She has a lot of prayers being sent up on her behalf. I am glad the chemo is working and that the outcome looks good. You stay strong, too, Mama!

Huh. For a single income (below $90,000) family of seven I had expected to be in the lower bracket, but we are apparently in the middle for our area. We drive cars currently 21 years and 16 years old. All of our savings has gone to cover medical expenses pertaining to cancer. We shop at Aldi on a regular basis because I like it there. Too many choices at regular grocery stores, like 45 different kinds of body wash, make my head explode. I like to get in and get out with what I need, not necessarily what is "the best." I would 't know a brand name if it bit me in the butt, because that is not something that interests me. Books interest me, not high falutin' handbags or cars. One of Ram Man's nephews is a big wig in a very well paying job. He was squealing over a tiny little mark on his fancy new car the other day. He was absolutely livid about it. I had a difficult time processing that overwhelming need for absolute perfection in an object that would be exposed to dirt, rocks, and road debris on a daily basis. My mind saw a nice, safe mode of transportation that functioned well and would get him and his beautiful family from one place to another. New and shiny doesn't last long. I worry about him and what will happen to his marriage if his wife shows too much wear and tear as she ages and keeps having babies. Is he going to trade her in for a newer and shinier model, too? Just my thoughts on the matter.

What a handsome little guy! Well done, Mama!

Every time I start thinking about pillows I start laughing! When we bought our first temperpdic knock-off mattress, it came with two king sized pillows filled with the shredded material that the mattress was made from. These were supposed to be primo pillows. They were huge, thick, and held their shape. They' were also extremely dense and not even remotely fluffy. I knew I would never sleep on mine as I prefer thin and fluffy pillows, but would use it for a decorative pillow sham form instead. Every evening I would take the pillow off the bed and lean it against the nightstand so I wouldn't step on it if I had to get up to use the bathroom during the night. One night the pillow fell over and was lying on the floor. It was also the night I needed to get up for a half-awake, shuffle-to-the bathroom tinkle. I got out of bed, started shuffling off and then, "Thud! Crash! Whomp!" The next thing I knew, I was lying face down on the floor and I started laughing hysterically. Ram Man, who was startled awake, thought I was crying and asked if I was ok. I gasped out, "I fell over a rock. I think it was my pillow!" It took a good 10 minutes for the absurdity of the situation to wear off enough to finally get up and use the bathroom. To this day I am amazed that I didn't wet my pants and I will never be able to think of the rock pillow incident without giggling.

Ram Man and I are 14 years apart. We didn't become parents until we were 30 and 44. Sometimes I call him an old fuddy duddy, but for the most part we get along well and are well-matched energy wise. He talks about the old day occasionally, i.e. music, movies, famous people he remembers, athletes, etc, and I have no clue about whom he is speaking, but hey, that's what google is for!

Ram Man presents me with another puppy (which I never asked for) when the baby blues get to me. After four dogs, I now have to hide my blues.

Umm, about once every ten years.

I always order mine from bulkfoods.com. They are available in sweetened or unsweetened. They will not ship when the weather is hot, so wait for a cooler stretch. They also have fabulous yogurt covered pretzels which are responsible for about five pounds of extra weight on my thighs.

As NE Ohioans, we should have been all revved up about the game, but were both reading in bed last night. Ram Man got a text about the Cavs winning and told me. He couldn't have handled the heartbreak if they had lost, so we avoided it altogether. He is really hoping for the Indians to do well.

Simon and Theodore somehow missed out on learning to tie their shoes.

We don't watch tv, so the Internet is the only news source I have and most of the so-called reports these days are half-baked and steeped in supposition rather than actual news, so I have to filter everything I read/listen to through my own brain several times before I can separate fact from fiction. News programs are not a part of our daily lives, so I don't really shield the kids from the news; it's just a non-issue. Occasionally they will pick up on something about it during family prayer time (God, please be with the grieving family and friends of those who lost their lives in Florida today) and will ask me about it. They also hear things during prayers at church, so they do have an inkling, but not anywhere near the exposure that their public schooled peers get. We have so much going on in our family life right now that all of the external news added to their fears/worries/concerns would not be a good thing.

Alas, ear wax!

Could you tell the landlord at your current place that you are planning to move because of the carpeting issue? If he would replace the flooring, you would sign a lease for x---- months, years. would he have a hard time renting it out again and lose money, or would it be snapped up by someone else? It sounds like it would be hard to find another renter because it is so cosmetically unappealing.

We used to live in one of the worst school areas (Cleveland, OH) in our state. We moved into one of the best school districts in our state. Only under very extreme circumstances would I consider enrolling any of my children there. Drugs, teen pregnancy, bullying, teaching the standardized testing, no flexibility, are all things I have heard teachers discussing regarding the schools in our area. It speaks volumes when I know that several of the teachers and their spouses homeschool their own children. I totally agree with everything BlsdMama said in her post.

I wrote a simple story about where we were going and what special things the children were going to be doing while we were gone. Included in the story were reminders of love, hugs, kisses, and all the fun we would have hearing about the fun things the kids all did while we were gone. I inserted special family photos onto the pages along with photos of the caregiver having fun with the kids as a reminder of how special their time was going to be with the caregiver. The story was specifically for the child who had separation issues and he was allowed to carry it around and have ownership of it. I had to do this for date nights when the kids stayed with a family friend whom they adored but didn't see terribly often. The story became part of the date night ritual and was read several times throughout the evening, as needed to prevent tears and fears.

There were times I had to take all the children out on my own. We had five children age four and under. It was a matter of survival, especially at an airport or busy shopping area. I usually wore the youngest, had the "twins" in the double stroller, and leashed Simon. Joy always "helped" me push the stroller and was not a wanderer. Simon was not a wanderer, but the idea of losing track of one of my ambulatory children would make me break out into a cold sweat.

i used TQ with some of my kiddos, Early American 1 and Medieval/Middle Ages. I, too, had a difficult time knowing when to move on from a given topic. Everything looks so important, I didn't know what to skip over. I must admit, I also got a bit weary of the ongoing commentary about God's presence throughout all of history. I had no problem with the fact that it was there, and I agree with her, but I just got tired of her making all the connections and pointing it out, rather than letting the kids make the connections for themselves. A little bit is great, but a steady diet put me off of it. If I'm raising my children in a godly manner, I am making sure they can see God's presence, so we don't need to have it pointed out constantly. Other families might appreciate it, and it is great in many ways, but I chose to set it aside and use something else. We tried the VPSP as a free trial, but my kids didn't really enjoy it. Often it seemed as though the lessons were emphasizing something that didn't seem terribly important and kind of glossing over the more important points. We only used it for a couple of weeks a few years ago, but that is what stood out in my mind. We are currently using Biblioplan and have been very pleased with it.

We school year-round, so I just place an order for whatever we need about 2-3 weeks before we complete the current books. I try to buy downloads when possible; some favorite sites are: simplycharlottemason.com currclick.com notconsumed.com guesthollow.com teacherspayteachers.com biblioplan.com For actual books, I usually order from Rainbow, Amazon, or CBD.

funschoolingbooks.com by Sarah Janisse Brown might be something to consider. The children select books that are appealing to them for a variety of subjects. They read for a certain amount of time and then write a bit of information that stood out as being note-worthy to them. They can also rate the books, which might make it more fun for them. I bought my journal as a download from her website, but it has changed a bit since then. Now it seems to link to printed books on Amazon, with samples available to look through. Your children might develop a stronger interest in reading if they are given the choice of finding books that interest them, rather than following a set booklist. You would also have a record of work that they have accomplished, if that is necessary for your state requirements. Of course, the posters up thread have given much sound advice. I was just throwing out another option for you and your family. Best wishes for your homeschooling journey!

You, your daughter, the rest of your family, and all of her caregivers are being coved in prayer, especially as she faces round two. :grouphug: it's an honor to pray for you all. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do something for her. Please keep us updated.

Double post.

My 68 year old father still whines.

Did she give you the paperwork so you have the warranty info? I would also try to talk to a different PC salesperson. Explain the situation and ask if it can be exchanged for something that you really wanted. Although it would be very tempting to regift it to MIL, she would probably turn around and re-regift it to you.

Wait. She had two and used both already? Or did she keep a new one for herself? I would probably just sell it on eBay and use the proceeds for something I really wanted. Then I would proceed to tell MIL (when asked what I thought of the "gift") that I sold it because I didn't want it and it was cluttering up my kitchen. If you really like PC products, find a new PC salesperson, order from that person and then show MIL what you bought for yourself. That should make it clear.

Praying for you and your dh as you share this difficult journey together. :grouphug: