This was why I didn't care for the Veritas Press article. Perhaps at one point, sure. But our society is not mocking these things to vanquish them. Too often, it is imitating.

Practice! My 7 year old has had a hard time with them, only doing one or two at a time before collapsing...while the other kids passed her by. I helped her some by putting my hands under her feet and letting her put pressure on my hands to relieve some of her weight. Mostly, she just tried once or twice each time we came and fell off every time. A couple days ago, she hopped up there to try again and....SHE DID IT! She went all the way across!!!!! We jumped up and applauded. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I'd never seen her do more than two in a row before and she managed around 10! Seeing so many kids do it motivated her to try harder. If it weren't for that, she'd have given up trying, just assuming it was too hard for anyone to do.

We might not be able to live off the land, but regardless of circumstance, we have to develop a mindset of doing the best we can with what we have. I'm not there yet. ;) We can start with spending as little as possible now, when things seem to be as good as they are going to get, so that we'll have more to spend later if necessary. Clothes can be line-dried indoors, leftovers can be frozen and stretched, more items can be purchased used rather than brand-new. I'm not worried about learning to sew outfits because resale shops and yardsales all carry plenty of clothing for less than $1.00. It might not be pretty, but if I'm desperate someday down the road, I'll have something to cover myself. And honestly, even if it's stone-washed hammer-pants, it would have to look better than anything *I* could manage to sew up. :D I'm trying to learn to coupon because I don't have extra money for stocking up on much and this will help me somewhat. I do try to buy at least one extra bag of beans or pasta every week when I shop for groceries. The beans can be sprouted if necessary. I'm investing in one of these, just in case fresh veggies become too expensive for us in the middle of a winter depression: http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Crop-Sprouter--3-Tray/dp/B000N03EK0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286907638&sr=8-1 Now here's the tough stuff I've thought about: There's only so much I can do by way of food. Clothing I'm not worried about. But the expensive necessaries such as toilet paper and feminine products....I went ahead and read about how to use flannel to make these if necessary. (Please, Lord, don't let it ever be necessary!) Actually, the feminine products look rather comfortable and the more I've thought about it, the more I think I'll try these soon. Another thought for me is heating. My heat depends on gas. What if we have no income someday? What if we can't purchase gas? I would like to replace our natural gas fireplace with a real wood-burning stove. The chimney is in place already because it used to use wood before being replaced with an insert. It's something to think about anyway.

And apparently I wasn't the only one! :D

I have no idea about Independent Baptists, but had to laugh because I saw this post title after browsing the Halloween thread and thought I saw a question about the Baptist Demon. :lol:

I'll catch up in reading the replies soon, but wanted to jump in first to say a few things. #1. I'd recommend asking God what He has to say about it. If, after careful prayer and consideration, you do not feel conviction over it then I wouldn't worry about it. #2. The "Jesus says Halloween is evil/turning a kid against Jesus" part seems messed up. I know you weren't really saying that Jesus said that, but let's just say for kicks that He has said some pretty fun things are bad for us. Say...sex before marriage or some such...you could go at it with the angle that Jesus was snatching away all the fun. What a downer! Or you could go at it with the angle that God has some guidelines for us about holiness and healthy living because He cares very much for us. #3. Cute costumes and decorations are fun. Lots of fun! But you aren't the only trick-or-treaters on the street. I would love to consider trick-or-treating as part of our fall traditions, but there are a lot of NOT cute things flooding the streets on Oct. 31st. I don't think of it as an evil day...it's a day that God created like any other...but lots of people all around us love the thrill of the dark side of the day. Most of them do so out of purely innocent fun, but the ghosts, the severed heads, and such aren't innocent fun for my kids. But this is my decision for my family. I think every family knows best what fits their family. We love fall; it's probably our favorite season. We fill it up with leaf-pile-jumping, soup dinners with friends, and pumpkin patch trips. We decorate our porch with gourds, mums, and un-carved pumpkins. We have had a tradition for at least 10 years of visiting some friends that live in the country (and don't get trick-or-treaters) on Oct. 31st for a game night with lots of yummy foods. The kids dress up every day of the year because they're just freaks like that, so they don't feel like they are missing out on anything there. And we spend November 1st stocking up on half-price candy so they definitely don't miss out on the chocolate. In fact, we get to go buy the good stuff and lots of it instead of coming home with bags of tootsie-rolls and dum-dums. It fits our family...for someone who doesn't celebrate Halloween, I sure look forward to October 31st with a lot of giddy anticipation! lol!

Thanks! I've bleached my moustache since then so I should probably update the picture, huh?

I'm so sorry that happened to you! Yuck! I'm the same way....after many transactions through the years, I dreaded the day something would go wrong. It finally did. A couple months ago I sold something but the recipient never got it. She had emailed an address to me but I mailed the package to the address that her paypal sent me. She hadn't updated her paypal address and it supposedly went to an old address. What could I do? I refunded her money, hoping the package would be forwarded to her new address or at least sent back to the sender. No package. No money. I have stacks of stuff here I want to sell, but now I'm dreading it. I'm not sure I can afford to sell anything more! :lol:

While I agree that lying isn't expressly forbidden in the ten commandments (in fact, in Exodus, the midwives were praised for lying to Pharaoh about Hebrew women giving birth on their own,) but Ephesians 4:25 says Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. I think you handled it beautifully by admitting they lie to your son and expressing remorse. As for the lying...yuck. We all have to try it some point, it seems. It was easier on me when my younger two tried it, but I took it so personally when my first two tried it. I think you're handling it very well by expressing that it breaks trust between you both. You may need to make this thought sink in deeper by removing privileges (playdates and such) that require you to trust him to make good choices until he has demonstrated that he is trustworthy. I'm sure you're setting a good example, but you might be hyper-vigilant for a little while to be sure he doesn't catch you saying, "Tell them I'm in the shower" instead of coming to the phone; refunding your cashier if she gives you too much change; etc. We're all human and we're all going to mess up, but I think it is incredibly important for them to see us set a good example in how we handle our mistakes.

What would I do? I'd spank my daughter's hind end. I don't spank very often at all. We reserve it for intentional defiance. Screaming no fits the bill nicely. Laughing at me for expecting obedience? That's disrespectful and mean. I'd be praying for guidance and diligently trying to help her before she annoyed, hurt, and ran off all of her friends. Spanking isn't the answer for every child, obviously. But there would be immediate consequences. When mine are being unkind, they spend time alone in their room to remember their manners and how to care about other people's feelings with a clear explanation that it was #1 to protect their playmates from having to be treated unfairly and #2 an opportunity for them to get control of themselves and make better choices. I listen to my kids. I talk to my kids. LOTS. But I still require obedience. For their safety and well-being, it is important for them to learn to conform their will. This is not the same as breaking their spirit. Not a single one of us gets to do whatever we want whenever we want. We learn over time that we have to adjust to things...work schedules, laws, etc. Sadly, it seems to be a very rude awakening to a lot of young people these days because they are accustomed to getting their way. Sometimes they have to suffer through a lecture or two, but in the end, they still generally get their way. While I think it's important to show our children respect by explaining things and by listening to their side, this is done after my instructions have been obeyed. They don't obey because they have considered my explanation and decided it wouldn't kill them to give in. I shouldn't have to convince them to obey. I've seen a growing trend that depends on showing respect to our children by explaining our decisions, but see so few parents teaching children to show respect BACK by obeying. I've yet to see a child learn respect because the parent showed a good model of respect towards them. Instead, I see entitlement...they feel they deserve to be respected and see no need to give it back. In the scenario of the OP, I would discipline first and then discuss why it was important to obey. Then, I would play a game to help teach the new skill of obeying mom. We did this for coming to mom when mom called their names. When they were little, I would explain why it was needed and then have them stand in the next room. I'd call their name and have them practice coming to me and saying, "Yes, ma'am?" We did it several times in different places in the house, doing different activities (what if your hands are full, etc.?) We always ended in giggles and it was a fun way to learn. Perhaps in this case you could hand her harmless toys and pretend it's a.....I have no idea...a spider? and mom says, "Please hand me that." Practice and make it silly, but make sure she understands it is necessary to obey mom...even when it doesn't make sense because mom cares about her safety.

For the first five minutes, it was to seek out support and encouragement in my brand new homeschooling journey. I quickly realized it was like therapy. All the advice I could ever need, plus the opportunity to share advice which felt great. To a nursing, stay-home-mom, it was very affirming. I was more than a walking boob. I was more than the gal fixing dinner and teaching phonics. I was able to participate in intelligent conversation!!!! Now, it's my teacher's lounge.:001_smile:

I found the solutions manual for Foerster this afternoon! I finally called the publisher and it turns out that they renamed the book and it is now called Classic Edition instead of Foerster's. The ISBN # is 0201861003. I can't find it used anywhere, but it is available new at pearsonschool.com. I'm still torn though. I loved Singapore so well and would like to try going on with NEM. But I don't want to commit to it being his math for all of high school. I hear that Foerster does an excellent job with proofs, which I think are important. I may end of tossing a coin before this is over.

Thank you! I ended up calling the company and they told me that they had changed the name. Your link is exactly where they sent me. It is now called Classics Edition rather than Foerster.

I know this is ancient, but the link is dead and I am having the exact same quandary. Where is this silly manual?

I am relieved to hear these responses. He loves math and enjoys a challenge, but I couldn't at all say that he is passionate about math. I had forgotten that Foerster was on my list of maybes before I heard that AoPS was the crème de la crème of algebra texts. So....NEM or Foerster....thoughts?

Ha! Lightbulb! Thank you! Regardless of what x is, the expression will equal the same thing. You're speaking my language. The book is not. :tongue_smilie:

We're a mathy family here, so I'm feeling kind of like a failure here, but I closed the book today and said, "Enough." My math-loving son was diligently struggling through hours of math a day and getting nowhere. It took nearly two months to get through two chapters and I know he couldn't pass any review tests. He understands algebra, but this is....different. My husband and I are struggling to understand half of the problems ourselves...and this is our *thing*, ya know? I haven't heard a negative word about AoPS yet, so it's kind of embarrassing to admit, but I just do not "get" some of these questions. Anyone that gets it feel like helping to clear the mud on this one? 2.38 What number must be in the blank in the expression 3(x+7)-_(2x+9) if the expression is the same for all values of x? The solution manual says that "if the expression is the same for all values of x, then the x's in 3(x+7) must cancel out with those in _(2x+9). My question is...WHY must they cancel out? It's a random, unfinished number sentence. What is in the original problem that tells me they must cancel? What am I missing here? Knowing they must cancel, we can work the problem, but I'm not grasping why I should know they cancel each other out. :svengo: My other question is, what do I do with this book now? Do I take him through NEM and then come back to this or avoid it forever? I've never given up on a program before. I chose it because the other algebra books were too easy. We've ran into hard things in other books before, but stopped and worked through and moved on. Every day I see him patiently ramming his head into the AoPS wall and it's not something I can help him just "work through" this time. Even though I know that, I still hear Frankie Avalon in my head singing AoPS Drop-Out. :blush:

My heart rate increased a bit when you mentioned combining Littlest Pet Shop stuff and Polly Pocket stuff - lol! I'm not even a Type A personality, I'm just thinking of all the work for me later... Personally, I'm a natural born slob, but I keep the kids rooms tidy by separating their stuff into sterilite bins of various sizes. These bins go up in the top of their closet. When my kids were out of control, I let them choose one bin for the week. Each night, they cleaned up their mess. Castles and such could stay assembled, but I had to be able to walk in to tuck them in without impaling my feet. If they left a mess, they lost the bin until the next week. We quickly progressed up to one bin a day, though they often decided to choose the same bin for multiple days in a row. Now, they can request a bin any time they want, but the first bin has to be put away first. Sometimes, I let them have multiple bins down, but they appreciate that it is a special treat. No one has tried getting a bin down by themselves, but if they were to remove a bin without permission, I'd take away their bin privileges. As for the sorting, we throw all of one kind together even if they have individual sets. This way, our playmobil bin is an 18-gallon tub that holds our castle, ships, pirate cave, and odds & ends. Our lego bin is a large flat box that slides under the bed (wrapping paper bin, maybe?) that has all sets dumped together. Instruction books are in the same bin but my kids rarely use them anymore and seem to like making frankenstein sets instead. I know it sounds so anal, but the kids were so relieved when I did it. They play in their rooms SO much more now. They enjoy their space and having just one set of toys out at a time seems less overwhelming and their creativity has room to breathe. We've been doing it since my boys were 3 & 5 and they still prefer it now that they are 10 & 13. I don't make them ask anymore, of course. They like their space and they just grab a bin when they want one. Generally, the legos win out nearly every day of the year. If they forget and leave these out, I protect my feet by refusing to tuck them in. Thankfully, they still like mama's bedtime hugs enough to try to keep the floor cleared. :D

If that's how you'd like to look at it, then, sure. Slap a bonnet on my head and call me Hitler. ;) I thought it was an illogical statement, insult really, without foundation. It didn't offend me. It made me chuckle. The mature thing for me to do would be to keep my amusement to myself. I should have. But I didn't.

:D I love it. :lol:

You do realize you set yourself up as judge of our character just as much as you accuse us of being judge of others' grammar, right? Just to clarify, I do not feel I'm better than someone else just because I am aware of a grammar rule and cringe at it's abuse. There are plenty of mistakes to be found in my speech and I'm sure I give someone else bleeding ears. Particularly with the lay/lie thing. I screw that one up every time. And I say the word screw. I try not to because I know it offends, but it's a habit. Some of my favorite people say "I seen." I don't judge them, even if it does make me cringe. I greatly admire these people, so there is no self-congratulatory carpal-tunnel going on here.

Ack! I've never heard the drowned one used. I remembered another for me: ridiculous plurals. People in my town don't go to Wal-mart, they go to Wal-marts. They also don't go to Sonic, they go to "The Sonic", which isn't a plural but is equally strange to me. My husband pluralizes the word underwear just to pick at me. :D He tells the kids to be sure to pack their underwears. It feels like a screwdriver in the ear.

Okay, Chelle, but I'll drop all of my "to be's". :D

At home, the kids now we don't have grade levels. They are in whatever book they're in. When they finish it, they don't wait until the next year to start a new one, we just continue with whatever they are ready for and slow down for the things they aren't. I emphasized that the books we used did not necessarily coincide with public school books and that they couldn't take the # on the book as a grade level. I noticed it got confusing when someone asked them what grade they were in. My kids could take 10 minutes to answer that question. I finally just told them that when people ask, they should give the grade of whatever Sunday School class they were in.

LOL! Can you time him and just not tell him you're timing him? Maybe when you can show him, guess what? You finished that test in 15 minutes!" he'll lose some of the panic? My oldest never completed the timed tests for Saxon (we switched him to Sing. in 4th grade.) He took an hour to do a 10 minute test. We stopped and focused on the test for over a month and the best he did was half an hour. I finally gave up and moved on in the book since I knew he had the facts memorized and just froze up with timed tests. In 6th grade, I had him tested with the local public school for their MAP testing. I was worried that I was setting him for failure since it had been years since he'd tried a timed test and since our last attempts had been so pitiful. However, he did an excellent job and even had to bring a book to kill the extra time he had left over before the bell. I was so relieved! I don't know if it was an age thing for him, or what, but I still haven't found the nerve to time him in a test and he's now 13 years old. The flashbacks to his 3rd grade tests are still too vivid.:lol: