Cool! We just watched a couple of his videos last night. We love him, too. We'll have to try the butter making!

Cute! I think I'm going to do it. But I think some of those cookies got turned around on the plate...

I third the previously mentioned onions and lemons!! Let's add fresh cilantro and parsley to that list. And tomatoes. And potatoes. What *can't* you do with tomatoes and potatoes? And cilantro just makes me swoon. I think I need some salsa. Fuzzy socks (mismatched and currently on feet). Fuzzy pj pants (new for Christmas; purple with snowflakes). Fuzzy white hoodie. I like fuzz. Also, t-shirt material sheets in faded lime green on my bed. My dear sweet kitty, dear sweet hamster, and dear sweet fighting fish (dwk, dsh, dsff). They give me snuggles and make me smile. I will admit to having attempted a fish snuggle in the past. The warm happy glow in my living room from the Christmas tree and all its pretty lights and decorations. My new-ish printer that has a photocopier built in. I didn't have that before, so it saves me a lot of time and hassle for homeschooling and tutoring. My 115 year old piano that gives me hours upon hours of enjoyment.

We'd like to participate! (1 child)

If you give a mouse a washcloth, she'll have to clean under the sink. But then she'll realize that the shelf under the sink is broken. So she'll get out her toolbox. But in the toolbox she'll see the screwdriver and remember that she needs to tighten the screws on the table legs. But under the table, she'll notice the bread crumbs...

Use a gentle soap. Always moisturize immediately after doing any activity that wets the hands. I keep lotion at the kitchen sink, as well as the bathroom sink. Use an overnight treatment to help heal the skin. I really like Mary Kay's Extra Emollient Night Cream. It is not one of those types that absorbs easily, but rather is thick and beeswaxy/vaseline-y. I use it on hands and feet overnight or when they need an extra boost, and it does wonders. You can cover it with cotton socks or gloves, but I don't feel the need to.

Yes--agreed. The music program I'm doing with my daughter includes piano, theory, ear training, sight singing, composition/improvisation, and more. I've taught music for years, though. I think it's pretty difficult for a non-musical parent.

Oh, I agree that piano is the best for that! (I am a pianist and piano teacher.) I just think that *any* instrument would be better than *no* instrument for learning about music. You wouldn't really want to do it in a purely theoretical sense on a piece of paper only. Some people don't have the money and/or inclination to invest in a piano and lessons to go with it, that's all. I do highly recommend piano lessons to get basic training in music.

Let's say I have an awful car? Oh, I don't really need to pretend about that one! :D In fact, other than the make and model, it sounds like we have the same car!! (engine light, air conditioning, less-than-reliable...) I personally am planning to go used-car shopping very soon. I just can't see making it through this whole winter. Poor old Isabella. ;)

- ants on a log (peanut butter / nut butter on celery with raisins on top) - smoothies (frozen fruit, juice, banana, can add milk/yogurt/soy milk/protein powder/vegetable juice) - oatmeal with fruit - frozen yogurt & fruit pops - homemade cookies with oats, raisins, coconut, nuts, etc. - homemade muffins (maybe carrot & oat bran, pumpkin, etc.)

We have a limited amount of technology in our house--one oldish, basic cellphone, one computer, one small tv (with no cable/satellite, but with a DVD player/VCR), one Playstation 2 with a handful of mostly active games like Dance Dance Revolution and karaoke. I don't really place official limits, mostly because I don't need to. My daughter is 10 and has grown up this way, so she is more likely to pick up another activity than do a screen-based one. When she's on a Webkinz kick, she might play every day for a week, but then she might not touch it again for a month. Webkinz and YouTube are her main computer activities; in fact, both of us enjoy YouTube for music, movies, and funny clips. I watch some t.v. online. The t.v. is almost never on, except to watch a video/DVD periodically. She gets enough t.v. at other people's houses, like grandma's. We go through stages where we play PS2 games and might play for an hour or two one day, but then don't play for weeks or months. She likes to read, play outside, do crafts, do art, do imaginary play, invent things, and so on, so when she asks to have screen time, I usually don't have a problem with it. She self-monitors very well. She'll find herself getting bored with the screen and just be done with it. She also has no patience for a lot of what passes for kids' entertainment on a screen, like online colouring, online puzzles, silly little action games, and so on. But she has a ton of patience and persistence when it comes to making something, doing a real puzzle, or beading mini beads on a loom. I'm glad she's spent so much time interacting with the real world.

:iagree: ... but that "instrument" could be something simple like recorder, or it could even be voice or body percussion (clapping, clicking, snapping, stomping). Of course, history, composer studies, music appreciation, and so on can be learned outside of the context of instrument study, but pure music theory makes much more sense in context. By pure, I mean things like note names, values, rests, scales, chords, intervals, key signatures, time signatures, rhythms, reading music, and so on.

I wouldn't have him read whole sentences at this point. You're right; it almost defeats the purpose if he can't remember the beginning by the time he gets to the end. Shorter chunks of reading would probably give him both a greater feeling of success as well as better comprehension. There are books available that are shared readers for adult and kid, so on one side of the page you have the adult-read story line, and on the other side you have a few simple words for the kid to add to the story. One company that makes these books is Usborne, but there are others. Alternatively, you can play reading games where you might have to sound out a single word or a short phrase at most. Word Bingo, Word Concentration, etc. Check out Peggy Kaye's Games for Reading for lots of ideas.

I fill my own stocking. Most years, I just stuck in some small item, like a new lip gloss, so my daughter wouldn't think Santa forgot about me. This year I filled it more properly. It was fun! While the surprise isn't there, it's nice to get a bunch of little things you want.

I think it sounds very nice, but I would put the "run the race" in quotation marks, since you mean it in a symbolic sense.

Sense and Sensibility or Emma.

:iagree:totally!

Beauty treatments, such as an almond scrub for face or body. I haven't tried this, but I'd use it as a filler/extender in hamburgers or in big, chunky, oatmeal-type cookies.

Anything by Steven Raichlen, including his bbq books and High Flavour Low Fat. I think he and I have pretty much the same taste buds, and I trust his recipes. My newest favourite is Stonewall Kitchen Favourites.

They are not like normal cinnamon buns/rolls, but they do taste good. They're sliced about an inch thick and served as Christmas cookies, and they're known around here as nun's farts. :D

Balderdash is a fairly ageless game. I think it actually plays much better with adults than with kids, because kids don't really make up convincing definitions. A table full of creative, intelligent adults makes Balderdash one of my all-time favourite games.

I thought of a few more that can support more than 4 players: Incan Gold -- a push-your-luck type of game Dixit -- a thinking person's party game Time's Up -- party game Coloretto -- quick card game with interesting decisions to make Blokus -- great abstract strategy game for four For Sale -- fun filler that works for up to six people; easy to learn If you go to the boardgamegeek site, click on the Holiday Gift Guide in the top left hand corner to get game ideas that include number of players, ages, and descriptions. Check out the previous years' guides as well (linked within the first guide). This is probably one of the easiest ways to peruse games.

Do you mean they have trouble learning the algorithms for long multiplication and long division... like remembering that after multiplying two digits, you have to add the number that was carried from the column before? Or remembering the order that you do the various operations in a long division problem?

Off the top of my head: Ticket to Ride Citadels Carcassone Bang Jungle Speed Balderdash Dutch Blitz Stone Age Dominion Check out boardgamegeek.com for information on just about every game ever made. Do they like board games, card games, party games, strategy games? If you narrow it down, I could probably help more. Also, how many players would there be?

Christmas Eve Lunch - homemade guacamole and salsa - tortilla chips - maybe stollen for dessert, or gingerbread cheese ball with gingersnaps Supper (at parents' house) - the traditional spicy corn chowder - biscuits or buns Christmas Day Breakfast - bodum hot chocolate - sparkling blood orange juice drink - bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon - homemade cinnamon buns Dinner (pretty much a traditional Thanksgiving-style dinner at my parents' house) - turkey - twice baked potato casserole (I'm bringing) - various sides (probably a salad, a sweet potato dish, and a couple others) - pumpkin pie and whipped cream I've now got plenty of good ideas for next year from reading this yummy thread!