[Does this car exist?]

Thanks for all the ideas! While none is exactly what I was hoping to find, they are some good alternatives. We also live down a steep private dirt road, at the end of a very steep, usually plowed, dirt public road. My dh also has an hour commute to work. It's just not possible to go without AWD/4WD. Now I just have to decide whether the SUV clearance or easy access seating is more important.

 

 

I would look at a Chevy Traverse.

[Creative Moms: I'm in need of frugal Halloween costume ideas for girls]

What about a black-eyed 'P'? Pin a capital letter 'P' on her shirt and use make-up to give her a black eye.

 

Or a Blue 'J'....dress in blue and pin a capital letter 'J' on her shirt.

[Snake ID, Please!]

Without a clearer picture of its head I can be 100% positive: it could either be a harmless rat snake OR a cotton mouth.

I personally (grew up in Orange County, TX) would err on the side of caution and assume it was a cotton mouth.

[Anybody currently in RCIA classes]

We had our Rite of Welcome yesterday and our first RCIA class. :)

[Please share your favorite Crock Pot soup recipes.]

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

4 cups chopped, cooked chicken**

2 cans black beans

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can Rotel - original

1 can Rotel - mild

1 box (48oz) Chicken Broth

 

Dump all in crock pot and cook on high 2 hours or low until heated through. Serve over crushed tortilla chips with grated cheese and sour cream.

 

**For the chicken, I usually buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts and boneless, skinless chicken thighs and grill them. When they are cooked, I chop them and put them in the freezer - 4 cups to a quart ziploc bag.

 

[Chili - with or without beans?]

Do you like/make your chili with or without beans?

 

 

With and without! Turkey Black Bean Chili has black beans, White Chicken Chili has great northern beans, but Venison Chili has NO BEANS. :D

[Do you know the sound of "your" UPS truck?]

I'm ashamed to say that yes, I do. I can even tell when it's going to stop near my house, just by the sound.

 

This is an anonymous poll. I thought about a companion poll, "Do you know your UPS guy/gal by name?" but then reconsidered because some things should remain private.

 

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Poll: Do your kids drink milk as a beverage?]

My kids love milk. They usually drink it with at least one meal a day, along with other random times that they are thirsty.

 

Me, blech. I don't like it. Except with the occasional chocolate chip cookie. :001_huh::lol:

 

 

Same here! Except substitute Oreos for chocolate chip cookies. :D

[A Tale of Two Coyotes & Two Governors...]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Which of these movies has the best kissing scene?]

Whew! Because I wouldn't want to fight with you over Viggo. Both can ride a horse and wield a weapon at the same time. That's kind of sexy.

 

 

Yes, yes it is sexy. :D

[How Many Non-Poll Threads (excluding stickies) do you see on PAGE ONE?]

:lurk5:

[Answering polls]

Yes. Because I'm a first-born, and I must follow the rules, even if I'm not sure it's a rule, because it *might* be a rule and I'm just not aware of it.

 

 

:iagree: :lurk5:

[About your house]

No; it's the first house where I don't have one and I miss it :(

 

 

Me too. :(

[Musical instruments]

I want to learn how to play the violin. I may start fiddling around with with DS's violin. :D

[Do you wake your child up in the morning?]

I try to get both dd and myself out of bed by 8a.

 

 

:iagree:

[Which of these movies has the best kissing scene?]

LOTR - Anything with Viggo. I'm pretty sure I'd be guilty of being a celebrity stalker if I didn't already have twenty years invested into a relationship.

 

 

It was a hard choice between LOTR and The Quiet Man, but John Wayne won this one. :D :lol:

[POLL: Are you aware that if you merely vote, and you do not comment.....]

:lol:

[Would you help me sort this out?]

Okay, so I had a bad night. This has still been a heavily read thread. I got protective. I got nervous. This is followed by several threads about low post counts and people being on here to troll and not really being a part of things. I am conflicted about what my DD wants and I want.

 

I deleted it because I was being protective and wasn't sure I wanted the information about my dd out there anymore given that so many people, imo seemed to be lurking.

 

I understand all the reasons why people don't post and some of you brought one's that I hadn't thought of. I appreciate the feedback. We all have bad days.

 

I just want to clarify a few points.

 

1. I pulled my kids last January from ps becuase my oldest DD had asked, pleade with me to not send her to school anymore. She couldn't take all the drama. They were having an effect on her heath and I decided to do HSing, something I had always wanted to do. I offered my other dd the choice to either stay at PS or come home too. She choose to come home. She had been doing fairly well and I realized last night that her "unhappiness" started about 3 weeks ago when a friend from her old school called her and told her how much everyone misses her. My "problem" is that I she really misses her friends and has asked about going back to school. I want her to stay home and continue to HS. I also want her to be happy and I guess I am a little sad at the thought that she isn't happy here. We visited an art school yesterday and she seemed to fit right in and enjoy the time at the school. I know this is very different from going to school. I think that going to the school and seeing her so happy, made me sad yesterday.

 

The whole issue with my oldest is that she is pretty independent. She stays on task and gets great grades. She is able to work without my help most of the time. I changed my schedule which had a significant financial impact on us so that I could be home with them. I simply stated that it would be hard for me to justify staying home and living "short" with just one at home that really doesn't need a lot of my time. Yes, she still needs me and Yes, I would want to and Yes, she is wroth it but I am not sure it makes sense....to me. She would not be alone though. They stay with their Dad while I am at work. He works night so he sleeps so for safety purposes she would be okay but she would basically be alone doing her work 3 days a week. I probably wouldn't go back to work because I wouldn't want her "alone".

 

I did enroll both of them in a class that starts in about 1 hour today. I thought that maybe if I could create more opportunities for my dd to be around kids then she might be able to find more peace with HSing. I know she likes to be me and be at home but it's the friend issue that's making her sad. She is also having a "play date" today with the girl that calls her from her old school. Hopefully, the combination of these things will help. I am also enrolling her is some more horseback riding lessons - although that's not really a social activity it is something that she enjoys and has a good time doing.

 

I have spent the night thinking about things and if she chooses PS then I will choose to support her in her decision. I am hoping though that I can meet her needs at home.

 

I also apologize for deleting my thread. I was being protective, that's the best way to explain my actions. I also appreciate the comments about my title not being specific enough in this case. I agree that it was not.

 

Thank you to all that responded. Have a great day:001_smile:

 

I have some experience with pulling out of public school and returning to public school while still homeschooling one. I don't have time to explain just know - I'll come back. :) :grouphug:

[*sigh*. What to do with yet another package of boneless skinless chicken?]

We eat boneless skinless chicken bre@st a LOT. I've got a package mostly thawed in the fridge for dinner tonight.

 

I need some fresh ideas. Mostly, I just put olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper on it, and grill it in my cast iron skillet on the stove. That's good, but it's getting old. Sometimes we make chicken tacos, but we're kinda tired of those.

 

What I'd *like to do is cook them slowly in either the crock pot or the oven covered in bbq sauce. But I DON"T want to end up with shredded bbq chicken; just very tender whole pieces in bbq sauce. What's the best way to do that?

 

Anyone have any other favorite dishes that uses boneless skinless chicken?

 

TIA!

 

My son's favorite chicken recipe is something he calls Skillet Chicken - because it's cooked in a skillet!

 

Cut chicken cross-wise into thin strips. Put just enough olive oil in the skillet so that the chicken will not stick. Sprinkly *lightly* with your favorite seasoned salt or Greek seasoning. Cook until the chicken is done.

 

We usually serve this with mixed veggies (broccoli, squash, and carrots) and a big salad. It's also good with rice.

 

We also eat a LOT of boneless skinless chicken breasts!!

[I received this from a homeschool facebook group I am a part of]

Thank you. I just shared the link on my FB page.

[Secular version of Classical Conversations? Does it exist? Shall I create it?]

Is anyone aware of a structured program, something along the lines of Classical Conversations, but secular?

 

If one were to desire to create such a program . . . where would one start? I would assume some sort of licensing, approval, business license, etc. would be needed, yes? Or could an individual seek out like-minded individuals and form a "kitchen table" group?

 

 

I would LOVE something like this!! Even if it was a "kitchen table" group!

 

Anyone in Maryland want to start one?!

[How to cope with games with boys especially?]

I've never placed restrictions on video games and my boys honestly aren't obsessed with them. We have a Wii, X-box 360, Kinnect and Game Cube. My boys only play a couple times per week now. And often, I'll will suggest that they play and the response is, "Video games are boring, Mom. It's the same thing over and over." Sure there were times when they played quite a bit, but then I'd just say, "Ok, enough for today. Go play outside."

 

Honestly, the kids I see who have problems are the ones where electronics are forbidden or restricted in their homes. Those are the kids who want to do nothing but play video games when they're at my house. It annoys my son to no end. He's ten now, and he'll play for a little while, but then he wants to move on and do something else. His non-video-game-playing-at-home friends don't.

 

So, yes, I think your concerns are valid and maybe you ought to think of investing in a fun video game system, like Wii or X-box 360 with Kinnect. They have games that are great for the whole family.

 

:iagree: This has been our experience as well.

[Tuesday homeschool funnies]

Apparently, it was a rescue mission.

 

My son loved these! He asked me to get a pineapple the next time I go to the store! :lol:

 

My 10yo is interested in doing the stop motion movies, but I have no clue where to start him. Can you point me to a website or something?

 

Thank you

 

Our county 4-H has a media club that does stop motion along with other media related things.

[Dh asked me to ask the Hive...]

Do you guys have any ideas about rural internet? Technically, we are not that far away from a large metro area, but so far we are striking out. The house has about a mile driveway and a VERY old landline :glare:.

 

 

When we lived west of Waco, TX we had our internet through Clearwire. As long as you can get a decent cell phone signal inside your home, it should work great for you....provided it is offered in your part of the state. We had the fastest (at the time) and it was less than $35 per month for unlimited internet access.

 

We loved it and only changed providers because we moved to an area that Clearwire did not provide service to.

[Poll: "Haven't read any of the other replies, but..."]

I take it as they are saying, "Please forgive me if this has been stated before, if the conversation has veered, if this is an unpopular viewpoint that's been debated; but I didn't get a chance to read it yet and didn't want to ignore you by NOT answering."

 

 

:iagree: