I don't know what Hayride Radio is, but I identify as politically liberal (in the US). I am a member of a very progressive and liberal church, to which I almost never get around to going, but I am not a creationist or anything like that. Is that what you mean? I think that there are many people like that on here, but you might not notice at first because (from what I've seen, and keep in mind I've only been here a month or so) people here seem to be very respectful. There have been a few threads that have made me realize that there are many more like me, too.

I love Mr. Rogers. I wish more kids shows were like that now. I put them on for my kids sometimes, and they love them too. You can watch a 26 of them here: http://pbskids.org/rogers/vote/

I know that my college had "substance-free" floors, where if you were caught with any drugs or alcohol (even if you were over 21 and the alcohol was legal), you would be asked to leave the dorm. It was a smaller college, though... actually, I believe it has a chapter in the "Colleges that Change Lives" book (though I could be misremembering). It is surprising to me that there are no quiet dorms or substance free dorms. Many kids would prefer them. I made sure to live on substance free floors... I could always go somewhere else if I wanted to party and be loud, but it was really nice to be able to come back to a quiet place.

I really like it, though I don't really follow it at all (partially because I'm lazy, partially because I'm a vegetarian). But it does make a lot of sense to me. Even the meat-eating part :) The breakfast porridge is what I make every day in the winter. It's so easy (so long as I remember to soak it overnight) and really good.

Sounds like The Children's Book, by A.S. Byatt. http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Book-S-Byatt/dp/0307272095

We have the same style too, but a different window-cabinet style (I didn't like that I could see the shelves! I went with the door style where the cross-thingies cover the shelves) and black wrought-iron handles.

Back to cinnamon rolls, these ones are AMAZING. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/throwdown-with-bobby-flay/joanne-changs-sticky-buns-recipe/index.html DH even went there this morning, and didn't bring me back one! I'm sure that's grounds for divorce in some states...

LOL, a different board, not this one. Sorry to not be more clear. I just thought it was funny that I understood her reference because I have seen her around the internet, but that she conveniently left some parts out.

Well, to be fair, you became part of "the problem" until you were called on the carpet for some of your opinions which went against board culture, and flounced.

This website offers a ton of 19th century textbooks scanned in. You can get a sense of what's out there, and if there's something you really like, you can print it off. http://digital.library.pitt.edu/n/nietz/

Yeah, they don't really show you anything of the program. The video just had lots of stock photos of smiling blonde women, and two shots of the grocery list. It's definitely something to keep in mind, though.

I have an IKEA kitchen and I really love it. It's only about 3 years old now, but I had 3 kids under 4 so it's been a pretty hectic 3 years in terms of hanging off doors, hitting things with sticks, spilling food and water, slamming drawers, etc. And it's held up perfectly. We did have it professionally installed, and our contractor originally refused to do it, because he didn't trust the quality. He was a family friend doing us a favor in his off-season working at much less than his usual rate and he was a very high end contractor used to working with high end cabinets. But we begged and he agreed... and by the end he said he had been planning a kitchen reno at his summer house and now he was certain he was going to put in an IKEA kitchen there! So that was a huge vote of confidence. He said there were details that he only sees on very high end lines, and were much better quality than Home Depot (which everyone says is comparable price, but I found HD more expensive... maybe just the styles I liked). The absolute nicest thing about it is how all the Ikea organizational products fit so perfectly in them... my kitchen (unlike the rest of my house) is SO ORGANIZED. We used appliances from a local appliance store and counters from Home Depot, fwiw. I'm sure theirs are good, but there were very specific things that I wanted. (I just copied and pasted this from another thread here about them... it still stands :D )

Hmm, I might be on board with requiring cinnamon roll recipes (will also accept cookies and cake) :lol:

I'm confused by this thread. A blog and a high post count are necessary (or not) to do what? Just be taken seriously? Or to do something specific? I know some websites have post count rules before you can sell things or before you have access to certain parts of the site. Sorry, I'm new here and I think I'm missing something. I have a ton of blogs, though I never update any of them!

Wow, that looks like a great website... I like that they have a vegetarian option! I wish there was a way to get a free trial. I don't want to buy it without trying it out first.

I found your blog the other day! I was searching something about HSing (I can't even remember what now!) and your blog answered my question, so I poked around a bit more and recognized your name from here. It was like recognizing someone I knew, LOL.

It would be, but if they have their wall posts locked, then you won't be able to read it unless you're friends with them.

I couldn't even read all those quotes, it was making me feel ill. Those poor, poor children. :crying:

They prey on scared, weak, lost parents of very young children, promising brilliant returns if you just follow their methods. Yes, I believe that parents have the responsibility not to buy into their abusive, dangerous snake oil. But they also have a responsibility not to encourage people to abuse their children. And, as a society, we should try to protect abused children, even those whose parents think they're being "Godly." I think the Pearls should be in jail. I look at my bright-eyed, happy, spirited kids, and yes sometimes I wish they would whine a little less and follow directions a little more promptly, but I can't even imagine trying to break their will. Their will is what makes them such delightful, amazing little human beings. And I have NEVER raised a hand to them, and they still manage to be very polite, well-behaved kids who I can take almost anywhere and who can happily amuse themselves (to an extent, LOL) and I get compliments on their behavior all the time. DD1 (who is decidedly not a morning person...) was whining about breakfast this morning, and it was just after I had read this thread, and I realized that the Pearls would have me beating her for that. It absolutely broke my heart. Yes, it was annoying that I had gone to the effort of making waffles and she wanted pancakes, but being grateful for what she has is a life lesson that needs to be instilled through example and conversation, and will take as she grows older and becomes more aware of the world and becomes better able to reason. If I had beat her for that, she wouldn't have magically learned to be grateful and not to whine!

Yes, this. My parents were big on responsibility. To ourselves, and our community, and our society.

If you treated a dog the way that the Pearls tell you to treat a child, you would have to put the dog down, because you would have a vicious detached animal who only knew fear.

Yes, they do.

That is so sad :( That poor girl. I also feel sorry for her siblings, who were raised to believe that it's okay to treat a child like this. I hope that they can un-learn that in foster care.

But I do just want to say one more thing in response... the generation that married the youngest of any generation in US history were the Depression/WWII children, who were the parents of the Baby Boom. Prior to the 1950s, the average for women was about 23 for all of US history... it fell to 19 in the late 1940s and started creeping back up again in the middle of the 50s. And that generation also had the highest divorce rate in US history (peaking in the early 1980s). So I don't think you can actually credit the current divorce rate with "kids today."

That's why I said I thought this thread was really interesting. I don't think I know anyone who thinks like this in real life! It's always interesting to hear other perspectives, and I'm enjoying reading what people have to say.