I'm sorry to hear that! so the incubation is less than 24 hours? WOW! If it makes you feel better, we had a playdate today, the mom called me and right after they left, they felt sick-- her kids are confirmed h1n1... so I'm jsut waiting to see when we all get sick.

I once had a 17 year old boy checking me out. He asked me how many daughters I had. I thought that was ODD question to ask, I didn't have any daughters. WHY? He said, "You have so many tampons and pads you must either have a huge family or some serious female issues." -- only he used much cruder language.... Then I proceeded to tell him, in detail, exactly what my feminine situation was, and to what heaviness. And that, in the future, if he wishes to continue working (or ever have a relationship) he might NEVER want to question a female on such topics again. LOL He almost cried of embarrasment. (evil giggle) He still works there, but is much nicer now. :D

OOOH, thank you! Beautiful feet was just what i was praying and hoping for! I already have many of the books for early american history, so I think I can do this cheap! Thanks so much! Ya'll are awesome! Nancy-- off to check your links now, thanks!

Yes, the answer is yes-- a pack CAN be defined/attached to a particular religion. In fact, almost every religion out there has cub scout packs attached to them. HOWEVER-- there are others, including the one my kids go to, that are open to all faiths/non-faiths. In fact, I have 2 dens (wolves and webelos) that I am leader of, and I have no idea what religions my kids are. Our pack tries very hard to welcome all people. Most are like that. Don't worry too much, just find one that is friendlier. :D SOrry you had that happen.

I dumped HOD Preparing. Sorry, didn't work for us. Anyway, I have A Child's History of the world, but I just dont WANT to do this timeframe. Maybe another year, but not now. If I dont have any other options, this can work, but what else is there? I love doing colonial, pioneer times, etc. but am open to just about anyting except Egyptian times or midevil times. No matter what timeframe, I'm looking for something simple that is interesting-- that kids see what life is like, while learning about history. This is for a 3rd and 4th grader boys. I dont want to spend $300+ on history either. Oh, and if it has geography options with it, then I will be dancing around happy! (if not, I can create my own, but I am a bit lazy, LOL)

My son is dyslexic and dysgraphic also. Teaching her the times tables is your best thing... once she gets those down, it's much easier for division to click! Good job on that! We use/used Math n More (multiplication and division) and it's great! 7 minutes a day, and we go at his pace. here it is (I have no affiliation with the store or the product) http://www.littlegiantsteps.com/xcart/product.php?productid=1&cat=71&bestseller

We did frozen garlic bread and spaghetti. I tell ya-- your families eat alot better than mine does! How do ya'll do it? I'm pooped!

Heart of Dakota here. Highly recommended

yes, he's dyslexic. :D (diagnosed at public school and scottish rite hospital)

My 7/8 (now 9) year old loved ETC and their BEYOND the Code series alot! Another possibility is the book Phonics Pathways and / or Reading Pathways. Those helped my son alot! (and cheap!) (amazon.com)

I'm researching that too. I've been trying to decide between the water purification tablets (like the hikers use), bleach or what... I just ordered some MORE books on amazon (hubby is going to really be unhappy, LOL).

Can I whine??? Not one single book listed here is at my library. ARGHHH!!! I cant afford to buy all these books, I really wanted to see them, read them and buy the one's that are really important to our family. BUMMER! That being said these are good (I did buy these): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394512618 -- this tells you how to dehydrate your own food, and gives great recipes usign dehydrated foods. Just in Case http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603420355

Oh, boy... are you living in my head? We're going through the exact same thing with our (used to be) best friends. Here's my experience and thoughts: Things go in cycles. True Friendships go strong, then fade a little, grow strong, fade a little. All through it all-- the friendship is still there, just sometimes on pause. However, if there's a birth, death or emergency a TRUE friend will drop everything to help. Our best friends have found new best friends. They live next door to eachother. THe kids all play together, the parents eat EVERY DINNER EVERY NIGHT together. When I try to plan a BBQ-- they keep inviting their best friends. Talk about hurtful! We've tried to explain we'd like to get closer again-- their response is the more the merrier to join their current plans... Ok. I cant change people, I can only change my own attitude. I pray about it. Alot. I want them to be happy-- if how things are right now is best for them, than I give my blessing. But I also tell God that I mourn the friendships that we used to have... and ask that if God wants this friendship to continue to bless that friendship and help it grow, in whatever way God wants. I dont care for the other family-- theyre not bad, just they tend to do alot of inside jokes and refuse to include us. Makes me feel like I"m in junior high again... Anyway, my advice is to back away. Let them come to you. IF they're truly friends, they will come back. In the meantime, don't sit at home and sulk. Go meet the neighbors, set up BBQ's. Go meet other families that homeschool, or go to your church, or are into the same hobbies ya'll are... I refuse to sit around and wait for my friends to miss me. It is up to me to find my own happiness.

Scottish Rite accepts patients from all over the US. Contact them, I know that my cousin in Oklahoma was seen and had no problems getting in.

ditto what siloam said :D :D :D

I think that pet shop is neat!

We like math mammoth here. My only problem is sometimes I'm too lazy to print and wish it were in workbook format.

Didn't have time to read all the posts, but I use HOD for 3rd grader, and supplement for 1st grader. I spend 0 time preparing in advance. Heart of Dakota is pretty much open and go. Talk about a sanity saver! LOL

If anyone is interested, I came across some "games" to problem solve. (this was sent to me for cub scouts, but it's really great for anyone!) PROBLEM 1: Rescue! Place a doll on the floor about eight feet from a line. Behind the line, have a pile of 18 to 15 three-foot garden canes or similar sticks, string, and scissors. Also have some decoy materials. Give the denner this message: A child is in danger of drowning in this alligator infested river. Save her! Use any materials you see. Possible Solution: Build a triangle or rectangle with the garden canes and string, maneuver it behind the child, and pull her to safety. Scoring: Five points for trying hard, 10 for making the rescue. PROBLEM 2: Move the Poison. Have an empty quart soda bottle standing on the floor. Nearby are a drinking straw, a length of string, and as decoys a wooden slat, a fork, and a length of heavy wire. Give the denner this message: There has been an accident in which a powerful poison has spilled out of this bottle and down its sides. The bottle must be moved to the table as soon as possible. Do not touch it or you will be burned badly. Use any materials you see here. Two Possible Solutions: Use the drinking straw as shown in the Lift a Bottle trick (page 64, Den Chief Handbook). Or make an overhand knot in the string, slip it over the bottle, and tighten it. Scoring: Five points for trying hard, 10 for moving the bottle without touching it PROBLEM 3: Deliver the Medicine. Mark off a canyon on the floor. Place a coffee can inside the canyon, about eight feet from the edge. In a pile along the outside edge, have two 10 foot lengths of molding or other light strips of wood. Have other items as decoys. Give the denner a jacks ball or table tennis ball and tell him it represents a first aid kit. Also give him this message: One of your den members is far down in this canyon. He has suffered a bad cut in a fall and needs first aid supplies. It would take hours to climb down to reach him where the coffee can is. Invent a way to get the first aid supplies to him quickly. One Solution: Have den members hold the molding strips together to form a trough to the can. Roll the ball down the trough. Scoring: Five points for trying hard, 10 for getting the first aid kit safely to the the victim.

Scottish Rite Hospital can and does test/diagnose for Dysgraphia, and all learning disabilities for free. I HIGHLY recommend going there-- it's the best expereience we have ever had, and knowing really makes a difference. Once you know what is wrong, it's much easier to find a program/style that works with the child.

SCOUTS!!! They really get close in scouts. Also, the homeschool groups locally.

we're about to begin ancients, but I couldn't pass this up either. I am always looking for educational DVD's to have them watch while doing middle son's medical treatments. Perfect!

My son gets confused over manipulatives too. We use/used Math-it and I cant say enough good things about it. It's a little pricey new, but used is good. Now, please understand, this is NOT a math curriculum. It's a method to teach the basics that the child might not grasp, which in turn is holding them back from more advanced math. It covers addition, subtraction (including carrying over numbers), multiplication, division, fractions.... There is an Advanced Math-it for older kids too (geometry, algebra, etc...) but we're not there yet. I found with mine, he could not get the older math concepts until we went back and really taught him the beginning. Anyway, you use this with whatever math program you choose. Or use this first, then see where you are. Either way, it's fast. It's simple. And it makes sense to the kids.

I live in Frisco (75035) using Heart of Dakota