I was one of these pianists who learned visually (could play the piano fine without knowing the NAMES of the notes). In college, I sang with many groups (small chamber ensembles and big choirs) and I could sight read perfectly. That skill, IMO, comes from experience with the notes over time. It does not have anything to do with the skill Jessica mentions: specifically, singing the NAMES of the notes as dd plays. Knowing an "A" is an "A" does not help you sing it correctly nor does it help you find the correct key on the piano; singing it correctly just comes from playing (or singing) that note many, many times. (I will make an exception for those with perfect pitch, which I don't really understand.) People think my son has perfect pitch, but his ability to sing an F or a B just comes from five years of playing them on his violin...... That said, I do agree with much of your post! :) Julie

I think I was too much swayed by the title of the original post. I thought somehow that you really wanted to figure out whether it was true or not! I understand now that you are saying that it is not a matter that should have been commented upon by A&E. Sorry 'bout that..... Julie

Perhaps it wasn't so terribly important as long as they were promised to each other? They courted for at least two years. (It's hard to tell because he was not taken with her right away. They met in 1759.) Anyway, here's a quote from his diary during the courtship that is almost in code. (He didn't make any diary entries at all during 1764 because he was so preoccupied with her!) "Di was a constant feast. Tender, feeling, sensible, friendly. A friend. Not an imprudent, not an indelicate, not a disagreeable word of action. Prudent, soft, sensible, obliging, active." Hmmm. Sounds fun, whatever they were doing! I think it is really none of our business, but that's just my opinion. "Obliging", but "not an indelicate." Hmmmmm...... Julie

I voted "visiting with family and friends," because I enjoy the part AFTER dinner where we play games and chat with friends. But what I enjoy the MOST is the relief of "Whew, got through that." Meaning that the turkey turned out well (not still frozen inside!), the mashed pototoes got made, the stuffing was not forgotten. You know, the feeling that "we made it!" Next year I think we'll do a potluck to try and ratchet down the stress level a bit. My son was very sick on Wednesday, but ralled in time to eat on Thanksgiving. With no scary after-effects! Julie

My son reads so many books that I have thought of getting him a Kindle. Nice for traveling, too! The wireless data service they use for downloading isn't offered here in Alaska, though, so please double-check that your state is included. Julie

I don't think so. We're actually a few blocks away from the usual "path" of the avalanche. There are lots of houses directly in the avalanche "path" (path of least resistance), and they have trouble getting mortgages. Julie

We're not big meat-eaters in my family, but I have noticed that the quality of meat at Costco is high. You can re-package it into more manageable size packages when you get home, and freeze it. Perhaps bring a calculator with you for a running total, since there is no way to determine prices before you go. And you might want to check the coupon book. We got $50 off our camera there. But the cashiers are really nice about scanning the coupons for you if you forget to use them. Have fun -- don't look at the Christmas gift displays!! Julie

It's now ours! Warts and all.... My son is now trying to wrap his head around the idea that we really DIDN'T own it before. And we also make bad jokes like, "Now that it's paid off, that big avalanche will wipe out the whole town. (Our town is the most likely in the world to have an urban avalanche. Uh, yikes?) And we're used to it: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90060569 Julie

I just made the spelt muffins that are on the back of the Spelt Flour package (Bob's Red Mill). They are so easy that it is almost embarrassing. I used honey instead of brown sugar, so they would act more like bread than muffins, if you know what I mean. Yummy! If you have trouble finding the recipe on Bob's Red Mill site, let me know.

I can read music fluently for piano (well, a few octaves anyway). But if I go to the piano and play a note, I can't necessarily tell you what it's "name" is. In other words, I somehow learned to correlate all those lines and spaces and the difference between the bass and treble clef with which key to press -- without learning the "names" of each one! Hard to do, I know. Not sure how that happened, LOL. So here's one more exercise for her that you may have already done if you did the Alfred books. Simply find "every A" on the whole keyboard, every B, every C etc. Do the sharps and flats too, if she uses them in her lessons. The Alfred book tells you what the "G" looks like on the piano (in relation to how the black keys are grouped). If she already knows how to find "F" on the piano (never mind what it looks like on paper), then carry on! I just didn't want her to learn to read music the way I did, LOL. (In my own defense, I can find all the "C"'s on the piano keyboard, thank you very much!) Julie

My son began Elementary Greek this year. He is 9 and is in fourth grade. I am extremely impressed with this curriculum, and am doing it alongside him. It comes with an audio CD, textbook, and workbook. You definitely need all three. Let me know if you have any other questions about it. Did you know "lego" means "I read" in Latin and "I say" in Greek? Other than that bit, we are not confusing the two. He is in his third year of Latin and loves that also. We already know three memory verses and are only in "Week 10." They are "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;" "I am the way, and the truth and the life;" and we are halfway through learning another one where the Greek sentence structure is entirely different than the English. I know the Greek really well, but the English is eluding me right now: "And remaining are these three: faith, hope, love ~ and the greatest of these is love." Sorry if I mangled that. Julie

Since it is hard to STOP doing something without replacing it with something else, here is what my tradition (sssshhhh.....Buddhism) suggests. When you find yourself placing blame or discussing the negative aspects of someone's behavior, remember that they are just like you. They wish to be free of emotional and physical harm, be safe and happy. Just like you. That helped me when I was the juror in a trial in which the defendant had done some things......I'll just leave it at that. But I have been taught that we are not separate from others, and that we all need to recognize that we are one family if we are going to stop warring, fighting and famine. (So I realized that he is a dad and just like me, he loves his children and wants to keep them safe and warm. Just like me.) Yesterday I heard a teaching by Pema Chodron about some astronauts leaving earth and how first they noticed the separate continents (w/ no political divisions, though!) and then at an even further distance they noticed that we are all.....one. How silly that on such a small rock in this vast universe, we are killing each other and not spreading the resources evenly. Wow, I sure got off track here. But I hope it helps someone. This is a difficult week for a lot of people. So remember, even your Uncle Henry who smokes like a chimney even though he has emphysema just wants to be happy and free from suffering. Perhaps that will help? Another idea that I have shared here before is to only say something if it will improve upon silence. Even if it doesn't exactly live up to THAT standard, it will give you that "gap" to notice whether it is necessary, kind and true. (If that last bit sounds familiar, that is from Dear Abby.) Julie

We would do exactly the same thing: RS "B" provides an amazing foundation in mathematics. My child feels so comfortable with numbers, what they represent and how to manipulate them. Now that we are partway through "E" (fourth grade), he also feels comfortable with fractions, percents (and how they relate to fractions), multi-digit multiplication, measuring area and the geometry of isosceles, scalene, and equilateral triangles. I feel so fortunate that we found this curriculum at a curriculum fair right at the beginning of our homeschooling adventure. It would not be easy to pick it up "in the middle," but please give it a chance. Perhaps you have gone too far in the transition lessons. Where are you supposed to stop and go to "C"? Don't worry that they are not retaining the transition lessons; they are not meant to teach math so much as they are meant to familiarize the parent and teacher with the Right Start method of learning. And don't worry, parent, all the levels are scripted so you don't have to worry about how to teach something! If you have a question about any of the lessons or games, the Right Start website is terrific and they are very quick to respond. Julie

We chose Latin for Children, and Primer A is well-suited for a (mature) third-grader, I think. I haven't seen Lively Latin, but it seems well-suited for the younger crowd as well. I do think that logic skills and the ability to think abstractly help. My son always did better with Latin than Spanish and I'm really not sure why. He learned each Spanish lesson just fine, but didn't have the long-term recall that he does with Latin. Go figure. Lingua Latina (which I wouldn't use alone, but that's just me) would also work well with third grade. If you started that young, it might be best if the parent had some familiarity with Latin. I have learned all I know about Latin from Latin for Children A, B & C. I am always tickled when I am able to read the stories (fiction and non-fiction) in Lingua Latina! I think it helps that we did Minimus Latin and a few years of Latin for Children first. Julie

Triple sec is made from dried orange peels. Hence the citrus peels in the bottle! I'm sure it's fine......

The girls I know with clothing sensitivities enjoy Hanna Andersson leggings with dresses. (We live in Alaska so girls would never wear a dress without leggings.) The leggings are very smooth and cottony, and the dresses are stretchy cotton that allow the child to move freely. My sister would only wear one kind of dress (T-shirt style that didn't touch her body) and so she had the same dress in five colors. I got the hand-me-downs, and I didn't care for this style at all! I recently ran across some pictures of my son at age three wearing jeans, but that was before the sensitivity kicked in. We have given away a lot of perfectly good clothes over the years!

I just want to reassure you that if this is the beginning of a life of sensitivities, it is not so difficult to live with. How does she do with socks? When my son was very little, he would wear the socks we put on him. Perhaps they don't have manual dexterity to remove them when they are younger? Anyway, at about 6 or 7 years old, it gradually comes to pass that ALL toe seams on socks are extremely irritating to him and he will not wear them. Finally I found Stride Rite seam-free socks (we don't have a Stride Rite store here so I have to buy them online). Those are the only ones he will wear. His shirts have to be completely smooth, no tags or "ridges" (where panels are sewn together, like some rugby shirts). He will not wear denim or other rough pants. My son is a very picky eater, and I think it is related. He claims it is not the taste of the food that bothers him, but the texture. So it is a sensitivity to touch, just like the clothing issue. That might help you deal with the food pickiness. We often blend ingredients in the blender before adding them to sauces or meals: cooked onion, mushroom, garlic, etc. So whether or not this is a "phase," she will be fine. Please don't let it be a source of argument in your family like it was with my sister and mom when I was growing up. Oh, and one more suggestion! Hanna Andersson underwear. I might be spelling that wrong, but it is 100 percent cotton and very soft. Julie

I think he would have a great time with Right Start "A". We started with "B" when my son was newly six (I think). I don't think there is much writing at all in "A", except they might learn to write the numerals. I'm not sure. Have fun! It also might help having "A" because then you would know which games he is ready for. There needs to be a good foundation with the simple games first (recognizing three items without counting them), or else the child might start counting in order to play the games. KWIM? Julie

You said that he has work in SF the week before Christmas. Can't he just come home and y'all spend it together? My son loves Christmas at home, no matter how few or many relatives. Julie

where factoring is introduced (but keep in mind that factoring builds on many other skills). One thing they include in the Guide is an exercise for the child to do involving 24 "linking cubes." The child makes as many rectangles as he can and records the results. The child writes down the dimensions of the sides of the rectangles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24. (If I've already lost you, the child could make a 1 x 24 rectangle, or a 4 x 6 rectangle, and so on.) Then you tell the student that the results are the factorsof 24. Then the child does it more abstractly in the workbook. The Guide also definesthe word "factor," whereas I don't think the textbook does. There is a paragraph definition of the word that is very clear (must be a whole number, a number can be divided exactly by its factor, with no remainder, etc.) It says that in Primary Math 3 the student learned the term "product." Here the term "factor" is introduced for the first time. Just thought I'd chime in, because not everyone buys the Home Instructor's Guides. Julie

I especially recommend Right Start when you can start from the beginning (or close to it). We were lucky enough to discover it the spring before first grade. We started with "B" and are now a good way through "E." It is extremely thorough, and ds has not forgotten anything he has learned so far. "For the Boys" says that Right Start was too abstract for her boys. I can't tell how old her boys are, but in Right Start "B" there is no such thing. The only thing I can think of is that she didn't have an abacus? There is nothing abstract about Right Start math in the lower levels. My son still "sees" his math facts by visualizing the abacus rather than memorizing them. He did have to memorize the multiplication facts, because you can't "see" them as easily on an abacus. Good luck with whatever you choose! Be sure to read the statement of philosophy on the Right Start website. At least I hope it's there. Julie

If you are referring to Right Start Math as the "awful spiral program," it moves slowly but the children develop a deep understanding of mathematics which then leads to real facility with numbers. We have done RS beginning when ds was newly 6 years old ("B") and are in "E" now. They are multiplying by two-digit numbers, and developing a good understanding of percentages, fractions (my ds can tell you what percent 3/5 is....go figure!), and doing more with geometry than I ever did in elementary school. Your mileage may vary, of course. The only thing that is different than in my signature line is that Prentice-Hall Science Explorer "Earth Science" came in the mail recently, and it is excellent. We wish we had it earlier, but it is adding a great deal to our science studies. Have a great year! Julie

you obviously aren't homeschooling! Or you certainly aren't having enough fun doing it. I'm thinking here about the time we brought our earthworms from the yard inside and put them on aluminum foil to hear the little scritchy scritchy sounds of those...um....little feathery things on their bodies that help them gain traction. You know, so they aren't so slippery that they can't move through the earth. Ahem. Nest of 3 is exempt from this theory because I remember that she has a whole different HOUSE for homeschooling. Not a big house, but 'cmon, fess up Nest! My house is so small that I finally got rid of the couch and matching overstuffed chair so that I have some room for sprawling on the floor with books and maps and globes. Or for practicing yoga without moving the furniture. Or for practicing tai chi without moving the furniture. Yes, yes, I do practice much more now, thank you for asking! But........the floor is still covered with Legos, so there's still that step to take care of first. I will take the poll, but it's hard because I'm very CLEAN but UNTIDY. There is a big difference. Dust makes me wretch because I know all the living beings and skin pieces in there (my son is allergic to mites). Even though I can't see the "mess" I'm cleaning off the bathroom floor, I have to clean it a few times a week with vinegar because I have studied biology. Ew. And I've studied viruses, so I know how hardy they are. But I have piles of papers and catalogues everywhere, and books lying here and there. (The books lying around is actually my secret plan. He always reads them all eventually, and what do you know, they are all about the early 1800's!) But I realize I couldn't live this way if I had a toddler, or even more than one or two children. Julie

I believe that spanking just teaches fear. Obeying out of fear does not, IMO, segue into an adult who makes good choices because those choices are respectful and compassionate to herself and to others. It also teaches that the bigger, stronger person can use this advantage to hurt another person. Since our family teaches that violence is NEVER an option, a child that is spanked would (IMO) be more likely to choose physical contact as a solution to disputes on the playground, for example. My sister and brother were spanked and I was not. I was just very, very fearful from seeing them spanked. So I never did anything to deserve a spank. But hold your applause for a moment. I never really did ANYTHING. Because I was afraid it might not be the right thing. I never even painted a picture. Not once. Because it might not be the right thing. Are those violins I hear? Oh, I should add that my parents' discipline was inconsistent and not well considered in advance. My dad would ignore everything and my mom wouldn't say anything until a sibling did something REALLY unacceptable. So I'm not saying that the physical discipline was part of some well-reasoned plan. It was usually done out of anger. We had such a huge house that they never knew my brother was threatening me verbally and physically. If I had told on him, I would have received worse beatings from my brother. Or at least that's what he told me! They never interfered with our verbal arguments either, so I never learned (at home) how to argue fairly. I would just shut down in order to not be hurt. It took many adult years to learn that dispute/disagreement is healthy and necessary in any relationship, and needs to be learned. My mom still avoids all disagreements. Or at least she tries!

MotherEase leaked less than disposable diapers! The only leaks we ever had was when we were traveling and used Huggies or something. MotherEase are also nice-looking. I have a lot of photos with ds wearing only these diapers and they look so nice. I remember the little "barefoot feet" pattern on the covers. The only style that didn't work for us was the "All in Ones." I liked the diaper covers separate, because they often didn't need to be washed but the diaper itself (very soft) did and you can't take the "All in Ones" apart. The "All in Ones" are useful for day trips, though, or even overnights. Just put 'em in a bag afterwards and forget about them until you get home. Perhaps you can search MotherEase on e-bay? Perhaps someone bought some and never really used them? Julie