Here is a great article by Susan Wise Bauer comparing Classical with Charlotte Mason's methods: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/charlottemason.html You will find quite a few people on this board who blend CM with Classical.

:iagree: My mom always used them under cakes and other baked goods--she would even find large rectangular ones to place under sheet cakes.

Thanks JudoMom! Anyone else? :bigear:

I am shopping for a play pen/pack and play that has a bassinet insert, but am a little overwhelmed by the options. Can anyone point me in the right direction (or steer me clear of any ;))? I don't have to have any bells and whistles--I really don't care if it has toys, mobiles, changing area, cup holders, or requires batteries--I'm pretty simple with baby stuff. I looked at Graco's pack and play with bassinett--they seem pretty basic and cheaper than I was expecting, but there are just so many options. :confused:

I have used both quite a bit--and like them both--but my favorite is the Nutrimill. It is VERY loud though! It seems I can get a finer (less coarse) flour from the Nutrimill which is nice at times.

I don't really have an answer for you, but I have always assumed that it was pointless to bake with raw honey. I bake with the cheaper processed honey for this very reason. Maybe someone else has better info (?) :lurk5:

I was homeschooled from Kindergarten (and my siblings). My Mom was required to put together a portfolio at the end of each school year to show our work. She had a hard time parting with it all and saved all of them (!). She stored everything in large rubbermaid boxes in the garage. She gave all of mine to me after I moved out of the house. I went through it all and condensed it into some "scrapbooks" of sorts for my own sake. She has since done the same with some of my siblings as they are getting older and letting them help pick out things they would like to keep. I like that I have these samples now that I'm older, but there is NO WAY I could (or would want to) try to save everything. There is just way too much--especially from preschool and the early grades. I'd suggest keeping a few things, but don't feel guilty about getting rid of anything beyond what is required by law. You may even want to let the kids help you pick some things out as they get older. I do believe that it is much easier for them to pick out things after a decent amount of time has passed--a child ending 1st grade probably isn't going to feel ready to part with all of the "great" work he has just completed--give him some time (maybe even a couple of years) and he will probably part with things much more easily. I've done this quite a bit growing up--purging more and more of my childhood things as I've gotten older. Things become less important or sentimental as other more important things take their place. Anyway, being an adult now with my own kids it is fun to be able to pull out a drawing I made or a poem I wrote in elementary school. Sorry this is so long--I'm totally rambling!

I didn't get around to posting last week--so I completed book #3: Parenting Guide to Toilet Training and book #4: Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship by J.W. von Goethe. (Yes, I have a little catching up to do.):)

I like mine with a little half 'n half (I can drink it black though). Sometimes a little flavoring is nice--esp. around the holidays.

I too am reading more than one book at a time, so they will overlap a bit. I don't have a book to report for week 3 yet :(, but I think I'll have two books to report for week 4 (one long and a bit dull, the other a shorter, easier read).

We found signs for this (but had no idea what it was) on a long drive through "nowhere" Louisiana last summer. I haven't been yet, but am interested in going back. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_Point It is believed to be dating from sometime B.C.

It is very possible she will still be able to eat "normal" food if it's of the softer variety. Like chicken pot pie and casseroles, etc. (mushier foods). Also, sandwiches and cheeseburgers and fries may work as well, but she will probably need/want to tear or cut it into bites. I think I went and got a little McDonalds meal with a milk shake right after I got my braces--I ate it OK--just VERY slowly. Also, I don't know if she had to have spacers put in her back teeth to prepare for the braces, but for me and many people I know that was the most painful part. My mouth was so sore for a week or more after the spacers were placed. The pain wasn't nearly as bad when I had the braces put on. The hardest part to me was the awkwardness of eating with braces--it is def. something you have to get used to--but you do. Oh, and I'm all for the ibuprofen and wax!

I was homeschooled almost entirely--I was in public school for a couple of months in second grade.

Well I'm a bit late, but I completed All Your Worth by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi for my week 2 book.

I try not to let it bother me--I see it as a person's bad habit (and I probably have a couple of those)--but I can't help but cringe when I hear it and think of that person's poor teeth! I believe I do remember reading about it once in an old etiquette book--obviously not a proper thing to do. And for the record, having hosted different friends from Germany on more than one occasion, I can say there was never any teeth-scraping at the table. ;)

I just read volume 5 of Charlotte Mason's series. I'm planning to begin von Goethe's Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship--and it looks long. I'm reading some others, so we'll see which is completed for week 2 (fingers crossed!).

I plan to read Volume 5 of Charlotte Mason's original series. However, I like to read a few books at once, so I'll probably be reading others as well (though thy won't be completed next week)--I guess I'll be overlapping a bit.

Well I have never read 52 books in a year, but I think I'd like to try. I read War and Peace earlier this year and it took me a while. I have some more big ones on my to-read list, so I am a bit worried about keeping up. I'd like to try though. I think the accountability will be motivating.

I'm still trying to figure out what else I should do before 30. :tongue_smilie: (;)) ETA: So sorry--didn't see the original "30" thread--wasn't trying to be a smartie.

:iagree:

:iagree: This has been my experience with ds as well. Also, I haven't tried it or even looked at it thoroughly, but I've heard about a lot of Moms using this: http://www.letteroftheweek.com/ I think it's all free and I've heard people really like it.

This may be a bit embarrassing for some, but when we were little my Mom would include a package of cutesy panties--like with designs or characters on them. :) Also bubble bath, lip balm/gloss, even "fun" band-aids--like with pictures on them.

I agree with the Leap Frog Letter Factory dvd. My son learned to recognize every letter of the alphabet (still working on some of the lower case though), and the sound each one makes by the time he was about 18-20 months old. And no, he didn't watch it often (I really limit his tv/video watching). Also, I bought him a set of large alphabet magnets for the refrigerator and he LOVED these. He would play with them for such a long time and bring me letters he recognized to show them to me. And when daddy got home from work, he liked to drag him to the refrigerator to show him all of the letters one by one. :001_smile:

I always thought it was interesting that they did this in old stories--like Little House on the Prairie (?). I think it could be a special tradition for you if your family doesn't mind (I don't think we could do that here though). You could always set out some other seasonal decorations around the house (warm colors, Christmas candles, a wreath, greenery, special table linens, etc.) and then just put up the tree on Christmas Eve.

Lucy Micklethwait has some great art books for children--you could help them begin their children's library (I like to get books for parents who have already received--or will receive--a lot of clothes and toys as gifts).