Yes, there are many divergent regional cultures in both the US and in Canada. I've lived in several different regions (central Ontario, Quebec, a short stint in P.E.I., both small-town and big city B.C., Southern California, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Illinois, and now, New York) so I think I have a decent grasp on how widely those can vary. I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree on the level of difference between generic American/Canadian cultures. I personally believe the differences are significant but respect that your opinion seems to differ. I don't shudder at the thought of being thought American, nor do I grab my pearls or do anything else that might denote being horrified. But being Canadian is a strong part of my self-identity, while being American is not (mostly because I'm not American, not because I think it's somehow inferior to being Canadian). In my experience, many Americans are also proud of their national identity and would likely be quick to correct someone who called them "Americans" if they moved somewhere else, or if they were told there wasn't much difference between their culture and that of a nearby nation.

Not sure why you need quotation marks to describe a Canadian who has moved to the US, or for someone who immigrated to Canada. Either are just as much real Canadians as people who are born and die in Canada. I've lived in the US for almost fifteen years now, and am still most certainly a Canadian. I've also never described myself as American, either before or after I moved here to get married. I don't know that there is that much difference between individuals on either side of the border (particularly when comparing people who live near the border itself) but the cultures of the two countries are different in many ways that I'm not sure would be readily apparent to a short-term visitor.

Our holiday treats are a mix of family traditions and new things I find through the year that I decide to try out. My nana's recipes were lost :( so I had to use trial and error to find new ones that were similar. So far, I use Nanaimo Bars ( http://tinyurl.com/meelr3v ), Butter Tarts ( http://tinyurl.com/n3anep2 ), and Pet de Soeur ( http://tinyurl.com/6tnpn9y )every year. My nana used to spend months getting ready for the holidays, making fruit cakes, rum balls, shortbread, mince tarts, and lots of other things. She also had a bunch of French Canadian recipes that she only made at the holidays, like tourtiere and ragout boulette. I try to make those some years, but they never come out just right. Last year's biggest new hit was Peppermint Mocha Brownies ( http://taracooks.com/?p=2315 ). They are crazy rich, but so good! My ds loved them so much that they were his choice for his special birthday treat too. I'm not sure yet what new recipes I'm going to try, so I'll be watching this thread with great interest. :)

I was really excited about Matchbook, but I have exactly one match (for a book I wouldn't choose to reread). I hope they add more titles!

We did the same thing, with a Ty opossum that was only available at Cracker Barrel stores. Ds named it Mouse and that possum went everywhere. Once we realized just how emotionally involved our son was in this possum, we bought another one and gave it to ds right away in hopes that he would attach to the new one and that the old, grungy one could stay home sometimes. That one was named Squeaky, and though he is indeed well-loved he never replaced Mouse as ds' special toy. Sigh. Some years later, dh and I had lunch at Cracker Barrel and noticed the opossums were on clearance for $3 because they were being discontinued. Panic ensued, and we bought all five that they had left. The posse of new possums stayed in the bag, hidden away safely in our bedroom closet against some future emergency. I honestly forgot they were there, until ds was helping me pack for our move to a new state and he, inevitably, found the sack of possums. Now he has Chinchilla, Hamster, Guinea Pig, Lemming, and Capybara along with the original Mouse and his intended replacement Squeaky. Ds is nearly 13 now, and still takes Mouse pretty much everywhere even though Mouse is mostly bald fabric at this point and only the most perceptive observer could tell he is supposed to be an opossum. Ds has great and genuine anxiety about Mouse's demise, and has decided that if that time comes that he will honor his dear friend as a Viking, complete with blazing funeral ship. That will be a very sad day in our household, even with six furry replacements at the ready.

Go to Burning Man. Visit Pompeii. Hike a decent portion of the Appalachian Trail. Go back to college, and actually finish nursing school (backstory: I have completed all prerequisites and been accepted to competitive programs twice, but have never been able to start classes due to job-related moves, etc.)

My oldest ds has just started Algebra I in public school, and we're not required to buy a calculator but he tells me they are already using the school's set regularly. I showed him a picture of a TI-84 and he says that's what they use. In this district, there are many many families that wouldn't be able to afford a $100 calculator so I'm very glad they provide them. We'll probably buy a used one he can keep at home, so he can become fully comfortable with it before the Regents.

I did all the prerequisites for nursing school, took the TEAS and was accepted my first try, but had to give up my spot because dh took a job in NY. Yes, I'm still bitter. :) Anyways, our school required students to either be a CNA or take an extra course in first semester that covered CNA skills. I would contact the program you're interested in, as becoming a CNA first may not be necessary. I think a CNA course is very useful if you're planning on nursing (I did one, and got certified) but imho it's not a great path for just bringing in some extra money. The work is very demanding physically, and in many places the pay and working conditions are pretty bad.

Where has anyone in this thread expressed hate for him, or even mentioned his faith? They've pointed out flaws in his football skills, which seems reasonable. I think your comment about hatred and bigotry speaks more to your own bias than to anything actually written in this thread. I know next to nothing about football, but find it amusing to watch how involved people in this country get about it.

I love my mother, but that would be enough to make me run in circles, scream, and shout. Then start making plans to move.

I'm thinking of using SQUILT for next year ( http://www.squiltmusic.com/p/squilt-curriculum.html ). Sorry if that doesn't come out as a clickable link, but for some reason all the formatting options are grayed out for me. :( Anyways, there are some samples on her site and the price is reasonable - $8.99. Music is a required subject in my state, and I was looking for something a bit more involved than "listening to a bunch of classical music as we go through the day." I've also used Harmony Art and Music, but that might not fit what you're looking for as it also incorporates art history.

We used SOTW last year (6th), along with the books from History Odyssey Medieval Level II and parts of Human Odyssey. History is our favorite subject here, and ds likes using different kinds of books. We often used SOTW as an introduction to a topic/event, then followed it with the more in-depth treatment from our other books. Not sure how much we'll use SOTW this year for 7th though, as we have a lot of great books to cover. It may just be the audiobooks.

Yes, apparently there is at the location they're using this year. I don't remember details, but it was something to do with safety. Here's one article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/15/boy-scout-jamboree-bans-morbidly-obese/2519059/

It's quite likely Avast being paranoid. :) Edited to add: It must have been a false positive, as the page loads fine without any alerts now. Thanks for sharing the link!

Not sure if it's a false positive, but my anti-virus program (Avast) blocked that link as infected.

Smarties! Can't believe I forgot those. Miss those tons! I thought about Aero bars, but thought I'd seen those here in the U.S. I agree about Shreddies - nothing else is like them at all. Now I'm homesick.

Not exactly poutine, but I do miss places serving fries with gravy (no cheese curds though - that's icky). I haven't had butter tarts since my nana passed away; I should try making them sometime. I make Nanaimo bars a few times a year. Things I miss from home are Shreddies cereal (different from shredded wheat), wine gums, and Coffee Crisp bars. And Tim Hortons - I know there are a few in the U.S. but we've never lived close to one.

My oldest is a pill baby. I'd been taking them faithfully for 12 years without incident. When he was conceived, I hadn't missed any pills, didn't take antibiotics, etc. Being a single mom was rough, but he was the best thing that ever happened to me. I guess some pills are just faulty, and I hit the jackpot. :)

Given that you seem to be the only one who sees her boob, you might be the one whose eyes need checking. Though I suspect it's not your vision that is coloring your perception.

For me, definitely a single sink and more counter space. DH and I have never encountered a problem sharing a sink but have often wished we had more counter space in our bathrooms.

I'm saying this gently, and I hope that comes across. I think your expectations are unreasonable. The 1G Ipod Touch came out in 2007 - six years is huge in terms of technology. I do feel your pain, as I have an Ipod 3G (the last one before they had cameras) and I can see that mine will also be mostly obsolete within a couple of IOS updates. There are already newer apps that I can't run. However, I don't think you're going to find the situation to be different with other companies' devices. It isn't that the companies intentionally make their older products obsolete, but that the technology is changing rapidly and that most consumers do want the newer features. I'm sorry you're so frustrated. I'm not an Apple fangirl, but if I had the extra cash I'd buy the current model Ipod and pass this one down to the kids. For me, it's a wonderfully useful gadget and one worth updating. YMMV.

We haven't used HO Vol. 1, but we do use Vol. 2 and our experience has been the opposite. DS and I enjoy Human Odyssey more than the Kingfisher encyclopedia, mostly because the Kingfisher is so very condensed. I do like it as a handy reference, but I've moved away from using it as our primary spine. I just asked DS 12 which book he preferred, and why, and he chose Human Odyssey because "Kingfisher covered the Tudors in only two pages. And they missed stuff." He also likes that HO has examples of primary sources. We'll keep using Kingfisher, but also adding in SOTW and HO along with the books assigned in History Odyssey. We probably do too much history, but DS loves reading on the couch time and history is one of his favorite subjects. I really wish it was easier to see books in person before buying, as I think we've all had the experience of buying something many on the forum are raving about - only to find out it's just not a great fit.

Just wanted to mention that you can read non-Amazon books on a Kindle, though it's a bit cumbersome. I use a free program called Calibre to convert ebooks in other formats (like PDF or EPUB) to the Kindle format, then send them via email to the @kindle.com address Amazon gives you when you register your Kindle. The books will show up as personal documents, but read like any other Kindle book.

A non-tablet Kindle is primarily an e-reader. It doesn't run apps, and though it can connect to the internet it will be slower than browsing on a Fire. I have both, and I tend to use them for different things. I used to love reading on the Fire until DH surprised me with a Kindle Paperwhite - now I do all my reading on the regular Kindle. The only times I use online stuff with the regular Kindle is to connect to the Amazon store or to look up something quickly in wikipedia/dicitonary. The Fire is great for games and educational apps. I've customized mine to the point that the screens don't even look like a Kindle (though it can still run the regular interface when I want it to). It's also great for email, texting, weather updates, etc. My kids use their Fires extensively for reading, watching videos, and as their alarm clocks. If I were traveling and only wanted to carry one device, I would pick the Fire because it has more utility but I would enjoy reading much less than on my regular Kindle (and previous posters made a good point about how hard it is to read on the Fire's screen in any kind of sunlight). I think which device is better for you boils down to what you will do on it the most. If reading is your biggest priority, I would go with a regular Kindle for less eyestrain and much better battery life. If you want a device that can do a bunch of things very well and that you can also read on, then the Fire is the better choice. As for the Nook? I had a Nook Color and wouldn't buy another. The books and accessories were substantially more expensive, the screen was sluggish, and the battery life wasn't very good. Mine also stopped working just after its warranty expired - thankfully, I'm still able to read those books via Nook apps for other devices. I like to support a real-world bookseller whenever possible, but the Nook was a dud here.

I was interested in checking this out for next year, so I contacted ES. They told me it won't be out until Summer, but didn't have an exact date yet. I liked ES Logic Biology this year (though didn't love it) but would rather make a decision on science for next year before then. I'm having a tough time making up my mind, but right now I'm leaning towards using NOEO Level III with some of the supplements from Oak Hollow's list.