Don't laugh. I'm serious! We've downsized from 2400 sf to 1500. It's been fine, as we sold 1/2 of our stuff before moving. No one has missed a thing! We found a recreational property that is 20+ acres and a 660 sf log cabin. It's adorable. Very Little House on the Prairie. :D The crazy thing is we are actually SERIOUSLY thinking about doing it! We get DWELL magazine and I've been reading for a year about families living in NYC apts of 500-600 sf and making it. Families in other countries would love to have 600 sf. We would add on, obviously, but don't want to finance it. We want to do it ourselves. Coincidentally, maybe, there is a story in Dwell this month about a family of six that lived in a tent for two years and a shed for 10, so that the dad could build a 'green' house with his own two hands. Has anyone done this? Are we out of our minds? :D Well, don't go THERE, keep to the house size~ :lol:

We were there with my 5yo in the spring. We started with Explode the Code 3 and added in Little Bear, Frog and Toad, etc. He is also reading through the McGuffey readers and amazes me every day with his decoding abilities! McGuffeys is amazing and he reads me one story each day. He's currently 1/3 of the way through the third reader and it's pretty meaty. Good luck~:001_smile:

One of my sons has received the letters for years~

I asked at our local store and was told that the discount does NOT apply online. Ever. Two stores in two states have given me that same info. The in store discount now applies to everything in the store, not just items that can be used in the classroom.

I tried tweaking the recipe with wheat flour. It didn't raise properly and I didn't like the change in texture. I use organic unbleached flour. I found that 1/4 of the basic recipe doubled will make two nice round loafs when cooked in a greased loaf pan. I use the water for steam and the loafs are soft and yummy just like regular homemade bread. Not crusty like the boule. Same temp and time. Good luck in your experimentation. :001_smile:

I would say that ANY latin program COULD be rigorous for your child.:confused: It's a new skill and requires a lot of hard work and thinking. As with everything else in homeschooling, you just have to challenge YOUR child and not worry about how someone else would 'rate' it. ;) I started Prima Latina with my sons in 3rd and 1st grade, only to drop it when well-meaning homeschoolers and my parents wanted to know 'why in the world I was wasting time learning a second language that was so irrelevant.' Everyone told me that Spanish or French was the way to go. I listened to the nay-sayers, instead of my own intuition. Now I'm back on the path that I started. A big 'thank you!' to Drew Campbell for explaining to me the 'whys?' of teaching latin!:D

We're following LCC. I can't tell you how much it has validated spending more school time on my kids individual interests and given me the freedom to let go of my ps background! :D We, too, started a little behind in latin, due to finding this method after homeschooling for years. The author is all too willing to help you with playing 'catch-up' in order to start the next level for your child. I have NEVER found his level of generosity and genuine care. Anywhere. I posted my concerns on this forum and he responded with his suggestions. That was like hearing God' voice, validating that this was the right path for us. We have virtually NO stress, my sons don't complain a bit during the day, and they have hours to read, which is what they all enjoy doing! *Latin moves at your child's pace, though sometimes they will need a little prompting. ;) *Math is more fun for them because they don't have 20 other subjects to squeeze in afterwards. *They are reading books that challenge them and they LOVE it~ We were already following AO, so the change was not readily apparent here. Just not as much pressure to speed through them at a break-neck pace, as fewer books are required and they can add to the list as they finish those. *Living Memory is a HUGE book that covers just about everything that I wanted them to memorize, along with a bazillion other priceless quotes, lists, oddities that I had never even heard of. The lack of clutter on my book shelf by using this book instead of 25 library books is priceless to me! :D *Attempting Classical Writing. It's more comprehensive than anything I've ever used and English is my favorite subject! Overall, I'm just thankful for these forums! I don't know that I would have heard about LCC or have been as interested to find out more about it if I hadn't seen so many wonderful comments about it~ HTH! Dawanna

We've used http://www.vitacost.com for years. Their prices are good.

You can get great mineral makeup on etsy.com (without the cancer-causing filler Bismuth oxide that Bare Minerals uses) There are several makeup artists that mix their own, have won many awards and have samples for $1. PUREnaturalminerals.etsy.com this is a link to all her samples~ http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6995411&section_id=6031319 I ordered her foundation powder a few weeks ago and I like the color and coverage better than Bare Minerals, which I used for 5 years~ AND it's less expensive. Jackpot~

For what it's worth, I wasn't meaning that we are all going to hell.:D I was trying to prove that you can quote any verse and make it seem to say whatever you are trying to prove. I just can't stand it when people respond to threads like this and you can tell that they have no clue what they are talking about, but they quote the same verse over and over and over........ Being a Christian is a state of mind that permeates every fiber of who you are. It has nothing to do with where you go to church and how involved you are with the other people who attend there. Christ stated in John 14 that He wishes for us to entertain the widows and the orphans and the poor. How many churches have you been to that do this? At Thanksgiving, maybe a homeless dinner night? Christianity is not a once in a while thing, it's a lifestyle~

Thank you for your points. Apparently you DON't expect ignorance from everyone, (you) because you've 'set everyone else straight' MANY times on this thread. :confused: Secondly, I wasn't aware that I needed to type a thesis on Christ's teachings in order to state my opinions here. Thirdly, I was raised in a Bible-teaching church. My father is an ordained minister who studies the scriptures and discusses them constantly. I read the scriptures and church history almost daily, so I AM entitled to an opinion on Christianity today. I AM one.

Are we all using the same human history?:confused: Seriously, the middle ages might be a place to start, then fast forward as far as is comfortable............

Well stated, Peela!:hurray: I tend to stay out of these conversations. What's the point really? Are we that bored that we are going to sit here and argue with our keyboard? :confused: I cannot, however, walk away from this one~ :glare: I am speechless at the arrogance and ignorance of 'christians' responding to this. Do you REALLY read your Bible or just throw out a few verses that make you sound well-read? Literal interpretation of EVERY verse means that you are ALL going to hell, according to Luke 14:33. 'So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce ALL that he has cannot be my disciple.' Jesus' words, not mine. According to him, if you don't 'leave your father, mother, children, brothers, sisters and even your own (comfy) life, you cannot be His disciple.' Luke 14:26 And I didn't take it out of context, read Luke 14:25-33 and prove me wrong. When we sit on our cushy rears in this country of abundance and DARE to even think that those less fortunate are godless, miserable sinners? Who do we think we are???!!!! We all have a 94% likelihood of staying the religion that we were raised. So, God hates/condemns everyone that is born in non-christian countries? (apparently everywhere EXCEPT the United States) I reject that with all my heart. God is bigger than that! The beatitudes were surely written for all: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. -------------- America, you know, God's country, sure couldn't claim many of these. It's time we all start examining our hearts and acting like disciples, instead of spouting infantile religious rhetoric. :rant:

I ended up choosing the matte grey and I still love it (8 years later). They only had black, white, blue and red as other choices then. If I was upgrading, I'd get grass green or go CRAZY and get the copper, which is too pretty to even use! Have fun~ Dawanna

I have had horrible acne since age 13. That's almost 20 years. I've literally spent tens of thousands of dollars on skin care: prescription, natural and everything that 'claimed' to work. The ONLY thing that has ever worked for me is this. It's a bar of soap and I've used it for 5 yrs and had skin as clear as everyone that I envied for years. It's cheap and may or may not work for your son. It's been a miracle for me! Be careful with internal prescriptions. I had stomach issues for years after being on minocycline for my skin! Make sure that he understands that scrubbing with anything can actually REMOVE the skin from his face, which I have done and it is PAINFUL and looks horrible while healing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I once had a lady convince me that scrubbing my face with baking soda and rinsing with peroxide would clear my skin- it removed patches of skin and was horrid. You can't understand how awful it feels to have bad skin unless you've experienced it. Hope this help~ Dawanna

How frightening~ Praying for perfect healing! :grouphug:

My vote is for Public Enemies. We saw it in the theater and it is a really good story. You actually were sorry to see him go at the end. That may bother you, I don't know.

I was so annoyed with the lack of clarity on this, that we went from Saxon 76 to the 'generic' Chalkdust PreAlgebra. My 12yo son's work has been stellar so far. You could try the Alg 1/2 and if he struggles, go back to 87. You already have the books, which is really nice~

I'm shocked when mine actually LOADS the dishwasher! :glare: I'm so sorry~

We love the first two seasons. There is some kissing in the first episode, but if your son has ever seen a commercial, he's seen worse. :D It's kind of slapstick, lots of sword fighting, but NOTHING like lotr or star wars. Our 12, 10 and 6 year old think that they are great. Be warned, the series doesn't follow the book at all, except the names of characters.

A favorite is Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson Haas. The hardest change is adjusting your thinking to 'how do I achieve the best possible health for me' vs. 'what can I take for this specific symptom'. There is no such thing as 'perfect health', it's a journey that you are on for life. You learn to understand your body; what it's saying to you through those symptoms. This HUGE book is one of my most valued!

------------------------- You may want to read : Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens and Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson Haas. Both are FANTASTIC and jam packed with all kinds of helpful info on living a natural / holistic lifestyle. My two most valued books when it comes to the health of my family. They are encyclopedia size, so don't bother trying to check them out from the library. ;) When I read Conscious Eating 5 yrs ago, I couldn't even touch meat for months. I would literally start gagging just looking at it. I have three boys and a carnivore husband who are now 75% vegetarian and don't mind a bit. Never thought that could happen, but it has. Your body will tell you if the changes that you make are not right for you. I eat organic eggs and cheese, home cooked beans and grains for my protein. I went milk free and tried to use almond milk as a replacement. I was constantly nauseous- I went back to a splash of organic milk in my tea or fair trade organic coffee and the nausea went away. You'll figure it out. Congrats on taking your health into your own hands~~~~~ It makes my happy to read threads like this. :D

This question sent me on a quest about 10 yrs ago that ended in a Holistic Nutrition degree. There is no chart anywhere that I know of. It depends on their diet, etc. Mine take Kyo green powder, cod liver oil and colostrum every day. So do hubby and I. I could recommend a few good books, if you're interested. Most worth reading have 500+ pages, but are useful beyond words~ HTH!

How sad~ :(

A naturopath looks at the body as a whole and helps YOU to make healthier choices. Their job is to facilitate YOUR ownership over your OWN health. Basically, educating you and assisting your ability to take responsibility for your own health choices. That's a far different view than the current MD paradigm~ A naturopathic physician has also been trained in bloodwork and can prescribe certain medications if necessary and desired by the client. It just depends on exactly what you are looking for and how much control you want to have over your health~