Right, which is why I (and another poster as well, I think) are very confused by the entire discussion. This speech captures the idea that the definition ofhistorical fiction is confusing, and perhaps that is the nature of the confusion in this discussion, because the list of books I put down are classics certainly, but are also historical fiction, at least the way I was taught it to be in my education. http://historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/defining-the-genre/defining-the-genre-what-are-the-rules-for-historical-fiction/ This discussion touches on the topic as well. http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1180460-classic-literature-as-historical-fiction The distinctions offered in some of those discussions that historical fiction is only that if it is written by someone who did not experience the time period personally is a point of view I had not ever contemplated. That would certainly change my list and might limit what "historical fiction" we covered under that strict definition. I think now that we have that clarified (or at least we have revealed the muddy waters for what they are), I can agree that choosing specific and possibly poorly written texts, simply to correlate with historical studies for a particular curriculum, is not a choice my family would make. Even those classics I mentioned do not comprise the entirety of our literary diet.

LoL, I love both, but honestly, Narnia is no Harry Potter. :P

We read Caddie Woodlawn recently and loved it. :shrug: We use lots of historical fiction, although I have never heard of this Henty person, nor have I ever looked at Sonlight. We mostly have read books dealing with the mid-to-late 19th century and early 20th century, thus far. Some examples of what we have read are all of the LIttle House books, A Secret Garden, A Little Princess, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (wow, anyone who says that is low brow literature is coming from somewhere I cannot even comprehend), Treasure Island, Heidi, Black Beauty, A Christmas Carol, and others I can't recall. Some of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories give interesting insight into the time period in which they are set. I plan to read The Witch of Black bird Pond to her and all the Dickens she can handle. We will read The Count of Monte CRisto, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, To KIll a Mockingbird, The Iliad and The Odyssey, The Lysistrata and Agamemnon, Sherlock Holmes, and whatever else I have forgotten. (Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice...) If those are "bad literature", I shall eat my hat. We don't consider them history texts, but literature that provides insight into the time period. We study history using primary sources, text books, biographies, etc., and we discuss perspective exhaustively.

I hate it so much.

And I actually disagree with this. I believe the autism was always here. Many people considered quirky/nerdy/socially awkward/intense/etc. who are now being dx'd as adults, were simply labeled as bad/weird/lazy/troubled and were bullied and have suffered from poor relationships, addictions/self-medication/repeat job loss/homelessness, etc. My husband's great-aunt was diagnosed as mentally retarded 50 years or so ago, but being around her now, I believe she is autistic w/ an IQ on the lower end of average. I also believe we are seeing more autism now because more adults who were (undiagnosed) HF-autistics are marrying each other, and their genetics are creating something that seems to be almost new species of people. Temple Grandin observed that a huge percentage of people in certain geographic areas (like ISlicon Valley) would fit the criteria for dx w/ Asperger's or HF-ASD now. In my university town, I see many couples with autistic kids, where I can look at them and see that they are both probably also on the spectrum. (my family included)

I usually only buy European ones, and I make sure I am getting the correct size (usually a much larger cup size and much smaller band size than places like Victoria's Secret or Dillard's will tell you that you wear). I love Nordstrom's for Bra fitting. Anyway, the bras I wear are around $45-60 each, I think. I find ones that fit beautifully and make me feel great, and then look for sales and get deal when I can.

MIne too!

I like to eat them! We make smoothies. I also like to stuff them with blueberries. We make blueberry/raspberry/banana salad too - very pretty. I like them in salads as well.

My daughter is highly interested in geometry, and I want to cover it more in depth than we have to date. I was making my own information sheets/curriculum, and then realized that I am boring and there may be something her level already available, in prettier and more fun format, perhaps. Does anyone have anything to recommend? (She is 8 years old).

We adore using Story of the World as our backbone, and supplementing with reams of materials from the library and internet and museums and traveling. We read historical fiction, seek primary sources, read biographies, and read many books on the topic we are studying (and occasionally even use Wikipedia!) , as well as art books - the sources for supplementation are almost infinite.

But a vast majority does not = all.

My 8 year old dd loves history, as do I, and it has been our favorite and most intensively studied subject thus far. I also didn't understand any hesitation to cover more recent material.... Until now. We recently studied the relocation of the Native Americans and are now entrenched in the Civil War. She hates it, and honestly, I cry half the time in our lessons. She has had to take the book away from me on more than one occasion. (cute girlie) It is awful what we have done to each other in the past two hundred years. While humans have always been violent, I think the sheer numbers affected in the past two centuries is mind-boggling. I do also agree that it is easier to have a detachment from civilizations that existed so long ago as to seem like fairy tales. It is not easy to do that, especially when your relatives were involvedin or imapcted by more recent incidents. So, we are at a crossroads in my home. My thought for our family is to continue forward, but to perhaps cover the wars and such in less depth than I had planned for now, and to quickly finish the last SotW book and get back to studying ancient cultures.

I concur with the recommendation for LipS.

I was 14 when I got it, and it took around 15 years or longer for me to actually recover my immune system and health. When I first had it, I had migraines, extremely sore throat, uncotrollable vomiting, extreme fatigue, fevers, swollen liver, extremely swollen spleen. I missed maybe 4-6 weeks of school? But I just never recovered. I had chronically swollen tonsils after that, and every time I got overtired, I would get very sick. I have read some books on the subject, and it seems that super good immune support while in the initial throes and truly sufficient recovery time/convalescence can help in true recovery.

Cortisone injections will destroy the tissue in your feet and eventually make the problems much worse. My orthopedic surgeon says he only has given the injection one time, because he feel so strongly against it. I had severe, debilitating PF in both feet for over a year (probably due to thyroid and circulation issues). Physical therapy was a miracle for me. I went twice a week, for 2.5 hours each time, for 6 months. Myofascial massage, infrared therapy, gait analysis and correction (even assessing gait takes a while), and exercises and stretches were what it took. I was at my skinniest in years when I got it, and it was precipitated by my tearing all the ligaments in one ankle, which messed up my gait. My poor dh who is at a perfect weight for his height has it also, and his is due to having flat feet. Usually people with PF have gait issues (pronation or supination, improper foot placement), hip laxity, calf tightness and trigger points, and weak glutes. My exercises consist of: - squats by the millions - calf raises - balance exercises on one foot, including side squats w/ weight tranference - toe curls for calves, shins, and ciculation, and arch strength - ankle exercises w/ the band - side squats back and forth across room - bridges - clamshells Ice was bad, bad,bad usually for me. If circulation is at all an issue as part of the picture, do not ice. Orthaheel shoes are all I wear, plus I have inserts in my athletic shoes. I can go barefoot again now sometimes, but at first, I even had to wear orthaheels in the shower. All of that helped (and still helps), but without the myofascial work, I don't know if I would have gotten better.

It might also be worthwhile to look into whether sensory issues are playing a role in her anxiety and OCD. They often go hand in hand, and OT and relaxation therapy can be beneficial.

The tax laws are now written to define all income earned through any freelance work as a "small business". There is no other way to report it anylonger, and he will need a 1099 for it. If it is under a certain amount though, and he has no other income, I think he won't need to report it at all, but check on that to be sure.

My dh thinks that Lizzy killed those people and that Carol burned them and covered for her.

My university required: 12 credits in Calculus (3 classes) Differential Equations Advanced Calculus *or* Linear Algebra Math Thought (basically theorems and proofs) I think Complex Variables, Numerical Analysis and Stats were the only additional requirements for a math major.

DD and I just completed Caddy Woodlawn, and will begin Huckleberry Finn tomorrow. We are also reading "Two Miserable Presidents" for history. She and her dad are reading one of the Harry Potter books again, I believe.

I would charge her $70/night and make her sleep on the couch or bring an air mattress if the couch seems as if it would be uncomfortable.

Love this!

No, he really wasn't. He had an addiction problem as a teenager/young adult, and got clean at age 22, and was sober for over 23 years. Addiction is so scary, because it is progressive, even while the person isn't using. Constant vigilance for life is necessary, and it is so sad that he lost his way and his life. :(

If she is bright, why study? She can just do a practice test or two to get a feel for it.

I am currently learning to play the mandolin. It is loads of fun. I bought "Mandolin for Dummies", use youtube and other online resources, and am taking lessons at the Guitar Center with a local fiddle/violin/mandolin player/teacher.