No, you're right, Mrs. Mungo, I had not seen your post before I made my reply (I was probably typing it up simultaneously). Sorry I did not see your rebuttals to Palin smears in other posts. Maybe this thread will remain civil and not locked. I posted this because most sites that promote the Palin smears are left-leaning, and most sites that attempt to debunk the smears are right-leaning -- in other words, conservatives wouldn't trust the liberal sites and liberals wouldn't trust the conservative sites. So, unless you're a journalist getting your own RT ticket to Wasilla to check for yourself, where do you find truth? FactCheck.org is one of the best non-partisan sources available for the "average Joe" (or Jane), and this posting of theirs on Palin is brand new. So, I posted it in hopes of settling some of these issues. My hope is that even a die-hard Barrack fan will at least consider the veracity of FactCheck's reporting, and understand that if they don't like Palin, it shouldn't be for these reasons, as these "facts" have been found lacking in substance -- in fact, some are out-and-out lies without any shred of truth to them at all. I will say the same about die-hard McCain/Palin fans -- if you don't like Barrack's position on a certain issue, FactCheck it to be sure you really have the truth about where he stands.

Why would a thread with a link to a non-partisan site -- one that parses the McCain campaign ads & speeches as much as (if not more than) Barrack's ads and speeches -- get locked? FactCheck.org is most DEFINITELY not Republican, conservative, or right-leaning. If anything, I think they go easy on Barrack, and are much harder on McCain. This is, plain and simple, a non-partisan look at the alleged "facts" presented in an email that has been widely circulated and whose claims have made it's way into the main stream media. The "myth busters" at FactCheck.org will bring more tomorrow -- and it may very well turn out that some of the negative claims about Palin in that email have some basis truth. The ones that were "fact checked" today were debunked, but others may prove correct. Repeat, it's NON-PARTISAN.

I think that both the right- and left-leaning participants in this forum can agree that FactCheck.org is one of the few sites you can turn to for a non-partisan parsing of the facts. There have been many threads about Sarah Palin, and many a smear repeated here. FactCheck.org is beginning to debunk the issues, one at a time. Read about it here: Sliming Palin

As other posters have noted, these are like works of art! But here's the line that jumped out at me in the product descriptions: :blushing: Definitely wouldn't want the kiddos unloading the dishwasher on THAT day!!

:iagree: I honestly cannot believe the vitriol. If even half this level of ugliness were directed at Obama, the posters would be labeled racists of the worst sort and absolutely vilified. So, someone has posted a picture of Palin from over 20 years ago, in which she wore a humorous T-shirt. Frankly, I'm glad to know this woman has a history that can be verified. In article after article, even the ones that attempt to demonize her, you'll see quotes from people who knew her as a child... in high school ... in college ... you know, from the time the woman was in diapers until now, you'll find people who know her and can share things about her (MOST of them quite complimentary, in spite of the media's attempt to make her look like a buffoon). Where are Obama's lifelong friends? For goodness' sake, where are his Columbia buddies? I mean, he's the same age (almost) as Palin. His college days weren't that long ago. But I can't recall any articles that quote former college classmates (let alone friends from high school or grade school or even old family friends) who have anything to say about him, good or bad. Did the man have no friends at all? Was he invisible? Is there no one who knew him before he entered Chicago politics? It just seems so bizarre. Oh... wait. You say it doesn't matter what old college buddies have to say about him, anyway? Then, what does an old college picture have to do with Palin's qualifications? :confused1:

Oooooh, I hadn't even thought of this. I guess I better check that out. I have no idea if the child is a discipline problem or not. I think he has some attention issues, but I've had that problem with my own kids, so I feel I know how to (and could) handle it. Really, I love the idea of a cottage school. I'll be watching your thread, too!

Has anyone ever done this? This situation has a long back story, but the bottom line is that it was kind of my suggestion (offered as way to help this struggling mom), and I am not opposed it. This child is one year ahead of my DS, but the material I would be teaching (history, science, language arts, Bible) would still be fine for him (he's a little behind his peers, anyway). His mom would be teaching him math on their own time, along with any other special subjects. In one way, it would be a sort of co-operative effort between this child's mom and me, but mostly on me. Again, I'm not opposed to that -- I really enjoy teaching, and would rather do it my way, anyway! :tongue_smilie:I'm prepping for one -- why not prep for two, since it's the same material? I am not asking for money or compensation, only that the child provide his own supplies and purchase his own consumables. I said I would do it for 9 weeks as a "trial period" and see how it goes. My biggest fear is the impact it would have on my interaction/relationship with my own son -- that it might somehow interfere with the bonding he and I have been doing since we started this wonderful adventure. Am I just crazy for even considering this? I think I want to do this, but wonder if I'm setting myself up for a big headache and potential problems.

Amen! I fall in this camp -- the person who vacillates between old and young earth. I used to be FIRMLY old earth (NOT theistic evolution, though)... however, the more I study and read, the more unsure I am (young vs. old). However, I firmly believe that GOD created it. He didn't need a million years to do it... but, on the other hand, He didn't need 24 hours to do it, either. He spoke, and it came into being. Thankfully, our salvation isn't dependent on whether we believe in a literal 24-hour "day" or a million-year "day" in the Creation event!

I recommend A Biblical Case for an Old Earth by David Snoke.

History Scribe: http://www.historyscribe.com/ Hold That Thought: http://www.holdthatthought.com/

Same here. Suffering from this syndrome in a big, bad way.

An excellent movie!! Loved it!

I don't think the OP meant to imply that. But my DB's family was like that. (The kids are all grown now, and he and my SIL are now divorced). During their younger years, when kids were young, they were messy, horrible pigs (parents AND kids). And their kids wet the bed, which is NOT a sign of messiness, of course -- except that the kids wouldn't tell anyone about it! It wasn't until they were getting ready for bed the NEXT night, and claimed they'd rather sleep on the living room floor in sleeping bags, that my mom and dad realized they'd wet the bed. So, the pee seeped into the mattress for nearly 24 hours. ETA: THis happened more than once, BTW. Now THAT is piggyness. Or, when my youngest niece from that family was in junior high, and slept on my sister's leather couch, and had an "accident" in the middle of the night, but didn't tell DSis about it, kept it covered with blankets for THREE DAYS. I have no doubt she was embarrassed about it, because she was a young teenager... but, accidents happen. It was made much, much worse because she tried to hide it.

That happens here. I got a very nasty official letter saying I was in danger of being taken to jail or fined because DS had an (as in, ONE) unexcused absence. The letter came two months after the alleged unexcused absence. The thing is, I'd sent in a note, but the teacher lost it. She later found it, by the way, but after a certain number of days after the absence, the school won't accept the note. :confused: I'm like... huh? The teacher HAD the note!! :angry: I called, pitched a fit, the absence was reclassified as "excused." They are PARTICULARLY nasty over ANY absence or tardy (excused or not) that occurs in the first few weeks of school. Apparently, the ratio of the number of students PRESENT compared to the number of students ENROLLED is a factor in the whole "No Child Left Behind" scoring system. If that ratio goes below a certain threshold during that time frame, then the school gets a bad score. That means, the NEXT year, they MUST allow parents to choose a different school within the district to send their kids to (so long as it is a school that "passed" the NCLB evaluation), if the parent wishes to do so. It's a real mess. DD14 is in ps high school. They can have up to five absences excused simply from a parent note. After that, you have to bring a DOCTOR'S note, or it is unexcused, period.

Fabulous! We lived in Ankara for three years -- 1999-2001. I absolutely loved it, love Turkey, and would LOVE to get back there. It was truly some of the best years of my life, living there. And the history... oh, the history!! I'm so jealous! :) I'll bet it was just wonderful!

Same here! I had one after DS10 was born, then four years after that, then four years after that... and not another one since. I always try to go to a female doctor, or nurse-practitioner. I moved 2 years ago, shortly after my last exam, and don't even have a regular physician, yet. We just go to the "Doc in the Box" (urgent care) when we have a problem (strep throat, ear infection, etc.). But, I really do need to find a doctor, for me and for the kids. It's just tough finding one that will take our insurance. (Tricare, military insurance.) Seems like the only places that will take it are brand new doctors, trying to build a practice. Not that there's anything wrong with new doctors, but I'd rather see someone who has been established and with more experience. KWIM?

Kathleen, are you using the Mineral Veil? If so, is it the "Feather Light" Mineral Veil? I bought that by accident the last time -- it has sparkles in it! I happen to like that, and it was around Christmastime, so it was an error that worked in my favor. But, for those who don't like the sparkles, you'll want to be sure you're buying the right jar of MV. Yes, it's the same. And, like another poster mentioned, some mineral make-ups are more shiny, but usually those are the ones that have additives in them, they aren't "pure" minerals (typically, the kind sold at drugstores). And, you can end up looking shiny in BE/BM if you aren't careful. It takes practice to apply, but it's worth it, IMO. For breakouts & blemishes, I think the "Bisque" product (in the BE/BM line) works WONDERS. HTH!

I'm a Bare Minerals fan, too. I just switched last year, from Clinique. And, I was a die-hard Clinique user, I never wanted to switch to anything else. I'd been using Clinique for almost 20 years! Bare Minerals is fantastic. I'm a pale thing, and no matter how light a shade I got from Clinique, I always had to work very hard to be sure there wasn't a "line" under my chin. That's never a problem with Bare Minerals. I love it, love it, love it. I, too, am sorely tempted to buy the latest and greatest BM item, every time I go into Ulta. Best way to learn about this product: Find a salon in your area that sells it, if you don't have a local Ulta or Sephora store. Ask if they do free make-overs with the Bare Minerals products. That's how I found out about it -- I was visiting my sister, and went for a "free makeover" at her salon. I'm going to say that, at first, I wasn't sure I liked it. If my mom hadn't bought me the starter kit, I probably wouldn't have spent the money. But, since she did, I watched the DVD that came with it, and kept trying to use it. It took me a few days to really get it figured out... but, then I realized how much BETTER my skin felt and looked.

Yikes! :ohmy:

This has been a great thread. As someone new to this, I am encouraged. Zee, I'm especially encouraged by your post, as I've spent the last couple months running around like a headless chicken, trying to find the *perfect* curriculum, and not really getting anywhere! I keep trying to find ways to "supplement" what I've got planned for next year, and it's making me crazy! I need to slow it down, try using what I have "as is" -- I might be pleasantly surprised! If I had it to do over again... I would have homeschooled ALL my kids.

:iagree: We are debt free because we always followed the free advice and teaching of Larry Burkett years ago. You may be able to find his books at the library and maybe some church library's. Dave Ramsey talks about how his philosophy is greatly influenced by Larry Burkett. In fact, Dave pulled himself out of bankruptcy using Larry Burkett's books! Books by either of these two men are highly recommended. Some other books to consider: Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko These two books aren't how-to-guides like Ramsey's and Burkett's books, but they address the mindset we have towards money.

:iagree: And, we're also at BS2. We dug ourselves a BIG ol' hole, and we aren't as gazelle as others, so it'll probably be 3 years before we are debt free. For the other poster asking about the TMMO forum: I am also a TMMO forum member, and YES -- you get a free Dave Ramsey book and some other goodies if you sign up for the whole year at one time. jmgconner - what is your user name at TMMO? the same? mine is pchill.

I thought the same thing!!

There was a guy on the TMMO forum who kept a running blog (well, really, it was just a massively long post within the forum) about his 10-month adventure as a pizza delivery guy. It was amazing -- he brought in an $1500-$2000 per month for his family, half of that in tips. I think -- almost certain -- that he gets reimbursed for gas from the pizza place; that's why most places have a delivery surcharge.

:iagree: It doesn't make any sense that THEY would call him Jeremy. ??? Why would they do that? Why wouldn't they just call him Locke, no matter what pseudonym he was using?