That is too funny. My middle name is Lynn and I'm 42.

I don't mind either kind...however, if I've just participated in a serious, heavy thread - I will avoid them for a little while and focus on more lighter ones.

I voted for the batch of brownies but what I would really go for would be a homemade peach pie!

God has created us in HIS image. We are all created "straight" as you put it. In the beginning, God created male & female. Not male & male or female & female. I wasn't always a Christian but I am now and I believe it with all my heart. Let's just agree to disagree shall we? No hard feelings?

It wasn't until he met this older man when he was in his early twenties. It was then he started living this lifestyle. He didn't always. So, yes, he did choose it. ETA: I have a very good relationship with my BIL. I love him dearly. He doesn't believe as I do and I don't believe as he does but we don't let that affect our relationship. So Jenny, will you answer mine?

Ah, but you misunderstand. I did not say I believed or disbelieved he chose this. I simply stated that discussing it would divert our attention away from the real issue here. Is it right or wrong for men & women to have sex with each other. That's what all this boils down to any way.

Where do they get their moral framework from? Does it come from within them? Do they make it up? I would really be interested to know how they "conceptualize generalizable moral frameworks" Who is the final authority then on right or wrong? I would really be interested in you expanding on this a bit more.

To go in to a discussion about when my BIL chose to be homosexual will not really address the basic morality of what he is doing. And homosexuality is not throughout nature although there are aberrations. Consider this: "The reasoning behind the animal homosexuality theory can be summed up as follows: - Homosexual behavior is observable in animals. - Animal behavior is determined by their instincts. - Nature requires animals to follow their instincts. - Therefore, homosexuality is in accordance with animal nature. - Since man is also animal, homosexuality must also be in accordance with human nature. This line of reasoning is unsustainable. If seemingly "homosexual" acts among animals are in accordance with animal nature, then parental killing of offspring and intra-species devouring are also in accordance with animal nature. Bringing man into the equation complicates things further. Are we to conclude that filicide and cannibalism are according to human nature?" (taken from http://www.narth.com/docs/animalmyth.html) Again - seriously consider. Is it right or wrong for men to have sex with each other? If you think it is right then that's what you think. Our Creator says otherwise and really no matter how much you try to argue otherwise - something that is wrong is wrong. No matter how much you want it to be right. If someone doesn't want to see that, then they simply won't. I'm certainly not going to try to convince you otherwise because I can't. You're going to believe what you choose to believe. Having said that - homosexuality is just one sin out of a multitude that people commit everyday. It is just one sin out of many that will keep a person separated from God.

I've read all these posts with great interest and much sadness. When we as a society can not even agree on what is right and wrong or moral and immoral, well the door is wide open for anything or everything. It basically comes down to this: Either two men or women having sex with each other is wrong or it is not. And whether it is right or wrong has nothing to do with what WE think. Right will always be right and wrong will always be wrong. And homosexuality is wrong. Plain and simple. Not because I say so or because that is my opinion. It's wrong simply because our Creator has said so. But, if you don't believe in God then you have no standard to go by. You are making up rules and opinions solely on what you think or how you feel about the issue. My BIL is homosexual. I love my BIL dearly. He is a great guy. However, he has chosen to live an immoral lifestyle. When we are at a family gathering and I'm watching my BIL and his partner, I just can not escape how unnatural it is. All of nature is male/female. To be otherwise is unnatural. My BIL knows our feelings and we know his. We love him and pray for him but he is free to choose how he lives his life. God has given us all a free will and we can choose to love and serve HIM or we can choose to go our own ways. But make no mistake - there ARE consequences for going our own ways and rejecting our Creator. This, we can not escape.

Sometimes things don't come over in cyberspace the way I want them to. I did not mean to imply that you can't think through problems...I was just stating that it's a good skill for kids to develop. I'm sorry if you took it that way. And when I said that I get the "sorry I even asked" - this is a character issue w/my dd and she doesn't only say that to school related things. It is said with lots and lots of attitude. And the eye rolls. She's not really sorry - she just doesn't want to be bothered. I don't question her about everything. Actually, far from it. But when I do ask her a question I don't think it unreasonable to expect a sincere try from her. Again, it's a character issue we are working on.

If you want to keep a quote make sure you keep the info within the brackets. If you delete the brackets at the beginning and end of the quote, it won't show up as a quote.

I'm sure this drives my dd up the wall too, LOL! But the ability to think through a problem and come up with an answer is a skill that all children should develop - it will serve them well all of their lives. Tom Clark from Video Text was just at our convention and he made this statement..."Children will not become critical thinkers if you do all their thinking for them" I agree with this 100%

The above could have been written by me about my 12 yo dd. I too thought it was rebellion. I still don't have any answers but I know for sure that she does not want to work hard. Or think too hard. She asked me a question about an abacus the other day...why do they have two different color beads. I handed it to her and asked her to look at it and then see if she could tell me. Immediately she said " I don't know". When I tried to encourage her to make a guess I got "I'm sorry I even asked." That was it - no trying, no thinking, she just couldn't be bothered. This is just one example of a gazillion just like it. So I truly feel your pain. I'm starting to realize that I'm not the only one with this kind of problem. I was just speaking to another mom at co-op today and she was talking about her oldest and I'm listening to her w/my mouth open - it was exactly as you described above and exactly what I've been going through. So, if anything, you can take comfort in the fact that your son is not the only one like this and it's NOT you.

I thought I would see a bunch of responses in here that said NO WAY! Boy, I am humbled by you ladies - I had no idea that so many of you worked on your own curriculum. That is so awesome.

Hi CMama - Your plans look good. One thing I want to mention though- try not to do too much too soon. At 4 yrs old your ds is still very young. I made the mistake of trying too hard and doing too much with my first and I regret it. We've been h'schooling for 7 years now and if I had to do it all again, I would definitely not do too much formal stuff until 5 or 6. I would explore, do museums, nature hikes and things like that; all the while be pointing out colors and shapes and counting acorns. Fun stuff like that. Just have fun and don't stress too much and it will be great!

I'm not sure how close you are to them, but perhaps you could just say something along the lines of "I'm truly sorry for your loss. I can't see adding anymore to your plate right now, so I'm going to list my house with XXX. I know you'll need time to recover from this loss." I admire you for your loyalty and concern in this matter. A lot of people would have just went with someone else without another thought.

Mine is actually the first word that my oldest dd spoke. She used to say it over and over again while jumping onto my dh. Her second was buckyshue - I have NO idea where these came from but they are cute.

I agree with you on this as well, but here is something to consider. I heard a Focus on the Family podcast and the gist of what they were saying is that this is the culture and environment that our children are growing up in (technology, my space, facebook, im, etc) and to completely ban them from it (if they want to be a part of it) may just breed resentment. We need to teach them how to be wise and discerning and to use the sites safely. Our kids will be out on their own one day and if we don't take the time to teach them how to use these sites - they will be like sheep going to the slaughter imo. They offered so many suggestions on how to teach your children to use these sites safely, how as a parent you are responsible to monitor everything and they gave so many suggestions of software that you can install that will help you monitor everything from the sites they visit, im's they receive, emails, etc. Two pieces of advice I took away from that podcast, should my kids ever want to be part of that online social networking is that #1 - make sure you have all the passwords and user id's for your dc site. Visit it often to check what's going on. Your DC should be agreeable to this and if they are not - RED FLAG! #2 - Let your DC know that you are monitoring and checking everything. If they have a problem with this - another RED FLAG! I wish the mother of that little girl took some of these precautions. It could have saved her dd's life.

I did R&S 6th this year. A lot of concepts were quick and easy to teach but then there were some concepts that needed more time. It is definitely not as teacher intensive as Saxon K - 3rd for sure.

Thank you so much for your guidance. I am going to try to work with him at home first and try to utillize your suggestions . But, I think I need to wait for his two front teeth to come! :tongue_smilie: If I don't make any headway, I will have to go private.

We used MFW this year and used the ILL - I wasn't crazy about it. I don't have any experience with the All in One but for my 12 yo dd I will be getting AG. I researched it and really, really like the looks of it. So we're going to take the plunge for next year. I will probably combine that with Vocabulary from Classical Roots and a writing program.

I'm actually doing State History from a Christian Perspective. I really like it. It uses the Abeka My State Notebook and they have a study for each of the 50 states. Obviously you would choose your state. It comes with quizzes and tests, maps etc. - I really like it. It is making my job *so* much easier. We are only on Lesson 15 but even though the title states it's from a Christian perspective - I haven't really come across anything overtly christian in it so far, so it might be able to be used successfully by secular homeschoolers as well. Website is http://www.statehistory.net HTH!

Well, first dd started phonics when she was five but I can't say she was actually reading until six. Approximately the same with second dd. My ds was a totally different story. Just from hanging around while I was teaching phonics to the other two, he picked it up on his own and actually began site reading - again all on his own. He made my job so much easier. Believe it or not, I actually tried to back track w/ds and tried to teach him phonics - but duh! He could already read. Thankfully I came to my senses and just let him be! Don't stress out about it. When they are ready, it will just *click* for them and then your job will be so much easier. :001_smile:

If you have a printer/copier combo you can just reduce the print size and copy them smaller. HTH!

The meeting book is where the daily calendar is that they fill out and also where they graph the weather daily. Also, in the back of the meeting book is where there are some graphs, charts and the counting strips. I think it would be wise to invest in it. www.vegsource.com also has a large home school for sale/swap board so you may be able to pick it up there. (the site is a vegetarian site but they have a very active sale board for homeschoolers.) edited to add: If you receive the rainbow resource catalog they list all the manipulatives needed for each level of Saxon so you can check there and then compare the manipulatives at the consignment shop to see if it has everything you need. You know what, I have my catalog handy so I'll just list what you need for Saxon 1: Balance Student Clock Geoboard w/rubber bands Hundred number chart (there is also a smaller 100 # chart at the back of the meeting book) Meter/yardstick (optional) Linking cubes Pattern Blocks Ruler You can buy the standard manipulative kit from Rainbow Resource for about 32.00 (this is w/o optional items) This may help you comparison shop.