Thimble-It is what I use and I love it! I am linking to this site, but have never bought from them. I just wanted a good picture of the product. If you have a local quilt shop I would go in and see if they carry them. http://quiltersfancy.com/scripts/buyall.asp?thepi=461&productlist=yes

Well, years ago we had a Canon printer that had individual cartridges for all the colors, so if yellow ran out you could replace just the yellow, etc. Now we have an HP 700 series (have had this one for over 7 years I think) and it has a black ink cartridge and a color ink cartridge. It will still print in black ink even if the color inks are out. I like this printer because it has a top that opens like a copy machine so it is really easy to make copies which I do often.

I am going to give this challenge a try as I really need to step up my reading. I wasn't sure what I was going to start with so I went to a bookshelf and found The Complete Poetry of Michelangelo. This is what I will start the new year with. :)

That sounds like a good plan! I am glad that I finally gave in and purchased IEW as it has really helped refine and step up the writing around here. Make sure to give it some time because the approach is a bit different (at least for us it was) and might take a bit of getting used to. Have fun! :)

Being that TWSS is the foundation of the entire IEW approach, yes it would give you a greater understanding of this approach to writing. You can use only TWSS and do very well with writing instruction. If you are looking for something with more "hand-holding", then the SWI or a theme-based program would be what you want. No, you would not have to use a SWI before using a theme-based program though it would give your student a good base in the IEW approach before doing some of the supplemental programs. I know that I said TWSS is not absolutely necessary to view before using a SWI or theme-based program, but I do recommend trying to view it at least once if at all possible so that you have a good understanding of the overall approach. In reading these boards and talking to some hs'ers in real life I am noticing a trend of bypassing the TWSS. I know it is expensive (which is why it took me so long to give in and try IEW), but it is the foundation of the program and it is helpful. I know I have already said the following, but I am going to repeat myself. :) I suggest that you try to borrow it from someone to view at least once so that you have a base to draw from while helping your dc through their writing. If you don't know anyone who has it, try to find a used one (I purchased mine here for under $100 and it was in great condition) or if worse comes to worse buy it new, watch it at least once and then resell it. Anyway, yes, you can use the SWI or theme-based programs without TWSS, but I still would encourage getting the TWSS. JMHO

You can do the SWI without having watched TWSS. TWSS does give the instructor a good background to the program and can be used on its own, but it does take a bit of work and confidence if you plan to use TWSS alone. I would go ahead and purchase the SWI A and try to borrow the TWSS from a local hs'ing family if you can or try to find it used and purchase it that way. Or you could purchase it new, watch it as many times as necessary to get a good feel for the program and then sell it to recoup some of your cost. If you are going to use the writing intensives and/or the theme based writing options then TWSS is not critical. It certainly is if you want to use it on its own to teach writing. :)

I am buying them. My dc are older (7th & 9th) so I am purchasing ones that go along with our studies. Honestly, I don't think young students (under high school) will get much out of them (with the exception of some of the high school level courses). Some of the lectures can be a stretch even for high school. The high school level ones are good and my dc are enjoying the high school level world history. They would be great for you to watch/listen to if that is what you are looking for, but if you have younger kids I wouldn't worry about using them now. I decided to buy them because my local library only has a couple and they are ones that we have no interest in. We can get a few more through ILL (though not many), but you only get to keep them for 1 week. You can't watch one of these series in that amount of time and in our library system we can't renew, but would have to send it back and re-request it. So, I am trying to be careful and a bit picky about which ones we buy because they are expensive. I try to incorporate them into our studies where it is possible so I can budget it into our homeschool expenses.

It has been a long time since I joined in an exercise thread because I haven't been exercising lately. :( I have lost some weight since I started working, but I really need to consistently exercise and get some tone back in my muscles. I am starting by getting back into my daily yoga routine. I did about 30 minutes of yoga today. I have lost quite a bit of flexibility in the past couple months of not doing much. My body really needed this reminder of how good it feels to ground, stretch, expand, fold, twist, etc. :)

I love Mindtrap game (we have the original version and Mindtrap II)!

Ok, I am game. :) See I don't completely agree with you so I am curious what you think my day to day clothing says. I worked today so I have on brown pin-striped pants and a purple shirt. I wore my Mammoth Crocs (brown) and right now I have on a brown sweatshirt with snowmen on it because I am cold (it was a gift from my fil and I did not wear it to work). What statement would I be making with this outfit? I am really curious because I don't think I am making any kind of statement. Oh, just for the record, if I didn't work today I would be wearing jeans instead of the brown pants because I would be saving the brown pants for wearing to work. I would still wear the same shirt and sweatshirt regardless.

I try very hard to not judge a person based on looks. People talk about what hairstyles, clothing, piercings, tattoos, etc. say about a person, but you have to be very careful with that. When you judge someone based on these things that judgment comes with your own personal biases. I have been told that people with tattoos get them because they are looking for attention. If someone were to make that judgment about me because I have tattoos, they would be 100% wrong. We treat people based on our judgments/assumptions of their appearances and that can be harmful if the judgments are incorrect. I really try very hard to treat people the way I would like to be treated regardless of what they look like because you just never know.

You're right. I wasn't really surprised by those who posted it was weird. :) One difference is that it is highly unlikely that my sister will homeschool, but I do see a common thread between what I know of some of you from my time on these boards and my sister. It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round, right?! :) Just to be clear, I like my sister and we get along, we are just very different people (it is a well known fact that I am the "weird" one in the family, which is maybe why I don't notice that some of the things we do may seem odd to others because they seem "normal" to me). :D Anyway, this has been a very enlightening conversation. Thanks everyone!

I apologize for not replying to individual posts, but it would take me all night to do so. :) I do appreciate all the responses. I can see where some would think it is weird. I hadn't really thought much about it until my sister's reaction which is why I thought I would ask. I am not going to do anything about the stuffies (that is what we call stuffed animals here) because I don't think I should, but I was curious if others had the same opinion as my sister. I do appreciate the responses from those of you who said it is weird. :) I think her stuffies are important to her because she has a real love for animals. Two years in a row we have adopted an animal through the National Zoo in her name because that was on her Christmas list (last year was a panda, this year was a cheetah). We are going to visit our local animal shelter to ask about volunteer opportunities as she has asked about helping there (we got our dog there). I am working on ways to encourage her love for animals and translate that into the real world. I do think this may be a career direction for her. Anyway, thanks for the stories that have been shared. I have enjoyed reading this thread!

I have to give you all a hug! :grouphug: Thank you for the supportive responses. I truly am ok with her having Lucky and how important Lucky is to her. I guess I was wondering if I odd in my thinking on this though. I wasn't overly surprised at my sister's reaction, but it did cause me to pause and think about it a bit. I have a quick Lucky story to share. We were playing Gray Matter (a trivia type game) a few weeks ago and my dd and I were partners and ds and dh were partners. We had a question that we weren't sure about so my dd says, "I'll ask Lucky!". So she read Lucky the question and then confidently stated the answer that Lucky gave. It was correct. My dh just thought it was a "lucky" guess and we continued the game. Well, this happened 2 more times! My dh was starting to get weirded out and my ds kept saying that Lucky couldn't answer anymore questions. We ended up winning the game. :)

My sister asked about our Christmas morning and my dd was telling her what she got from "Santa" (we sign the tags from Santa, she knows it is from us though). She also mentioned what Lucky received. Lucky is her favorite stuffed animal. Lucky has been in the family for a number of years and she is very important to my dd. My dd had put out a stocking for Lucky so I bought a few things to put in it (True to Life colored pencils, drawing pad and some stickers). When my sister heard this she could not believe that I would buy stuff for a stuffed animal. She thought it was really weird. Now, just so you know, my dd did not put out the stocking just so she could get extra stuff, she wanted Lucky to get something from Santa and have a nice Christmas. Also, my dd is 12.5 yo. My sister thinks I am babying her by allowing her to have a stuffed animal that is important to her at this age (my sister just had her first baby a few months ago, so I take her opinion with a grain of salt :) ). Anyway, honestly, is it weird that I bought stocking stuffers for my dd stuffed animal? And is it weird that she still has one (well, really, she has lots of them and quite a number of them are important to her, but Lucky is the most important) at this age?

Colleen, I think maybe the issue is the way you stated this question. I will speak for myself because I don't know how others reacted as they read it, but it came across a bit judgmental when I first read it. Now, I know you have stated that you are not judging peoples choices and you just wanted some company. I get that. I am saying why I posted in the first place when we don't fit the criteria of not having bought our dc tech gadgets. I posted because your question reads with the assumption that by having tech gadgets kids are not out enjoying the "simple" stuff and playing outside. I responded to say that although we have some tech stuff my dc still enjoy many activities that you place value on. This is where the "it isn't an either/or situation" comes into the conversation. Kids can do both and many do. I am not judging you or your choices (I made the same choice for many years, it has been just in the past few years that we have brought "tech gadgets" into our home). Just sharing my response/perspective as to why I responded to your post when you weren't necessarily looking for my opinion. :)

My ds is 14.5 yo and has the following: Game Boy (gift from us) that he rarely plays anymore. Sansa Clip (gift from us) that he uses often. He does not "own" the following as they are family property, but he has access to: Wii Game Cube TV (we don't get tv channels, only usable for movies or video games) Computer Pay-as-you-go cell phone (shares with his sister and they only use it when they are at sport practices or something so I have a way to get a hold of them or vice versa) Nintendo DS (shared with his sister) Stereo/radio We have tried the whole limiting the use thing and it just gets to be a pain in my backside trying to keep track of who has used what and for how long (my dd is 12.5 yo and has the same items/access as her brother). I was also feeling like a real nag about it and I don't want to be that way. I trust my dc to monitor their usage and they do a darn good job of it (some days my ds will play a bit much and if I feel it is necessary I will say something and he is very good about stopping a game when asked). I don't know if we are doing right or wrong by allowing the use of tech gadgets (we didn't allow or extremely limited the use for a long time), but we will just keep plugging along doing the best we can for our family. :)

I am reading this entire thread with interest because we are a middle of the road techie household. My dc each have an mp3 player, Game Boys, a DS that they share, a Game Cube (which is rarely played anymore) and a Wii. Oh, they have a pre-paid cell phone that they share so they can call us or Grandma when they are at sport practices or something like that. I quoted the above post because my dc are exactly the same as the dd in the post. My dd asked for art card games, sewing supplies, a book and a video game. She also received smelly pencils, pj's, socks, gloves and slippers (among a few other little items) which she enjoyed opening just as much as the video game. Same goes for my ds who received some lego sets, a book, a couple video games, smelly pencils, silly putty (this has become a tradition for him to get in his stocking) pj's, slippers, shirts and a hat (also a few other little things). He loves his slippers and has already put together his legos and only played 1 of his video games for about 15 minutes. All this to say, I really do think that it is more about how kids are raised than the gadgets they are given. My dc have some tech stuff, but they still enjoy the simple things and they are polite to company. :)

I voted other and I will try to explain why in a way that makes some kind of sense (it makes sense in my head, but sometimes when I try to explain things that make sense to me they sound a bit silly). I celebrate Christmas because it is what we have always done. I guess for me it is more about tradition than anything. I don't view it as a religious (actual or symbolic) holiday and I don't celebrate because the gov. says it is a holiday. I thought about voting for the family holiday, but I don't celebrate the holiday to honor family and friends or gods blessings (because I don't believe in god). I do enjoy spending time with family during the holiday season and giving and receiving gifts, but I don't do Christmas with the intention of celebrating family. So, for me it boils down to tradition more than anything for why we do Christmas. :)

Yea, you won't be able to play the discs on a regular DVD player, you would have to have a Blu-Ray player. You can play regular DVDs on a Blu-Ray or HD player, but you can't play BR or HD DVDs on a regular DVD player. You also cannot play BR on an HD player and vice versa. If you can do it before Christmas, I would exchange it for the correct format. If you can't, then you could wrap it and make sure no one opens the discs and exchange it after Christmas. Technology is fun, isn't it?! ;)

I bought my dd a pair at Gander Mountain on clearance. They are Kamik brand. I had never heard of them, but they are very good boots. They are warm, waterproof, sturdy and don't look childish. My dd spends lots of time outside and these boots have been the best she has ever had. I think I paid between $20-$30 for them. ETA: I just did a search for Kamik boots and you can find them lots of places on-line. Sierra Trading Post has a bunch on sale. They also have some great looking rain boots! :)

Hmm, this is an interesting thread as I have not really ever given this much thought. I only bake for my family (my dad and brother love choc. chip cookies, so I like to make batches for them for birthdays, Christmas, whenever). I do take food to potlucks or bake sales and eat items from said places (though not much from bake sales because I have a hard time spending the money on something that I can make myself) without a second thought. I will keep this in mind though that others maybe would rather have something non-food related. I don't care what people do with the gifts I give them, but if I knew that they were going to throw them away I would keep the food items for myself to enjoy and give something else (that they can throw away or not, whatever ;) ). I do understand eating food from places that aren't clean or people who use questionable cooking methods or food (I have been places where they serve things that are moldy, way past expiration dates or food being served after a story about having mice in the silverware drawer, ick!!!:eek: I just try to eat what seems the cleanest without being obvious about it). It is fun to see others perspectives on things. Thanks for this thread!

Many times my ds (14) is up later than I am, so I try to get up early in the morning and do it then. If you and your family are ok with it, fill them earlier and make it a new Christmas Eve custom to do stockings that night and then open presents on Christmas morning.

My dc bought this book from our local bookstore: Mental Floss History of the World: An Irreverent Romp through Civilization's Best Bits My dh likes Mental Floss magazine, so they thought he would enjoy this.

Not to be a party pooper, but the "free 2-day shipping" is only if you are an Amazon Prime member and the membership fee is $79. Just thought I would mention this because it is a bit misleading if you are just browsing the site and don't click on the "learn more" link where it talks about the 2-day shipping.