Glad to hear things are going so well. I mostly lurk here but remember your story. As one who tends to give up when things get tough I admire the way you stayed strong and am happy that things are going so well for you!

Glad your are back! Noticed your abscence and wondered where you were!!

Hi- I need a little help with a bee sting. I got stung on my toe a week ago. It has been a little bit itchy ever since, but this morning it is red and puffy (my toe and a couple of inches on to my foot). Is there anything I can do? What are the chances it will get worse? I am leaving tonight to go camping with my daugher's girl scout troop. We won't be far from town, but slightly inconvenient to leave. Thanks in advance!~

These are great! Thank you!

...and if so, how much? I am taking my daughter and a friend on a guided trail ride (horses) tomorrow for their birthdays and am wondering if I should tip the guide. It is already fairly expensive, but if a tip is expected I will. Thanks!

Congrats! She is absolutely beautiful. I hope the last fifth of your family makes it home soon!

A few years ago (I am 50 now) I was noticing hair loss when I showered or ran by fingers through my hair. I figured it was the change. The hair loss did stop without any changes by me. I have asked my friends to tell me if I have a bald spot I am unaware of!

I would love an in-person conference somewhere. I would also love a significant focus on high-school age, as that is starting to freak me out a little bit! I have never been to a homeschool conference, and it would be fun to go to one before I'm done!

I couldn't finish Borat or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (but I love Ishtar!)

Great job!! I am very happy for you!

I am so sorry for your loss.

For the past couple of days my son has been complaining about the inside of his knees hurting when he runs- even just as he is starting out on a run. He plays a variety of sports year round, but nothing overly intense- all just rec leagues. Today some other parents at his indoor soccer game were talking about something called Osgood-Schlatter(?) where the bones are growing faster than the tendons as being common in boys this age. They suggested stretching, icing, and tiger balm. My questions, I guess, are does this sound worth trying? At what point would I take him to the Dr.? It seems like a minor complaint, but I would like him to be able to enjoy playing sports. What kind of Dr. would I take him to, just his ped? Thanks in advance, Carole

I am making dinner and the recipe calls for Old Bay seasoning, which I couldn't find at the store. It is to flavor breading. Any ideas of what I could use instead? TIA

Hate it! Stuff falls down, gets stuck behind, I have to empty everything else off to crawl part way in and reach what has fallen.

Still not reading as much as I would like, but in the last few weeks I have finished... #50 Searching for Hope: Life at a Failing School in the Heart of America by Matthew Tully. Tully is a journalist who did a series of newspaper columns about life at an Indiana high school. This was an engaging read about some of the struggles that the students were going through, and also about some of the institutional failures and successes. I am not sure I agree with all of his conclusions, but it was an interesting book. #51 Hold on to Your Kids by someone whose name I cannot remember. I really don't like the title of this book, but the book itself made a lot of sense to me. DD10 #53 Elisabeth the Princess Bride

I was on vacation, and then started a new job, so I haven't been posting- or reading- much. Here is what we have done lately- #47 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers #48 The Red Tent by Anita Diamant #49 Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The library only had the annotated version, and I couldn't ignore the annotations for some reason, so it took me forever to read. Readalouds #16 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DD10 #56 Call it Courage #57 Disappearing Acts #58 Bringing Nettie Back

Thanks- I will give these ideas a try!

Some of my pyrex baking dishes have baked on gunk ( oil I think mostly). Is there some secret way of cleaning this that I don't know about?

Each kid has a folder for the day with the day's schoolwork, and index cards with chores, piano practice, etc (1 card for each chore/activity). They go through the folder and see what is going on for the day. They know to start with math, if I am not available to help with math they do what they can independently. As far as outside activities- ds11 asks everyday what is going on for the next day, and the next and etc- so by the time we get to any given day we all know what is scheduled!

This week I read- #46 Parenting Teens with Love and Logic There were some ideas in here that I hope will be useful as I go through the teen-age years with my next two kids. I rate this book o.k. Read-aloud #15 Streams to the River, River to the Sea by Scott O'Dell. This was Sacagawea's story of her journey with Lewis and Clark. I found it a little tedious, but my kids seemed to like it.

Interesting, we recently had an off-duty sheriff's deputy injured by some sort of fireworks, he apparently was helping the daughter of a friend light it, and I believe she lost part of her hand. I guess I am concerned with setting a precedent of ok'ing illegal activity, but I tend to be a stickler for the following rules, maybe too much so.

Would you consider letting your ds12 go to a 4th of July party where you know, or strongly suspect there will be illegal fireworks? Let's say there will be adult supervision, but also a lot of 12 year old boys running around. If you have a problem with this would your issues be with the safety or the legality? We are in California, so I think fireworks that are illegal here are brought across the border from states where they are legal. thanks!

#45 Cry, The Beloved Country I enjoyed this. This was set in South Africa, I believe during the beginning of WWII, just before Apartheid became an official policy. It was the story of a man trying to save/keep his family together during a time when his country also seemed to be falling apart. Once again brought home my lack of historical knowledge.

A little bit of reading for me this week, I finished #44 A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle A lot of reading for DD10 #48 Rumor Has It #49 Ice Dreams #50 The Problem with Here is That It's Where I'm From #51 The Good Dog #52 The Boy Who Lost His Face #53 Sophie the Chatterbox #54 Sophie the Hero #55 Sophie the Awesome

I agree with going to a bike shop. I spent about $400.00, which was more than I had planned, but they offer free adjustments for the life of the bike which has been great! I am so glad I bought my bike there and not at Target. Oh, it is a Trek hybird and I love it!