Sell it. Maybe you can buy clear plastic organizing bins with the money you make. :D

Yes, these babies are sure getting a lot of holding time. The only bad thing about holding baby chickens is that they walk in their poo and then we pick them up. Yuck! Those are the messiest darn animals I have ever seen! (But the cuteness takes care of it! LOL)

My dh purchases and resells guitars and amps on there all the time (in the 1-2K range pricewise) and we have never had a problem. :)

How funny! My little fella decided he needed to learn cursive because his brother writes in cursive. I got him a book to work in and I have never seen a child more determined to do something! Thanks for sharing your little man and his talent/passion. :)

Oh my! I am so sorry! My ds who is almost 10 is VERY close to our cocker spaniel as well. I can't imagine how much he would hurt if he witnessed something like that. My prayers for your children as they cope with this loss. :(

LOL...I absolutely MUST send this to my husband so he can giggle along with me. :lol: I particularly highlighted the part about not trusting him around women...even if he is related to them. Obviously, if I were to treat my dh this way, it would mean that we had some real issues in our marriage and a huge lack of trust. If my dh lusts after his cousin, well, then I am not sure much can be done to save the marriage. Furthermore...it is not MY job to make sure dh doesn't cheat. That is between himself and God. It is up to HIM to make sure he doesn't cheat...just as it is up to me to make sure that I don't.

LOL - that is almost the scene here! We live on a farm, and we have a chicken house out back that they will move to when they get older. Right now, they live in my garage under a red light. I was surprised at how much my 5 year old wants to "hold" them. We have to keep him out of the garage so he forgets they are there. Poor things are going to be traumatized. Oh...and God forbid we ever let the 2 cats or my dog out while they are in their brooder in the garage.

Very well could have been a bat. We have them all over at night. They don't bother anyone...even though they do tend to fly lower than birds.

Yep, this is exactly what we did with my ds who is 5.9 but doing mostly end of 1st grade work and reading 2nd grade level. Because your child is a good reader and likes to read, have you considered Heart of Dakota? I will be using it next year with my ds who will be 6 and it is just perfect for him (we are starting with Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory). I love that I can customize the subjectes where he is ahead, but still get the great reading and rich literature approach to other subjects on his level.

If I were you, I would start your ds in CLE Math 1. My son is 5.9 and is doing so well with CLE math. He started in Singapore, so his foundation was already good...and he does NOT struggle in math (other than constantly thinking the teen numbers are their reverse..i.e he sees 16 and says 61 because "sixteen" just doesn't follow suit with all the other numbers). However, I love the way CLE introduces flashcards. My ds has started with the most basic addition and he is really, truly, memorizing them. He sees the problems every day on paper and just writes in the numbers. No using his fingers, no counting up or counting on. I am so proud of him! CLE really does a good job, IMO with math. I know it is definitely workbook-y, but you don't have to do every single problem if you don't want to...and you also don't have to test at all if it upsets your son.

I know! You should see them in person. The amount of "fluff" is almost too much for anyone to bear! LOL

I just have to share. LOL Yesterday, we got a delivery at the post office of 30 buff orpingtons. As you can see...there is ONE little chicken that is obviously NOT a buff orpington. :) I am not really sure what he is, but I am thinking he may be a Dominique. At any rate, he is the cutest little thing I have ever seen and I have named him Charlie. :)

I did that once...about 3am...with a TICK. :( We dry in the dryer now. LOL

My ADHD son is the master at this type thing. He is ALWAYS doing something else when you talk to him, read to him, etc. It drives us NUTS, but I think it actually HELPS him focus..

I had this same problem when I used the program with ds 5.9. He did great on the copy work. He really struggled with the stories and answering the questions. I think that, honestly, the stories are a bit tough for a young child. I do a lot of "reading comprehension" type stuff with my 5.9 year old and *normally* he does really well. I remember, specifically, when we did Alice in Wonderland, he was totally lost. My 9.10 year old did great and understood completely. I really think it is a function of age and understanding and I find the stories to be just a bit too complicated and detail oriented for the younger kids. You may try picking a story that she has heard before or that you have read together and doing your narration passages from there. I know it will be a lot more work, but maybe just do that until she gets a better grasp on the process?

Please tell Rhonda that I will continue to pray for her recovery and upcoming surgery. God be with her.

He leaves them blank for now. My older son is doing CLE LA 3 and I have him go ahead and do the writing (it is more like copywork at this point) but use his own style of cursive and not theirs. I do not grade it closely...I just make sure it is legible and neat. If I can read it and the letters look nice, then I am not going to freak out over slant (or lack thereof), curly doodles on the letters, or anything else. :)

My TV is a 32" and I have had it almost 10 years now. It has served me well and I have no desire to go out and buy a flat TV..other than for the space and the whole "hang it on the wall" option. That is the only thing that appeals to me. Of course, ask me if I would ever give up my flat computer screen for one of those old box kinds and I would say HECK no! So it might be the same if I ever got a flat panel TV too!

We are using New American Cursive with CLE LA 100. I am okay with their spelling.

This is ds9's last week of school. I am SO READY for a break. We will be doing very light school all summer (2-3 subjects - about 30 minutes total a day), but it is not MANDATORY and if there are days when I just don't feel like doing it, we just won't (in the summer). It is much more relaxed and I really need that right now!

Honey...when daddy pees outside, it is NOT the same as the sprinkler that we run through! (this to my then 2.5 year old when dad tried to help with the potty training by showing him how men go potty outside. Needless to say, dh was spinning in circles and peeing on his own shoe trying to keep my little one from running through it.) Now, it seems that what I say most is, "Get off the cat. Kitties don't like to be laid on. And look, now you are covered in cat fur." or "Please do not try to ride the dog. He is a small cocker spaniel and not meant for riding." Or, my favorite, "why did the cat puke on the clothes in your laundry basket??? BECAUSE YOU LOCKED HER IN THE CLOSET!!!!" :(

I have always had cats and I have never known one to be THAT aggressive. WOW. I am so sorry for your ds. :( Was this cat vacinnated against rabies? Cats, especially those who go outside, are more likely to have or come in contact with rabies than any other domestic animal. I would make sure, first, that the cat is okay (10 day quarantine and if it is not sick, then okay). After that 10 days, I would have the cat put to sleep. I have 2 indoor cats that I have had for the last 10 years. They are the sweetest, most gentle cats in the world and I can't imagine them EVER doing something like that. However, I do remember a kitten I had as a child that would wrap itself around your arm and kick and scratch that way when you played with her...but I can't imagine one doing what it did to your son. :( I am so sorry. Bless him!

My ex step-dad's mom was diagnosed with oat cell lung cancer - inoperable. She went into remission and lived another 6 years. However, she never stopped smoking, so yes, it did come back. But the time she was in remission was amazing and a total miracle. And of course, I do not know this person at all...but the thead on Joel Osteen reminded me of her. His mother, Dodie Osteen was healed of terminal liver cancer. I think she even wrote a book about her battle. She is alive and well to this day...more than 20 years later.

The most amazing tattoo I have ever seen was one that my good friend designed himself and had put on his arm in memory of his mom. She committed suicide when we were 17 and left behind his brother, his dad, and himself. The tattoo is a red rose that has the word mom written intricately in the "folds" of the flower. From the petals, there are 3 teardrops, representing the 3 loved ones she left behind. It is beautiful and such a sweet and precious tribute to someone who meant so much to him. Honestly, if I ever got a tattoo, it would have to be for something that meant the world to me that I wanted to forever immoralize on my body. "Fun" tattoos are just not something I would want (though I do like them on others...just not for myself).

Without reading any of the other responses, the word CULT comes to mind. The school wants to control this kid and they are using downright dirty means to do it. Good for him for taking his girlfriend to prom! And if he engages in sex, he will be expelled. WHAT??? Are they sending sex spies? Who is going to go and make sure this 17 year old doesn't have sex (I mean, I am not hoping that he does...he is much too young and that would be a bad choice...but who is going to make 100% sure...ya know??)? And I thought my private school sucked because they wouldn't let me dye my hair blue for senior pictures! :( GOD!