Oh yeah...I posted the things I still felt bad about. LOL If I were to post all of the bad things I did - dating back to a teen, I would take up this entire page. Stole phone cards - over $500 worth from the place where I WORKED when I was 16 and needed to call my boyfriend who lived long distance. He was a great guy...got me started stealing. The next guy I dated was like, "OMG are you seriously STEALING something??? Here, let me pay for it." After that, I realized it was not a cool practice as far as most normal people were concerned. I never stole anything again, ever. Had "relations" in my mom's house at the age of 17 - she walked in, gasped, and I closed the door and keep right on keepin on. Obviously she was an overworked single parent to allow such a thing. My boys would be out on their EARS and my dh would absolutely go ballistic. Skipped school too many times and had my mom lie and say my grandmother was sick (...she was already dead) so I didn't fail my senior year of highschool. Went to said deceased grandmother's house with theif boyfriend in order to have ...relations. I could go on, but I think this may be enough for one day...LOL Good thing I am not Catholic...I would be saying Hail Marys for eternity.

YAY! I saw a barrier broken this year as our public school was going to allow my son to play on the basketball team. However, when I called the school system directly, they said "no." He had played in years prior while he went to ps and I ran into the guy who is over the league who knows me by name and asked him. I think they keep it hush-hush here that they allow it. Most kids are turned down. We decided to let him play on a Christian league instead, though. Thanks for posting this!

When my kids are sick, I take care of them. Is work more important than her sick child? If it is, then she needs to re-evaluate her priorities. I think you did the right thing by saying no. Not only would you have been exposed to the virus, so would your kids and that is just not cool at all!

I thought the legal letter was contradictory in and of itself. It says something about how "normal books that aren't intended for only children" not being included. Then goes on to say something about how the ink becomes part of the paper and this is inconclusive as to whether it can be exempt or not. I hate legalese. Anyone read that letter and make more sense of it than I did (in the 3 minutes I had to skim it)?

Hmmmm...I think I am starting to better understand why the cops were following you in the first place now....:lol::tongue_smilie:

So I guess talking on the phone while driving a stick shift is NOT a good thing either? :( Oops.

Told my teacher in Kindergarten that I didn't know the man trying to pick me up at school. It was my grandfather. This man was like a dad to me, but I had this strange fear of being alone with a male (I liked to have females around...weird...I know) and I didn't want to go with him. He died 6 years later and I have never really forgiven myself for that. The other thing I did that haunts me to this day is my reaction to my now ex-husband after he did something thoughtful. We didn't have a lot of money that year and he went to the dollar tree and picked out 20 little things he thought I would like. He was NOT a shopper and especially not in a dollar general. He walked around for an hour picking little things - picture frames, some potato chip clips since I was always saying we needed them. Just really sweet of him to do it. On Christmas morning, when I opened my gifts, I yelled, "why did you buy me all of this crap??? And it looks like it came from the dollar tree." He was so hurt by my reaction. I would like to think I have grown up a lot since then (I was 21), but to this day, I think OMG what a total b*tch I was to him. What an ungrateful and total b*tch!

Really now...wouldn't you expect the parents to be a bit ummm...what is the word I can use here on the forum??? messed up...to name their kids that??? Who knows what else they do. That is all just a bit twisted. I'd say the cake thing stirred up the controversy and brought in the state. As much as I hate state involvement, in this case...you just never know how warranted it was. I have to wonder if naming your kids that just shows some kind of sick sense of humor or if it is much, much more than that??? It will be interesting to see what develops further.

No tips, but very pretty dog! :)

I was 19 when I had my first child. They did the AFP test to determine whether there was any "risk" of handicaps. Well, it came back showing that my oldest son could have Down's Syndrome. I spent the next 6 months worrying that he was not okay, but I also opted to NOT have the invasive testing to know for sure. The risks that he would die from the test were greater than the chances that he had Downs. Well, he DIDN'T have downs. It was a false result. He was normal as can be and has no handicaps at all (unless you consider ADHD a handicap....and in that case, I guess my OCD is too). The second baby...I decided that it was just not worth the worry. He was fine too. I know you would love the baby no less if it were to have a handicap and there is no true test without invasive procedures...which could end up harming your baby and it turn out to have been totally normal. Hard decision...in the end, I think I would not test.

So far today, my 4th grader has read for about an hour. He will read another hour or so tonight before he goes to bed. Right now, he is reading Wilbur and Orville Wright for his book study, but most of the time he reads whatever he wants...and still averages 1-2 hours a day...even on weekends. :)

I also second the notion to get a DOG and not a puppy...especially if you have never potty trained one. I would have loved my dog so much more if I had gotten him NOW instead of when he was a puppy. Well, okay, probably not because I love him to pieces, but he sure was a pain in the butt puppy!

Please, if you listen to nothing else I say...ever...please hear this. Do not get a dog in haste. Ask me how I know??? Let's just say 7 dogs, one really mad husband, and lots of work finding good homes after the fact. Dogs are cute, but chances are, if these are LAB pups and they go to shelter, they will be adopted super fast. Don't let your heart strings get in the way of your logic. I definitely think getting a dog is a great thing...but wait until you are prepared. Search for breeds that you want, think about the kids and what they will do best with, decide if you want a house dog or and inside/outside dog...then, with all of your planning and thought, go get one. :)

My son started learning his letters at 3 and a half. He was not ready, by any means, to pick out which words started with that letter. Does your dd know her letters? I would use the leap frog DVD "Talking Letter Factory."

I am another that subscribed through the Hs buyers co-op and my son LOVES it. He was bored with doing the book every day, so we switch it up and he does 2 days a week of the book and 2 days a week of the online version. It is working great for us. He is actually working ahead of where he is in the book in his online course. :)

I think I would go back and do 1A just to be "safe." Singapore teaches the concept of number bonds right off the bat in there and you probably don't want to miss that. I use the HIG (not the TG) and we actually do follow the schedule pretty closely (the one in the front of the book, that is). We don't do all the activities listed with the lessons because usually ds "gets it" pretty easily without those things. But I can't imagine now having a guide of some sort. I think I would miss a lot to not use their schedule for Practices, Mental Math, and extras. Hats off to you. I can't imagine using Miquon as my core. Those books confuse me! LOL

My ds uses 3B in Singapore math and he is nearing the end of 4th grade. I told him it was because he didn't pick up those concepts when we used another curriculum. He doesn't even question it anymore. Does your ds have a learning disability maybe? If he is confused by stuff wayyy younger than him, then maybe there is an actual issue there??

Absolutely! She just circled the problems she wanted her child to do. You can always circle in a different color if you need to circle problems for your dc. KWIM? I would totally get the book!

Yep...I agree with the others....I just look for the little ice crystals and the discoloration and know it is freezer burned and time to be tossed. Like the pp said...not unsafe...just inedible.

Oh Ewww. Someone needs to really talk to kids about HIV in schools these days. I can't even imagine something like that happening whe I was in middle school...and I am only 29! I mean, we were thinking it was big to curse and not get caught...or to kiss a boy at the locker. My goodness...what an interesting and sad world this has become. And honestly...I don't know many adults who would think it was even remotely cool to have oral relations with several men leaving rings of honor on their uh huh. Sick!

I would call them immediately. I don't mean to scare you, but if she had swallowed it...depending on how it went down and whether or not it was sharp, it could have cut her esophagus causing her to bleed internally. I would NOT let this go at all! You were very fortunate that she choked and didn't swallow it.

I am sorry to say, but if this is a virus (which it likely is), antibiotics won't make a bit of difference. If I were you, I would call the oncologist and ask him/her what to do about the illness. I believe that things change a bit when you have something to compromise your immune system. I could be wrong..but you don't want to take any chances.

We are using the US edition right now...but will switch to standards edition with both kids soon...for the reasons listed above.

NOEO Physics I. We LOVE it!!! For your sons, I would recommend any of the level II NOEO sets. Sounds like they really like Science. :)

When I think of my best friend, I think of my two childhood best friends that I have had all my life. My dh is totally different in my eyes. Yes, he is my best friend...but so much more. :)