My daughter just returned from trick-or-treating with some of these. The package says they are made in China so I threw them away! :eek:

I've been struggling with this. For PreK and K I read from a Bible storybook daily. For 1st, she read the Beginner's Bible daily. Last year, in 2nd, we used Tapestry of Grace Y1 and used their Bible plan. This year we're in TOG Y2 and I was at a loss as to what to use. I started the year with Explorers, Beginnings II, I think. The level for lower grammar or beginner readers. It was way to easy and simple for her. We had already covered everything in the lessons previously. Then I tried the next level of Explorers, Discovery. That didn't work either. So we just started a "Discover 4 Yourself," study on the book of John. We've only been doing it for three days but so far it's a big hit. She loves doing it and I think she's learned more in the last three days than she did in the previous two months. She wasn't quite ready for the reading and writing level required so I'm working closely with her and we're discussing as we go. She really enjoyed marking the key words in the text and I think that in itself was a huge learning experience for her. Anyway, I'll be closely following this thread for more ideas. Kris

And that's funny?:confused:

Nope, not going to do this one either! My heart still hasn't recovered from the Tic Tac Toe several weeks ago. Kris

Nope, not doing it again! I almost had a heart attack last time it was posted! Kris

I think it depends on how you are used to cooking and eating. I did it for about six months and spent more and gained weight. I ended up stocking up on and eating things I never would have bought otherwise just because of the great deals. The whole thing was rather addictive to me and I spent way too much money. I bought extra newspapers and ordered coupons online and "saved" tons of money. But overall my costs went up, not down. Of course, the problem was probably me and my lack of control, and not the fault of the Grocery Game. I had fun doing it and it seemed so cool to buy so much stuff for half or more off the regular price. We still have shelves full of barbecue sauce, salad dressing, and canned soup, that is expiring before we can eat it all. I was also lurked on the GG boards daily and I noticed that many people were also addicted and donated much of what they bought. Kris

Hmm... I've never seen a restroom attendant before! What do they do and why do you tip them? Kris

I do shop at thrift stores and I don't have to. Many of the clothes are better quality than Target or Walmart, it's a responsible use of our money, and it's good stewardship. I have never noticed a shortage of clothes at Goodwill so I'm not worried about taking them from the truly "needy." Kris

My daughter, 9, loves them. However, she doesn't bug me to buy them. She gets one each time she meets a reading goal, as a reward, which happens every 2-3 months. She also uses birthday and Christmas money sometimes to buy herself one. Kris

I had a hysterectomy two years ago for the adenomyoma, in addition to endometriosis, a complete prolapse, and fibroid tumors. It was a very hard decision to make and I delayed making it for many months. When the pain became unmanageable with Aleve I finally scheduled the surgery. What a relief! I wished I had done it sooner. Of course, all surgeries carry risk, and had I had a complication, I might feel differently. But, the quality of my life is greatly improved since I had my uterus removed. Kris

One of my son's friends has one and it is huge and mean and has taken over the house! Definitely not cute! Kris

Yes, this is the third year I've used it with only a lower grammar student. We took Year 1 at half pace and are currently in Year 2 of the curriculum. That being said, most of the material I paid for goes unused right now. It's easy to look at all the pages I don't use and feel like I wasted my money. I'm planning on using it for the duration though and after the 4th year I'll be set through 12th grade. I will eventually use most of it and it will be cost effective in the long run. It's interesting to read the comments from people who think it's too scheduled. I used Sonlight for two years and originally felt like TOG wasn't scheduled enough, since it's only scheduled on a weekly basis and I have to write out the daily schedule each week. Kris

My husband is a self-employed contract pilot too! He's been doing it for about four years now since he lost his last charter job. He loves doing it and doesn't really want to go back to depending on just one employer. He's also on call 24/7 and I can't definitely plan on him being home, ever. Make sure you guys put back enough money for taxes. We had a very rude shock the first year come tax time. Self-employment tax is a killer. We are still paying back the IRS. Anyway... back to the OP question... No I don't know when, if, or where my husband is traveling. When I go places without him, friends ask where he is and they look so shocked when I say, "I don't know." Of course, I do sometimes know and remember, especially if it's someplace interesting, but more often than not I've either forgotten or I never knew. And I don't feel guilty about it, either. Kris

That beats my two! :tongue_smilie:

JFK took office the same year I was born. Guess I'm one of the old geezers! Kris

If you were on someone's ignore list, would they be able to read your post and answer the poll? Just wondering. :tongue_smilie: Kris

We love letterboxing! We don't geocache because we don't have a GPS. Here are where we get our clues: http://www.letterboxing.org/ http://www.atlasquest.com/ There are also a few local blogs we use that only list letterboxes in our vicinity. Kris

In my experience, my daughter has not been pressured. Much of my discomfort stems from my own experience of church culture and is no doubt biased. The culture in our AHG troop, and this may vary in different troops, in my opinion, is based on a Baptist church culture. I'm not trying to bash this culture because I know it works for many people who feel right at home in this environment. It's just not for me and makes me uncomfortable. A person who loves this type of Christian culture would feel right at home at our AHG meetings. But they don't overtly push Baptist theology and there seems to be tolerance of Christians from all different denominations. The leaders are all very loving and kind, which makes it easy for me to overlook my discomfort at the rigidity I perceive. And my daughter is thriving. Kris

I usually only serve water and maybe iced tea with dinner. Many people like coffee with dessert so I usually make a pot of decaf. Kris

This is the third year my daughter has been in AHG. It is her very favorite thing to do in the whole world. She has made some really good friends and loves every activity and meeting she attends. She told me she never wants to quit and even plans on being a leader eventually. We are in a very well-organized troop, with an emphasis on service. Like others have said, I would definitely research the group near you and maybe even attend a meeting or two before deciding. There are some negatives, which I am willing to put up with because my daughter gets so much out of it. First of all, it is very time consuming. In our troop, and I don't know if this is true for every group, the parents are required to to give a certain amount of time to the group each year. We have to earn points, which are given for different levels of participation. For instance, a squad leader automatically earns the required three points for the year. Babysitting the leaders' younger children on a meeting night earns 1/2 point. Each parent is also required to be a parent helper and bring a snack to a meeting several times a year. In addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, there are also service projects, recreational activities, and camp-outs throughout the year. Another issue for me has been the very conforming and rigid form of Christianity to which they adhere. Again, it may be different from troop to troop. They are very much focused on rules and order. They usually balance it with much love and grace, but it still grates on me at times. My daughter has not felt overburdened or oppressed by the rigidity, so it may just be my issue. I, personally, frequently feel like a round peg trying to fit into a square hole. Anyway, that's my take on it. My daughter absolutely loves it and I'm willing to make some concessions in order for her attend. Kris

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to vote 3rd party but am definitely thinking about it. I understand that it won't effect the outcome of this election. My hope is that it could possibly effect the outcome of future elections. My thinking is that if enough people vote 3rd party then in the future the major parties will have to alter their platforms in order to win back our votes. We could become a powerful enough voting bloc that they would alter their policies to get our votes. I still don't know what I'm going to do though. I'm very frustrated with this whole election and the choices I have. Neither major candidate represents me. I think about it and stew over it everyday. Kris

Yes. But I also think that almost every one of us living in this country is wealthy by global standards. Even the poorest in this country have enough food to prevent starvation, clean water, clothing, and shelter. Not so for a large percentage of the population of the rest of the world. We are all extremely blessed! Kris PS- I don't think health insurance premiums correlate with income. Our self-employment income is a small fraction of 250k and we pay through our noses for insurance.

Here ya go: http://www.chefcentral.com/product1.aspx?Product_Id=504&utm_source=nextag&utm_medium=dfeeds&utm_campaign=general Kris

We sprinkle with a little lime juice. Not only does it keep them from turning brown, but my daughter loves the taste. Kris

Sparkpeople.com has been working for me. Logging my exercise and the food I eat has kept me accountable and made a big difference. Kris