Thanks for the gift idea. :D DS picks up that cookbook every time we are at the store. Think he will now get it for Christmas.

If you have an REI store near you, they sell great bikes for children and their customer service is awesome: http://www.rei.com/ We have bought all three of DS's bikes through them. Re: Training wheels. I think children learn to ride a bike w/o training wheels when they are developmentally ready and all that time spent with dad (or mom) bent over, running along beside them is not really needed. Just like walking. One day they just surprise you and take off.

I just placed my order for the nature book. And a few other things. :tongue_smilie: Okay. That is good to hear. I normally end up "winging" nature studies for that very reason.

I have been drooling over the book and read all samples available on-line.I have a strong background in nature 'stuff,' so have been on the fence on whether or not I actually *need* this book. No, there isn't much available for curriculum re: nature studies, but there are dozens of books on the subject and I do own them all. :tongue_smilie: What do you think or hope is different about this book? (Not to put you on the spot. Sorry.) Very, very true. We used their guide for studying Lincoln's speech this spring and loved it! My DS is only 3rd grade and I think they have it listed for middle school range. But we got plenty out of the book to make it worth the expense and time. And I will save the book to use again on the next go-round.

Sorry. I would never admit in a public forum that I ate potato chips for breakfast last week. Twice. ;) But I do have a funny pizza story. DH is working awful hours right now and I have been letting DS stay up until 10 or so at night, so he can see his dad for a bit. Well, the other night, DH got home at 10, played with DS for a bit and read some to him, then tucked him in... DH then went and ordered a sausage and pepperoni pizza for himself. Me: :001_huh: I told DH that DS would be out of his bedroom in a flash when he smelled the pizza. DH insisted that DS would never know. Well, the pizza guy arrived and banged loudly on the front door - right by DS's bedroom window. DS came running out, "Who is that???" DH, "Nobody. Now get back to bed." DS went back in his bedroom, but came out the second door and said, "Mom, who is at the door??" Me, "Nobody. Now get back to bed." DS went back to his bedroom for 15 seconds -- until he got a whiff of that pizza. He came out, "I smell pizza. I'm hungry; can I have some, please?" DH, "It is sausage and pepperoni, which you don't like." DS, " That's okay. I'll eat it." (DS has a serious aversion to anything remotely 'spicy' so hates sausage and pepperoni.) So DS ate three large pieces of pizza at 10:45 at night. :tongue_smilie: DH meant to take the leftovers to work the next day but forgot it. I then offered DS the pizza for lunch. His response? "No way. It was way too hot. I didn't like it." Me, "Then why did you eat three slices last night???" DS, "Because you didn't feed me yesterday!" :lol: Not true. But DS has shot up through two pant sizes in the past two months and has been eating anything that isn't nailed down. May you be blessed with a wonderful late night pizza. By yourself. ;)

We are in the metroplex and spent a lovely day outside biking and gardening. :D Got to enjoy it today before 'winter' hits.

We spend the holiday alone, just the three of us. We moved 600 miles away from family over 20 years ago. The first few years, we went home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas, but the weather driving north that time of the year was just too iffy. For years it was just DH and I and we would go out to eat, vacation south or go camping over Thanksgiving. Then DS came along. Everyone thinks we are nuts for spending the day "alone." Since DS was born, we have accepted invitations to three different families for Thanksgiving. After last year, I said - Never, ever again. My own dysfunctional family is enough for me. I don't need to suffer through any other dysfunctional families! :tongue_smilie: Thankfully, DH agrees. So we are revisiting our old traditions, pre-DS. :D This year, we are going to a nearby hotel to spend the night, enjoy their holiday displays and eat out.

My nephew's name is Cedar Bayne. Bayne was my maternal grandmother's maiden name.

I have nothing to add re: Scouts, but so wanted to say that I am stealing your last line: :lol: It perfectly describes my feelings about a certain situation I am in right now! :glare: So - Thank you very, very much for a much needed giggle this morning!!

We are tight cul-de-sac situation and we spent 13 years with the post office refusing to deliver our mail because our neighbor would leave his dead truck parked in front of our mailbox for weeks and weeks at a time. :glare: Needless to say, I was glad when those neighbors moved on. Considering I was on *that* side of the issue, I did feel very sorry for the mail person. They have a long route to deliver. They are technically delivering mail via truck, not a walking route. They are out there in all types of weather. If even a dozen or so have cars parked in front of their mailboxes, it would really add up. But - take my opinion with a grain of salt. I'm speaking as the disgruntled neighbor that kept having her mail suspended because of a neighbor!

Congratulations! I can't wait for mine to die. I wouldn't bother to replace it, as the only thing I use it for is to heat water for my morning tea. I really want the space to add a second oven. Neighbor did send over microwave popcorn with her child the other day and my son was so excited over watching microwave popcorn pop! Didn't realize he didn't know such a thing existed until then. :lol:

It is not at all silly to be sad. I still mourn the lose of my favorite garden center, which closed about five years ago. It is an awful direction the country is going in, in my opinion. Everyone wants the cheapest price on everything instead of quality and customer service. (And your post gives me reason to go $$ support $$ my favorite homeschool store tomorrow. ;))

I know! :tongue_smilie:My MIL is the World's Worse Cook, honestly. But her lasagna? I have never tried it, but can't get past how -- plain -- it looks. And greasy. :001_huh: (She never drains hamburger.) I remember one Christmas where all my husband's cousins were telling me how lucky I was to have a valid excuse (being vegetarian) for not eating the lasagna. :D Ironically, my MIL used to own a restaurant. She went bankrupt in less than a year.

Depends on how good of a cook your inlaws are! ;) I used to be a hard-core vegetarian. It saved me from my MIL's lasagna (made with ketchup :tongue_smilie:) many times. :lol: DH and I are not strict vegetarian, but do try to eat a plant-based/raw diet. When we go 'home' we hit the grocery store right away and stock up on fruits and veggies. I always offer to take a fruit or veggie salad to any family gatherings so we have something healthy to eat. It is hard, though. Our families have a heavy meat and potato diet. :tongue_smilie:

Based on my own experiences attending church youth camps every summer, I would never, ever, ever allow my child to attend an overnight function. But that is just me. I know many people do and don't think anything about it. It is just that... well, as parents it is our duty to protect our children.

I grew up hearing "I heard the bells on Christmas day," sung by Johnny Cash. :001_huh: Several years ago I found one of his Christmas CDs and actually bought it just for that song. Sweet memories. I didn't realize until last year, though, that it was actually a poem by Longfellow! I had DS memorize the first half of it last year and we will continue memorizing it this year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_the_Bells_on_Christmas_Day

I bought Veni Emmanuel from Classical Academic Press last December. We love it. Lyrics are printed in English and Latin. http://classicalacademicpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_6_21&products_id=55

We put our tree up the night before Thanksgiving, then decorate on Thanksgiving evening. I have heard quite a bit of Christmas music at the stores, but haven't minded. I'm ready to get 2010 done and over with so I'm, like, "Let's just get on with the holidays!" :tongue_smilie: We are listening to some Christmas music at home. 1.) We take off the month of December and I wanted to get some Christmas/seasonal poetry and books into our studies so decided last year to start earlier this year. 2.) DS plays a musical instrument. Last year we waited until early December to have him start working on Christmas music. Again - decided last year that he needed to start a few weeks earlier this year. Combining those two thoughts - we are reading about different Christmas carols, listening to different recordings, then DS is adding that piece into his practice line-up.

I am certainly no expert, but - here's my two cents. DS has taken electric guitar lessons for 1.5 years from a large studio. All instructors have degrees in music. I think most guitar instructors are going to be more 'free-spirited' in nature than piano teachers. Just my observation at this studio. Certainly true with DS's teacher vs any piano teacher I have ever met! In fact, I was very apprehensive about this teacher, based entirely on his appearances. But I was assured that he was a wonderful teacher and great with children. My gut feeling was that he and DS would hit it off and be a good teacher-student fit. I will say - they are both flighty. They skip around through music, learn something then drop it. Generally, DS will work hard on one piece at a time, perfecting it, while fiddling around with pieces of other songs. I feel it keeps DS interested and motivated, maybe giving him time to tackle a few harder measures. The instructor has taught him how to read music and DS can - and does - pick up a music book and can play something w/o the teacher. I don't know if this is common or not but DH will take DS out to pick out books on his own, so it is common for DS to work on something w/o the teacher knowing about it in advance. I have never really spoken with the instructor about this, but it doesn't seem to bother him. We have the two main books the instructor gave/sold to us plus 3-4 other guitar books DH has bought. No flashcards.

I have struggled with my weight and yo-yo dieted most of my life. Twice I have been dangerously thin and many times way too heavy. Earlier this year, my DH decided that he needed to lose some weight. He has never dieted before in his life, nor struggled with his weight until the past few years. A few things that have really helped me this time: 1.) Hunger is your friend. My DH and I say this to each other quite often, especially as we are going to bed at night starving. This was a major attitude adjustment for me - that I could be 'hungry' (not starving, but not painfully full) and still function. We snack throughout the day so I know that I don't need to eat so much at breakfast to hold me over until lunch at 12:30, as I will have a snack around 10. Likewise, I don't need to eat so much at 12:30 to last me until 6:30, as I will be eating a snack in just a few more hours. 2.) I had been diagnosed as gluten-intolerant several years ago but still struggled with addiction to white sugar and rice and such. I did the Dr. Oz raw food challenge, where you slowly ween your body from all processed foods then gradually add back in what you missed and felt like your body needed. It really did cure (painlessly!) my cravings for white sugar. I realized that fruit is, indeed, sweet. I also noticed that I didn't feel so hungry all the time. 3.) For breakfast and lunch, I try to get in my daily requirement of fruits and veggies - that way I know I am getting them in, but I am also 'setting the stage' for healthy eating throughout the day. If I start the day with a handful of chocolate chips, it is just downhill from there. But if I start the day with grapes, my palette is clean and I don't want to throw that away. Likewise, we eat a lot of great salads for supper. I never, in all my married years, thought I could feed my DH a salad for supper. But he actually likes them. 4.) Get a few raw salad cookbooks, for inspiration. Buy some new knifes. Or a new blender. Something for the kitchen that will inspire your lifestyle. 5.) Realize that you can still have 'bad' food. Just split that piece of cheesecake with your DH or order a smaller steak.

Cream puffs. :001_smile: Do you plan on doing any holiday baking? You can make the cookie dough now and freeze for later baking. I like to make (and freeze) several batches of muffins and quick breads to have on hand for quick snacks, so I could easily use up a dozen eggs that way.

We start our school years in January, so our changes probably don't apply. :lol: Lately, I have been reflecting over our past school year and rethinking how I structure our year and what I can do to lessen my stress going into the final stretch and getting everything wrapped up. We use a mixture of Latin-Centered Curriculum and Ambleside Online and - this past year - I just planned too much for the fall term and didn't realize how much time a few books would take to read. We had a good, laid back, summer session, which we needed this year. But next year I am planning on doing our harder studies during the summer and save the 'lighter' stuff for fall.

Texas: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=44&menu_id=793 But I consider Texas standards to be a joke. :glare:.

That is my exact feeling about 2010.The year started out great, then we had the rug pulled out from under us in May and it has just gone down hill ever since! We 'experienced' two deaths and unemployment within 10 days, which I am still struggling to recover from.

Same here. Re: different schedule. We don't follow the public school schedule at all, including their random holidays and early releases. Our ps friends know we school over the summer and it has never been a big issue. We have more of a problem with things like Columbus Day, half days and snow days. One neighbor, in particular, wants badly to have me be her babysitter on such days, even though I have told her a zillion times we don't follow the ps schedule. :glare: Out of our dozen or so homeschool friends, everyone follows their own schedule! We all know and appreciate that we homeschool for the flexibility and work around it.