I use Paula's Choice Hydrating Treatment Cream. I have very sensitive, dry skin and this moisturizes very well without irritating my skin or making it look shiny.

If we could afford it, yes. I would love to have someone come in and do the big stuff once or twice a month - scrubbing showers and tubs, cleaning behind the stove and fridge, moving all the furniture to vacuum and give everything a good going over. I clean here and there throughout the week as time permits, but I'd really like to have the whole house clean all at the same time. :D

I guess I didn't make it clear in my original post that I'm not anti-Christian or any other faith, for that matter. I have attended religious and social events in the past, not only with my husband's family but also with our friends. I'm quiet and respectful during the prayers offered at the family events with my husband's unit and I don't expect anyone to avoid talking about their religion. I know that other's beliefs are as important to them as mine are to me and I enjoy the chance to get to know a different faith - and my friends - better. I also don't mind attending homeschool functions where there is mention of the Bible or anyone in it. What I don't want to attend is a homeschool group or meeting that turns into a religous service. I don't imagine that you would feel comfortable attending a group that revolves around pagan beliefs. I do know that for someone to invite me to their church services or events is an honor. Many churches are very close knit (at least they were where I grew up) and are an extended family. I have accepted those invitations I've felt comfortable with and politely declined those that I did not. I do not feel that I'm above anyone because of my beliefs and I will say again that I'm not anti-Christian. As for closeminded and intolerant, unfortunately that's the reaction many Christians have had to me. There have been a small number of people in my life that have accepted my beliefs without comment other than to ask me about them. They have been far outweighed by the people assume that I haven't read the Bible, haven't been shown the way, insist that I will never enter Heaven because I haven't been saved, that I will burn in Hell because I don't believe exactly the same way they do. All I have to go on are my past experiences and most of them haven't been very good ones. I don't go about announcing my beliefs because of the military community we must live and work in. Being a pagan in a primarily Christian environment is not readily accepted. I have been treated unfairly while accepting those around me without questioning the state of their soul or the name of their holy book. As for not telling my friend about my paganism, I don't want to lose her friendship. I've heard many people here tell me I should be open with her and let the chips fall where they may, and I would like to do that. However, the reprecussions may affect my husband and make future events very uncomfortable. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but the closeness of the military units and their families is very important. We draw our support from one another and are able talk about things that many civilians don't understand about military life. We call each other every day and cry on each other's shoulders when our husbands are sent to Iraq. We worry together and vent together and talk about what it's like to uproot your family every three years. We're each other's family because our own are so far away. To lose that makes a tour of duty anywhere much harder than it should be. So yes, I'm concerned with the affect my beliefs may have on me and my family. I feel very fortunate to have found these forums where I can be myself and ask questions such as these. Thank you all for your advice, words of wisdom, and support. It really does make a difference to me. Bean dip anyone? :)

I've added chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows to the top and then stuck them under the broiler to melt. Tip: Do not walk away from the oven while broiling marshmallows. They will start on fire. My kids still talk about the Brownie Flambe I made 6 or 7 years ago.

:grouphug: I'm sorry your family is acting that way. I think we may be related.

The reaction is due to my paganism. Other non-Christians have been accepted without comment or discrimination. I was hoping this was the case, but she's not picking up on the fact that I don't want to discuss the matter. I think I will try this instead of side-stepping the issue completely. :) And my kids have lost friends, too, by admitting they've never stepped foot inside a church. I'd like to be able to tell her, too. It's just that my past experiences make it hard to feel comfortable enough to do this. The military is a somewhat intolerant place (not to start a debate with this comment) and anything outside of "the norm" isn't well accepted. And if it was just myself that would be affected, I wouldn't be this hesitant about it. But because it has the potential to affect my husband, I'm double thinking things. I love the bean dip routine. I will have to give this a try - it might even work on my mother! lol I like her website, too. Thank you for your points of view and your advice. This has really given me more to think about, but in a calmer manner (instead of grabbing my hair and muttering "what am I gonna do?" over and over, lol). Setting boundaries has always been difficult for me and I'm so afraid of hurting someone else's feelings that I've been willing to overlook my own. I'm 40 years old and I'm still learning.

This is our first year homeschooling and are doing without any outside support. I had hoped to find a group in our area for support and friendship, but most of them are denominational or church run religious groups. The ones that aren't are inclusive only for Christians. And I'm a pagan. I recently met a woman with whom I have a great deal in common. We're both military moms (her husband works with mine), our children are the same ages and genders, we're homeschooling for the same reasons, we are using some of the same curricula, and we have the same sense of humor. The problem? She has asked me to go with her to her church and her homeschool group several times and I don't know how to politely decline without hurting our friendship. She has no idea that I'm a pagan and I really don't want to mention it. I've revealed my religious beliefs to others in the past and have gotten several reactions, the first reaction being trying to convert me and the second being ostracized. The military community is pretty small and word spreads quickly. I've been removed from mailing lists, have been disinvited to various functions for spouses and ignored at unit parties. IN the past, my husband has caught flak for my "unusual beliefs" and has been strongly advised to see to the spiritual health of his family. That's not something I want to go through again nor put onto my husband (who is, btw, perfectly fine with my beliefs though the differ from his). In the past, I've simply declined invitations to church services, politely replied that I prefer not to discuss religion in a social setting, or steered the conversation elsewhere. But it's not working this time. We speak on the phone a couple of times a week and have gotten together for study time and playdates. The conversations are getting awkward because I won't tell her why I don't want to come to her homeschool group meetings (which require I sign a statement of faith) or church services. I refuse to lie or to pretend I believe something I do not, nor would I want to set that example for my children. I've tried telling her that I'm not the same denomination she is and leaving it at that, but that invites questions I'm not comfortable answering. So, is there a way to handle this without losing my friend?

Food dyes make my son into an out of control, hyperactive, violent, emotional mess. We cut out all dyes and he's such a wonderful person to be around (that's not to say he still doesn't act out - he's 4 :)). He's much calmer and can focus very well now, so much so that he's learning to read. His allergic reactions to detergents, soaps and shampoos has disappeared as well. Our oldest daughter was diagnosed with ADHD 13 years ago. We tried the Feingold diet, but felt it didn't work. We didn't take into account the food dyes she was getting at school in the form of school lunches. Now that she's older, she's been following the Feingold diet and is doing very well. It's not that hard to cut out food dyes (lots of label reading and you'll be surprised at the things they're in) and the kids got used to not eating junk food pretty quickly. They learned to eat fresh fruit and veggies when it was all that was being offered. They like the organic yogurt tubes just as much as the ones with SpongeBob on the front. And they now ask for bruschetta or hummus for a snack instead of toaster pastries.

I think I'm convinced! Thank you all for the great links and recipes. And that blog - I love that there's no cream of c**p soup to be found. :D This will make my life a little easier. Bill, thanks for the link to the lead post. It's been very interesting reading and something I will take into consideration.

I'm so glad we switched curriculms, even though it was later in the year and we may not finish in the before our scheduled summer break. I had to get over the money I was "losing" by not using a program and find something that worked.

I've put off buying one for years because of the memories of the crock-pot meals I had growing up - pale, flavorless meat and mushy vegetables swimming in cream of mushroom soup. I hated coming home from school and seeing that slow cooker on the countertop. Our schedule this spring makes a crock-pot seem like an easy way to get dinner on the table. We're out 4 nights a week until 6pm and we're getting mighty tired of sandwiches and soup. I'd like to have something ready to go (or need minimal work) when we walk in the door. But I can't get those flavorless, goopy meals of my youth out of my head. Can delicious, healthy meals be made in the crock-pot?

I have two children, ages 4 and 9. They're both taking swimming lessons right now, although the oldest has been asking to drop swimming and take up fencing. I have no problem with that once she learns to swim. :) The oldest is participating in a Girl Force program at the Y (it's an 8 week course) and is taking guitar lessons. Normally, I wouldn't schedule more than two activities per child per week, but I felt the Girl Force program was such a strong program that I decided to add a little extra chaos to our week over the next two months. lol The 4 year old hasn't taken an interest in anything else right now, except banjo lessons. He's a little young yet, so he's waiting not-so-patiently until he's 6.

It will go towards our family vacation the summer. My husband's family has been going to a small resort in northern WI since his parents honeymooned there almost 50 years ago. Every summer they get a couple of cabins and spend a week or two fishing, hiking and hanging out. It's become a family tradition that no one wants to miss and some years it's the only time we can all get together.

It depends on how sick I am. If I have a cold, we forge ahead. But if it's something more serious, I take to the couch and put in an educational dvd or two (the kids love Blue Planet and Planet Earth). Elle will read to Malcolm or they'll play school, and when I'm feeling better we make up the time we missed.

My daughter visited at Christmas and took home all of the things I don't use: a quesadilla maker, a belgian waffle maker, a chopper, an apple corer, and a cheese slicer (I prefer a sharp knife). Oh, and a slushie maker, a snowcone maker, and an air-pop popcorn popper. I don't understand it, though - she doesn't cook.

My daughter (9yo) wants to do the problems in her head and gets upset when I have her work them out. I've been wondering if maybe I'm being too controlling about the issue, but your post makes it clear that it will only help her later on if she gets into the habit now. Thanks for the timely post. :)

I'm not sure what I'm looking for, either. I'm thinking I probably need a whole new program for Language Arts. Our writing program doesn't go into much detail on the hows and whys of doing things (like why I would use a semi-colon instead of a comma or explaining the use of commas when using quotation marks), and it's frustrating for us to work it out as we go along. I'm not crazy about starting a new program in the middle of the year, especially since we seem to have found our groove, but I don't want to drop LA, either. Heidi, that does seem like it would be backwards with having the book set up that way. And I'd like to hear more about your LA curriculm, when it's ready, of course. :)

We just finished our Wordly Wise 3000 (Book 3) and I'm not sure where to go next. Elle (3rd grade) didn't care for it very much and didn't seem to retain much from the lessons. I'd like to try something different. I'm wondering what would be a good program to use for Language Arts at this point in the year. We don't have a formal program, just WW and a writing/grammar book from our Winter Promise set. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and any recommendations you may have. :)

I love The Onion! Thanks for the laugh. :)

We have 3 (ages 19, 9 and 5) and are finished. I would have liked to have a few more, but things just didn't work out that way.

I'm actively working on it. I've learned quite a bit this first year about what works and what doesn't and what Elle enjoys and what she struggles with. I want to change math programs and grammar/writing programs, but will be staying with SOTW, HWT, and the art program I cobbled together. She'll also be taking guitar lessons. I hope to be able to find some of what I want on the For Sale board - especially Science!

I, personally, wouldn't worry too much. My son is 4 (will be 5 in April) and seemed to struggle with his letters. Only recently did things start to click with him and now he's picking them up so fast. Our new struggle is with numbers; he seems to be having a hard time grasping any numbers above 10 when we're working in a workbook or doing dot-to-dots. But he can count to twenty easily and recognize individual numbers up to 20 if I'm not quizzing him. What I've seen in my older children is that they tend to learn in spurts. With Mac, I spent months reading to him, showing him the letters, making the sounds - nothing. Right before Christmas, he started picking out letters on the presents. Now, he's flying through the Get Ready/Set/Go for the Code books. It happened the same way with our oldest. She'd struggle for the longest time and then it was like a light going off in her head. It may be his age and it just may be the way he learns. Maybe introduce the letters in a different way - our oldest used to write them in rice or make them out of playdough. Mac will walk them out on the floor or line up his cars to make the letters. You'll find what works for him if you keep in mind each child learns in a different way and what will come easy for one child may not come so easy for the next. :)

I read and knit. I enjoy cooking, too, so that's not really a chore for me. I enjoy sewing as well, but don't have a place right now to set up my machines. Things I'd like to do: Take a knitting class/learn a new technique Take a sewing class/learn a new technique Learn how to play chess Go to a movie - and see something I want to see Spend an afternoon in a book store

I've got mine stored in a recipe box, in page protectors in a binder, and on the computer. I prefer having them in a binder; that way I can easily move it about when I'm cooking or making my menu and shopping list. The page protectors keep the recipes clean while I'm cooking and I've got the binder tabbed so that everything stays organized. Another bonus (for me) of using the binder is that, when I find a recipe in a magazine (my own magazine, of course) I can rip it out and put it in the binder right away so I don't lose it.

My grandmother was a schoolteacher and my grandfather was an English teacher and a principal. My mother majored in English. So using "Can I" instead of "May I" was not an option. :) My mother and grandmother both used to say "Can I canoe you up the river?" if we used "Can I". I correct my children on this matter, but not someone else's children.