Sugar and fat fest with the neighbors... Hot wings from Costco Pig-in the blankets Parmesean artichoke dip Tostidos Salsa con Queso with chips New Year Horns (krumkake) those ham, cream cheese and pickled asparagus roll-ups and we may get chili rellanos (sp?!) then anything else we've been dying to have but wait until this night to actually polute our bodies this way :D Yumm...I'll probably have a processed food hangover on Sat!

I have always believed that you find the shoe that works best for your step. I use Brooks because I overpronate - I really like its stability. They used to be made in the USA -not sure if they are anymore. Anyway, being a victim of foot and back issues I have to go with how its made not where its made, unfortunately.

Thank you all again. I just peaked back at this thread because now that the hussle and bustle of Christmas is over as well as our earlier drama, I can think about the next steps. I appreciate all the comments. You folks are swell :001_smile:. And, I do have a more postive attitude. (Life is so much more manageable in the day than at night :D).

Love it! Merry Christmas!

My ds is still an "icky boy" - yay! He doesn't like the prospect of becoming a teenager and can't stand movies with kissing. He doesn't have excessive b.o. yet so it's all good.

:iagree::lol: I can look at and read the captions over and over and I still crack up!

3 buck (or 2 buck if you're lucky :tongue_smilie:) is the Charles Shaw label at TJ's. It's a crap shoot but normally okay. But then again my goal lately is to see how cheap I can go and still get a decent wine (taste buds are not refined - and I am keeping it that way).

My siggy isn't quite up to date. I decided to postpone history until after government. Gov't and Logic are one semester classes. Her course work looks more like this: Spanish (Visual Link) Classical Writing -Cheria LLFLoTR Great Books Algebra I Logic Gov't Band Physics (Conceptual) I truly appreciate all the suggestions, they give me hope and have lifted my spirits. I am considering having her do ds science but she will complete a technology research paper, etc. I am not super excited about doing a Physical Science program per se because she finished doing middle school chemistry last year with the Chem C2000 kit. I am just not wanting to invest in more chemistry stuff at this time.

Gotta a Trader Joes by you? How about a 3 Buck Chuck?

DD is using Lial's Intro Algebra. She had been using MUS but it wasn't giving her enough practice when she got stuck, so we switched. She does seem to be getting math she just makes rushed mistakes. She takes "short cuts" when she shouldn't. For instance, I've asked her to show all her work. But on this last test she gave the answer only for a problem that required subtracting one polynomial from another - she did the work in her head. I chose Conceptual Physics for her science so the math would be minimal. Honestly, I believe she feels she's reading a foriegn language (or listening to me speak in tongues as I go over it.) I've thought of having her use PH Science Explorers and add on a couple of other items like research projects instead. She's resistant to this because her 7th grade brother is using it. How to help her learn the language of science? She also feels it's pretty boring (like government).

I am feeling so much angst over my daughter's high school experience so far. My heart is heavy and I don't know what to do. DD is very conscientious in her work but she is doing so poorly. Her last several tests in government, physics and Alg I have been D's. She works long days so this is bringing her down - and me as well. I am trying to be positive and optimistic in front of her but it's getting more difficult. She has cried so much this semester. Now I am crying as well. I don't really know how to recover. I've always been one to "stay the course" but then again my children were't drowning. Now that she's doing high school work I fear minimizing the integrity of the courses if I were to change them, kwim. I had really been looking forward to the whole homeschool hs experience but now feel as though I've botched it up. Sorry to be so sad on this board.

Thank you for all the great suggestions.

Thank you Lori D. for linking all those fabulous sites! That was very sweet of you to do. This may be a route for her to take. She was interested in being a page for the legislature.

Ordered today from the library - thanks.

My 9th grader is using Notgrass U.S. Government and doing very poorly. She averages Ds on the quizzes. I let her take the first exam as open book and she earned a B. I feel so bad for her because I do believe she is studying the best she knows how but she is just not getting it all and is therefore demoralized. She is really struggling to understand Conceptual Physics as well. I need some suggestions on work she might be able to do that can help her learn and demonstrate knowledge of this course. I was thinking of a lapbook. Anything else.

This totally cracked me up! (because this is me too). Glad I had no food in my mouth.

Wow! How could anyone NOT like The Carpenter's Christmas Collection? That one is my vote.

Well, I think they are my new favorite group! Love them!

My son has taken TKD from our YMCA for the past several years. "average" monthly classes (they were up then gave a discount, now back up) have been about $50. Belt testing is about $35 and black belt testing is $300 (a deal from what I've heard :001_huh:). We pay monthly with no contracts and classes can be up to three times a week (depending on your belt). Kids 8 and up take regular classes but munchkins take "little dragons" (geared toward a shorter attention spans and wiggly bodies).

:bigear:

That so many people "have to" spend Christmas someone else's way. :grouphug: That every weekend gets filled with one activity or another before Thanksgiving rolls around. That we get all the yummy cookies and other treats in just one month! Can't we have a cookie exchange in March? Hmmm....there's an idea.

This is how I'd like to be. I am not crazy about cooking because I get tired of planning it. I do enjoy baking and at this moment in time my freezers do have items to share with visitors - pumpkin bread, zuccini (sp!) bread, and butternut squash pies. I would be one of those in my early 20's that couldn't "cook" but I did know how to broil chicken, steam veggies and cook rice. Pretty much just enough to sustain myself. I cook because I like my family to eat healthy, but I'd rather wash dishes ;).

I don't know of a good translation, I just read it for the first time last year. I loved it but there were sections that had little meaning for me. For instance, details on the French politics of the time I totally skimmed over. If I were to read it again I would probably skip most of the section on the history of the convent/order. It was interesting just added to the length of the book. So my suggestion is, can you re-read it and let your child know which sections he can skip? Oh, I guess I should mention that I liked the section on Waterloo but my neighbor just got glossy-eyed "reading" it. My point being.... I don't know...just lost it....

:iagree: What she said.

I guess there will be a couple of us in that camp.