Thanks for posting this!

We do the Flylady swish and swipe every day and wipe down the tub each time we take a bath. The shower stall is deep cleaned weekly.

When we had all six at home, I liked to do things like jeans and towels at night and then fold the next morning. Dh would wash and dry his work clothes in the evenings during those years, and I would iron when they came out while he played with the kiddos. It worked well for us.

I'm wondering if maybe Edith is really the daughter of Rosamund and not Cora. There was that one shot were the two were across from each other in profile, and they looked so much alike.

If you're talking large quantities of grain, then a five gallon bucket with a gamma seal lid is what I use. For inside storage, I use Anchor-Hocking ( made in the USA ) glass jars with screw top lids or mason jars with plastic screw top lids. ETA: Like others, I freeze grains and flours when I get them.

I'm a firm believer that college is not for everyone and that learning a trade is a valuable skill and education. Speaking practically, there are many who have a trade who are unlikely to be outsourced while many of those with an education are in constant worry of losing their jobs to other countries. Electricians, , plumbers, beauticians, and mechanics, just to name a few, are always in constant demand which should go far in proving their worth to our society.

Thanks for defining blanket training for this conversation. I'm a mom who has blanket trained two of my four, starting before a year old, without harsh measures. Personally, I think training wee ones to play in a small space is a valuable tool in our mom bag. If anyone is interested, here's how and why we blanket trained; When our third son was born, we had a seven year old, four year old, and newborn. I had already been the nursery route at church with the elder two and didn't want to continue with the newest. Luckily, we went to a pretty laid back church so I kept ds in the service with me in the back. We had a small open area behind the last pew that we chose to sit in. When he got to be a few months old, I began to bring his little fisher price lamb rug for him to play on, and he was happy. When he began to crawl off of it, I decided to teach him to play quietly on a larger baby blanket. We got a few sweet little toys and only played on the blanket with them. I never spanked or swatted, but rather redirected and only allowed the toys on the blanket. To practice, we did this before afternoon nap, while I was making dinner ( the older boys played with him then ), and sometimes in the evening. As ds became a toddler, it was easy to transfer this skill/idea to him sitting in the metal bleachers at a baseball or soccer game-- you know how kids like to sit backwards on the foot part and play with a toy on the seat part. It also came in handy at scout meetings. They loved to sit and play at the long cafeteria tables. When dd came along six years later, we blanket trained again, and it continued to serve our family well. Please don't think we always made our children sit in a small place. We didn't, but it was useful when needed.

Although he's eighteen is he still in high school? In our area, still being in high school although eighteen allows you to access children's services. Maybe it's the same in your area, and you can go through the local children's hospital. You'd also have access at the school, if he's enrolled there; but it can be a wait.

We have a lot of the same conversations in our house, usually in the same relaxed manner. Thanks for elaborating. Okay, I can agree that the p* rn conversation could be construed as being a negative consequence. I don't find it equates with punitive though-- not sure if you equate it as punitive or not. Would you still think of the conversation as a negative consequence it were dad or another male speaking with the boy about p*rn? Eta: From your last post, I can see you think of p*rn as being neutral. Would your answers be different if you believed p*rn to be dangerous, not in a moral manner, but as in a physical manner as some doctors suggest. Eta2: I'm not trying to badger. I'm truly trying to understand someone's viewpoint which seems far from my own.

Alberto, can you elaborate on your thought of an uncomfortable conversation as a negative consequence? Sometimes parenting teens does require uncomfortable conversations just like sometimes uncomfortable conversations are needed between adults. I see conversations more as relationship building than something negative.

We began homeschooling because our gifted son's educational needs weren't being met. Religion had nothing to do with it. Now we continue to homeschool our youngest for educational and religious reasons. The majority of the homeschoolers I personally know homeschool for mostly religious reasons. Only a few of those though are completely against public education.

Thanks for posting this. I think we might order it.

Our BSA troop hasn't ever paid leaders dues and neither has our GSA troop. It's just not something that we cover. We do however pay our leaders' BSA summer camp costs.

Congratulations!

Take a look at the 100 days of real food website. Her daughters take lunches like this to school, and she has several posts detailing what she packs.

Whoops- dp

Are you local enough to talk with the middle school guidance counselors? Many times they can be a valuable resource in situations such as these.

As others have said, we felt safer with motion lights and a large dog. We're partial to German Shepherds because of their smarts and loyalty.

We don't punish with missed meals. If you're late for breakfast, then it's peanut butter toast or dry cereal to eat in the car with a cup of milk on the side.

We purchased a dorm vault from bed bath and beyond for about $35. Ds keeps his car keys ( since he only drives very few weeks), emergency cash, and other valuables that aren't needed for everyday. It's been handy to have.

We're nearing the end of our journey with only one ninth grader.

Our city library has a limit of 100 books per card which can be checked out for three weeks and renewed two times as long as there's no hold on the book. Rarely, do we get more than twenty to twenty five books at a time because I don't want to have to keep track of all of them. We only have one family card since we live outside the city and have to pay per card.

Yes, that's the one! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Nm

I'm trying to find a fabulous post about what skills eighth graders should have before moving into high school level work. I think it was posted by Nan, but my searches have been in vain! Does anyone else remember it or have it saved?