I agree somewhat...however, young minds who don't have any frame of reference hear one thing, Catholics bad, Muslims good... We explained a little further the hows and whys of the Ottoman Empire. What is irksome is that they can't really learn Catholic or Christian History which is the foundation of our Western thinking, they can only learn snippets.

As it was explained to me..... A credit account that has been in use for a long time and has been used well gives you positive credit. It establishes a credit history. New credit does not have a history so if you only keep new accounts then you don't have that longstanding history that gives you the points. So if you have an account opened in 85 and one in 2001 and you close the one from 85, then your credit history goes back to 2001. Plus you reduce the amount of what they call Available Credit. I was told to keep the account and not use it. So, between my husband and myself we have excellent credit because I have a credit history that dates back to my first card in college and my husbands first card in college. Every few years when they send me a new card, I cut it up. Only if they send me one of those 0% no fee offers do I use them to pay off a car or something. Apparently canceling new credit does not affect your credit rating like canceling old credit. If you do a google search for "Understanding FICO" or "Understanding Credit" there are many resources that really explain the hows and whys of credit...Mortgage lenders are also a great source for information on how to improve your credit.

American Girl has an African American Girl with curly hair now!

We've had record cold lows for the last three days. Beats out records from 1901 or something.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Me too!!!!!!:lol: I always find a good mix of dolls of different races at Walmart. Coming from Houston, if our Barbie collection gets out of its demographic of 40% Hispanic, 30% black, 20% white and the occasional "other".....we get to feeling like they are the Stepford wives.....all these identical smiling blond, blue eyed women......creepy. Even Walmart's baby dolls are mixed. The African American dolls come in different shades, as well. Oh, and American Girl has a whole gaggle of dolls of different races. Maybe different areas of the country don't carry the same supply, although Colorado, has a good selection.

I (me, an aged woman) just CLEP'd out of Sociology. I bought a Sociology book and studied over a weekend. Sociology was easy. Know your figures and then choose the most left leaning answers. I plan on CLEPing some others soon. ( I have untidy transcript I'm trying to fill) I found a blog listing somewhere on the net called "Get an Associates Degree in 6 months" with lots of tips about certain tests.

I thought he was kidding when he said he checked it out. When he showed me, I told him it was inappropriate and to take it back tomorrow. He thought he was in trouble. I told him "No, you did nothing wrong, its just not appropriate for your age group." Yes, I agree with y'all, the history is fake, the writing only so-so and the plot predicatable. My husband read it and it made him feel great because he had a much better plot he was working on about the Templars. "If this guy can get published... I should be able to, too." ( And my husband is a writing genius, he would be appalled at my grammar and use of punctuation on this blog!) I'm debating on whether to photocopy the pages of impropriety and mail it to the principal with a kind note...........or just let it go. DS is back homeschooling as soon as we sell this house...... (got to get it listed first)

His school is a K-8 school. They read books according to their reading levels which is computer tested. He is at a 9.5 level. Les Miserables is at a 9.8 reading level. He came home with the DaVinci Code at a 6.4 level. Is it just me or does the graphic sex in this novel make it an inappropriate book for a k-8 school especially for the 6th grade level? Anyone? I have read the book and my husband laughed his way through it as well, so I am not so naive about what is in this book? I'm now a little wary as to whatever else is lurking on the shelves of this elementary school library. Your thoughts. He heard it was a good book about historical puzzles, like National Treasure.

I was just reminded of when my two ds's had a different case of severe dry skin. On some parts o the skin it felt like sandpaper and was really red. It hurt for them to even get them wet or put lotion on them. In this case it was a yeast infection! Over the Counter miconizole took care of it in just a few days. I can't remember where we got the advice to use miconizole, but it worked.

I just bought Disney Scene it at Kohls for $15.99 plus I had a 20% off coupon. I took the one back I purchased from Walmart for $29.98.

I have a Durango Limited with the Hemi and I love it. We got a special deal on the LTD or I never would have been able to get it. On the -2 degree days, I love my bun warmers and my sun roof....I'm so spoiled. When my husband said we should probably get a Suburban I was wary. I don't think he'll get the nice appointments for what we can afford. The newer Durangos seat 8. Mine seats 7 but the rear seat is so big it can easily seat 3 and its split to fold down in stages. Plus the 3rd row has more foot room than the 2nd row. We drove the Trailblazer, Escalade, Expedition, Excursion, 4 Runner, Pilot, Highlander,Commander,Suzuki something or other, Yukon, Envoy, Outlook (my favorite) and the new Ford thing (which was nice but only sat 6). The Outlook gets 26 MPG on the highway and it was everyone's favorite It has the comfort of a Mini but the styling and aggression of an SUV. I didn't want a Durango because I'm short and I thought it had a blind spot. But we got such a deal that I'm happy we got it. Gets 16MPG in city and I've gotten as much as 22 on the highway when its tuned up. The Hemi means I've got to watch my speed because it wants to go fast. For Christmas I'd like my DH to get it detailed so it will be like I'm driving a brand new car!!!!

Confederates in the Attic. My husband enjoyed this recently. Non-Fiction sort of travelogue. Funny.

Try an antifungal ointment! No kidding. Often "chronic" dry skin is a fungal infection pretending to be dry skin or preventing skin to heal. A severe dry hand issue in our house turned out to be athlete's foot fungus. A week of an over the counter athletes foot lotion turned dry hands into hands as soft as a babys bottom and if you keep using it a little longer, it stays away. As good measure, use it on hands and feet....even if you are positive he doesn't have a foot athletes foot condition. THe condition was misdiagnosed as dermatitis (or severe dry skin) by one doctor but a skin doctor looked at it and immediately knew what it was. She also explained that a fungal infection somewhere in the body or on the feet can cause extremities to overreact and dry themselves out, crack, peel, etc. We really thought, at first, that we just had really dry skin because of our climate and treated it with heavy duty lotions, fish oil, olive oil, etc. Best advice I ever have received was from that dermatologist. First sign of "dry skin" on feet or hands and we whip out the OTC antifungal. We also use a tea trea oil spray and lotion just as a refreshing antifungal and moisturizing lotion for day to day use. This recures in my ds, because he's not disciplined enough to use the ointmnent daily to get completely rid of it. BUt everyone else who had the "dry skin" issue is cured.

I couldn't get through the book either, though I tried and tried. I loved the movie, though. I agree that Americans get too much history from Hollywood. I go into historical movies with the assumption that they are way off when it comes to facts.... I'd never use a Hollywood movie to build any historical knowledge.

Your kids are the same age as my own. Our long long trip this time will be accompanied by: SOTW1, Les Miserables (focus on the family ed) Hank the Cowdog, Saddle House Robbery Mystery audio CD ,Clint Black's Christmas music. Muppet Christmas with John Denver, Veggie Tales Christmas, Mormon Tab Choir (so they will sleep a little) and we made up a cd of some RandR music oh and Great Expectations on audio read by Hugh Laurie. In the past, we have very much enjoyed many Hank the Cowdogs, (can't miss comedy) Harry P, THe Frog Princess, Nancy Drew Mysteries. Redwall series, THE BBC version of WInd in the Willows (comedy), Green Shadow White Whale audio (ray Bradbury) and THe James Herriot "All Creatures Great and Small" series. We've rented others from Cracker Barrel but none jumped out as awesome...I guess because I can't remember any titles. But, we have been entertained by some. I'm afraid we will run out of stuff so I'm still looking for some others.

Our music teacher recommended a digital piano vs. a traditional piano. A piano is just a piano. A digital keyboard/piano can be many things and can provide other ways to make music.

NPR is far left, to the point that I have to shake my head to stop my eyes from rolling. When I want news, online, I go to Foxnews.com ( which has been proven by independent studies to be 50/50 coverage left vs. right. Then, I go to hotair.com, which has more journalistic articles about the current events. Then I go to Michellemalkin.com because her links to sources (she had a link to the Senate bailout bill wording when other outlets didn't) are excellent. drudgereport.com is also good. It is more like a list of news articles. We love the wsj.com or opinionjournal.com because it points out stupid, contradictory, slanted, incorrect, misleading and stupid news at the major news outlets on the left and the right. On boring days I hit the New York TImes and the Arts and Letters Daily.

National Reveiw, American Spectator and Weekly Standard are the most popular right leaning magazines. They are not "wacky" or anyting, just news and commentary. The Wall Street Journal is an excellent news source for right and left as well as economics. Very fact based. If we see a suspiciously bizarre story on the NYT we can go to the WSJ and get facts, not emotion.

I don't agree at all. I don't. I think most Americans that choose to finish high school are more informed and educated than most foreigners that I've ever met. WHile we do have a consumer driven economy, I can't think that this is somehow backward. After all, those who hate us most are jealous of what we have! And I mean what most Westernized countries have. I mean, really! Who wants to be France! We as Americans idolize and romanticize the European countries. But please, name something technologically advanced, culturally advanced that any other country (other than the Asian countries) have done in that last 30 or so years. The WHO stats of US birth mortality rates are skewed because we keep better records and we count more deaths than other countries do ( you can find how they get these stats online and they are eye opening, especially when you see how the press loves to make the US look bad.) Plus the standard of living stats are also skewed. Because what we consider poor and destitute in this country is still not "poor" in other countries. You can be considered under the poverty line here and still have a house, cable, a car and Tommy Hilfiger jeans. Poor in other countries may be when your chickens share your only shelter with you and you still pee in the corner. Our health department doesn't allow that. Our homeless population is not necessarily homeless because of poverty. Many homeless have chosen their life, they have checked out of society by choice..... a century ago they would have been called nomads, hobos, adventurers, mountain men. Nowadays we don't allow them to make tent villages and cardboard box cities or allow them to retreat to the hills to live on public land. We, the US, give more $$$$ to world humanitarian causes than any other "enlightened" country. If you all are not informed about these things than you may be listening to the wrong news sources. Sources who are either Francophiles, Anglophiles or just plain bent on bringing us down. I have had friends from all parts of the world, professors, thinkers, managers, and very few have struck me as concerned about the plight of the world or any more in tune with humanity than the Americans I know. My biggest fear is that our new administration who has only bad things to say about America and only good things to say about other countries, thinks we need to be more like them..... I don't want to be France!

Oh, and when it comes to family photos, I don't care about individuality. I've got hundreds of snapshots of the individualism of my family members. The family photo is about being together and unified.

We endeavor to take photos where we are all matching but I'm never prepared. My freind has gorgeous photos of her family all over her house where they are in matching outfits. My favorite is a black and white or maybe Sepia photo of her and her family wearing black turtlenecks. THeir faces stand out. She had it done at Target. It was stunning.

My poor dh asked me for a list so I don't have to run to the store on Christmas Eve to buy myself stuff to wrap and put under the tree to save my dh's honor, like last year. Microbiology Coloring book, WTM another copy, pressure cooker. But, I really don't need anything, I'm spoiled. I'd like to be out of debt, which is only doable if dh works a lot of overtime.....but just tonight he showed me an invoice he is sending from all of his overtime that will almost completely get us out of debt, except for the house. I can't imagine a better gift. He's been working until after midnight for a few weeks now, with little sleep and poor eating. I love that gas is at $1.40 so that I can travel for Christmas!

Phonics Pathways..... taught all of my kids how to read in less than 60 days.

My oldest ds likes Mr. Krugers Christmas (Jimmy Stewart), Its a Wonderful Life (Jimmy Stewart) A Christmas Carol ( the musical one from the 70s) The Santa Claus, Elf. This year I want him (them) to see Bishop's WIfe, and Christmas in Connecticut. Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey. He loves movies, even old ones, even sad ones.