My younger sister had severe acne as a teenager. She'd tried everything in the store and NOTHING worked. As a last resort, my mom saw an infomercial on ProActive. It did WONDERS!!! WARNING!!! It does tell you on the package that the acne WILL get a little worse the first few days you use it because it works from the inside out. Kind of like a "detox" for your skin. My sister's face was extremely red for about 2 - 3 days. After the redness went down, there was a marked improvement in her skin. Never completely went away, but MUCH better!! Hope you find something that works!

My dh is the ONLY person I'd give any consideration to! He helps me pick most of my clothes (he actually has better taste than I do :D!!) I wouldn't stress about (though I don't know all the details).

Our family dealt with my dad's suicide this past year (Sept 17th will be a year). I never in a MILLION years thought I'd ever personally deal with suicide. I also never knew a heart could hurt so badly! Are they a Christian family?? I can HONESTLY say the Lord has the grace to give them. For a few days, I didn't think I'd ever make it to the other side. I look back now and still wonder how we made it through! I know what my kids went through, and it was their grandpa. I can't imagine what this family is dealing with! I will definitely be praying for all of them!

I have a coupon binder. I keep my envelopes in a plastic zipper pencil pouch in the front of my binder. I "sub" catergorize mine by store, and put them in order of which store I'll go to 1st, 2nd, etc. Categories are going to be different for every family. I prefer to broadly catergorize mine rather than a million envelopes. You'll probably have to play with it a time and two and see what's going to work for you and your family. Really does help you keep better track of your spending!

When I first started homeschooling, I talked to my sister (a certified teacher and 12 year homeschool vet). I asked her what was the MOST IMPORTANT thing I needed to get started. Her answer: a whiteboard :) Glad to hear it's "clicking" for her. I LOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEEE that "look" when the lightbulb comes on in my dc's heads! That will NEVER get old to me! Happy Homeschooling :)

Yep :001_smile: Congratulations!!

Not sure where you're at, but around here, that's the norm!! Realtors for the buyers always start them low to see what will happen. If you want to counter with a lower price, be sure they're paying closing costs!

Hang in there :grouphug: I had one of those days earlier this week. Trust me -- the indulgence isn't worth it!! I felt guilty with every bite of that chocolate (though not guilty enough to stop eating it :lol:) Hope tomorrow's better for ya!

LOL :rofl:!! I thought my daughter was a one of kind. Guess not!!!

Guess I'm gonna be the oddball here! I HATED my IPhone --- had 2 of them. The touch screen is too "finicky." My first one was a 16GB. When I put much on it, it got REALLY slow and would get "tied up" ALL the time! I upgraded to the 32GB, same problem. I have a Blackberry Torch now and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! The Blackberry (Android) apps are much easier to use and navigate. Hope you find one you like :)

In the beginning, I used the same pediatrician for both of mine. My daughter is at the "awkward age," and she is getting nervous about seeing a male doc. Thankfully, the clinic we use has 4 docs that see each other's patients, and there is a very good female doc in the practice. We haven't had to see the doc with her lately, but I'm sure once we explain what she's dealing with, our doc will be fine with it. He's been wonderful to both of mine. Good luck!

Put breathing at the TOP of the list! Everything else is secondary :D I think we all get this way at the start of a new school year. Shoot! I get this way EVERY DAY of a school year! You can do it!! Just sit back, take a deep breath, and pick a place to start. Hope your day gets better :)

This is kind of ironic! Hubby and I were just talking about this the other day. It wasn't intentional, but our goals (as we're just in the process of truly considering them for the first time) already appear to be different for my son and my daughter. For my daughter, our desire is for her to be a truly "feminine" young lady, in EVERY aspect. Not just "prim and proper" in her dress, but her mannerisms, her speech, her attitude. So much of today's society tries to make our young ladies completely OPPOSITE from how God created them. We try so hard NOT to "allow" them to socialize with "the world" that we (at least in our family) lose sight of training them TO socialize in the RIGHT way. Training them to "socialize" in a way that represents Christ in all they do. For my son, strength in meekness. Learn how NOT to bow down to peer pressure. Learn to treat a lady with respect. Learn to look a woman IN THE EYE! Learn to speak with wisdom. Learn how to deal with his frustrations in a Godly, positive way. Neither myself nor my husband were brought up in a "good" home. Our stories would make most people's heads spin! So when we had children, to some people's standards we kind of went OVERBOARD in the "sheltering" department. As we have ALL matured (our children and us as parents), we've learned the balance between sheltering and allowing our children to be the witness God wants them to be. In order for that to happen, they do need to be trained in the "social graces." NOT to "fit in." The Bible tells us over and over we're NOT going to "fit in" in this world. But, to be able to become "all things to all men" so we can be a help to those around us. I will definitely be following this thread as it is very timely in our family. Happy Homeschooling :)

We have the SAME issue!!! How old is your son? My dd is 12 / ds is 9. With mine, I think it's just the maturity levels in each being so different. And dd is just a "tad" on the ADD side! Her LIFE consists of LISTS!!!!!! So, for her, the block schedule was AWESOME!!! I tried what you're thinking -- just not putting an "end" time on the block schedule. What I found was my ds took that and RAN with it! He LOVES science and reading, but other subjects drug on! If you think it's just a maturity issue, I'd say give it another day or two. After about a week, ds was on board as much or more than my daughter. Wears his watch every day and keeps track of his own schedule. Pretty awesome (now!). Hope ya'll get it figured out!

:iagree: VERY well put!!! I didn't have a mom who taught me "how" to dress. My attire until I got married pretty much consisted of shorts, tshirts, tennis shoes, a ponytail and a baseball cap :lol:!! Definitely not appropriate for EVERY occasion!!! Very good suggestions for a mom needing help guiding a daughter finding her way. Thanks for the tips!

Thanks so much! This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for :)

PLEASE don't let this go!! He may have just been trying to get your attention, but suicidal tendencies are VERY deep seeded! My dad killed himself last year (Sept 17th will be a year). It is NOT something that "pops" into your mind when you're upset and suddenly goes away when you calm down. If he's a Christian, encourage him to seek Christian counselling (pastor, friend, etc). Suicide is a byproduct of hopelessness. Our only hope is in Christ! If he's "threatening" it, he's looking for help. So glad he has a friend who is in a place to help him BEFORE he does something irreversible!

This is something my daughter is dealing with right now! We only wear skirts / dresses / culottes (personal preference), but we, too, have noticed that so often people make MORE of a "statement" in their dress that way than wearing what's considered the "norm" of today. Basically, we look at things with one question in mind --- "is it modest?" If the answer is yes, the style, colors, and design don't really matter too much. My daughter LOVES bright colors, geometric designs, floral prints, etc. But, we make sure that it's appropriate for the occasion and is pleasing the eye. In my (humble) opinion, part of modesty is not drawing attention to oneself. So, if I walk out of the house with a 16th century floorlength dress, I don't think that's "modest." I believe part of what is seen as "dumpy" today is from people who make their own clothes. My daughter is very tall for her age, so I have to make most of her clothes to get the length she needs. It took me SEVERAL YEARS to get my sewing ability to the point it doesn't look "frumpy" anymore! Thankfully, she was little when I was learning. At that age, the poofier the better! The basic rule of thumb for us is this --- "will this outfit / makeup / etc., help or hinder my testimony." We strive to strike a balance between "frumpy" and too "trendy." Happy Homeschooling!

If this type of legal proceeding was cut and dry (and I took my Christian values out of the mix), my response would have been different. Once this guy sees a certified letter from a lawyer, if he's like most, the niceties will stop. Then these parents will be footing the bills now to get the work done while litigation is drug out over years! It's a mess, I agree! It's extremely unfair to this poor girl. All I'm saying is get the girl the help she needs now, document EVERYTHING, and wait to see what happens. Hope it's resolved quickly!

I personally wouldn't seek litigation. Not downplaying the mistake, but from what I understand, they're taking care of any out of pocket for the additional treatments? There are other ways to report the mistake should you feel that's necessary. I do have one question, though..... Why are they working so hard to repair / save a visibly dying tooth? (if it's getting discolored, that indicates lack of blood supply to the tooth). Have they considered a bridge / false tooth? A little more invasive, but it'd be over and done with. I'm so sorry to hear how this was handled. I hope it works out for the best. Tammie

:iagree: If you're looking for a tried and true mastery program, you can't beat rod and staff

We've used Rod and Staff for 5 years. Absolutely love it!! The independent work will depend on how much grammar she's had up to this point. Their program is pretty imdepth compared to other elementary level grammar programs. I typically 'go over' the lessons with my kids and they do their work on their own. I use the worksheets for my son (9). He doesn't like all the writing involved. So on lessons where there's a worksheet, I'll let him do those in lieu of the entire lesson. I also use the tests. They are VERY thorough!! Not the kind of test you can rush through. Very solid program, but you will need to be available to help at least a few times per week as she does he lessons. Hope that helps!

The key is take it one step at a time! I've battled weight issues all my life. I can't tell you how many fad diets I've tried. All of them that I'm aware of! Finally took hubby's advice to relax! Learn to eat healthy and get a little bit of that dreaded word -- exercise!! It's taken me about 7 months, but I feel so much better! I actually got out and played ball with my kids the other day! That was a first for me. Take it slow. Drink lots of water! And keep your eye on the correct goal -- being healthy, not necessarily 'skinny.' Good luck :)

Will definitely pray :grouphug: Dh has been in 2 bike wrecks. First one physically not a scratch, but he, too, had some abnormalities on his mri. Very scary!! 2nd wreck his head was fine, but physically he didn't fare as well! Hope all turns out well!

Have you just started your weight loss program recently (I don't like that dreaded word diet!!)?? If so, you might need to reassess your caloric intake. Your body knows what it needs. A true test is drink a large, cold glass of water. Wait about 15 minutes. If you're still hungry, that's not in your head. It's your body telling you its running on fumes. If after 15 minutes you need to eat, choose something small with plenty of protein. String cheese, peanut butter on celery, cottage cheese, or nuts are good for curbing hunger. I feel your pain!! I've lost 40 lbs. Got 10 more to go!! You can do it :)