Life of Fred and Beast Academy! Solved our issues; he wants to "do Fred" even on off-school days!

Wasn't peanut butter and bacon Elvis' favorite food that his "Mamma" used to make for him? My sons saw a lady on a tv baking contest show make a chocolate-peanut-butter-bacon pie and they thought it sounded really good but they wont be getting it from me, unfortunately! BTW, She won that round of the contest! She's from a small SC town close to me.....maybe a southern-based flavor combo?

Love the tether ball idea! That clip is so ridiculous ..... But makes me think that dh might enjoy playing with our sons. He's hard to buy for. We always struggle with gifts though tools are usually a hit with him . Yawn.....

This might not be the type of answer you want.......but here goes anyway. We lost several microwaves in quick succession a few years ago due to lightning and just gave up. Haven't used one in years and don't miss it. Have heard that microwaving isn't very healthy since it "activates" the food molecularly rather than just heating. Don't know about that .........but it makes me feel better not using it anyway. Maybe it's "a sign"?!! (Big grin )

Yes, I normally ask those questions.....just wondering if there are any dermatological-type questions that might be pertinent.

Thanks! I will call dermatologists tomorrow. Should I just find one that's conveniently located or is there anything I should ask about? What would make one better over another?

Thanks so much for the info and insights. I was afraid that a derm would jump to Accutane so I've been resisting taking him to one. I'm happy that there are intermediate steps that we can try (with some professional help). Not afraid to go now... thanks! We have very basic insurance for him...will have to see if they will accept it.

I'd like to hear from those of you with Accutaine experience. My fourteen year old son has been getting some pretty major acne outbreaks on his chin area and my mom wants him to take Accutaine (has offered to pay). Is it really dangerous for boys? I know that there are warnings for girls (pregnancy issues)and I understand that monthly blood tests are required to monitor for problems. Sounds so drastic....... He doesn't have any issues anywhere but his chin and we've been getting *some* results with a mix of natural approaches (oil cleansing method, tea tree applications, Burts Bees, etc.)Anything with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid has been too drying or worked for a few days and then stopped working. The improvements are there with the natural approaches, but small (and he's patient) but it's so frustrating for him. My mom says a few months with Accutaine and it'll all be over. Is this true? Is it worth it?

Don't give up! Test scores are information....not criteria for success/fail at homeschooling. So many variables are at play here. Please take your time to consider them and tweak or adapt as necessary. Homeschooling offers so many benefits beyond academic! Love on your little ones, take a breather, and take all things into consideration before deciding on ps.

We've been going across state lines to purchase raw milk (legally) from a certified farm (they are inspected and milk is tested), and we enjoyed visiting it as a field trip. What a pleasure! Raw milk from Milky Way Farm in SC is one of our favorite foods! It is illegal to sell raw milk in NC but there is legislation in the works for a "cow share" type set allowance. I think it would be safer to just allow purchase of certified/tested raw milk than open a "cow share" can of worms, IMO. I'm afraid there might be more milk-related health problems with inexperienced folks deciding to "go in on a cow" than purchasing from a legal raw milk provider. That said, I'm officially in favor of having the *liberty* to make these types of choices for our families. I learned about the benefits of raw milk from Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) http://www.westonaprice.org/. Their research has really had an impact on the foods we eat. We have had many improvements in our overall health as a family from following a WAPF-style "traditional" foods/cooking and primal approach (milk is debatably primal). I used to soak grains and make our bread but it just took too much time to prepare (same with the loads of fermented foods). Am losing weight now by eating primal and have discovered that I am sensitive to grain (never knew!). If possible we'd eat our entire diet from local sources....can't always swing it, but it sure gets easier in the summer! Looking forward to our own garden veggies and local foods to enjoy now and put aside for the winter months.

I have multiplication and division Wrap Up's for sale. They come with cd's so he can get the audio as well as tactile. Maybe try to beat his own times? Good for riding in the car or messing around with while waiting for something. See this page if interested: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/classifieds/item/5059-fs-numerous-math-books-games-manipulatives/

NC - pork, pickles (eastern); apples (western)

Thanks so much for your replies! We'll finish up the elementary series this summer and continue to do a little drill with MM to solidify. Sounds like we'll be sticking with Fred for a while.

Yes, paleo diet is helping me with neck and other joint issues as well. Neck used to crack and pop, pain (both shooting and dull) and stiffness, frequent headaches....same for ankles and oddly, even my collarbone and chest area. Used to see chiro regularly, insurance dropped it so I did, too. I can only attribute my symptom decreases to paleo diet (3 months and lost 20 pounds, too!).

I used one on Donna Young that ds made an illustration for and wrote in/numbered the days himself. Here it is: http://donnayoung.org/f12/calendar-f/blank/ndhalf.pdf