Interesting list. I read 32, intend to read about 6 more. Suzanne

I agree with Sara and clwcain. Even though stock prices are low now, things are going to get worse. Our economy is incredibly weak, and our government and population in general are making bad decisions about how to deal with it. I would also suggest alternative investments to the stock market -- paying off debt; buying durable tools, clothing, etc.; having a plan for food and heat sources; precious metals; possibly land; educating yourself; or possibly starting some type of business that would be likely to survive in the hard times ahead. Suzanne

Completely agree! The problem as I see it is the FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT. If control of the school districts was back on the state and local levels, it would be much easier to become involved and influence what goes on in the schools. You can actually give a child an excellent education without spending much money. If it weren't for all of the federal control, No Child Left Behind, etc., I would most likely have my child in ps and be actively working within the system to make it better for all of the children in our community. But the way things stand right now, I feel that hsing is the best I can do. Suzanne.

Or silver. http://www.apmex.com/

Do you have Freecycle in your area?

Sounds like they don't want people to pull their money out of stocks to me.

I think the real issue here is what Hal is saying about the devaluing of our currency. The dollar is currently being propped up by foreign countries. Hal is saying that at the point when our national debt increases to the level that we are not able to service the interest on it, that is when foreign countries will start dumping US dollars. Hyperinflation will occur and our dollar will be essentially worthless. If your wealth is represented in US dollars, such as money in the bank, stocks, bonds, etc., you will immediately become broke. He is recommending to buy gold and silver now and to put your money in foreign banks, transferred to foreign currency. He is also predicting February as a possible time when this will happen. I think most Americans don't realize that our debt and inflation are spiraling out of control. We are on the brink of a economic disaster. Thanks again, Peela. Good thread. Suzanne.

Thanks for bringing this up, Peela. I was aware of this, and I think he is right on. Our country is going down. There is no way we can sustain the debt we are incurring. I watched this series last year -- Freedom to Fascism / Aaron Russo -- and it was a real eye-opener for me. It takes a while to get through the whole documentary, but in my opinion totally worth it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ueEfRXZCVA&feature=related Take care, Suzanne.

If it isn't a problem to him, I would just let it go. Do what you can, appreciate him for who he is and enjoy your life together. At least that's what I do. ;) Suzanne

Our Ron Paul sign is still in our front yard from this spring. Just can't bear to take it down. ;) Suzanne

Not a blog, but you might want to read Charlotte Mason's original series. It is posted online at Ambleside Online. Suzanne

My dd is also 6, also a great reader. We also quit phonics. For spelling, we don't do any lists. I just have her do copywork for 5 minutes every day. We do it out of the Bible, but of course, you could use whatever you want. I am very strict about how she does the copywork -- she has to look at the word in the Bible and memorize the spelling. When she turns to write on her paper, she cannot look back at the Bible again. I will sometimes ask her if she can spell some of the longer words, just for fun, and she seems to remember a lot of them. We have only been doing this for about a month. She loves it, though. We are putting together a book of her copywork. She has about 5 complete pages done, and she likes to just pick up the book and read through it. Take care, Suzanne

I color my hair with henna at home. It brings out the natural highlights and conditions the hair at the same time. Works for me -- I get compliments on my hair color. Rainbow Research Corp. Suzanne

Estate auctions.

I can see that I'm terribly outnumbered here and I don't live in the south, but I'll bite anyway... I never consider AC when buying a car. I look at dependability, fuel efficiency, and "fun to drive." We usually end up with Volvos or VW's. We have bought a couple of cars where we never even tested the A/C for a year or two, until someone riding with us asked if it works..... So I would say, if your husband likes the car, go for it. ;) Suzanne.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart mostly because the company has eliminated so many American jobs to places like China. I try not to buy from China whenever possible, but definitely not for any food. I found out this summer that the cheese powder in boxed macaroni and cheese and even ingredients in Velveeta come from China. Also, a lot of candy seems to come from China. But some things, like sneakers, are just about impossible to find. Thanks for bringing this up! Suzanne

Two-story brick circa 1900. It was our dream home about 15 years ago, but we found it is a lot of work to keep up and hard to heat. Our dream home now is a straw bale house, but the building ordinances in our area are holding us back. Suzanne.

When I first learned about Ron Paul last fall and was researching him on the Internet, I thought that all of the religious community leaders would obviously be in support of him. Boy, was I wrong. (Still can't understand why they didn't support Ron Paul.) Chuck Baldwin was about the only major religious leader I found who supported him. I have read a lot of Baldwin's articles online, and I like him. If he makes it on the ballot here in PA, I will probably vote for him. Thanks for bringing his name up. Suzanne

Hi Starr. I can totally relate to your situation. That's why we got the pellet stove... I think we'll get away with around $600 this year. Even when oil was cheap, we were paying 3x that amount! Suzanne.

No A/C, but the house never seems to get above 80 in the summer. In the winter we use a pellet stove. Kitchen, library and bedrooms stay between 55 and 65. Living room and dining room go down to the 40s unless we use the gas fireplace.

yw. Hope it works out for you. Take care. Suzanne

I took the course from Andrews School of Medical Transcription (great course). It took about 9 months to complete. I was able to get a job working from home immediately. I have been doing this for 2 years and have been able to support my family with my income (1 child, husband not working due to health problems...). However, from what I have read on some MT forums, not everyone has been as fortunate as I have been. I would suggest looking at mtchat.com to get some different perspectives. With your training, I think it would be very difficult for you to get a good-paying, work-from-home job at this point. You may be able to find a large national company that is willing to train, but the pay is going to be very low. Most companies want MTs that are completely independent. From what I understand, there are really only 2 courses out there that train well enough to get an at-home job with no experience -- Andrews School and M-Tec. Also, I never heard of anyone using stenographer equipment to do transcription. I use a computer and software provided by my company. I use expanders (macros) to enhance my speed and accuracy. MT work is not paid in terms of wpm but rather 65-character lines per hour. I haven't checked into how the two compare, but you need to be able to do a minimum of 200 to 250 lines per hour to make an acceptable income, 400+ lines per hour if you are doing voice editing (which does not pay as well). I find the work is itself to be kind of boring and monotonous, but it works out well with my current lifestyle. I work Sunday through Thursday 6 pm - 2 am. I can homeschool my daughter in the mornings. She's only 6, so schooling doesn't take too long. I get to see the sunshine every day and be outdoors, which is important to me. And I save time and money since I don't have to dress up and commute anymore. Hope that helps a little. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Suzanne

I guessed, too. 1500-2000. But I really don't know. We have a bedroom converted into a "library" that is pretty much filled with books. I just never thought of counting them. Suzanne.

Have you looked at Ambleside Online? I think their Year 0 booklist is very nice. Some of these I had just happened to start with my dd when she was around 2, like the original Winnie the Pooh and Beatrice Potter. I think you are very wise to stick with the literature. My dd is 6 now, also an early starter. We never went through any kind of formal phonics, just read to her for enjoyment. She is an excellent reader now and has a huge enthusiam for learning. Take care! Suzanne.

Have you checked into the Ambleside Online booklists? I believe the vast majority of selections is not offensive. My dd is only in Year 1 and doesn't like anything too sad, especially animals that die, so we are substituting for a couple of the fairy tales and Aesop's fables. You may want to actually look at Years 3 or 4 because the selections are typically above grade level. (Pilgrim's Progress in Year 2, Shakespeare in Year 4...) Good luck. I hope you find something that works for you. Suzanne.