My3Boys
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Posts posted by My3Boys
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Just turned 56. My boys are now 25, 23, and 17.
When I had the youngest at 39 I had people asking me if it was my first grandchild :glare:.
I also had friends older than me who were trying for their first!
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I have a junior in a classical Christian school. It's his first year there after 4 years in another classical school and 2 years in VP Scholars. The students here all took Greek in middle school. Ds's first school didn't require it.
This school wants him to take it even though he would have to do it over summer. Ds is not thrilled about this. The alternative would be putting him in a regular Christian school for his senior year, which would not be ideal, to say the least. We also really like his current school. Their teaching staff is outstanding.
I should add, his interests are in math and science. He is seriously considering majoring in engineering (like Dad!).
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We were just talking about this with our school's headmaster. He mentioned this program as a possibility for ds 17 (11th). He didn't mention anything about the funding possibly not being there though. I would think this would be statewide, i.e., all or none. Is it different county to county? We are in Lancaster.
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Should the title be "invisible poor" or the "invisible broke"? There's a difference IMO. Some of the things mentioned are what I think fall into the category of the former (government assistance, delaying necessary medical care) while others are things that many (if not most) middle- and even upper-middle-class folks are doing in this recession (cutting back on disposable spending).
:iagree:
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One thing you need to check into is in some states if you purchase a car in another state you are charge a fee when you go to register the car in your home state. These fees can be pretty high. I think it's to discourage people from buying cars in states with no/low sales tax and avoiding their own state's higher rates. They also want to "encourage" you to buy from businesses in your home state.
When we were in the market for a new car 2 years ago in a state with a very high sales tax (even the car sales tax, which is usually a lower rate than regular sales tax, was pretty high) we found out that we would be required to pay the difference between the sales tax we paid and what our state charges. Sometimes you are required to pay an additional fee when you register the car as well.
To answer your original question, yes, we did find there to be better prices in other areas of the country. You might want to check different counties within your state, however. Sometimes a dealership in a town/county with a lower population and level of income will be priced lower or at least be willing to negotiate more readily than one in a larger city. We had friends that saved several hundred dollars that way. We saved significantly by doing the same thing. Dealers in small towns and more rural areas like to draw people out of the cities and are more willing to deal to accomplish that.
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At 10, she is in the thick of the "horse-crazy" years.
I wouldn't worry too much about it at this stage. The best thing she can do right now is what she has been doing, spending time around the barn, watching others more experienced, learning and getting lots of hands-on experience of her own with different horses and situations.
Wait a few years until she discovers boys. You may see a radical change in her priorities :D.
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When I was in college my mother was walking the dog I had owned since 4th grade when a pit bull got out of the fenced yard he was in and attacked my dog. He picked him up and shook him like a ragdoll. My mother started screaming and beating the pit with her fists. The owners ran out and pulled him off my dog. The police were called and the owners agreed to pay the vet bill, which was sizeable.
I'm sorry if this upsets anyone, but I loathe pit bulls and those who own them. I believe they subject their family and neighbors to danger. I've had 3 separate vets tell me that this breed is predisposed to this type of behavior regardless of who the owners are and are known to turn from "sweet" to vicious in a heartbeat.
It took my dog weeks to recover and was never really the same after that.
I'm so sorry that your family has had to go through this. Losing a pet is hard, losing one this way is a nightmare. :grouphug:
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Ah, right. Are these all front loaders?
Thanks!
Min
No, there are a few top loaders that are HE.
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It works fine, but using it would void my warranty on my washer. Since I bought a 5 year warranty, I use Tide instead. :)
It would void the warranty on my washer too.
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I can see your point in most of what you said. I'm not sure I agree with it entirely. I think its easy to make blanket statements of what we should do, but its not that easy to actually implement something like that! Things are never that black and white.
However, I'm curious, how does the system make it profitable for teens to have babies? What should be the alternative?
I was a teen mom, and I can tell you that it was NOT profitable!
In this country, if a teen girl has a baby without benefit of marriage she qualifies for all sorts of government programs. My oldest 2, one in college and one just recently graduated, have told me they know a number of girls that have had a baby so they will qualify for free tuition, housing, and food stamps and subsidized child care, or did it to get away from home. Check out Star Parker's website www.urbancure.org. She is a former welfare mom of 2 who talks about how she received free everything, would drop her kids off at paid childcare and go to the beach. I saw her in an interview where she said she knew many more like her.
I'm not saying this is true for all teen moms, certainly. I did not intend to offend any who have found themselves in this position unintentionally, took responsibility and worked to better the lives of themselves and their child. Unfortunately, there are many who see a child as a ticket to a free ride, with no thought to the kind of life they are condemning that child to.
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FWIW, I know a bunch of "childless by choice" couples who still purchase larger houses. They have the master bedroom, his home office, her home office, and a guestroom. Because they have 2 typically high incomes and lower expenses, they've got the disposable cash to purchase a big home.
I do agree with the author's suggestion of shifting the tax burden from families with children towards childless folks. But I don't think there is the political will to actually implement it.
What about "empty nesters"? People who have sacrificed and endured the "lean" years while raising their children should be able to keep and enjoy the money they have saved and invested.
What about couples who were unable to have children but wanted them or lost their only child? Are they to be punished twice?
Keep in mind that childless couples have no adult children to care for them in their later years. They need to be able to put more money aside for their care.
This is just another redistribution of income ploy, IMHO. I guess I cannot comprehend this attitude that because life is not what you want it to be that someone else somehow owes it to you to fix it for you. Maybe we should stop envying what our neighbor has accomplished and turn our attentions to bettering our own lives.
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My ds started Latin in 5th grade. In fact, he started classical education then as well. He did fine. In fact, it was his best subject.
He is now in a classical school and is first in his class. His 5 years of Latin has been a huge asset to him.
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Barry Goldwater is a very smart fellow! The big problem with America is that it believes it is invincible and what happens everywhere else and in every civilization that has lived with a government that robs Peter to pay Paul, won't somehow magically happen here.
Something has to give. The National Debt is currently 14.158 trillion dollars. We can't make the March interest payments unless congress increases our loan ceiling so WE CAN BORROW MORE MONEY TO PAY THE INTEREST. We aren't paying on the principal. Remember all of those interest only loans that caused people to lose their homes during the real estate bubble burst? That's the FED. They've kept spending and borrowing to cover that spending until they've bankrupted the nation. Every single president and congress since Lyndon B. Johnson has done this. We haven't really had a fiscally conservative president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.
If every asset of every single person living within our borders including Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and all of their friends were seized, there would not be enough wealth to pay the principal balance. GDP has bombed in relation to that debt. Therefore, our nation is bankrupt. The media doesn't want to announce it, the government most certainly doesn't want to announce it, the president will never say it, but this country is for all practical purposes, bankrupt. What happened in Greece is coming. There will be austerity measures. There won't be any National Health Care - passing that was just a feel good measure to keep the illusion of prosperity alive - there isn't any money to fund it. And forget that, Social Security is going to bankrupt and take a whole lot of elderly people with it to say nothing of the 45,000,000 people that are now on food stamp assistance, most of whom desperately need it, who won't be able to get that either. It's going to be awful. The rioting in Greece and Egypt is just the beginning unless someone with some brains gets in power mighty quick, stops living in dreamland, and starts making the tough choices.
What about the collateral held on money loaned to us. Many of our federal lands, our gold and silver mines, some of our coal reserves, etc. are all collateral on these loans. If the WMF or China were to call in our loans for inability to pay, we would not be able to run our power grids. So, electricity would be doled out on a rationed basis. Think about WWII - the rationing system for fuel, electricity, food, clothing, etc. That is what will have to be implemented. If you can't produce it for yourself, you will have to make do with what the World Bank and the WMF say you can have.
So even if hyperinflation does not hit any time soon, in the next two years we will need to see VERY SERIOUS tax increases across the board, even the poor will pay more, in order to limp along a government on austerity measures. Everyone should think about what it will mean to their budgets to see a much larger portion of their paycheck go to a government that will provide them with far fewer services. How does that affect your budget? If inflation and high taxes occur, what will that mean for food, utilities, and clothing those growing children.
The extension of the Bush tax cuts was done by our government to maintain an illusion that it still had everything under control, that things weren't as bad as most of the U.S. and world economists believe, that the system - as is - can still keep spinning indefinitely.
More food for thought - the national debt stands at over $45,000.00 per U.S. Citizen (that's every American man, woman, and child). It is over $127,000.00 per taxpayer. This is not a sustainable system.
I think the thing that scares me the most is the sheer amount of U.S. natural resources that are held in debt collatoral. They've mortgaged our future, our children's future, and our grandchildren's future.
Faith
I agree with most of what you have said. I believe the only real solution is to look at what caused this in the first place:
We have to get over this entitlement mentality. We have to stop demanding the government provide nearly everything for us and get back to work ethic and individual responsibility.
We have to get over the idea that utopia is possible if we just spend a little more money and redistribute everybody's income equally.
We have to get back to using public assistance for what it should be used for and that is as a last resort to keep people from starving until they get back on their feet, except for those who are truly disabled due to age or infirmity, not just to "make life easier", especially when the families have other options but won't take them because they are inconvenient. If we don't rein this in, the help won't be there for those that really need it.
Restructure welfare so that it has a goal of getting people self-sufficient as soon as possible.
We have to stop making it profitable for people not to work by providing them with everything. Deal with the root causes of poverty instead of just throwing money at the outcome.
We have to stop making it profitable for teens to have babies.
We need to stop "nation building". Stop all foreign aid. It usually ends up in the hands of dictators anyway.
Stop funding public radio, public television, and "the arts". They can compete for public funds just like the rest of the non-profit organizations.
Get the government back to doing only what the Constitution charges it with. Everything else needs to be done through the private sector with government regulation only if necessary
Everyone should pay taxes. Half the population needs to stop looking at the other half as their personal ATM whenever they think they need it. Stop voting for the candidate who promises to raises taxes on those already carrying the majority of the burden so you can live off of it. Learn the difference between "need" and "want". Everyone needs to have a stake in taxes and spending.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Not much of this is going to be popular because certain politicians have convinced a large part of the population that the government is responsible for taking care of all of our needs. We are now seeing the results. Is this harsh? Yes. It has to be. The party is over. We need to wake up to reality.
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Rabies every year. Distemper every 2 years. Ours also got a feline leukemia vaccination but I think that is only a one-time thing? Don't remember.
Since you have a dog that presumably goes outside to walk, and probably brings in fleas, you might want to get your kitty on flea stuff too.
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I believe the terms "progressive" and "liberal" have been used interchangeably for decades. When one label took on a negative connotation, they would change to the other one. It just goes back and forth. That's how it appears to me, anyway, from studying liberalism in society and how it has evolved over time.
As to the question about churchspeak, it appears to me that this is a liberal church who will look to man's reason and societal approval over God's word. Progressives believe in the humanistic principle of "man-centered" as opposed to "God-centered".
Maybe the best thing to do is talk to the pastor and ask about their beliefs and mission statement, then see how it matches up to what the Scripture say. That's the only way to know for sure.
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Their bread mixes will work in any bread machine. They used to sell a couple of different ones, in fact. Bread machines, that is.
I would use the gift certificate for stuff you can only get there. Their pizza dough mix is really good. We love the harvest grains mix for bread. Their flavorings are wonderful. I used to get their course colored sugars but I can get the same thing cheaper by using coupons at JoAnns for Wilton's brand, although they don't have the color selection KA has.
Don't use it for their gadgets, bakeware, etc. You can usually get that stuff much cheaper on Amazon.
I get my flour at Walmart for bread flour and the while whole wheat, and Costco and BJs for all purpose (in 20 lb bags for about $6).
Watch the shipping charges for KA. They tend to be pretty high. I think there are some items they ship for free, but not too many.
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I have an LG washer and dryer. They are electric, though.
When we first bought them I didn't think I would use the steam feature. I figured the old damp cloth thrown in with the load would work fine like it always has. Boy, was I wrong. The steam feature does an excellent job of getting out stubborn wrinkles, especially in dh's good work shirts and pants. The clothes do come out of the dryer a little damp so I throw them in the dryer on low for a few minutes. They look like they have been professionally pressed, even better than when they are fresh from the dryer. I may start doing all of dh's shirts and pants on the steamfresh and mine too! It's worth the extra few minutes.
If you can afford it, I would go with the pedestal. It will save all that bending over and provides you with a good bit of extra storage.
We bought ours at Best Buy and didn't pay an installation fee. I don't know if or what they charged for gas though.
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We are very conservative Christians here plus my dad was killed by a drunk driver, and I absolutely loved the books. The drinking is not glorified, it is just a part of the story, although as I recall the episodes of drinking were presented more in a somewhat humorous sense. Also, remember it is a biography.
There are definitely good opportunities there for discussions on alcohol usage and potential for abuse. Better to expose our children, on a limited basis of course, at an early age to these things when we can talk to them and teach them then for them to experience the exposure later on having no clue how to deal with it.
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I only use King Arthur's white whole wheat, unbleached white, and bread flour.
I can usually get the unbleached white for about $3 for 10 lbs at Walmart. Depending on what Walmart I go to I can usually get the bread flour and the whole wheat as well for the same price.
For the quality of the KA products, I consider that a good price. They are an American company so I am supporting American workers as well. :)
Edited to add:
My local grocery stores often have it on sale for less than that. We have a BJs near us and they sell the unbleached white in 20 lb bags for $5.00. I personally don't like buying more than that at one time both for storage and freshness issues.
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Do y'all have smooth top stoves or coil? Cause I hate to admit it, but my favorite pan ever (cast iron handed down from my great grandmother) does scratch my cooktop. I'm looking to replace it and am 'all ears' :bigear:
Margaret
You cannot use regular cast iron on a smooth top range (or at least you aren't supposed to). You can use enameled cast iron, like le creuset, staub, etc. I have done so for years and never had a problem. They do warn you not to drag it across, but carefully pick it up to move it. I'll admit, I have dragged it a little bit, but I have never had a problem with scratching.
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I own mostly Staub, which is made in France, all of which I have gotten on clearance (discontinued colors) from Amazon and Cutlery and More. It is on the same par as Le Creuset with some differences. The interior is dark so you can't see how brown food is getting as well (I haven't found it to be an issue) but it also doesn't discolor like the white Le Creuset interior.
I also have one Tramontina-type from Target. I bought it under another name but it is the same pan. I think Tramontina bought them out or something. Cooks Illustrated rated it as good as Le Creuset and it cost me all of $40 on sale. It is my most used pan. It is the light interior and it is discolored but, again, that is not an issue for me.
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It's a bit of a toughie for me. I don't know what God will do with unreached people, frankly.
I do know that if just the witness of creation were enough, there'd be no need for Jesus Christ.
There would still be a need for Christ because we would still need a path to salvation. Jesus came first and foremost to perform His saving work on the cross, and secondly to teach us about God the Father and how to live in obedience to Him. Without the cross, there would be no need to know who God is because we would all be doomed to eternal separation from Him anyway. Just knowing that God exists or even knowing about His nature does not provide salvation.
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Frequency with Dennis Quaid and Jim Cavezial (sp?). I don't know if it classifies as a sleeper but it didn't seem to get much attention when it was out. There is some profanity, which it could have done without, but other than that it was a good movie. Not great, but pretty good.
It's also a great father-son movie.
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So, I'm reading a book that has a provocative assertion. Interested to hear your thoughts on it. Essentially, it states that radical egalitarianism (equality of outcomes rather than opportunities) and radical individualism (drastic reduction in limits to personal gratification) has led to a deterioration of our culture. In order to achieve the goals of these two seemingly antithetical forces, deviant behavior must be defined as normal and normal behavior must be defined as deviant.
An earlier post here about a woman's dh who had a girl freak out when he opened a door for her and inadvertently grazed her arm got me thinking about this. This does seem to be an incident of normal behavior being defined as deviant (though clearly this is an extreme example).
What do you think about the assertion? Do you think that normal behavior is becoming blameworthy and deviant behavior becoming normalized? Do you think that our culture is deteriorating?
Not sure if any of this made sense. I tried to pass on the gist of the argument from the book, but please let me know if I have failed and need to provide more info. I'm also not trying to get into a "those people" kind of debate. I'm really looking for your take on the direction of our culture (mainly looking at Western culture but would be delighted to hear an Eastern perspective).
I totally agree on both of the main points. Equality of outcome is based on the entitlement mentality while equality of opportunity is based on work ethic. There is a difference between the "pursuit of happiness" and the guarantee of a specific reward with little or no effort put forth by the recipient.
As to the normal/deviant issue, the first thought that comes to mind is the Scripture that says there will come a time when "evil will be called good and good will be called evil". The reference escapes me at the moment. I'll come back and edit it in.
How involved do you get in politics?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Very involved here. Both dh and I. All 3 of our boys are as well.
Retaining freedom requires vigilance. I feel we can't just sit back and assume someone else will guard it for us, or that it will always be there.
It's much easier to preserve our freedoms than to have to fight to get them back once they are lost.