I have a Kenmore Elite front-loader, and have mixed reviews about it. If I had it to do over again I'd look *much* harder at the LG front-loader. I've heard better comments about the LG overall.

Ah, yes, you are right about it being a "worldview" and not a "statement of faith". I still think it's odd. For one thing, imo it's really not very well written, and coming from the perspective of a literature/language arts publisher, I think that's exactly what I said--odd. It's entirely possible to say exactly what you believe about things while remaining within a framework of behaving professionally, and without purposefully alienating possible customers. It's not so much that I necessarily disagree with their points, just the way they're stated!

That really was all over the place, wasn't it? I don't disagree with many of the points, but what an *odd* statement of faith!

What my family enjoys is when I add crushed red peppers to the sauce to make it zesty, and use cheddar along with the regular cheese. Okay, thanks....:glare:.....now I want lasagna. :drool5:

This was so funny that I truly did LOL! I wish the humor would be enough to help my dh feel more comfortable with the idea of a colonoscopy. His dad died of colon cancer. My dh should go get this checked. He's never. going. to. do. it. Seriously, he'd probably die first (and maybe will). We can send men to the moon, but we can't figure out a less invasive way to accomplish this? :confused:

Yeah, we pretty much depend on attitude to make this one fun. A bit of friendly competition is also helpful--sometimes keeping a running "score" and appointing the winner "History King/Queen" until next time works. Corny, I know! We do like it a lot overall.

I like my house to be the hangout too. We actually encourage the boys to hang out in the garage. It's getting easier now that the boys are all getting their own "first" cars--complete with stuff to tinker with. My dh has lots of tools and knowledge, and tends to hang out with them, which I like. The girls tend to hang out in the family room & kitchen, playing the Wii and occasionally having a "laundry folding party." (I like those!) The kids all know that at my house I have the huge $3 bag of tortilla chips from Costco, the huge bag of pretzels (also from Costco), or popcorn for snacks. Anything else that's eaten is only because I might bring it out and offer some. Those standard (and cheap!) snacks are always here though. If you're thirsty, there's water. Definitely designate an area for the "gear" that comes with extra kids, and after it becomes routine you won't even have to remind very much. As for the showering thing--how did that happen? I've gotta think that's an abberation, because I'm hard-pressed to think of a situation where someone would use our shower here unless they were actually spending the night. Well, maybe if we had a pool....but otherwise, that probably won't be coming up that often. It's also pretty much up to your kids to do the reminding of rules. You should be able to pretty much go about your business once they're established. Thanks for being there for those kids! I love being able to be an influence for good in the lives of the kids who just "hang here." :001_smile:

We have Perspectives, and we like it. The basic premise of the game is simple, and it's very educational, but this game is only fun if you "make" it fun, kwim?

I'm the only one that cried watching that movie? I just thought his apparent lonliness and desperate seeking of friendship was so SAD! I hated the "agenda" that was so prevalent throughout the movie. Overall, I didn't hate the movie, I just didn't like it much.

This is what I did too!

I really didn't think I'd like it, but I did. I actually laughed out loud a LOT of times during that movie (I'm usually pretty restrained). I'd definitely let my boys see it if they wanted to, but probably not my girls yet.

My toolbar wasn't locked. I still couldn't move anything, but then I happened to minimize the window and then make it big again and now everything is back to normal. I don't understand *why*, but that's ok! Thanks for your help!

Oh, {gasp, lol} you are too funny! :D

I sympathize with their plight, but my question is this: Wouldn't it take some of the burden off of their shoulders while still building the overall popularity and reputation of the curriculum if people could buy/sell used copies of the IG? How could it take them any extra time to deal with used material? One other thing I wanted to mention, not that it makes much of a difference regarding my original question, but I *bought* my guides from them. They weren't free, or tossed into a package, because I already owned about a third of the books I needed for the program. If they were truly "giving" me the guide, I guess it would be more reasonable for them to ask that I not sell it afterwards, but no...I'm paying for the guides at full price. Also, fwiw, when I priced books on Amazon it would indeed have been considerably cheaper to purchase them there. Some used, some new. Between my home library and my local library, I just didn't need to buy very many. Thankfully! Who would've thought my original post would've sparked such a discussion? Overall, I'm just pretty glad that you all didn't think I was a monster for disagreeing with the policy and considering under what terms I might sell regardless of WP's stated policy. I'm sure we're gonna *love* history this year though, so this is all probably beside the point, kwim? Thanks, Julie

Nope...that's not working. I can't drag any part of it anywhere. Right-click gets me no options for changing...I'm sure there's something easy, I'm just not finding it!

Why does my toolbar suddenly look so different? The little start button thingy isn't at the bottom left any more, it's squeezed up tiny in the right hand corner. The address box thing that used to be on a separate line towards the top is now squeezed into that top line, as is the Google search box thing. In other words, everything is squeezed into one line at the top, and I can't find anything or see what page I'm on, or what I've entered into the search field, etc. Help!!

Several of my kids used to get car sick too. Their doc recommended Benadryl. He said that it's easier on them than Dramamine, more widely available in a pinch, and almost impossible to overdose. Makes the ride more peaceful overall, too! ;)

-Lots of good ideas here! Biblioplan looks good. I don't know what has made me disregard Biblioplan in the past. Winter Promise Ancients looks really great and I decided to buy it, then realized about the no re-sell policy. I'm still thinking it over.

You don't have to have the tv off when your dh is home--my dh would be the same way. Having the tv off *every single moment* (no exceptions) that dh isn't home would still be a really big improvement. Have your list of jobs ready for any whiners, and make sure that it's stuff your dh would really love to have done, so that he'll be on board with enforcing that it be done. One other thing...I think you've got to get better at not engaging in unpleasant conversations with both your dc and your mom. Tell your mom that whenever she expresses any (and I mean ANY) negative thoughts about your dh, she will need to leave your part of your home. This would be absolutely non-negotiable for me, and if you love your dh, I think you need to make it non-negotiable for you too. Along the same lines, I don't think you should do the back-and-forth thing with your dc. Ever. Never-ever. You say your peace, you ignore any further comments after that, and you make them pay in a multitude of ways until they fall into a better habit of communicating with you. A polite appeal to you is one thing, putting themselves on equal footing so far as authority and respect is another. You do sound depressed...and probably it will be very hard to make any positive change until that's dealt with. I've found that it's very very hard to carry out the task of finding mental health care while you're in the midst of depression. The job just seems too big and impossible, so you sit without any hope of improving the situation. Here's what I'd try: Look in your phone book's government pages for your city or county, and try to find the number for social services. Call them and explain that you are depressed, unable to pay, and don't know where to get help. If they don't help you, see the next idea. As a more or less last resort, think of the person you know who's most likely to get things done. You know what I mean--these are the gals who organize church nurseries, plan field trips, organize community service organizations. Even if you're not close, and even though it may be difficult, go to one of these types of folks and ask for help with your situation, from a standpoint of asking that person to help you make a game-plan for getting mental health help. People who aren't depressed and have great organizational skills will have a clearer idea of what you should do next. You'd probably be surprised at how many people are willing to help with this if you just ask. You should not go into detail with them about your problems, just say that you're experiencing some overwhelming depression and are having trouble making a plan for dealing with getting help. Things can get better--and they will! My thoughts and prayers are with you, as we all work to get through our days of mothering, daughtering, and wife-ing. :001_smile:

If it's a request, but not legally binding, here's what I look at as a reasonable thing for me to do. Since there was no mention at purchase of either a hefty restocking fee or the fact that they'd like it not to be re-sold, here's what I think seems fair (I may be wrong, and please don't slam me if you disagree, just gently remind me that my ethics are slipping :tongue_smilie:). I will get the materials and probably love them and use them all. If I get them and don't think it's a good fit for my family, I will re-sell them, as long as we have *used no part of them.* If we use them in any way, I will consider them mine forever :D It really is a battle for me, because I'm pretty sure the curriculum will enrich my dc's year, and by extension their life. At the same time, I really wish that I could take a stand against their cr*ppy policy (and trust me, using that word is as profane as I get, so it's a big deal to me. I'm *really* upset.) I think not re-selling it after I've intellectually "used" it is fair. I think not being able to sell it to someone who'd get use out of it if I won't be using it at all is ridiculous.

I bought a *lot* of stuff, figuring that after I reviewed the materials, I would either decide to use it, or would sell it to someone else if I decided it just wasn't for us. Now I'm wondering if I should just cancel my order... What do you all do about this? Just "wing it" and assume it'll be the right thing from the samples you see on the website?

Ah, well, that's ok. What I really meant was that the recipe deserved positive rep, but I'll take some too anytime! :D Ridiculous how a little positive rep can make my day...:) I think you could use milk instead of cream and have it turn out fine, though I haven't tried it personally.

Well, ok, technically it has cream in it, so it's a sherbet and not a sorbet. Still, sorbet seems like a more accurate verbal picture of this recipe, iykwim? Here goes.... In your food processor, combine 10 oz. frozen strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar. Process until it's all combined and chopped very finely. Add in 2/3 cup cream and process until very smooth. Eat immediately or freeze till solidly frozen. That's it. Really. 3 ingredients, and sooo summery and refreshing. There are lots of variations for this recipe, too. You can use pretty much any frozen fruit, I'm sure you can sub. something else for the cream (if you must!), and next time I'm going to add about 1 tablespoon of lemonade concentrate to make it a lemon-berry sorbet. :drool5: Ok, now I was just thinking that if you made a batch of strawberry, and then a batch of blueberry, and then layered/swirled them in a container before you put it in the freezer, you'd probably get really pretty scoops when you took it out to serve it. Go forth and enjoy! I'm thinkin' this recipe deserves some positive reps...I'd even kiss this recipe if I could :D

The only thing that works well for me is the Electrosol Power Ball tablet thingys. I've had lots of problems with my dishwasher not getting dishes clean though, right from the time it was brand new.

I really REALLY want it out of there, but I'm having trouble knowing where to go from here. I went to earth911.org, and there's nothing listed for my area in terms of computer disposal/recycling. I don't even have a Staples anywhere in my area, and I've read that they'll take old computers if you drive there and then pay them $10 to take it. Anywho...I was just wondering what the rest of you do--I guess it's the same thing *I've* done, lol! I confess that at this point I'm ready to put it in the dumpster. :confused: