Intentional community? Yeah, my knee jerk reaction is Yikes! A cult! However.... There is a trend,among some Christians today, to move away from distant megachurches and towards more community oriented, neighborhood churches. That's one things I envy about my Catholic friends, the fact that parishes typically draw from neighborhoods, so neighbors are also fellow church-goers. I would love to live closer to some of my church friends! I recognize, however, that the neighborhood church is a different animal than a parcel of land owned by the church. I'm not liking that idea... Anyway, OP, you can converse with your mom and sister gently, assure her that you agree on the centrality of the Gospel while finding your own fulfilling style of worship at a different church. And I would tell her soon. The longer you continue to attend with them, the deeper in you are, in their eyes, anyway.

hehehe... look out basement, you're next.....:D

Yeah, seems a bit of sanding and a coat of primer would cover it. I have covered oh-so-many things with a $14 gallon of Bullseye! I am guessing that it's the layered texture that shows through, and may be hard to sand to an even surface due to the layers of polyurethane?

And my guess is, those apples didn't fall far from the tree. ;) What a legacy! Congrats to you and yours, MFS.

Thanks! I will start slow, mostly using it for beans. But honestly, I am the world's WORST at remembering to defrost things in a timely manner!

That is a terrific arrangement!

Of course you cried! I'm sure it wasn't just about the van, it was probably largely due to the thought that your loved ones were inside it when it got crumpled! Glad to hear your son is okay, thanks for letting us know!

So, can I save myself from forgetting to thaw the chicken bre@sts in time for dinner by getting a pressure cooker I can toss them into?!! Seriously, I've been thinking of getting one and just stopped by this web site on the way to check them out on Bed Bath & Beyond's site. Thanks for the cookbook recommendations! My brother (single guy) swears by his pressure cooker. He likes to throw in a slab of ribs to cook a bit before finishing them on the grill. I think that's the only way my family will get BBQ'd ribs, I am too chicken to pay that much for a slab of meat, only to crisp 'em black on the grill.:tongue_smilie: ETA - Okay, I have taken a look and now have questions. Can I start with the (affordable in this month's budget) non electric stove top version, or am I just asking for trouble? Can I can/jar in the stove top pressure cooker, or do I actually need a pressure CANNER specifically for that?

:iagree: Just in case you really still want to try to identify an area in which you are "wasting" money, take a look at your monthly expenses by percentages. What percentage of your monthly income is spent on housing? On food? On clothing? On medical? If something is vastly disproportionate, it should stand out. You can check various websites (Dave Ramsey, Larry Burkett) for ideas about what percentage is a good rule of thumb for each area. If I were you, I would stick out the 35 hours per week until the outstanding medical bills were paid off, and then a while longer until an emergency fund of $1000 or so is built up to cover the next medical need. Sorry, I understand that's probably not what you want to do, but...wouldn't you feel better knowing that you have a cushion against a crisis? As for the karate expense, if you were to divert karate fees to paying off medical debt and building that cash reserve, how long would the kids need to sit out? A year, maybe? The kids can handle that. Also, are you certain you are getting instruction from the most economical source? Community centers and YMCA programs can be excellent yet much less expensive than a private dojo. :grouphug: HTH!

How is your son? I read your other post late the other night and didn't search out the update. Hope all is well!

Thanks for posting this thread! We need new flooring in This Old House, but it would be a long time before we could afford wood and new carpet. How does it compare, cost-wise? How much time allowed between coats? Will it hold up to high traffic (ie, pulling chairs out from under a table on a regular basis)? I really like this and have been emailing dh some images (google searching since I saw the OP!). He says he is willing to give it a go, we just have to decide on a room to start, yay!

Good! Just not long enough! I need a day that is longer than my to-do list, kwim?

As others have said, be sure they are completely dry. I air out but don't wash unless food spillage occured. If they are going to be stored a while, you can stuff a couple of fabric dryer sheets in to keep the smell fresh. Wintermom, I never thought about storing folded causing problems. Could you just cram them into a compression bag, or do you think it's important to store loosely?

I agree. I used to love VBS but have come to the pont where I really wish all that energy and effort were directed at those with true needs. What could that bunch of teens and moms done around the homes of a few senior citizens or single moms for that same amount of energy and money? With a simple devotional time, spiritual challenge and praise song time tagged on? That's where my mind goes these days. And curiously enough, just last week I heard a similar sentiment come out of the mouth of a teen at my church. Maybe there's change in the wind. Personally, I hope so.

I also like the look of painted cabinets, but white paint shows dings, too, and it appears this wood is soft and ding-collecting. I would paint them, but distress them. That way any new dings just add to the look.

Looks like a Southern Widow - a subclassification of the black widow.

Regarding her over-the-top reactions to you, I don't think you're being mean or grossly unfair. I think you're being manipulated. Or at least this is her attempt at such. With the math given throughout the thread, the way I decipher it, she would have a total of five leotards. That makes four you didn't know about? Even if you knew of the two that didn't-fit-but-really-did, three nice leotards should be plenty enough for a girl who isn't even enrolled in gymnastics anymore. Another leotard should have been labeled "want" versus "need" right from the get-go. So were you thinking that she actually needed three? Of course, maybe my math is wrong. Jean, I know you have discussed it with her, and the immediate leotard-buying situation has been resolved, but I wanted to suggest that the clothing issue itself may point to other causes for the misrepresentation and emotionality. Does she have unresolved anger for being taken out of gymnastics? Do you have unresolved guilt for taking her out of gymnastics? I just know that moms have such a tough line to walk - to teach responsibility and to do it with kindness and grace - it helps to be able to worm all the way down to the basest part of the issues. Hope you won't think me unkind in pointing this out. It just may be a good opportunity to understand what underlying emotions may be driving your daughter's behavior. Her sense of entitlement may be tied to the thought that hey, a leotard is way less then the cost of gymnastics, that's the least my mom can do for me, leading her to rationalize away the deceptive behavior of hiding the other two nice leotards. My new to homeschooling little daughter is not my only child. We went to the "here's your clothes money" budget system long ago. My big kids learned thrift and needs over wants real fast! You don't have to actually give her the clothes money, at 10yo I would hold it in an envelope, she won't be running off to shop without you at that age. But let her make the choices. Let her make mistakes. Let her end up with nothing to wear for a certain occasion (or unable to participate because she didn't plan and spend properly and thus has nothing appropriate to wear). She will learn. And you may have the opportunity to demonstrate grace by rescuing her like another poster said (the shorts needed for an unexpected need for a fun trip). :grouphug: I hate managing kids' clothes. Really, I know it's fun for some but it is truly one of my least favorite tasks of mothering.

May I never be found wearing a calasiris. The consequences sound drastic! This is soooo funny, thanks for sharing.

I think there's a big difference between not eating sufficiently (including nutritiously balanced) and not eating preferably. I believe all of us would choose to eat according to our preferences, especially the kids. But if a kid is seriously hungry and still turning down food based on preference rather than need to eat, well, part of me thinks that's got a lot to do with stubbornness. I do know some children have bona fide allergy (here here!) and texture issues, I'm just saying that most of them are really good at holding out for the things they like the taste of (here here, again!). It may take a readjustment period. That, honestly, is harder on the cook than on the diners, as a mom's sense of success and value is typically closely tied to nourishing her children. Without being preachy, it's a good time for some very gentle instruction in thankfulness. I would start with the "a truly hungry kid will eventually eat" mindset, as long as I could provide nutritious meals. If I reached the point where I couldn't make good nutrition available without help, only then would I go for the stamps. I don't think you have to be vocal and thorough with the reasoning, ie, we don't have any money for the food you would rather have. But I also don't believe you have to completely shelter them. My older family members were folks of the strongest character, and I am certain that the hard times their depression-era families endured helped mold them into resilient adults. They certainly didn't grow up with today's prevalent entitlement mentality.

You may also want to inlude some standard language in the proposal to indicate how firm the price is. I am thinking mostly for your dh's protection. What if he runs up against some ghastly expensive unforeseen circumstance? I'm guessing there are times when small unexpected events eat up some of his profit margin, but there should be something to prevent a huge hitch from causing him to completely lose money on the job, kwim? I don't know what he actually does, ifthis is even applicable, just a thought. Also, one more vocabulary word I haven't seen yet is "bid." He can go out on a consultation (for a fee) and then afterwords provide them with a bid for the job.

Thanks very much, what you've shared is very helpful, especially that LOF incentive. We will start with LOF only, but will start feeding in Saxon within a few weeks. I will allot a math hour per day and when we do bring in the Saxon, use the LOF as an incentive. I have not obtained the books but I told dd about the storyline, and every day she is bugging me to start math! I think I will do the same with Language Arts - build in an hour, start with spelling and then follow with MCT as interest prevails. Good point to stop while still engaged, keep a puppy hungry, right? Thanks again!

Four years old, 6 weeks in a horsecollar soft "splint" (both arms go through, sort of a figure 8, pulls up over the shoulders). We did not x-ray before the 6 week mark, but by then it was healed nicely.

Too cute!

Trying to map out our weekly plan for the upcoming year. How much time do you schedule each day for MCT at the Islands level? How much time do you allow for elementary level Life of Fred? Thanks!

:iagree: So very sorry it took so long for this all to come to light, but there's no hiding from it anymore. I expect some sizeable settlements. I feel bad for the student body. So many are at risk of experiencing the repercussions of the administration's negligence.