I would say nothing (though am also a little :confused: as to Sunday school) As an aside, I am very amused that a bunch of homeschoolers are saddened by a child not being with his agemates.

We are fortunate to have a touring Shakespeare company coming practically to our doorstep in a couple of weeks, for a free performance on the courthouse lawn. During the school year, there is a stage company - Arts on Stage - that does school performances and are fine with homeschoolers. Tickets are cheap. The Annapolis Opera does a couple kids performances for reasonable rates each season, too. But, yeah, going to even a matinee theater show is horrible, and we've written off the Renaissance Festival and Fairy Festival pretty much permanently at this point. I know people with multiple kids who do one or the other multiple times. I don't know how they do it at all!

Same here. I am in the throes of a massive declutter in the hope I can in the future.

Movies based on books always feel like an affront to me. They're "wrong" compared to the images in my head.

We have multiple joint accounts. The only account that is not joint is a savings under my FIL's credit union account. It exists, but isn't used. My husband has signatory privileges on my business account. When we married, I was the chief breadwinner (IT consulting pays way better than piblic service). I've been home full time for the past almost 7 years, though I do work about 8-16 hrs a week recently and am self-employed directing a homeschool umbrella. We did have, in the old days, a set limit on discretionary spending without discussion. I can't remember what it was now, but it allowed both of us freedom to do things without draining the bank account.

:iagree: my thought exactly. If he is hiding his past, he is still practicing deceit.

Blackout curtains. We're having the same issue and I'm really tempted to buy some. One of the six year olds came downstairs an hour after I sent them to bed the other night with a lobbying stance that went: H: yeah, uh, I can't sleep. It's still light outside. I think I'll just stay down here. Me: I'm sorry. You may look at a book until it gets darker, but you have to stay in bed. H: I think maybe I should just stay down here... Me: go to bed H: ...and watch some Jeopardy! :001_huh: It was 9:00. And, also, they might have seen Jeopardy all of three times. Weirdo.

Demand (perceived or outright) for a gift is a breach of etiquette. On the other hand, gifts are the whole purpose for a shower, hence showers being thrown by someone other than the guest of honor. If it was enclosed in a wedding invitation, THAT would be tacky. In a shower invite, I think that's clever.

I think we have a pretty basic model (that they probably don't make anymore). It works well. My only gripe is that the foam cushions around the sealer wear out and the only way you can get new ones is by ordering them over the phone from Foodsaver. They're cheap, but the shipping is obscene. (my gripe is not in the wearing out but the level of difficulty replacing them)

My kids don't have any cousins, either; I'm an only and my husband's siblings aren't producing any children. I've had perfect strangers block my way in the market to ask all sorts of inappropriate personal questions about the boys (twins in an orange jogging stroller, not the best choice for stealth) then, upon learning we have four, declare "you are DONE then!" (I started responding -after being told that by multiple people- "whew! I'll let my husband know! We couldn't tell on our own!") I never thought four was remarkable. My parents are each one of five...

Me, too. Our policy is to wear well-fitting clothing appropriate to the activity. As Impish said, I don't want to see anyone's "bits" hanging out. I'm tired of seeing words on bottoms, tween cleavage and the undergarment wardrobe of boys/men (because their pants are belted just under their tuchas). We wear bathing suits at the beach. We wear workout clothes to work out. My daughter wears tank tops and short skirts with wildly decorative compression shorts under them when it's hot, the boys run around the back yard topless. And I am not particularly intentional about modesty. I think people can think whatever evil thoughts they think without input from me or mine. I just think going around in a way that is inappropriate for what you're doing, and that makes people uncomfortable, is tacky.

$100 (maybe) for the van/month (Odyessey), probably the same for my husband's car (98 Volvo wagon). We live in town, but in a rural area. It's a 30-60mi RT if we need to do any shopping, though we have a grocery in town for picking up odds & ends. No public transport, and they are JUST finishing putting in sidewalks to the grocery, so now you can walk without being run down. We walk to destinations in town, or I ride my bike. We no longer schlep to activities 20 miles a way on a regular basis (for various reasons, not just fuel prives). My husband has a 97 mile round trip, but he works every fourth day so the commute is twice a week.

:grouphug:

Just wanted to say, yay! I'm glad you got a good answer and that she doesn't have extensive damage to deal with! Great news. I'm the gluten free one in our house, but the advice to bring safe food and prepare to repeat is spot on, even for me. We were out picnicking with friends a couple weeks ago and my friend offered me a cupcake. I politely declined and we continued chatting. A few minutes later, she asked if I was sure I didn't want one, and I politely declined again. After a few minutes of more chatting, she suddenly had that eureka! moment and started apologizing for forgetting I couldn't have gluten. People share their love with food, so it can be really hard for them to make the connection. I imagine it's harder for a 5 year old to have to keep graciously declining. Eta: I've had great success with the all-purpose and whole grain flour mix recipes from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef blog. In fact, I made a GF version of my favorite lemon bars with the AP flour mix last weekend and nobody could tell the difference.

Whenever I see someone say they need to loose some weight, I immediately go to the "unleash" definition in my mind, where we may have a Klump situation upon us. But I dunno, my mind gets a little wobbly at times. It might could be loose.

:iagree: On me, it would be knee length and I'd look like a lampshade.

I totally agree. It's one thing to give suggestions freely to someone interested in gathering information. It's quite another to take on the responsibility for their homeschooling yourself. And that is what you are doing. I don't buy it when people just "can't live with <themselves>" and continue to do the same thing that's not working. They can perfectly well live with themselves, they just have the understanding that their actions/inactions are not up to snuff and make the appropriate social noises to head off judgment.

Yes, exactly. And, in the context of the Mass Briana started off with (and the one I heard this morning): This was written in a time well before our relatively new culture of single-strain monoculture farming. There would have been many different kinds of wheat in the field. The directive was not to single out a particular variety of wheat for the barn and, with the weeds, send the other varieties to be burned. Further, I would add that flours of mixed wheat bring a richness to our table that we very rarely have the pleasure of tasting in this day and age. Each contributes something of its very own to the wholeness of the bread. It's a shame when we choose the monoculture in our spiritual feast.

My dry goods are almost exclusively in jars for the "working" quantities; the rest are stored in the deep freeze. Moths. Brrrrrrrrr. I write on the shoulder of the jar the water to rice ratio (or whatever) and cooking time, with a Sharpie. It'll come off with an alcohol prep.

So, she expects you to be her grownup? That doesn't sound like a high standard to me. It sounds like a lack of responsibility. You are supposed to tell her. Her 8 yo is supposed to just know. What is HER perceived role in all this?

:iagree: you've already communicated your thoughts. Unlike the 8 year old, your friends are grownups and the onus is theirs to pursue information and decide whether interventions or changes are appropriate. (which never, ever keeps me from stewing on parenting situations where I feel like the children are being done a disservice, but I do remind myself that, at the end of the day, it's just not my business or decision to make)

We have cork in our kitchen and love it. (from the Eco-friendly flooring clearance page, so not too spendy) It's quiet under foot (amazing how loud dog toenails are on the hardwood vs the cork) and warm. We got the click-lock planks and did it ourselves. The only thing we didn't do (that was recommended) was seal it after it was in place. There's a whole story there, which I won't bore you telling... Anyway, there is some wear to the finish just inside the door, where the kids go in and out and we have a draft blocker that sweeps back and forth, effectively sanding the floor. It's been in place for... 4.5 years? In the busiest room in the house.

By the way, So Delicious makes a coconut (soy/dairy free) yogurt that is quite tasty.

No Bratz/Barbie/h00kery Disney Princess. The makeup kit received as a 6th or 7th birthday gift was promptly "lost"... I'm pretty liberal (I actually fall a few feet to the left of liberal) but I just can't stomach the s3xualizing of little girls. Aren't dolls intended for role playing? :ack2: We do a avoid licensed products just in general, and my kids rarely watch tv, so they haven't much interest in them anyway.

I've found that, too. I think it's mostly because it's a larger granule, sort of like kosher salt vs table salt. I also have trouble liking honey in baked goods. Even in my chewy granola bars, I tend to cut the honey with half brown rice syrup. They turn out less sweet that way.