I've made curriculum decisions, particularly in math, that didn't work for us... Miquon (I don't get it), Math-U-See (hmmm, two toddlers, lots of manipulatives, not a great combination). My oldest homeschooler is in 3rd grade. If your current program isn't working for him and you're looking to bridge the gap until his skills match up with Abeka 5, Math Mammoth has great single-topic books. We use the program for our whole math curriculum, but the books can be used seperately, as well. I think every book in the blue series is under $5, and the explanations are concise and well written. You can print off worksheets from the site if you need extra practice, and Maria Miller, the author, is very prompt at answering questions.

That's true, but since the law has changed to not leave inclusion to the discretion of the public schools, it may help force the insurance companies doing business in the state to cover occupational services that they have previously put off on the schools. I honestly don't know what the outcome will be. Here, there are school based health and dental services as well, that public school families have to opt out of, and they will bill your insurance if you have it and allow your children to be seen in the school based program. The same could be true for therapeutic services, if they would just make that provision, and it would probably help cut the taxpayer cost of the services being provided as overhead in the public schools. I have written to all state representatives about this in the past, though I don't know if there has been any legislative discussion about it.

HAHAHA! I thought that was a lament on losing your mind. :lol:

It's not exactly that simple, partly because our diet (Americans, that is) is already unbalanced and heavy in Omega 6 FAs. For mood and concentration, specifically, I would look at passionflower and ginkgo. I'm studying to be an herbalist, though, so my perspective may be skewed that way. ;)

How about a 10" chef's knife? That's what I use. It slices, dices, minces and can even make garlic paste, cleans easily, has other uses.... I am not a fan of garlic presses. ;)

That's what I use for Beef Stroganoff. If you have some ground beef, too, the combination makes for a really nicely textured chili. You could make a meat pie or pasties...

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :lol: (Yes, for the record, I DO believe we - Americans - have a collective maturity level of 12 year old boys.)

I wouldn't think so. Is it possible your MIL had a fabric liner? On the other hand, if your options are to replace it or wash it, you have nothing to lose by trying it for a spin in the washer. Just don't dry it in the dryer.

I agree. Roasting concentrates the flavor sooooo much, and makes the edges a little crispy.... mmmmm, I'm drooling just thinking about it.

In MD, it's not a "loophole". Maryland law used to explicitly leave it up to the local school systems as to whether to include homeschoolers in public school-based services. That has recently changed to explicitly exclude homeschoolers, from what I understand. In a way, the change may be beneficial because the discretionary part of it caused insurance companies to refuse coverage of private therapies, unless they had a letter from the local school system stating that the school system could not provide what was needed. Of course, in order to get to that place, you need to enroll your child, get an IEP, yadda, yadda, and then you're technically refusing services by homeschooling... it was a huge, convoluted mess. Hopefully, this will help loosen the ties that have certain health services inextricably linked to public school...

Same deal here, adding the water dispenser would periodically freeze up, then pee on the floor when it thawed. We bought the LG French door fridge. It rocks. (My only "complaint" is that as soon as we bought ours, they came out with the one that has a larger water dispenser, which would be nice for filling bottles.) I can honestly say, after about 8 years of replacing detestable, ancient (think 1960s range, "Product of General Motors") appliances, I really don't dislike a single one we have now. I would like the days of my life (and rivers of water) I gave to rinsing dishes almost clean before putting them in the dishwasher, before I switched detergents and don't have to do that anymore, though.

No. Their ingredients are pretty standard. You can browse their entire archive here. Under the "Food" menu at the top, pick recipes. You can browse by meal/course or by main ingredient, etc. They really don't use prepared stuff, other than condiments, stock, etc. ETA: After my second daughter was born (and I lost exactly 1 lb between her birth and first birthday :glare:) my husband and I went on the "Cooking Light Diet", making everything from their recipes. We each lost about 40 lbs.

Yep. I'd eat it. "Warm" in a crock pot isn't exactly room temp.

I would use the feta, basil (torn), and dress it with olive oil and a small splash of lemon to brighten it up. Maybe some cracked pepper, too. Italian dressing seems too... busy for something simple like that. Toasted almonds would also be divine.

I was thinking the same thing and giggling... my hair has a definite Pagan vibe going on (like Audrey's avatar, but not green). I don't cut it, but it's because I have a phobia, not for any spiritual / religious purpose.

I don't have food allergies (thank goodness) but I do (did?) have horrible environmental allergies and was on Zyrtec for years to be able to breathe at all. Almost two years ago, I decided I'd had enough and got the Bio-Allers outdoor allergy formula. I took it for a few weeks and then stopped the Zyrtec and have never looked back. No allergy symptoms, even during tree pollen season (used to be my worst). I do have occasional itchiness when handling our cat (my skin test for cats swelled up to the size of a half dollar) but that's it. So, yes, I think homeopathy works well. I would see a homeopath or naturopath for serious allergy issues, though. I really feel for all of you that are dealing with these allergens. They appear in so many foods, I can't imagine how difficult it must be to try to cook / eat and not make yourselves or a loved one sick. :grouphug:

I am raising my children with my values (obviously, we all do). I AM a pacifist. I do not believe that violence will end in the world until it is taken off the table as an option completely. I am raising my children to understand that there are myriad ways for them to serve the world and greater good without taking up arms. That said, if they decide that the best way for them, personally, to serve the world is through military service, I will accept and respect their decision, and support them. I have nothing against our troops; the vast majority, I believe, serve because of their desire to work for the greater good and feel that this is the best venue for them to do so. Of course, even if I wasn't a pacifist, I would have qualms about military service as it stands now because our government does not seem to support our military personnel appropriately. I mean that in the functional sense of poor wages, substandard medical care, etc... do not even get me started on the lack of proper tools for actual combat.

My take: Abilities being assumed equal, yes, homeschoolers have an advantage in competitive endeavours that are solitary in practice - like bees. Institutionally schooled kids have an advantage in performing arts and sports. The difference here appears to be that homeschoolers have to seek out opportunities for their children to participate in their area of talent. They have to go the extra mile to get their football player attention for scholarships, or seek out a performance orchestra. I think public school parents come from the place of assuming an artificially level playing field, whereas we look for ways to leverage our assets. ;)

You make a good point, Brenda. I happen to live in a state where it seems as if half the native population thinks the capital is Baltimore. And I had a rather disturbing conversation with a woman in her 50s, when I was a teenager, in which she asked if I was here on a student visa because I am from Maine. :001_huh: It spiraled downhill from there. But on some functional level, learning the capitals of the 50 states is trivia. It certainly isn't scandalous to have not covered them by X year. (I am actually surprised at the number of people saying they remember learning them in the middle grades - I am sure I learned them earlier than that.) There is a lot of trivial knowledge I've picked up that I don't have a regular use for - Avogadro's number (and I got a D in chemistry - Twice!), what a cotter pin is and its use, same with a spanner wrench... These things aren't as basic and usable as, say, the proper use of "it's" and "its". We homeschool for academic reasons, and I hold firmly to the belief that the only thing keeping children from learning anything is that it hasn't been presented. But there are only so many hours in the day, too, so none of us can possibly present everything there is to know. Given the choice, I would present the it's/its functionality and leave state capitals as something they'll pick up when it's necessary.

I would say that it is worth it to try to sell the better items - meaning items in excellent condition - through an appropriate venue. I would take clothing in excellent condition to consignment, put books on Amazon Marketplace. Household items could go to consignment (based on whether you local shops carry such items) or into a pile for a yard sale. Then, set a time limit you would like to stick to, and when that comes, donate whatever remains unsold. I tried to sell a large sofa, a refrigerator, and a stove on Craig's list last year. The only (ONLY) responses I got were from people pulling the "I'll send you a check for $2000 for the $10 item, then you send me the change" scam. It was ridiculous. I ended up giving all of them to friends, or friends of friends in need of the item. It made me very happy.

Us, too. And my parents credit Sesame Street and the Electric Company for my ability to read before starting school. Apparently, that is not as uncommon as one would think. :D (Sadly, though, every time they see a skinny dude with an afro, an argument ensues as to whether it was Morgan Freeman. Only the 8 y.o. has seen him recently - for my 4 y.o.s, he is perpetually in his 30s.)

I know the state capitals. I'm sure it's taking up space in my brain that could be used for something more useful, like where my keys are. That, and Avogadro's number (is there a regular life use for measuring a mole of something?). I just had my 8 y.o. take an online state capitals quiz. She knew most of them. We have never studied US history... I think it comes from playing with US map puzzles and our Smart Globe. It's certainly not something I've taught her... we're just into the formation of the US in history. (We school year round and will be taking our time this year to incorporate additional US history) Anyway, this is one of the reasons I generally counsel new homeschoolers to consider opting out of standardized testing (optional here); depending on your educational approach, your not necessarily covering the same things as the public schools by any given grade level. My daughter can tell you much more about the ancient history of the Middle East than the modern history of the US. Whereas the public schools start from the student and work out, we (Classical homeschoolers) start at the beginning and work forward. No worries. And, maybe, your kids will be able to remember where their keys are in their 30s. :D

coq au vin A traditional recipe expects the bird to be old.

Indeed. There would be more harm in approaching this as an attitude if it is physiological, than the temporary discomfort of the evaluation.

Another lib, non-Christian "greenie", in total agreement. (Though I would point out that it's not just Christian homeschooling families that are "large" - apparently, we crossed into the "large" realm with 4... really?) On the generational consideration, I think it's kind of interesting. My parents are each one of five. I am an only, have two cousins who are onlies, and only one uncle has more than two, and one aunt has none. Of my cousins, I have the largest family, with four. One of the other onlies has three. Of the others, eight have none (all in their 30s except one), three have one and the others have two. On my husband's side, his dad has one brother (no children), his mom is one of four. Her siblings had 4, 2 and none (one sister never married). Of his cousins, three have children, 2, 2, and 1. (And all of them are his age - 39 - or older) My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are not married (in their 30s) and neither has plans to have children. So, maybe it really balances out, with the exception of some very traditional families who tend to, culturally, have very large families, like the Amish. I think it's just as easy to look at the homeschooling community as a whole, though, for looking at functional frugality and it's green extension. Whatever the religious persuasion, homeschooling families largely rely on one income and take the steps necessary to sustain that, many of which are green by their very nature (gardening to supply some or all of the family's produce, for instance, or using durable goods instead of disposable). But yes, I think you said it well. :001_smile: