Well, we call poultry what it is (e.g. chicken, duck, goose) but not the larger mammals... pork, beef... but then, we call lamb "lamb" unless it's old, then it's mutton, and goat is referred to as goat. What's that about?!?! Maybe "prune" is onomatopoeic. We use it because that's the French word for plum. And raisins... don't the French call them raisins, too? "Raisins sec"? It's their fault. We'll blame the French for these inexplicable euphemisms. Ack. You're not the only one that will be kept awake by culinary linguistics. The meat thing really is inexplicable.

Heh heh. I see you people with your hoards of sardines... and think you might be a little mental. Or wonder why everyone is hoarding canned fish. :001_huh: Now I know. Actually, I think that's the only way I've ever had them - on crackers - and seem to recall being more skeeved out by the little bones and skin than the actual flavor. It's been 25 years or so, though. I may have to dive in for a can the next time they hit the splits. We will not even wander into the evil that thought to can asparagus. I'm sure that's a crime against nature.

There is a negative connotation. It is associated with delinquents and dropouts. The military and colleges, however, understand that there is no "official" body in most states to offer a diploma for homeschoolers and that the only such diploma they are likely to have available is the GED... or one that is akin to a note from their mommy. That being said, I think a GED would be superfluous for a college-bound homeschooler, and I agree that focus should be on the application portfolio. To enter the military, however, one still needs a state-recognized diploma. And, as nestof3 pointed out, community colleges, like job applications, have a check box to indicate whether you graduated. They don't ask to see the diploma. Actually, with all this talk... (duh, sometimes all four of my working synapses just gel together) Why doesn't she enroll in the hospitality / culinary arts program at the local community college? Hypothetically speaking, of course, she could easily address the grade 11/12 requirements by taking CC classes (my eldest did not go to HS at all her junior or senior year because of this) while she also gets ahead in the path she would like to take. Would there be something preventing her from doing that?

Yup, I've had mine for about 5 and they're great. My only regret was not getting the pedestals, which we could totally buy, but it would be a pain to hoist the machines up and shove them under. I can wash king-sized comforters in there with no problem. I wash wool (but don't have a wool setting... I can't imagine how that would differ from 'delicates' or 'hand wash' - there's no agitator, so it would be - is in fact - very difficult to felt something), I was diapers, and everything in between. To answer your actual question, though... I'd look at reviews, look at the actual machines (in person), look into what effort you'll have to make in your area to have them serviced (the repair people in our area hand up on you if you have a front loader in general, or anything other than a GE) and then decide which one fits your washing style. All things being equal, it's more about what and how you wash.

Hmmmm... I am open-minded and like exploring new things, especially those that take me outside my comfort zone or challenge my assumptions I'm kind to animals I am more calm in a crisis than I am not in a crisis I think methodically I am a kick-arse cook I can knit anything, including a boob. :D

tThanks, Bill. That sounds delicious. Actually, I am imagining something like the pasta sauce, but maybe with halved grape tomatoes just warmed at the end... :drool5: I agree. I actually don't care for anchovies, themselves, but do enjoy the flavor they lend to many things, in the same way that I like fish sauce. Maybe their taste is just "too" when they're not melted into something else.

My mother (ironically) used to make a chocolate bundt cake with.... BEETS! Yep, you'd never know they were in there, but it was truly spectacular. Here's a recipe.

How's he doing with rehab, Ria? I imagine spinal surgery is much more difficult to rehab from than, say, a delightful knee replacement, where they're trying to get you to walk around while you're still groggy. So far today, I've picked off a bunch of things for the week: - Bathrooms: toilets, tub, mirrors - Kitchen: drawer, microwave, dishwasher door (I seem to do this nearly every day) - Living room / Foyer: glass cleaned, tidied, will be vacuumed when the kids come down from quiet time I also started the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day dough (basic recipe from The Splendid Table recipe files - I was listening to the podcast with the authors last week) because my week is such that every day is chopped up in a way that is not conducive to bread baking. Hopefully, I'll be able to just bake it off in the afternoon / evening, as needed. I'm on my third load of laundry (yeah!) and have another to go before bed time. I still have to go to the store for dog & cat food, and a couple of produce items for tomorrow's supper, but my meals are planned and I have a list, so we should be good.

Next Tuesday. :001_smile: Thursday is mopping kitchen. (Don't poke me. I'm going.)

I didn't see a new thread, so I thought I'd throw one up here. How's everyone doing? What does your week look like? My house is looking pretty stable... everything's getting done, if out of order. I'm developing a decent routine of tackling most items in the morning, planning (the operative here, not "procrastinating") some for later in the day, looking ahead at the week and picking things off when I have time on less busy days. Today is the only day I will be home this week. :eek: So I'm planning to pick off most of the "high-ticket" items, or highlight some for my husband (who has been very good about also checking the list) to tackle when I'm out. I also need to do major laundry. If anyone sees me back here before this afternoon, poke me with a really sharp stick!

I second this recommendation, with the following caveat: If you do not want to add the dried fruit, decrease the liquid. Despite the comments about burning, I have never had that happen. Also, baked French toast is a favorite here. That has to be done overnight, because the bread soaks up the custard. My family loves Dutch Baby (oven pancake - like a giant popover) and I'm sure you could mix the batter the night before. I sautee apple slices in the skillet, sprinkle them with cinnamon & sugar, then pour on the batter. It makes a wonderful, carmelized apple bottom. Any fruit would be good, though. And, yes, my children are currently eating up granola muffins (from the New England Granola Bakery's recipe collection) that I made the other day.

We do 4 days a week, year-round, too. I'm only counting the days that I have scheduled our at-home lessons, and don't count piano practice (daily) or reading (every free moment) because they're not so much "assigned" as just done. Tuesdays are somewhat abbreviated, though, because we have piano lesson in the morning. Fridays, we have our co-op, then art, so we're gone from 8:30 until about 3:00 and we're just done by the time we get home.

You can award a diploma, but it's not accredited. "Accredited" is an institutional process. GED does not have negative connotations for homeschooled kids. The US military has very specific policy to not ding homeschoolers on the basis of having a GED, and every single Ivy League and state university (and those in between) has accepted homeschoolers, with or without an accredited diploma or GED. They are much more interested in the portfolio and test scores you submit with your application. Further, if she is university bound, she can always attend a local community college (no diploma necessary), knock out her Freshman requirements, and transfer with or without an Associates degree (no testing necessary) to a 4-year school. In the past 20 years of professional work, I have never been asked for a copy of my high school diploma (prior to that, I didn't have one). Job applications ask if you graduated. Her answer would be "yes".

I also agree. The learning curve was fairly steep for me (and I used to be a software engineer) because it doesn't "think" like I do. Or, rather, it is not built in the hierarchy I assumed. Once I got it, though, it's been great. Here's what I did, in the linear fashion in which I think: Make a school calendar - Under Tools -> School Year Calculator you can set weekly school days, holidays, etc. You can also do this in the attendance calendar on the Student tab, but I find that tedious. Create a schedule - specifically helpful if you only do certain subjects on certain days (i.e. we do science on T/Th). If you do every subject every day, this isn't necessary. Create lesson plans - I created the year's worth for each subject at one time. I then went back and eyeballed / tweaked the schedule based on the number of lessons I had. For example, I had grammar set up for 5 days/week, but realized we would finish Growing With Grammar 3, which has 110 or so distinct lessons, in early February, so I tweaked my schedule for 4 days/week and we'll just start 4 early. Again, if you're not using the schedule, then there's no need to tweak. Submit lesson plans to the assignment grid - it will give you the option of using the schedule or picking the days of the week, and whether to skip any holidays you've marked in your school calendar. As Rhonda pointed out, to view multiple days' assignments, you have to highlight multiple days on the calendar to the left of the assignment grid or specify the date range for your report. It defaults to the current week. Also, you may need to go into the report set-up and specify that you want to see outstanding incomplete assignments from prior dates, as well as the incomplete within the date range. It all just takes practice. You'll get it. :001_smile:

We eat just about everything regularly - pomegranate juice is something of a treat (we just don't do juice a lot), tumeric appears in places, prunes are a rarity just because we eat a lot of other dried fruit. I can't seem to develop a fondness for sardines; that's really the only thing we don't eat. Pumpkin is great in muffins, tea breads, pancakes. Beets generally get wedged, tossed in olive oil, salt & pepper, then roasted in a hot oven (~400-450 depending on what else I'm making), sometimes with other root veggies, so that may be an option for those who have beet-adverse family members. (I've also found that growing just about anything or getting it from our CSA turns aversion into excitement - my kids love hakuri salad turnips, too) So, does anyone have a technique or cooking method for me to try with sardines or kippers? I'm open to anything, love all cuisines... obviously, I just need inspiration in this area.

:iagree: That is appalling. The adults need to be fore-armed with information in order to put the kibosh on what will amount to a giant, sensational, game of gossip -even to say to kids, "we don't KNOW the details, please stop repeating things you've heard" - as well as being adequately informed to protect their charges. For the life of me, I can't figure out how you murder your spouse, have this be "discovered", get the kids to school and disappear with any efficiency. Or, do these children actually KNOW and then were sent to school anyway?!?!

Alas, mine are 7, 4, and 4. Like air traffic controllers and public safety, I have a no-strike contract. I will, however, come picket with you. :D ETA: I do rather like the quid pro quo, though. Them: Will you take me to Suzie's? You: Hmmmm... I can't. The dog's not washed. Or, better, give them a visual example like the Spoon Theory. Yes, I understand it addresses the issues of debilitating but "invisible" diseases (I'm not using "invisible" as a euphemism for "fake", just indicating that the person doesn't have any glaring outward signs of illness, as referred to in the paper), but I think the visual impact of you starting out with so many spoons (of energy) for the day and seeing how every time you have to remind, cajole, whatever, it takes another out of the pile may illustrate the point.

You do not need a wireless printer (or even a networked printer) to print wirelessly on your own network. No need to replace what you already have. You can simply use the USB to plug into one of the computers already up there (which are presumably on the network) and share the printer through that computer. The only caveat is that the connected computer will have to be on in order to print from elsewhere. (I can only speak to the sharing arrangement in PCs, not Macs.)

I try to get with the family before taking a meal, to find out whether they're burnt out on something (like the myriad pasta/cheese/red sauce combinations). The last few times, I've brought Shepherd's Pie or stew/soup. For vegetarians, I make spanakopita (which my browser does not recognize as a word and suggests, instead, "Spanglish":glare: Really?!?!) and deep freeze it before baking off. Then, they can bake off as many as they would like.

Your wish is my command. (I had to dig through 5 pages to represent MD.)

We're on the lovely, albeit disturbingly flat, eastern shore. (and though you may have already found the answer: No, the closest HS store is in Frederick, though Learning How, in Annapolis, has educational supplies - just not HS specific, or curriculum.)

Ok, we have inventoried our freezers and come up with the following menus for the week: Sunday - Roast chicken, baked potatoes, something green Monday - spaghetti carbonara, salad Tuesday - fajitas, rice of some sort Wednesday - "mystery marinated chicken" fried rice (we can't remember what, exactly the marinade is) Thursday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas Friday - Corn chowder Saturday - Swedish meatballs, potato cakes, green beans Those will give us good leftovers to use for lunches and I'll either double things (like the rice and mashed potatoes) or set things aside (like the veggies) as they come up, for other meals. (my, don't we eat a lot of beef! Really, only this week. )

My boys do that. I'll just be putting a big ol' check mark next to that grammar bit. "May I" is a request for permission. "Can I" is a question about ability. And, for my boys, should they learn to read and start cruising the boards "will you" is a request of someone else to do for you. :D

As neither a Christian, nor a Mason (or any affiliated or non-affiliated group member) this is my thought when reading this conundrum as well... I stand in silence for invocations that are all. over. Jesus. That doesn't change my spiritual bent, it's just respectful. Calling my dog Mia-la and having a fondness for latkes does not make me Jewish, nor does it make me a "fake" in my own spiritual journey. When did it become ok to micromanage somebody else's faith?!?! If somebody tells you they are a Christian, isn't that enough? I have never seen so much back and forth about who can be considered to be a "real" anything in my life. For Pete's sake.

Oh, dear. I vote pizza, out, for dinner. I'm glad you got it handled and out, and that your husband was in the room!