My 4th grade DD is stubborn like me. She was doing Life of Fred for a good bit of math, but when she stopped dead in her tracks on division we started reviewing what she had learned so far, and realized that she still did not know her multiplication tables/fact families. At this point, I don't know where to start. XtraMath.com was ok, but when she is mad, she is lazy with her fingers and touches the wrong answer "accidentally" which just throws the whole thing off. As far behind as she is in math, I don't feel like we can just drop it. Help!? Should we be concerned about some sort of learning disability, or is she just being stubborn?

maybe $100/child, not including grandpa's "allowance" he sends every Christmas, of about the same amount.

I do not love the EXTREMES of Christmas. I dislike the materialism that comes with it. Sure, my kids have a few things they want, and Christmas is a good time to ask...that's common sense. I know people who seem to have NO budget for Christmas. They spend and spend and spend, for what? Spoiled kids? Does a 4 year old really need a new iPod Touch? On the other hand, I also dislike the whole "Jesus's birthday" thing. I grew up Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist...and I was always taught (how could I not be) that Christmas is "all about Jesus". We do not know when Jesus was born. The story of his birth, to the visiting of the wise men, played out over as much as a year or more. I don't believe God ever intended for his birth to be celebrated annually. Jesus was on this earth for about 33 years, but not a single mention of a celebration of his birthday is recorded. It's such a worldly thing that we have created. Don't get me wrong...the story of His birth is important, but the story of his life is so much more so. We've created a monster. With all that said, I will choose all the "Happy Birthday Jesus" over people not knowing the story of Christ at all. I just think we take it a bit far. If the only time someone ever hears about Jesus is "Happy Birthday Jesus" at Christmas, that's not much to go on. I'm sure there are people out there who think Jesus is still a baby. Shame on us.

Times like this I have to remember this verse... "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 My husband lost his job twice in less than two years, and the second time I nearly left him for other reasons I won't discuss on the public forum. It was HARD. But instead of turning my back on God, I fell flat on my face and worshiped Him, and clung so tightly to Him. He picked me up and carried me, and made me so much stronger. Looking back, I am so thankful that things happened exactly the way they did. God has a perfect plan...sometimes we just don't want to listen.

Honestly, I have never had my kids hover to use the toilet, and they are almost NEVER sick. I have never avoided public restrooms, the only precaution I have ever taken is avoiding stalls with visible soil on the seat, and a firm, brisk wiping of the seat all around, including the inside edge where drips like to hang out. If there is a split at the front of the seat, I swipe the inside of that too. After that, they do what they do and wash their hands. When they became old enough to go in alone, I made sure they knew how to wipe down the seat. It's the ones that squat and spray pee all over the seat that make the seat so "filthy" in the first place. To find pee all over a toilet seat in the ladies bathroom makes me furious. You did mention that it is a church restroom. I know church folks have germs too, but I would worry a lot less about a church bathroom than say, a football stadium bathroom or something like that.

I responded based on the intent of the OP, which comes down to specific denominations, not just broad generalizations. I was raised with an atheist father and a mother who was Methodist from childhood and changed to Presbyterian when I was in 3rd grade. In 9th grade I started going to a Baptist church with my best friend. In 12th grade, I met my husband. He was a member of the church of Christ (NEVER to be confused with LDS, United Church of Christ, International Church of Christ). I don't think we are supposed to be shopping around trying to find a church that "suits us". The Bible is the unchanging Word of God. If you find the church that teaches only the Bible, you have found where you belong. Most importantly I grew up knowing about God, and many details of the Bible. But there were things I never could really figure out...like why babies were "christened" or baptized, considering there was never a single example of an infant baptism in the Bible. Ever. I felt drawn to a church that preached baptism after belief, because that's what the Bible teaches. My boyfriend (now husband) showed me all the scriptures in the Bible that taught baptism was not only important, but it was the point where you are added to the church, to the body of Christ, to the saved. I had been in other denominations for so long that I believed their doctrine. I have since studied it for myself, and come to the conclusion that all these instances of baptism at the point of salvation in the New Testament are there for a reason. Specifically, that this is what is commanded. It makes sense to take all the teachings about salvation together, not pick and choose which ones you will believe.

This one! THIS ONE!! This is A.MAZ.ING!!! Make a sauce to serve with it using Maple Syrup and the leftover whipping cream... Optional Glaze: 1 cup whipping cream 3/4 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional) Directions: Simmer whipping cream with maple syrup for about 20 min; stir in chopped pecans and chill. I usually use a pint (minus 2 tablespoons for the cheesecake recipe) of whipping cream and a whole small jar of maple syrup...proportions are pretty much the same, I think it's 10 ounces or so of syrup. I cook the sauce down and pour whatever will fit back into the maple syrup jar to serve it, and freeze the rest in a freezer ziploc bag....it's really good with plain vanilla cheesecake too!!

We listened to country and "top 40" 70's/80's/90's mix stations for years...then in 2008 (my oldest was 10), for several reasons I won't go into, we started re-considering everything we watched and listened to, and nitpicking with a fine toothed comb. We cancelled cable TV and started listening to only family-friendly "Christian" radio. We kept Netflix, but strictly supervised the kids. My guideline for music and lyrics is this: If I would feel uncomfortable reading the lyrics aloud to my children, then we don't listen to it. They were pretty young when the rule was established, and the "why" is explained well and often. They love it and rarely ask to listen to anything else. Occasionally we will listen to country or mix, but it never lasts long...I am VERY aware of the lyrics, and change the station if I feel something is inappropriate. I feel like it is my responsibility to let my kids be kids....they all grow up too fast. eta: I went back and read some of the replies from the OP...I think my guideline is probably somewhat unreasonable in your situation, unless you are Christian and have other reasons beside just not wanting her to say the N word. Unless it REALLY matters to you deep down inside, as another poster said, not a hill to die on.

Mold is a dealbreaker....no matter what.

To what degree is the other person not sticking to the plan? Are we talking totally wasting money, overdrafting the bank account, or just not on board with cutting back. How long have they been resisting? Is it something that will just take some time? Are they just not willing to read the book? We loved the audio Total Money Makeover. We both listened to it entirely at least 3 times.

I have an Erica, and my own parents are the worst offenders. They both spell her name Erika. One would think they are observant enough to notice all the times I spell it correctly, but it just doesn't click. My dad is famous for misspelling things on purpose, so I chalk his up to that. My mom, oy. My mom is my mom. I don't say a word about it...lol!

There's a big difference between dropping your kid off expecting free babysitting, and arranging for one mom to be responsible for your child. I think it is ridiculous that there is such a policy. What if your dd wanted to bring a friend whose mother didn't attend at all? Would they tell her no? If so, this group has bigger problems. :grouphug:

I don't know about best lasagna, but I can tell you the easiest lasagna... Ingredients 1 pound ground beef 1 28-oz jar/can spaghetti sauce 1 1/2 cups water 15 oz Ricotta or small curd cottage cheese (I use a whole 21 oz container) 8 ounce shredded mozzarella or Monterrey Jack cheese; divided 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 eggs 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I use dried) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 8 oz UNCOOKED regular lasagna (9 pieces) Method Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In 3-quart saucepan, brown meat; drain. Add spaghetti sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes. In bowl, stir together ricotta, one-half mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 UNCOOKED pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce; cover with about 1 cup sauce. Spread one-half cheese filling over sauce. Repeat layers of pasta, sauce and cheese filling. Top with layer of pasta and remaining sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil; bake additional 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. 10 to 12 servings. Alternate Method: Recipe can be prepared with COOKED NOODLES following same instructions, except OMIT 1 1/2 cups WATER.

I like it! I never showed anywhere near that much flesh, but it's cute.

This!

It's a shame you got bashed as badly as you did, no matter what your opinion. People need to think before they speak. This occurred to me the other day, while I was listening to one of the debates. There are millions of employable people without jobs, at the same time there are millions of women putting their kids in daycare and working full time jobs. Now, I know that NO candidate, or sitting president, for that matter, will have guts enough to even suggest it. It might not even occur to most people, but I wonder what might happen if the female secondary wage earners in America were to begin staying home with their children. This would make those jobs available for men who really need them, and MIGHT bring some balance back to this country. It would mean a reduction in income for the moms who chose to stay home, but what would each family, and the country as a whole, gain by having a new generation of children who were once again raised by their mother at home. I just wonder what would happen. Before I get flamed, I'm not suggesting any sort of legislation requiring it by any means, I'm just saying it would be interesting to see what the effect would be. (eta: obviously I have not read all the replies, I'm just responding to the OP)

Not earth shattering, but quinoa is full of protein, if you haven't tried it, it is a neat little grain....cooks like rice, but feels lighter. It has a distinct flavor, but seems to blend pretty well with other flavors. We haven't gone strictly vegetarian, but are trying to eat less meat. At the moment, I am simply not buying any meat to cook at home, but if we are eating elsewhere we get whatever we want. No allergies here though, so I can't really help in that department.

:tongue_smilie: sounds delish.... :ack2: Sorry!

:lol: Strangely, our house has been more peaceful since starting homeschool....not more chaotic like I thought it would be.

Homeschooling was my dh's idea...I always swore I never would. He works nights, and has a flexible sleep schedule. He was "going to do school...I didn't need to worry about it". Hmmmm, not in our world. He is just not motivated like that. I do all of it, and work every other weekend and every Monday. He was going to do school on Mondays, but that doesn't work either, because I come home and the house is a MESS. We made a deal that they would catch up their chores completely on Mondays, then work on independent work (LOF, independent reading, Spelling, etc.) until I come home. It works out ok...It's the only sane solution at the moment...

:iagree: We've had lice before, rather I should say I'VE had lice...my kids were too little to really have enough hair to make it a problem. I babysat a little girl who had treated and thought it was done, but wasn't. Honestly, getting rid of them wasn't that difficult, and I'm not the greatest housekeeper. If you are concerned about it, check each of them discreetly when they arrive (or if you trust the mom to do an honest job of it, have her check before they come, and have them prepared not to stay if they have crawlers). If you're worried about coats and such having eggs or lice, discreetly put their coats in another room in a plastic bag while they are there. DD was sitting next to her friend in church one Sunday, shoulder to shoulder, when I noticed lice were swarming through the little girl's hair. I nudged Erica and told her to give her a few inches and told the mom about it afterward, but we never had an infestation from that exposure.

I love this!! I cannot imagine living on your budget, but kudos for doing it!! I think "rice and beans" means different things to different people. It can be literally rice and beans for dinner (which sounds good for tonight, btw) or rice and beans in other ways. For instance, we almost NEVER buy retail clothing...the thrift store here is awesome! We buy everything there, all the way down to shoes. I never turn down hand-me-downs either. The OP's question seems to have already been answered, I have nothing of note to add to the discussion, but I agree that #4, #5 and #6 are all continuous as you are able. Think of it like a fountain. When the debt is paid, the top level is full and begins to spill over, your emergency fund is then filled up. When it is full, it spills into the retirement/college/house fund. Retirement first...like putting your own oxygen mask on before helping someone else...you kids won't thank you for putting them through college first, if they have to move you in with them when you retire because you can't afford to have your own house. Teach them to manage their finances responsibly, and you have done them more good than any amount of college can do. We don't take "vacations" either....and can honestly say we have never really had a vacation that didn't directly involve a great deal of time with family. Never a hotel or even money spent on "amusements." We camped at Outer Banks one year and dh lost his job 2 months later. I never went to Disney until after I graduated High School, and I turned out just fine. I don't want my kids to expect an expensive vacation every year like so many of their friends do.

The thing is, he doesn't know how to do this stuff. We started out with R&S English 8, and he didn't know what prepositions, direct objects, contractions, etc. were. He is definitely challenged by science...he can go on all day about it and does well. It's the subjects he doesn't care about that get hairy.

My kids are the ones who make B's and C's (public school) and are happy about it. They are all quite smart enough to make straight A's. Now that we are HS, I can see just how un-motivated they are, especially my 8th grader. He has said he has "always been able to just do it and get a B or a C....why do I have to do it all right now?" My reply is that I want to make sure he has learned the material...I actually care that he learns something, etc. I know how he feels, I was the same way when I was in school. I was never motivated to make good grades. My parents just weren't creative/didn't care. I don't want to be those parents. How do you motivate your kids to make "good grades" (do their best, want to learn, excel, achieve more, etc) Specifically, we are working on grammar, catching up, using Easy Grammar Plus. My almost-14-year-old is just blah blah going though the pages, complaining that it's all the same, but he is making so many careless mistakes. I say, when you know the stuff and care to pay attention to what you're doing, you won't make those careless mistakes. I have no knowledge base to work with here....zero "motivational" experience. Help!?

I think that's a double non-negative? LOL! I'm sure that's not what she meant to say.