That is a great deal! Our Target doesn't carry it though. :glare: That is my favorite scent- Basil.

For those of you who like Mrs. Meyers, this is an awesome deal. http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Meyers-Clean-Day-Purpose/dp/B000A0IKX4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352645620&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=mrs.+meyers+concentrate It is a concentrate and you only need 2 tablespoons to refill a spray bottle in addition to water. I bought this a few months ago and use it a lot, but have hardly made a dent in it. :001_smile:

What a sweet-heart! :001_wub: I have a 4 year old daughter who will be looking for a husband in about 20 years. How do you feel about arranged marriages? :lol:

My boys use and love it! Younger DS asked me to put the timeline song on his iPod. We all walk around the house singing it! :tongue_smilie: They are 10 and 12, and can do it independently, but I really like to watch it too (as does my 4 year old). Their retention has been very good, and it is easy to assign extra reading to go along with the topic of the week. I wish we had discovered it sooner. Definitely a winner here. :001_smile:

This is what our pediatrician believes. He against the chicken pox vaccine.

:iagree: A very unpleasant read!

We had the guinness beef stew today for lunch (minus the Guinness:lol:) and it was really good! I am looking forward to the pumpkin version.

Yes, once you are a member you have access to all the past menus. I haven't used the gluten free menu, we do the classic- however, we are starting a paleo diet this week and I didn't have any problem going back through and pulling out a bunch which are gluten free.

:iagree: My son had a lot of the same issues. He was tested by a DO and found to have vision issues (over convergence, weak visual memory). Vision Therapy made a Big difference in his handwriting.

That is why I love my dog. He starts barking the minute a car pulls in the driveway, giving me a minute to run in and get dressed. I can get dressed and pull my hair into a pony tail in sixty seconds flat. :lol:

I have a 5th and 6th grader, and we average 5-6 hours a day.

We make 'carpet sprinkles' with baking soda and essential oils. Just sprinkle onto carpets, wait 15 minutes or so, and vacuum. The house smells good for a couple days, until it is time to vacuum again.

I LOVE Old Navy Yoga pants. They are so comfy! Not sure if they have those specifically in plus sizes, but I know they def. have plus sizes, so worth checking.

This is the brand my Dr. always recommends.

We are on year three of Latin, almost through Lively Latin Big Book 1. I bought Latin Prep to preview, thinking we may use it after LL, but I really didn't like it. I do recommend Lively Latin- it has been very well recieved by my boys.

That is a good question. Let me know if you find out the answer. :bigear: Thanks everyone! This is really helpful.

Oldest DS is using Pre-algebra this year, so I went on their site to try to figure out a math sequence for him for jr. high and high school. I noticed they have 9 books for those grades. Which do you use and how do you schedule them?

Yes. :001_smile:

I have the PDF on my iPad. I use notability and it works really well. You can move pages around, so I re-ordered the whole thing into the recommended sequence. Now I can just read straight through without jumping around. Also, I love that I can highlight and add typed text into it.

:iagree: We have tried a few, and that is our favorite. It is fun for my 4 year old, and my 12 year old likes it, too!

New things that are big hits: Elementary Greek Veritas Press self-paced online course (Love this!) AOPS Pre-Algebra LOE Kindergarten Oldies but goodies: Math Mammoth Lively Latin LOE Foundations R&S Grammar Flops: IEW Writing BFSU (only because *I* need more hand holding in science :glare:)

Goodness, I left for a couple hours to take kiddos to swimming and violin, and this thread has taken an unexpected turn. :lol: Well, maybe not entirely unexpected. ;). Thanks to everyone who has shared their personal views on teaching children about relationships. It has given me a lot to think about!

About dating/courtship/marriage? What age do you start talking to them about relationships? Our boys are getting to an age I feel we need to address our views on relationships and marriage. All we have told them so far is that they need to be able to support their future wife and children. We want them to accept, as fact, that they may be the primary breadwinner. We are conservative Christians, no flaming please. :001_smile: Have you found any good resources or conversation starters?

Depends on the child, I think. My boys were 8 and 10. They both understand it is a serious commitment, and are very diligent about practicing. My cousin started her 4 year old in a Suzuki violin class, and it has been a struggle. Her DD liked the first few classes, then hated it after that. I don't think you can really reason with a 4 year old. :001_smile: My 4 year old is showing an interest in music, we will probably start her a little younger since she sees the example of her older brothers, and realizes the commitment involved.

It does seem like you have a lot on your plate. Have you thought about what the coming years may look like if you mother's condition worsens? Will you be the sole care-giver? Don't think that if you do agree to do foster care they will just drop a demon child on your doorstep and you are committed for life. :001_smile: I grew up as a biological child in a foster home. Granted When I was a teenager, and my parents took toddlers and young children. Once the bio kids were out of the house they took teens. If you do foster care, You do not have to commit to adoption. You can take your time to see what kind of needs the child would require, and if you think you can safely meet them, while thinking of your own children's needs as well. My parents adopted 5 of their hundred or so foster kids. One with serious PTSD from severe abuse suffered as a child. She can tell you horror stories of raising this child, but has absolutely no regrets. She did have quite a few placements who started demonstrating serious behaviors which she didn't feel equipped to handle. Those children were moved to other homes. There were a few scary moments when one adopted son pulled a knife on my dad, and my mom found out another foster son was sleeping with a knife under his pillow, harboring a serious grudge against one of her adopted kids. He was removed from the home. Regarding waiting until your kids are teens or grown to start foster care, IDK that I believe that. My younger sister was 14 when our parents started doing foster care, and she had serious adjustment problems. She started self destructive behavior like aneorexia, and tried to OD on pills. She eventually Moved out of the house to live with a friend when she was only 16 . She turned out okay :001_smile:, later went on to do foster care herself. I think it more depends on each child, how they will react. I just wanted to give you more to think about. Definitely pray on it, long and hard. If you do decide to move forward. Take it slow and don't make any commitments until you give it enough time to see how the child fits into your family. I have 5 amazing 'found' siblings that I couldn't love more. Yes, they have had a few more struggles than a lot of kids, but there are no guarantees in life. Even with birth children.