No, it's not Bedtime Stories. We saw that movie too. I'm really stumped, and it's making me crazy because I can't think of the name of the book and I can't remember many details. :confused:

No, it's not Inkspell or Jumanji. We read Inkspell, and there are some elements that are similar, but it's a completely different story. We didn't read Jumanji, but we saw the movie, and that's not it either. I looked at the Wikipedia article, and none of the books mentioned are the right one. I'm going to look at Loganberry Books and see if can find it there.

The dc & I had this book as a summer read-aloud a few years ago, and EK wants to find it and read it again. I'll tell you everything I can remember about it: The actual book is fairly thick, but I don't think it's as thick as one of the later Harry Potter books. I'd say it's for about 6th or 7th grade & up. I seem to remember that the author was female, and her mother is a celebrity--movies/television or maybe a famour author??? The main character was a girl about 11 or 12, I think, whose mom remarried, and the girl & mom moved in with the step-dad and his son, who live in a big house in a rural area--I'm thinking maybe it was in Canada? The girl and boy read books together--the author incorporated characters and plots of actual books into the story--and somehow, the events in the books began to actually happen in real life. One book I remember that the kids read was The Twenty-One Balloons, with the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano. Animals would appear as they read the stories, and the kids would have to figure out what to do with them, so they kept them on the upstairs sleeping porch so the parents wouldn't find out. So, that's all I can remember. Can anyone help?

:iagree:

YES!!! :iagree:

I don't blame you, actually. I probably wouldn't worry about it myself, except that two children from my hometown (an hour's drive from where I currently reside) have died from this parasite within the past few years. It was heartbreaking to read the newspaper accounts. The parents knew their children were dying and nothing could be done.

No, but if you've ever drunk from a water hose, you know how easy it is to accidentally spray the water up your nose.

The connection was made in my post in the original thread. Also: Naegleria fowleri live in soil and water but thrive and infect humans in fresh water between 82 and 104 degrees F. Dirty swimming pools, spas, rivers, ponds or garden hoses holding stagnant water are all breeding grounds for Naegleria fowleri. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/6395-need-amoebic-meningitis/#ixzz1VQ1u1Eh9

Same here. We had them last year too. :glare: I've tried everything from borax/sugar/water (basically homemade Terro, which is a commercially produced borax/sugar solution) to Raid (as a last resort). Last year, they were more interested in food than water, especially anything that had sugar in it. They even invaded cereal boxes. The borax/sugar solution worked then, but this year they completely ignore it. :confused: The only thing that has worked at all is Raid, but in a few days, the ants come right back. It has been extremely dry this year, and apparently, the ants are seeking water. They aren't getting into food nearly as much as they're getting into sinks and showers/tubs. The borax/sugar solution isn't working. :(

See, I'm just the opposite. I will only swim when I can see the bottom of the body of water. There are no lakes around here like that.

I posted about this too! This child was the first of 3 people to die from this infection so far this summer. Sorry--I didn't see your post until after I made mine.

I met dh on August 20, 1978, at Sunday School!

I see my mom at least monthly, sometimes more frequently, and it's always a pleasure. She lives about an hour's drive from us. I wish it were closer because I love her. Dh agrees. She is one of those people that EVERYBODY loves. My kids adore her, and dh loves her too. Sometimes when he's driving through her town on business, they'll meet for lunch, just the two of them. We see dh's parents less frequently, even though we live about the same distance from them as from my mom. They are wonderful people, and we like to visit them, but they are very busy; MIL is nearly 72yo and still works full time. FIL (nearly 74yo) is "retired", but he still works too. My mom is retired, and has more time.

I voted "other". We live just over an hour's drive north of my mom, and about the same distance east of MIL & FIL.

If not, it's here. In my post in that thread, I said that we don't drink from the water hose because standing water in a hose could contain the Naegleria fowleri parasite, which is a brain-eating amoeba. FOX news is reporting today that this summer, three people have died from being infected by this parasite. The first victim was a 16 year old Florida girl who went swimming in the St. Johns River. The second victim was a 9 year old Virginia boy who was infected at summer camp. The third victim was a Louisiana man in his 20s who actually contracted the deadly illness when he used a neti pot filled with tap water from his home! Yes, it's very rare, but this is scary stuff!

I have a recipe for cooked playdough somewhere, but I've never made it. My very favorite Kool-Aid playdough isn't cooked, and it has turned out beautifully every time I've ever made it--which is a LOT because I used to be a preschool teacher. ;) Here's my recipe, which came from the book More... Dribble Drabble: Mix together 2 1/2 cups of plain flour, 1 cup of salt, and 2 packages of unsweetened Kool Aid mix (any flavor). Add 2 cups boiling water and 3 teaspoons vegetable oil. Sitr with a wooden spoon until cool enough to handle, then knead. Store in a plastic baggie or a plastic tub.

:grouphug: Some day, you're going to be able to look back on all of this and laugh! And you'll say, "I'm glad that's over, but I learned so much in the process." And you and your dh will hug each other and actually be glad that you went through all of it because you did it together. As ER is so fond of saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Praying that you do grow stronger through all of your trials, ereks mom

:iagree:

I sent you an invitation request. Thanks!

This. And also: I avoid getting on the computer until after school & chores are done. The kids & I each do a few chores each day instead of having Cleaning Day once a week. ETA: Schedule a 4-day week, with Friday used for appointments, field trips, and catching up on schoolwork or chores. Schedule a 1-week break after each 6 weeks of school. This has gone a LONG way to prevent burn-out.

:iagree:

While researching Writing Strands, I ran across this review online: I bought this because my son missed something in public school when it came to writing. I have since taken up homeschooling. This book, as long as it is NOT labeled "Homeschool", is very good. The version, at this level, labeled "Homeschool" comes up short by about 20 pages. ...He is now into the Writing Strands Level 3 book, and I am extremely impressed. Writing has become easier for him, and much more pleasant for me to read. If you are a homeschooling parent, or would like to give your public school child a leg up, I highly recommend any of the Writing Strands books. Just double check the version you order. Do NOT order the versions labeled homeschool anywhere in the title. Although these books were designed for homeshooling, the versions with Homeschool in the title are revised versions and have been watered down. Is this reviewer correct that there is more than one version of Writing Strands?

:iagree:

I use bright colors: pink, purple, turquoise, orange, or green--anything but red.

I don't think there's anyone famous. My dad researched his family, but was unable to get far at all due to missing immigration records and name changes and such. I researched my mom's family, and fellow researchers have traced back to England in the 1500s. As it turns out, dh's 5th great grandfather is also my 6th great-grandfather.