Me too! :tongue_smilie:

Me too. I still do.

:iagree:

Most of the schools around here are starting this week. We're starting on August 22.

I'm considering this bookcase: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/13690607 Is it sturdy?

Welcome! :001_smile:

:lol: I'm thinking she's about the age of one of my children!

I was 3 years & 1 month old when JFK was assassinated, but I don't remember any of it. I do remember events that occurred in my life before that time, though--I remember the house we lived in back then, and I remember jumping on the bed, and I remember moving to GA from MI which was a few months before the JFK assassination--so I don't know why I don't remember it.

Maybe around 1973? I was in 8th grade, and I remember talking about gas shortages in civics class when we did current events with Time magazine articles.

I was home from school because I was sick that day too. But I wasn't a student, I was a teacher. :D

:001_huh: I was 33yo and pregnant with my 2nd child when OJ's "chase" happened!

I remember records on the back of cereal boxes too! I had "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies.

You are not alone! I'm feeling kind of old too! I remember the Apollo missions, including Apollo 11. I also vividly remember Apollo 8, which launched during the Christmas season of 1968. We watched it on television at my aunt's house, where the family had gathered for a Christmas party.

It has occurred to me that there are probably homeschooling mothers on this board who are half my age! That got me wondering what kinds of things were in the headlines when the younger set was growing up. So I ask, what huge news event do you remember from your earliest childhood? How old were you at the time? ETA: Those of you who are "older" (like me!), please answer as well. My earliest memories of national news include the Freedom Marches/race riots and also U.S. troops being sent to Vietnam (1965, the year I turned 5). I have vivid memories of the Bobby Kennedy assassination, the MLK assassination, the Manson murders, the 1968 election, the Apollo missions of the 1960s (in particular, Apollo 8 & Apollo 11), Jackie Kennedy marrying Aristotle Onassis, Ted Kennedy & Chappaquiddick, Lt. William Calley & My Lai Massacre, Eisenhower's death, Woodstock, Black Panthers... and all of these things happened between 1965 & 1969, when I was between the ages of 4 & 9.

I guess I need to see that movie. :tongue_smilie: I'm also a teacher-turned-homeschooler, and every once in awhile when I first started homeschooling, I used to get that "I could be helping LOTS of other kids" feeling too, but the reality is that I cannot have the profound influence on all of them in the same way that I can with my own children. I am shaping them to be able to influence other people, and in that way, I multiply my effectiveness. I guess this goes along with the broader vs. deeper dilemma: I can influence a lot of people just a little bit, OR I can influence a few people a LOT. I choose the latter, and I know that eventually, they'll "pay it forward", so that increases my sphere of influence in the long run. Does that make sense? (And as another poster suggested, you can always go back to teaching once your own children have graduated from homeschool. I plan to do that--but I don't really want to go back into the PS; my plan is to homeschool or tutor small groups.)

:iagree:

I love, love, LOVE Ro-tel, and I also love tater tots. But I have never even heard of brick chili. I'm in the Deep South, by the way.

Same here.

I did it by hand--ONCE--and that was more than enough for me. It didn't even taste all that great, in spite of all that work! :confused:

I've been stung by a scorpion (Southern Devil type), and here is what I know about those stings: There may be a sharp burning sensation at the sting site, followed by itching. The sting may or may not leave a red mark or swelling. In as many as 50 percent of cases, there will be no sign of the sting. Even if there is no redness or swelling, the area might be hypersensitive to touch. There might be tingling or numbness, which may persist for several weeks; this is the last symptom to resolve. Strangely, if you tap on the site of the bite --this is known as the "tap test"--the sensitivity worsens. Sometimes, even wearing clothing that touches the area makes the sensitivity worse. Fortunately, while the sting of the Southern Devil scorpion is moderately painful, it's not life-threatening, and it's not particularly medically serious unless an allergy to the venom is involved. If a person is allergic, symptoms may include muscle spasms, which could affect the tongue. The reaction could last for 6 hours, or even longer.

EK is 16yo (17 in October) and either we call/text her or she calls/texts us, usually around bedtime, when she is away from home, even when she is with family. We've always done that. With ER (now 21yo), we usually didn't because he didn't want us to "treat him like a baby". HOWEVER, he is a senior college now, and we still expect to hear from him at least once in a 24-hour period.

It sounds like normal imaginary friend stuff to me. When ER was little--maybe around 2 or 3--he claimed he had 12 sons who went everywhere we went. The only one who had a name was the oldest, "David". ER said that all 12 rode on top of the car or under the car, but they didn't ride inside. I don't really remember his mentioning his "sons" anytime except for when we were in the car. Dh & I played along, and the phase only lasted a little while, and ER didn't mention them any more. EK also had imaginary friends when she was about 2 or 3 years old: Apple Joe (the ringleader), Keebidee, and Monk-Monk. They were always with her, and she talked to them every day. EK described them as little people, kind of like a cross between a leprechaun and a gremlin. If something got broken or lost, we would blame EK's little friends. Sometimes, she said, they (especially Apple Joe) told her to do things she wasn't supposed to do. Over time, she talked less and less of Keebidee and Monk-Monk, but Apple Joe was still there. One day when she was probably 4 years old, EK went into the bathroom, stayed a few minutes--I heard her talking (she talked to herself all the time), and then I heard the toilet flush. EK soon emerged, announcing that she had flushed Apple Joe down the toilet. She said she had told him it was time for him to go and flushed him away. She never brought him up again. I asked her some time later about Apple Joe, and she said he was gone.

I buy almost all of my clothes at thrift stores. Pants & shirts are about $3-$4 each there, and jeans are $3-$5 per pair. I am able to find some REALLY nice pieces at the thrift store--sometimes with tags still attached. I can dress nicely at only a fraction of the cost of what I'd pay at the mall. I try on everything, and only buy comfortable clothing that fits and looks good on me. I sometimes shop at Walmart, but only the clearance racks. I probably spend less than $100 per year on clothes. I do spend more money for good shoes, but even then, I shop outlet stores.

This sounds a lot like what happens at my house. The materials are different in some cases, and she does drama instead of dance, but the rest is mostly the same.

Which Cuisinart machine do you all have? I saw 3 or 4 different models at the Cuisinart website.