Just last week, we were at B&N, and ER commented to me, "Why does everybody want to be Walmart? This is supposed to be a bookstore, and they have a whole section of toys! They even have a sign over the toy department."

Well, it's rated R for a reason. When it was originally released, I reluctantly allowed then-14yos ER to go see it with dh. 10yod EK was not allowed to go. EK is now 16, and neither she nor I have ever seen The Passion of the Christ. We own the DVD, but I cannot bring myself to watch it.

:iagree:

:iagree:

Yes, bachelor's in education and Christian Studies. Master's in education. I am very glad that I have my degrees. My experience as a teacher has given me a lot of confidence in homeschooling and tutoring. Also, when my own children have graduated, I will continue to use my degree by operating a cottage school.

My mom had a large fibroid that was there for years, causing fairly heavy periods and lots of cramping, but it eventually went away on its own. It's my understanding that fibroids tend to be a problem for women in their 40s when the hormones are out of whack, and most resolve on their own after menopause.

We had a bit of a problem with this, but it wasn't as bad as what you describe. Try wrapping a narrow strip of masking tape or duct tape around the spiral just a little way from each end; or use a small rubber band, winding it around the spiral over and over so that it fits tightly and won't slip off. That would keep the ends from working their way back through the holes.

My state requires that we make a progress assessment report each year and keep it on file for three years. (No one ever checks it; we just keep our files at home. But IF we were ever to have legal issues concerning homeschooling, we would have documentation of the work that has been done.) I make a portfolio each year, and I keep them all in my filing cabinet. In the portfolio, I keep a list of textbooks, a "report card" with grades for each subject, and samples of work (tests, essays, reports, etc.).

:iagree:

I created a chore chart as a Word document. I came up with it because I had to find a way to break down the housework so we could do a little bit every day instead of cleaning all day every Saturday. This way, we are off every Saturday & Sunday :D unless we get behind during the week. My chart divides the chores between 2 people (EK & me) over 5 days, with each person having about 2 chores per day. Before ER went away to college, I had everything divided up 3 ways; changing it required only minor tweaking. If you have more children than I do, it would be easy to modify my chart so that all of your children have some responsibility each day. If you're like me, it's of extreme importance that children learn these life skills. My chart covers 4 weeks. Each day, each of us tidies up her own bedroom & bathroom (make bed, put away clothes, wipe out sink, hang up towels), and then we each have two additional chores. Chores are assigned so that, for the most part, the same person doesn't get the same ones every week, and also doesn't get two time-consuming chores on the same day. For example, if I mop the kitchen this week and EK mops the sunroom, those are switched next week. I also would not be assigned "clean bathroom" and "vacuum & dust living room" on the same day because those are probably the most time-consuming chores on our list. (Interestingly, we've found that the dreaded bathroom-cleaning isn't so awful if one person is responsible for cleaning all the potties in the house and the other person cleans all the sinks & countertops. Then next week, it's the other way around.) Not everything is done every week--some things are only done once a month, and others are done every two weeks. (I know some people will be appalled that we don't scrub our bathtubs every week--although we do clean our potties weekly. ;)) Rooms in our house that get more traffic are cleaned more deeply more often, and those that get less traffic aren't. So my schedule wouldn't work for you if you are someone who thinks that every room should be cleaned top to bottom every week. Laundry, dishes, and trash duty are not included on my list, although you could add it to yours. EK & I do meal prep and clean-up together, and we toss loads of laundry into the washer or dryer as needed throughout the week. Dh helps us by folding things in the evenings while EK & I are cooking supper or doing the dishes, or we all do it together while we are watching television after supper. Dh also takes out all the trash as needed. I can e-mail my chart to you if you're interested in seeing it. Just PM me your e-mail address if you want it.

This experience sounds exactly like hers!

He was also interested in composition, but his school doesn't offer a major in composition. Choices were: BS in Church Music, BS in Vocal Performance, BS in Instrumental Performance, BS in Music Education, and BA in Music. He chose to do a BA in Music. It's a more general degree, and there are some courses (including foreign language) that BA students are required to take that BS students are not. At ER's school (and all the others I know anything about) ALL music majors are required to take piano proficiency, music history, music theory, and private lessons in the primary instrument. Voice is considered an instrument, and that was ER's choice, although he actually prefers to guitar, but it was not a choice at his school. All music majors are required to undergo juries (perfom and be critiqued by the entire music faculty) each semester, and give a senior recital (perform for the public). Music majors are required to attend all such recitals, as well as other performances throughout the school year. One important thing to know is that at all of the schools I know anything about, music is actually a 5-year degree--something to consider when seeking scholarships, which are often available for only 4 years. With most other majors, students spend the first couple of years working on their core, and then concentrate on their major their last two years. Not so with music majors. Music majors start off the first semester of their freshman year working on their track. If not, they are behind when they start. They don't have the luxury of starting on their college work and then making up their minds which direction to go.

I just wish you had gotten it on video! I read this aloud to my family, and we all LOL! :lol:

Yes, I always wear gloves when I clean bathrooms or wash dishes, and pretty much anything else that involves getting chemicals on my hands or prolonged submersion in water.

:iagree:

This is exactly what I do. :iagree:

:iagree:

Last - Last Light by Terri Blackstock Current - Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone Next - The Shakespeare Stealer series by Gary Blackwood Then - The Canterbury Tales retold by Geraldine McCaughrean, The Hawk and the Dove trilogy by Penelope Wilcock, Do Hard Things by Alex Harris Eventually - Black by Ted Dekker, How to Be Your Own Selfish Pig by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, and many more

So if you have 2 Roku boxes, you can still use only one Netflix account or Hulu Plus account, right? If so, does it matter if you tune the boxes to different programs at the same time? In case that doesn't make sense: could ds, for example, use our Netflix account to stream an episode of The Office in one room while, at the same time, dh uses the same Netflix account to stream an episode of Criminal Minds? (That might actually be more of a Netflix question than a Roku question, huh?)

Same here. :iagree:

This. I have my scope and sequence saved on my computer (well, due to computer crashes in the past, all I still have is 6th grade and up), and I refer to it as I do my specific subject-by-subject planning each year. The "big picture" plan is tweaked as needed, depending on each child's specific strengths, weaknesses, and interests. I also save reviews and notes regarding curriculum that I might want to use in the future. If I didn't do that, I'd never be able to remember it and keep it all straight.

:iagree: If your kids seem well-adjusted and they interact well with other kids when you do have get-togethers, then I think you shouldn't worry too much. I completely agree with checking out what the library has to offer. Our local library has story time at least 2 or 3 times a week, as well as art/craft activities, kids shows (including magicians, balloon artists, musicians, live animal presentations), a weekly movie night, and even an occasional sleepover! And it's all free!

:) Thanks!

So are the Amazon movies & programs you download from Amazon stored on the Roku until you watch them (like a DVR), or do you watch as soon as they download and then they are automatically deleted (like PayPerView), or do you stream the content and watch as it streams (like Netflix)? Does it work the same with Hulu and other services?