My money is categorized: Groceries (including household items) Clothing Gas Kid's activities (sports, museums, etc) Needs (haircuts, other kid's birthday gifts) Fun stuff (eating out, clothes we don't need) My husband's cash started out divided similarly, but he prefers to just spend as he sees fit.

:grouphug::grouphug:

"Marriage" has many names and forms of it have been around since the beginning of time. My point was regarding the church's role in marriage. In America, at least up until recently, marriage was a Christian institution. So Christians who believe in the Bible (which says homosexuality is wrong) can't be counselors? I remember that case and (I may be wrong) I believe it wasn't that she refused to see the woman, but the woman being counseled wanted advice about her relationship and the counselor referred her to someone else.

"I don't think she is mentally capable of handling this type of stuff." Yes, exactly. "Sounds like she wants others to fix her mess. One she systematically set out to create." I have to disagree with this one. Yes, she wants others to fix her mess. But I doubt she set out to create the mess. It sounds like she's mentally ill, maybe bipolar, and she simply can't handle her own life well. My mother is bipolar and has severe depression. She also is suffering from something akin to Parkinsons. She can not function like a 'normal' person. I often get messages from her (one last week - "you're trying to put me in an early grave by posting on Facebook before talking to me") that are selfish, immature, overly dramatic and often bizarre; I totally get where you're coming from. However. I would respond to her. I'd say something like, "I'm really sorry that you're having these problems. I love you so much. If there is anything specific that I can do for you, let me know." Rather than giving a blanket "I'm here to help you" or offering her multiple things, this makes her responsible for the help you give (not that it will help, I know). Then send her another message tomorrow that says, "Hey mom, I love you. I hope things are better today." Then send another next week. Etc, etc. Give love, stay connected, but don't get tangled up, KWIM? My grandmother had dementia and over several years grew increasingly hard to deal with. She was selfish, stubborn, demanding and insisted nobody cared for her no matter what they did. My dad finally stopped going to see her because the emotional toll on him was too much. She died six months later. He's always regretted not sticking it out. It is always worth preserving that relationship.

I didn't read all 10 pages, so I apologize if somebody covered this point already. I'm not sure that the economic and legal aspects are what drive most who oppose gay marriage. From a Christian/church point of view, the reasons are twofold - first, marriage was originally a religious act, not a governmental one. We have legal marriage for many reasons that have already been discussed. The church also believes that homosexual relationships are wrong. (I know there are some now that don't, but I'm speaking for those against gay marriage). For the government to now come in and tell those churches that they must now perform the sacrament they initiated for relationships they don't condone is beyond their rights and hurtful to many. Second - if gay marriage is legalized and churches refuse to marry gay couples, they can face government penalties and censure. (Imagine if a church today refused to marry a mixed race couple!) The government can pull a church's tax-exempt status, as well as the other benefits non-profits enjoy, that often make it possible for small churches to stay open, and to serve their communities. What it comes down to is the feeling that the government is dictating to churches what they can and can't do, even opposed to their beliefs. OTOH, many Christians could give a hoot about civil unions, so it isn't like just because someone is against gay marriage, they hate gay people.

So hard to say since it could be so many things, but for a measure of reassurance, I had bleeding from 15 weeks on with my last pregnancy and carried him to 35 weeks. Have you called your doctor? He could probably advise you whether to try the ER.

I lived in Phoenix for 7 years. It's so beautiful, especially in the fall! You'll love it. One note - the city of Phoenix is pretty far from the Grand Canyon.. I think it's 6 or 7 hours. It sounds like you really want to do the 'outdoorsy' stuff like Bryce and Zion. They're gorgeous! The only thing I'd be sure to check is the weather.. I remember it getting really cold at night at that time of year even though it's nice during the day, meaning a camper might be better than a tent. Have fun!

Like everyone has said, it's a matter of whether you want to change your eating habits. There are plenty of cheap, healthy foods out there, but you'd be eating many of the same things over and over again and giving up convenience. For example, I can get oats at Whole Foods for almost nothing. I can feed my family of 7 breakfast of oatmeal with brown sugar and milk for 50 cents. Add half a banana each and that's $1 for breakfast. If we did that every day.. we'd be very bored but save a lot of money. Peanut butter and jelly (organic) on home made bread is also really cheap but healthy, or do PB and honey or bananas. We eat lots and lots of organic potatoes, in many forms. Splurge on some organic ground beef at Costco ($4.50/lb) and whole organic chickens at Trader Joe's ($2.50/lb) but only eat meat 3 times per week. There are ways to do it, it just takes commitment and planning. Try heavenlyhomemakers.com or heartkeepercommonroom.com for recipes and menu plans - those ladies eat all natural and organic for very little.

Color wonder markers to be like the big kids!

Praying for you! What a wonderful place this board is, that a little Jewish boy can fall out a window and be prayed for by Christians, Catholics, Mormons, pagans and more!! Keep us updated!

I'm moving to Apple Vally in 3 weeks! Anyone able to clue me in on how hsing works up there?

Happy Birthday!

I don't use VP so I can't speak directly to that, however.. we use SOTW. It took us four years to get through volumes 1-3 because we took a 6 month foray into American history. Next year would be SOTW 4, but we're going to go back to vol. 1 and wait 4 years before tackling modern history. I just feel like there's too much human cruelty, as you said. My kids will be 2nd, 3rd and 5th next year and IMO it's definitely too much for them.

My little ones love Robert Louis Stevenson. Sadly the book is packed up right now because we're moving, but there are several one and two stanza poems that we've memorized. One of our favorites: Looking Forward When I am grown to man's estate, I shall be very tall and great, And tell the other girls and boys, Not to meddle with my toys.

I'm just bumping for ideas.

They're opposite in Australia, too. I don't think many Americans really know what they mean, or that most Americans fit into one or the other. Me, I'm socially conservative but politically independent. :iagree: And for what it's worth, I like kilts AND religious threads. :D

I like the 'do it now' approach. Similarly, we do many things daily that I used to save for Saturday cleaning. I keep Clorox wipes under every sink so that wiping down bathrooms only takes a minute. My kids wipe down their bathroom every night so it never gets too terrible. We clean up the kitchen after every meal so that it doesn't get too built up. I do a load of laundry every day, although it doesn't get put away every day. :) I like schedules, too. I read a great quote once, "When deciding who does what around the house, remember that the who is not mom and the what is not everything." Once I started getting my kids to pitch in more my life got much easier. But my biggest lesson to learn is to let it go. I don't let my house get trashed, but I'm not as fanatic about keeping it clean as I used to be. I'll have a spotless house someday, about the same time I'm moping about it being empty. Can't wait to hear more suggestions!

We have four library cards - one for me and three for the kids. At least one is blocked at all times due to fines. I pay them off when they hit the $30-40 mark. Sometimes I think it'd be cheaper to buy all my books.

What a great question. I'd have to say for specific questions like that I kind of shoot from the hip. I can't think of any verses that talk about robots. :) We read through a chapter or two every day, in order. We started with Genesis two years ago and are in Luke now. Because of that we can discuss things as they come up in scripture, including descriptions of God that are abstract. I think that helps them get a handle on what God is like, but it comes slowly. Heck, I'm still figuring it out. :)

In defense of those without bookshelves - we have none in our main living areas, or in the bedrooms. Our guest room closet is full of cubbies and that's where most of our books are. Plus in the book basket, on desks, under beds, on nightstands and on the kitchen counters. :)

No suggestions, but if it makes you feel better my dd6 with very fine, blonde hair has been wishing for braids and cornrows since she was 3! The grass is always greener. :)

I just looked at the calendar and realized we have 31 actual school days to go! The bummer is that I'm not sure if we're going to finish everything. We're not going to make it through the last chapter of SOTW and there are a couple other subjects for which we'll have a couple lessons left unfinished. Do you always finish your books? Do you pick up next year where you left off? Extend the year until it's all done?

I can't remember how difficult SOTW 2 is, but we are using SOTW 3 this year and I still read it aloud to my 10 and 8 year olds. There are too many names and words they have trouble with, and it leads to good discussion. I'd say it depends on your child's abilities. Maybe have him do a few weeks and see if you like the result.

What about the southern accent? I found it mildly annoying in the Prima set (CDs), only because she often broke her own pronunciation 'rules'. Any thoughts?

I second R&S as an independent program. We started it when dd was in 3rd and I bought the teacher's manual, but found it unnecessary. My 'teaching time' was basically reading the text as she followed along. As long as your student is a good reader, he shouldn't have any trouble with the lessons. I assign a lesson per day and she asks for help if needed. I will say that she doesn't *like* it, but she doesn't *like* most of her work, so.... :tongue_smilie: I like it.