:iagree: One of my favorite quotes is by Jim Elliot: "Wherever you are, be all there." I'm working on it. Summers in Mississippi are hard, though. I'm ready for the cooler fall weather. I do appreciate something in all the seasons though. I think Spring is my favorite, but I do love the fall. Can I be a Fall/Spring person and just skip Winter and Summer?:001_smile:

Not much advice, but I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I've heard many say that this is a difficult year--6--regarding attitudes and challenging authority. I also know that my attitude greatly shapes the course of the day as well. Dd and I sat down and wrote out a contract together about what is expected through the school day--attitudes, obedience, working without complaining, etc. She actually really enjoyed writing it with me. When things start heading the wrong way, I remind her of our contract, she says, "Oh, yeah..." and we move forward. I am not naive enough to believe it will work forever, but I'm enjoying it for now. I have no problem with assigning extra handwriting practice--of course, the least favorite activity--if need be. And, we still have time outs. All this to say, obviously I haven't figured it out yet either, but you're not on the path alone. :001_smile: Jessica at Trivium Academy referred to this book on her blog. I am thinking about getting it and giving it a read.

For me, personally, I had to separate myself from the threads. I was raised in one of those bible-beating households where "saved by grace" was preached and "saved by works" was lived out. I well know the bondage of pride and legalism. Thankfully, I've also experienced the true freedom of God's great grace. However, I am still human. I get angry. I sin. I am prideful and selfish and want to prove my point. Sometimes that leads me down the path of "vain quarrels." Sometimes I'm there before I realize it; sometimes I make the choice to dive right in. Either way, though, I have to realize that although I firmly believe this election is very important, my salvation does not rest in it. That being said, I think that the main point is humility. Many people mistake humility for fearful, shyness. No, Jesus was not only the most humble man to walk the earth, but he was also the most bold. He spoke with authority, and yes, barbs. He knew who he was and why he was here. Because of that and because he was following only the will of God, he accomplished his mission without vain quarrels or the sin of pride. He was sinless. We are not. Pride, selfishness, vanity fill us humans up. As it has been said already, that is why we need a Savior.

Congratulations Karen! :grouphug: Fantastic news.

Maybe you could model picking the pencil up with the thumb and pointer finger only, then slide it to rest on your hand and point out that the other fingers just gently support the pencil. My daughter struggled (still struggles at times) with gripping the pencil incorrectly. She loved watching me slowly demonstrate this and then practicing it herself. Hope this makes sense and is helpful. Dawn

Exciting...:001_smile: Mine picked up a lot the last couple of weeks with Sawyer. Yes, couple of weeks...but it could be Monday. Who knows! Yay, another sweet baby soon on the way. Best wishes to you!

We enjoyed the readers with Primary Phonics. They have five or six levels each with ten storybooks in the set. They are published by the same company that publishes ETC. They are not colorful, but very effective in building reading confidence.

I'm in! :001_smile:

I'm also trying it out right now. :001_smile:

Wishing you all the best, Pam. :grouphug:

OPGTR didn't work for us either. I used Primary Phonics which is published by the same people who do ETC. There is more writing in the workbooks than in ETC, but not too much. The storybooks are great for beginning reading. I added the phonogram cards from Spell to Write and Read.

Hope it is an absolutely fantastic day!!!! Dawn

Tutor, I feel rather silly now, as I just discovered I didn't remove everything from the envelope the first time. :D I didn't see the certificates and was trying to figure out what I was supposed to actually present to Pizza Hut. So, I answered my own question. I haven't, however, received any confirmation from Pizza Hut. I'm a little concerned about being met with blank stares when I take the certificate in. Thanks for the offer of help! I hope you and yours are well! I'm glad you're blogging again. Dawn

:grouphug: Praying for you and looking forward to sharing in your joy!

I actually got mine this last week, but I'm not quite certain how to use it. I would go and ask for further info at Pizza Hut, but I'm not sure they'd be able to help. Once you get yours, maybe you could talk me through it. :D

I'm coming to this conclusion myself. :001_smile: There are intelligent women that I respect a lot on the opposite side of the aisle from me, and many of them are waving, but only with one finger. :D

Mmmm...love it with my Chips Ahoy cookies. :001_smile:

Personally, I wish Capt. Mal was on the ticket. I guess his reputation for dealing in stolen trade wouldn't allow it, though. :001_smile:

I like your avatar. :001_smile: So, who do you think Jack would pick as his running mate?

Forgive me if this has already been linked, but I thought this blog post by Elizabeth Foss, author of Real Learning, was very thoughtful and well written. It was written in response to a comment criticizing Palin for not staying at home with her children. Eating Our Own *Foss is Catholic so there will be Christian content.

Yes, he did know. We are studying Mark in Sunday school and this morning actually went over the passage in chapter 9 where the transfiguration is discussed. Here are verses 9 and 10 of that chapter: 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. I am sure there are other references, but this one was fresh on my mind. :001_smile:

This quote made me think about a funny youtube I came across while looking for information on Sarah Palin when the announcement was first made. Craig Ferguson receives honorary citizenship from Alaska

Soooo precious! Congratulations to you all!

Great thread, Parabola! :iagree: He has a beautiful family that he apparently loves very much. He has character and has worked hard to keep the campaign from getting dirty. He is inspiring. Many point out that he speaks better when scripted; however, to deliver a speech eloquently, scripted or not, is a great talent. I just disagree with him politically.

:iagree: Hilarious! This show makes me laugh out loud more than any other. I've said it before, but slightly embarrassed with my fascination with Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.