I actually found one to try. It was only $5.99 for the first book and he said that was okay. I'm still hoping someone will suggest something as wonderful as Literary Lessons from LOTR, but this will do for now. The site has lots of literature guides for $6 each. If I like this one, I'll have found a wonderful way to read literature with help. I'm used to reading brain candy. I have never understood the deeper meanings of books or poetry. I always thought my teachers were crazy to want to dig so deeply into a book. I figured we should just read it and be done with it. I no longer feel that way. I want to know what I'm reading and why the author wrote it the way he/she did.

I know it has a Christian theme but I will never be able to pull it out by myself. All I know is that Aslan is supposed to be like Jesus but just how all of that is woven into the books is what I want to know. I can't depend on DH to help because he has no interest in thinking Christian anything.

I'm not going to mail anything USPS. I'm sticking to UPS. And DH wants me to try to sell something before I donate it to the book store.

cross-posted on Chat forum When my ds25 was a freshman in high school, we used the curriculum Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings. It was so good!! I just told DH I might buy it for me and him to do together again. Our whole family did the LOTR study and we had such a good time with it. I have never read the Narnia series in its entirety. I know I read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was young, but I don't recall reading any of the other books. I want a good literary breakdown as I read it. I looked for something but I don't know what's best. Do you have a recommendation?

Since eBay won't increase my selling limit, can I start an auction for $10, my limit, and then put in an amount that must be bid for the auction to go through? I seem to remember that I was able to put a minimum amount on what I was willing to accept for an item. If that is still possible, might this be a way I can get around their $10 limit? I need a wider audience for some of my curriculum I didn't like. It's not much. I'm using most of everything but I'd rather not hang on to what I'm not using. Anything that doesn't sell, I'll donate to my local homeschool store which I'm excited to say is still in business. I told Martin I was going to start visiting weekly like I used to do and he said he was going to take away my credit card. 😱 🤣

I have one by Alfred Lansing, and one written by Shackleton himself. The interesting thing was this story is only half of the story. He was to land on Vahsel Bay to start his expedition and he had a second ship on the other side of the Antarctic to pick him up. They also laid down provisions for him along his route since by the time he reached, midway maybe, or maybe farther, he was going to run out of the supplies he had and would need new provisions. But The Endurance never reached Vahsel Bay. Shackleton's book has two parts, one for each of the ship's stories. Apparently the second ship encountered some problems but I didn't keep reading so I don't know what they were.

I know, I was so bummed when I read that. They went through so much. Dumb war.

When my ds25 was a freshman in high school, we used the curriculum Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings. It was so good!! I just told DH I might buy it for me and him to do together again. Our whole family did the LOTR study and we had such a good time with it. I have never read the Narnia series in its entirety. I know I read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was young, but I don't recall reading any of the other books. I want a good literary breakdown as I read it. I looked for something but I don't know what's best. Do you have a recommendation?

Stop already! I'm going to end up buying so much! These all look awesome and will keep me busy for quite a while. Thank you!

I thought the same thing when I saw the video. The boat that they crossed the ocean in to get help is preserved in a museum somewhere but I can't remember where. Hmm.

I know people feel that way about Kaiser but we've been with them for 25 years and feel good about it. It's a great plan and we've rarely had trouble getting the attention we deserve. The thyroid test may be an issue according to a previous post but I'll find out more tomorrow. I have the choice to go to Kaiser affiliates that charge me the same copays Kaiser charges me. I'm currently getting chiropractic services and physical therapy outside of Kaiser but pay Kaiser prices.

My oldest dd left public school at the beginning of her junior year. She worked full time for a year and then finished high school with an online accredited program. No, she didn't get a gazillion credits like some of the high schoolers on this board. She's not academically inclined like that. The program we used allowed us to take however many classes we chose at one time so the kids were only registered for 4 classes at a time, and my kids found the work easy. They simply did not need more than 4 hours to complete their work. They all graduated high school with 4.0 GPA's and two of them went on to get into college, one of those not until he was 24. Yes he worked, but it was part-time and he pursued his passions outside of working hours. It's extremely possible her brother will decide he wants his own money, as long as his parents aren't enabling him by giving him everything on a silver platter. I just think kids need a lot more downtime than we give to them. This magic age of 18 to have your life mapped out is downright silly. I was an idiot at that age and got married at 19. What a mistake that was! I was much too young for such a large responsibility. I was not yet mature enough. I wish I had been given a year or two of just doing what I wanted rather than being pressured to grow up because of my age and not my maturity level. I feel bad for parents who push so hard when their kids aren't ready and they end up hurting their relationships with their kids. I helped me children where they were and they've all turned out pretty good.

I hope you see I responded to you.

Oh and yes I count calories of everything I eat. Just because it's 0 points with WW doesn't mean it's 0 calories! A bowl of oatmeal, for example, is 150 calories. So it's 0 with WW and 150 in my calorie tracker.

It's okay. I have a therapist who is monitoring my calories and am about to start seeing a dietitian where she'll probably have me counting exchanges instead of calories. As long as I don't go below 1300 calories, I'm in no danger. I count the calories to make sure I'm eating enough. Without counting, my disorder causes me to eat much less. A normal meal will blow itself out of proportion in my mind and by the end of the day I believe I've eaten over 2000 calories and start freaking out, when if I count them, I'm less than 1000. I have to count something to make sure I'm eating.

They have it calculated that if you eat those foods, they are being counted in your points. I was losing 3 points a day even if I didn't eat the food because I think the idea is I've counted the points for the food ahead of time. FWIW, I am counting points for WW but also counting calories because I'm supposed to be eating a certain amount. If I start seeing my dietitian again, she'll have me counting exchanges instead of calories. She may also want me off WW. I don't know yet. My therapist doesn't want me off WW, but my DH and I think it's useless when I'm not losing weight. Counting calories instead of points, or vice versa, won't make me lose weight obviously, but I really don't need to be doing both.

Thank you! I'll look into these.

This is Sir Earnest Shackleton's ship that went down in the Weddell Sea in 1915. Sir Shackleton was attempting to reach a spot where he and others with dog teams could cross the Antartic. Instead, they were trapped in pack ice and forced to get off the ship when the ice started piercing its sides. They had 28 men altogether and Sir Shackleton led them all home. Every one of them safe. It's my most favorite adventure story because it was an amazing feat. The pictures of the ship under the sea are amazing! This is the link DH sent to me but I had to create a free account to be able to see the article.

I get 22 dailies and 28 weeklies. I get oatmeal and popcorn free. I eat about 1.5 cups oatmeal every day, but I put 2T of light margarine in it so that makes it 2 pts. Then I get all the freebies everyone gets of course. It sounds like I shouldn't have a problem eating but I like things like diced mangoes fruit cups in juice. That's not free because it's in juice. I used to get potatoes free because I ate them every day but I decided to cut way down and give them up as a free food and gained 3 pts. back in my dailies. Being at 19 dailies was really difficult. I end every week with only a handful of weeklies left. Right now I have 10 weeklies and today is my last day of the week. I won't eat all of them but I average 2 weeklies a day, sometimes more.

I'm at a decent weight. Technically it's in the overweight range but it's not at the top of the range. My health is good. I have a physical every year and mine was last December and everything seemed good. I've been taken off two meds, a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant. I'm still on a mood stabilizer but not an antidepressant. However, I am not falling into depression nor am I having suicidal ideations which is what put me on that med in the first place. I did start an ADHD med called Intuniv but I've only taken it 3 days I think. I took it in the morning on the first day and felt drowsy all day, but it didn't make me feel drowsy the second day I took it. Because of my ADHD, I can even drink coffee with caffeine and it not act as a stimulant. Usually I fall asleep after drinking coffee. It's the only caffeine I get. I don't drink soda. Also, as part of my eating plan with Overeaters Anonymous, I can't have chocolate. It's a trigger food. There is no such thing as one bite of chocolate for me. I'm staying away from all candy except Orange mint lifesavers. Those don't trigger me to want more after having one. I haven't binged in two weeks I don't think. I'm very proud of myself! 😋

Years. She's the only psych doc within a decent driving range. The only Kaiser psych doctor at a Kaiser facility I should say. There aren't enough behavioral health employees if you ask me. I'm not sure why some of you are worried I'm going into a manic phase. Neither my DH nor I agree. I'm not having any of my usual symptoms. I'm not agitated. Okay, I'm still a bit miffed over the $70 thing, but that's because I'm not getting anymore paychecks. My thoughts aren't racing, I don't have any anxiety, I'm not hyperactive, and my speech isn't rapid. Remember now, there is a difference between a manic phase that is part of Bipolar 1 and the hypomanic phase of Bipolar 2. I have Bipolar 2, so my hypomanic phase is a collection of symptoms like the ones I just listed. I do not have manic thoughts like thoughts of grandeur, invincibility. Yes, I have trouble sleeping but that's been going on for years and none of my medical support team can pinpoint it's cause so they all agree it must be a combination of things. Why do you think I'm hypomanic? What on earth am I writing in my posts that makes you think I'm hypomanic? All I've done is respond to people's posts with answers to their questions or concerns. I appreciate people worrying about me, but goodness, I'm fine. Really. But if it makes any of you feel better, I have an appointment with my psych doctor next week I believe. I'll tell her about your concerns and let her judge. From the information I emailed her, she didn't think it was a hypomanic phase. And now you're questioning her judgment? Isn't that a bit strange? Really. You don't know her or me beyond what I post. If my DH doesn't see any red flags, I don't think any of you should. Geez, I'm sorry now I posted about the $70 or my weight loss problems. Those seem like perfectly normal concerns to me, no more unusual that other posts here. Chill! 🤪

I have many Christian books, about half with workbooks, that I like to work through for my Bible studies. The problem is nothing is grabbing me at the moment. None of them are studies about the Bible itself or the chapters within it. I have books by Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Lisa Terkeust, Dr. David Jeremiah, Dr. Robert Jeffress, and some others. I want something that will teach me about the Bible. I'm wondering if there is something like a student textbook but not busywork. I want to read and have questions that zoom my attention on specific concepts. I once had an awesome study on the book of Ruth but I gave it to my sister. Suggestions? One of Dr. David Jeremiah's books is called Signs, and is Biblical Prophecy. It has 3 workbooks that go along with it as it's a really big book. I'm interested in studying that, but the size of the book is overwhelming to me right now.

I asked my psychiatrist, primary care physician and pharmacist about if my particular mix of drugs can cause weight gain or insomnia. None had a clear answer. When I researched them online, I didn't find a clear answer. One says it can cause weight gain or weight loss. That's not helpful. My psych doc just took me off two meds that we thought might be part of the cause of the problems but so far nothing has changed. Well, I did actually sleep 10 hours Sunday night which totally flabbergasted me and my DH. Then last night I went back to sleeping only 4 hours. The problem is the class of meds I'm on. We can take me off something but we need to keep me in the same class when replacing that drug and many of those in the same class are similar. It's also possible I'd be changing one set of problems for another. The only thing I do know is that drugs do not make me drowsy beyond one night. My ADHD med I just started, which isn't a stimulant, made me drowsy on the first day I took it. So instead of taking it in the morning again the next day, I took it in the evening, hoping it would help me sleep. Nope! I wasn't the least bit drowsy. I've been on more sleeping pills than I can count. Nothing works longer than a couple of days before my system acclimates to it. I continue taking them but I did read tonight that sleeping pills during the menopause years isn't a good idea. Over the past week, I missed taking my pills 3 nights and there was no change in my sleep either. Still, I might try to stop taking them and see what happens.

And fwiw, here are some thoughts that came to mind when I read your post: 1. When a student is pulled out of school to homeschool, that student usually needs to decompress. It's called deschooling. It could take a few months for him to be ready to buckle down and work. And it may be that your parents will have to put their foot down and impose a school time and a play time. My two children who homeschooled through high school spent only 3 - 4 hours a day on school. They simply didn't need as much time as a public/private school needs to shuffle kids through so much. There is a lot of wasted time when kids are in school. That is condensed into pure learning time when homeschooled. 2. He may not want to go to college. He'll need encouragement to get a job. There is a time to work and a time to play. I went through this with my son after he graduated high school. He waffled back and forth between working and college until he was 24 years old when he finally came to us and said he was ready to go back to college as he was finally motivated to finish and get a better paying job that stocking shelves at Kroger. 3. I also think you're taking too much on by being responsible for him. Have your parents asked you to step into that role or are you just worried about your brother? He's young. He has time to figure things out. Just because he's focused on gaming only now, doesn't mean he won't want to add work or school at some point. 4. If you really want to be involved and your parents are okay with it and your brother doesn't throw a fit, you could take him out of his house to do his schoolwork. Whether that means bringing him into your home or taking him to the library, he'll be away from his games. I do relate you know. My ds who finally was ready for college is on the high functioning end of Autism so he was behind his peers in social interaction and knowing what is expected of him. He is extremely smart and when sat down and books put before him, he could knock it out of the park. He games. He has a huge collection of old console game units, many games, and a high end computer. He's about to build a new computer because some of his parts are a few years old. He stays up until 1:00 am playing games and sleeps until noon or later the next day. He doesn't schedule college classes before 1:00 pm because of his lifestyle. What I'm trying to say is work with him. Help your parents work with him. He hasn't ruined the rest of his life because of this homeschool thing. Which btw is a bit offensive to those of us who are educating our children by homeschooling them. My kids are are successful young adults now pursuing their goals. Homeschooling was infinitely better than them being stuck in a brick and mortar school. My middle child did choose to go to public high school but he knew he could leave at any time. He had the choice to be there, which not many students have. That made a difference. So calm down. All is not lost. Have you ever thought of asking him to show you some of his games? Ask him to talk to you about them? Show him you're interested in what he loves so much? You'd be surprised at how much he may open up to you. I even played games with my son even though I wasn't good at them. We just laughed it off as mom being mom, but we had a good time and made some good memories. Now he's in college making good grades. He keeps up with his homework which for him, so far, hasn't been a big deal. He has plenty of time to pursue his passion of gaming. Help your brother. Don't parent him in an authoritative way. I personally don't like that way of thinking. Have you thought about reading some homeschooling books? My absolute favorite of all time is called Homeschooling Our Children Unschooling Ourselves. You'd be shocked at just how she homeschooled her children but they became productive, confident, intelligent adults. Brick and mortar school isn't a guarantee one will succeed in life. Homeschooling might be good for him.

I'm eating 1400 calories a day. That's not restricting in a bad way. That is a healthy way to lose weight according to all the research my therapist and I have done. I needed to be convinced, hence the research. I'm not allowed to go below 1300 but everyone is happier when I'm in the 1400 range. I'm not losing weight though! I lost at 1200 when I was on Weight Watchers the first time. The program is different now. I'm on it again and it's eating even less. If I stick to my daily points only I'm getting around 1000 calories, so I have to purposefully eat more to boost that up to 1400. It means I finish my weeks without any weekly points left. I'm about to end my 6th week on this program and my weight to date has gone up by about a pound. No one can understand why I'm not losing. Um, I'm eating too much?? I can't increase my activity even if I wanted to because of my leg problems. I do 30 minutes of stretching for physical therapy exercises which earns me a point. I do a 10 minute low intensity cardio workout which earns me a point. On nice days, DH and I walk for 20 minutes which earns me a point. I can't walk longer than that without my legs really hurting. That is with wearing my knee braces and taking pain meds 30 minutes before we walk as a preventative. Doesn't work.