LOVE LOVE LOVE our Kindles!! We bought two since we were arguing over who's turn it was! :D I actually prefer it BECAUSE it's not backlit...too much eye strain staring at backlit computer screens. Great book selection, great service, I am in love!

:iagree: I actually read an article once that talked about how we need the female equivalent for the word "guy"...you know something more than boy but not quite man. We don't have that kind of word for women.

Well, it's not a complete list but here is another one I saved: A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .. something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour… A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .. a youth she’s content to leave behind…. A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….. a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra… A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry… A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …. a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family… A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE … eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored… A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE … a feeling of control over her destiny. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW… how to fall in love without losing herself. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW… how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship… EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW… when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY… EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW… that her childhood may not have been perfect…but its over… EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW… what she would and would not do for love… EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW… how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it… EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. whom she can trust, whom she can’t, and why she shouldn’t take it personally… EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW… where to go… be it to her best friend’s kitchen table… or a charming inn in the woods… when her soul needs soothing… EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW… what she can and can’t accomplish in a day… a month…and a year…

:iagree: I LOVE Texas cowboys!!! :D

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!

Remind me again what country you are in?

I agree. I think I'm going to make my ds memorize it!

Thank you for all these wonderful ideas. We are not thinking this way for legalistic reasons either. We just see a need in our family to set aside a day not only to rest but to really focus on our relationship with God and with each other. It probably sounds strange but we want to put some "parameters" in place at least in the beginning so that we don't fall back into bad habits, kwim?

I read a blog post about this topic a few years ago that really stuck with me. I actually saved some of it: "A man works. Like a dog if necessary. Not just at a job, but at home, as well, because if anybody tells you that child-raising isn't work, they've been smoking the drapes. A man gets up in the night with a crying baby, or works a double shift, or makes trip after trip with the moving van. If it takes a lot of coffee, drink it. If you don't do it, it won't get done. Rest when things are finished, not when you're tired. Erma Bombeck once listed off qualities her dad had had, and one of those was that he was always the one who went to the parking lot in the rain to get the car. That's a man. The women and children may stay under the shelter; a man may not. If someone's going to get wet, it should be you. Ditto with disgusting things. Yes, I'm talking about diapers, but I'm also talking about things like stopped plumbing, pet messes, hairballs, and whatever's in that container in the back of the fridge. Clean it up, gag a couple of times if you must, then go wash your hands. God made your skin washable for a reason. Tim the Tool Man notwithstanding, no man is born with a knowledge of gadgets and machinery. You acquire it a bit at a time. If you're lucky enough to have a father who is skilled at those things and available to teach you, great. If you're not (as I wasn't), you'll just have to figure it out. When I was in high school, my dad gave me a beater car, and I had to figure out how it worked. I'm still not a mechanic, but I've learned that a screwdriver and a wrench aren't magic wands. Read a manual if it helps, but if you can't, then take the thing apart and try to figure out which part does what. Never let "I don't know how" be an excuse for not doing something. Do or do not; there is no try. As a man, you are stronger physically than women. You are also bigger than they are and hence intimidating to them, if only on a subconscious level. Never loom over them, never yell at them, never treat them as though they were men. (On the other side of the coin, don't condescend to them either. They're smaller, not dumb.) Bear in mind that you have all the equipment and strength necessary at any moment to overpower and violate a woman. It's therefore vital that you conduct yourself in a way that makes obvious that you not only wouldn't do something like that, but you'd step in front of a bullet or a grizzly bear to keep her safe. Religion is not a female thing. I don't mean that it's supposed to be male-dominated, but it is suppose to be male-led. Look around you at church, and see how many families are there without Dad. Don't let yours be one of them. Make sure your kids see you pray. If you want to raise Godly sons, show them what one looks like. Remember that although not every woman is potentially a wife or girlfriend, all of them are still women. Treat every female with the same respect and care you would show a woman you wanted to marry. Believe me, once you master this, you'll never lack for a date when you want one. Kindness, good humor and gentlemanliness aren't just for a girl you're hitting on. They can see through that a mile away. It's how you treat the ones you're not letching after that they'll notice. If you open doors and carry packages as a matter of habit, word gets around. After that, it doesn't matter if you look like Boris Karloff; you'll still be a hot property. And even if you're not looking for a woman at the time, what the heck? It never hurts to be well-liked. Sometimes what you have to do sucks. That's the way it is. A man has both rights and duties, but when there's a conflict between them, duty always wins. Period. Your rights will be compromised over and over, but your responsibilities must never be. A man does what needs doing and worries about his rights some other time. Don't be a guy. The world is full of guys. Be a man."

Well, I read the DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons and I liked them but I thought the Lost Symbol was terrible. Since you haven't read the other two you wouldn't have the same experience I had which was....I knew EXACTLY what was going to happen with in the first chapter or so. I knew who was "the bad guy" and a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. I was pretty unimpressed.

Well there are all kinds of things I could name but one of the first things I noticed is lack of hot water None of the bathroom sinks have hot water (my dh had to learn shave with cold water) The kitchen sinks do not have hot water (we have to wash dishes with cold water or heat it on the stove first) The washing machine does not have hot water ( your clothes do net get as clean) The showers have this little gadget that you have to turn on about 20 minutes BEFORE you shower if you want ANY hot water and even then, you better shower FAST! The good news is, it is so hot here that I don't even WANT a hot shower. :D

Well, since we put the kids in school we have been "afterschooling" on the weekends so we are on 7 days! As soon as I can work out the details of pulling them out of school we will go back to 5 though.

What does "keeping the Sabbath" look like for your family? We are always so busy busy busy. There is wisdom in God's command to keep the Sabbath that I ignore. I mean, sure, we go to church but that's about it. So I am interested in hearing how this looks in your family. I would love to hear from those who have very "fixed" ideas to those who keep it more loosely, as we would like to steal some of your ideas. :D I do NOT want to debate "whether" one should keep the Sabbath. We've already decided we need a change. Thanks!

:iagree: Except I would add hornets, wasps and any other vicious stinging insect. I am terrified of them.

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Why? People do it all the time here. It's quite the norm. I suppose if it really bothers you that much you could just put me on ignore. And Bill is a big boy...he makes just as many, if not more, sassy comments as I do and he knows it and he can take it.

You know what? You are absolutely right. And we are pulling him out. We put him in because I work there and I thought it might be a good cultural experience but it's not. Living in Malaysia is a wonderful cultural experience and we love it...but warehouse education...even in another country...is not for us. I will NOT have my son's personality crammed into a school-shaped mold by teachers who call it "learning teamwork" when it is actually learning the idea of lowest common denominator...he who does the least is rewarded the most and he who works hardest is evil and self-centered. I'll take my unique, justice-loving child over a brainwashed kid (i.e. "team player") any day. Thank you for helping me make up my mind.

Well, this just got to Malaysia and we just saw it tonight and we all thought it was HILARIOUS. So I guess we'll be oddballs too because this is one we will buy!

I would say that there are modes of instruction I "prefer" but not modes that I "have to have" in order to learn. I "prefer" to learn by reading rather than listening but I can learn by listening as well. I guess I see the value in presenting information in a variety of ways. But I am not going to excuse my ds from reading because he "prefers" to listen. Even if he retains more from one style of instruction than another, all of them are valid and contribute to his learning.

I do not have a problem with opposite opinions. I have a problem with Bill's strange need to keep saying that it is about "running" when ANYONE reading my posts so far in this thread would see that it is NOT about running. The punishment could have been ANYTHING from sit-ups to writing sentences and I would still be upset because he was punished for something he DID NOT DO. That would be like ONE of my kids doing something wrong and me punishing BOTH of them. It makes no sense to keep pointing at the fact that running is a "beneficial physical activity" when the running is not the point. sheesh. Maybe my question should be different. Maybe the question should be, what would be an intelligent, well-thought-out, EFFECTIVE form of discipline in a situation where 5 kids did what they were suppose to be doing but 15 kids did not REGARDLESS of which class it was in?

Come on Bill, I know you are smarter than that. As I've said SEVERAL times, it was NOT about "running"...my ds actually likes running...it was about being punished for something he didn't do. Any of us would be upset by that. How would you feel if you got a speeding ticket when you weren't speeding? How would you feel if a fellow employee stole from the company and you were blamed for it and fired even though you have never stolen from the company? Is that "taking one for the team" in your mind? It's the principle. You know that. BTW, my dh who is QUITE "manly" said he thought the gym teacher did a cowardly thing as well. He said the gym teacher is the one who should "man up" and be willing to call out the slackers and deal with them.

No, it was my older son...the 11 year old.

BTDT...no it did not make us feel like a team. We wanted the slacker rooted out and dealt with. We were insulted that the administration did not have the GUTS to deal with the slacker one on one and chose instead to punish the group. I've been in this situation a number of times and every single time the group's reaction was that the principal was a coward.

Bill, I appreciate you trying to educate me on the ways of men but let me remind you that sports is not the only way to build teamwork. There are lots of team-situations that build team work without destroying someone's faith in justice. And honestly, your argument doesn't hold water. You say that it was appropriate to use running as a punishment (even for those who did nothing to deserve a punishment) BECAUSE it was gym class. Thus, had the teacher assigned 100 sentences instead of running, THAT would have been wrong. But then you say that the example where if kids goof off in science class and therefore the teacher doesn't let them do science labs, the teacher is wrong. Why? Science class is about learning science, doing labs and what-not so should the teacher have made them ...what?....do MORE science labs? You keep focusing on the "running is healthy and good for you" aspect of the topic and I am saying it is not about the running. Let me tell you, this cowardly thing the teacher used did NOTHING to promote team spirit. The slackers did not learn a lesson...they thought it was funny. The non-slackers did not learn a lesson either...they thought the techer was unfair and to be honest, a jerk, and it caused ANIMOSITY in the class NOT a "team spirit". I coached competitive GIRLS' sports for 10 years and there are MUCH better ways to promote team spirit than this. My team were national champions and we did it by INSPIRING them, by giving them a common goal and HELPING them work towards it. I worked them hard...very hard...but they did it for me and for each other because we had a team based on trust and common goals that they believed in...not something that was forced on them. There is no team building going on in that gym class. All the teacher accomplished was that the kids hate him and each other.