Thank you! We are at the beginning of our summer here. Do you notice a difference in fermentation time between cold & hot weather?

OK, you sourdough experts... Do you have a fail-proof recipe, both for the starter and for the loaf that you could share? I have attempted a few starters in the past with less than stellar results, most resulting in my losing my nerve and throwing the starter out. I know there are a lot of websites out there, some with slightly contradictory information. I'd love to hear from anyone who makes it regularly and with no stress :laugh:

I've come to the conclusion that different "diets" can suit different people more than others. Whenever I've experimented with "no carb" , I've felt horrible. Cutting out white sugar, however, was very beneficial (unfortunately sticking to it is harder than I expected :glare: ) If I had to pick one "way" of eating I would lean towards the Mediterranean diet (although that's possibly because it's what I ate growing up), just with more red meat. Big emphasis on LOTS of vegetables, both raw & cooked, with as wide a variety as possible. ETA: I can't say I've read anything that supports this - it's more that I got fed up with reading "expert" opinions that contradicted each other & decided to do what seems to work for my family (and what I can afford :huh: )

That's great :hurray: I just sent it to my friend whose number plate is "MAKEITSO" :laugh:

As one with with a foot in each camp (eldest DS is 17, DD is 4) I have never appreciated people telling I should, in fact, be "enjoying" my children more - especially, say, after 3 months of a colicky baby & NO SLEEP! :smash: :smash: :smash: I did get it, though, when people said "don't sweat the small stuff", and I especially appreciated the people who had been there & done that & kept reminding me that "this, too, shall pass" :001_smile:

DS17: scrambling to catch up on chores at home because he has taken on too many shifts at the local Masters (like your Home Depot) even though we-told-him-so, and sleeping. DS14: bird photography re-building remote control cars/trucks playing guitar Playstation game Depending on the day & how efficiently he did his schoolwork & chores, he could spend up to 3 hours a day on his hobbies (esp. the nature photography)

That is very, very cool :hurray: Keep it up! I've bookmarked your website now, and we want lots more paintings to look at!

Enid Blyton books. I'm not sure how "well-known" these are in the US (they were very popular in the UK & Australia). We start with titles like "The Magic Faraway Tree" & "The Wishing Chair", and move on to "The Adventurous Four", "The Famous Five" and "The Secret Seven". My now-14 year old was slightly lazy when he was little in that he didn't want to read books for himself when his parents could do it for him. I got over that hurdle very quickly by leaving one of the The Wishing Chair stories at a very exciting cliff-hanger and telling him we'd finish tomorrow. He read the rest of the book in an hour :lol:

Wow! Thank you so much! (and thank you, Twigs, for reminding me to tag my post - I have no idea why I've never done it before!) I have a busy afternoon ahead of me :laugh:

Can anyone point me to some websites such as this one -1000 Good Books List- which list good books in year order (K-12)? I've done a few searches but the results I come up tend to reflect the latest trends in children's literature. I guess I'm looking more for the classics, although I realise that definition can be open to debate. And if there's been a thread on this already, please point me to it!

PS. I think your Dad rocks :hurray:

If he already has a little French under his belt, bilingual books might be useful. I've noticed they seem to work well with adults (including myself - I speak French & wanted to improve my very basic Italian. I found a couple of English-Italian books in a second hand shop & found them quite helpful)

Thank you!

Can anyone tell me what the recommendation for Maths are in the latest edition of the WTM? I still have my original 1999 edition :blush: Yes, I know, time to upgrade.

That was a great article! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you... and Jennifer, I think I love you :laugh: I am very grateful for the shared stories. I guess the trick is working out what's essential, and what would be nice :001_rolleyes: And thanks for the reminder to read that very relevant chapter in WTM!

OK, someone talk me off this ledge I'm about to jump off :banghead: My first-born was a WTM mother's dream; academic, focused, goal-oriented, blah, blah, blah. Enter DS #2 who is now 14. Oy vey. What can I say? He is a lovely young man. He is excellent at fixing things, working with his hands, wild-life photography, looking after small children.... I'm pretty sure for a looong time his goal was to be the next Crocodile Hunter (remember Steve Irwin?) Fortunately, at some point, he decided being an electrician might be his "thing", and most people who know him well (yes, including his parents, think he would be good at this). Either way, his father & I expect him to finish his education, at least to the point where he would start his apprenticeship. Please believe me when I tell you, it. is. like. pulling. every. single. tooth. he. has. out. of. his. mouth. He is capable (and we are not requiring anything unrealistic from him). It's just that, apparently, the physical act of sitting down and writing an essay, or doing a maths lesson, or reading Homer's "Odyssey" is a form of cruel & unusual punishment. My question (after my long whine) is this: is there a point where you say, ok, you are clearly not the academic type, so let's just get you through the basics? Or is there an argument for keeping their noses to the grindstone & getting them through it, one way or another? I'm especially looking for the "been- there-done-that" parents :tongue_smilie:

If you are anywhere near a largish Russian church (usually Orthodox), it's worth inquiring if they run a Russian school. They usually run them on Saturdays, & the teaching is generally quite thorough.

Our church uses KJV. For my personal use I prefer NKJV & NLT. I write, highlight etc... I also have a French Bible I like to use occasionally, and I have found that the NLT is often very similar to the French Bible.

Oh boy, this has totally made my day! I never knew you lived in such an exciting place!!! :smilielol5: :smilielol5: I've been walking along our nearby lake for years and I've never had anything like this to report!

Avoid ones made in China - not sturdy enough. Marcato Atlas is a good brand, made in Italy. I've had mine for years. It's had heavy usage and still going strong.

I am usually "anti-doctor" (well, not really, but it's a last resort) and I had my first UTI last year at the ripe old age of 45. I tried everything: cranberry juice, cranberry capsules, every home remedy under the sun. By the time I caved in & went to the doc, I had traces of blood in my urine (only detectable when she tested my urine) but she said my kidneys were at risk. I had to have strong antibiotics (I haven't had antibiotics for over 15 years) - they did the job, and very quickly.

Oh, yes! I once watched one of their TV specials. Oh my. I was desperate to find a trace of Irish blood in my ancestry :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Gorezcki: Symphony of Sorrowful Songs The first time I heard this movement, I had to find out more about it. When I learned the story behind it, and listened to it again, I was completely undone. This performance by a Polish soprano is pretty close to perfect.

We only got ours this year - most newish houses in Australia have them. I run ours every evening and I am truly wondering how I survived this long without one :001_wub: