My boys love anything Mario related and all of the Lego games. They also enjoy the Wii Sports game (we received that one free when we bought our Wii...not sure if that promotion is still going on though). I noticed you have younger girls and my 6yo (she'll be 7 in January) loves Kirby!! And there's a new Wii game, Dora the Explorer Saves the Snow Princess that will be under the tree on Christmas morning. :)

Wow!!!!!! Nope...I think I'll stick with DirecTV, thanks!!! We live in a rural area, too. So no cable or high speed internet. There are times when I wish we had another option, other than satellite, but .. yowza!!! What a bill!!!

The first thing that came to my mind was a journal. You can find some beautiful, cloth-bound journals just about everywhere, and then they could write down their thoughts and feelings and goals, etc. I hope you get some more ideas!

Handwriting Without Tears sells short pencils (sort of golf pencil size) with erasers and they're wonderful for improving pencil grip. They also sell these short crayons called flip crayons, and they're very helpful, too. My youngest daughter has used both of these for several years to improve her grip. http://www.hwtears.com Hope this helps!

You could rent Michael Moore's movie "Sicko". It's about the current state of health care in the United States and they compare our system to France and Canada's. (So you could then view both of them). It's a very interesting documentary.

I wonder if you explained to the library staff that you're a homeschooler, and therefore using certain books for school use, if they would allow you to keep books for a month? Point out the library policy for schoolteachers and explain that you're a schoolteacher, too. It's worth a try, if you haven't already done so.

I agree. I wouldn't give my kids alcohol just to prove a point or teach them a lesson. (Just as a side note, my oldest daughter did go to a driving sesson, taught by the state police, where they have a 'drunk car', for lack of a better term. It's a car that's been programmed to behave as if it were being driven by a drunk driver, so that teens understand how drinking and driving will affect them. I wanted my daughter to learn this important lesson in a safe manner, without any alcohol consumption in use.)

That's exactly what we do in our extended family!! Someone started this idea 15 years ago and we've done it ever since because it works so well!! And our 'presents for the kids' rule has a $30 spending limit.

I live in a rural area. I think there's been one murder here in the last 5 years and that was a domestic situation. We've been plagued with small-time burglaries, even in our own neighborhood (folks breaking into unlocked cars in the middle of the night looking for money and other valuables), but nothing "violent". No holdups, carjackings, anything of that nature.

:grouphug: I'm sorry to hear this!!! Health insurance is just so outrageously expensive!!!!! We're paying $400 a month for coverage, just for myself and the children. My hubby is self-employed and a diabetic and they wouldn't cover him at all (pre-existing condition clause). So we've started putting extra money into a savings account, just in case of emergency, but said extra money is very hard to come by these days!!!

My 9 year old LOVES Teaching Textbooks Math 5!!!! He used BJU Math for Kindergarten through 3rd grade, and moved straight into TT Math 5 without a problem. I've found that most TT math levels have a generous amount of review at the beginning and that helps with the transition. (I was worried, too, because I wanted to move him into TT and the 4th grade level wasn't available yet...but we've had no problems moving from 3rd grade straight into 5th) Hope this helps!

Complain away!! I don't mind a bit! :grouphug: Hang in there...and I hope you feel better soon!!!!

That's what I found out when I looked into it, too. That it's a scam.

Edited out my response and re-read your post! I thought you were saying that your dh had chicken pox! No...as long as your dh washes his hands and doesn't touch your daughter or her clothing, bedding, etc., etc., he won't infect someone else's house. He's immune to chicken pox, because he's already had it, so he wouldn't be catching it again. The only chance for contamination is if he had something on his hands from your dd. I hope this helps and I hope your dd feels better soon!! :grouphug:

I'm so sorry for your loss, Doran!!!! You'll be in my thoughts. :grouphug:

I'm so sorry!! :grouphug:

:iagree: And so well put!!! You have a way with words, Parabola! :D

Deja vu with the proud country thread! Pleased as punch with President Elect Obama!!! The American people have spoken...loud and clear! :D

Here ya go: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/obama.transcript/index.html There's a link inside for viewing it on video, too

I love those stars!!! The yellow ones are just so...ehhh :lol:

Doubt it's a glitch since some posts are not given a 5 star rating. No doubt it's someone with wayyyyy too much time on their hands! :lol:

Oh I agree!!! It was very inspiring! CNN has it on video and as a transcript, btw...if you want to see it again :D

Two suggestions: 1) look for signs on various places of business (not sure what type of work you're looking for but Target / Wal-Mart / ToysRus / etc. are hiring for Christmas help. Many times, if you're good at what you're doing, they'll ask you to stay on after Christmas) 2) ask friends and family if there are any openings where they work. That would already give you a proverbial foot in the door. Best of luck on your search!! :grouphug:

:grouphug: I completely understand! My 14yo and 6yo are on the autism spectrum and my 14yo has learning challenges as well (dyslexia being the most troublesome). One of the ways that I try to keep it manageable is by having my 17yo and 9yo's working as independently as possible. I also try to use a curriculum which is literature-based and activity-based and can be used for a wide spectrum of abilities and interests. Therefore, I'm able to teach more than one child at the same time. A schedule helps also, especially since my autism spectrum children thrive on structure and routine.