Oh, that's what I was going to suggest: Do as the Brits do and just brew a fresh cup every time. When we were in England, all the hotels & B&Bs had something like this in the room http://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-6131-Water-Dispenser-Black/dp/B000C3QSPQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1295489025&sr=1-1

You sound like a wonderful friend. I'm so glad she shared her burden with you, and that you are willing to share her burdens through your actions! The only other thing I thought of is, if she can get someone in as a mother's helper (homeschooled teenager?) for a few hours, maybe you'd be willing to pay for it? I don't know what your financial situation is, but that would be a great gift if you could swing it. Also, you could suggest to her: a)To lighten her load, her hubby might only take public transportation a couple of times a week when she has appointments or errands scheduled, which would give him more time at home. b)Dave Ramsey says that when you are pregnant, you should put off your debt snowball until baby is born and everyone is fine - it doesn't sound like everyone is fine - she might better to use the money for a few hours a week/month of mother's helper, if it would save her sanity.

Maybe you could offer to tootor them. :D

I feel your pain. We are using a public charter to school at home. I just got a "sample" copy of the geometry mid-term exam. It's the same format as the "real" mid-term, and it's 20 multiple choice problems. And this course qualifies as a UC-approved college prep class. Really? 20 multiple-choice questions is the best they could come up with for testing a semester's knowledge of geometry? I know it's hard to grade proofs; the teacher has to really read it since steps might be in a different order, or the student might even have a different way of proving it. Just today ds and I had to go through a proof together step-by-step to see why his answer didn't match the key. We proved that his proof worked, and was a step shorter than the key! But just to make myself feel better, I am going to add a proof or two to my ds' multiple-choice mid-term next week. Anyway...all that to say, I am as baffled & disappointed as you are. My high school classes were HARD, back in the day!

Oh, I didn't know there was such a wide variation - I checked 2 (CSU Fresno, and Cal Poly Pomona) which just happened to be two of the lowest - I think I also didn't add in the smaller extra fees so my numbers are about 10% lower. I still think it's a bargain, tuition-wise. Our state is in a fiscal crisis, and as the UC Chancellor put it during last year's protests, he couldn't not raise tuition, because "I STILL don't have any money!" The in-state fees don't begin to cover the actual cost of the education, so we, the taxpayers, are subsidizing it to a huge extent (I realize that's part of the responsibility of having state universities). Many of the more vocal protesters have an entitlement mentality ("Don't balance the budget on the backs of students!") but they need to realize that our taxes have already been raised significantly in the last 2 years and we are tapped out.

I agree. I didn't find the 10% statistic troubling, since it matches the US' average unemployment rate. And really, what is the other option? Should the students who started college 4 years ago when the economy was booming have foreseen the downturn and skipped college? I'm guessing far more than 10% of that group would be unemployed now!

I might bring this up if we do end up in a conversation. I've been pondering my "bean dip" plan this morning and I realized something: Isn't passing the bean dip really for people who just don't (or won't) get it? I love my friends, so I might have to change my comment to "Oh, we think it's best for our dd; so we are going to have to agree to disagree on this!" I don't think either of them would push it if I made that clear.

I can't wait to see how this turns out. We are rooting for you, Stacie!

Yes, it's hard to get into a UC or CSU school as a homeschooled freshman applicant. I don't know anybody personally who's ever gone that route, and we've been hsing in CA for 11 years. Most homeschoolers we know start off at the CC and then transfer - it's more cost effective anyway, and if you are a good (B+ or better) student you are usually guaranteed admission to the university of your choice. The CC you choose can affect your admissions also - for example, Fullerton College has fast track transfer admissions to UC Irvine among others, while Mt San Jacinto has a special transfer program to Cal Poly Pomona. I don't agree that California public colleges are expensive. Total in-state fees this year at the Cal States (including the polys) is less than $4300/yr! Despite the increase due to the budget crisis, it will still be less than $4800 next year. UCs are more expensive, but still only about $12,000 after the increase.

2 of my closest friends don't believe girls should go to college. I don't agree, but I don't argue with them at all or try to challenge their beliefs - frankly, it's none of my business! But I'm already getting polite questioning from them about our decision to send dd to a Christian university. And I haven't even dropped the bomb yet that dh and I have decided the commute is too long and expensive, so dd will probably live on campus. (that den of iniquity). I don't want to lose my friends but I don't want to feel criticized. I guess I need to start practicing a smiling "Oh, we think it's best for our dd; would you like some bean dip?"

I was going to suggest this, too. If I had to find a job, I would start asking everyone about openings at their place of work. Especially if they are in a hiring position (manager/supervisor/etc).

I've had at least 2 places over the years (a store and a museum) tell me that I needed a "real" teacher ID or a paystub to get the teacher discount. :(

Lots of people here in SoCal get plastic surgery. The only ones that bother me are the women who end up looking ridiculous, because I feel sorry for them. There was an article in the paper a while back that featured a woman who was about 60 who'd had surgery, and she was so thrilled that she looked 40. Except she didn't look 40; she looked like a 60-year old who'd had surgery to try to look 40. *I* looked 40 at the time I read the article, and guess what - I *was* 40. I'm sorry but surgery can never really take off those years - her skin still looked "thin" and aged. I guess I shouldn't feel sorry for them if they are happy with it.

I use the exact measurement. I substitute it as a solid when butter or shortening is called for, or I melt it as measure as a liquid when oil is called for. I've successfully used it in quick-breads, muffins, and pancakes. The only thing that was a failure was a pie-crust recipe that uses butter & shortening - I subbed solid coconut oil for the shortening part. It was a disaster. The crust shrank way too much, and it was also tough. So I still keep shortening on hand for that one thing!

I am going to talk you down here. :) Only because I wish someone had talked me down when I used to think "What a great idea!" - to make my own candles, jewelry, etc. Somebody here on the board recommended Chagrin Valley Soaps - I really like them. I also like Prunellasoap on Etsy. They are both all-natural (some of it is vegan and/or organic) and reasonably priced for what you get.

I haven't used PBS much...but I thought the book had to be marked received before you get credit?

I love this book! I read it last year and also listed to the audio book read by the author. And I have started listening to it again. It is so inspiring to listen to Gretchen read aloud about her own project. It's available from audible.com - highly recommended!

That was one of my books from week 1, too. I also read Pagan Christianity?, One Corpse Too Many, and The Language of Secrets (not recommended). I am trying to keep up with writing mini-reviews of them at my blog. This week I plan to read So Big by Edna Farber, and Lady Macbeth by Susan King. I saw Susan King's books recommended on someone else's Amazon wishlist, although now I don't recall whose!

I'm a former Texan, and I can attest that some towns are like this. James Byrd Jr was horrifically murdered in Jasper, TX, only 12 years ago. My grandparents lived there when it happened (they have since passed away, so it's been about 6 years since I've been there). My other grandparents' hometown of Port Arthur had really bad race relations also. BTW, I don't think the book should be censored. But I'm surprised that other posters don't take Dot's statements about her hometown at face value. I believe her. :(

I got a big head start on New Year's weekend...so far I have finished The Devil in the White City, Pagan Christianity?, and One Corpse Too Many. :) I am relieved to be ahead, as I have 3 sets of houseguests arriving over the next 3 weeks! On audio, I am listening to The Happiness Project (while I walk) and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (while I drive in the car with dd).

You can join the Well Trained Runners group here. I joined on an impulse last year. Maybe one day I will run. :D http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/group.php?groupid=109

I was looking for some info on the Paperback Swap site and found this on their message board. It made me laugh so hard I almost cried. SELF-TEST FOR LITERATURE ABUSERS How many of these apply to you? 1. I have read fiction when I was depressed, or to cheer myself up. 2. I have gone on reading binges of an entire book or more in a day. 3. I read rapidly, often 'gulping' chapters. 4. I have sometimes read early in the morning or before work. 5. I have hidden books in different places to sneak a chapter without being seen. 6. Sometimes I avoid friends or family obligations in order to read novels. 7. Sometimes I re-write film or television dialog as the characters speak. 8. I am unable to enjoy myself with others unless there is a book nearby. 9. At a party, I will often slip off unnoticed to read. 10. Reading has made me seek haunts and companions which I would otherwise avoid. 11. I have neglected personal hygiene or household chores until I have finished a novel. 12. I have spent money meant for necessities on books instead. 13. I have attempted to check out more library books than permitted. 14. Most of my friends are heavy fiction readers. 15. I have sometimes passed out from a night of heavy reading. 16. I have suffered 'blackouts' or memory loss from a bout of reading. 17. I have wept, become angry or irrational because of something I read. 18. I have sometimes wished I did not read so much. 19. Sometimes I think my reading is out of control. If you answered 'yes' to three or more of these questions, you may be a literature abuser. Affirmative responses to five or more indicates a serious problem. Once a relatively rare disorder, Literature Abuse, or LA, has risen to new levels due to the accessibility of higher education and increased college enrollment since the end of the Second World War. The Number of literature abusers is currently at record levels. ... OTHER PREDISPOSING FACTORS Fathers or mothers who are English teachers, professors, or heavy fiction readers; parents who do not encourage children to play games, participate in healthy sports, or watch television in the evening. PREVENTION Pre-marital screening and counseling, referral to adoption agencies in order to break the chain of abuse. English teachers in particular should seek partners active in other fields. Children should be encouraged to seek physical activity and to avoid isolation and morbid introspection. DECLINE AND FALL: THE ENGLISH MAJOR Within the sordid world of literature abuse, the lowest circle belongs to those sufferers who have thrown their lives and hopes away to study literature in our colleges. Parents should look for signs that their children are taking the wrong path--don't expect your teenager to approach you and say, "I can't stop reading Spenser." By the time you visit her dorm room and find the secret stash of the Paris Review, it may already be too late. What to do if you suspect your child is becoming an English major: (Spoiler alert re: Madame Bovary. Skip #1 below.) 1. Talk to your child in a loving way. Show your concern. Let her know you won't abandon her--but that you aren't spending a hundred grand to put her through Stanford so she can clerk at Waldenbooks, either. But remember that she may not be able to make a decision without help; perhaps she has just finished Madame Bovary and is dying of arsenic poisoning. 2. Face the issue: Tell her what you know, and how: "I found this book in your purse. How long has this been going on?" Ask the hard question--Who is this Count Vronsky? 3. Show her another way. Move the television set into her room. Introduce her to frat boys. 4. Do what you have to do. Tear up her library card. Make her stop signing her letters as 'Emma.' Force her to take a math class, or minor in Spanish. Transfer her to a Florida college. You may be dealing with a life-threatening problem if one or more of the following applies: * She can tell you how and when Thomas Chatterton died. * She names one or more of her cats after a Romantic poet. * Next to her bed is a picture of: Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf, Faulkner or any scene from the Lake District. Most importantly, remember, you are not alone. To seek help for yourself or someone you love, contact the nearest chapter of the American Literature Abuse Society, or look under ALAS in your telephone directory.

I'm sorry but I would go to the doctor. I had one last month and thought I'd taken care of it on my own w/ cranberries & water & uristat. 2 weeks later I was in so much pain I wanted to cry, and I ended up at the doctor anyway.

Does anybody else add EVERY SINGLE BOOK you see recommended by your fellow WTMers to your "want to read" list? They all sound so good! I already have well over 52 books on my list for this year, and the list grows daily! I did think it was funny that some of the same books show up on both the "favorite" and "least favorite" books lists posted in other threads! So I'll have to figure out how to decide on those.

My dd used it as her primary writing curriculum in the 2nd semester of 10th grade. I thought it did a good job preparing her for a very difficult English course she took in 11th grade, which involved writing lots of term papers.