Here are game sites I've used over the years for math and more: GamesForLearning@yahoogroups.com This is a wonderful resource site. If you go to the files section, there are several sets of pages you can print out with ideas for all types of games for any need. These have been culled from the message, or sharing, section over the last couple years. Tons of stuff here! http://www.webeans.net/hutt/home.htm There are some games you can print out and laminate or cover in contact paper here. This is where the states and capitals concentration game we used in math/geography games came from. There are many more here... http://justdawne.tripod.com/index.htm Another site with printables and ideas. http://www.educationalpress.org/educationalpress/ Create flashcards, gameboards, quizzes, bingo and more. Just fill in the info you want to study! And don't forget dice games. Add the two (or more) dice together. Each keeps a running total til they reach 50. Multiply the dice and add til someone gets 100. Or start at 50 or 100 and subtract the total of the dice, etc.

Well, I have a couple 8 piece settings that I use occasionally, from my great aunts. I like the bowls sometimes because they are shallow and wide versus the normally deeper ones of my everyday dishes. We use those occasioanally. A week or so ago, I invited a few girlfriends over for a light dinner/snack and a movie. I really enjoyed getting out the special pretty dishes and some fancy cut bowls, and enjoyed sharing their beauty. Something I never do with the kids around. And we've reached the point where we want to start inviting friends over regularly, two couples at a time, so I plan to start using them a lot more!

You did nothing wrong! I even sent the announcement/invites to my aunts in CA just because they'd been involved in their lives. If she asks again, just say you wanted to invite them over since you never have an occasion, and you wanted to open your home to friends and family and celebrate! For us, this was definitely true. We never got around to having folks over, and we really just wanted to have an excuse to invite all our family and friends over--finally! PS If you have one more invite, send it in the mail to your aunt! :laugh:

What Wendy said. Cook from scratch. Avoid lunch meats, prepared canned/processed foods, and snack foods. Cooking from scratch gives you total control, and you can add less salt and more herbs/spices for flavor.

White Collar, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Life, North and South.

My dd is an extrovert, but the boys and I aren't. I think that's why the co-teaching gave me friends one at a time, and the kids got to 'test' out one family at a time in the afternoons. My current best friend and I knew each other a long time before we actually really got to know each other; our boys just didn't mesh til their late teens. :/ Most of our co-op families stuck with the group all the way through highschool, so the kids were together all the way. Suggestions: Maybe freeing up one morning (for the old friends) or perhaps an afternoon once or twice a month to have friends over. Your kids might be motivated to get that day's schoolwork done early to have that time with friends. Set up that time as a Sports Day or Writing or Book Club or ??. My boys played hockey every winter (skates optional), and soccer, football, or whatever some parent set up for years. PE and social time. Sometimes YOU have to plan and set up the reason for the kids to get together. I started the sports days monthly here. Luckily a few other moms ran the hockey later. ;) The greater area here has set up a monthly bowling day, monthly roller skating, chess club and other opportunities for all homeschoolers. We got together with another family weekly for at least a month by having a poetry reading/Shakespeare intro time. We both pulled all our poetry books and let the kids take turn reading whatever poems they liked weekly. We covered the basics of Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet (with a movie + West Side Story video for contrast/compare). What would be something educational but fun to do with another family?

Wet burritos 1 lb ground beef or taco meat 1 can refried beans enchilada sauce: 3 T chili powder 3 T flour 1 tsp cocoa powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp oregano 3 c chicken broth 8 oz can tomato sauce Combine all dry ingredients in sauce pan. Slowly add enough of the chicken broth to make a thin paste, then add the rest of the broth. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Then stir in tomato sauce and heat through. Put some taco meat and refried beans into a soft shell, roll and put into a 9X13 pan. Just a 1/4 c or so in each one. Repeat til pan is full. I fill maybe 20+ shells? Then pour sauce over them, top with plenty of cheese and bake til cheese is melted and all is heated through. Top with lettuce, tomato, etc. when serving, if you like. Oops! See you don't have tons of tortillas. Save this recipe to feed a crowd of teens. ;)

And for some reason, Gran Torino came to mind.

My kids made their best friends from our co-op classes. Generally when they were younger, most of the kids went home with another family for the afternoon every other Friday afternoon. They've had the same friends most of their lives. Oldest ds made some good friends at Scouts, but their troop was a busy one, so they did lots of activities including camping with them. Rarely did they visit otherwise. Next ds didn't find close friends from Scouts til he went into football in high school. Go figure. Dd has made lots of friends at various sports, and they come over once in a while during that sport season. Once again, her best friends are from the co-op classes. We do finally, after all these years of hauling the boys out to the sticks to visit their friends, have some neighborhood girls who come over all the time. New problem for me. lol.

How does Stoubaugh compare, other than coming from a christian viewpoint? I'm trying to decide what to use in the future, too. thanks!

I was going to give dd my mom and great aunt's middle name, Louise, tho I wasn't crazy about it. Luckily both of them said not to use the name; apparently they didn't like it either! I like the Marianna!

I drink one or two glasses of water before walking- starting as soon as I'm up, and eat after I get back. This has been a great way to start my day.

Dh and I attended our church for many more years before making some friends there. We would basically go to the service each week and leave, without really making an effort to get to know folks. Especially for me, an introvert, it took a while. I had to volunteer and get to know people one on one or in a small group before I could claim any friends. It has grown over 20+ years to be the perfect home for us. We believe in the Bible base, and there has been 'food' for all of us over the years, tho my boys attended a youth group with other hs friends during high school for some deeper Bible study. I guess for me, it was making the effort to make the contact with others that made the difference. Just a thought. Ignore me if I'm off base. :)

We have had a science teacher come up and do 1/2 day classes once a week. I think ours started with a couple homeschool families--and that was 14 years ago. Perhaps advertising for one class with a hired teacher would be a way to find other kids to start a co-op.

We haven't really had any spring weather yet! Maybe a day at 40. It's been pretty much snowing this last week and we have a good new foot of wet, heavy snow. We're supposed to get several more inches tonight and tomorrow, and another storm's heading in Wednesday! We were spoiled with 70 in March last year tho.

Praying for your family.

Dh had a huge paper route at that age, and his lawn mowing jobs grew into auto body work and house painting. He painted his last house (and did his last auto body work) shortly after we met, in his late twenties.

Would anything here work? http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/preschool_activities.htm

Think I'll do that! My Mom would love to try all these with me, but not dad, No way! lol PS I wouldn't dream of subbing mushrooms. ;)

You ladies are making me hungry and wanting to make vegetables for breakfast now!! Never thought I'd say that! lol Just ran across this recipe for a sweet potato hash I thought I'd share: http://creolecontess...th-sausage.html And follow this woman on Pinterest: http://www.nisahomey...ml#.UTckH9bkaSo . She's got a file of non-traditional breakfasts that look good. (Guess I got her link initally here--blush) Growing up we basically ate corn, peas, green beans (all canned!) plus lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cabbage. We didn't really get adventurous. I LOVE reading about all these meals that are foreign to me! Years ago, I had planned to make these type of meals at lunch, a time when dh wouldn't be there to ask, "where's the meat?", and the kids would probably get to try some meatless meals. Unfortunately, I never quite got there. I'm thinking as I'm alone more often lately- with kids and dh all out with no notice- that I could start cooking this way now. Even ask a few girlfriends in the same boat to join me!

Offer them- for sale or giveaway- to local homeschool families? You could list them in an email?

It is scary! You were right to be frightened! Praying you get the answers you need, and that the doctor visits go well.

Or you could make up some activity bags or educational games available to use just during that time; not for use the rest of the day. Perhaps those cardboard building blocks are only a choice then. Or tangrams (include a book for designs to match) or a geoboard and rubber bands. See if any of these ideas work for him: http://www.redshift...._activities.htm . How about a science video or Mr Rogers Neighborhood? I've always loved the field trips on there. ;)

Just ran across this geography freebie again which is fun and educational: http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/Globalmania.html --in case you want to focus on geography for a change of pace!

Last chance for the meatloaf I made last week before everyone disappeared. :glare: Home show weekend. sigh. Baked potatoes, green beans with onion/bacon, and salad.