We're in a state that requires us to test yearly (NC), and while I don't put a ton of stock in it, it doesn't bother me either. But this is our first year, and I'm terribly confused about all the different tests and what they mean. Does anyone know of a good resource that compares some of the different ones in plain language? Most of what I've been able to find is filled with jargon, and as I have no background in education, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. (Or maybe it's just that it makes my eyes glaze over in boredom, in which case, if it's the only info out there, I'll try to suck it up.) I would love something that will help me assess dd's academic levels. I suspect she could move much more quickly than we have so far, pretty much in every subject, but I'm not sure how to proceed with that. Our pediatrician suggested a local firm that specializes in IQ and achievement testing, but that's different from what we're discussing here, correct? My friend uses the Woodcock-Johnson and said it has given her some useful feedback on her ds's strengths/weaknesses... anybody used W-J before? {Sorry for all the questions...}

Okay, so dd had never even heard of these things until she went to a slumber party over the weekend. She came home gushing about it. I picked up one that I happened to see when I was out that day. I didn't realize there was a name brand, and apparently what I got was a knockoff (I'm a hopelessly uncool mom). Is dd going to be disappointed if she finds this one on Christmas morning? Is there really a difference? I can't tell that there are any, based on the pictures. I'm mostly concerned because the one I bought was 1/3 the price of the Rainbow, and I don't know if that means the Rainbow is ridiculously overpriced or the knockoff is going to be cr@ppy. :glare:

Pippi Longstocking (there are a total of three books, I think) James and the Giant Peach

I don't know if this is a result of implementing CC or some other problem, but this is exactly what we were seeing with dd in public school. It's part of the reason we decided to homeschool. Neither of us could help her with her homework because we didn't understand the methods. There were no textbooks or other resources for us to consult (she had no textbooks whatsoever, just dozens and dozens of worksheets and "journals"). We were basically told, at the meeting they had at the first of every year to discuss curricula, not to bother to try to assist our kids; we'd just confuse them (this was true in math and also in reading and spelling -- they didn't want us interfering with their methodology). Fortunately, dd didn't struggle picking up the material, but I intensely disliked the feeling of not knowing or understanding what she was learning. I worried about it becoming a real problem down the line. FWIW, our district began implementing CC when dd was in 1st grade, but we experienced some of these things even in kindergarten, although I can't speak too much to pre-CC because we only got in one year (and it was just kindergarten). However, it does appear that some of these issues might be indicative of an overall shift in educational methods/philosophy and not related to CC (or that CC is more of a symptom than a cause). Either way, I'm glad we're out.

Since she's had the fever for several days, I'd probably call the doctor's office and ask their opinion. We can usually speak to the nurse, and often that keeps us from having to go in for an office visit.

Depends on when the break is, and for how long. I find that *I* tend to get lazy if we don't have some kind of routine for too long. When dd was in ps and had summer break, we would try to plan an outing with friends at least once a week, and stick to our regular routine (swimming at the Y, library, errands) the rest of the week. There's plenty of free time even with those things if there's no schoolwork to worry about. For shorter breaks, we just veg, especially if things have been busy. The week after Christmas rush, I'll be lucky to get up and get dressed! :lol:

You're generous. We only allow 3 pieces. You can imagine the eye rolls we get... Ugh, I don't even want to think about it!! Hey neighbor! :seeya: We're just south of High Point. DH works over near UNCG, and I worked for a church downtown when I still had an "outside" job.

Yep. MIL took the kids to her house to decorate gingerbread houses on Friday. They ate at least as much candy as they put on their houses, probably more. Friday night, ds barfed it all up in his bed. Yay. He was fine all day Saturday and Sunday until we (stupidly) let him have a cookie loaded down with icing and candies (why anyone would ever eat such a thing is beyond me, but I digress...). He only even ate a few bites, but same results. Last year, it was dd on Christmas Eve. She had to eat dry Rice Krispies for Christmas breakfast. I might add, we are not even super healthy eaters (one look at dh or me would tell you that), although I do try. Side note: Christie, just curious -- are you in Greensboro, NC?

Maybe it was Dr. Dolittle?

Just because I'm curious... Was there any reason given for including a lion and a tiger? I mean, did he try to work them into a sermon illustration or something? I'm having a hard time making the leap from "born in a stable" to "welcome to the jungle." I don't blame you for feeling uncomfortable. I've been to nativities using live sheep and donkeys, but the scariest thing about those was the smell. ;)

I have done pretty well on my Christmas shopping, but I'm down to the last few folks and need some help! My mom and I are going shopping tomorrow, and I REALLY need to finish because it will be my last chance to shop sans squirmy 3-year-old boy. Two people on my list are giving me the most trouble: Almost-DBIL (my sister's fiance): Age 29, currently unemployed but a technical writer by trade. Likes sports, but that's about all. I don't feel that I know him very well even though they've dated for several years; they live out of state and he is not very sociable when they visit. Sis has been no help with ideas; she says she doesn't even know what she's going to get him (he's really not into ANYTHING). We got him a gift card to Best Buy, but I would like to do something else small ($10 or so) because gift cards feel so lame. He is chronically ill and suffers from frequent pancreatitis, so food gifts are out. Assistant in ds3's preschool class: Not his regular teachers, but a student who comes from the high school to help out some days. I've never met her because she's only there an hour or two and not at drop-off or pick-up. I would assume she's in her mid to late teens, and I know she has Down's Syndrome. Not sure if she would be into the same kinds of things as an "average" teenage girl (trying to say that without sounding like a bigot; hope I succeeded). Maybe I should just stick with cookies? Aaaccckk! I love giving gifts but HATE when I can't find something I think the recipient will like!

I'm torn, because both TTD and GHC seem to have a very Christian-leadership-conference feel to them. I've done a lot of those pop-Christianity type conferences, and I really dislike them. Not trying to be disparaging -- they just aren't my cup of tea. Even though I'm a Christian, I'd prefer something that focuses more on academics and less on living the Christian lifestyle. But maybe I'm wrong about the vibe I'm getting? I kind of hope so, because I'd really like to meet some of y'all from the boards, which seems to be likelier at one of the bigger events! I feel like I have a bunch of new friends who've really taken me under their wing since we started our homeschooling experiment five months ago! :hurray:

My mother called this the "Lucky Bag." As in, you're lucky if you ever see your stuff again. It worked on us then, and it works on my kids now. Problem is, you have to do it, and for some reason I always feel kind of bad pitching dd's things into the garbage. Which is ridiculous, given the amount of complaining I do about the state of our house! :lol: I agree with the PP that said some of this is a personality thing. DS3 is MUCH neater than dd8. And, as someone else said, having too much stuff definitely makes things worse. We just went through this with dd. Her room, bathroom, and closet had become INTOLERABLE. (Her room used to be the master bedroom in our house, and it's enormous, with a huge walk-in closet.) I have organized and re-organized her room, sometimes with her help, sometimes (operating on the theory that she needed someone to show her how to organize) by myself. NOTHING has worked. She knows where everything goes, she just doesn't bother to put it away. We told her we had come to the conclusion that she has more stuff than she can properly take care of and, as such, we were going to work together to reduce the clutter in her room by at least 75%. We actually took a break from school yesterday and Thursday to focus on this "life skill." She wasn't thrilled at first, but she did get into sorting things to keep, trash, and donate. This morning I found her shoes, pool bag, coat, etc., etc.... in the middle of her floor. ::sigh:: I feel your pain, OP.

I've been mulling over the SC convention. I really would like to hear SWB speak, but it's only 2.5 hours to Greenville vs. 7 to Cincy, so SC makes much more sense. I've never been to GHC (never been to any homeschooling convention). Is it worth it? The cost is reasonable, but then there's hotel, arranging a sitter for the weekend, etc., etc.

That's great! Good for him! I'm sure you're very, very proud. :laugh:

Ooh! Ooh! And my 25- and 31-year-old cousins with substantial salaries who still live at home and drive BMW's? Grow. the. heck. up. My sister and I have a perpetual dialogue about grown people who can't take care of themselves. Most of the ones we know seem to think that they are entitled to start life at the same level of lifestyle that their parents currently enjoy. News flash: Your parents sat on throw pillows because they didn't have furniture and ate bologna sandwiches every night. You can too. So my (latest) UO is: No able-bodied, reasonably intelligent person over the age of about 22 should live with his/her mommy.* I don't care how much money you're saving for your "future." You're doing it at somebody else's expense, and that's just wrong. *People caring for ill parents, etc. are obvious exceptions.

We took dd to see Wall-E when she had just turned 3. She sat through about 80% but started getting antsy toward the end. Haven't even considered taking ds to see one yet. He won't sit through a commercial, much less a feature-length film!

Great ideas -- thanks everybody! I'm also getting my ds3 a Barrel of Monkeys for his stocking. I think he'll get a big kick out of it!

THIS.

Yes, I follow what you're saying, and I think that we are far more in agreement than not. God definitely orchestrates events according to His will, and as Christians we certainly don't need a human mediator -- or worse, a dictator -- telling us what God would have us do. The pastor has authority only insofar as he preaches God's commands as revealed in scripture, and those commands tend to be more general -- e.g., care for the poor vs. start a soup kitchen that feeds the homeless on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The pastor doesn't get to decide that I am obligated to follow his specific plan just because he thinks it's a good idea. Unfortunately, it seems to be a growing trend for pastors to claim that as the "leader" of a congregation they are responsible for setting the vision and the congregation is responsible for carrying out that vision. It flies in the face of the scriptural model of pastor as shepherd. When did you ever see sheep working for the shepherd? I agree with you that denominational structure does provide oversight that helps prevent some of those abuses. But we were told to "like it or leave it" at our last church, and it was a United Methodist congregation. I'm not really pro- or anti-denominations (I've been members of both kinds of churches), but either way, the ultimate responsibility lies with the congregation. If they are scripturally illiterate and/or easily swayed by a pastor's charisma, they can easily buy into this craziness, and they will defend it to the death. It's deceptive and it's vile.

We have a slight difference of theology. I used to think I had to find out some specific thing God wanted me to accomplish or be a part of, but the longer I study, the more I become a cessationist. I just don't find any scriptural basis for God speaking to me through some hunch or feeling outside of scripture. I think the Bible tells me everything I need to know about what I'm supposed to be doing. But we can agree that there's REALLY no basis for believing that God will speak to somebody else about what he wants ME to be doing! However, that is the model many, many churches are adopting -- pastor as vision-caster, and you either follow "God's dream" or get run over by the bus. Driscoll is not alone, but he's certainly a pioneer.

Christmas songs that are only Christmas songs by virtue of the fact that they happen to have the word "Christmas" in them. Like that awful 80's song about the guy meeting his old lover in the grocery store on Christmas Eve and sitting in his car drinking beer with her. Nothing about that song says Christmas! Also Christmas songs that are so badly written they have to resort to exploiting a sad situation just to evoke an emotional response. Like "Christmas Shoes." :ack2:

:lol: So's this:

See, that right there is evidence that maybe there is some truth to this whole "Evangelical Industrial Complex" thing. You are no longer an individual, you are just a cog in the machine. You only exist to carry out some pastor's so-called "vision" that was supposedly was downloaded into his brain directly from God. ::shudder:: Fighting for the Faith's Chris Rosebrough posted this today: Source: http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2013/12/i-told-you-this-was-no-boating-accident.html

I've seen lots of churches/pastors get taken in by this kind of seeker-driven/business model paradigm (my own included). I just didn't realize there were some that actively acquire faltering congregations. This just keeps getting sicker. The Retrain website even says that their program is not a seminary and will not prepare a person to be a lead pastor (although since when are there "degrees" of pastors, but I guess that's a different conversation). I suppose if you were acquired by his organization, though, *he* is technically the "lead pastor," so all those minions are getting exactly what they need and no more from his training program. I don't know if that email loop included Driscoll himself, but if it did, I would be willing to bet that all the "hope the previous congregation will stay" stuff was probably a front. I've heard audio more than once of him saying that he's all about "blessed subtraction" -- meaning that if you don't agree with his vision you can just get out. He goes on to say in that same clip, "There is a pile of dead bodies behind the Mars Hill bus (chuckle), and by God's grace, it'll be a mountain by the time we're done.... ‎You either get on the bus, or you get run over by the bus. Those are the options." :eek: I'm sorry your church fell victim to this. I hope you have a church home now that cares about you as a person.