Our parish absolutely has dancing, plus LOADS of liturgical abuses. It drives me crazy. Our priest is a good man who does great work in bringing together a community, but there are times I'm left shaking my head and offering many prayers.

I don't think so, but I do observe from afar some social circles which could make me think it's a possibility. Reflecting on it more, though, I don't think that Catholicism per se causes the patriarchal tendencies; I think these families would be led by a strong male regardless of religion.

I'd throw them in a lingerie bag in the bath with some soapy water. It seems like the biggest PITA with cleaning them are the tiny, tiny parts. Depending on how tired I am, I might consider letting the kids take a bath with them to clean them off. Our Schleich go aquatic every few months for just that reason.

You can also buy seasons of Mr Rogers to watch on Amazon if you don't want to go out for Prime. We have Season 2 - it was around $18. You have to stream it from Amazon, though.

Reiterating much of what was said above: Say it once, with authority, without asking or saying "please." If that is not effective, get up and direct behavior. Doing so with a "collect and correct" attitude helps keep everyone happier. DH finds it hard to "manage" the kids because he's always asking/saying please then getting REALLY ANGRY FRUSTRATED when the kids don't listen. His attitude swings so wildly (in their opinion, because they're ignoring his ramp-up) that it ends up alienating the kids. Everyone gets sad. I find it's so much easier to YELL than it is to get up and help them do the right thing. I know I need to take care of myself (more rest, better nutrition) when I find myself yelling at the kids. I also think by keeping "please" out of the equation, it really keeps the word kind. So, for example, DH will often say, "will you PLEASE do XYZ," so now the usage of "please" is almost always sarcastic. Do you know what sounds terrible? Parroted sarcasm coming from a three-year-old.

I wouldn't add grammar/writing, especially as your child is still new to reading. Wait until reading proficiency picks up, then introduce writing. I'd add some narration exercises to get into the habit of "thinking" like a writer. That is, they're performing the same tasks that they would if they were writing, but without the mechanics, fine motor skills, etc. My two new readers and writers enjoy writing in their journals a few times a week. I've been adding a few skills as they write. My 1st grader is now at the point where I expect him to sound out every word to write (instead of asking me), start with capital letters, and end with punctuation. It's a great exercise if there are other kids to school because it's very student-led.

I would review the vowel sounds you've already covered, then start where you left off, especially if you think that your child had been "getting" the material up until now.

We do both now, Singapore 4-5 times a week and Fred 1-2 times, depending on the weeks. It seems to work best when we read the story then go back over the concepts and expand them. If the kids didn't respond really well to Singapore, I'd consider using Fred as a stand-alone, with lots of hands-on projects that I'd develop. So, yeah, Singapore is working well enough :).

Our current little on screams and screams and SCREAMS in the car. Then she'll gag on her built-up saliva and by the end our 25 minute drive into town all five of us in the car are in tears. We've cut back driving A LOT as a result. Things got easier at 3 months, but she's still not pleased in the car. If she were our first, we'd not drive at all, but as she's the fourth in the line of some busy kiddos, she has little choice but to drive to co-op or a million doctor's appointments. It makes me so sad that she's so upset in the car.

I also did this as a young teen. I'd change my outfit several times a day. I remember once, spending a week at my grandmother's house, changing my clothes so often that she called my mother to see if everything was OK with me. If I think back about it now, it was exactly the time my body was changing. My salient memory of that time period is being uncomfortable. I'm not sure I realized at the time that I was uncomfortable in my own skin, and no amount of clothes-changing could have changed this. But now I'm a mom and can see how this situation would drive me insane from the other side. The mess! The waste! I'm sure you'll figure out a way to manage her poor care of clothing situation. I'd recommend helping her find clothes that are flattering to her - perhaps that's the problem? Maybe a field trip to a department store where she could learn more about dressing for body sizes, etc. As a 14-year-old, I really would have appreciated that. (As a 34-year-old, I'd really appreciate that!)

One of the first things we do in the morning is open all of the blinds to let in natural light. The kids will leave lights on all day, but not if it's so bright in their room they don't think to turn a light on in the first place. There are some lights that I will tape down - the garage is one, a few random lights outside that the toddler loves to flip on, a light in the closet, etc. (Basically, the lights that have the potential of being turned on FOREVER without someone really noticing that they're on.) We don't use the heat-dry setting on our dishwasher, and we don't use the "extra hot" setting on the dishwasher, either. We're big unpluggers for all things not being used. All of these tips aside, we've recently started drying our laundry in the dryer again. (A new baby will do that to you!) It's doubled our electric bill. Our bill still is low compared to others, but it's clear where the money savings are.

I use it, too often. I blame working with so many college kids. I'm the kind of person who picks up an accent no matter where I go. I have to confess I find it funny when my kids (6, 5, and 3) use the word "like" in an inappropriate sense. It makes them seem more human, if that makes sense. They have such an insular way of speaking, and have very little media/popular vernacular exposure, that it becomes one of their few slang words. Now, if they start into Lisa Simpsons "it's like, you know, whatever" territory, we might have to enter vocal boot camp.

This law is really a shame. If you look at the Teddy's Law website, it's clear that the group is wants a law which makes removal of a child from public school difficult if that child currently has an open child services case. In other words, to prevent would-be abusers from removing at-risk children from daily interaction with mandatory reporters. http://teddyslaw.org/

We're leaving very early tomorrow morning for a cross-country flight with our four small children. We'll be gone for nearly 3 weeks. Instead of packing bags, I'm cleaning out closets. Makes sense, right? Right? I'll keep this in mind when I'm struggling to keep patience with the little one who begins cleaning the playroom by organizing his Legos by color...

If you're really looking to add warmth, I'd add a base layer like the ones mentioned above - silk or wool long underwear, or even Under Armor.

Our read-aloud problem now is stretching the gap between my oldest and youngest listener (ages 3 and 7). We've read the classics to pieces, and we rotate through them every few months or so, but I'm hopeful for a list of new-to-us story picture books. Although as I think about it, maybe we should just stick with Potter and Milne and the like. The kids really like to check out new books from the library, and having a list of good books in my back pocket might save me from Pinkalicious.

I'm looking for good literary picture book suggestions. I'm thinking Five In a Row type books, not so much Jon Klassen and Mo Willems. (We love them, too, but they seem easier to find.) Thanks!

This is a great graphic novel written by a journalist about the Bosnian War: http://www.amazon.com/Safe-Area-Gorazde-Eastern-1992-1995/dp/1560974702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387059129&sr=8-1&keywords=Safe+Area+Gorazde This book is older, perhaps not the time period he's interested in, but it's a nice discussion of Europe after the fall of Communism: http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Land-Europes-Communism-Vintage-ebook/dp/B004BXA318/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1387058998&sr=8-2&keywords=tina+rosenberg

Just a few - probably 5 altogether. We will be at my father's house and the kid-friendly activities are scarce. We will do school to keep the kids busy as much as anything. Plus, it makes it easier for us to take a day off to go to the beach during the "school year."

We used to be every 3-4 weeks (they get baths before bed), but my son was recently diagnosed with severe dust allergies, so it's weekly now.

Homeschoolers: do you decide on extracurriculars for your children? I have four little ones (6, 5, 3, and 5 months). They're not extroverted, but they do really enjoy any and all extracurricular we've tried. I suspect it's their personality to just like "doing" things. So, if they're joiners and easy to please, what do we pick?

So funny! We recently weighed job options that would take us to #1 or #4....we chose #4. I knew we were lucky in our choices :)

I confess, my concern is mostly vanity (picking noses, various states of breastfeeding undress, etc). It just strikes me as "ugh, weird!" that the potential for prying eyes is so available. I find I've been leaving the laptop open as I look up recipes, play music, listen to NPR, etc.

Missing a HDO is on par with missing Sunday Mass (every Sunday Mass is a HDO). For me, missing a HDO is even harder spiritually as the feasts we celebrate are cornerstones of the faith. They isn't really a sliding scale of obligation - either you're called to attend, or it's optional. We're called to set these HDOs apart from the rest of our week, with rest and prayer and a sense that they are different. The Church understands the necessities of modern life, but cautions us to not use busy lives as an excuse. from the Catechism: 2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body.123 Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health. 2187 Sanctifying Sundays and holy days requires a common effort. Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord's Day. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for leisure. With temperance and charity the faithful will see to it that they avoid the excesses and violence sometimes associated with popular leisure activities. In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees. If you don't attend, it's a grave sin. Confess, repent, and move on. Avoid making it a habit. Stretch what "I can't attend" means to you. Spend time in prayer with family.

We just purchased a new laptop to replace our 10-year-old computer, and one of the first things I did was to stick a Post-It note on the camera, much to the amusement of my husband. I'm curious if I'm overthinking the issue.