Well that's swell. :) I threw it into my initial list on whim but it's my youngest daughter's name. We often call her Aggie. I love the name Alma, and as a bonus it's a virtue name (means nourishing), but our last name starts with the sound "maw" and ends with the sound "er" so I think that the connection with Alma Mater would be too strong.

I'm still really undecided about baby names. Awhile back I ran a thread about virtue names but I still don't know about the ones that I have left. I've only got a month left so I need to get cracking! Anyway, I've got a fond affection for really old school names that everyone thinks are gross. Ultrasound says that we're having a girl. So give me your "gross" girl names that badly need revival. Here's a few to get you started: Gertrude Dorcas Mildred Eunice Enid Beulah Beryl Agnes Alma Norma

Thanks! That's well worth the party. Weird codes with no explanations are so unsettling.

What confuses me about this discussion is why deficiency seems to be an issue now but wasn't (or probably wasn't) for the millennia of history where people didn't supplement. I can't help but feel skeptical that modern science might have this wrong. I know that the native people who lived in my area of BC ate copious amounts of salmon in the winter but the native people in places like Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba wouldn't have had this available. Is the difference now just that we're not going outside enough? Are black people really only suited to live in the tropics and everyone needs to spend 6 hours+ outside year round with minimal clothing? IDK, I'm skeptical but I still go through stints of supplementing but then I peter out. As a side question, does anyone know if babies get vitamin d in breast milk?

I was marking a test today for my daughter doing MEP y7 and I was annoyed again at not knowing what the marking guide was talking about. For a question worth 1 mark it give the answer on the left and M1 on the right. Sometimes it says B1. For a question worth 2 marks it might say M1 A1. I saw one question worth 4 marks that was labeled M1 A1 M1 A1. Does anyone have any idea what this code means?

In that case... Dh and I don't do gift giving anymore but if we did I would just stand in the store with puppy dog eyes and say, "This would make such a wonderful bday present. It would sure be wonderful if my caring dh would be able to take a hint." I seriously would do this. My dh and I are always teasing each other.

IDK, I don't think that it's downright creepy. If historical interest over that age span was normal then why is modern interest pedophilic? When my sister was 17 she moved half way across the country to move in with her online boyfriend who was 32. Now she did know him beforehand as he was the older sibling of her best friend, but barely. I was so concerned about her. Long story short, they got married a few years later and are still together. I think that they actually work quite well together. If you want creepy, my sister can remember sitting on her husband's x-girlfriends lap at a birthday party when she was 4 and he was 19!

I agree with others that the 10 mins is about max at this time. They also do much better doing work that is verbal. Sit down, independent work should take no more than 5 minutes. I usually offer a story after my ds6 completes a reading lesson. Little does he know that the book I'm reading is "school" too! He said to me the other day, "I want to do a reading lesson so I can have more of the story." Haha! Really I think that the trick is putting a reasonable cap on time expectations and offering some small incentive for when that work gets done.

I think that you win the award for the most entertaining thread title for the day. :D

We live in the sticks of northern BC so I'm pretty comfortable with that sort of living. You definitely need to adjust the way that you go shopping. Shopping is a big event every few weeks as someone above mentioned. If you don't have cold storage you might want to get a second fridge. We have a root cellar so I stock up on all sorts of veggies in large quantities that store well and I'll buy a couple of boxes of fruit, like apples and oranges. Restaurant supply stores are good for this. Cash and Carry on the west coast is good. I've never been in a Sam's Club but I get the impression you could buy bulk veggies there. I then add a week or so worth of more perishable veggies like lettuce. I also get big bags of staples like flour, rice, beans and oats. I also get large sizes of oil and peanut butter. You can then add in some canned goods. Basically you want ample amounts of staple goods and then your meals can be based around those until your next trip to town. Also, if bad weather sets in you're not stuck eating random weird things from your pantry. You'll want to be prepared for extended power outages. If you heat with wood or can you'll be more comfortable. Just make sure you have fuel on hand for whatever way you heat. A pit toilet as an emergency back-up is nice if your neighbourhood will allow that. Many people around where we are have them still but don't primarily use them. We have a hand pump for water but since you probably don't you'll need to think about that if you're dependant on electricity for your water. If your snow coverage is predictable then you can melt snow. If not then you'll need to keep plenty stored. Just filling some milk jugs and putting them in the bottom of your freezer can increase your freezer efficiency and provide some water security.

We've had this plenty of times. My dh (an MD) says that pinkeye is usually viral. I kind-of liken it to croup or laryngitis. Some cold will go that way but most won't. I cringe every time I see my little wipe snot into their eyes because I hate pinkeye.

I've been math philosophizing lately and I got to wondering how possible it would be to teach and/or play with math for children that are different ages and different skill levels. I have a bunch of littles and I'm wondering how I can adapt a curriculum to foster math skills and interest so that I could somehow work with multiple levels at once. I've conventionally used MEP, which I appreciate, but it's a little teacher intensive if teaching multiple years and it doesn't seem terribly adaptable. Lately I've been tinkering with CSMP kindergarten and first grade. It seems to me that I could probably combine those two years quite easily by extending the younger activities for the older dc and simplifying the harder activities for the younger dc. I also recently became aware of the concept of math circles and that also got my gears working. It seems to me that a lot of people span multiple years in history and science education. These are more knowledge based subjects but to some extent math is too. At least for the early elementary math years it seems to me that a daily math session might be sufficient to foster the necessary numeracy and geometrical awareness needed to go back to formal curriculum in later elementary. IDK, I'm rambling here but what do you think? Have any of you tried to teach math to multiple levels?

This is SO sad. :( I actually got choked up thinking about it. FWIW, I have a special needs adopted child that has an off the charts head circumference (15.4 inches at birth!) but not hydrocephalus.There are outliers but in this situation caution seems prudent.

I kind of thinking of planning my hs year like planning my garden. I always imagine all the lovely vegetables but I can never fully anticipate all the weeds or diseases that afflict the garden or the work that it will all take to maintain. Seed catalogues are hardly different than curriculum catalogues; they get you drooling. ;)

I haven't noticed this but I don't doubt that it could be true. Could you elaborate? Maybe in a different thread if you think that would be more appropriate.

That definitely stinks like only ancient spam can stink. Did you report them?

I really agree with this. We agree with the R&S world-view and consequently use it for history but I really don't appreciate that the other sides of the story are not spelled out. I try to add some critical essay topics and research to supplement the text. These types of history books just seem to be written for the purpose of pushing the authors world-view rather than encouraging discernment. If your world-view is the best way then it should be able to hold up to a critical eye.

Someone recently posted a link to a free ebook called Math from Three to Seven by Alexander Zvonkin (see here: http://www.msri.org/people/staff/levy/files/MCL/Zvonkin.pdf)I'm enjoying this book so much. Zvonkin started a math circle for his children and their friends as an experiment and then recorded his session in a journal. The book is a charming chronicle of how children learn logic and math in general. Anyway, this was also my first introduction to math circles. I read an old thread here: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/586764-starting-a-math-circle/ . Anybody else have any experiences with math circles? I'm contemplating starting one with my 6yo, 4yo and a neighbouring 6yo and 4yo. I was also thinking that maybe my two 14yos would appreciate an adapted math circle time kind-of like a poetry tea. Dd14 in particular has a lot of trouble with math so I wonder if I could help inspire her a little by an age appropriate math play time. Ds14 is good at math but generally treats as a means to an end (physics) rather than something to enjoy on its own. So basically, I want to here all your experiences that you didn't already share in the thread that I linked to above. Also, what are your current favorite resources?

While we're on this topic, I'd love to hear your frugal vegan recipes. We're constantly trying to tighten our spending because of ethical convictions about eating more expensively then we need to when so many people in the world are starving. Consequently, our diet is quite austere compared to N. American standards but still abundant compared to global standards. We end up eating a mostly vegetarian diet and I feel like we're all healthier for it. I'm attracted to vegan cooking and a number of my go-to recipes are vegan but I get tired of the same few ways that I know to use legumes (I usually have pintos, blacks, lentils, split peas and soy beans on hand). I end up falling back on eggs and dairy. So what do you have for me? I'm open to some of the stranger concoctions that I remember see eons ago in books like "Diet of a Small Planet" or in SDA publications. FWIW, nuts are outrageously expensive where I am so I just don't go there with the exception of peanut butter.

In my life I moved from a wholly secular upbringing to protestantism and then to more of an Anabaptist understanding. I understand salvation as a process, not a single event. When we draw near to God in repentance even in a totally unregenerate state He willingly washes us and gives us new life that enables us to walk in a newness of life. He imparts his Spirit in us and will daily prompt us and empower us to walk in righteousness. This is the initial step of salvation. At this point we need to work with Him, "working our salvation with fear and trembling". We need to strive at this point to enter through the narrow gate, deny ourselves daily, take up our cross and follow Jesus. We need to be faithful until the end if we want to receive the crown of life. Now, lest anyone think that I'm suggesting that I don't depend on God through this process let me assure you that I do. We need faith daily to a. turn to him for help and b. to actually believe that judgment is real and that Jesus is come back to judge the living and the dead by their deeds. When we believe these things we will be transformed. The final part of salvation is at judgment day. At this point he will separate the sheep from the goats based on their works and welcome into paradise those that have been faithful. I see this salvation foreshadowed through the exodus. Initially, the Israelites had to paint the blood on their doorposts so that the angel of death would pass over their house. This required both faith and work that demonstrated their faith. At the same time, they could in no way have defended themselves from angel of death without that blood. This is a foreshadowing of the initial work of salvation. Next the Israelites needed to flee. They needed to pass through the red sea. This foreshadows baptism. After the red sea, they needed to walk in faith during their years in the wilderness. This foreshadows the Christian walk. They were miraculously sustained through this time and led by the Spirit but they still had to be faithful in order to enter the promised land. Finally, those that had been faith (2 men!) had to pass through the Jordan. This foreshadows death and judgment. Now, to get to the original question. I think that our view of salvation affects how we view the value of training children in virtues. I think that for some people, coming to God in the first place can start with some sincere efforts to be righteous. I see this in Cornelius in Acts. I believe that God is pleased when our efforts are sincere. This by no means saves us though. Peter was sent to Cornelius to reveal to him what more he need to know to be saved. He then responded and was saved. For some people, they come to the end of their rope more like the unrighteous publican. Regardless, both of these men responded to God in faith and repentance. I think that children are born in a state of grace. I don't believe in infant baptism, nor do I believe that children are born separated from God. They are prone to sin and without direction they will stray off into dissipation. If they are given good guidance then they will see the goodness of God and the goodness of righteousness and seek after him. This makes me believe that we ought to teach what is good and true and holy living. I don't see that virtue training is really separable from this. Also, I think that it is beneficial to anyone to practice what is righteous. My sister chose to not have an abortion in her last pregnancy even though she was sorely tempted to do so and has done so before. She is by no means a Christian. I think that this decision, even though she's suffered the grief of giving us her son in adoption, was better for her (not to mention her/my little boy!). The laws of Christ are good, very good, actually. When people follow them, even in an unregenerate state, they will find blessing. Those blessings might only be in this life but they may also help them see the goodness of God and his ways to the point where they will seek salvation. For example, maybe someday my sister will realize how much better for her it was to not abort her baby then to take "the easy road" . She might then make the mental connection that the other things that she's called to that are hard are actually worth the efforts as well. Training children in virtues also makes it easier for them to live as Christians. My dh had a much more moral upbringing then I did. Consequently, I find it much more difficult to not yell at my children then he does. Some good behaviours can be just automatic when we're raised that way. When we are raised thinking only of ourselves then there is greater uphill battle that we face when we repent. We all have to battle with the desires of the flesh but good training can give you a small head start.

I guess I'm looking to add some discussion about differing opinions about why things happened or maybe how people had different values or cultures that led to different choices and how these values make actually have some merit or have done some good. Really, even though my religious values largely line up with the Mennonites my philosophy of education doesn't and I get pretty tired of R&S style indoctrination. I believe in presenting differing opinions and analysising them, and seeing if they line up with scripture or not. R&S seems to take the approach of presenting only Mennonite values so that when the dc grow up everything else just seems to bizarre and foreign to adopt. It becomes really nauseating in their fiction. I like some things about their curriculum though. It's systematic, thorough and easy to implement. I like that the history doesn't glorify patriotism and I like the sprinkling in of Anabaptist history. CLE history looks pretty good too but I wanted to world history this year so we went with R&S.

I have been trying to jump off the thought questions but particular chapter that they're on just isn't cutting it for me. Those are great suggestions. Those are the sort of suggestions that I was hoping for. I've got an idea for this week. :) How are you finding it? I imagine most people would find their world view frustrating to work with at this level and for this topic. We're not Mennonite but our values are fairly compatible with Anabaptism so this works for us. I really would appreciate if they put in more critical analysis but that's not really R&S style.

I'm using R&S History 9 (it matches our worldview) but it falls short in critical analysis (duh!) and essay prompts. I'm wondering if you have some generic essay suggestions that I could use to create my own essay topics based on what they've read or based on something they research further. I've required biographical sketches of historical figures before but we need something fresh. Ideas?

Idk, I wonder about nutrients too. I just read a news article about a scientist who showed that rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere are making plants less nutrient dense then they once were. There's also the issue of depleted soil to consider. The standard American diet is pretty sad too. Even when people start eating healthfully I still question how healthy this really is in a larger picture sort of way. Really, when was last time you ate liver or kidneys? Do you eat fermented food daily? How about nuts? Do you eat legumes regularly? Do you avoid food additives? That said, I take a few supplements because I'm pregnant and always become anemic. My dh wonders if woman are made to become anemic so that they don't get an iron overload after birth which can cause strokes. I just can't function without my iron though. I then take a cal/mag because I don't have much dairy in my diet and then an extra magnesium supplement to counter the iron induced constipation and it also seems to help relieve Braxton Hicks contractions and leg cramps.

We had this conversation with my in-laws years ago. Another approach that you could take is to talk about decluttering and trying to seek a less stuff based life. You could then hint at a couple of concrete limits, like say 2 or 3 more long lasting, classic toys. With all the media talk about materialism at Xmas you might find a natural moment for this. I think that some of this conflict between generations probably has to do with how access to disposable income has changed. When I was a child we knew that my parents were broke when they stopped buying cheese and paper towels. Now they always have them. My dh's family is the same. Nothing about their incomes has substantially changed. Stuff is just so much more abundantly available these days. I suspect that most of our parents just didn't face this trouble when we were all little.