Never heard of the others, but I jumped in with both feet when I read about LibraryThing from the ladies here. I've cataloged my homeschool library, currently at about 1,500 books, and that's after removing a bunch of the easy readers we just gave away.

I've been collecting children's books for years. So far, my LibraryThing account shows about 1,500, and I'd say half came from Goodwill or other thrift stores.

I tend to agree with Laura and whomever referred to her wiring being different. Some people are wired to be quiet and need quiet. Others can tolerate a lot of action and noise. Either of those can be ladylike, or a slob. The two don't always march along together. I think of being ladylike as being gracious. Like Meredith of "Like Merchant Ships."

Wow, she's pretty advanced if she is at the level of an adult book like "A World Lit Only by Fire." (Which I really enjoyed, btw, despite my high-churchiness.) Would she enjoy "The Renaissance" the fifth book of Will and Ariel Durant's series "The Story of Civilization?" You might have her read the sections about the artists and skip over some of the Borgias. [shudder] How about looking at one aspect in depth, like "Bruneschelli's Dome?" To me, it clarified the role of competition as one of the driving forces behind the artisitic achievements of the period. But no, that would be too narrow. But it did help answer the question 'Why this place, why this time?'

Crissy, that article is amazing! I'm so glad you posted the link. I'm printing it out and re-reading it carefully.

I almost drowned when I was 14, but didn't go under long enough to breathe much water or anything. Is that close enough to death for ya? lol It's more of a would-have-drowned if the lifeguard didn't swim over and haul me to shore. No change to my world.

We're going to be seeing a lot more of this kind of thing. And I'm going to be biting my tongue till it bleeds. :001_huh:

I had chronic rhinitis, not sinus infections. My ENT said surgery was not an option for me, and to continue taking guaifenesin since it was working for me. I assume it is an allergy to something terribly common such as dust, since it doesn't vary by season. The only time I ever went without getting sick was the summer I spent outdoors as a camp counselor. So now I take loratadine (24 hr) 1x day, and Mucinex (slow release guaifenesin) (12 hr) 2x day. As long as I don't run out, I'm fine.

As always, Rosie speaks with the voice of wisdom. :D

My MIL lives with us in an attached apartment. She has home helper-workers come in three times a week to take her places and clean her apartment. Her sizeable trust has disappeared in the stock market crash, so I don't know how long she can afford to continue with helpers -- my DH and she don't share financial info with me. My Dad is still alive and well, living with his wife who is younger than he is, but medically fragile. She's ok in small doses, but I couldn't abide her in large ones. Maybe someday they will move into MIL's apartment. sigh. That would be hard. Dad has no kind of income or investments, he's always been neurotic about money -- he has to avoid having it in order to believe he's a good person. Apparently rich people (i.e., those who save and invest) were bad in his own father's eyes, and he inherited that aversion. double sigh. My brother & SIL took in my grandmother for five years, when her Alzheimer's progressed to where she couldn't live alone. We provided respite care for her when they needed a break. She lived another year in a nursing home. I moved home years ago to stay with Mother in her last illness. Dad was still working every day and she couldn't be alone.

You're one can-do kid, bosket2. "I'd like to pick bosket2 for my team, please!"

It helps to think of relatives like this as toddlers. They keep repeating themselves, and so you have to repeat your own rules (your boundaries) again and again. Toddlers will eventually learn. Adults, not so much. That's why toddlers aren't nearly so annoying. You have some hope that they'll grow out of it.

I'm so sorry, Jean. You are so helpful to people here, that it is sad to think of you suffering so much. Not telling you how to proceed, but emotional healing is a very good thing, and worth whatever can be spared. Some resources offer a sliding fee scale.

Ugh, poor dear. Dial-up is a heavy cross to bear. [pun intended] ;) Well, spiritual formation is still in its early stages yet, the boys are only 12 and 9. But building a good foundation is the best defense, imo. Fulfilling their needs for attachment and love make them less vulnerable to bad influences. Poor choices are often made out of 1) trying to fill an empty place inside that the parents didn't fill, or 2) fear. I'm going to take Rosie's comments to heart, and be more conscious about teaching the boys moral and physical courage. The Holy Spirit will strengthen us, but we must not neglect our duty to train up the children well.

For bad pain, I've taken ibuprofen, tylenol and aspirin in a cascade. They are cleared through different mechanisms I was told by a doctor friend, who knew I wasn't on anything else that would interact, and I was very young at the time, and healthy.

Sure! To the tune of Oh, Susanna! Oh Jason and the Argonauts, set off from Greece one day, Bound for Coelchis' (sp?) shores they was, The golden fleece to taaaake. Oh, Ja-son! Don't you cry for me, Medea's spells will set you free, but you'll wish you was dead. Oops, maybe I'm not remembering it correctly? :lol:

Can you find Delsym without any dyes? Can a compounding pharmacy make some for you?

Makes sense to me. It wouldn't be suitable for young kids, who need a more straightforward approach in fiction. Mara deals with revolution against the rulers, the underworld of spies, deception, and Mara is willing to participate in any and all of that in order to escape a bad situation as a slave. Her life gave her no morality other than 'look out for #1.' But she learns self-sacrifice in the course of the novel, and her horizons are forever widened. This was my all-time favorite book from 4th to 6th grades, I must have read it 10 times. It sparked an interest in all things Egyptian and led to my current love of history.

A trust can own anything, and be set up to control any way you like, with residual control or profits or anything to go anywhere.

I keep telling my sons about how the greatest breakthroughs are done by the young. GO TEENS!!! :D

Ahem. Care to share your menu suggestions? I have a pen and paper ready to write it all down for reference. :001_smile:

My grandma had poor hearing and her brain was slowing due to Alzheimer's but she never lost her sense of humor. Once we were all sitting on the back deck, and I saw some chipmunks scurrying around and commented that there must be a lot of creatures living under the deck. Grandma exclaimed, "There's preachers under the deck??!!:lol::lol: We all got a good laugh out of that one.

[blush] Me too, Amber! :lol: These days I can tell when a bout of depression is coming on soley by my craving for a regency romance. If I want to read about lords & impoverished ladies, it's a sure sign. What's up with that? :001_huh:

I refuse to put skim milk in my coffee. That's just so wrong. :D

A nice hit of endorphins is called for. Tell him my strategy: get out of bed (that's the hard part) then sit on the floor with legs out, back straight, and lean forward to stretch the hamstrings. Hold for a bit, then stretch at bit more. A few minutes of this gentle pain, and your body responds with a lovely dose of endorphins that sends you back to sleep quickly.