I'm not offended at all. But I'm confused -- what is the 'something else' I might be looking for, if not a denomination? To me, a denomination is just a way to classify a particular group of people who believe certain things. Although I've been a lifelong Protestant, I am not averse to worshipping in a Catholic or an Eastern Orthodox church. And when you asked those questions... what did you find? I'm glad to know I'm in good company in my quest. :) I'll look for that book (and will listen to Patty!). Good question. I attended one in another state many years ago. What I have *heard* (and I could be wrong) is that in the AG church, speaking in tongues is considered proof that you are filled with the Holy Spirit. No tongues, no Holy Spirit. I do believe that the gift of tongues and the other gifts as well are alive today, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea that one *must* possess that particular gift. By liturgical, I mean scripted prayers and readings that occur at particular times. That's not a requirement for me -- I just mentioned it because it represents the degree of tradition that I'd consider. See, I have run into people who say that liturgy is for the lazy believer -- that you just recite the words unthinkingly instead of being truly inspired when you pray. (Wonder if they'd say the same thing about the Pledge of Allegiance?) I'm not buying that. I think that traditional prayers and readings can actually help one focus and reflect. This is exactly what I'm doing right now. I've found several books at my library and am writing down the recommendations you and others have given me. :) Thanks so much to everyone for your suggestions and thoughts. I have a longer list of options than I thought possible!

Okay -- I'll try to define what I mean by the terms "conservative" and "evangelical." And these aren't meant to be official, authoritative definitions -- they're the way that I personally define those words. Conservative = a traditional stance on social issues such as life (e.g., abortion), the role of women in the church, marriage, homosexuality, etc. Evangelical -- this one is trickier. I don't want to step on anyone's toes by saying that "x" = evangelical when they believe in "y" and consider themselves evangelical. I'm not debating anyone else's interpretation of the word, just trying to communicate what I'm looking for. When I think "evangelical," I think of a church that believes that Jesus is who He says He is, that He means what He says, that the Bible is the Word of God and is as true today as it was when it was written (I believe in Biblical inerrancy -- I also believe there are parts of the Bible that don't make sense to us but that it's our problem, not the Bible's). *However* -- I don't believe that the gifts of the Spirit should be a litmus test of one's faith (which I think rules out AG churches, but I could be wrong on that). I know that finding a church shouldn't be reduced to a formula (The Right Beliefs + The Right Worship Style = Living Happily Ever After :D). I'm just realizing that I'm uncomfortable with the worship style in our church, and it's occurred to me that every church I've attended which is a comfortable fit with my beliefs is not a comfortable fit for me in terms of worship. I don't want to change churches because my family is happy in this one -- but I would like to find a non-Sunday morning alternative for myself. I'm really desiring something more traditional and maybe even liturgical. But when I've looked at some more traditional churches (i.e., Methodists, Presbyterian Church USA, the Congregational Church), their beliefs are very different from mine. And I'm not looking for a new belief system -- I'm looking for a worship environment that is, well, more contemplative or at the very least more "traditional." (Think "hymns." ;)) It also is occurring to me, the more I think about it, that the worship style of the church I'm in is problematic for me not just because I don't like the music -- to me, the worship style misses the mark in what it communicates about the Lord and about faith. I'm finding it hard to worship in that environment because it feels incomplete, somehow. Not sure if that makes any sense.

Wow! I'm so excited to see so many responses! And yeah, I think some explanation of what I mean by "evangelical" and "conservative" would be helpful -- those terms can mean different things to different people. I have to run (we're having company), but I'll be back later and will try to elaborate on the terms.

I used to live on the outer fringes of NYC, and Dick Cheney was a member of a hunting club in my town. We could always tell when he was visiting because of mysterious roadblocks. I'm glad the guy liked to have some downtime, but sometimes you've got to go to the store for milk, KWIM? ;)

One that combines conservative evangelical beliefs (on both spiritual and social matters) *and* traditional (but not necessarily liturgical, though that's okay) worship?

BTDT. I'm sorry. True to form, my mother made the other family members pick sides (through guilt, lies, etc.). It hurt terribly. I tried to tell them that we could still have a relationship, but nothing doing. After a while, I rationalized it this way -- if they were willing to accept my mother's control and believe her lies, we probably wouldn't have had such a great relationship anyway. Funny thing, though -- over time, some family members began to see how destructive my mother was. That went a long way toward restoring relationships.

Narcissists feed off what we call "respect." It gives them a feeling of power and of entitlement. It reinforces the notion that they are the Queen Bee and have the right to control the lives of those around them, and nowhere is that more apparent than with their own family members. "Respect" is a noble concept -- but to a narcissist, "respect" is like crack. There's also something called The Bad Mommy Taboo -- it's the unwritten rule that says you mustn't say bad things about Mommy, even when she's a Bad Mommy. And if you dare to do so anyway, it will often produce negative responses in people who don't understand because they have no experience with a Bad Mommy. (My mother pulled a similar stunt years ago with trying to track me down.)

:lol:

No avatar here, either. I had one at one time, but I got tired of it. I have an avatar on another board I'm on, so it's not like I'm anti-avatar ;), but I just can't decide what I want for my avatar here.

Sports are one way to achieve certain goals. They are not the only way. I read a great column several years ago by John Rosemond. I don't agree with everything he writes (although he seems to be supportive of homeschooling ;)). But I liked what he wrote in this particular article. In essence, he said that we shouldn't hyperfocus on making our kids the next Tiger Woods. (This was before Tiger's fall from grace -- he was still the "It" guy back then.) Anyway, Rosemond went on to say that if Tiger had taken all the drive that he invested in golf and put it into something else -- say, medicine -- who knows what he might have achieved in that arena? Good food for thought. :)

Bumping this because I'm interested, too. :)

I was really steamed the day I found out that there was sugar in my kidney beans. Some brands had them before, but the brand I was buying at the time had *added* the sugar. It was darned near impossible to find canned kidney beans without the sugar, and when we moved across the country I had to start my search all over again (for some reason Progresso is not sold everywhere). Not sure how, exactly, sugar improves kidney beans. :confused: And I could always just cook my own, but it's not the same.

When I was a brand-new homeschooler and was on the lookout for old books, I found an old science book in an antique store. It looked charming. The fact that it was written in the 1930s only added to its charm. But I really shouldn't have been surprised when one chapter began, "No one has ever been to the moon..." ;)

I priced the Bill Nye videos a while back and they were *expensive.* But I'd love to have them. One time we were in the grocery store and "Love Shack" from the B-52s came on the radio, and ds started singing the Bill Nye words to it: "Bloodstream! It's your bloodstream!" :lol:

Thanks so much for this heads-up! Ds2 has learned more from MSB and from his own nature study than I could ever have taught him. (Oh, and Zoobooks, too. :)) I guess I've officially started my Christmas shopping. ;)

I liked Kingfisher better than Usborne in general -- Usborne is awfully "busy" and I also found some typos on important words. But I do agree that for a younger child, Usborne is better -- more colorful, and the information is in smaller bites.

:lol: This reminded me of Ben Stiller's character in "Zoolander" -- he's a male model who supposedly has all these amazing facial expressions, but as Will Farrell's character has the courage to say: ;)

DD2 went back to ps in 7th grade after four years at home. Big, big, big, big mistake. If she and dh and I knew then what we learned from that experience, it would never have happened. Everyone's mileage varies, but the word "cutthroat" is an accurate way to figuratively describe the environment dd found herself in, in middle school. It had been only four years since she'd been in school with those same kids, but what a difference. I've since been told that as "bad" as things can be in high school, middle school is immeasurably worse.

The only way I can remember how to make a square knot is by reciting this in my head: "Right over left, left over right Makes a knot that's nice and tight."

I thought you meant the Rainbow Resource catalog. ;)

Went through the whole lice nightmare when dd1 was in ps in first grade. This was a school that had "classrooms without walls" -- lots of carpet, and the kids sat on the floor for certain activities, and there were stuffed animals (class mascots). Perfect environment for lice to make their way around. I hated how the kids (dd and several other kids) were singled out and sent home. I understand why -- I just think it was done in a way that humiliated them. There were a couple of other moms of kids in her class who just never "got" the process of getting rid of lice. They thought that if they just combed the hair with vinegar, that would be enough. So they did that, and it killed the live lice, and they sent their kids back to school -- but of course the eggs hadn't been dealt with, so the problem rebounded. It was awful. Every morning, for weeks, I would get dd up early and meticulously comb through her hair and examine her scalp, checking to make sure it was free of lice or eggs. It was a horrible time. We had used RID, but these kids -- and they were from "nice" families -- kept getting lice again, and I could not justify using RID on a regular basis -- too dangerous. In retrospect, I should've started hsing then, or at the very least kept my dd home and refused to send her back to school until they could certify that the place was lice-free. But I was still in awe of the ps system and it never occurred to me to stand up to them. Scary to think that I put them above my daughter.

I'm working my way through Rosemary Sutcliff's books set in ancient Britain, but not because of anything related to hsing -- I've just wanted to do this for a long time, because I love the subject. Started off with a book set in the late Stone Age and am now, 15 or so books later, starting Frontier Wolf, which is set in the waning days of Roman Britain.

I'm happy as a clam on Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet -- lots of protein (meat, beans, cheese). I'm allowed a lot of vegetables and I do eat them, but I've found that the proteins are what I enjoy eating the most. Can't remember if you said you like tomatoes or not. Salsa is a delicious way to eat vegetables -- both the ones *in* the salsa and the ones that you can dip in it. One of my favorite salads is romaine lettuce, fresh tomatoes, kidney or black beans, grilled chicken, grated or cubed cheese, and salsa. Sometimes I'll add black olives. I throw it all in a bowl and toss. I'm not really a salad person, but this is delicious.

The Golden Goblet (Eloise Jarvis McGraw) Mara, Daughter of the Nile (also McGraw) Casting the Gods Adrift (Geraldine McCaughrean) God King: A Story in the Days of King Hezekiah (Joanne Williamson -- much of this book takes place in ancient Israel, but it starts in Egypt and tells a lot about life there)

Ds had to edit a sentence yesterday. One of the words that was supposed to be corrected was the name "Joana." According to the answer key, it was supposed to be "Joanna." Not only does ds not know anyone by that name and would not automatically know how to spell it, but I have seen it spelled "Joana." So when he didn't "correct," I just let it go. ;)