The baked oatmeal recipe recently posted on the Hive looked very good. I cut the recipe in half, reduced the amount of butter and sugar, and made a few other tweaks. It was still very yummy: sweet and moist. It was definitely sweet, DDs agree, so I may even reduce the sugar further next time. Here is what we used: 1 and 1/2 cups oatmeal 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 T butter (melted) 1/4 cup applesauce 1 egg 1 cup milk 1 t vanilla 1 t baking powder pinch salt sprinkle cinnamon Baked in 8" pie pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. I think I'll try mashed bananas instead of the applesauce next time. Nuts would be a good addition as well.

I've decided that a comment is bothering me much more than it should. I can usually let things roll off me but for some reason, I'm having trouble forgetting this one. My DDs and I volunteered at an organization for about 18 months. It was twice a week for the first summer and then once a week after that. We considered it a commitment and rarely missed a day. One day, I overheard one of the women who run the organization training a new volunteer. The volunteer was asking about how often folks usually come and the organization rep gestured to us and said that we came "sporadically." I'm not proud to say that we haven't been back since. DH was already suggesting that we stop because it was such a long drive each week and the price of gas was costing us and I guess that comment just indicated to me that our consistent efforts weren't being appreciated. So, would that comment have bothered you? Do I need to take a :chillpill: Thanks.

To clarify, this was a young woman who wore the t-shirt to the job one day when they were going to be working at a construction site. So, a t-shirt in itself wasn't necessarily inappropriate but the wording was what I was questioning. She then sent a photograph of the work crew, including herself in the t-shirt, back to the university to put on their website with an article about the internship. The article and photo had already passed through several "hands" at the university when it got to me. I immediately flagged the photo to be edited to cover up the saying on the t-shirt. Yes, it was a Nike air t-shirt but I didn't know that until I googled the phrase.

think it appropriate to wear a t-shirt to a paid engineering internship job that said "Good things come in pairs" in large letters across the front. Am I'm too old fashioned to consider this inappropriate?

Someone needs to tell her daddy that the book is a bit too advanced for her. Shouldn't she still be read to from "Goodnight Moon" or something similar? :D Very sweet picture.

Sounds like "Wonderful World of Geography" by Brenda Runkles would be a good fit. It is physical geography which would likely interest your science minded student more than cultural geography. It is designed for middle to high school so would be on the light side for an 11th grader. We used this for 9th grade and DD really enjoyed it. We supplemented with several other books to give 1 credit. Using it alone, it should be fine for 0.5 credit.

Yeah, I have the same hope and then the doctor turns on that bright light. . . I keep my socks on!

a follow-up literature program based on Pratchett's Discworld series. :lol: So, who is up for creating one?!? ;)

This would never fly at the dance studio my DD12 attends. She still wears the inexpensive leotards and tights from Walmart/Target. Many of the girls in jazz and modern wear leotards with jazz pants. No one at this age seems to wear the cute ballet skirts anymore. I've seen NO ONE in booty shorts or skimpy tops and the girls range up through high school. I have no doubt that the director would meet them at the door and escort them into the back to borrow something appropriate to wear from the lost/found box.

I live about an hour away. The Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area is a big tourist area, filled with commercial, high ticket - gimmicky attractions. So, you will want to focus your time and attention within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are many many trails to hike and scenic drives to take. Stop at their info center and pick up some maps. White water rafting is a very popular activity in this area, as is horseback riding. Neither is inexpensive, though. It's not close, but if you are willing to drive or will be going by there on your way to or from Tennessee, the Museum of Appalachia is definitely worth a visit: http://museumofappalachia.com/ If anyone in the family is interested in aviation, the Tennessee Museum of Aviation is one very nice attraction that is off the beaten path in Sevierville: http://www.tnairmuseum.com/ If you decide to splurge on one expensive tourist excursion, I recommend either Dollywood (http://www.dollywood.com) or the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies (http://www.ripleyaquariums.com/gatlinburg/)

Every baby/child is different. One may be very easy and the parent(s) can very easily think that everyone else is nuts for talking about how difficult parenting is. Another baby may be so difficult that the parent doesn't have 30 seconds to themselves in a given day, much less time to shower and eat properly. Your experience of finding parenting with a single child easy is not unusual for someone who is blessed with an easy-going child. You may find your second child just as easy, or you may be surprised at how much harder it all suddenly seems. If you and your DH are satisfied with how you spend your day, the opinions of anyone else doesn't really matter.

Thanks for the ideas! I didn't think of savings bonds. That might be just the thing.

That would sure free up significant time for board reading/posting! Which programs are you trying to plan for? If it is anything I've used, I'd be happy to send you our plan.

It's legal if you keep the books. Similar to ripping music CDs to your computer.

Wow. I'm in Tennessee and didn't realize that we were such a haven for the mentally disabled. We've long been thought of as softies for the homeless though. There have even been stories of communities in other states putting their homeless on buses to here.

One of the nieces was pretty close to my father but the check was from ME. I could understand if it was something directly from my father. By the way, I also made sure that each grandchild also got a few of the coins as keepsakes. Hmmm. . .except that she couldn't hide it from me since the money would be disappearing from my account. Oh well. DH has suggested that instead of sending checks this time, that I purchase money orders and mail it with return receipt requested. Do M.O.'s expire?

I love planning. . .I just need someone else to implement my plans.

Very nice!

and still can't figure out why no one mentioned that the best way was to stand dripping wet in front of a fan. Isn't anyone else having record high temps where they are? :D

would you make the extra effort needed to take them to the bank? :confused: Sold some silver coins that my late father wanted to benefit his grandchildren and sent a $500 check for each of my nieces to their mother. I carefully managed my checking balance for over a year (never knowing when the checks would go through). She finally called and said the bank refused to accept the old checks and she wants me to send new ones. :tongue_smilie:

I am not a medical professional but wouldn't be very worried about tetanus with a scratch. Never hurts to ere on the side of caution, but I wouldn't freak if DH refused to go.

But are they gluten-free? :bigear:

Sole earner here since first DD was born. We wanted a parent at home and I had the more stable higher paying job. It was not a difficult decision and we've had no angst about it. It works for us.

Yes. DD15 is using it independently. I created my own schedule which I'll paste below. I've seen a few different posts recently criticising Jensen's Format Writing because of the use of first person. It doesn't seem to be a problem here. I just explained to my DD that first person is used in less formal writing but doesn't usually belong in formal expository writing. The program has too many strong points for me to worry about one potential weakness. It does a great job describing the many different types of essays and leading the students through how to approach and structure each one. Format Writing by Frode Jensen This writing program has several sections and the schedule will vary with each section. Beginning material • Week 1 – Read the “to the student” introduction on pages 5-6, the Single Paragraph formats on pages 12 to16, and do the exercise on page 17. Single paragraph formats Spend two weeks on each paragraph format: read the introduction to each and complete 4 paragraphs of each format. • Week 2 & 3 – Example • Week 4 & 5 – Classification • Week 6 & 7 – Definition • Week 8 & 9 – Process • Week 10 & 11 – Analogy • Week 12 & 13 – Cause & Effect • Week 14 & 15 – Comparison Five Paragraph Essay Elements This section describes the elements of a five paragraph essay and provides exercises to practice. • Week 16 – Read and complete exercises for pages 34 to 41 • Week 17 – Read and complete exercises for pages 42 to 46 • Week 18 - Read and complete exercises for pages 47 to 52 Five Paragraph Essays Read the introduction and guidelines (pages 53-54) and then complete 1 essay each week. You will complete two essays for each format. • Week 19 & 20 – Example • Week 21 & 22 – Classification • Week 23 & 24– Definition • Week 25 & 26 – Process • Week 27& 28 – Analogy • Week 29 & 30 – Cause & Effect • Week 31 & 32 – Comparison   Book Reports and Test Questions Read the introduction and write 1 book report per week for three weeks, each from a different genre. The following week will cover test questions. • Week 33, 34, & 35 – Book report • Week 36 – Read test questions section on pages 83-84 and write an essay each day on a teacher supplied topic. Business Writing This section covers business type writing, including letters and resumes. • Week 37 – Letters o Day 1 - Business letter writing and assignment (pages 86-89) o Day 2 – Letter complaint and assignment (pages 90-91) o Day 3 – Cover letter and assignment (pages 92-94) o Day 4 – Political letter and assignment (pages 95-96) • Week 38 – Resume, read pages 97-103 and assignment Condensation This section explains how to condense text into brief notes. • Week 39 – Condensing o Day 1 – Read introduction (pages 105-106) and do exercise #1 o Day 2 – Do exercise #2 o Day 3 – Read the Precis and do exercise # 1 (pages 109-110) o Day 4 – Do exercise #2 o Day 5 – Do exercise pages 112-114 Major Papers Spend the first week reading through the parts of a major paper and creating samples. You will then complete 4 major paper assignments, 1000-1200 words each and using at least 3 sources for each. You will have two weeks to complete each one. • Week 40 o Day 1 – Read pages 116-118 and create a sample title page o Day 2 – Read pages 119-121 and create a works cited practice page o Day 3 – Read pages 123-127 o Day 4 – Read pages 128-133 • Week 41-42 Major Paper 1 • Week 43-44 Major Paper 2 • Week 45-46 Major Paper 3 • Week 47-48 Major Paper 4

Last year, we replaced a very old dishwasher with a highly recommended Bosch model. It is now a deep regret. We routinely wish we still had our old one, even with its broken tines and quirks (we had to stay nearby and manually open the soap dispenser when the cycle reached that point). We now have to run the Bosch through 2 or 3 cycles to get the dishes clean. It sometimes says it is done with the cycle when clearly it is still in mid-cycle. The soap dispenser frequently fails to open. Randomly, it fails to drain completely and we have to bail dirty soapy water from the bottom of the tub. The reviews were great on this model. The only good thing about it over our old one is that it is much quieter. I wish you better luck with your new appliances!