I didn't even know these things existed until I saw a young man wearing them on a plane flight recently. Another passenger was asking about them and he says that it took some getting used to but now he considers them the next best thing to being barefoot. I love being barefoot. Would I like these shoes? http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm Pegasus

I think it was fine of her to ask and nice of you to comply. Having taller people sit in front of us happens frequently. I've never asked anyone to move but we've shuffled seats ourselves on many occasions. When my kids were tiny, they liked to sit in the back row. That way, they could sit on top of the edge of the seat; they wouldn't fold the seat down but would perch on top of it. That put them several inches higher than anyone in front of them. Pegasus

We have a much lighter view of sarcasm. It's a form of humor and word play. We use it all the time so my DDs are used to it. I'm not sure how to go about teaching someone how to recognize and understand it, though. OP- Do you watch Big Bang Theory by any chance? The main character, Sheldon, asks folks to please indicate when they are using sarcasm because he doesn't recognize it either. Pegasus

I couldn't agree more with this but I thought it was because I live in the Bible belt. I attended one conference when we first started homeschooling and even I knew more than the woman giving the talk about starting homeschooling. I was actually answering people's questions after the "talk." Worthless. Pegasus

Do all homeschool conventions still charge you the full entrance fee if you do NOT want to attend any of the sessions but only want to shop in the vendor hall? Why not have at least a partial day where folks can enter free to shop only? I imagine the vendors would be thrilled to have a mass influx of folks shopping who otherwise wouldn't attend at all. Pegasus

Thanks, everyone, for the great ideas. Our umbrella school wants to see a 1/2 credit for personal finance as well, so it makes since that insurance could be covered there. Maybe my experience is not typical but I've worked for two major employers (one private engineering company and one public university) and both had several different health insurance options. I spend several hours evaluating my options whenever the programs have major changes and at least a few hours during open enrollment even when nothing major has changed just to be sure that I'm in the best plan for us. Where I currently work, we can choose between several HMOs, a standard PPO, or a high deductible PPO plan that includes a health savings account. Premiums, deductibles, and covered services vary between the plans (sometimes widely). I KNOW that a significant portion of my co-workers don't do this thorough of an evaluation because when I try to talk to them about the details of the plan I ultimately chose, they start asking questions, not realizing what options were available to them. It's true that the employer usually just distributes a broad overview of the plan but the details are usually available to those who ask (or dig deep enough online). Even if I had only one plan open to me, I'd want to be informed on the fine details that would impact my family's care. Pegasus

I would like to make the required health half-credit as practical as possible. I'm planning on including Red Cross first aid and CPR classes and would like to cover the evaluation of health care insurance plans as well (HMO, PPO, HDHP, HSA, FSA, etc.). Has anyone found any good resources for this? Thanks, Pegasus

The way block scheduling works at my local schools means that a student would take only 4 classes at a time: 4 classes the first semester and 4 different classes the second semester, thus gaining the student a total of 8 credits for the year. Each class is 80 minutes long. So, if you assume a student is in class for 90 days per semester, that is 120 hours of classtime per credit. A student could graduate with 32 credits, not including any carried over from 8th grade. I think block schedules are fine for electives but I think they are a detriment to a student's learning for math, science, English, etc. I've also heard that even with the extended classtime, teachers don't get through as much material in one semester as they would in a traditional year long schedule. Pegasus

We've stopped using shortening for cooking (except to grease our pizza pan, nothing else seems to prevent sticking). So, now we use primarily 100% canola oil and sometimes butter. DH has mentioned wanting to start using olive oil but I must admit that I don't know when I can use it. I seem to remember reading that you can't use it to fry because the temp is too high. So, when do you use what (shortening, butter, canola, olive, etc): 1. in recipes that call for oil 2. a dab in the skillet to prevent sticking 3. a layer in the skillet for southern frying 4. to grease pans for baking 5. what else? Thanks! Pegasus

Sister Wendy: The Complete Collection includes 4 DVDs: 1. This disc includes "The Story of Painting," a look at Western art from ancient Egypt, through Europe and in the galleries of New York City. 2. This disc includes "Sister Wendy's Grand Tour," a trip with Sister Wendy through ten great cities in Europe to see some of the world's best art and architecture. 3. This disc includes "Sister Wendy's Odyssey," a trip though some of Europe's museums, both well known and obscure. 4. This disc includes "Sister Wendy's Pains of Glass." At King's College in Cambridge, the story of the Passion of Christ is told in stained glass, and is presented here with music from the King's College choir. Sister Wendy's American Collection has 3 more: 1. This segment of Sister Wendy's artistic adventure takes you to the "Art Institute of Chicago" and the "Cleveland Museum of Art." 2. This segment of Sister Wendy's artistic adventure takes you to the "Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas" and the "Los Angeles County Museum of Art." 3. This segment of her artistic adventure takes you to "New York's Metropolitan Musem of Art" and "Boston's Museum of Fine Arts." Netflix has them, or check your library. Edited to add: It looks like some of the episodes can be watched for $1.99 each on Amazon video on demand. That might be a good way to see if these will work for you. Pegasus

Not exactly the same since it is not a course, but have you looked at any of Sister Wendy's shows? Her enthusiasm for her subject is similar. Pegasus

I think this is the perfect lesson. You can't necessarily control what other people do but you can remove yourself from the situation. Just picture your son as a teen with a group of friends in a situation that starts to get out of control. If he can't control their actions, having your son remove himself from the situation is critical to his safety and well being. Pegasus

Definitely bake it anyway. If no one likes it, crumble it up to make bread pudding or dressing or if all else fails, feed it to the birds. Pegasus

I'm not sure about Tamiflu but I agree with the previous poster that a high fever can cause delusions like this. I still remember being very sick as a child and watching a long line of Disney characters march into the room and dance around the bed. That almost never happens now. :lol: Pegasus

This varies tremendously from practice to practice. I called the few pediatric dentists around here when my first DD was young and none of them would allow me to accompany my child into the back. There was NO WAY I was going to send my tiny 3-yo into the back without me. A friend recommended her family dentist and they were very welcoming to parents with little kids. The hygienist was awesome and made sure their first visits were gentle and fun. We still joke about "Mr. Thirsty," the suction tube, and my kids are now 11 and 14. Pegasus

:iagree: Yes, I'm living with an example of this. DH was told early in his college education that architecture wasn't for him. DH dug in and proved him wrong by finishing his degree. Ummm. . ..except that this guy was right all along. DH hated architecture once he started working. I think it's best to let kids explore the career they may be interested in. Can you call around and see if there is a chiro near-by that would let your child shadow him/her for a few days? There's nothing like actually witnessing for yourself what someone does on a typical day. Pegasus

Sequential Spelling was actually designed for students with dyslexia issues. It doesn't teach rules though, just spelling patterns. Very easy to use and takes very little time each day. No studying! It's worked well for us. Pegasus

I'm glad to see this series getting a little more attention on these boards. They are SO helpful to struggling writers as they start at the beginning and teach in small increments. There is a bit of overlap between the books so I don't think there is any need to use them all in a step-wise fashion unless you have a student who needs the review. I used Writing Skills Book 1 for DD and then she did Jump-In and now she is using Writing Skills Book 3 before we attempt Jensen's Format Writing. I also used Book A for a younger DD who then did Wordsmith Apprentice and is now in Book 1. The review/overlap is actually working well for her and her writing is improving rapidly. Pegasus

We intend to take an approach similar to that discussed in "Debt-Free U" by Zac Bissonnette. Essentially, using inexpensive community college to pay for the general ed courses and a local in-state university (living at home) to finish up. The students will be expected to work 20 hours a week while taking classes and full-time during school breaks. Our intent is for them to graduate with zero debt which I think is key to keeping their opportunities open. Be sure to investigate any guaranteed scholarships available at your state schools. Our local state school has merit scholarships available to every student who meets certain criteria. Know the criteria and aim to meet them! Pegasus

A friend of mine helped several boys attain their Eagle Scout rank. The troop leader set the bar high for their projects. The three that I remember: 1. Created a basketball court for the community. Had asphalt laid, painted the lines, installed the hoops. 2. Created a playground for the community. They constructed the playground equipment and installed a soft media around it. 3. Created an landing pad in the community for life-star type helicopters to pick up health emergency cases. The nearest previous location was quite a distance away. The landing pad included lights for night-time landing, wind sock, etc. to meet the needs of the pilots.' Good luck to your future Eagle Scout. That is quite an achievement. Pegasus

My thanks to you both! DH was guessing rum. Pegasus

We received a box of gifts from a friend and I think the items are from Columbia. We figured out the coffee and the coconut candy but can't quite figure out what the title item is. I imagine it is an alcoholic drink of some kind but the label is entirely in Spanish. It also says across the bottom "El Exceso de Alcohol es" and "perjudicial para la salud". Once I know what it is, I can figure out who to re-gift it to as we don't drink. Thanks! Peggy

Wow! I've been away from the board today and returned to all this wonderful input and suggestions. Thank you so much. I now have several avenues to pursue. Pegasus

Yes, I took Jensen's to bed with me the other night and finished reviewing it. It is definitely no-nonsense and no-frills but looks perfect for our needs. It starts with different types of paragraphs but then spends just over 20 pages discussing and providing exercises on the different elements of the 5 paragraph essay (thesis statements, introductory paragraphs, transitions, body paragraphs, and concluding paragraphs). The student then uses these elements in the next section as it teaches several different formats for essays (classification, definition, process, analogy, cause & effect, and comparison). It teaches one format at a time and the students are supposed to then produce 3 to 5 essays using that format (one at a time with a teacher providing feedback on each before they continue). What I like about what I see is that Jensen doesn't assume that the student already understands HOW to write an essay. He really breaks it down and explains what each element is and why it is important. He then provides specific formats on each type of essay. . .these are almost a skeleton that students can then use for any subject, simply adding the "flesh" of information. The book continues after the essay section and covers book reports, major papers, and condensing information. He provides check sheets and forms to show you how to grade the papers your student produces. This program does not come with a schedule although he does offer some suggestions. I wouldn't argue with the posters that call this program dry but for students that need explicit instruction and step-by-step explanations, it looks ideal! Pegasus

Thank you for the input. I had talked with a Dachshund Rescue Group a few years ago and then promptly forgot about them. I got the impression that they usually had older dogs. We've never had puppies and really want to have them once. I'll look into the rescue group a bit more. Other than attending AKC shows, what other ways can I find a reputable breeder? Pegasus