I hate narration. I don't know how to do it. I don't know how to teach it. We have been using WWE from the beginning, but my dd8 is no closer to being able to give one than the man in the moon. I have no idea how to help her. We have even taken a break from it and tried Writing Strands. That was a lesson in disaster. Not a fit for her at all. *sigh* I know this is a skill that she needs, but I am truly at a loss as to how to teach it. If what is written in the book for the teacher to say is not enough, I have no idea how to impart knowledge I just don't have. :crying: Advice is nice, but I don't know what to ask for. I guess this is more of just a vent.

Well, I can tell you what I did, and you can decide if it is helpful or not. :D With dd8, I used 2c in 2nd grade to gently introduce cursive. It went great, and she had no problem going into the 3rd grade book. She is almost finished with it, and will be using the 4th grade book in a few weeks. My plans are to do the same with dd6. She is almost finished with 1, and will be starting 2c in a few weeks. She is a little more hesitant with her manuscript, so I like that the first half of 2c continues with that practice. The big thing with 3 is the ruling of the lines on the paper. It is quite a jump from 1st grade paper to 3rd grade paper. You might want to print out a page from their website to see if going from big letters to small letters will a problem. Quite possibly more info than you needed, but I hope it helps a little! eta: Oops, I missed that last question. I have noticed that while my dd8 does very well in cursive on her handwriting worksheets, she looses confidence in her ability when I ask her to use it outside of handwriting practice. I think that using the 4th grade book is going to go a long way in helping her to really train her brain and hand on how it feels and looks to write in cursive. And to remember how to form the letters!

That is awesome! LOL I didn't ask the librarian for help due to time, but I think I will have my dd ask. I would like to see that. :lol: Thank you!

My library search has come up with nothing. Did you find anything? :D

I stuck a toe in, but quickly decided that it wasn't something I needed to read. I like how we are doing in our schooling using TWTM as a guide, so I don't want to confuse the issue in my brain right now. LOL Some of the things she says can have my head spinning!

:grouphug: This breaks my heart.

I'm going to say something here that you may have never heard in your life. The OT is not written to you (not to be confused with for you). You will not find how to be saved from reading it. It was written about what God was doing with man in the beginning, and then more specifically what He was doing with/through the Jewish nation. I would like to gently say to you that the Bible is not there to match up with what you want it to say or to change to better fit what you want to believe. It says what it says, and that is what it says. As someone very wise once told me, "Adust YOUR system (doctrine statement), to match the Book, not the Book to match your system." :grouphug: You are not alone! The only way to figure things out is to talk about it and ask lots of questions. And definitely be telling God about your concerns and confusions. One of the great things you learn from the OT is that He has no problem with us talking to Him about these issues.

We don't do anything. When I was growing up, I would wear green to keep from getting pinched, but that doesn't have anything to do with celebrating St. Patrick.

I love that. I need to start thinking in that manner now. I'd be one of the people complaining about there not being food in the house. lol Yes, please share the soup recipe!

Another question. Can you still eat carrots if they have started sprouting the little white roots? I know if potato eyes start to sprout, you just cut that part off and keep going, but are carrots the same?

And you aren't hungry? I have always had the feeling that salad just doesn't last that long. I'll eat one, but then in an hour I'm hungry again. Does this pass as you begin to get accustomed to eating more plant based?

Wow! Thank you everyone for your input. I'm beginning to think that it really is just "start up" cost. LOL I think once I get in the kitchen and start preparing meals, finding out what we like and don't like, the budget will get tweaked. Any favorite recipes would be appreciated, too. I have no idea how to cook all these veggies!

How do you find a CSA? I also plan on growing some of my own veggies in some raised beds. Thank you, everyone for your thoughts and advice!

Thank you for those resources. I don't know what CSA stands for, so I don't know if I have one or not. LOL The grocery stores I have close to me are Walmart, Publix, Aldi, and a little farther out is a Whole Foods. We do have a Costco, but I have never been in it. Are there restrictions on membership? Thankk you so much for responding. I keep telling myself that the flour, sugar, and old fashioned oats are not going to be weekly purchases. :lol:

I want to do this. I want to eat more fruits and vegetables. Can anyone say sticker shock???? Is it just really expensive to get started? Please tell me that I am not going to be buying nutritional yeast, ground flaxseed, and all that other stuff every week. :svengo:

IMHO it is so not worth your time or money. My dh took me there for an anniversary vacation after I begged him to. He had been there before, and warned me about it, but I didn't listen. We drove there from Birmingham, AL, stayed two nights, and then packed up and drove up to Panama City to finish up our vacation. He was so sweet to me, and noticed that I was unhappy about it, even though I tried to put up a good front. I was so disappointed. There is no beach and bars everywhere. If you want to bar hop, this is the place to be, but if not, DON'T GO.

I adore my 2005 Ford Expedition. I don't keep up with gas mileage, so I'm no help there. It has the third row, and holds 8. I really like all the room I have in it, and that it sits higher on the road. I will say that I wouldn't put adults in the back. There really isn't any room for your legs if you are taller than five feet. :D When the engine finally goes, I told my dh that I didn't want a new vehicle, I just want him to put a new engine in this one.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I had never even heard of the Pearls until I saw the original thread. The things I am reading in this thread makes me so glad of it. Obviously, I have never read the book, so I can't answer your question, but I wanted to offer an alternative to it. If you can't get them to not suggest it, perhaps offering another, opposing maybe?, view along with it would help give a better balance. The Discipline Book by Dr. Sears. He doesn't say that you shouldn't spank your dc, but he suggests lots of alternatives to use before going that route.

I don't know. The only two divorces I can think of was was because of abuse. Oh, scratch that. There is one more (my cousin), and that one the woman left and we have no idea why except that she just didn't want to be married to him anymore. Everyone else I know is either not married or been married forever.

:grouphug: So glad your family is ok!

I have a very sensitive gag reflex as well and have a terrible time at the dentist. I wonder if that has something to do with it? I completely agree with what I bolded.

I am 35-years-old, and I ask for liquid or a pill I can crush. :D I take Goodies, or will chew any pill that doesn't have a Do Not Chew/Crush label on it. Yeah, they taste nasty (Aleve burns!), but they aren't going down any other way. I know it is all in my head, and as I am typing this, my throat is closing up at just the thought of trying to swallow a pill. A friend of mine taught himself to swallow pills by practicing on Skittles. If you don't mind the candy part, you could let him try doing that.

:grouphug: and prayers to all. Fox 6 is all weather all the time right now tracking cells coming in from Mississippi. I told my dc we were sleeping in the living room tonight in case we need to hit the basement. Ready for nice dry summer!

I read it when it was a fanfiction story. I loved it then. I have not read it since she had it published, but I imagine I would still love it. Yes, he is a "Dom", and yes, it is graphic. There is a reason he is like he is, and the story is about how love can heal very deep wounds.