Yes--you can bake the bread and freeze it. You can also freeze the bananas. I peel them and put them into baggies. They do "ooze" as they are thawing, but I just add the thawed fruit and oozed liquid to the banana bread recipe and it comes out fine.

I have been getting error messages from Internet Explorer that they cannot find many of my favorite websites. Error is "Internet Explorer annot display the webpage." I have followed IE's links for troublehooting that are provided on the error message page. My windows updates are current. My Anti-virus software and scans are current. My caches, cookies, and history have been cleared. My anti-spyware software scans are clear. Can you think of anything else I could check? Would one of you mind checking my favorite recipe website allrecipes.com to see if there is a real problem? Thank you in advance for your help.

Your goal is not mean. Physical Education is a legitimate eucational and health need. But I think you are being too micro-managing about the "how and when" of accomplishing the goal for a 16 yr. old. I have exercise (physical activity) requirements for my 15 yr. old dd. She is required to take one sport or physical activity each quarter. (She has done ice skating, tennis, volleyball, dance, but overall isn't very athletic.) When it gets nice outside she bikes every day and does not do a formal activity. There is PE curriculum available that has educational info and exercise contracts, but a contract was a little too rigid for my particular taste. We did use that curriculum as a basis for how she put together her plan to meet physical education requirements.

I have a parenting suggestion to help with kids who run their mouths. This would be for kids who are usually good kids, but they occasionally let their mouths get ahead of their brains. I get face to face (neutral facial expression) and hold up my hand as in: "look at the STOP hand." Then I offer, "Would you like to say that over again in a nicer way?" Most of the time, kids will adjust. And if they don't adjust, it becomes a much clearer case of defiance which can be dealt with in other discipline arrangements. Our household philosophy is that there is nothing that cannot be discussed or expressed as long as it is done in a respectful way. My favorite parenting book for boys and girls is Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World by Stephen Glenn.

Dysgraphia is a possibility, and won't you feel like a bad mom if you eventually get a diagnosis and you treated it like laziness or defiance. (Been there done that.) For my dd with dysgraphia, having writing practice on a white board with markers was a physically easier way for her to practice (handwriting exercises, spelling words, grammar practice, etc.) However, I did let my dd do her writing compositions on the computer, because she could not physically write and think at the same time. The physical act of writing took all of her energy that left little brain-power for constructing sentences. I treated "physical handwriting" and "composition" as two separate activities and used different techniques to help with each. Does that make sense? The exercises that other posters have mentioned are helpful with the physical aspect. There are resources available with many suggestions for dysgraphia. Even if you don't get an official diagnosis, I think you will find the suggestions to be helpful in moving your child forward.

Pimiento cheese spread is a southern staple, usually served with crackers or celery, (or made into sandwiches on white bread, no crusts, LOL.) 8 oz of New York state extra sharp cheese (or other sharp cheddar) grated finely with a hand-turn grater 4 oz jar of diced pimiento (drained) approximately 1 cup mayo (not Miracle Whip) Add this a little at a time until you get a creamy consistency. black pepper---lots (this is your "secret ingredient") Start with 1/4 tsp & then add from there. Go for "perky", not "peppery." You can add more cheese if you like it cheesier with less pimiento. You just need more mayo to compensate. If you buy the store-made spread, it will be sweeter. The authentic southern recipe is not sweet at all. YUMMY!:001_smile:

I did not catch up that your situation was resolved. That was great and so fast. Sorry to bother you with the weighing comment. I use weight to confirm package contents.

Have you weighed the package to see if the amount of postage is consistent with the weight you received or if the package is "light?" The weight may be on the postage label, but the amount paid is almost always on the lablel. If it isn't you could ask the seller for a copy of her postal receipt. That way you will know if weight was reduced after the package left the post office. Also, you can calculate the approximate weight of the package you should have received if all materials had been included. Then you can tell whether or not the seller had the correct items an weight from the beginning. Does this make sense? Hope it helps.

My 15 yr old dd recently went to the gynecologist for symptoms. When we were checking in for the appointment, the office staff slipped a paper in with the usual insurance papers for me to sign that would allow my daughter to see the gyn without my knowledge or permission in the future. I did not sign and for this reason am going to be extra cautious about allowing my dd to go to appointments alone. I don't know what "advice" she might be getting. I also agree with other posters that a second pair of ears is helpful for even an adult when the doctor has any sort of instructions for follow-up.

I find that Pinesol will get crayon off of the wall if you use it undiluted.

One technique I use that is non-escalationg is to very kindly ask your dd if she would please do (say) that over again in a nicer way. In that way, you are not implicitly endorsing the bad behavior, but neither are you escalating. It gives her a chance to make a wiser choice. Then, if she chooses to be nasty, the need for a consequence will be much more obvious.

I think I am overly hurt by the comments of others because I try so hard to do the right thing all of the time. It goes to the heart of my own self-esteem when I mess up, or others think I messed up. I am a people-pleaser, perhaps a bit insecure. So what if your friend thinks you copped out on hs or you forgot to buy a gift? No one but you will even remember either of these things a year from now. And no one's opinion of you has changed substantially as a result; they still love you. When my feelings get hurt by the insensitve comments of others, I try to remember the number of times I have said insenstive things and not realized it until later. A couple of other "sayings" help me: "If you wait until you have a perfect friend, you will never have one." and "You get mad---you'll get glad." These little bumps in the road are just a part of being human. One helpful technique is to replace the negative broken record with a more positive one. I find that my new record needs to be one about how capable I am and how much my friends love me. (My underlying fear is that I am stupid and no one loves me. All insensitive comments play to that fear in me.) This is what works for me. This might not even make sense for you, but I hope you are able to find peace of mind.

Yes--I care about pencils, too....and I am cheap, uh, frugal. I buy the cheap mechanical pencils and an extra package of refill lead and re-stuff lead down in the pencil point when it runs out, 3 leads at a time. LOL. I have a nice Pentel mechanical pencil for myself that the kids are not allowed to touch. I even buy myself refill erasers for it (SPLURGE). As for erasers for the others, I keep those big fat Pink Pearl Erasers everywhere in the house so everyone can find an eraser at any time. I love meeting other ladies who care about pencils. :grouphug:

Loved Abeka LA and used it through 6th grade. It covers writing, grammar, punctuation, diagramming sentences, parts of speech. I am thinking that there was not a vocabulary component, but my youngest is 15 now, and I may not remember. I am thinking that we covered vocabulary as a part of Reading in grades 1-6. Please correct me if anyone else reads this and I am not remembering correctly. My one negative comment would be that the work pages can be a bit of overkill in my opinion. In areas where I though my kids had a good understanding, I only had them do every other workbook item.

I know your heart must be torn because of your desire to please the Lord by properly respecting your father. I am hearing that you do show respect to him by the kindnesses you show his wife and children, and yes, the occasional email. While I have not been in your situation, I was faced with a neighbor who was a convicted sex offender (he offended with young girls & I had 2 young daughters) and newly professed Christian. I told him that I was happy for his new-found faith and that he had found the one true answer to all of life's problems. But I felt that Satan tends to tempt us in our areas of weakness and that I needed to keep a safe distance in order to protect my children. In your case, you need distance for your own emotional protection. Some may suggest that you speak to him about your need for this safe distance, but I am thinking from your description (narcissistic) that he will not understand. There are real and lasting consequences for the kind of damage he caused you. When he gets more mature as a Christian, he will understand that true repentance would focus on you and your emotional health, not more focus on his needs. So, I think you have already done an admirable job of being polite and respectful. Can you keep it up? Are you in a position to get an answering machine so you can screen his calls? My advice would be to keep answering his emails, but don't be in a rush about it. You don't even need to return phone messages. His entreaties do not obligate you at all. Just continue being cordial. Are you concerned that one of your children will answer a call? Do they have any sort of knowledge of your father or of your past? Will they understand that he is not a safe person if you tell them that is why you are limiting contact? I hope I haven't overstepped my bounds in giving this feedback since I have never been in a situation like yours. This is just what I would tell my best friend if she asked. I will pray for you that God will settle this in your mind and heart so you can be at peace. I praise God that he has already healed you. And I pray that your father will grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord. May God go with you as you approach this difficult situation.