They have to get through the Vikes first. GO VIKINGS!:tongue_smilie:

Don't forget to ask if they do a theme. We had a small group, much smaller than this homechurch, that ate each week and none of us really liked the hodge-podge of tortilla chips with lasagna type thing. So we had themes like mexican, italian, breakfast, appetizers, picnic, etc. It was fun. But again, that was a much smaller group. I forgot that one of my most requested recipes is for my anti-pasto pasta salad. I use 1 box bow-tie pasta, diced salami, black olives, red onion, gr bell pepper, cherry tomatoes - halved, and lightly steamed chopped broccoli for some green (or you could use chopped fresh spinach). Top with one whole bottle of your favorite Italian dressing (we love Newman's Own Lite Balsamic Vinagrette). Do this the night before so all the flavors meld (maybe save out a wee bit of dressing to top it with the next day). Sprinkle with shredded parmesan and you will be golden. Always disappears and because there's no mayo, you can leave it sitting out for a couple of hours. What did you decide on?

:w00t::hurray::party::cheers2::willy_nilly::thumbup::thumbup1: My DH is beside himself with glee. This makes me a happy girl too! :D :smash: <<------ For the 'boys next week.

I'd like to make sure I just handled my transaction correctly. The seller requested that I use the personal option to avoid fees, but due to these threads, I wasn't comfortable with that. So once we agreed on a price, I entered my payment as "goods" but I added the 2.9% + .30 to the price I paid. This will keep it a goods transaction that I can dispute if needed, but pays her for the fees. I didn't see a specific button that charged me for the fees. Did I do all that right?

My husband loves to discuss deep theological things too! He has very few people that will debate or discuss with. I will mostly, but I'd love it if he had more male friends he could discuss/debate deep theological things!

If I were you I might do something today for 8 hours until tonight, put it in the fridge, and then put it on low in the morning so that it's warm when you are ready. OR I have a great recipe for Taco soup that honestly is so easy you could throw it together in your crock pot first thing in the morning and it'd be ready. Make a couple of batches of Jiffy corn muffins and you are SET! Taco Soup: 1lb ground beef or turkey 1 med onion, diced - brown the gr beef and onion together, drain. I also sprinkle on some garlic powder throw it in the crock pot with: 1 large can diced tomatoes 1 reg can corn (with juice) 2 small or one large can of diced green chiles 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 packet taco seasoning 1 packet of Ranch dressing mix 1 Tbsp Cumin It's thick, like the consistency of chili, but you can add a bit of beef broth or even water to thin it if you want. We like it thick. Start it off on high for about an hour to get it humming, and then turn it to low and you will be the star of the afternoon. This surprisingly makes quite a pot but if you have a very large crock pot, like 8q you could also double it. I've done that for a big crowd. And it's inexpensive too! Have fun! Sounds like a lovely group!

I might have to say Classical Conversations! I think I'm going to do it, and in a way I get the value there, but :001_huh:. I still have all this other curriculum to buy for 2 kids! I was shocked to see how much SSWR costs too!!! Oh, and some Spanish programs. I'm sitting here thinking that I can't spend $100 on each component of their curriculum and honestly I don't know what to do!!!:confused:

Beautifully written, things that should be said out loud. :grouphug:

Philadelphia Story Sunset Boulevard Sound of Music African Queen Rebecca Gone with the Wind My Favorite Wife Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (the original Money Pit) North By Northwest Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Gaslight Asphalt Jungle The Man Who Knew Too Much Maltese Falcon The Public Enemy High Society The Great Escape Dr. Strangelove The Bells of St. Marys Suspicion Key Largo Kitty Foyle To name a few.:D I could go on.:tongue_smilie:

:iagree:I got this book for my dd. She is now 9.5 and maturing out of some of it, but she is still a very anxious, sensitive, shy person. While this book didn't peg her exactly, it was a good read. It talked a lot about sensitivity to noise and light, new situations, anxiety surrounding anything where she might have to "perform" or prove herself. It made me realize that it's really REAL when she freaks out if one shoe is tighter than the other or if a tag is scratchy to her. If you will pm me your address as soon as I can get my books unpacked in a couple of weeks, I'd be happy to send it to you.:grouphug:

So long as you feel comfortable with the side effects and long term potential issues, I would do it. My ds is 5.5 and is not on the charts. He was a preemie. He's noticeably small. But we are a giant family. I am 5'11", dh is 6'1", and my dd is quiet tall - always has been over 90th% for height. So for us it seems very obvious that he's small. We love him and his peanut-ness, but I will do everything I can to make sure he reaches his potential in all areas. Mine has had the hand x-ray a few times, Unfortunately he also is about 7 on his. What this mean (to those who don't know) is that there most likely will not be a catch-up or spurt later. If he was bone age delayed, we could look for him to be a late bloomer. We have had blood checked a couple of times. He's on vit D right now and a med that increases appetite (it works) but I can't tell that it's helping his height. I think he's eating more but just burns more!:willy_nilly: We just had his blood drawn again right before Christmas and I have a call in to find out what we will do next. I assume the next step is the pituitary gland stim test. Quite frankly I would be relieved if they said we should go ahead with the hormones. I would do hormones if his thyroid were malfunctioning, or if his testosterone were off. Why would I not do this for him?

:iagree:What is in our heart is what comes out. This is pointed out to us in the bible over and over. I am not asking anyone to plaster a fake smile on their face, but we do require them to sit in a time out in their room and think about their attitude and adjust it. When it seems like they can obey with a better attitude (not quite to cheerful yet) then they can resume. I want to cultivate a spirit of contentment and I know when I am down and feeling sorry for myself, and grumpy with the world, it doesn't help me to act it out. It does help me to have some quiet reflection. This is my dd too. She doesn't throw fits or have tantrums, she pulls the pout and "tear-up" :crying: over the injustice of being reminded to empty the dishwasher or at the slightest correction of behavior. Her favorite line? To wail "it seems like you're mad at me!!!" WAAAAAAA! Uh, yep. :lol::lol:

Oh WOW!!! This is such an incredible story! God meant that little girl for you and He worked it out. Congrats to you guys! To God be the Glory!!!

My son was 29 weeks, 2lbs 3oz. I know that's a BIG difference but I wanted to encourage you about the amazing miracles God can work through those NICU's. I've seen it firsthand over and over! I will be praying!!!:grouphug:

Me too. You know, ugly crying. In a dark room. That movie still haunts me.

We are planning to refinish the round oak pedestal table we've had for 20 years. We have mismatched bow-back chairs around it now and want to replace them all. I know I might spend $70 or more per chair that I get. I want chairs that are solid, sturdy, and comfortable. And preferrably black. We will refinish the table top in stained wood, but paint the base black and I want black chairs to go with it. I have seen some solid chairs at World Market, but they are more expensive. Does anyone have any chairs from Ikea, the solid wood, classic style, not too modern? If so, how are they holding up?

I wasn't born and raised a hick, just a regular ol' public school kid from California, and I NEVER studied at that level. :confused:But I'm confused, if your 9th grader is doing those things (even with attitude), and the kid in the movie is 8th grade, that's close enough isn't it? Why do you question if LCC would have gotten you farther than WTM when it sounds like you are there? Not being snarky at all, genuinely curious!

Yes, but the Elizabeth Taylor version has her as Amy and older than Beth just because they wanted to cast her and Margaret O'Brien. So that's definitely off from the book. My favorite and I think closest to the book is the Winona Ryder version. She gets on my nerves sometimes, but the rest of the cast is superb and I think it's very close to the book. ETA: meant to also say it's completely fine for a 10yo. My dd LOVES it!

I'm so glad you asked this question! I was just wondering about my dd's "social studies" education since we don't study it! I guess it will come later when we study more modern history, but right now she wouldn't pass that portion either. Glad to know Iowa has options for the test. :bigear:

We're in the midst of this as well. Early last year I sent in a mortgage payment late and it was returned. At that point our mortgage co said we were in default but that we could apply for a loan mod. Well, due to Obama's Making Home Affordable plan taking forever to kick in, and then my mortgage co being sold, it's all gone on about a year and is now finally coming to a head. We jumped through all the hoops, including providing paperwork they asked for like tax returns and pay stubs, and were finally told last month "No." So, our file has been turned over to a loan "resolution" company so that we can try for a short sale. The thing that I find ironic about all this is that we could have tried long ago for a sale, but they told us that would cancel our consideration for a loan mod. :confused: We have a appt this coming week with a local realtor who specializes in short sales and he's going to throw it on the market for us. I'm not sure how much hope I have, but we are going to make this place shine in the hopes that it will sell. One thing he said was that we should delay filing bankruptcy until after the sale is done because that can complicate and delay a sale going through because of all the red tape with attys and trustees, etc. We have been fortunate to be living in our home and on hold with our payments long enough to have saved some money. We should have enough to secure a rental with an extra security deposit that our realtor thinks will be enough to overcome our deficiencies. That is my fervent hope and prayer. Denise, I am so sorry your sis is going through this. It sounds like she is being hit from all sides. I hope that she and her dh can look eachother in the eye, make a pact that they are a team, and they will get through it together. Like Renee, my dh and I are growing closer through all this. I wish I had more words of wisdom to share. I would agree that if this is all happening anyways, she should IMMEDIATELY stop trying to make any payments and save that towards finding a place to rent. I also agree with Peek that they should try to find some large churches and appeal to their community outreach pastor for help. :grouphug:

Thanks Angela! I will just keep on trucking with CLA LA and Math and see how it goes. I guess for now I will plan to get the SOTW books and Activity books to use to flesh out the history more. We are history nerds around here so it shouldn't be too hard to add more that way. For Latin, I did a search and found your thread from November about doing your own latin, and since I am CLUELESS about Latin and think I will need a curriculum for it for hand-holding, do you thing Latina Christiana is a good one? There are lots of choices out there, but assuming we enjoy CC as much as I think we will, it makes sense that we'd do LC for a couple of years in prep for moving into Henle later, right? What are you thoughts on that? Thanks so much! I am overwhelmed by what I learn from folks around here!

Thanks Pam!!! That does help a lot! I guess I will continue with CLE lang arts for this Spring and summer and then see how it goes when she starts Essentials. I can always get her some extra helps when she starts. I guess for now we will continue on with CLE math. She's in the 300 level and trucking right along. I put her a level behind to make sure she didn't have any holes and had plenty of practice. I will keep up with it and once we are in CC I can talk more to the other moms in Challenge to also get their feedback. I don't mind switching eventually, I just didn't want to do it so close to the last change (from ps Everyday Math, to Singapore, and now CLE). I guess I could go ahead and get started on some Latin just so that by this fall it's not completely new. Any suggestions? I have NO CLUE about latin programs. Hmmmmm...wonder how many threads will come up if I search "latin".:tongue_smilie: And yes, I have thought about OPGTR. I will have to look at it again. I haven't ever seen it in person, so I don't know, but I'll check into it. Thanks again!!!

:grouphug: Does he want to work it out? Would he go to counseling with you?

Heather, thanks for that answer! I just got done posting a long bunch of questions about CC and then saw this thread. I could have just hijacked it!!:tongue_smilie: I've been using HoD, but the next guide doesn't follow the timeline for CC at all that I can tell. I just assumed it was easiest to build on what we are learning in CC with SOTW and other resources to really flesh it out and add detail. Wouldn't that work?

We're looking at going into CC next year for my dd who will be 10 in 5th grade and my ds who will be 6 and K. I have done tons of research and think I have a good picture of most aspects. I do have a few questions: DD 9.5, 4th grade right now, will be 10 in 5th this fall: I want to put my dd in Essentials. I pulled her last January from mid-3rd grade. She did R&S Engl level 2 but was bored since it was too much review. I put her in CLE LA level 400 this past fall in 4th grade. We probably do have some holes, but overall it's going quite well and I'd like to continue with it. Can I continue with it for the rest of this year and figure that she will be prepared to start Essentials on-level? A friend suggested I do Shurley now (is that what's used for Ess? That was the first I'd heard that.) in prep for Ess this fall. But I hate to put her in yet another LA program. What should I do now to make sure she's ready for Ess this fall, or would you just keep on trucking with what you have and see how it goes? I can keep my math program that I like, right? So if we are doing CLE Math, I can just keep on with that. Again, it's going quite well. There's no reason to fix that if it's not broken. If I like CC (and I think I will) then the plan will probably be to keep on and move into Challenge. Should I plan to switch her to Saxon so that she will be ready for Challenge math? If she is in Essentials, that covers LA and Writing, no more to buy there, right? Through Foundations my plan is that I could build on more history/geography/timeline/science using living books and projects, movies, library. So I would only buy or get what I need for that depending on the subject. No full curriculum to buy - or maybe I would buy the SOTW and Activity guides? She'd also have Latin. Do I need a full Latin program? What is missing? For spelling I already have Megawords and will use that. I don't have other foreign language, but I'm wondering if we'd have time for that?:confused: DS 5.5 in preK, will be 6 and in K this fall: He will need his own phonics/reading program. I am using 100EZ right now and it's not going well. I'm thinking of switching him to The Reading Lesson or Reading Made Easy this fall or later this spring. He will need math too, and I'm thinking I will get him started in CLE. Still researching that tho. As for all other subjects I will do the same as his sister and build on what he's learning in CC. Sound good? Any ideas or opinions are appreciated! I love the idea of MCT but I just don't see how to switch to that, only to move on to Essentials this Fall. It's just too much. Also CC is a big expense, so I am trying to see how I can work within the framework of what they give me and just add to it as necessary from the library or little bits and pieces. That way I avoid the cost of a full curriculum and only wind up using bits of it anyways. Do those of you that have some experience with CC have any other thoughts you can share? Thanks!!