Our former church (Baptist) did the Lord's Supper once every 18 months to two years. Grape juice, crackers. Currently we are on the lookout for a church but also doing a service each week with my husband's parents and his sister and her family. We have had three meetings, done Communion once, with juice and homemade unleavened bread.

I snorted my morning caffeine fix when I sat down at the computer and THAT was the yahoo headline I saw first!!!

Our family is odd. Last night they were talking about playing a Star Wars video game. Benjamin was saying his character is going to the dark side. I said in our family, we are all on the dork side. They got cracked up about that one. My kids were odd before homeschooling. I'm not going to take the oddness out of them. To be honest, some of the weirdest people I have ever seen are in the public school system. I used to feel bad when people would make comments, now I just say, "Have you been to a school lately? It is FULL of weirdos." That shuts up old biddys rather quickly.

Rifles for Watie.

me, too. :-)

My husband uses it and loves it. He used AT&T before and would have times where he could not get service in the house, the yard, or the church. Now he only has one spot of highway that he lacks service on, and that is a place where everyone we know, regardless of service provider, gets a dead zone.

I have never had a mani/pedi. I hear the horror stories of bacteria being spread and causing infections. Yes, I know that it is rare. I still don't want to be that on in a million. My only hair coloring has been the in home, from a box kind. That has been maybe five years ago. Never gone to a spa. Nothing against it. I just don't have the $$$ to spare. My husband gives me massages. He is not a pro, but he is good. His cousin is a pro. She has offered. It just seemed awkward. I passed.

Our first year we bought everything from Bookshelf Central and spent about $1000. (LG, UG, D) For year 2 we wised up and bought most of them from Amazon. If you buy 4 books at a time that qualify for the 4-for-three promotion (which a lot do) you save money. Buy $25.00 at a time you qualify for free shipping. Let 2 kids share a book here and there rather than buying 2 of almost the same thing kind of books. If you already have something pretty similar, just use it instead of buying something new. This next year will be our first time to buy high school books. We already have a lot of the literature books.

I use our real names. I say we live in Deliverance. That could be applicable to many areas, not just our own. Like some previous posters, I am more concerned about about a random irl kidnapping or something (like a methhead breaking in) than someone stalking on my blog. Who wants to stalk a boring, homeschooling, preacher's family??? Plus one of the reasons I ever started blogging was so my mil could see what we are up to. She can barely keep the kids straight as-is. If she had nicknames to keep up with she'd go crazy-er.

My husband has a hat he wears sometimes. We call it his old man hat. AoM calls it a flat cap. He has gotten lots of compliments on it. It keeps his bald spot from getting sunburned. :D

What she said

I have never used MFW, but I have used TOG. LOVE it!!!!! We are able to all have the conversations about the same things/people at dinner. They get excited talking about the different details in their books. I especially love that it is so Godly. We are able to talk about world history from a Christian perspective. (I am assuming that would be a plus for you since your other option is MFW) I will never use another curriculum.

The above bolded is why I say most of the time. I really think if done right, children's church can be a wonderful thing. That is why I started helping out with it in the first place. However, in the vast majority of churches I have attended, and/or gone to "teacher training" events, it is nothing but fluffy baby-sitting time. My husband just resigned from a church we have been at for five years. Three and a half of those years I was the Children's Church leader. Not once did the pastor or anyone ever meet with me to see what I was teaching. Not once did any of the parents seem concerned. It was the same in another church where I was the children's church director. All they cared about was having the kids where they would not disrupt the service. I am amazed at what young children can learn. Most people do not give them credit for being able to learn. I have no problems with fun, unless it is all fun and games and no learning. I really believe there are people out there (yourself included) who are in children's church to help the children learn and grow. However, those are the few and far betweens. The norm is something else entirely.

Coming from a Children's Church worker: Most of the time the children are not being taught about God. They are not doing anything to actually prepare them for "big church". They are goofing off, playing and having snacks. I got so frustrated trying to find materials that actually taught anything rather than just saying "God made you. God loves you," that I started just going through the Bible without materials it was a pain trying to get crafts, etc set up so that we would have activities to go along with our stories, but it was better than nothing. I do think telling kids God made them and He loves them is important, but they are capable of knowing more about Him.

I'm glad I am not the only one feeling a little :confused: over that. When going to a potluck I'd rather take home empty plates instead of plates with 1 ______ on it. If you can't go first in line, can't have the last of anything, what can you do?

I like it. They are the only movie review site that is even more conservative than me. I like knowing what I am going to see. Having said that, I don't always agree with all they say. Sometimes, like say Wimpy Kid for example, they really find a lot of fault with what I think is okay.

I whole heartedly recommend Tapestry of Grace. You would have to add phonics, math, and science. I know there are some on this board who not advise using it in the lower grammar stage, but we have loved it with youngers. Tons of fun hands-on options that would not be as exciting with older kids.

I agree with this. People are insinuating that the OP's son was rude by being first in line. How is that rude? My grandmother was raised where adults ate first, children got what was left. She remembered what that was like, so she in turn served the children first. That is what our family still does. By "children" I mean 16-ish and below are the first in line. No one in our family thinks the first kid in line rude, just based on being first in line. FWIW, I had the same thing done to me. I was around 11 or 12. My grandmother, mother and I were visiting my grandmother's sisters one summer. One of her sisters told me I had too much food on my plate. (Like 2T of hamburger helper) My grandmother said told her I was a growing child and needed my food. (She then proceeded to fill my plate and whispered to me I had better eat it all) We never visited with that aunt again. She was welcome to come to my grandmother's house. Sometimes older people are just rude, especially to children.

:party: Hooray for new smaller size!!!!

Makes me feel better about some of the stuff my kids turn in thinking they were clever. :D

We are so much alike. My husband used to get cracked up at me arranging his money in his wallet. He likes it that way now. :D When the kids "help" by putting away towels, I always go back and rearrange them so they are all facing the same way. I love little containers to keep small things like erasers and such corralled. Oh, and the last of the plastic cartoon plates and bowls are headed to a thrift store TOMORROW!!! I have only big kids now.

My kids are always coming up with something funny. The seven year is, especially. Last night he said, "Hey, Mom! Can we wash my sheets tomorrow? They don't smell too fresh. Not like pee or poo or anything. Just not that fresh-sheet smell." :lol: (His sheets were washed last Friday or Saturday)

I like for things to match. I like pictures and what-nots to all be arranged symmetrically. Having said, I have people in my life who like to give me things that don't match/ fit in anywhere. So I have some mismatched utensils and pot-holders, towels, etc. The people who give me the things are more important than the things and whether the things match or not.

My husband is a minister and a paper plate maker. People come to him or call him all the time with problems. It gets very frustrating when it cuts into time we should be doing something else. However, he knows that sometimes people need someone to talk to about their problems. So, even it means we go to an evening movie, because we missed the matinee time, he talks to them. Everyone knows he gets cases of paper plates for really cheap. (500 Chinet plates for $5.00) So we are constantly asked, "Can you get me some plates?" He only gets a certain number of cases per year. We have to say no to a lot of people.

Same here. My husband just resigned from his position as youth pastor. We have 90 days to find a house to move to. Another car is out of the question right now.