The Bible does reveal that the Israelites are God's chosen people, and it also states that the Israelites/Jews (as a nation or people group) rejected Jesus as their Messiah. So a people group who is chosen can also be unbelieving...a theme which crops up a lot in the Old Testament stories of Israel as well. This is exactly why I think it's important to talk to one another (Christian, non-Christian, or otherwise) about the Bible. It's a fascinating book on so many levels, and can make for really wonderful conversations with all sorts of folks. My family really enjoys our church, but we also choose extra curricular activities that are broad & community based. Not to get 'witnessing' notches in our belts (ick), but to meet new people and make friends. Our faith is such a part of our lives, that it always eventually comes up in conversation. Now, we're from the Bible Belt, so everybody down here either believes something or believes that 'good people go to heaven, and I'm a good guy'. So talking about the Bible is usually where we end up.

At our house, it was a sleepwalker ;)

Marsh Mallow root is not used as a sweetner. It is the thickener or demulcent that gives the springy texture to the marshmallows. So using the real root would replace the gelatin in the mixture. Here is a quote from the Peeps website: "Marshmallow candy dates back to ancient Egypt where it was a honey-based candy flavored and thickened with the sap of the root of the Marsh-Mallow plant (althea officinalis). Marsh-Mallow grows in salt marshes and on banks near large bodies of water. It is common in the eastern United States. Until the mid 1800's, marshmallow candy was made using the sap of the Marsh-Mallow plant. Gelatin replaces the sap in the modern recipes." But you could substitute honey or sugar syrup, more than likely.

Love it! IDK about the fit though through the chest. That would be the only thing I'd be nervous about. But a nice scarf or shawl would be a good accessory. Without knowing your coloring, it's hard to say on accessories. Ivory/Cream is a lovely neutral. Silver, pearl, or even better, a soft gold shoes and jewelry would be pretty, paired with a bit of pale turquoise...Tiffany Blue or even softer. If warmer colors look good on you, an amber/copper or metalic bronze would be nice.

I love Fiestaware. It's held up great for 14 years with kids. If you do lose or break a piece, it's easy to find replacements. It goes on sale often, and is pretty easy to find on Ebay as seconds. It's lead free, and made in the USA. But most importantly for me, they're really fun and colorful. There are a bazillion colors to choose from, so you can tailor your collection to your own taste. I saw a collection that was all done in the blues/turquoise colors that was stunning. I have a happy collection of 1940's colors like my great grandma had. Love, love, love them. I do have a set of 'formal' white dishes that we use for special occasions. But I will often use a mix of the fiesta colors for holidays too: red and pink for valentines, pink and blue for baby showers. I always have a selection of plates/bowls, etc. that coordinate with the birthday party buffet :) It's lots of fun to play with the colors! Both Corelle and Fiestaware are great brands. It will probably come down to which style fits you and your family best.

It depends on the dishwasher. We bought a Maytag about 7 years ago that worked great with the fiesta bowls. After we moved into our current house, we replaced the ancient and pathetic dishwasher with the same model of Maytag (I loved that dishwasher), but they had re-vamped the rack design. It isn't as fiesta friendly. I like the kind of rack that converts from close tines to wider tines. My first one had this feature. I only use the shallow bowls for things like chili, chicken & dumplin's and stew. So they're not used on a daily basis, and I just sneak them in around the sides of the dishwasher where the spaces are deeper. I like more traditionally shaped deeper bowls for cereal and ice cream, so I just bought some bowls that coordinate with my colors. But, all in all, the Fiesta is well worth it. They're heavy duty enough to stand up to family wear and tear, the colors are great and there's a wide selection available, it's more than likely going to be around forever and easy to get replacements, it's lead free, and it's made in the USA.

I have been looking at Math on the Level Curriculum. The idea is to teach multiple ages of children the basics of math by integrating it into their daily life and other studies (science, history, grocery shopping, etc.) One of the books you receive with their curriculum is all about integrating the concepts. They also offer a guide that helps the teacher keep up with exactly what the student has mastered, and which concepts to review each day (5 problems a day, rotating through concepts for review/mastery). Anyway, it looks interesting to me, and like it would easily flow into an 'all inclusive' curriculum idea. It might be challenging to match up history studies with the math concept that your child is studying as far as age/readiness.

I'm an artist IRL, and I have also been looking for good art curriculum. I can do it, but I am not sure how to teach it, especially teaching it to my kids, if that makes any sense. I was impressed with Mark Kistler's Draw Squad. I haven't used this personally, but I ran across it when researching, and saved it in my Amazon Wish list. It's got great reviews, and it looks like it's a well done drawing course for kids...and even adults are using it to improve their drawing skills. Here's one of the reviews from a teacher: "As a fourth-grade teacher who was never very good at art, I always found teaching art to be very difficult. Elementary school teachers aren't provided with any real curriculum, and the majority of ideas out there in books and teachers' magazines are simplistic cut-and-paste busy work that don't really teach any art concepts. Then I found this book! This is incredible! My whole art program is set up around this book! It teaches art concretely and step-by-step so that the most art challenged students (including myself) are able to learn from it! The kids love it, and its great for teaching mathematical and geometrical concepts like shapes, angles and terms. I couldn't recommend this book for any teacher (or child, or parent) more! You and your children will draw great pictures, even if you are as bad at drawing as I am!" Once your kiddos master the basic concepts (shading, contour drawing, composition, etc.) I would move them on to an area of interest or study for drawing inspiration. Most art/craft stores have a drawing section full of 'how to draw' books that walk your child through the steps of drawing horses, dogs, etc. The instructions are sparse in these types of books, so they would greatly benefit from already doing shading and drawing exercises before diving into these. My husband was taught to draw using the Audubon book of birds. He developed a life long love of birds, and learned a lot while looking at the birds and reading about them. I think we're going to incorporate sketching from the Audubon book when we are doing the Apologia Biology I next year. Adding in an illustration to writing assignments is another fun way of keeping them engaged with drawing.