Liz, you can certainly get any number of books from the other branches. You can also use ILL throughout the North State; the limit is 12 per year and after that, it costs a lot of money. You can request ILLs online; go here and use the CalCat section. If it's not in the area, though, you're out of luck. We are in sad shape all right, but not totally hopeless yet--just mostly.

My first daughter was a terrible birth, and an easy kid. Second daughter was much easier (planned c-section), and is certainly the more prickly personality. However, she is just like my sister.

Hey, was that me? Howling Frog Books? :001_smile:

Do I post my weekly book here? I'm new at this. Here it is: Undress me in the temple of heaven. If you traveled before you were 25, you should read it. If you didn't, read it anyway, you just won't have flashbacks. I just finished "Airborn" by Kenneth Oppel--a good old-fashioned adventure yarn about airships, alternate history sort of thing. Pretty good. And now I'm starting "All quiet on the Western front," which I'm sure will be quite cheery. We're doing WWI this week, but my kid is 9--I'll hand this to her next time round. I've never read it myself--I strenuously avoided anything with the label 'classic' on it as a teen and am still playing catchup.

Think of it as your opportunity for quiet time! Here's what I'd ask--are the kids able to calm down and get to bed at a good time, or does this set them up to stay up late and get cranky? If it ends "when someone gets hurt," is it usually something minor that's over fast, or is it turning into major drama every evening? If the answer is "they calm down and go to bed on time, and the hurts are minor and quickly forgotten," then I'd use the time to go in my room and enjoy a book and some chocolate. :D

If M doesn't want to confront the fact that she's got a drinking problem, she will get mad at anyone who tried to point it out to her. It probably doesn't matter too much what you chose to do--if it stepped on her drinking toes, she would get mad. Maybe P should have kept her mouth shut at work, but I'm not bothered. The more secrecy, the more room M has to keep drinking and perhaps hurt someone.

I know what you mean. I try to expose my girls to a lot of different music, but I'm not that good at it. However, I really like Indian films and music, and I listen to quite a bit of Hindi film music--and my husband can't stand it. It sounds discordant to his ears, which I can't quite figure out. (I can certainly understand his dislike of the girls' singing voices, that's an acquired taste for a Westerner, but the music itself doesn't sound discordant at all to me.) My girls and I are planning on burning a CD of Bollywood music so we can rock out in the car where he won't hear us. :D

More: we have always focused a lot on Japanese and Korean folk tales, and also on Indian literature. Like most homeschoolers, we just ransack the 398 section of the library a lot of the time. :001_smile: But one thing I really like, if you're looking for something more, is the books from Amar Chitra Katha. You know how you can get comic-book-type versions of Bible stories--this is the equivalent for India. They have comic books of, AFAICT, all of the great literature, history, mythology, religion, and folktales of India (there are Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist stories; don't know about Muslim). I had a few when I was a kid and loved them, and I bought some more for my kids. I'd love to get more someday!

I'm not sure that this is entirely true. Lots of Western classical educationalists focus on the West, but that's not a requirement or anything, and SWB has certainly made efforts to include other cultures on reading lists and history books (I'm reading an advance copy of History of the Medieval World right now, and there is a heck of a lot about China, Korea, etc.). I think there's probably an idea with many American classicists that it's good to focus on Western traditions at first, in order to understand the roots of our own culture--and then you can expand from there. I don't know that I agree with that, really. For those looking for more inclusive GB lists, you might like to look at The new lifetime reading plan by Clifton Fadiman, which has been expanded to include the major classics from more cultures. More in a bit.

You know what, there are zillions of good books out there that are fine for young kids to read. So far I've managed to keep my 9yo in good books despite her reading level. Eh, forget it. All this deserves is a big fat :rolleyes:

Mostly pretty good, I stuck to my guns and we actually did everything I wanted them to do. A little bit of "but my hand is tiiiiired...." whining from the 6yo (and no, I don't overburden her with writing). The 9yo said her brain was tired at the end of the school day!

I would really recommend the McCalls and Simplicity patters first for a newbie. I have the Joan Hinds books and AG patterns, and they are not as easy.

No, an infant pattern would be a bad idea, and also harder than a doll pattern. If you look in the craft section of any pattern book by the Big 3, you'll find several 18" doll patterns that will work great for AG dolls. Some will be fancy and others will be easy. Wait for one of those sales where the patterns are 99 cents or $2, and stock up! McCalls and Simplicity have tons of these.

What makes you feel energetic? I would say, try to jump-start yourself by making yourself do that. I find that I am a slow slug in the morning and need light and exercise to get going. So I got a dawn lamp, which shines right in my eyes to wake me up, and I go for a walk with friends first thing, at 6.30. It is really hard to force myself out of bed, but if someone is waiting for me it's easier, and by the time I come back I am ready to face the day.

:grouphug: Bummer. That's really stinky, and I'm sorry.

I could totally use another week, but the desks are organized and we're ready to go.

Wow. That is very ambitious. I will definitely be following along!

Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is an interesting read--deals with subjects not usually addressed in mid-Victorian novels (narrator is a young man who falls in love with a woman he thinks is a widow, but in fact she is in hiding from her drunken, abusive husband).

Well, but SLO is the other good place to live in CA! If I was rich that's where I'd live! I think part of the "Why?" reaction is really "But why are you leaving me?? Don't leave me!"--I don't like my friends to go away. I was born in Bakersfield, 3rd generation. My dad couldn't wait to get out. He was thrilled to get a transfer to Santa Maria.:001_smile:

Funny, I live in Chico and everyone I know--from Sac as well--is trying to get out, or talking about how maybe they ought to get out. I'm feeling very lonely. :( One of my best friends just moved out of state and my husband is over at another friend's house right now, loading up the moving truck. I love Chico and hope to retire here, IMO it's one of the few good places in CA, but if I lived in Sac I'd want out too!

So, yay for all that tolerance of diversity and getting along with other sorts of people you learn in public school, right? ;)

We were without income for most of the year. We learned a lot, we were very blessed, I'm grateful--but I'm sure glad we're back on track. We just barely squeaked through without utter disaster, and we have a long way to go before we're OK. So I voted "A lot of rough spots" because it was bearable and we were so blessed--but "I've had worse times, but not many" would also fit the bill.

I hope you elbowed him in the eyeball?:grouphug:

Rice pudding!

We started with ecclesiastical because we like to sing the songs. We're not Catholic though. I figure we'll get to the classical later and absorb it too--it's not THAT huge a difference is it? V = W, the Cs are all Ks, what else?