That's so nice. :) Happy birthday to your big girl. :)

Wow thank you so much for the wonderful reply. I have a mac, but I absolutely hate it! It crashes constantly and I always have to resist the urge to throw it out the window. Our Dell PC is much more user friendly and is the main computer that we use (since the mac is always crashing ;) ) Does that Battat one run on a PC??

I used to put on latin music really loud and my daughter and I would dance to merengue or salsa. :) I would give her a coffee can and a spoon to bang on it or a baby rattle to shake like a maraca and she liked that. I would also let her play in the bathtub with toys and let her do that bath crayons on the wall or put shaving cream on the wall and let her finger paint with it. I also did the bubbles in the house too. :) We used to play hide and seek as well and I would let her chase me all around and get all tired out so she would take a nap. :) hehe

either for home or maybe in the community that teaches middle school aged children to do graphic arts on the computer?? You know like computer animation, Veggie Tales type of stuff? My daughter loves to play around on the computer and create things and she also loves to write short stories and draw comics and stuff and I just thought that maybe I can channel that into something that she can really grow and develop in and even have a career in if she likes it. I know absolutely nothing about graphic arts though or how to make computer animations or anything like that. I would appreciate any suggestions. I live in South Florida btw, if that is necessary to know. Thank you to all who reply. :) Jennifer

I am reading the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder with my daughter. I loved them so much that I secretly read ahead after she had gone to bed. hehe Maybe Nancy Drew too if she likes mysteries?? Oh, the Life of Faith books are good too. My daughter likes them as well and they are all Christian and teach history too. :)

I don't know if you were referring to my recipe or one of the others, but for mine I don't see why not. It has to slow cook on low heat so that seems ideal for a crock pot, but the sauteeing has to be done in a fry pan just because of the need for a higher heat. :)

Oh that stinks!! I hate it when something like that happens. When you spend alot of time and/or money on a curriculum only to have it tank. Man, I hate that! Then you just keep trying to salvage some part of it to try to make it work to justify the purchase to yourself until you ultimately have to abandon it. Sniff. I feel your pain. :grouphug:

LOOOOL I would love to see that photo. hehe

My recipe for red beans is this... Sort the beans and throw out any stones or beans that are funny looking. Wash them well with water and rinse them (about 3-4 times) then fill the pot with alot of water and let them soak overnight. The next day, throw out the soak water (this cuts down on gas) and rinse again before filling the pot with water covering the beans. Simmer them on low-med (depending on your stove) covered with a couple bay leaves for a few hours. When beans are getting soft, in a separate pan sautee a whole chopped onion, a whole chopped bell pepper and a whole minced head of garlic in olive oil until the onions are and peppers are soft. Pass the onion, pepper garlic mixture through a blender with a little bit of the beans and the bean water to make a thick mixture and pour that back into the bean pot. Repeat until you have blended smooth all of the onion, peppers etc and added it all to the bean pot. Then simmer a little longer and add pepper and adobo or salt to taste. Serve over fresh white rice. YUM. :) edit: one thing I forgot to mention. You can also add some tarragon flakes right at the very end if you want, but it's optional. I also forgot to mention that the onion should be a large one. I usually use a big vidalia onion. I'm guessing about the peppers because I usually buy a bunch at a time and chop them all up and put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer and then take handfuls out as I need them when I'm cooking. For a 1lb bag of dried beans, I usually use 2-3 handfuls of diced peppers. I'm guessing that's somewhere between 1-2 peppers. Sorry I should have put that in originally. :)

I used to let my daughter play online math games to reinforce what she was learning. I cannot remember the names now, but if you google "free online math games" you'll get alot of hits. I also used a CD rom supplement called Elementary Advantage. It teaches basic elementary curriculum skills through fun games. My daughter particularly liked making movies with the Junior Net disc. She liked the math one too, and actually wanted to learn more math because the game was a little above her level when she started playing it so it actually was a great motivator. Hope this is helpful. :)

Oh what a beautiful post. I cannot agree more. It is so sad what you are going through, but the children too are experiencing a loss. If not directly, they can see what you are suffering and because they love you it effects them too. I think definitely this is a time for healing and like the other posters have said there is nothing academically that you can't make up later. This experience in itself is teaching them about loss and how one copes and gets through grief. That in itself is a valuable life lesson. I think math and language arts can take a back seat to that for awhile. My heart truly is breaking for you. I am praying for you. :grouphug::grouphug: Jennifer

LOOOOL too funny. I know, those catalogues make me feel like a horrible mother because I do lose it with my daughter when she's whining and complaining and saying how much she hates math or that school is boring. I keep wanting to tell her, "but your a homeschooler!! You're supposed to be loving this!" hehehehe :D

Like Kalah and her learning of history, I can say that I have greatly improved my own education through homeschooling my 11 year old daughter. I have been able to fill in gaps of things that were missing from my own education and make connections with things that I learned in Public School but didn't really get. I am learning things now teaching my daughter math that I had never learned before. It has been an amazing journey and I really enjoy learning right along side of her. I love the closeness and intimacy that my daughter and I share and I like that we can go at our own pace and not have to have the pressure and stress of tests and such. We really enjoy learning and take the time to wonder and discover things about the world around us. I also like that I have so much time to spend on our morning devotions. She went to a charter school for 3rd grade and that entire year I lamented how short our devotion times were in the morning before school. I really like being able to spend the time poring over the Scriptures with her and having discussions about what it means. She has taught me so much with her perspective and I like being able to see things through someone else's eyes. I really am grateful that I can homeschool and I hope to be able to continue to homeschool my daughter all the way up to college. :)

I cannot say anymore than anyone else here, but my heart does break for you. I'm so very sorry for your loss. I will pray for you. :grouphug:

Oh this made my day! Too funny and true! I grinned from ear to ear when I read that. I think we all have that same idea in our head! It's those curriculum catalogs to blame I think. They always picture the kids on the sofa all snuggled up to mom while she has a book in her hand and is reading to them while they all look up at her in rapt attention with eager smiles on their faces. hehehehe I was reading to my daughter the other day one of the books required for our language arts curriculum and I hear a noise and look up and she's there asleep and snoring. hehehehe :D For me it would have to be Sonlight. I loved the idea of reading all those wonderful books, but after one year I realized, this just ain't happenin in this house. hehe ;) My daughter absolutely HATED Saxon and begged me to switch to something else. We're doing Singapore now. She still doesn't like math, but at least she has less problems to work now. ;) :D

I got my daughter that book Body Talk from Nancy Rue. It isn't a parenting book, but it is written for girls who are either prepubescent, starting into puberty or already in full puberty and menstruating. My daughter really got alot out of that book because it explained to her alot about her emotions and her hormones that were really affecting her behavior. There were things changing in her body but she was too embarrassed to talk to me about it. The book really helped in that regard because she was able to get answers without having to share with me things that she found embarrassing. As for parenting, I love the books written by Dr. Bob Barnes. He has helped me so much in my own relationships with my children. My own parents were horrible and I had no good role models to model my own home after when I became a mom, but Bob Barnes books helped me tremendously in that respect. "Who's in Charge Here" is a good one for dealing with strong willed children and how to establish a plan for discipline in the home. Amazon has it where you can look inside and read the table of contents and excerpts from the book. It's not specific to girls, but it will work for all children. I have used this method with my own children (a boy and a girl) and I am so glad I found it when they were young. I hope this helps you. :) Oh PS, these books are written by Christian authors and have a God centered approach just so you know. :) Blessings, Jennifer

That is so awesome!! My heartiest congratulations to you and your daughter. :)

I know for me I was a very wounded person when I came to faith in God. But that was in 1989. My life radically changed that day and it has never been the same. I still need God desperately in my life, but not for the same reasons. I am no longer in any danger or emotional or psychological pain. On the contrary, my life is filled with great joy, but I just desperately need Him because I don't want to spend one moment without Him. When I first knew Him, He came to me as my Savior and He did save me in a huge way. But now, not only is He my Savior, He has become my very best friend and I just can't wait to meet Him in the morning. I crave His presence, because it is there that I find my joy, my peace, my quiet. It is just sublime and I never want to be out of His presence ever. :)

I know a woman who got saved just reading the Bible. I serve with her at church on Wednesdays. Her whole family is Jewish. She was raised Jewish and has been Jewish all her life. She knew the Old Testament and she read the New Testament because she wanted to find out for herself who Jesus was. When she read it, she was convinced that he really is the Jewish Messiah and she put her faith in Him and was born again. It was really difficult for her because when she did, her entire family turned their back on her and disowned her. It was really sad. But to her that is what it cost. She couldn't deny what she knew to be true. She kept on growing in the Lord and now her mom is coming to church with her. God is good! :)

I wish you a happy birthday. Don't worry. Mine always stink too. I just do something special for myself on another day. hehe :)

They have a placement test that you can take on their website. Singapore.com. I wish you all the best. :grouphug:

My advice to you would be to not give up. The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." I don't know why people get saved at different points in their lives. Maybe it's just a matter of God revealing Himself when that person is ready to believe and receive Him. I didn't get saved until I was almost 18. My daughter got saved when she was 5. My mother got saved when she was in her 50's. Let me just give you that encouragement not to give up. If you keep seeking with a mind that is open, and you seek with your heart, He will be found by you. He said so. You can take Him at His word. :) I pray that God will richly bless you. Jennifer

Oh the books I have might be too old for you then. I have 4A & 4B.

Disney has a free guide. You can get it here. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ Fast passes are the way to go. Also make sure to wear a hat, sunscreen and bring lots of bottled water. They cost a fortune in the park itself and the sun is hot in July. The turkey legs in adventure land aren't that expensive and the kids get a kick out of eating them and I think the burger place over by Space Mountain is the cheaper one too. Hope this helps. :)

I believed in Christ first. He revealed Himself to me. When I went home and read the Bible it all made suddenly made sense and I have no doubts whatsoever that it is the Word of God. The more I study the Scriptures the more I am affirmed in that belief. When I became a Christian, I had absolutely no religious backround or beliefs at all. I was a blank slate if you will. But I have absolutely no doubts that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Bible is God's word. No doubts whatsoever.