Nothin' to do....nothin' to do... I always feel this way after the final show. Too bad there isn't a sequel. :lol: Lucinda

Thank you.

I started reading to my dd when she was a baby. Every single night we read together from a huge, growing stack of books. She loved language immediately. When she was four years old she shocked me by starting to read the books to me. I checked very carefully to make sure she had not just memorized the stories...but she really did know how to read them! I had never deliberately taught her, yet she cracked the code on her own and was reading way before she started kindergarten. The teachers in ps (where she attended k-2) would sometimes have her read to her fellow students during story time, or even be a reading buddy to a younger student. I wonder what the state of CT would say to that? :tongue_smilie: Blessings, Lucinda

I am also an art teacher at a private Christian school and I love it! When I was hired last summer I was just as exhuberant as you are now, for good reason. This is the best job I've ever had...fits me to a tee. You are going to just love, love, love all the children and also the opportunity to minister to them through Christ and art. This is the very best part -- we can infuse the love of Christ and the truth of God's intention for the arts into the minds of little ones. What an awesome opportunity and privilege! I've seen on your blog that you are into the writings of Fancis Shaeffer, just as I am too. Go for it, girl! Preach his writings to the little ones and help make this world a better place. Please be warned, however, that teaching art to children and youth is very, very tiring both physically and mentally. I come home from a full day of work and feel like rolling into a prenatal position some weeks. As rewarding as it is, it is also very demanding. Once again, congratulations! Please feel free to PM me anytime you want to explore ideas or get input. I'm really happy for you. Blessings, Lucinda

Willamette Valley in Oregon to be precise. Blessings, Lucinda

Just be sure to drink liquids and enjoy some cookies when you are done. Your body will recover quickly and you can rest assured that you just helped save lives with your small sacrifice. Blessings, Lucinda

You can also go to www.bobsredmill.com and find lots of resources, including recipes and bakeware. I have purchased pans from Bob's and really love them. Along with the traditional bake pans, I really like the baguette pans for dinner breads. My family just loves it when I bake baguettes. Happy baking! Blessings, Lucinda

INFJ without a doubt. Funny, now that I'm older I am an introvert. While in my 20-s and 30-s I was an extrovert. Anyone else change this way with maturity? Blessings, Lucinda

I wish I'd had all of the support with ideas that you are getting here! This is such a blessing. I hope your dh hears what you are saying about needing him more, and I hope he steps up to the plate. Please do let us know how things are going for you during this time. You will need support and encouragement, so please let us do that for you. Feel free to PM me anytime as I am available for listening, giving ideas and also for prayer. Blessings, Lucinda

It will be stressful, but preparing ahead of time will help. Get organized with the bedroom and bathroom, making sure you have all the supplies handy when you need them. Plan the meals weekly and form a schedule for companionship and chores. Involve the children! They can be a tremendous help. Do not, I repeat DO NOT allow yourself to carry the full burden. Meet with your dh on a regular basis and involve him in the planning and practical caring day-to-day. It will be a gift to him in the long run. My df suffered from dementia for 14 years before finally passing away, and we also have my elderly dm living with us now. We have used both home care and assisted living care so I can understand both sides that have been discussed. But here is the bottom line for me; life is difficult, but the family needs to pull together. When things get hard, it isn't wrong to persevere for the sake of our loved ones. That is, if we are able to. Many Americans have the habit of bailing out when life gets hard, but we don't have to all be that way. In your situation, it sounds like the family is sharing the burden and that is such a wonderful thing. I commend you for being willing to care for your dmil for two months. There will come a day when your dc will look back at this experience with thankfulness. You are also showing them by example how to care for their own parents with love and compassion when that time comes. Aging and dying are part of life. This dmil of yours served her family, sacrificed and endured through many trials of parenting. She deserves personal, loving care from her family in her final years. No one can care for her like her own family. Most countries of the world outside the U.S. care for their own families at home, and from my experience it is much more meaningful. Even through suffering and grief, there are beautiful life lessons for adults and children during this process. It is a very beautiful thing to give back to a life this way, bringing it to a full circle. When we give them over to strangers we miss so much. Visiting our loved ones in a care facility (even regularly) just isn't the same. It takes away so much of what I'm talking about. I realize that not everyone is able to do this, but if it is at all possible for the family to care for an aging loved one instead of placing them in a facility -- please do it! Dad didn't always know who I was, but I always knew who he was. I owed him so much, even if he no longer remembered my name. I have so many regrets about my father's care, but none about my mother's. Looking back, I would have done it all so differently. Blessings to you and your family. Lucinda

:iagree: Yes, you hit it on the nose!! I am a big David Cook fan. He's the bomb! Blessings, Lucinda

I didn't realize until just the past few years that not all flour is the same. Even pre-milled flour comes in a variety of choices and has different characteristics. When you mill your own flour you can experiment with different grains and blends, which can be very rewarding. Grinding your own flour would also be a good thing if you want to know how old the flour actually is. Some flour sits on the shelf in a warehouse or the market for a very, very long time before being used. When it comes to grains for my family I really don't like that idea. You can also insure that your own flour is made of the best grains and has no other contaminants or non-organic products. Baked goods made from fresh milled flour can be heavenly! It really isn't as labor intense as you'd think either. I don't mill all my flour, but I have done some in the blender and also with my friend's mill. We buy from Bob's Red Mill here locally and know that it is pure and fresh, but if I did not have that resource I would be shopping for a mill to have at home. Happy grinding and baking! Blessings, Lucinda

I really like having a player on a website that allows me to choose listening. Otherwise, it can be a bother when the music loads or blares out over other music I'm already listening to. Some blogs with music make my computer go crazy, lock up or cause errors. Since not all are built with the same blog tools or techniques I'd rather just not have music on a blog at all. Blessings, Lucinda

This echoes my earlier post as well. When you are a follower of Jesus, there is no neautral ground. He is Lord of all your life not just certain parts. Enough said-not argument intended. :D Blessings, Lucinda

In order to pass on to our dd the very best education and lessons for life, we must include our faith with her education. After k-2 in public school, we realized she was not getting what she needed both spiritually and academically. We believe, as SWB states in TWTM, that "...this separation of religious faith from education yields an incomplete education." (ch. 11, pg. 205) This is the primary reason we homeschool, but I must say that we are also primarily striving for excellence in her education. I don't believe that we can honestly claim that education remain neautral..."If Christianity is really true, then it involves the whole man, including his intellect and creativeness. Christianity is not just "dogmatically" true or "doctrinally" true. Rather, it is true to what is there, true in the whole area of the whole man in all of life." (Francis A. Schaeffer, Art and the Bible, Ch. 1) Blessilngs, Lucinda

It's from Canon Press and has been highly recommended to me by others on this board. Canon Press is recommended by TWTM, and CP promotes it as friendly for non-Latin speaking parents to teach. The price is right too. Check here for more info. Blessings, Lucinda

his "Revival in Belfast" album is my all time favorite. It is worship music recorded in Ireland where Proddies and Catholics came together to worship in unison. The album is extremely inspiriing for people of all ages. Some of his other albums are great too, but this one is the best of all. I also love Jeremy Camp, Nichole Nordeman and Matt West, along with all the others that have already been listed. In my humble opinion, every family should invest in a good stereo system and a variety of music for everyone to experience. This is all part of creating a great environment of learning and appreciation for our children. Enjoy your music. What a wonderful gift! Blessings, Lucinda

He's the winner in my book. All the others are talented, but not mature in their craft. I usually like Carly, but for the past two weeks I've been losing interest. This is the time to pull out all the stops and I think that David C. is the only one pushing harder each week to prove he's got what it takes. I agree that either Brooke or Jason will go home tonight. Too bad they couldn't just send them both home and get it over with. :tongue_smilie: Blessings, Lucinda

So many great ideas! I feel better already. I will check these out; some which I've heard of and some that are new. I appreciate you sharing from your own experience. I'm so thankful for this forum! :001_smile: Blessings, Lucinda

My eyes are glazed over from looking at so many websites! I am at a complete loss on what science curriculum to choose for my dd who will be going into 4th grade. This was our first year of homeschooling and we did not go heavy into science for 3rd grade. Other than a few animal studies here and there, we just haven't focused long. I feel I need to get her caught up a bit, especially because of testing she will have to take after completing 4th grade. My goal is to find a general Christian curriculum that will cover several subjects including plants, animal kingdom, and maybe geology, weather, the planets, etc. We were going to use the Apologia books on the animal kingdom and botony for elementary students, but after reading some other posts on how intense they are for young students I've changed my mind. I'd prefer a curriculum that includes lesson plans that are not heavy on the teaching side. We love to learn together and science is not my greatest strength. Suggestions or ideas anyone? Blessings, Lucinda

I was planning to give dd a concentration in botany next year, but now after reading your posts I am changing my mind. I'll be looking for a general science course instead. If anyone has a suggestion on a good general curriculum for a nine year old (with a Christian perspective), I'm all ears. :bigear: Blessings, Lucinda

:thumbup: Your WTM forum friends are all so proud of you! You'll have to share all about the trip when you return. ENJOY! Blessings, Lucinda

and it will certainly help if I don't come up with the other lists. The thread I'm thinking of spelled out clearly what each child should have learned at the completion of each given grade. Does that ring a bell for anyone? :bigear: As to rep points: they are explained in the rep points sticky on the main forum page. They are to be given out in the community for meaningful, informative, helpful posts (or acts of help in some cases). Blessings, Lucinda

Some months ago I remember reading on this forum masteries for each subject listed by grade level. I thought I kept a copy, but can't seem to locate. Would anyone that has this information mind reposting it or linking me to the old post? I particularly need to where I'm at with my 3rd grader...but would love to have the info for upcoming grades as well. Rep points will be well deserved for this one! ;) Thanks in advance. Blessings, Lucinda

I recently went to an out of state conference all by myself, although I met friends there and roomed with them part of my stay. I made a point to stay an extra day all by myself and it was sooooooo good for me! I had a wonderful quiet time of relaxation doing what I wanted to do, slept in the next morning and had a very sweet time of prayer and devotions all by myself. I even loved traveling on the plane by myself because I don't have much alone time at home. Getting away by yourself can be an excellent way to hear God's voice when there isn't anything going on to interrupt. Hope you go, dear friend. You are so blessed. Lucinda