We have allergies to dust in the family plus an elderly grandmother with COPD living with us, and I really need to upgrade to a better vacuum cleaner. Money is pretty tight, so I'm going to have to save up for it. I'm looking at and seriously considering a Dyson DC39 Animal canister vac, as I prefer canisters over upright models, especially since we have stairs and I find a canister to be more versatile in reaching areas. Does anyone have this type of vacuum? If so, how do you like it? Is there anything out there comparable to this, but with a lower price tag? Thanks in advance for your input. Blessings, Lucinda

AHG is a really great organization and I highly recommend it. Each chapter does have a personality of its own though, and so there may be requirements that differ in each of them. Be sure to check out the fine print before committing your dd, as you may or may not be able to participate fully as the rules dictate for them. For us it didn't work out because of the very high and rigid expectation for parent involvement. As a working mom who also homeschooled and was very active in other community volunteering, it was not realistic for me to take part in as much as our particular chapter demanded. We ended up having issues, and so sadly it was not a good fit for our family. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm going to have to think about that one. I can see how it would work well, but we have a limited amount of time each week to work on it, so that may make it challenging. Good suggestion though. Thank you! Blessings, Lucinda

Thanks! That's pretty close to what I have in mind, except i'm planning for students to draw out their own designs and build them. These models might come in handy though, so I'm glad you shared them. I'd love to have pictures as examples for my students so they can see what others have done as they explore ideas. At any rate, I'm going to jump in and make one in advance so I can have my own example. This should be a fun project. Blessings, Lucinda

:)

Thank you so much for the suggestion. Legos would be awesome, but unfortunately I have to go about it using fine arts methods because this is for a group of students at a private classical school. I think that using card stock, glue, tape & perhaps even thread we might be able to make it work. Anyway, I brought the idea here because I thought that with the large, diverse group of homeschool families here, someone would have done or seen something like this. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm planning to do a hands on art history project with 10th graders soon, and would like to know if anyone has suggestions, resources, pictures or whatever for creating dioramas on ancient Greek/Roman architecture. Has anyone done this before? Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have to offer. :bigear: Blessings, Lucinda

I'm planning to do a hands on art history project with 10th graders soon, and would like to know if anyone has suggestions, resources, pictures or whatever for creating dioramas on ancient Greek/Roman architecture. Has anyone done this before? Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have to offer. :bigear: Blessings, Lucinda

Open Office has everything that Micr*soft Office has, and is completely compatible. I use it all the time. Just launch the program and select 'spreadsheet'. Then follow the same directions for Excel listed above. Blessings, Lucinda

I've always tested as INFJ.

Why give up so soon? She may very well push through the problems with some persistence. She's obviously challenged, and that isn't a bad thing necessarily. Blessings, Lucinda

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Your family is in my prayers now and going forward, especially you as a mother in this situation. Do remember that God is with you in this, even though it doesn't look or feel like it now. Blessings, Lucinda

You may want to contact customer service, as they are usually very helpful with that sort of thing. Another option would be to call out a request here on the forum for someone who owns TOG 3 already and would be willing to share the list with you. Blessings, Lucinda

If you think things have changed in the past ten years, some of us older moms have seen a very drastic change in the past 20-30-40 years. Wow! I can't even begin to express how sad it is to see how our culture has changed when it comes to morals. In the 60's we did go through what is now called a sexual revolution, but in everyday America living together outside of marriage was still referred to as "living in sin". It was actually shocking to most of us that anyone would even consider it. Even if you weren't particularly religious, the average American viewpoint was that marriage brought security to families with children. It makes me want to cry sometimes when people are so casual and matter of fact about the devaluing of marriage. And as a woman who's seen and lived a lot in my 58 years, I have come to recognize the sad fact that men particularly gain a great deal from living together without being married. They get all the benefits of marriage without taking the full responsibility. Why so many young women of today cannot see this is a mystery to me. (I suppose I'll get a lot of tomatoes thrown at me for saying that, but I'm holding to that statement never the less.) And why is it that people bring up high divorce rates as proof that marriage is no longer necessary? Divorce is the failure of people, not marriage itself. What we see now is a whole generation of people that don't even understand the meaning of the word commitment. Marriages that are based on loyalty and commitment provide a secure environment and the most healthy foundation for both children and adults. I personally believe that marriage is sacred and that when biblical standards are applied it reaps the richest rewards in life, but even if I weren't a Christian believer I'd still see the value in marriage and how terribly important it is to society. I could go on and on and on....but I don't have the time. Blessings, Lucinda

I'll put in another vote for TOG. It's awesome! One good thing about it would be that you could have more than one level going within a co-op since it is designed for families with multiple levels. But honestly, the quality of the materials is wonderful and there are numerous co-ops using it. Blessings, Lucinda

Although I love wood trim I voted to paint because, like another poster mentioned, it covers flaws and is much less involved than refinishing. Be sure to clean it with TSP and use a primer before applying paint though. The varnish finish may be oil based and cause the new paint to not stick as well. You can never go wrong with using primer. It creates a barrier between the old and new, and also helps hide flaws. Primer can also make a HUGE difference when it comes to paint chipping. If there is a problem with chipping paint, it is most likely that a primer was not used. Why not go with neutral colors in the kids' bedrooms, but bring color in with draperies, bedding, etc.? There are a lot of beautiful neutrals out there -- including light shades of yellow, gray, taupe, etc. I'd also recommend using a satin finish in the kids' rooms so the walls are easy to clean. I did this when my dc were little and it made a world of difference. If you are unsure about colors, ask for larger samples. Most paint stores have larger paint chips available behind the counter. In many stores you can also buy samples in mini cans to take home and test on the wall. Have fun! Blessings, Lucinda

Some say that she will become the Queen Consort when Charles ascends to the throne, but somehow I doubt that she will ever become Queen. For one, even though public sentiment has softened towards her, her relationship with Prince Charles is steeped in scandal and controversy. And she is also not of royal lineage, was raised catholic and has children by another man and raised those sons as catholic. Looking at previous titles given to spouses of queens in British history makes me think Camilla would not be given the title of Queen as well. For instance, Prince Phillip is of royal blood and he was not given the title of King or King Consort, but rather the title of Prince. And the same can be said of Prince Albert who was of royal blood yet held the title of Prince and then later, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria. BTW, the addition of Consort added to a title indicates that they have a supporting role in matters rather than simply carrying their title. Although Camila does travel with Prince Charles and take part in royal events, she will doubtfully be involved with matters of State. My guess is that she'll just have the title of Princess Camilla. Just my guess. Lucinda

Corisaza, definitely. Do keep in mind in your search, however, that often in geneology studies there can be a number of variations of the same family name. Some individuals simply want to spell it differently and so they and their branch of the family will use that spelling. My maiden name has at least 2 variations within my family tree. Also, you may not find information on your relative's name simply because not all births were/are recorded. Blessings, Lucinda

Maybe the difference was that her prince was the heir apparent, or because he's the Prince of Wales. Another possibility is that the Queen has bestowed the title of Princess on her yet. Not sure, but just a guess. Blessings, Lucinda

Same here, and we were glad for it because it allowed plenty of time for discussion. I personally would not have liked to do FD 2x during the week. Dd looked forward to having it on Fridays, along with other electives/one day only subjects. The tone of FD is humorous and light, and it's a great intro to logic. After a year of doing it we are going to move on to formal logic that we will have 2x week. Blessings, Lucinda

In a perfect world, I would certainly opt for that - especially since my elderly mother lives with us, I homeschool and work outside the home. But, gosh, no. It just isn't in our budget right now since dh is unemployed and going to school. I don't hate you. You are my role model. :) Well SKL, I only have one kid at home and she does help me quite a bit. Dh also helps, but I really don't want to order him around, and the only other one in the house is my mom, age 82. As to outsourcing, please read above comments. Blessings, Lucinda

Well, instead of a poll I'm going to list the options here and you can pick one and share your thoughts. I find great joy and fulfillment in keeping a tidy, organized home for my family and do my chores without fail. I feel overwhelmed often about housework, but I manage to get it done anyway. Doing household chores is completely depressing for me, and I only do what has to be done. If it weren't for help from dh and dc, our house would be a pit. Because homeschooling and caring for children are more important than keeping house, I give myself permission to let it go. We prefer that "lived in" look and only clean our house if company's coming. I hate housework and just don't care if my house is clean. Thanks for your input! Blessings, Lucinda

When I was a young wife and mother I enjoyed keeping house, but now that I'm much older and I'm much busier with work outside the home and homeschooling, I find housework to be such a drudge. I love a clean, organized home, but it all too often seems impossible for me to achieve and so I find it to be a source of depression at times. My home isn't filthy, but I don't come close to being the homemaker that I would like to be. I do get help from family, but the majority of chores still falls on my shoulders. I know a lot of moms here have talked about letting it go and not having housework be a priority. If this is you, doesn't it get to you after awhile? How do you manage, cope, persevere? Lately I've been working on my attitude, trying to take on more thankfulness as I meditate on the many blessings I have. When I'm doing the dishes, I thank God for the food we have that is the reason we have dirty dishes. When I'm folding laundry I thank Him for clean water and electricity. As I'm tackling the endless dusting, vacuuming and other chores I am giving thanks for the fact that we have this shelter and roof over our heads that offers us warmth, protection and light. As I do these things, I also think about my dear family and how much I love them. Yet even though I'm working on taking on a new attitude, I still find myself lacking in joy. Then today I remembered listening to "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence, and decided to listen to it again. I'm hoping that I'll get inspired and once again love serving others through keeping my home. (If you have never heard this recording and would like to, is a link.) I'm interested in hearing from others about attitude and feelings about doing housework. Do you struggle like I do, or do you find joy and fulfillment in it? I hope my poll covers enough choices, but as always -- if I've left something out, please feel free to post your thoughts. Blessings, Lucinda

Me tooo! Makes me want to go back and review a few things even though I was trying to outguess them on some. Lucinda

We are beta testing WWS2 during 8th grade, and if we were to continue hs'ing during high school I would keep dd going with WWS as each level comes out. As it is though, dd will be going to private school for 9-12. That is the plan though. And who knows? This particular school is a huge fan of SWB and has been reviewing WWS as a regular curriculum. Dd could still possibly use WWS for all I know. BTW, I believe that the plan is to have WWS2 published in 2013. Blessings, Lucinda