Please pray for God's Provision My family is in real need of a van. We currently drive older model cars that are paid for and we don't have a car payment. God has clearly called me to be at home to hs our dd and to care for my elderly mother. Mom is disabled and her strength and health are declining to the point that she is in the process of getting a mobilized scooter. (She has emphasemia and asthma and is on oxygen more and more.) Along with helping my mother get to appointments, to the store, church, etc., I'm also hs'ing our 10 yo dd. We have some co-op activities planned for next school year where there will be times that we need to transport kids and class supplies, so it looks like we will need this van as early as September. We are not wealthy people and do not have the money available to buy a van outright, and we would be living beyond our means to take on a car payment right now. I must say that God has always taken care of us and provided for us in miraculous ways, so I'm asking for prayer for another miracle. Thank you so much for agreeing with me on this need. Blessings, Lucinda and family

I use Firefox on both our home PC and on my MacBook. On the Mac I also have Safari, and on the PC we also have IE. There is no problem with having more than one browser installed on your computer. My browser of choice is Firefox, but on occasion we run into a glitch with certain websites that are incompatible so we have the other browsers on hand as back-up when that happens. Now that I think about it though, that seems to happen less frequently now than in the past. Blessings, Luicnda

You're a much braver woman than I!! Blessings, Lucinda

I have done Atkins and remember well that there was a mental component that would be extremely challenging and difficult when faced with restaurant eating every single day. You may be very different than I am, but I could not do Induction during a vacation. It would be different if you'd been on program longer, but Induction can be stressful. I think I would personally rather make some clear dietary rules to follow from now until the vacation is over, and then begin Induction as soon as I am home again. Clear rules could include eating one (or perhaps two) completely carb-free meals a day, limited or no sugar and x amount of water per day. I would make these rules and follow them exactly. This would help keep the attitude in place, encourage strong discipline and get started with the Atkins style, but would not make you completely miserable during your vacation. FWIW, that would be my best advice. Blessings, Lucinda

I must be using the wrong search words because I can't find the thread you have mentioned. :001_huh: Thanks for the recommendations ladies. I'm open for more, or at least a look at the other thread. Blessings, Lucinda

I figured I could bring this question to the hive since we have so many Mac users. I am moving all of my work to a Mac laptop and am in the market for financial software. I've used Quicken for years on our PC and know that I could purchase a Mac version, but before I do I was wondering if there is another option for the Mac. Has anyone ever used iBank for instance? I am totally open for your recommendations. :bigear: Blessings, Lucinda

This is our situation exactly. Our dd is adopted, but is actually my bio granddaughter. She knows dh and I as her parents and calls us "Mommy" and "Daddy", but her birth parents are by first name. We have never given them cards or gifts on MD or FD because we are her parents. That doesn't mean that the birth parents aren't special in her life at all, we've just maintained the main role as parents. Her birth parents have accepted that and honor our decision. Blessings, Lucinda

Now I wish I would have thought of that! Dh only had a few days of vacation to use and we had to stick to a schedule. But next time I will try to connect with some hive members for sure. Blessings, Lucinda

I love, love, LOVE my MacBook Pro. We also have a late model desktop PC with Vista which is really nice, but I wouldn't trade my trusty little Mac for anything in the world. I've used both platforms over the years in a number of environments, but the two Macs I've owned since 1994 have outworked and outlasted all the others. Blessings, Lucinda

I had a hard time getting through lessons during the months of April and May, due purely to "end of year burnout". We came to a reasonable place to stop and are taking a month off. Dd and I have to do this in the early summer and also during the holidays. After you take a break and recharge your batteries, begin again and you will feel much better. Blessings, Lucinda

We are taking a month off from school so we took a week and headed north to Seattle and Bainbridge Island. What a great trip! 10 yo dd went up to the top of the Space Needle for the first time, walked through Pike Street Market where we bought a fish and handmade items, took a few trips via the fabulous Washington State Ferry system, played on the beaches, and went kayaking. We even re-connected with family that we had not visited with in years, so it was a very special time that will stand out for years in our memories. I'm so glad to have gone, but also glad to be back home. It's nice to put my feet up and read the boards in a more leisurely way for awhile. Hs'ing is a passion and a joy in my life, and planning for fall is always something that I love to do -- but right now I'm forcing myself to take a rest. I hope you are all enjoying your summer, taking time to rest and kick back too. Blessings, Lucinda

I have a warm, cozy house with an open door policy to dd's friends. As nice as it is for watching movies, making art projects, playing dolls and various other little girl activities that are quiet, it isn't a great place to be sporty and active. We don't have a pool or much to do outside unless you want to take a walk to the park. For this reason, my dd's visits with friends are at the other's houses at least 75% of the time. She has three really close friends who have big yards and lots to do (including horse riding) when the weather is nice. Although her friends do come here and always seem to enjoy their visits, the kids end up at dd's friend's houses more often. My guess when I read your post is that you have a really great place for the kids to play and hang out. It is a real compliment to you and your family that they want to come and be with you. Blessings, Lucinda

If you don't post the link on this thread, would you please pm me to let me know? I teach art at a Classical Christian school as well as teaching my own child at home. The art curriculum would be so welcome. Thanks so much! Blessings, Lucinda

I keep a lot of this on hand for spur of the moment meals when we don't feel like cooking. Most people can pull something out of the fridge and pantry to come up with a suitable combination of favorite ingredients customized for each family. We make a giant main bowl with a variety of favorite salad greens (fresh from the farm about now -- we are part of a great CSA and the lettuce is sooooo good right now!). Add to the salad greens some chopped up leftover cooked chicken (any kind works), some sliced sweet onion and chunks of roasted peppers. On the side of the big bowl place smaller bowls with any version of the following: crumbled bleu cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, craisins (or canned mandarin oranges, fresh blueberries or strawberries), whole or sliced almonds, and croutons. Set out several types of dressings. This makes an amazing and healthy full meal salad. You could also put out some hearty bread or rolls and some cold lemonade. Enjoy! Blessings, Lucinda

I was thinking about posting today to ask for prayer for something very similar. You see, I have been on Citalopram (generic for Celexa) for two years and decided to get off of the medication and deal with the depression with prayer and self therapy. I talked to my pharmacist and he told me to slowly wean myself off by taking 1/2 tab alternating every other day with a full tab; do this for one week, then cut down to 1/2 tab every day for a week, then 1/4 tab alternating every other day with 1/2 tab until I am completely off. He said that I should absolutely NOT just stop cold turkey. I am currently taking 1/2 tab daily and it is my second week of tapering off. I feel awful!! I was feeling balanced and great before making the decision to go off the meds, but now I am having anxiety attacks and bouts of sadness and near tears. Today I had a bad headache and have been tired, not normal feelings for me at all. I'm at the point that I wonder if I should be going off the meds or not. I am not opposed to using meds, but I would prefer to not take them if possible. I do realize, however, that sometimes the Lord uses medications and doctor care to heal people. I trust Him with this -- just need wisdom to know the right thing to do now. I hope we both work out a reasonable plan for our own individual needs.

You will be in my prayers RC! Thank you so much for posting. I will wait a couple of weeks and pm you. In the meantime, hang in there. It sounds like you are on a very interesting adventure. Blessings, Lucinda

Chicken Pox do erupt on the torso area first, and they spread quite easily. Most often the child has a day with a mild sore throat and/or fever that seems to go away, then in a couple of days the spots begin to appear. The spots have a little blister on top that usually gets crusty, sometimes even runny. The little blisters itch, and when you scratch it causes them to spread - even to other areas of the body. Another indication could be a sensitivity to light. Your son might not have CP, but I'd watch him closely. CP is a highly contagious disease. Blessings, Lucinda

It was so fast and so intense, no time for any anesthesia and I was tearing badly. I did scream, and the doctor that was on duty (while my doctor was away) actually told me to shut up. Can you believe it? He told me to shut up....really. That was over 20 years ago, and hopefully ob/gyn doctors have better manners now days. :tongue_smilie: Blessings, Lucinda

By any chance, is it listed in the Sources section at the back of the book? (I'm assuming there is a Sources section, like the first edition book that I own.) Lucinda

Thanks for your reply. I agree what you say about following the Trivium, but I'd like to know what she thinks about the curriculum itself. If you have a chance to ask SWB about it, please by all means do. That would be awesome. If you do, would you mind letting me know what she says? Blessings, Lucinda

bump :001_smile:

For those of you that have purchased the newst edition of WTM, could you please tell me if there is any reference at all to TOG? At the conference, was there any mention at all of TOG? I would particularly love to find a review of TOG by SWB or JW if there is one. Thank you! Blessings, Lucinda

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How are you JoAnn? Feeling better now that you are back at home? I hope those swollen ankles went down and are back to normal. Blessings, Lucinda

I had my older children during my 20's during my first marriage, and then went to college full-time in my 30's. I was a single mother for seven years. Ds' were in school, and I planned my classes around their schedules. It worked for us at that time...and I will never be sorry that I went to college when I was ready instead of when other people told me I should go. Also, the bill was mine and so my education meant more to me personally. My only regret is that as a single mother I was not able to either hs or send them to private school. Fifteen years ago I married the love of my life and we have a 10 yo dd, so I am a second time around mom. I think I'm doing a better job now than when I was a younger mom. Blessings, Lucinda