All four of Molly's eggs have hatched. The owlets are named Ashely, Carrie, Kelly, and the newest (hatched yesterday) is Jodi. This is where I watch the live footage. http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Owl_Nest_Box_Cam.html Usually around 10 AM CST the babies get a feeding. You can watch Jodi hatching at this link: Open Video Platform There is a marker on the playtime of the footage noting where Jodi gets out of her egg. Some pictures of Molly helping Jodi out of the egg and then cleaning her.

Present. :)

When my dd was 2.5, she said "mee-cuse" for music. At age 5 she still says 'had-ed', as in, "My brother had-ed to go outside today."

We say 'get a drink of water' or 'go to the bathroom' quite a bit here, too. If my 5-year-old or my 3-year-old start asking unending 'why' questions that get waaaay beyond my ability to explain in an age-appropriate manner or I'm just DONE trying to answer the umpteenth question in a row, we say, "Physics" or whatever branch of science the question falls under. Oh, and we also say in response to many questions, "Why do you think?"

I want to read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Harnessed-Wind-Electricity/dp/0061730327 "Discarded motor parts, PVC pipe, and an old bicycle wheel may be junk to most people, but in the inspired hands of William Kamkwamba, they are instruments of opportunity. Growing up amid famine and poverty in rural Malawi, wind was one of the few abundant resources available, and the inventive fourteen-year-old saw its energy as a way to power his dreams. "With a windmill, we'd finally release ourselves from the troubles of darkness and hunger," he realized. "A windmill meant more than just power, it was freedom." Despite the biting jeers of village skeptics, young William devoted himself to borrowed textbooks and salvage yards in pursuit of a device that could produce an "electric wind." The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is an inspiring story of an indomitable will that refused to bend to doubt or circumstance. When the world seemed to be against him, William Kamkwamba set out to change it." The Language Police is another good read. Born to Run, I've heard is good, too. http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303

Thanks for your help. No sense buying something I won't really need (at least until later). :)

I'm considering getting the Spelling Workout: Level A for my 5-year-old daughter. What are your thoughts on the Teacher's Edition? Did you find it really helpful? Or, is the workbook alone sufficient? Thank you for your input! :)

When I was very little (4-6) I remember going to the library quite frequently with my mom. We read books every night. When I started reading and writing, I got to pick my own books, and, my mom would help me write my own stories by having me dictate them to her. When I'd spend the night at my grandparents' (or another relative's) home, we read together then, too. I remember my grandma reading me the Little House books in particular. When we'd drive a long distance, I had books on tape to listen to (and/or follow along by a bell dinging). Once I learned to read well, I always had a book with me on trips--it was expected of any person who did not get carsick while reading in the car to have at least one book to read. Even when I was much older (teen), my siblings and I would listen to my mom read to us. We read The Wheel on the School, The Cat Who Came for Christmas, Tree Wagon, and several others.

I'd like to help, too.

Oh, Kari! My heart and prayers go out to you and your family. :grouphug:

That is darling! And I bet it was delicious, too! :)

Oh, wow! Thanks for sharing it, Rosie! I wish I could shrink myself so I could live in that cute little hobbit house...

My name is Emily and I am doing home preschool with my dd5 while her two little brothers (almost 3 and 15 months) listen in. My husband and I will have our 8th anniversary this summer--my goodness how time flies. We follow a rather eclectic approach--TWTM, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Suzuki. This site has been invaluable in helping me develop confidence as a newbie homeschooler, find and assess curriculum, and troubleshoot teaching and parenting challenges. When I'm not reading, reading, reading about homeschooling and education, I enjoy gardening, baking bread, taking nature walks, and learning about whatever catches my fancy. I love that this forum is full of eclectic personalities who have given a great deal of thought to their philosophy of education and life in general. Makes for interesting reading. This has been a fun thread to read!

I had a lazy eye as a small child. My left eye would wander, typically outwards. I had an operation around 18 months of age to fix the muscle. As a three-year-old I remember having my eyed dilated, watching puppet shows and special cartoons to track my vision, and looking at the eye charts with shapes to test my vision. I think the nurses just said that my vision would be funny when they put the drops in, but that it wouldn't hurt. I think I got funny glasses to protect my eyes from sunlight and to make the experience fun. I do not remember freaking out. I remember actually enjoying the visits to the pediatric opthamologist--what with the puppet show and cartoons. In addition to the check-ups, I had to wear an eye patch for awhile and do special eye exercises. After my eye surgery I had 20/20 vision (now at 31 it is not quite 20/20 anymore but that's better than having an eye that can't see right at all).

I love reading your posts! You always give great advice. :) This is a very interesting thread; I'm enjoying it (and learning from it--I need to do more than just try to ignore horrible behavior like that when I encounter it).

Well, this, I think, would require obtaining an old Nintendo box. A very tame, yet endlessly engaging video game: Bubble Bobble. Cute little dinosaur/dragon characters blow bubbles onto monsters. They then have to jump onto and pop the bubbles to destroy the trapped monsters. If this doesn't happen quickly enough a white whale comes to get the dinosaur/dragon good guys. The background music is fun, too. Love it still.

That does look like a good recipe! Thanks! I will try my vegetarian chili again. It was rejected last year, but maybe my kids' taste buds have matured in a year. (I can hope!!) :) Thank you for the great suggestions! I'll give them a try! The green smoothies also sound like a great idea. I may have to add some food coloring, though, because my dd is suspicious of anything 'green'.

I would like to start cooking more vegetarian meals for our family, particularly more legume/grain dishes. My husband and I like quite a few vegetarian dishes, but my kids (ages 5, 2.5, 1) do NOT like most of them. My pickiest child also disdains most vegetables. I did have pretty good success hiding red lentils in my marinara sauce. I love trying new recipes, but at this point I want to try things that already have a good track record with kids. What are some vegetarian meals that your kids have enjoyed? Thanks in advance! :bigear:

My favorite, aside from my Maya Wrap ring sling (which you have), is my BabyHawk mei tai. It goes over both shoulders and can be used on either your front or your back. With my high need second baby, I used it for the better part of every day until he was old enough to walk (even then he often slept in it).

So, would chewing one's food really, really, really well work, too, to get lots of saliva worked in? One of my elderly relatives said you should chew each bite 50 times before swallowing. I never tried counting each bite...

The Baby Book. Dr. William Sears The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogel Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic. by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka The Discipline Book. by Dr. William Sears Interestingly enough, here are some other books that I've found have helped me, even though they aren't exactly parenting books: Nurtureshock. by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman; Endangered Minds. by Jane M. Healy; and Einstein Never Used Flashcards by Kathy Hirsh-Pacek.

This is a very difficult question. A good one, but difficult for me to narrow down. Fiction: Alexander Dumas, Jane Austen, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ray Bradbury, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery Non-Fiction: Marcus Tullius Cicero

A friend of mine and I were just chatting about this actually. My game face is apparently pretty convincing. School: My eldest only just turned 5, so we're mostly reading a lot, doing Kumon workbooks if she wants, playing, exploring. I do put together some of my own curriculum, but it's stuff I've compiled from other sources and put into a single document. As for the actual schooling of my kiddos, I'm actually quite nervous about how in the world I'm going to balance school and household duties with 3 little monkeys running around! :eek: Natural cleaning products- vinegar and water in a water bottle for a few things. I'm trying to transition to more natural cleaning products, but Tilex really does take care of my neglected shower. :blushing: Super cool homemade clothes - heavens, no! Thrift store finds for us. Though, I wish I'd learned how to sew... Gourmet homecooked food. Once in a blue moon. Do holiday meals count? Well behaved kids: Usually they're fine in public. Usually. At home they're pretty good, but some days I can only repeat "this, too, shall pass" or through gritted teeth in a growl, "they sure are spirited kids". Ugh. Super smart: Bright and curious and interested in learning is enough for me. Those traits will carry them far if applied with persistence, courage, and integrity. Loving, supportive dh: Yes, but he, too, is a little worried how balancing schooling and household duties will go. Beautiful school room: Someday...? I LOVE seeing others' pictures. They give me good ideas if ever I get my own schoolroom. Creativity: Sometimes I get a neat idea all on my own--definitely these sometimes are few and far between. Sometimes I just "cheat" and use idea books. Sometimes we just stick with workbooks or let the kids exercise their own creatively with a piece of paper and colors. Lessons, clubs, sports: My eldest is only 5 so her activities are not super frequent. I also deliberately choose activities that do not meet several times a week. Thank heavens for in-laws. They help us out with activities, too. Clean House: Nope. I try to keep it picked up, but then there are still the piles of projects, papers I haven't taken the time to file properly, laundry, oh, and please don't look too closely at my floors. :blushing: Cyber world: Lurking on message boards and reading other people's blogs is as far as I get (and usually this happens when I ought to be sleeping). My poor extended family hasn't gotten updated PicasaWeb pictures in months. And, I've almost finished mailing the pictures and letter I had intended to mail out BEFORE Christmas. Yikes! One of my favorite lines so far in this thread is: please pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Absolutely. This thread is great for my sanity, too. Thanks for putting it out there!

I know the Tempe area best. But here it goes: Rula Bula is a super Irish restaurant in Tempe. Tandoori Times is a tasty Indian restaurant in Scottsdale. Hole in the Rock near the zoo is fun to hike. The Children's Museum, I hear, is great (it opened shortly before we moved so we didn't get there). There are places to hike all over the city--and now is a good time of year to do it! :)