:iagree: If at all possible, dh or ds takes care of it. But sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. At least I don't have to touch it this way!

You can get these at Home Hardware. They reduce the gross factor. :D

Based on my experience with my oldest, I would say they're fine for 5th but by 7th they were a bit simplistic. I bought Blackline Maps of World History, based on recommendations seen here I'm sure. That book has both simple activities and unlabeled map exercises. Now I just have to be more diligent about using them. :blush:

Oh man, the Moses clock and the duck soup tureen just crack me up. :lol: I'm not very good at giving gifts... Mennonite father born during the depression, Scottish mother... enough said. But my mom has sure given some doozies the past few years. She gave my then-1yo daughter a bottle of play soap for the bathtub with the dollar store tag still on it. DD neither knew nor cared, and it was something she and I could enjoy, but ouch! I believe that's the same year my SIL received a plastic measuring cup. :confused: None of us could figure that one out. My little sister, always outspoken, must have said something to her about it though, because she's put a bit more thought into it since then.

We had Rosemary Lamb Ragout for dinner. Yum!

Yes, the Persians demanded the Spartans lay down their arms. This was the Spartan response. Great link, Mrs. Mungo. I wanted to like '300'. I knew it was going to be in graphic novel-style, but it was just so over the top. :tongue_smilie: I thought it was lame. I did enjoy a recommendation here for a novel about the Battle of Thermopylae, 'The Gates of Fire' by Stephen Pressfield.

This is funny in light of the You might have been on the WTM boards too long if....... thread. When Peek a Boo was in fine form she would often sign herself Pique-A-Boo. :lol:

Most of the time, toast. Tonight, slices of apple and cheese.

I'm guessing that with or without television of any sort, children will not always be kind to one another. Shocking - not. That's why the ideal place for the majority of a preschoolers' day, IMNSHO, is not with large peer groups, but with their primary caregiver.

If this isn't too off-topic, I've always wondered how Mary remained a virgin in Catholic tradition when she had other children.

Really? What counts as old age then?

Without modern medicine, passing away at age 80 would not be premature. While I too would like to avoid death, I don't think it's possible. :001_smile:

He had the bypasses at age 80? I find nothing premature about that.

For elementary TT, the computer gives you two chances to type in the answer and then it is graded as incorrect. When he is done a lesson, you can easily see which ones gave him difficulty and go over that concept with him, or have him watch the solutions for just those problems. It has been fabulous for my struggling student. It has a high re-sale value, I think, so if it doesn't work out, it might not be that expensive a mistake.

DS will be writing the chapter 6 test on decimals today, so the verdict is still out on whether it is enough, but I suspect he's getting it. He'll begin the percents chapter tomorrow. I sure appreciate the constant review of concepts with programs like MUS and TT for him. And I have the Key to books in a box upstairs... just in case. :D

Just to throw one more option out there, TT Pre-Algebra has a *lot* of review. My ds also struggled with fractions in TT7, but is getting plenty of practice with the pre-algebra this year. I don't think you could go wrong with the Key to books, however.

Frying or scrambling, if I cook enough eggs for everyone we can use up a dozen, no problem. Has anyone mentioned waffles yet?

:iagree:

I can so relate to those nauseous, worried feelings from household disasters. I hope the damage ends up being relatively minor! And I can never figure out what I'm supposed to be learning in those situations either. :P

This was my reality when my kids were this age. I remember the messes made when I finally found time for a shower or was nursing the baby who was finally falling asleep, etc. You're not expecting too much. If you can make the advice you are receiving work for you, I'm sure it will indeed be a life saver. By the time I had the energy for this sort of parenting, my kids were getting old enough that it wasn't quite the same problem. Take heart, they will get older, it will get better. (((hugs)))

Lots of cougars where we are. They certainly *will* attack a horse and rider, though extremely rarely. I could probably dig up a news link to the story of a mom who while out riding with her kids was killed, if need be. We don't have the option of hand guns in Canada, so if you can acclimate your horse to the noise, I would. Bring a dog on your rides. You already got good advice here: don't run, face them head on, make yourself big.

I had similar concerns when middle ds was about 3 or 4. Dh brought in a still-warm rabbit and I cautiously asked ds what he thought. His reply? "Looks like a tasty little one!" Country kids, for sure. :D

I was researching fridges this summer. Two reasons I found that might potentially stop me from purchasing one with a freezer on the bottom: 1. If you have, er, active climbers for children they might climb on the bottom door to get into the top. (Blessedly, mine are pretty much past this, but it still gave me pause for thought.) 2. The models I looked at actually had less fridge space and more freezer space in that design. I have a chest freezer and just need a little space in the house for convenient things, and prefer more room in the fridge section.

This just about makes me cry. Tow bill, bill for the diagnostic machine, for a fuse? What are they, like $1? Oh, that's just... :tongue_smilie:

Fuel pump. Don't ask me how I know. Dh says for your scenario maybe alternator. You can hit it and sometimes the brushes will touch (?) and it will run again for a little while. Broken fan belt might work, too. Overheating - let it cool off and drive some more.