I'm not sure of the answer but I know what you mean. We have egg and milk allergies and while we can have rice and beans...beans get old after a while, meat is expensive and the only option left is eggs. Often the rest of the family will eat an egg dish and I will just go without or make a pb sandwich. Or our meals just taste really bland or thin from the lack of milk/cheese products. Dh and 2 of the kids have diary issues. The only thing I know to do is plan carefully so we can try to avoid tight grocery weeks and realize that due to health issues we are probably never going to be able to eat for next to nothing. :(

;)

My dd got lice after a major road trip from a cousin who had it. :glare: None of the chemical shampoo treatments worked. The pediatrician's office told me to slather her hair with mayo, put a shower cap on her and let it set over night then rinse it out with vinegar in the morning. Then spray her hair twice a day with plain, undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle and use a nit comb. We could stop doing the daily vinegar spray after she had been completely nit free for 5 days. She smelled like a pickle for about a week but it was the only thing that finally got rid of all the nits. :lol: We also washed every blanket and pillow in the house in hot water and dried it on high in the dryer. All stuffed animals went in black trash bags and set out in the sunshine for a week. I wouldn't necessarily cancel your travel plans, just be cautious and watchful. ;)

My oldest was a typical medicated hospital birth. Hated it. Horrible experience. My second child was a "we almost didn't make it to the hospital" hospital birth. No meds but not by choice. A pretty good experience overall even if it wasn't what I had planned. This was a different hospital than my first was born in. My third was a natural birth by choice in the same hospital. Also a pretty good experience. My fourth was induced at 35 weeks due to Placental abruption. Since we wanted to try and avoid a c-section and I had a history of quick labors they agreed to let me try and labor, pitocin induced to speed it along. They were ready to speed us off to the OR if things got iffy. I still did it without pain medication. Considering the circumstances, it was a good experience. My fifth was born at home in a birthing pool and while we do not plan to have anymore children, if I had to do it again, I would do it at home. It was the best experience. My husband was in Iraq at the time of ds's birth but my dad and stepmom can to stay with me and the other four kids. I loved my midwife and the whole experience was just awesome. The midwife and her assistant (a midwife apprentice) cleaned up everything. ETA: I chose homebirth because the hospital we were nearest was the same one my oldest was born in and I was not going back there for any reason. There were no other birthing options in the area and my midwife, the nearest one to me, still lived about 90 minutes away. The nearest birthing center was just over an hour away and since I labor pretty quickly, I decided that giving birth at home with the midwife on the way was preferable to giving birth in the car on the way to the birth center. As it was, the midwife got to my house only about 30 minutes or so before he was born. ;)

I have also lived thousands of miles from the nearest Walmart and I really do appreciate being able to shop there but I don't do the majority of my shopping there. I do the bulk of my shopping at Aldi's and just pick up any name brands we can't live without from Walmart. There are 3 Walmarts in our city and I actually prefer the other 2 Walmarts in town to the one that is closest to me. The one nearest to me is dirty and the customers are very rude. Yes, the customers, the staff actually isn't too bad to deal with. :eyes: It's only about 5 - 10 minutes out of my way to go to one of the other Walmarts so unless I'm just really pressed for time, I go to one of the other ones. I do tend to prefer Target's children's clothing over Walmart's. And I like Target's toy selection and housewares items better than Walmart. But other than that, I have no problems with Walmart.

I don't make pies but we do homemade cinnamon rolls every year. I prepare them a day or two before Christmas all the way up to the second rise (so the rolls are made, formed and in the pans ready to rise and then be put in the oven). I refrigerate them until I go to bed on Christmas Eve (usually around midnight or a little after ;) ) Before I go to bed, I put them out on the stove at room temp to rise. When the kids get us up at 7am, I turn the oven on and bake them. When we are done opening presents, they are done and a warm yummy breakfast awaits us. :drool5:

I read the WTM when my kids were preschoolers. I loved the concept of WTM but when the kids became school age, in actual practice, WTM didn't work for us. That's when I discovered FIAR and found it to be the perfect fit for early elementary age for us. However WTM influenced us still, we used WTM language arts in addition to and sometimes in place of FIAR language arts. We chose to study Latin per TWTM. I think you would be surprised at the amount of FIARs that also follow WTM and participate or at least lurk on these boards. I think it's inaccurate at best and dangerous at worst to assume that rigorous and fun are not compatible. Just as FIAR is as rigorous as you make it, WTM is as fun as you make it. It's also all in how you approach the work and how you child perceives it. I have one child who finds even FIAR to be drudgery and another who would happily fill pages a day with copywork from the time she was only enough to hold a pencil. Games can be very rigorous and great for review, don't underestimate their value. The authors themselves don't even follow their suggestions exactly. The time guidelines were the publisher's idea, not the authors. I think the biggest thing about WTM is realizing that, as someone else mentioned, it's a guide not a formula. To me, the biggest objectives of a WTM style education is to build a strong foundation in the 3r's in the Poll-Parrot and Grammar stages, then build analytical skills in the logic stage and finally, polish the skills of self expression in the rhetoric stage. TWTM gives a framework and even curriculum ideas for accomplishing this kind of education but ultimately it's up to you to accomplish these objectives in the way that best suits your family and your students.

That's what I would do too if I lived in a state with requirements to report hours. I know that we put in much more than any of the hours requirements I've seen for states that do require it and I'm not about to document my life for them. So I'll fill out their silly forms showing we have met their requirements and if I'm ever questioned on it, I dare them to compare my children's test scores with their average test scores for children in the same grade. Or, for an even more accurate assessment, compare a portfolio of my children's work with their grade level standards. We run circles around the public school in far less time than it takes them to just work at grade level. I'm not going to stress over their requirements. :eyes:

When my boys were in scouts, everything was optional. Attendance was never required at any scout event but of course you would not earn the badges unless you supplemented a related event and presented it to the den leader to sign off. If you aren't comfortable with your son attending this planned event, don't go. If you want him to earn the same badge as the other boys, ask your church if your son can contribute to the services for the scouting requirement and have him talk to his den leader about the experience. It should not be a big deal at all and if it is, I'd find a new pack.

Five In A Row ;)

Personally, I would still go for less land closer to dh's work. But that's because I know it would be the better choice for our family. A note of having homeschoolers for neighbors. I've had it both ways, a neighborhood with lots of homeschoolers and a neighborhood with no homeschoolers. I wouldn't let the fact that homeschoolers are nearby sway my decision one way or the other. It was a blessing at times to have kids around to play with during the day and other homeschoolers nearby to talk to and other times it was a curse because we didn't always homeschool on the same schedule as they did so sometimes, they would want to play while we were trying to school and sometimes we would want to play and accidentally interupt their schooling. And just because they are homeschoolers, doesn't guarantee that we'd get along. Also, there is nothing that says they could have some life changes and suddenly send their kids off to school. You just never know what the future holds. So while I would consider it a plus I wouldn't use it as a reason for or against a certain house.

We are in the midst of making the same kind of choice. My dh doesn't mind a bit of a commute but if he has to drive 45 minutes to work, that means I also have to drive 30 - 45 minutes to get to activities, playdates, parkdays, museums, the zoo, shopping beyond just small mom and pop grocery stores, doctor's appointments, urgent care, gas, the library and anything else I want to do. We are trying to find something that is no more than about 20 - 30 minutes, which would turn into 45 - 60 minutes of commute time in bad weather (rain, sleet or snow in our area). That way we have time with dad and we don't have to drive almost an hour to get to the amenities in town. As for the land, I think that's a kinda personal preference thing. If you know you would enjoy using the land and enjoy doing the maintainence on the land, it could be a dream property. If dh's weekends at home are going to be eaten up with the maintainence, you might want to consider the smaller property. But if taking care of the land is your idea of a fun family activity that you can all do together, again it could be your dream property. Those are the things I would consider. YMMV.

We just moved my oldest 3 kids to a regular bed when they learned to climb out of the crib. It took about a week of camping out near their room at bed time to keep them there but after that they were fine. They were 13 months, 15 months and 18 months respectively when they figured it out. My 4th child learned to climb to climb out when she was 22 months. My husband was 2 months into a year long tour in Iraq when she learned and I had just had a baby. The first morning I discovered she knew how to climb out, she had climb out of the crib before everyone woke up, went down stairs, pulled most of the content of the refrigerator on to the kitchen floor and I found sitting on top of a 6 foot bookcase. :eek: I could not sleep after that and with 5 kids, one of them a newborn, I couldn't have her free to roam at night and I didn't have the time or energy to put into keeping her in her bed and I was uncomfortable with bringing her in my bed with the newborn. So we went for the crib tent. Best $70 I ever spent. I could sleep knowing she was safe and not a threat to herself and she actually appreciated the physical boundary too. She slept better and longer without the temptation to climb out which made her an easy child to deal with when she was awake. It kept her in the crib until she was almost 3 and I had more energy to devote to making her stay in her bed. My 5th child learned at 18 months and we put the crib tent on for him. But it wasn't long before he found a stress point in the fabric, worked a hole and ripped it. I was just going to buy a new tent but after a few months with a tent on the bed, he's learned to stay in the crib until someone comes to get him even without the tent. I'm considering putting him in a regular bed in January. He'll be 21 months then. ;)

My 20 month old is getting a train set, a Little People dump truck and a plastic tool set. My 3.5yo is getting a game for her Leapster, a porcelain tea set and baby doll set. They are the youngest two of 5 kids so they already have quite a few things passed down from the older kids.

I can't lose weight nursing either. I make enough milk to feed a village but for whatever reason my body prepares for the next famine no matter how well I eat. I'm also constantly hungry when I nurse. I'm super conscious about only eating until I'm full and watching portion size and all that good stuff but I still cannot lose an ounce until I'm done nursing. I just weaned my youngest and I'm so excited to start dieting and getting rid of 5 kids worth of baby weight. :D :lol:

I am using it exclusively with my almost 4yo. She's doing just fine in reception year but she's a bit precocious. My older kids would not have done as well with it at her age. I plan to use it at least through third grade, by itself, with her and her younger brother. I might use it beyond third grade or I might put her in the program I have my older 3 in at that point. It's an awfully long time still before I really need to decide. But I think if you use the lesson plans and workbooks as they are intended (alot of the learning takes place in the lesson plans but not on the worksheets) it is a very nice stand alone math program. The only reason I'm not using it with my older kids (I did for a while) is because they prefer math lessons they can complete on their own while only referring to me for help and I'm fine with that for them. They use ALEKS supplemented with Math On The Level. MEP, when used as it is written, is very teacher directed and teacher intensive. I prefer that in a program for young ones but I'm ok with my older kids working in a program that is more independent if they want to.

Christmas Eve because I have a curious toddler who won't leave them alone and will unwrap them all the second no one is looking. :glare:

On those international flights, you need those long layovers to get between the flights. We had a 4 hour layover in Narita airport and just barely made the connecting flight to Chicago. We had a 6 hour layover in Chicago but between customs and immigration, security, having to switch from the international to the domestic terminal, confirming our tickets and all that fun, we only got to sit down and wait for about 30 minutes before it was time to board. Definitely travel light, keep clothing simple since you will likely become very familiar with security procedures (velcro or slip on shoes make taking shoes on and off in security much simpler). When we've travelled, the kids usually have handheld gaming systems (Leapsters or Gameboys), an activity book or drawing pad and a small box of crayons and 1 - 2 books to read and that was more than sufficient to keep them entertained. They've been from Japan to England and many points in between.

Some of the higher levels, I think beginning in Year 5, need a password to access some of the materials. All you have to do is find the file on the MEP yahoo group to gain access. Or you can contact CIMT yourself and identify yourself as a home educator and they will give you the password. Razorbackmama, I think the word problems in MEP are very challenging. Lots of algebraic thinking exercises and "think outside the box" type of activities even in the lower levels. It's been a while since I've looked at Singapore though so it is kinda hard for me to compare the two accurately.

We also spent time living in Japan. It's such a fun language to learn and a fascinating culture. My kids were all young elementary when we lived there so what Japanese they did know, they have forgotten much of it. :( We are trying to re-learn it through semi-formal study. We are using Irasshai. I really really like the program because it feels the most like the way we learned in Japan. I plan to purchase the DVD set eventually but for now we are using the free streaming through GPB's digital library. Just type "Irasshai" in the search field. The first in the series is the one titled "Irasshai Explorer 101 - Greetings and Introductions". We use the worksheets and the games from the first site I linked.

My dh served AD AF for 10 years (which meant he didn't not have an IRR requirement when he separated, you only have IRR commitments if you serve less than 8 years). He went to Saudi twice (3 mos and 6 mos) and Iraq twice (4mos and 1 year) He now works as a civilian on an Air National Guard base (he is not a member of the guard but a civilian contractor employed by the Guard). The guard members deploy, frequently, but I haven't heard of anyone from the unit dh works for going to Iraq or anywhere in the Middle East. They go on what we always called "luxury deployments" :lol: They went to Armenia, Germany, Finland, Iceland, Cuba, Hawaii...and some others I can't think of. They stay in 4 star hotels for the most part and get to enjoy where they go frequently. I'd say this is unusal, not the norm, but I just wanted to add our experience with the guard since it is so different. I do agree, when joining any branch of the military, guard, reserve or active duty, you should expect to be deployed...it's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when". It's hardwork, life changing and rewarding but it's definitely not a lifestyle that is good for everyone.

Yes, the complication of her pregnancy was the gallstones but gallstones can be aggravated or in some cases even caused by pregnancy. I do think that they had a preemie because of the number of pregnancies but not necessarily because Michelle Duggar's body is getting too old and tired to successfully carry a pregnancy. It's a numbers game. Let's say, hypothetically, that the chances of pregnancy related gall stones are 1 in 20 pregnancies. If a healthy woman has 3 kids, chances are she will never experience them but she could be unlucky and just happen to experience them. If the same healthy woman conceives 15 times, her odds are much higher and if she conceives 20 times, (as Michelle has) it is incredibly likely that she will experience the undesirable outcomes. I have been pregnant 8 times. My first 3 successful pregnancies were completely textbook pregnancies, no problems whatsoever. The first two children were 25 months apart and the second two were 13 months apart, Three and a half years later, while still in my mid twenties, I conceived again but this pregnancy ended up being high risk. Unexplained partial placental abruption put me on bedrest for 6 months and we delivered at 35 weeks. When she was 15 months old we unexpectedly conceived again and that pregnancy was also completely textbook. Things happen, even to completely healthy people with access to the best medical care. I do believe the Duggars are extremely lucky that they haven't experienced this before but all pregnancies carry the risk for complications. ETA: To answer your post title question, no, I do not think it could have been prevented because one has no way of knowing ahead of time whether a pregnancy will be healthy or compromised. She could still go on to have more healthy pregnancies. This also could have happened with her first few children when she was still young. You just never know so no, it was not preventable.

We've also stopped at the store on the way home from the hospital with a couple of my kids. With my last one, he was born at home but was just 10 days old when we drove to the airport to pick up daddy. ;) Dad's plane got delayed so we also ended up going to Chick-Fil-A and to see his great-great aunt too while waiting 5 hours for the plane to arrive. It was too long of a drive to the airport to turn around and go home and come right back again.) I'm also not one to sequester myself and the baby to the house. I'm certainly not going to visit a sick person but just going out in public has never made any problems.

While I do think 8 is a little young to be seriously thinking about a career but I also think it's too early to rule out any possibilities unless they are severely handicapped. I think shadowing and seeing what people do for a living is no different than "Bring your parent to school" day where parents come in and share with the class what they do for a living. Sometimes, these types of experiences really do spark a life long interest and eventually lead to a satisfying career. I wanted to be an architect from a very young age (8 or 9) and while I ultimately changed my goals slightly to civil engineering and ultimately became a SAHM, my interest in architecture is still a fulfilling hobby. ;) I think ruling out certain career paths because they don't line up with "your values" (after all "family values" are really just your values that you are teaching your children) is about as strange as pushing career paths on a child too young to see adulthood in the future. While I absolutely think family values are important, I would hate to see a child with an interest and a passion of a certain field of work be told that it is not right for them to pursue it simply because it does not fit a preconceived notion of gender roles.

I agree with the others that your reaction is as much of the problem as the language they heard. How you've managed to shelter them thus far is beyond me. Have you never come across a group of rowdy teenagers using foul language at the store or overheard an angry argument in public? If not, I'd say you are extremely lucky. At 6yo, most kids know a "bad word" when they hear one and can even make a pretty good guess whether or not a new-to-them word is kosher or not. Another point that I haven't seen already made is that you spoke of these people being "Christian" and members of a "Christian homeschool group". I think it is pretty naive to think that Christian is synonymous with virtuous. Not all people who call themselves Christians hold the same values and virtues as you just as not all "non-Christians" lack values and virtues that many Christians hold dear. Also, being a member of a Christian homeschool group does not indicate that they are Christian. We are not Christians but have been members of various Christian homeschool groups, even ones that required statements of faith, because it was the only option available to us to effectively network with other homeschoolers. Many members of these groups just assumed that we were Christians and were shocked to find out later that we were not. We just seemed so "normal and Christian" to them. Whatever that means. :huh: As to the post count issue, I think you might have misunderstood what was meant. I don't think she meant that you shouldn't be taken seriously just that you haven't been here long or don't post often so we have no idea whether or not you were just having an off day that day or if you are always that dramatic. We don't know anything about your life situation (are there additional family stresses that have you understandably emotionally spent and this incident was the last straw?) The same could be said for me, even though I've been around these boards since 2000, my post count is low because I don't post often. I can completely understand that, without a ton of background info in my post, many people here could not possibly fully understand my situation or know whether or not my actions or attitudes were normal for me. The hive is normally wise and a strong voice of reason but it rarely sugar coats. If you post questions and concerns here, you have to be prepared for people to give their full, unapologetic opinions which may or may not sit well with you.