I second this. It's on my list to buy too. Why didn't you like it?

Mine is up too.

Thats funny, we tend to quote the next line in the movie around here: "You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!" also a few lines later: "Come and see the violence inherent in the system! HELP, HELP, I'M BEING REPRESSED!"

I sometimes have odd responses to all kinds of names I see here, which I then immediately forget, until I see them again. The only one I remember right now is one I saw a little bit ago "True Blue" which of course made me sing the Madonna song...the whole 6 words of it that I can remember. *** Now as I sit here deciding what to type next...the whole **** song is flooding back to me.....good or bad?? You decide :)

Another ditto! Except no ETC or OPG for my oldest.

My fave Einsteins are probably "Imagination is more important than knowledge" "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistant one" ""The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity... and I'm not so sure about the the universe." "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." "Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!" and "A human being is a part of a whole (called by us "universe"), a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." Einstein Rocked!! :D Not a big fan of this guy (other than Narnia) but this is one of the best quotes I've got: "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body" - C S Lewis

Actually I think if you talk to a doc, they'll tell you that many many many women have miscarriages and never even know it. When it happens early its very hard to tell.

I guess I say this because I have seen interviews (not just currently with this situation, but in the past as well) with former FLDS women and young people who say that there is a disconnect between what the "real world" is like and what they are told it is like. They liken it to brainwashing. Just because its legal doesn't make it right. And vice versa.

I personally don't have a problem with polygamy. If everyone involved is happy, of legal age, and made the choice without coerscion. I would even be friends with a polygamous family. Its not a problem for me. I DO have a problem with government butting its head into people's lives. I'm pretty liberal: I want the government ALL OVER businesses and corporations, etc...but let people live the way they want to live so long as no one is being hurt. And in this case, the government needed to be involved because there were people being hurt. Its child sexual abuse, however you want to frame it. I do and I don't blame the moms. They were victims as much as the children, in fact they are former victims who have just aged a little. The analogy to a pig farm is chilling. Its hard for me to imagine casting off my male children, and marrying off my 14 year old daughter to a man as old as me. So I tend to think that if they *really* loved their children they would've gotten out. Realistically though, some of these above posts are exactly right. The moms have no power, no knowledge of that scary wicked outside world they've been brainwashed into believing exists, no one in that world to help them, the men of these communities keep them that way. I entirely blame the men. The moms should be able to get their children back legally, but only if they meet certain criteria. If I were a judge (so help America :D ), then I would have them cut all ties with this church, this community and this way of life. I would have them monitored to make sure the tie cutting was permanent. I would make counseling for them and their children mandatory. I would provide people to help them fill out any government forms that may help them get assistance while they get their new lives established. I would offer some kind of scholarship or something to make education a reality for these women. I would get them involved in an LDS church that is among the mainstream. It would even be nice to set up some sort of voluntary outreach program so that other stable women nearby could befriend these women and help them acclimate to life out here. If they couldn't meet those or any other criteria then they don't get their kids back. They can choose to go back to the community if they want, but they aren't taking the kids. This will end any debate of whether or not these women really love their kids. I think, given a real chance of getting out of that life with their kids and with a chance to actually truly be free then the women would take it. I like to think so anyway. After these particular women and children in this particular situation have been dealt with and its been figured out what works the best way to get these women and children free and self-reliant....then I would go after all child abusing polygamist sects there are. Ruthlessly. But, for real, my criteria are so.......not gonna happen. I know I'm not being realistic as to whats going to happen to these women. It will end up being a fight that tears people apart, that scars the kids, that polarizes both sides to the point that there is no real communication...you know, the usual. Its really just too bad that we can pull these people's lives apart and then do very little to help them get new ones.

*groan* I am so not looking forward to doing this with my kids. Its been pretty cool this spring so maybe I can get away with putting it off for awile longer......

I'm also Elizabeth Bennet.

We plan on burning off the brush pile today. Its on the garden, so we NEED to get it burned off so we can get the garden tilled tomorrow. Its also my DH's birthday today, so kids and I will bake a cake.

How we do it: day one we read the piece of writing, we read the tip, we look at the list words and discuss them, then we write down the tip as our rule for this lesson (I usually modify the exact words of the tip if its long and/or repetitive) and put it in our Spelling notebook, then we do the first exercise the one thats on the same page as the list words day two we read through the list words again, then flip to the last page of the lesson and do the proofreading exercise, then the writing exercise on the back of the paper we used to write the rule, then we proofread what he just wrote and mark mistakes with proofreading marks day three we read through the list words again then do the remaining exercies, then we get out our writing from the day before and using our proofreading marks we re-write it correctly. Later in the day I give him the test, everything he misses he has to write out 5 times. We add the words we miss to our Trouble Words section of our Spelling notebook which we review once or twice a week and which show up on future tests. Thats our method.

Art Adventures At Home is another option. It teaches the basic elements and concepts of creating art. It also has a Masterpack to buy with it that presents works of art for study. You can purchase them at Rainbow Resource.

Wow. Thanks all. What a bunch of sadists you must be. :001_huh: haha just kidding. ;) Glad you enjoyed it. As for the dog, he's doing fine now. He spent a good portion of yesterday outside, which isn't something he usually does because he's a lilttle 6 pound dog and I don't trust that our fencing will contain him. AND we're surrounded on both sides by big dogs, some of whom aren't very friendly and I doubt my dog would notice that, he thinks everyone is his friend. He came back in the house last night, so far so good. Have a good day all.

Yes, that is the other side of the coin.

In Kansas: have to register as a private school (just the once, or with every name or address change) students have to attend from age 7 to 16, and must attend 180 days per year thats about it.

I think non-anon reps would be good too. I think it would filter out the people neg repping you just because they don't agree with you, as well as lead to constructive, respectfully written helpful criticism. If you have to own the neg rep I think you will be more humane and polite with it.

No, please laugh. Its the way I dealt with it. After it was over, of course..... :D

It all started out just fine. I checked my email and looked at the WW pics that had been posted. We made the beds, and then ate breakfast. The kids were still eating theirs (they are the slowest eaters EVER) and I was walking around the house doing a pick up, and THAT’S when it began to go bad. I can pinpoint the moment. It was the moment I realized the dog had crapped in the house. A side note: I don’t know what the etiquette is on doo doo euphemisms around here, so I guess I should call it poo. Crap, however, is a more accurate representation of my mentality upon seeing the poo. So I exiled the dog to his crate. I should’ve also taken note that this wasn’t the dog’s usual MO. I cleaned up the mess via the toilet. Flushed and all was fine for a short sweet moment. Then DS3 used the potty. He’s in the middle of potty training, this should’ve been a joyous moment but it wasn’t because that’s when the neverending flush began. The toilet overflowed, and all I can say is thank peaches it was clean water to fill the bowl that was overflowing, and not used water. That’s the only silver lining I found, but yay verily it was a good one. So I carpet the bathroom in old towels and rags, and commence to plunging. The water was up to the rim of the bowl, so of course every plunge contributed further to the soaking of the bathroom. Then every few minutes, the toilet would start running again and spill even more water out of the bowl into the ocean that my bathroom now is. I called DH. The conversation went something like this: Me: panicked noises of which “toilet†and “g*d ****†are the only discernable words. DH: What? Me: The toilet, its flooding, all over, I can’t get it to stop, the usual tricks aren’t working (its an old toilet) DH: Do you have the tank off? Me: yes. DH: Hows the flap? Me: What flap? DH: The pink flap. Me: You mean the orange flap? (details are apparently quite important to me at all times) DH: (wisely choosing not to argue with his deranged toilet-harassed wife): Ok, the orange flap. Is it doing what its supposed to do? I peer into the toilet tank. Me: I don’t really have a basis for comparison. At this point the toilet begins running again, water begins spilling all over the floor, so I am forced to retreat. Me: I can’t get close, I can’t get see, I have to get out of the way. DH: Its ok. Its OKAY. The toilet subsides. I cautiously approach the beast. Dh: Did you check the rhinosynclastic comboniculator on the left side of the tank, the one that aferregulates the blabbittyblahblitty blah? Me: You mean the thing with the sticky up things? So DH decided to come home. After hanging up from him, I walk into the living room to hear my 5 year old say “Mommy look what the dog is doing.†(Is there ever anything good that happens after that request?) Here's what the dog is doing, he’s pooing and puking all over the blankets in his crate. I let him out of the crate to somehow tackle THIS problem. Which wasn’t so wise an idea because he immediately pukes again, on the carpet. I throw a rag over it. I unlock and open all doors between me and the washing machine, start it going, and carefully oh so carefully figure out how to fold the blanket so I don’t have to see or (so help me) touch anything grody. It took me three tries, because puking myself suddenly became a serious problem. I generally do just fine cleaning up kid puke but I guess dog mess is beyond my limits. I’m gagging. And I don’t have anywhere to puke. The toilet is literally full to THE BRIM with water, no room for puke. And I can’t imagine then flushing it, that would just be flushing puke all over the bathroom. So I puked in the sink (please forgive me). I did this twice before I managed to get that nasty blanket into the wash. There was *no way* I was rinsing it first. Now, to deal with the dog puke. He had puked twice more, so there went two more rags. I’m starting to run low. I put him back in the crate. He immediately poos in the crate. At this point I do what I should’ve done with the dog from the beginning. No, I didn’t shoot him. I put him outside. So I deal with all the mess, every bit of it. And DH gets home and is working in the bathroom and he’s not even cussing. He’s almost got it working right again, the house is not disgusting anymore, the pace of the morning has slowed to a manageable rate. I think its going to be okay afterall. But wait, I still have an encore: It’s a lovely day and foolish me wants to open a window to enjoy the breeze. Not to mention the house could probably use it. I should’ve known better. You would think I would’ve learned not to tempt fate on this particular morning. But no, looks like I don’t learn particularly quickly. And I have the broken window and cut wrist to prove it. After all that, the rest of the day was almost boring. Tomorrow better be boring too.

DS 7 1/2; very imaginative and creative and loves to draw. I have trouble keeping him from drawing on his schoolwork. He can turn mere letters into art. He is also very easily frustrated, and if he doesn't get something right away, he gets very frustrated and wants to give up. Sometimes,he loses his cool in that situation. He reads a lot in his spare time, and is very interested in just about everything. He's a very logical, matter of fact kinda guy. DD 5; very challenging. If you give her a inch, she runs with it before you can blink. She knows right where the line is drawn and she'll dance on it if she's in that mood. She needs very consistent discipline. On the other hand, she is VERY loving and compassionate, and wants to hug and cuddle a lot. We are working on the concept of personal space. She devours learning! Whatever I put in front of her. DS 3; happy little soul. In fact, thats what his pediatrician said about him upon first meeting him after he was born. He's quick to laugh with you, smile at you, makes great 3 yr old jokes. He has recently been showing a streak of defiance. For curriculum, see below. Right Start is a good fit for DS7, we tried Math u See and it almost convinced him that math was boring and useless. Right Start had brought in some excitement about numbers. He also loves the REAL Science because its very hands on. Anything history also interests him, as long as its not a long bit of reading. He likes the Usborne book because of its cartoon pictures, and he likes the History Pocket activities that we do. DD always balks at OPG but she has advanced hugely using it, and once she gets started she's fine. She also likes workbooks, so she has one from Spectrum, and Primary Phonics wbks that she enjoys doing. I'm still trying to figure out the "perfect" curriculum, but I think we're doing pretty good with what we have. GWG is the only thing we're for sure changing next fall.

I have one too, blog link below. Its something my husband found late one night.

Kid #1 1. Age of child 7 1/2 2. Grade (K-12) doing 1st/2nd grade work mostly 3. How many hours does the child spend on school work each day, on average? (don't count lunch or play time) 3 1/2 hrs, includes everything he does for school 4. What time does the child start and end school each day, usually? starts between 9 am and 10 am, ends between 2 pm and 3 pm 5. How many hours does the child spend on math each day? 45 minutes to an hour 6. How many subjects is the child studying? (Count subjects that require at least 1/2 hour per day on average) Math, language arts, history, science 7. On a scale from 1-10 (with 1 being the lowest) how focused is the child during school time? 8 8. On a scale from 1-10 (with 1 being the lowest) how comfortable (quiet, well-lit, sufficient space, etc.) is the child's study space? 7, with 3 kids, quiet is just never there Kid #2 1. Age of child 5 2. Grade (K-12) doing mostly K and 1st grade work 3. How many hours does the child spend on school work each day, on average? (don't count lunch or play time) 1 1/2 hours 4. What time does the child start and end school each day, usually? varies, usually starts between 9 am and 10 am, ends between 2 pm and 3 pm 5. How many hours does the child spend on math each day? 0 6. How many subjects is the child studying? (Count subjects that require at least 1/2 hour per day on average) Phonics and Reading 7. On a scale from 1-10 (with 1 being the lowest) how focused is the child during school time? 4 8. On a scale from 1-10 (with 1 being the lowest) how comfortable (quiet, well-lit, sufficient space, etc.) is the child's study space? 7, with 3 kids, quiet is just never there Kid #3 1. Age of child 3 2. Grade (K-12) preschool 3. How many hours does the child spend on school work each day, on average? (don't count lunch or play time) 45 minutes 4. What time does the child start and end school each day, usually? varies, usually starts between 9 am and 10 am, ends between 2 pm and 3 pm 5. How many hours does the child spend on math each day? 0 6. How many subjects is the child studying? (Count subjects that require at least 1/2 hour per day on average) Phonics 7. On a scale from 1-10 (with 1 being the lowest) how focused is the child during school time? 8 8. On a scale from 1-10 (with 1 being the lowest) how comfortable (quiet, well-lit, sufficient space, etc.) is the child's study space? 7, with 3 kids, quiet is just never there

You are very right on this. People may think I'm nuts for saying its very religious. But I come from a very- lets just say- secular point of view. There is no religion in our homeschool, so when I peruse CHOW and see christ or another biblical character mentioned on 7 of the 10 pages I land on, then this seems quite blatantly religious to me. On the other hand, people who homeschool using one or more of the very biblical curriculums, see CHOW as being quite secular because it includes things like prehistoric people and pantheistic gods, and because from their POV its not near as biblical as what they may be doing otherwise in their school. Which just goes to show, it IS all relative.

Sue G, that sounds like a good book, I will have to look for it. I've read several parenting books, with bunches of different styles. They sometimes end up making me feel like I haven't been doing ANYTHING right as a parent, so I always kick myself in the head when I find myself reading another one. :glare: But some have been pretty helpful. The Love and Logic books are pretty good, and there's something called Get Off Your Butt Parenting. You can google both of those to find out more if you're interested. Those are the two I've read recently. Good luck, and I have a 7 yr old ds who's getting an attitude too, so I do relate. Although his isn't so much rebellion as it is pure obnoxiousness. Ack.