The Bob's Flour is fine for breads, especially dinner-type breads. I don't suggest using it for sweet foods, or items such as pancakes, waffles, muffins, or cakes. There is bean flour, which has an unusual taste. I've become accustomed to the taste, but I still don't like it used in anything sweet. For baking with sweeter items, I prefer sweet sorgham, almond meal, and white or brown rice flour mixed 1:1:1. It gives a much milder taste. Don't leave out the xanthum gum if the recipe calls for it. I haven't noticed a taste, but I do notice a difference in texture.

I'll be praying for him and for his surgery to go well. And also for the rest of you taking care of him. Will you be able to see him before his surgery?

I have a blueberry hedge along my fence, which is wonderful! We plant rabbiteye varieties, and you generally need at least two varieties. Berries of any kind are always nice to grow...raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc. Cantaloupe are also nice and very easy to grow. Mine are musk melons if I remember correctly, but they look like cantaloupe to me :) We bought heirloom seeds several years ago and haven't needed to buy any since I harvest seeds and fruit. What about planting annual strawberries or watermelon spring harvest, then use the space for pumpkins in the summer for fall harvest?

Great report, thanks for letting us know! I've had CT and MRI scans both with the sinus result, and I've had similar symptoms as your daughter. Make sure she has a really good antibiotic to clear any infection, which can make her feel tired and lousy! I'll keep her in my prayers until she's back to her usual self!!

Congrats! I know your family is thrilled!! So what are you going to do to make it a special? Plant a tree in her honor, take a special family portrait, make a poster of a family tree and have her put her picture on it? I hope you are able to make it a special day to remember for years to come!!

My prayers are with your family. May God bless your dear little girl.

This post was about a Tea Party in February. The estimates from the one today are all over the map! ;)

Too bad! Thanks for the information. I made the decision to use the DVDs for the upcoming school year. I've burned myself out. And I think my children are burned out on their teacher. ;) I've been pleased with the BJU curriculum since we've been using it. I hope the DVDs will give me the break I need to work with the special needs child and give the others a little more independence. Littlemomof3, I encourage you to try the DVD/online/hard drive. You may not always need to use the video lectures, but they are there for a reason! Good luck to you.:)

Elizabeth (or anyone else), do you know if this discount is good with consultants only or does it also work with convention displays? BJU will be at our convention soon and I was planning to order the DVD sets, but will shift to a consultant if the discount is different. Thanks!

:iagree: I use the Pyrex for the lid reason too. My lids seem to wander into the sandbox while I'm not looking, then get chewed to bits by the dog. :001_huh: I try to buy an extra lid when I buy...just in case.

Check with your local County Extension Office. My local one is a wealth of information about what grows well in your area, when to plant, what to feed, soil testing and prep, and much more. They have tested my soil in certain parts of my yard and made suggestions on where different types of things grow better, based on light and soil conditions. I've seen the garden at Sam's. My kiddos sat in it for a while to rest, lol. I have mixed feelings about it. It's small and the sitting space is, to me, wasted space. I have no desire to commune with my veggies, but that's me. It also seems expensive. I really don't know how much you'll be able to get out of it. It depends on your growing conditions, what you have planted, and how you tend it. I'd consider the cost payout over time to see if it's worthwhile. Again, this is where the Extension Agent can help. Bring him/her a diagram of the garden and the orientation in your yard. He can make suggestions of what can be planted and where in order to maximize your output. Will you be able to cut your grocery bill enough to justify the outlay? Don't forget to include the time to construct it, the soil to fill it, the seeds, etc. On the other hand, the garden is very pretty, relaxing, requires minimal work once it's set up, and can be a fun school project for your children. I really liked the looks of it, though I'd love to set it up as a Koi pond instead. ;) Do you have flower beds that your animals leave alone? Can you mix a few veggie plants in with the ornamentals? I do this as well and it give a very interesting look to the beds. The neighbors really like it and some of them are starting to do it as well. HTH! ETA: The one we looked at seemed to have a small bench for sitting, but I don't see one in the picture. I don't know if the one I saw is slightly different or, most likely, someone put a small wooden bench in and I thought it belonged there! :001_huh: :D

This doesn't sound odd to me. The OP said she was shopping online. If I had such a notion I could randomly pull up registries, view their gifts (which ones had been purchased), determine the value, and use the posted address to burgularize their home. It seems very reasonable to not disclose the address online, and I'm sure the OP has an address from the original invitation. :) Yes, give them or a family member a call. You may also consider dropping a note in the mail to congratulate them and also mentioning that you hope they are enjoying their new toaster, blender, weed-whacker... ;). Use it to mention how much you love using yours and if they should have a problem with it you still have the receipt, ask them to let you know how they like it since you're considering one for yourself, or insert your own way of bringing it up.

Tell her she can come live with me. The bus passes by my house at 6:40 or 6:45 every morning. At one time it worked as motivation for mine too. Now they just roll their eyes because they know I don't function well enough before 7am to get them properly clothed, fed, and on it!! ;)

I felt like we were far, far behind because of countless illnesses, trips, etc. I figured out when I wanted to end our year and figured out how many lessons were left. When I figured out how many lessons to complete in each subject per week, I realized we really are not far behind afterall. At least it doesn't appear so on paper. :D I shared this new schedule with the kids. I told them if we can't complete it by this date, they start the new year having not finished the old. They may be okay or they may have missed something important. It's theirs to own if they don't work with me to get it done. It's my job to teach them diligently, and it's their job to do it willingly, without complaint, and enjoy every ever-loving minute of it! :glare: Or just hush up and do it, whatever. ;) Like I've seen on this board many times, your children are young and you're running a marathon, not a sprint.

Poor baby! It sounds like she has a sore throat. Does she have a fever too? Hold her and cuddle her to make her feel better, and give her a little Tylenol or Motrin.

When my cousin was small he wanted to be the man who drove the tractor that mowed the grass on Interstate right-of-ways, because he'd be "famous." Apparently if everyone driving by saw him mowing, that meant he was famous.:lol: More than one time during his "floundering" years my aunt jokingly said she'd like him to have that job and be famous.

Yes, we've had wonderful results from different courses of treatment, specifically diet changes, nutritional supplements, and therapy. In fact, my ASD child no longer tests on the spectrum. He's been tested twice since receiving treatment and I could have him released from the diagnosis but I chose not to. I encourage you to have her parents read as much as they can on the topic. Many different courses of treatment are available but not all are accepted by all doctors. One doctor may prefer therapy, one prefer medication, one prefer diet changes, etc. If she attends school, they should work with her counselors there to continue her preferred mode of treatment throughout the day. The more knowledge they have as parents, the more involved they are in her treatment and the better they are at navigating her treatment options.

She sounds very normal to me. We've had many different forms of imaginary friends through the years. I've fixed dinner plates with imaginary food, strapped them into imaginary car seats, and read books to what seemed like an entire platoon of imaginary friends. Currently we have an imaginary monster playing outside with the 3 year old. I do draw the line at mischevious behavior that is blamed on the imaginary friend. The real one must take all punishments, regardless who actually does the infraction. :D

What about "Happy Birthday" written in code? That's such a neat idea for a party theme! I may have to borrow. :)

From what you indicate, it certainly appears there may be a disorder somewhere along the spectrum. There are other things that can masquerade as such, though. She should be seen by a specialist that can determine fully. There are different paths that you can take to get a proper diagnosis. It depends a lot on personal preferance, availability in your particular area, and insurance. Consider a doctor in one of these specialties: Childhood Development, Pediatric Neurologist, or Child Psychiatrist. Or better yet is a practice specializing in spectrum disorders that employ all or a combination of the above! Once a diagnosis is made, there are many different types of treatment. These are specialized to the child and her needs, but can vary from physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutritional and dietary changes, and many others. You are welcome to PM me with any more questions. Good luck with her!

Thanks Melissa! Your information has been very helpful. I'm looking at grades 3, 5, and 6. High School is something I'm burying my head in the sand about, lol!! Thank you again.

I'm planning to use the BJU DVDs for science next year. I see that the science kits from Home Training Tools state they do not match up with the experiments in the DVD. Why? The student and teacher books used for the DVD program are the same as the non-DVD program so wouldn't the experiments be the same? If the DVD teacher does a different experiment than the teacher manual indicates, can we still do the one listed in the teacher manual also, to further teach the concept? Or do I just not need any lab materials since the student watches the experiment on the DVD (I hope not!!)?

:iagree: Sadly, there seems to be a trend in the other direction, though. My friend substitute teaches in her children's elementary school. She called me all excited one afternoon to tell me of some radical changes the district was undertaking. It was going to be revolutionary! Each classroom was divided down the middle based on the state achievement test scores (yeah, those). Then the most advanced student was paired with the lowest score in the class, the second highest was paired with the second lowest, etc. The more advanced student was tasked with helping teach the "dead weight" (her word) and the teacher now had much more free time. This allowed for a class size increase of 15-25%, depending on the grade level. Revolutionary? :confused: Unfortunately most parents in the school district bought the spin. A few pulled their children out to homeschool. "That totally defies logical thinking," said dear friend. "Everyone knows that smart children love to help out the lower achieving ones. It's a natural fit." :001_huh: Yes, I want my third grader to become a teacher, while the paid teacher has even more paperwork and even less student time. :willy_nilly:

I agree about not wanting a six day school week, and in theory I agree about a longer school year. However, this may penalize some high school students who need the longer summer break to work full time for college money. It also adds operational expenses to schools and consequently another burden to taxpayers. Generally speaking, I'd much rather see the schools first and foremost making the most of the time they do have with students before asking for more.

I've lost my taste for it a few times, always before getting a cold or flu. I couldn't drink it this past weekend and now have a nasty cold with respiratory infection. It's a good warning for me to kick back and take it easy. Typically though I usually force it down because I could use the energy jolt, especially when not feeling up to par. ;)