I'd like to pick up a new board game for the family. This would about cover that cost.

I think I missed the winner on this one. :-)

Still have yet to see the movie so not quite sure whether or not it's appropriate for our little one. Someday, probably when it's broadcast on TV.... :( (Do want to see it, but lots of other things going on...)

One of the things that we have to remember is that God isn't as concerned with our happiness as much as with our holiness. Many times in the Bible we read of people who didn't have a happy life, but were called to live through that time and be holy. Thanks for the reminder that God's story is bigger than our stories. We're a part of that bigger picture even if we don't understand how.

Not sure why you're suggesting that we call Mitt Romney. Call Hilary Rosen - that's what started the mess this time around and just about _everyone_ is distancing themselves from those remarks. The politicians are actually being somewhat smart this time around and realizing that anyone saying stay at home moms don't work is foolish and doesn't want to associate their name with that sort of talk.

Most stay at home moms are hard workers and the ones that aren't are definitely the exception, not the rule. Sad that some people have to open their mouths and say something to incite this sort of thing, though.

Sounds like another zero-tolerance policy in effect. Yeah - that's pretty bad. We would have had about 1/4 of our graduating class expelled for a policy like that. Now if he'd used the school's computer, I can see it going into a little more than a talking to, but not to the point of expulsion. I'm not going to condone the language, but I'd still say this is overkill for a consequence for a one-time infraction.

I appreciate this article. While I knew about grooming and had received some basic training in it, I didn't realize the adult-child implications of it in situations like this that would otherwise seem pretty harmless.

That is a great idea. I know that music and math are related and can usually see the benefits. It's great that schools can capitalize on this. Now if only we could get them to also realize the benefits of music at the higher grades as opposed to the new stadium or yet more emphasis on teaching to the test. :(

I'll definitely grant you the bunnies and eggs being tied in with the whole fertility/rebirth thing, but the resurrection of Jesus happened around the Passover and is generally tied to it through the whole lunar calendar schedule. Yes, part of it could be tied to the church using a pagan festival, but Resurrection Sunday would still be celebrated even if Easter were not. We might lose the bunnies and eggs, but the celebration would still take place even if under a different name.

Not trying to start any sort of religious debate, just pointing out that even though the events may coincide and somewhat combined, it's not the same as Christmas in taking over a pagan holiday. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus and was made to be in December around the winter solstice, partly because the date is unknown and partly for whatever reasons the church had at the time. The resurrection is pretty well tied to Passover weekend. :)

I would also argue that you're already setting out your kids on the religious path you've chosen - it's just human nature to imitate the parents. They'll likely take on whatever you're modeling right now. (Once again - not criticizing your choices, just making an observation that parental influence in spiritual matters pretty much directs the children towards those same things in a lot of cases, though definitely not all.)

For my part, Easter was definitely more about the baskets when I was growing up, though I knew we went to church, dressed up, released balloons, etc. Of course, the idea of lots of candy/toys was quite appealing. That focus has changed since growing up, but I do remember that the church side didn't mean as much when I was younger.

To my knowledge, we don't even have the option to volunteer to drive down costs for field trips and such. We've always had the fundraiser option at higher grades, but it goes towards just that student (which I feel is fair). The concern I have with the volunteering is that some parents work - no time to really volunteer when it's most needed. I'll agree that this does tend to favor those who have parents who can either take time off work or who stay at home. I don't agree with the legislation, but I can see how some would view it as unfair. Of course, seeing that these tend to be extra activities, I'd also tend to think that education is the main thing over whatever costs are incurred. I'd also wonder whether it might make sense to limit field trips in order to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate.

As for the whole "don't collect fees for mandatory activities", I'd actually lean towards being okay with that. If something's mandatory at a public school, but you have to pay extra for it, there's a larger problem. What do you do when someone says "not going to pay that fee"? Do you kick their kid out of school? Do you find the money somewhere? Do you take the parents to court? What if the parents really don't have that money?