My 16-year-old will sleep through alarms. I was the same way as an adolescent. My father woke me up every day to go to school throughout high school, so I don't push it. My husband wakes him up at 6 AM as he's slow as molasses and I wake up 45 minutes later to prepare school lunches for him and my youngest daughter.

Dd (10) will be doing the following: MATH: MM 4B and MM 5 ENGLISH: Grammar Voyage, Galore Park Jr. Book 3, POETRY: Harp and the Laurel Wreath SPELLING & VOCABULARY: Spelling City using words culled from Natural Speller SCIENCE: A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth by Ann Voskamp HISTORY: Story of the World 3: Early Modern Times LITERATURE: Reading silently, reading aloud, and answering questions, a book report or two GEOGRAPHY: Evan-Moor Seven Continents: South America ART: w/Dad SPANISH: Duolingo and 10 Minutes a Day: Spanish

Ds (13) will be 14 in September and in eighth grade. I signed him up for five Virtual School classes: Language Arts 3 Comprehensive Science 3 Beginning Spanish (he should progress through this quickly as he's been taking Spanish for a long time) Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Learning Strategies Comprehensive PE - Health, Nutrition, and Fitness The rest of his courses he's taking with me: Pre-Algebra: An Accelerated Course (1985 edition) by Mary P. Dolciani - he's finishing the latter part of this book, plus History using K12 The Human Odyssey Vol. 2, K12 Intermediate World History B workbook and supplementary books: Pirates, The Renaissance, and Slavery Writing With Skill Level 2 Evan-Moor 7 Continents: South America (ds loves this, and learns about both physical and political geography) Poetry w/ A Harp and The Laurel Wreath Living science and biography books Religious Education: Understanding the Scriptures w/ Scott Hahn through MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com As for extracurriculars, ds is in: Band (he's auditioning for Honors clarinet) Taekwondo (he's working on his red-black belt) Boy Scouts (currently, he's working on his camping, geology, Indian lore, and forestry merit badges) He also goes sailing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing every few Saturdays with his friend and just passed the boating exam and received our state's boating license. He also is learning programming through Khan Academy: JavaScript.

The Physicians Formula mascaras are most likely available at your local drugstore and are only about $10 or less if you have a coupon. Good luck and let us know which one you like! Another option is to search for "mascara samples" and see if anything satisfactory turns up. I recently overhauled my whole stash of makeup to nontoxic products.

I just very recently (literally a few months ago) began calling my mil and referring to her as mom. I've known her for almost twenty years. I don't call my own mother mom. She's Mamsi, Mami, or Alita, as I'm from a different country originally. My own "mom" doesn't like to be called mom (as in the American "mom"). Thus I feel okay referring to my mil as mom.

I'd get an eyelash curler and use something like Physicians' Formula Organic Wear Natural Origin Bigger! Better! mascara (white case) or Organic Wear Jumbo Lash mascara (green case). I have good luck with those, especially the latter for evenings. For a more natural look, just longer eyelashes, I like Honeybee Gardens' Truly Natural mascara. I'd stick to those aforementioned mascaras for a fifties' look.

My Pals Are Here offers an international edition for 5th and 6th grades. The only consumable part is the workbook, but you could circumvent this by having your student use a notebook. These books are sold at Christianbook.com and Rainbow Resource.

Math: 1985 Dolciani Pre-Algebra with or without Math Mammoth 7 worksheets for extra practice Leonardo of Pisa and The New Mathematics of the Middle Ages English: Voyages in English 7 and online enrichment, Writing & Rhetoric Books 4 & 5 Literature: The Sword and the Circle, The Lord of the Rings, The Canterbury Tales, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Prince and the Pauper Literature Analysis: Figuratively Speaking, Critical Conditioning, one literature analysis guide (not sure which one yet) Science: Conceptual Integrated Science Explorations and online enrichment, BFSU 3, living science books, Bill Nye The Science Guy videos and Cosmos History: K12 The Human Odyssey: Prehistory through the Middle Ages (Middle Ages section), What Life Was Like in the Age of Chivalry, lots of historical fiction and biographies, CrashCourse videos Geography: 50 States (continuation), Family Reference Atlas of the World (NG), The Seven Continents: Europe (finish), South America Spanish: So You Really Want to Learn Spanish Book 1, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone Latin: Big Book of Lively Latin 1 Music: Band (w/local public school) Art: Usborne's Introduction to Art w/Internet links Poetry: Poetry for Young People Series: William Blake, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Robert Browning

After being almost done with BFSU 3, next year I'm planning on moving to Conceptual Integrated Science Explorations, which is recommended for grades 7-9. I found the Conceptual Academy, which provides videos and other resources to help you along. Scroll down to see the info for the above-mentioned book.

Resurrecting this thread - I'm considering an all-in-one English Writing & Grammar program and I like the looks of Voyages in English 7 (2011 edition). Has anybody used this? Any and all opinions welcome, please. Even if the writing wasn't used, I'd like to hear your opinion. Thanks!

I agree, Farrar. Ds has been getting attached to these characters. They're like extended family.

Oh yes, and The Canterbury Tales are by Geraldine McCaughrean, not the original one by Chaucer!

Thank you for the great advice, Mamas! I remember I read Lord of the Flies in high school and I've never forgotten it. I'll double check on Bronze Bow and modify the Literature selections tomorrow. Goodnight!

My DS will be turning 12 in early September. Although he enjoyed Books 1-6, he hasn't finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yet as he said it was too emotional for him. I appreciate that he knows his limits and that he feels comfortable letting me know. This is my Literature read-aloud list for this year. We pause and discuss, and once a week I ask questions. It looks very short as we have lots of historical fiction and nonfiction he's reading as well. Also, we may not get through all the books, but we still have 7th grade ;) The Bronze Bow The Eagle of the Ninth My Side of the Mountain The Giver Lord of the Flies and more formal literary analysis using Classical Conditioning and other resources The Hunger Games When we get to the Middle Ages (using K12 History Odyssey and Dorothy Miller's Romans and Middle Ages): King Arthur by Lancelyn Green Lord of the Rings Canterbury Tales Robin Hood by Lancelyn Green

Congratulations! These are so pretty! I agree, they do look much better than the Erin Condren IMHO. The only reason I didn't go with PP is that I needed more space to write, and hours for appointment already included. Otherwise, what a good-looking, customizable planner :)