I would LOVE to see your reading list. Thanks :) I know what you mean about Colombus. He wasn't ashamed of or confused about what he was doing and his own writings demonstrate his lack of respect for human life. HEY! I have an idea! Let's give him a freakin HOLIDAY! :angry:

Wow, thanks so much for all the helpful information. I just wanted to point out that stories like "The Matchlock Gun" don't necessarily bother me. Books like that reflect the perceptions of real people during that time period, and I think it's important to understand and explore that perspective. I want my girls to eventually be able to explore WHY people felt the way they did about Native Americans. But, I also want to balance it with accounts from other points of view, including the Native American view, to give my girls a (hopefully) global understanding of issues. I also have a real problem with political correctness that demands that we portray one group (blacks, women, Indians, gays) as overwhelmingly positive while demonizing another group (white men). It's dehumanizing to everyone and, frankly, insults my intelligence. People are people -- good, bad, selfish, kind -- regardless of race, culture or gender. What's ironic is that my husband is far, far less concerned about this stuff than I am, even though this directly affected fully half of his family tree. Go figure...

There isn't an "Emergent Church." Emergent is the name of an organization and it does NOT represent anyone or anything but its members. Many people who are sympathetic to the emerging church perspective, aren't a part of Emergent (the org). I know it gets confusing. :confused: Here is a pretty good article from Christianity Today that lays things out pretty well: Five Streams of the Emerging Church And, then you throw in discussions of "missional church," "simple church," "organic church" :D.

Is there a US history curriculum out there that doesn't turn Columbus into a hero and that offers a more honest, objective accounting of our history and leaders? How do Sonlight, MFW and TOG handle early North American exploration and founding of the US? My husband is of Native American ancestry (MIL is Choctaw) and so this is personal for us.:) I'm not looking for something that vilifies Europeans, but a curriculum that simply tells the truth - good and bad - and offers different perspectives, not just the standard European POV. I hope I explained that all right. It's difficult for me to articulate exactly what I mean.

:iagree: And I'd also like to find science curriculum that acknowledges a creator but doesn't assume a 7 day creation. But, anyway, PDL isn't at all an "emerging church" book, nor is Rick Warren a leader in the emerging church discussion, at least not the last time I checked.

Primary Phonics! Workbook based, simple to use, the lessons build on each other and there's a set of storybooks that correspond with each level.

No, I don't have the teacher's guide, so I can't comment on how helpful it is, but I'm seriously considering getting one. I can use all the help I can get :)

Well, we went ahead and picked up the Primary Phonics on Tuesday. Tried it out with stubborn workbook-phobic 6 yo daughter yesterday and.... SHE LOVED IT! I'm not sure if it was a fluke or not, but I'm feeling optimistic. She cheerfully did 4 pages, which is unheard of. I think she's right at the perfect level (I started her at level 3) -- not too challenging, not too easy. I was also pleasantly surprised with how much actual practice reading she did while completing the workbook. The instructions are written at a level that she can read them herself. Another plus is that the workbook pages aren't busy work at all. The storybooks are much more interesting than Bob Books and use very few sight words. I found this sample page of Book 1 in case anyone is interested: http://www.epsbooks.com/downloads/rtus/357M/pp_1-sample_lesson.pdf. I'm going to use Book 1 with DD2.

Nevermind. Whining isn't a good use of my time.

Many children aren't ready for formal study until they're 6 or 7. Try not to worry.

:bigear: anyone?

Anyone use this program? I'm thinking about trying it out with Sugarplum but haven't had any luck finding much in the way of reviews.

If she understands the material, then why does she NEED to do the workbook? My DD1 sounds a lot like yours and I've found that minimizing workbooks has made life much more pleasant for everyone involved. I teach her, she demonstrates understanding (with or without a workbook page) and we move on.

I read the fine print and was stunned. There's a lot they don't cover, pre-existing conditions can be an issue (read carefully). And it was all just a little too "big brother" for me. If you do decide to go with them, perhaps consider a cheap, super high deductible insurance policy to go along with it, just in case. I would NOT rely on Medishare soley. As someone else pointed out, they're NOT insurance and don't have to cover anything.

:iagree: I think schools like Calvert would enjoy brisk business. No, I wouldn't enroll my kids in PS until HS (and then, only if they wanted to go). And no, I don't worry about losing my right to HS (I'm in California).

allearia... yup, I think it looks awful on the TV, but the kids don't seem to mind. Go figure. Still, it drives me nuts. SURELY there is a solution... anyone? Please?

I subscribe to Discovery Streaming through our charter. But, as far as I can tell, the video quality is really low on all of the videos I checked. We usually hook our computer to our TV to watch stuff online, but when displayed full screen on our 42" TV, it looks awful, very pixelated (sp?). Even full screen on the computer monitor isn't any better. What can I do to make it look better???? I'm not techie at all, so there's probably a simple solution for this that I haven't thought of. Please help!

You're right. It should be boss' or Congress'.

Face to face would have been better, but I don't see anything really wrong with the email.

She sounds like she's got a case of mama-panic. It's not about wanting to label him, she's just worrying ('cause that's what moms do). I went through a brief phase of thinking older DD was dyslexic (same reason as the mom in the OP). I had no ill intent. I was just thinking IF she has dyslexia I should think about early intervention. And no, I wouldn't have accepted the word of an untrained friend. I did research. Now I know how silly I was being. :001_smile: I hope your friends gets some reassurance from someone with formal training in learning disabilities, or a seasoned kindergarten teacher. Good, old-school kindergarten teachers are worth their weight in gold. I wish I had one on retainer for all my panicky moments. (Old school=teaching in the '70s before our schools started turning K into the new first grade :tongue_smilie:)

Calm down. I wasn't lambasting the church group as a whole. I am critical of how the Bible Study is run and how they handled this. "Bear one another's burdens" isn't a suggestion and doesn't come with the disclaimer "when you feel like it" or "if it suits you." And, I hardly see "before & after service" as real fellowship. Chatting and small talk? That's fun but it's not real, deep fellowship. More :grouphug: to the OP.

I think there's a lot to be said for meeting people where they're at and bearing one anothers burdens. Since the situation with the little one is surely temporary, why can't the others suck it up and help the OP out? Would it really be THAT hard for the group as a whole to love and support her while her DD is going through this stage? Some obviously PREFER a kid-free study. Totally understandable. But the OP NEEDS fellowship. It's wants versus needs, folks. That's all this is. And the Bible Study chose to go with "wants" and in the process hurt someone who's already stressed out and vulnerable. Ugh. That's awful. Rejection is so painful. OP, I'm sorry this Bible study didn't work out for you. Hang in there. FWIW, Jesus thinks your DD is a sweetheart and is so proud of her for how well she behaved in the Bible Study. And he's so very, very proud of you, too. :grouphug:

I've heard mixed reviews about Texas, but I've never lived there so I'll keep my mouth shut (at least about that ;) ) However, if Texas doesn't work out for you, my personal favorite place to live is TENNESSEE :D Lovely people, pretty scenery, low COL, and decent weather. Summer weather is great, if you don't mind some humidity. Also, there's a lot to do in that part of the country. I'd move back there in a heartbeat.

Thanks for the pass ;) It's actually the same characters and the premise is similar, but the other approach I was taking was way too convoluted, too much backstory. It was a mess. Today I've written (drumroll)... 772 words so far. I think I'll try for 1,000. All of it was while the kids were bebopping around the house. They were pretty cooperative once I explained that I was working on a novel. My 4 year old sat down and started working on a "novel" of her own about a boy who loses his tooth. She doesn't let the fact that she can't write yet hold her back. If she's not letting illiteracy stop her, I definitely have NO excuse. :001_smile:

I scrapped it. My WIP was giving me fits. I think that's the biggest reason I wasn't actively WRITING it as much as I wanted. So, I've decided to start over. The story I was writing (and may someday come back to when I have fresh insight) was kind of one-dimensional. Not enough conflict and - being honest here - had already been done by writers a lot more talented than me. So, I'm starting over. Deep breath. Here we go (again). Word count: 0. Goal: 250 words a day. I will not be discouraged.... (ha) OK, seriously, I'm kind of sad, which is stupid, but whatever. I'm moving on.... :auto: