Maybe Latin for Children? Just as thorough as Prima Latina, but definitely different! We had to give up PL earlier this year, we'll try it again in a few years. Much too dry for my littles and I don't have any good teacher vibes left by the time we get to Latin!

I have friends who use CHC and love it; we're only using the English grammar component (Language of God). So far we've only used A, but I like the gentle introduction to the grammar (in addition to our CC grammar). The explanations are simple and we've been reinforcing with extra examples and copywork.

Most Challenge classes have a range of ages in each class, so if your daughter has already done most of the A level stuff, you might just put her in B. They have changed some of the things used in Challenge for this fall, like the Latin (no more Latin's Not So Tough, they're using all Henle but spreading it out). Same with the math, but not quite as easy to use a different program at home. Can easily be done, the Latin lessons will be preview or review. One thing to consider is that if your CC campus has multiple levels of Challenge then they'll be scheduling Latin and Math at the same time each week so that students can participate in whatever level is most appropriate for them, even if it's a Challenge I level class your A daughter could still do that Latin or math. Many families do not use Saxon at home, instead using the math lessons on CC days as review or preview. Can't ever really have too much math, I suppose, and I've not heard complaints that having things explained in another way in addition to the home program has been a detriment. Just let the director know you're using something different and she'll adapt. As far as the literature is concerned, they won't just be reading the literature, they're doing a lot of comprehension, dialogue and writing on the books. That's why the literature chosen is deliberately on a slightly lower level than one would expect those students to be reading at. They choose things that should be easy to read, but are well written and contain much that those age groups should be grappling with. Not sure if that's helpful for you to know; if your daughter has already done lots of comprehension checks/dialogue/writing on the selections, then that A level just might not be the right one for her. I hope that's been helpful. Have you talked to the local director(s)? They're really the best source of information.

You might look at Our Mother Tongue.

Sam's Club sells a 1,000 foot roll of white for under $20. It's back with the catering supplies and foil.

I started looking at the Lexile website, too. We haven't done standardized testing yet, so I don't have an independent assessment of their Lexile reading level. I can't quite figure out how to assess it without that, other than sorta guessing. Any suggestions?

If you take US-78, Memphis is exactly 4 hours away. LOTS to do here.

That's awesome that you have so much space to work with! I agree from my own childhood that sharing a room with a sibling until 12 or 13 is ideal. They really are forced to get along. If I were you I'd do three kid rooms (girls/boys/youngers) and remodel the extra rooms to serve as guest/all purpose for now. That way they'll be ready when everyone hits the teen years and really needs some space! Some of you might be appalled, but my almost 7 dd, 5.5 dd and almost 3 ds share the same room. It just can't be helped, though, in our two bedroom house. :001_smile:

Lunch was frozen pizza for me and dh, leftover eggs/sausage/cheese wrapped up in tortillas for kids. I'm all for pop-in-microwave-no-prep lunches. Breakfasts, too. Come to think about it, I like dinners that way, also. Can you sense a theme here?? What's annoying me? The sinusitus-ear-infected almost 3 year old who refuses to take a nap! Argh! It's just setting up the rest of the day for epic fail. The energy to do...well, there's the housework and the laundry and the homeschool group stuff and the yard work and the taxes and the...I guess I'll stop now. I'm sure I've made my point. Very little (if any) of those will get done! Dessert? That leftover can of Reddi Whip a guest brought last week shall see it's last this afternoon. :D

OP, please ask for an itemized bill. I had a 2005 nonemergency csection that billed at around $8,000. My 2008 nonemergency csection (same doctor, same hospital, same insurance, etc) billed at over $30,000. After seeing the itemized bill, we discovered that they billed me for a csection, appropriate medication, the two nights in the hospital and oh, let's throw a pacemaker in there for good measure, shall we? Needless to say it was a coding error and the hospital fixed it. I brought a copy of the bill to my obgyn checkup and asked him if he had anything he wanted to tell me about my surgery. :D He thought it was hysterical and walked around the office showing everyone the bill for his newfound specialty!

http://www.donnayoung.org has tons and tons of free printables. You might find what you're looking for there.

We go to Sam's Club, which I believe does theirs the same way that Costco does. It is an independent Doctor of Optometry that you see. You do not have to have a membership to see the Optometrist. The Sam's in our area all charge $50 for a regular exam and $75 for an exam that includes a contact prescription. There's an additional $15 to have your eyes dilated. Now, the retail portion of the vision center you do have to be a member to purchase from. They don't have a huge selection of frames, but always carry a wide variety and I've never seen a frame above $130. The lens prices vary depending on the lenses, and have run us $30-70 per lens (my husband has bifocals, more expensive). Kids lenses are much less, like $15 per lens! All of them have the coatings and are the unshatterable type. It usually takes 7 days for the glasses to arrive. They quote you longer, but rarely does it take more than that. There's an optician on site most days and they'll adjust/clean/replace screws etc any time you walk in. Anyway, not Costco experience, but I hope it's helpful.

I second much of what pp listed...ours is 5 minutes away, so I get to buy frozen stuff, milk, etc for less than it costs at the grocery store. Can you keep things frozen (or at least close to it) until you get home? If so, then chicken nuggets are cheaper there than anywhere else I've found, even with coupons. Otherwise, what everyone else listed!

Mud Island for biking, walking and stomping around in their small-scale replica of the Mississippi. That is, if the weather holds out. Hard to tell around here... Brooks Museum is kinda neat. My kids are still pretty young for it, but if you're doing any formal art study, it might fit in well.

Oh, how funny! My best mommy-friend just had her 6th...after 5 boys, she got a girl, too! Not nearly as exciting of an entrance, though. So glad their new addition is safe and healthy!

BiblioMania in Tulsa, OK. I wish they'd open one up here in Memphis! http://www.bibliomaniatulsa.com

If it's oil paint and it's relatively fresh, you could try rubbing it with baby oil. Might take a while to get it off, but it's worked for us before. Ours was white paint on a pink coat. :)

I'm reading How To Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. It's really got me thinking!

So, these are spirits (the words "spirit" and "angel" are interchangeable in Mormon teaching?) that have never and will never have bodies? Or does the Mormon faith leaves that possibility open? I understand the notion that spirits have different roles while not in their bodies of flesh, thus the "many types of angels." And I must assume that a revelation that Noah and Adam are also known as Gabriel and Michael comes from an LDS specific canon.

What I think you're saying is that back before God created the world we live in, when Satan waged his war, all the spirits that God had already created (which is everyone our world has ever known and ever will know) made a choice at that point to stay with God or be banished with Satan. That choice was to accept God's plan for them and be born into this world. If that is an accurate extrapolation of Mormon belief, then a Mormon would say there are no angels as I would call them (being Roman Catholic, I believe there are spirits created by God that were never intended to be human). The spirits that exist with Him are only awaiting their entry into this world. edited to add: this thread is moving at lightning speed! Someone answered my question before I had finished forming it!! Am I right so far? I'd hate to go too far into this line of reasoning if I'm already off!

In the Pre-Existence, a spirit can choose NOT to be born of the flesh, etc? If a spirit can choose not to be born of the flesh, [the language Xuzi used was "All of us were with the Father prior to being born to this Earth (in what we call the Pre-Existance) where we learned of, and accepted His Plan to come to earth, be tempted, and either choose or reject Him..."], what is their role in the Father's kingdom? Do they become cast out like the original spirits that went with Satan? Is there some path they can take that does not separate them from God?

I, too, wondered if a church member would be thought less of if they preferred not to send very young children to a separate class in order to attend an adult class. Would a mom who brings her quiet 3 year old be welcomed into an adult class? Do some mothers of young children prefer to stay home during the Sunday School portion? Is there the option of doing the Sunday School "program" at home? In the Roman Catholic Church we can choose to formally catechize and religiously educate our children at home, without sending them to the parish. Most people do send them to the formal classes and many priests prefer that we do, but technically, we do not have to.

Interesting. Once Mary attained the age of reason, did she continue in her blameless state? Was she unique in that respect? Or was she, as another poster responded, ordinary in that way?

Okay, Mormons do not believe in original sin. Can you tell me what the Mormon teaching on sin is? I know that's probably a really broad question. Let me see if I can find a more specific question. :001_smile: Hmmmm...let's try this: what about the nature of man changed when God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden?

Did I catch somewhere back there Mormons believe that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived? Do Mormons believe that Mary and Joseph never physically consummated their marriage? Do Mormons believe in Mary's own immaculate conception (that she was born free of original sin)?