I'm not sure where you're going with this question, but I can tell you what I am trying to instill in my son (all my kids, actually). He, and he alone, is responsible for his thoughts and actions. He is being taught to respect all women, no matter what they wear or what they look like. We can't control what people wear, but we can control our reaction to it. I think it's been established that the idea of dressing modestly is very subjective. For some people, wearing heels with a dress/skirt is considered too seductive. There are just too many differences of opinion when it comes to modest dress. I sure don't want my son making judgment calls based on what a woman is wearing. If he does, that's his fault. For me, it comes down to teaching personal responsibility. And, I'm trying very hard to do this with all my children.

A fun book, that actually does a very good job of explaining seeds and how they grow, is Oh Say Can You Seed? All about Flowering Plants by Bonnie Worth. It's actually one of the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library books.

I am in the middle of Potok's The Chosen, which, btw, I learned of from this board. Very thought-provoking.

We love A Little Princess, too. Another favorite character-building book is Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. Based on the true story of Nathanial Bodwditch, a man of exemplary character. He teaches himself Latin and navigation, and shows that perseverance and hard work pay off. A very inspirational book.

This looks interesting. I'm always looling for good historical fiction to supplement our history studies. Thank you!

Do pumpkin-shaped jars filled with chocolate count?:D If so, we are good to go!

I did the same thing, Denise. My dd (and I!) really got so much out of Sonlight's Core 5. Well worth the expense. Plus, I have it boxed up to use again with my ds and little dd when they are ready for it. I do think the convenience of having the materials on hand and being able to use them again with upcoming dc makes the initial expense easier to justify.

After researching parabens and phenoxyethanols, I decided I would rather avoid using products with these ingredients---and if you look at your skin care products, make-up, and shampoo, you'll find these are quite common. There are more and more companies going paraben-free thankfully. My absolute favorite paraben-free, phenoxyethanol-free, anti-aging line is Caudalie. The downside? It's expensive. Other lines that have fewer harmful chemicals are Juice-Beauty and Lavera (but, again, quite expensive). I did see a skin care line at CVS a few weeks ago that was paraben-free, but I don't recall the name now.

We go to a nearby park. Ds rides his ripstik or skateboard while dds and I speed-walk. We are thinking about getting a Wii, maybe Christmas?

:grouphug: and prayers for you!

I just thought of another good historical fiction novel, but it may be more suitable for the 12 and up crowd: A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi. You could search reviews to see if it would be appropriate for your child.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare is a well-written historical fiction account of the Salem witch trials.

Here's an easy one Key Lime Pie Recipe - Key Lime Pie with Whipped Topping and Sweetened Condense

My 14 yo dd, an avid historical fiction fan, really enjoyed Uprising by Haddix, which dealt with the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, an event that helped lead to work place safety reforms in America.

Lots of raw garlic. I chop it and put it on bread, pizza, in vegetables, whatever. I have had a lot of success with warding off colds, etc. if I consume raw garlic right when I feel like I'm coming down with something.

Sorry to hear that. I truly enjoyed Safire's " On Language" column. He was a talented writer. As far as Polanski goes, it's about time...

I hand-piece quilts. I actually learned from 3 wonderful books: Quiltmaking By Hand by Jinny Beyer, Quilter's Complete Guide by Fons and Porter, and Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Quilting. As far as websites go, there are a couple that have some basic piecing instruction that may be helpful for you and your students Welcome to the World Wide Quilting Page andThe Beginning Quilter's Resource Page. If possible though, I would try to get a hold of one of the books above---I bet you can find them at the library. Have fun!

Thanks so much for this, Jane!

My dd wanted to read this book after seeing a blurb about it in the kids' section of Chinaberry catalog. I bought the book, but after reading more about it (along the lines of your comments), I thought maybe it would be too intense for her. I probably should go ahead and read it myself before handing it over to her. It does sound like an interesting read.

Amazing! Thank you.

I do teach some sight words in addition to our phonics instruction. My youngest is doing Horizons Math 1 and has had to learn number words that are not phonetic (one, two, etc.), plus the words "the, was, is, they," and other common sight words that I feel are necessary for a child to read. Basically, we focus on phonics, but I do think there are a handful of sight words that are important to learn.

This is me. I really can't recall anything horrible that I read as a young teen. Never read any VC Andrews. My junk reading years were my twenties when I read all the Anne Rice Vampire novels (and more than once:001_huh:) and Jackie Collins....

Yes, my son has always struggled with handwriting and we've used Spelling Workout all along. I just had him continue to print in the book. It took awhile for him to get used to there not being a dotted line, but it worked out fine. And, like you are planning, I had ds do some of the work orally so it wasn't overwhelming for him.

Oh, I do feel your pain. When my youngest was tiny, I tried unsuccessfully to get my two older children to dress as Wendy and Peter Pan (baby would be Tinkerbell). But, NOOOO....son just HAD to be Jack Sparrow (which he proceeded to do for 3 years, btw) and dd would have no part of Wendy. Kids.....dashing our Halloween dreams....:glare:

Sounds lovely! I truly wish I lived somewhere with (noticeable) seasons.