That's why I take my kids to Walt Disney World! :D

BrainPOP (and BrainPOP Jr. for K-3) is also available as a free app for those with iPhones or iPads.

Awwwww...I miss those days. Seriously :)

Here are a couple of websites about the Great Fire of London suitable for younger children. This one is interactive. And, here is one from the BBC. For those with older kids, the historical fiction book Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper is very readable, and is recommended for grades 5 or 6 and up. My older daughter loved this book and it's prequel, At the Sign of the Sugared Plum, set in London during the plague.

I just completeted my 11th year.

No.

1) I would not make her go. 2) I would address her anxiety issues. :grouphug:

Here's our 2nd grade plan so far (still putting it together): Language Arts MCT Grammar Island, Building Language, Music Hemispheres, Sentence Island, Practice Island (would you believe I had never even HEARD of this program until I started reading the glowing reviews here the last few months?!) Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus (literature/reading comprehension) Spelling Workout C Math A Beka Arithmetic 3 History SOTW 2 with Activity Guide Music guitar and piano lessons Discovering Music Art Artistic Pursuits Science NO idea :confused:---On the hunt for a good secular program (would love suggestions hint, hint ;)) PE maybe dance, not sure Language Probably Spanish, not sure of the program...

:grouphug: I can't even imagine. I'm so glad to hear he is okay.

Yes, that was my thought. Although I would never touch someone's camera (or anything like that) without invitation, it wouldn't really bother me if someone picked my camera up, especially if we had just been talking about it, and, even more especially if I knew it was someone who is also into photography. I would think it was a bit odd, but, I wouldn't give it any more thought beyond that. And, I have the same camera as the op.

I think they're adorable. Ramona is a great character. I credit them with helping my 7 yo kickstart her independent reading last year.

If we're talking ice cream---vanilla (but with chocolate topping) Cake, cookies---chocolate.

My daughter and I watched (and loved!) "North and South" last year while she was taking European History. Excellent movie that makes a wonderful supplement if you're studying the Industrial Revolution. Plus, Thornton (Richard Armitage) is...amazing :)

Beautiful photo!

My kids and I all enjoyed this book. Plus, it has become a tradition for my youngest and I to make the cranberry bread from the book each Thanksgiving.

Mountain Rose Herbs, which I learned about from someone here on the boards, has essential oils of excellent quality. They have a very informative website also.

As someone who is in Barnes & Noble at least once a week, (and often, more) I agree with this. My kids and I appreciate having a brick and mortar bookstore to spend our time (and money) in. We love being able to pick up and leaf through books and magazines before we buy them. While I realize it may be a bit less expensive to buy through Amazon, I gladly pay a bit more at Barnes & Noble. I do have both the educator's and membership discount, but, the educator's card (which is free) offers more in terms of savings. I have never had any problem using my educator's discount (even when buying Harry Potter Lego sets a couple of weeks ago). The new cards are 2 year "swipeable" cards that you swipe through the credit card machines when you make your purchase. Everything I buy (with the exception of magazines and DVDs/CDs) is 20% off. And, four weeks a year there is a 10% discount on DVDs/CDs along with 25% savings on everything else for educators. I really hate the fact that we are losing actual bookstores to the internet and the e-book trade.

How fun! I'm looking forward to taking my son to see it, although we'll probably wait until Monday to go.

I absolutely love dolls---old dolls, new dolls, porcelain dolls, plastic dolls---I love them all! Now, clowns :::shudder::: I find them extremely...unsettling. And, weirdly enough, all three of my kids are creeped out by clowns. I remember watching some horror film as a kid where clowns were prominently featured (can't remember what it was called, but it induced nightmares...), and I suspect that has something to do with my aversion to clowns.

I exercised throughout all three of my pregnancies----walking, pregnancy videos, golfing (with my first). I drank coffee, as it helped with my pregnancy-induced headaches. (My ob gave this the ok, even though some claim it can contribute to low birth weight). I ate healthily (sure, there was the occasional indulgence such as a Dunkin' Donuts' chocolate cream-filled donut, or a Taco Bell chalupa ;)). All that to say, my babies were 8lbs 9oz, 10lbs 15oz, and 9lbs 1oz. They were all extremely healthy at birth, which, of course, was the goal. And, I'm almost 5'3"....

That's the only way my girls and I refer to them, as well. It doesn't matter if they are fabric covered or not. They're all scrunchies to us ;)

We call them scrunchies. And, now that you mention it....I don't know why :D I know there's a company that makes hair stuff called scunci...

Right now, Walt Disney World is ubiquitous as I make my way around the internet. Previously, a rather pricey moisturizer was "covering" me :) I find it a bit creepy. Oops! Forgot to add: While I wouldn't use the word covet, I do enjoy the Walt Disney World Resort and I'm quite fond of the moisturizer mentioned.

Great link! Thanks so much for all the helpful information.

Thanks, GardenMom and Lynn. Lynn---did your daughter take the AP English Language course and exam before AP Literature? My daughter would rather jump right to Literature, but I keep seeing recommendations to complete AP English Language first. GardenMom---did you follow any of the sample syllabi from the College Board site? Right now I'm leaning toward having her take a course (once I decide on one!) rather than self-studying, but I'm looking at all the options.