Hello, I was curious to see if anyone has used Glencoe's grammar, spelling & vocabulary for middle school? My son will be in 8th grade this upcoming school year & I am considering this as an option. However, I really am not familiar with the curriculum they offer. Is it enough? How teacher intensive is it in regards to prep? Any advice is welcome. My son is used to Wordly Wise for spelling/vocabulary, so I very well may stick to that. I really don't know as far as grammar though. Oh, and what about the Glencoe science? Anyone use it? Thanks so much!

Actually, my response prior to my last post was to answer your question about my business idea. And, we haven't made any definite decision yet. I'm more writing out my thoughts to see if I'm missing anything. Yes, I've gotten my fair share of responses & so I'll take what I've received & figure things out. Thanks. ðŸ‘

Hello.... I've been reading through all these responses once again. While I understand & appreciate what everyone is saying & sharing, there are some things that I can't quite wrap my head around. It may be simply a case of me not thinking clearly or that I'm misunderstanding what's being shared. Anyway, I know there are quite a few people who say that selling make a lot of sense, then there are many that seem sure selling is a bad idea. Honestly, after going over things with a fine tooth comb, I don't see where selling is a negative in our situation. Here are several reasons why I feel this way: -we have been pre-approved already for the amount of house we qualify for currently -our credit scores are still very good -in selling our home, we will be able to pay off our debts, put a down payment on the new home, & have a bit left over even -our overall monthly bills will decrease by at least $1,250 a month, if not more -we get back into the county that we really love -we will get back into a good school district (we are not in a good one currently) -even with moving to a smaller home, we will still have plenty of space for everyone comfortably, plus a nice back yard -the new house will be easily accessible for my mother in law who is having issues walking & fears she can't visit us in our current home any longer -despite a few one time expenses of moving, the savings in the long run outweighs the upfront costs -my husband, being a realtor, helps to eliminate many of the typical realtor fees people have to pay -taxes are about the same regardless of if we stay or move I know there are more reasons, but I can't think of them at the moment. And, my husband's business is picking up & doing better, we aren't creating new debt, I do still have my childcare & we have other things in the works for more monthly income. We are aware that the main issue is that we need better & more income, so that is what we are working on too. On the flip side, if we stay, then I have also crunched numbers & created a 3.5-4 year plan of getting out of the debt. I have done this by using a Dave Ramsey technique. This will be tough, but doable, so it's a possibility if we don't want to deal with moving right now. We are not doing a 2nd mortgage/home equity loan at all. That's no longer an option. Anyway, these are the thoughts running in my head. I'm trying to see the big negative to moving in order to help our situation right now. Either way, we have to increase income, have a plan to not get into debt again, & learn from all our mistakes. Ok, I'm babbling now. Haha! Thanks & have a lovely day! ðŸ˜

Well, I have my childcare business, but I'm also working on another business that combines a few things I enjoy doing. I will be creating homemade jewelry, but then I also create painted signs & flip old furniture into something fresh & new with paint. My husband is also looking at doing real estate photography to bring in more money as well. I think he could do very well with this business, so I'm excited to see what happens. We have everything we need to begin that business asap which is wonderful. 🙂🙂🙂

Thank you. I do appreciate these responses. I do want to just let everyone know that we are indeed taking into account all factors, positive & negative. I even mentioned in my very first post that we realize the obvious things that have to be done regardless what route we take to pay down our debt. This is not something I'm going into lightly at all. We are coming up with more plans for regular & increased monthly income & my husbands business IS doing pretty well now. We are addressing debt created at the end of year that we want to eliminate asap. We aren't creating more debt now & have no plans to add to it in our future. With moving we are looking at upfront costs for sure. Thankfully, realtor fees won't be much, even less if my husband can find the buyer for our home. Moving costs might be $1500-$2k, but it's a one time cost. Taxes are almost the same as where we are now. Reading some of the posts, I believe things may cost a lot more in other areas than where we live. With moving, & knocking out our debt, we stand to save anywhere from $14k-$20k per year in our monthly bills. So, the long term benefits will outweigh the initial costs. I have been researching & even found where Dave Ramsey says this can be a good way to pay debts if you have enough equity built in your home. Of course, if the equity isn't there, you look at other options. We are taking everything into account, being very wise, & have every intention of resolving this mess we created. I appreciate all the food for thought I've received here as well. ðŸ‘

So are you saying that you & your husband did choose to sell your home to help you get out of debt & it worked well in your situation?

Hello & Good Morning, It's the OP once more. 😊 We have officially decided against a home equity loan. I simply don't feel comfortable doing that at all, so it's no longer an option. It's now down to selling & moving or coming up with a really good payment plan to get ourselves out of the debt we created (whether it's through Dave Ramsey techniques or other avenues). Also, to the person who posted about real estate being the right job for my husband because the market is booming around the country, YES.... this is a very good job for him. He is an excellent realtor & I stated that the problems arose towards the end of last year. There were several realtors saying the same thing about the market being tough in this area last year, so we weren't alone. Right now, his business is doing better. In our area, there are houses that fly off the market in certain counties or cities, while others are sitting quite a bit longer due to location mainly. Have we talked about him getting another job to supplement? Of course we have. And, that may actually be what he has to do should we choose to stay in this home. And, we have looked at renting out the basement to my husbands mom. However, she isn't interested & getting the basement set up for an apartment would cost us quite a bit of money because right now the entire thing is open, plus there's a tiny sink, but no actual kitchen. I love this house we are in & I do tend to get attached to my homes because I love decorating & am a bit if a homebody. This is also why moving now would be ok with me. We haven't done much to the house yet in the past couple of years, but the longer we stay, the more we will do to make it our style. It would be harder at that point to sell than now if that makes sense. 🙂 We just have to talk everything through once more & make a decision & stick with it. We've been all over the place with this situation & it's driving me a bit nuts. 😜 Time to make a decision & move forward to make it happen. Thanks again for all the suggestions! Have a wonderful day! ðŸ˜

Many thanks to everyone that has responded. It's good to hear different thoughts & suggestions. My husband & I will do more discussing so that we can figure out the best solution for us. Thanks so much! 🙂

OP again. I also meant to add that the other home we are looking at possibly purchasing is about $35K less than what we purchased this home at... the house payments would be at least $150 less monthly, if not $200. Utilities would definitely be less too. As far as taxes, they aren't bad & wont affect us greatly in a negative way should we sell & move. Actually, the taxes are higher where we currently live. And, we have looked at the fact that we have to hire movers, do some home repairs, etc.. in order to list, sell, & move. Luckily, with my husband being a realtor, we can eliminate many of those costs. Staying here is tempting too, but I feel house poor & struggle to pay the higher bills monthly, much less figure out a payment plan to eliminate the debt. I am selling things, still have my childcare business & am planning to create a new business soon too. My husbands business is doing better as well. I just want out if this mess we created & to be where we were just a couple of years ago. I can't stand being in debt!

Hello Everyone... I'm the OP. :) Thanks so very much for all the responses. I want to fill everyone in on a few more details. Unfortunately, this is for my own personal situation. It was not created out of frivolous spending, but out of necessity. We did not have sufficient income to pay our bills & unfortunately had to use loans & credit cards to get us through. It was NOT at all what we wanted to do. Actually, just two years ago, we had no credit card/loan debt, hand excellent credit scores & was in an incredible place financially. So much so that we were blessed to find a home that fit our family perfectly. The whole process of selling our old home, finding the new one, moving in, etc... was a complete blessing & great experience overall. My husband is a full time realtor and last year was tough, really tough financially. All this crappy debt was accrued the latter part of the year & into the first part of this year. I do in home childcare, but am winding that business down come August to create a new business. I didn't want to sell our home, but I'm willing to do it in order to get back on our feet again. We only have one child at home & he's almost a teenager. If we choose to sell, we possibly could make enough off the sell to pay our full debts off, have a down payment for the other home, & just a little extra left. I just hate the burden of this debt on our shoulders, the arguing it's causing between my husband & I, as well as the constant stress it's creating daily for us. We have been approved for an ok amount to purchase another home, we also still have good credit scores (not excellent as before, but good). We've found a house that is about 1500 sq. ft. smaller. Our current house is big with 2400 on the main floors & a 1700 sq. ft. Finished basement as well. So, losing 1500 sq. ft. would be ok with us. Even though my husbands business seems to be picking up now, we are still very tight. We've played things over in our minds, back & forth, up & down & it's exhausting. I really hate the idea of a 2nd mortgage & may just wipe that off the option list for now. We do like some of Dave Ramsey's ideas, but not all. We have several of his books, & know what he suggests. He does actually suggest selling IF you believe that you have enough equity to do so & pay off the debts. If there's not enough equity though, he does not suggest that plan. We aren't positive of the exact value, but we think it's definitely gone up since we bought. Moving would mean a smaller home, but also getting back to the county we really love, into a much better school district (should we ever opt to send our son to the public school), etc.... I don't know if any of this helps, but maybe it will. Thanks again for all the thoughts & suggestions. I appreciate each one. 😊

Hello, I'm curious to hear what others say to this question. If you had a large sum of consumer debt ($40k-$50k) to pay, would you consider a home equity loan or would you sell your house & use the equity to pay off the debts? Both have their pros & cons, & either of these choices would still mean figuring out how to bring in more monthly income, lowering bills, & having a plan not to get in debt again. And, selling the house would mean knowing that you had enough equity built to pay off the debts, & are willing to downsize to make it happen. So, what would you do & why would you choose that option? 🤔

Hello, I am curious.... has anyone ever taken a home staging course in order to start a business? I love decorating & I love looking at homes, watching home shows, etc.... I have been told many times that I should be doing something in the home decorating area. It does come naturally to me & it's really something I enjoy. So, I'm considering taking a course just to help me out, but I also know that it's not necessary to take a course, be certified, pass an exam in order to do this. I guess I'm thinking that it sure can't hurt. So, has anyone here ever done anything like this? If so, what & how? I'm looking to create a side business with this, not a full blown huge business. It's exciting to think about. Thanks & have a lovely day! 😊

Thank you all very much for the suggestions. And, I'm not choosing Whole 30 because I want something that is possible for my whole family to do without feeling so limited. For myself, I haven't completely ruled it out, but I would really have to have the right mindset to follow the plan. I'm going to really shoot for more fruits & veggies, cutting sugars, etc... and see how that goes first. Again, thanks to everyone! ðŸ‘ðŸ˜

Hello, I really need some input please. I need & want to lose quite a bit of weight, eating healthier & exercising. However, I want to do this in a way that will be a lifestyle change for our family, not just a diet. I'm hoping that losing weight will allow me to have more energy, not feel tired so much, focus better & just be a better version of me overall. This is important so that I can also be at my best for not only myself, but for others as well. I would love to hear some advice on the best way to plan for & begin a cleaner way of eating & healthier lifestyle. I don't think I necessarily want to do Whole 30 or Paleo, but I don't mind taking a few ideas from those plans & incorporating them into our new, healthy lifestyle either..... if that's even possible. Anyway, I'd love some help, some friendly & doable advice. Thanks so much & everyone have a wonderful day! 😊ðŸ˜

Oh my goodness!!! Thank you both sooo much for the great information. I appreciate it very much! My son isn't quite sure what he wants to do yet. He has a great interest in maybe working with computer animation somehow, creating movies or games. Another possible interest of his may be graphic design. I think he may be fine if we stick to the traditional plan. I'm going to reread all this information again just to make sure though. Thank you, thank you!!! ðŸ‘ðŸ˜

Hello, I've posted a few times asking about grammar & science choices for 8th grade, and while I have decided on grammar, science is still a challenge. I'm a bit confused because I'm not really sure what area of science I should be teaching my son next year for 8th. He's currently at a university school, but will be home full time next year for 8th. I checked to see what they will be teaching for science next year at the UM school & it's earth science (which I believe they did in 6th grade, so it must be more in depth). The public schools teach physical science though. This year he's doing life science. My original thought was to do another earth science for 8th, then physical science in 9th, followed by Biology in 10th, chemistry in 11th, & then maybe physics for senior year. However, when reading on the forums, I notice lots of 8th graders taking physical science or just a mix of different areas of science. So, I'm confused & need help please. Do I need to focus on a specific area of science for 8th grade? If so, what do you recommend? I need something that is going to be fairly easy to teach with some fun hands on projects or labs. While my son reads alright, he doesn't love tons of reading. Thanks everyone! 😊

Thank you!

Hello, I am looking for a really good grammar program to teach our son next year in 8th grade? I would really like for it to be something that is open and go, doesn't take a ton of time, but yet is thorough and helps him to retain what he is learning. While I want our son to do grammar, I am hoping to focus more on his writing skills, which is why I am looking for a grammar that fits what I have mentioned above. I will be choosing a separate writing program, so it doesn't have to be included with the grammar necessarily. I am looking at CLE, Analytical Grammar, and Killgallon sentence composing. Thoughts, ideas, suggestions???? Thanks so much! :)

Hello! He's currently doing Life Science, so he'd do Earth for 8th. I really love the idea of the online distance learning, but it seems expensive. However, it might be worth it so that I'm not having to teach all of the science, plus my son already is very familiar with how BJU works. Right now, it looks like Mrs. Vicks is doing the Earth science & I think I've heard good things about her. Have you ever done the online version or do you just teach the course yourself? If you teach it yourself, how difficult is it for you to do so? Thank you! ðŸ‘ðŸ˜

Hello, I would love some great suggestions for 8th grade science please. I'm researching & looking, but having trouble deciding what I want to do for my son. He's always loved science, but this year he is not very interested. He takes this subject at his university model school right now & has for the last three years. They use BJU & he has really loved it till now. Unfortunately, I believe it may fall on the teacher some. Simply put, his style of teaching isn't the most interesting. My son loves interactive & hands on learning. It seems to stick with him better that way. Anyway, our son will be doing science at home next year & I've considered BJU, but also keep thinking I may let him choose a topic he's really interested in for studying. For example, astronomy or oceanography. He will take physical science come 9th grade, but I've even considered it for 8th too. It's just I know he will get the credit for the class in 9th. Enough of my babbling. I'm just interested in a really good curriculum for Science. Thank you!!!

I want to thank each of you for the responses. I will look at the placement testing on DO, but I have also read that it is very important for students to complete a full pre-algebra course as well. I would not say my son is a strong math student, more average. As far as science, he has done BJU through a university model school. This is why I am considering it as an option even though he won't be attending the school for 8th grade. The only thing is that the BJU online program is very expensive and you don't even get to keep the dvd's from what I have read. The more I think about everything, I believe that I may just allow my son to finish out CLE pre-algebra by doing the 800 course. I think that would help him to feel more confident when going into Algebra 1 in 9th grade. I'm not sure what science I will do yet though. Thankfully, I have time to figure it out. :)

Hello, I would love to hear thoughts on this particular science curriculum please. Do you feel that it would be a good fit for an 8th grader or should I go with something else? Thanks! :)

Hello, I wanted to get some advice please on what I should do for 8th with my son next year. I'm specifically needing help with science & math. Currently, for math, my son does CLE 7. He does very well with this curriculum & we have used it for several years. CLE breaks pre-algebra up over two years, so CLE 8 will be the second half. I'm wondering if I should go ahead & order CLE 8 & have him work on that throughout the summer, so that he might be able to begin Algebra 1 in 8th as well. I'm thinking we will use Derek Owens for Algebra 1. Or, should I just have him do CLE next year and then Algebra one for ninth? Derek Owens also has the physical science class that I'm considering for my son in 8th grade, but I'm also considering earth science for 8th too. I'm just not sure which to do. If I do earth science, I'll pick a different curriculum & then do Derek Owens physical science in 9th. I looked at the Real Science for Kids "focus on" series & felt my son would really enjoy doing two to three of those courses next year, but then I'm reading that they may be too easy or lacking information he may really need to help him later on in high school. I'm looking at BJU Earth Science as well with the distance online learning. So many choices..... THIS is why I need some help, advice, suggestions, etc..... Thank you!

Wow! Thanks so much for ALL the great responses! I have not been able to check this post for a few days, & it's so nice to read all the wonderful things each of you shared. The thoughts & advice are really encouraging! They ease my mind so much in regards to teaching 8th grade next year. I have a feeling it will be a very enjoyable year for the both of us. :) Thank you!

Thank you all so much for your responses! They are definitely easing my mind and making me feel a bit better about teaching my son 8th grade. :thumbup: