I was afraid of that, but really didn't want to go to the trouble if somebody else out there had already done it. ;)

I've scrolled through planner threads on here and shopped various sites until my eyes glazed over and my brain is in a fog, and I still haven't found precisely what I want. So, I'm going to describe what I'm after and ask you if it exists. First, I've been using a Franklin Covey daily planner (the kind with a two page spread for each day) and it's *almost* what I want. My biggest problem with it is that there is insufficient room in the daily task list area to write down all our tasks. I've been writing down each subject for each child as a task so that I can mark it off when it's done, in addition to my tasks (like housework, prep for church classes I'm teaching, etc). I can't just write "housework" or "school," either. I really need small, achievable goals for myself, so I have to list each task out individually ("make beds," "vacuum living room," "Colin math," "Mark phonics," etc.). So the list gets very long, very quickly. I thought about switching to the FC Monarch size (8.5 x 11), but I still think I won't have room for it all. I've looked at planners like the Well-Planned Day, but as far as I can tell I'd have to flip back and forth a lot between the dedicated sections, and the thing that's made me an FC loyalist for years is being able to open it to ONE page and see EVERYTHING that needs to happen that day. So what I think I'm looking for is a planner that allows me to see every task for every person AND every scheduled item (dr appts, etc.) on one page without flipping back and forth, but still allows me to plan out ahead (as with the FC month at a glance pages). It also needs to be paper. I'm an iPhone addict and have tried several different apps, and I just don't seem to stick to them the way I do to the paper planner. So, does what I'm looking for exist? TIA!

ES is okay. I'm not discontented with it, and science is one of my 7yo's favorite subjects, so that says something right there. I guess I'm just looking for another experience like the one we had when we switched maths for my 5yo--we went from "This seems to work okay" to "OMG I love this." But ES is what we'll stick with if we don't find something else more exciting. I can't complain about it.

Does such a thing even exist? Does anything even approximating such a thing exist? I saw a page on the BioLogos site about a curriculum in development, but I think it was last updated two years ago. My family doc, himself a home school dad, said he just used Apologia and bracketed out or debunked the YEC parts as they came up. But I really don't want to have to do that in the grammar stage. Thoughts?

My kids (7, 5.5, 20mo) haven't ever seemed traumatized by the gruesome parts of fairy tales. But it may depend on the kids in question. I do think that, especially with myths, ancient folklore, and the stories of Andersen and the brothers Grimm, the violence generally has specific metaphorical value, and expurgating it would flatten out the mythic richness of the stories.

Wisdom, this.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I'm off to give these a closer look.

My first grader has been doing SSL this year, and has torn through it. We are approaching the end of the book. I see the next recommendation from Classical Academic Press is Latin for Children A. I was about to buy it but I thought I'd come here and check first. Any recommendations otherwise? DS is 7, a strong reader, and he LOVES Latin, especially making etymological connections to the English words he knows. Thanks!

Song School Latin is what we are using for our first grader. He loves it.

We are doing TGS year one for our 1st grader and K5er and we LOVE it. The lessons seem like they would be really easy to tweak up or down a notch for a variety of ages.

Thank you! I kind of thought that was what it must be, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. Thanks again!

I'm looking for help with Miquon math sheet C24 from the red book. Usually the Lab Sheet Annotations tells me what I need to know but they skip right from C23 to C25. Can anybody give me a clue what we are supposed to do with this lab sheet? Thanks!

The flash sale site Ideeli.com has a pretty good deal going on National Geographic Atlases and other reference products going on today. I think most of them are about 40% off suggested retail. Just wanted to throw that out there in case anybody's looking to pick up some new reference materials. (Should this have been in the curriculum board? I wasn't sure where to put it.)

I'd like to get my 6.5yo some fun comic books. He reads at a third or fourth grade level, but is fairly young emotionally. One we are reading together and enjoying now is Mouse Guard, but that's just a touch more complex than he needs in order to read independently and enjoy it. Any suggestions?

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31 NIV) ;) Seriously, I don't remember the first four I taught them-- but if I had to choose just four: I John 4.7-8: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. I Corinthians 13.4-7: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Romans 8.38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Philippians 2.1-4: Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

:iagree: We coslept with our oldest two (yes, it was crowded!) until our DD was born last year. I was VERY concerned about them making the transition to bunk beds in their own room when she came along, but they went without batting an eye. I really do think keeping them with us for so long gave them a strong sense of security and taught them how to self-settle *by example.* To this day we have had zero problems at bedtime. Now, if I could only say the same for dinner time...

Fennel (shaved and tossed with orange segments & pomegranate seeds, it makes a delicious salad), oatmeal and Guinness (or another stout dark beer) helped me. Prayers, mama. It seems like something that's *natural* should be *easy.* But it isn't. Also check out the Leaky B@@b on Facebook and BestForBabes.org and Kellymom.com. Lots of good info there.

...but I think it *should* be. I didn't know about it until DH told me. :(

Limited profile has saved my sanity without actually unfriending anyone.

I was in the Verizon store today waiting for their nonexistent customer service, and since my 4yo was playing on my iPad I looked at the other tablets on display. I guess they might have been appealing if I had never known anything better, but compared to the iPad their UI and design just felt awkward, clunky and ugly. Of course, I feel that way in general about PCs vs Macs, so take with a grain of salt. :)

How do you handle scary Bible stories? We are listening to SOTW1 right now in the car & got to the bit about Moses today. It occurred to me that it might be a lot for a 4yo and 6yo to handle, what with the killing babies and all. It didn't seem to phase them, but then they are already familiar with the story. Also: I'm pretty lax about violent/disturbing Bible stories and historical anecdotes both, but I snapped off the radio news today as they were about to segue into the story about the Brooklyn boy...so clearly I feel the former are justifiable and the latter isn't, though I'm not sure why. I'm pretty comfortable with where I am, but I am curious whether any of you treat gruesome stories as more or less acceptable for the same kid depending on the context (religious tradition, history study, literature study, evening news, etc.)?

...yesterday I had to hop into the pool to help my struggling 4yo (he & his brother were playing on the steps with my permission while I sun screened the baby a few feet away, and his brother accidentally knocked him a step too far). I waded in, snatched him out of danger, and hopped right back out to the baby. And then realized my iPhone was in my pocket.:ack2: It is currently resting in a bed of dry rice, but we don't hold out much hope for it. We just got the phones a few months ago, so there is no way we will be eligible for an upgrade any time soon, and have you SEEN how much iPhones are if they aren't accompanied by a contract? :blink: Even refurbished & used ones are out of our price range. Also? We didn't get insurance when we got the phones. We won't be making that mistake again. Anyway, I know this is SUCH a first world problem. All my kids are healthy and living, I'm married to a wonderful man, I am typing this on an iPad(!), I could go on and on. So really, to act like this is the end of the world would be the height of ingratitude. But I still...just need a hug. :( I really loved that phone.

:iagree: Once you go Mac, you never go back! :)

:iagree: Sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious.

:iagree: In addition, I'll just jump on one of my soapboxes here and add that, on one level, his feelings don't matter; his actions do. He made a promise. We are not at the mercy of "love." It is a choice. Affections can be cultivated, and we have a responsibility actively to cultivate affection for our spouses. Nobody just falls out of love accidentally. You choose to stop caring. (It should go without saying that instances of abuse, etc. are another matter.)