Ok cool!! That's great!! This will be fun!! I'm asking around trying to get a few more people to participate. I was hoping to get a dozen people, so we could all have 12 new busy bags to use. If you know of anyone else that would like to participate, too, let me know. Give me a few more days to see if I/we can get anyone else to join up with us, and I'll PM you guys to see if you're still interested in doing it, and give the details.

Here ya go!! http://unsolicitedadvice-n-such.blogspot.com/p/busy-bag-swaps.html

Anybody know of one I can join that will be happening fairly soon? We recently were placed with 3 foster boys ages 1, 3, & 4 and I would love to have some of them for them to do while we're doing school. Or would anybody be willing to participate in one, because I would be willing to coordinate it. I really want to participate in one, I think it would be a lot of fun. These are totally new to me, my friend just told me about them, and I love it, but if you're like me and haven't heard of them before you can google it and there are TONS of ideas. Here are just a couple of sites that I found though. http://therigneys.wordpress.com/2011...busy-bag-swap/ http://www.gerberadesigns.com/triedandtrue/?p=505 http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/...vity-bags.html http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/activity-bag-fun/ So, if anyone knows of one about to start, or is willing to participate in one with me, please let me know. Thanks so much!!

Sorry! I totally meant to put this in the general board, since it isn't curriculum related!! I don't think I can move it, can I?

Anybody know of one I can join that will be happening fairly soon? We recently were placed with 3 foster boys ages 1, 3, & 4 and I would love to have some of them for them to do while we're doing school. Or would anybody be willing to participate in one, because I would be willing to coordinate it. I really want to participate in one, I think it would be a lot of fun. These are totally new to me, my friend just told me about them, and I love it, but if you're like me and haven't heard of them before you can google it and there are TONS of ideas. Here are just a couple of sites that I found though. http://therigneys.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/toddler-busy-bag-swap/ http://www.gerberadesigns.com/triedandtrue/?p=505 http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/2008/06/toddler-activity-bags.html http://naturalparentsnetwork.com/activity-bag-fun/ So, if anyone knows of one about to start, or is willing to participate in one with me, please let me know. Thanks so much!!

:lurk5:

Nope, you aren't alone!! :001_smile: PS started yesterday here, but we aren't starting school till Sept. 6.

My oldest turns 14 in less than a month, so I put 14-17. (gosh!! That seems so old :( how did he get that old so fast??)

:iagree: 100%

:001_smile:

Anyone else? =)

Wondering if anyone can compare Saxon 8/7 to BJ 8th grade pre-algebra? Are both good solid programs? Do they cover the same stuff? One more than the other? My ds used Saxon 7/6 last year, and did pretty good with it. He wants to be an architect or an engineer one day, so he needs a good math. However, he does have to work at it, it doesn't really come easy for him. Another thing is; he wants to go to ps next year (2012)for high school. So I want to make sure that he has what he needs when he goes. Is one better than the other? Basically, I would appreciate any help for or against either program!! Thanks all!!

:lurk5:

:grouphug: My heart goes out to you! So sorry!

Thank you for those links, and all the info, that's great!! Thank you! This was what I was wondering. So you use about a card a week. And just read the books they have listed that go with it on the back. That's pretty neat! Do you typically use most of the extras they have listed? I wonder if my library would have them...

Thank you! I would totally understand this! So I wouldn't have been bothered by it in this situation. With that being said, my nature is to please people and I love to cook soI still would have wanted to make something that they could eat. Or at least tried to. Thank you!

Oh and we won't waste any food! We had leftovers all day today. And I told dh to take everything else to work with him tomorrow to feed all the guys for lunch! :D *Nothing* will go to waste with them!!! LOL!

Ok, wow!! =) I would like to add that I *did* have a big plate of veggies, and a big bowl of strawberries too! (It was all our little store had, I had wanted watermelon or something else too) I just didn't include that in my OP. We do *not* eat like this everyday. It was a special occasion...a cookout. Actually my kids kept calling it a party!! =) I would also like to add that she did not have allergies, and if she did I would have been happy to accomodate her. We have some other close family friends and they DO have have severe food allergies, and I have never had any problem accomodating them. In fact, they used to live next door to us and ate with us all the time.

Ok, thank you all!! I'm glad to know I am not the only one it would bother. :tongue_smilie: Well, I didn't intend to eat right at 5, but I put the sides in the oven right at 5, thinking they were gonna be there soon, and they could sit in the oven for a while. They had just finished cooking at 5:40 when I asked her if she was still coming, and they were a good 20 min away still. At that point we were so hungry I told dh to go ahead and start the grill food. We didn't cook everything I had set out, since by that point we knew we weren't going to have as many people. Your response doesn't bother me!! :D I was just checking to see if I was nuts!! =) You're right people do get sick, and I DO sympathize with that. But she said he had felt that way most of the day and kept putting it off. Even if she'd said it came on all of a sudden, I probably would have been fine, but she said he didn't feel well most of the day. I would have been fine with the others showing at 6:15 as well, had she just given me a call/text earlier saying...hey, we're running behind. I am just the type of person that HATES being late, though, so.... And it was a diet, she doesn't have any kind of health issues or allergies.

Just wondering if this would bother anyone else or if I am being overly sensitive because aunt flo is here. :D About a week and a half ago, I invited a couple that I work with over for dinner/cookout yesterday. And earlier this week, I invited another family, to come over as well. I told both of them 5 o'clock. Well, yesterday morning I got up and did my shopping, getting my last min. things I needed, etc. Came home and started prepping some of the sides & desserts, and cleaning up around the house. Well, my one friend texted me about 12:30pm yesterday saying they were gonna go shopping but they would be back in time for dinner at our house. (A little FYI: we do have a tiny grocery store in town, but for real shopping you have to drive an hour away, and that's where they were going) I said ok, be careful, see ya later. We were expecting about 13 people including our family (a lot of boys :D). So I made quite a bit of food, including 2 trays of mac & cheese, baked beans, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, & two desserts. Fast forward to 5:15pm, my other friend calls me and says that they aren't going to come now, because her dh isn't feeling well. Really? At 5:15 you call and tell me? I absolutly understand that her husband wasn't feeling well, and I do sympathize with that, but I feel like they could have let me know a LOT sooner than 15 min after I expected them. She said he kept putting it off, because he thought he was gonna feel better in time to come over. If they had let me know earlier in the day, it wouldn't have bothered me one bit, and I would have known not to make as much food (they're a family of 5). Now fast forward to 5:40, my other friend (the one who went shopping) is still not there either. We're all starving at this point, and most of the food had been made and we're just waiting, so I text her to see if they're still coming. SHe say yea, they're on their way, they're in ________. Which is 20min away, and they still have to go home and unload their groceries. They get to our house around 6:15 (Mind you, I said 5:00) and she has a tupperware container of food. She said she brought her dinner because she's on a diet. :blink: So she didn't eat any of the food we had prepared. Her boyfriend had a small plate of food, then they had to go, but they did take a plate of desserts home for her son. So now I am left with a TON of food, that is likely to be wasted! I feel like both couples were very rude, and if they would have just given me a heads up about it, I would have been fine with it, and just done things a bit differently (make less food, held off on cooking it, etc). I know I CAN'T change what happened, and I'm getting over it and will be fine, I'm just wondering if this would have bothered anyone else?

I have their catalog...and I LOVE it, however I have never used their stuff. Their catalog overwhelms me and intrigues me all at the same time. I'm just very confused on how you use their stuff. Maily just the history. I guess because it's not an AIO package, per se, like SL, MFW, HOD or WP. Or maybe because they have it listed grade specific where the above mentioned ones are listed for a broader age range. For example, I am looking at the fifth grade stuff, because it is early american history. Based on what I see in the catalog, it looks like my ds's who will be 6th & 3rd next year can both use that and get a lot out of it. Do they offer lesson plans for just their history & literature portions? My other big question is, do they use ALL of those books? They have a HUGE list of books for their history & literature. Or do you just pick a few books to use? Or maybe just read a little bit from each book (which would be very difficult to do in my house)? I know they use the flashcards too. So, if someone could explain to me how to use their stuff, I would really appreciate it!! =) TIA!

We are!! Been trying since February, dh had a vasectomy reversal in January. Praying it happens very soon!!! :001_smile:

I couldn't see it either! My oldest really wants to do ancients this year, but I haven't been able to decide on anything yet, so I would LOVE to see it!! :D

Thank you all SOOO much for your responses. I do appreciate that you guys took the time to respond and give me your input on it. It does sound as if it would probably be better if we waited another year. He probably isn't quite ready for it from the sounds of it. Now back to the drawing board... Thanks again!!!

Ok, so my son is not quite in hs yet, but thought I may get a little bit better direction over here. I am not really getting any response on the other board. Could an 8th grader do this? My ds really wants to do ancients this coming fall. I figured he could just go ahead and do it and then we'll follow along in the 4 year cycle, and figure out what we'll do that last year of hs when we get there. A little bit about him. He really, really enjoys reading, but is not a very academic kid. He hates to write, however, it is one of my goals for this year to improve his writing skills. On most days, he also has a hard time staying on task with his school, I have to constantly re-direct him back to what he is supposed to be doing. So would this program just be too over the top for him? Think it may work? What if we stretched it out to a year and a half? Or what other program might you suggest? Would Biblioplan be a good fit, using MOH, or Streams of Civilizations, or SWB's History of the Ancient World? Or should I just pick a spine and do my own thing? I appreciate any hlep!! =)