Carrie, which CD would you get? The audio cd, or the memory work resources? Both? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but you sound very knowledgeable and I've been looking for a secular version of this program. How long does a cycle take? Is it doable without attending the training sessions?

Well, on this board, when you ask for advise, you get it. If, on the other hand, you were just looking for sympathy (although you pointedly stated that you had none for your own daughter), this is not a good place for that. When you put it out there, people are going to tell you what they really think. And what they really think is that you're attempting the impossible, under an untenable schedule, you've labeled your daughter lazy because she can't make it work, and you've stated in your first sentence that you have no sympathy. Sorry you couldn't find more people to agree with your assessment of your daughter and your plan to remediate her.

<Gasp!> That sounds delicious! I hadn't thought about what to put in with cherries, but almonds sounds exactly perfect.

I guess I'm just old. I remember a time when the entire United States would have joined in joy if our president had won the Nobel Peace Prize. Now we live in a country where people have parties and joyful celebration because President Obama's efforts to bring the Olympics to the U.S. were defeated. Strange, strange world we live in these days.

Your family will be in my thoughts today. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. :grouphug:

Here are the traditional celebrations for the wheel of the year. Like in most other religions, Pagan families vary widely in how they celebrate. http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/wiccan_and_pagan_calendar_2010

We celebrate Samhain with all our friends, including support group and co-op buddies. Each year, I teach them about the pagan origins of the holiday. We have bonfires, the works. The kids love it, and the parents do too.

You did a good thing, Momma. Nobody likes to take fun things away from their kids, but this is a lesson he had to learn. You've probably saved him from far worse consequences had you let that kind of procrastination go. Plus, you've given him an opportunity to feel accomplished. I bet he was pleased to show you his work when you returned from the game.

This year we're using History Odyssey for a spine with SOTW 3, the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History, plus a few extra books to fill it in. Since your ds is dyslexic and reading is an issue, can you read to him? Alternatively, you can get him books on CD. For example, SOTW is available on CD, as are tons of history books.

I have a 10-year-old boy. Sixteen problem as you describe would take over an hour and it would be a very unpleasant experience for all. For a boy this age, I would break up the work into smaller chunks -- perhaps four or five, a break, another four or five. Doing 16 is a lot for a little guy that age. Eight problems per day would be more reasonable, imho. I know my own son, who is a good student, wouldn't tolerate 16 complicated multiplication problems in one fell swoop. He's not being a jerk. That's just where he is developmentally.

We do both. We started with JAG and my intention was to complete it in 12 weeks, then continue with CW Aesop B. About half way through JAG we decided to start our writing program. We do both every day. Grammar takes about 20 minutes and writing about 30, so it's not big sacrifice. Ds loves CW. JAG, not so much. ;)

Some of just have cleavage. It's not like you sign up for it. You just get it. (Or buy it, but in my case I came with it.) ;) I don't usually show cleavage, but I live in Miami where it is inhumanly hot in winter and simply uninhabitable in summer. When I wear a t-shirt with a U-neck (as opposed to a man's t-shirt that goes up to the neck), I show a little bit of cleavage. I'm not willing to wear high necklines in summer, or even winter, for that matter. If people mind a little cleavage, they must avert their gaze!:D I'm not going to give myself heat stroke and people are always free to use brain bleach!

We spend our academic year in Miami (home) and spend the summer in beautiful Nova Scotia on Little Mush-a-Mush lake (summer home). My husband is Canadian, from BC. I LOVE Canada and hope to move there permanently in the next few years. We're always looking for friends when we summer in Nova Scotia -- would love to hear from others in the Bridgewater/Mahone Bay/Lunenberg area. (We're in Blockhouse.)

Hi, Michelle. We're close (in the big scheme of things). We're in Miami close to the zoo. I'm so happy to see other locals here!

Yum!

I would have to agree, except that I think the failure would be yours entirely, not "as well." *You* are the teacher. You have to take control. It appears to me that you have set up a system to "fix" the problem that does not work, and you want to place the blame on your daughter for not making it work. I think a more sensible solution would be to get professional counseling to help you set up a system that will help her do her best.

The schedule may be what it is, but it's not working for you. That is very clear. A typical child would have trouble with such a choppy schedule. A child with ADD would find it impossible to segue from one activity to the next to the next with any kind of focus.

Pull the electric plug. Disconnect the router's power supply from the wall plug and every computer in your hose will lose internet access. Takes three seconds to turn off and three seconds to turn back on again.

I just made split pea soup the other night. Yum! I use six cups for a 16oz bag of peas. Olive oil for sauteeing veggies 1 onion, chopped 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped 2 med. potatoes, cut into 1" pieces 2 cloves or garlic, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 can diced tomatoes 16 oz split peas (I sometimes favor yellow, sometimes green) 6 cups of water 3 large bullion cubes, chicken, ham or vegetable 1 bay leaf 1/2 pound of ham diced into 1/2 inch pieces 1. Sautee the onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, and sweet red peppers on high/med-high heat until the onions are translucent, and just beginning to get golden. 2. Add the canned tomatoes, water, bullion and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 35 minutes, stirring frequently. 3. Add the ham and simmer another 10 minutes. (If the ham simmers too long, it ends up tasting like cardboard.) Serve with home made bread, or over white rice.

Wow! How many wonderful ideas. Thank you, thank you!

This is exactly what I was going to post. Many "lazy, underachievers" are simply suffering from untreated ADHD. She sounds exactly the way I was when I was a child. I was an adult by the time I was diagnosed. My mother always regretted having had such a lazy child and she never stopped to think that perhaps I was completely overwhelmed. It's worth noting that once I had a diagnosis, I was able to find tools to help me focus. I am currently considered an over-achiever, having received several degrees, running a very profitable business, homeschooling both my children, and running a support group/co-op. I could have never achieved any of this if I had taken my mother's attitude to heart. Her idea of helping me was to nag and belittle. She was completely unhelpful and only served to make my condition worse. I had to pay a psychologist to do what my mother should have done if she hadn't been so wrapped up in her "poor me, my kid is lazy," routine. He taught me how to organize my life, how to prioritize, how to keep myself on track. He also worked to undo the damage my mother's ignorance had caused me. If it sounds like I'm siding with your daughter, it's because I am. Your daughter needs you to hover, whether it's convenient or not. She needs *you* to help her get organized. Telling her to do it is a waste of time. Before you go on about your "lazy" child, and take other people's advise to have her go without food, or make her sit on an uncomfortable chair, take her to a doctor and have ADHD ruled out. It may turn out that your child simply needed medical attention that she never received.

My ds works independently. I don't even have to teach the material because we're using TT this year (which is working phenomenally for us). He works on two lessons each day, which takes about 30 minutes altogether if he doesn't dawdle. I make myself available for help, but that seldom is needed.

They won't dry if you put them in a sealed container. I always refrigerate mine. Sometimes, they last overnight. Not usually, though. :tongue_smilie:

We're having a Halloween party this year, so I'm looking for great ideas for decorations and for entertaining a bunch of tweens. How do you decorate and entertain on the spookiest night of the year?

:lol::lol::lol: