My dd won't graduate for 2.5 years, but we intend to have a graduation party for her that will resemble those of her many, many cousins. I wouldn't think of doing it another way. Besides, I've attended dozens of graduation parties in the past 25 years and I'd like to think the parents of those graduates would attend our daughter's party. As far as the diploma is concerned, I'm going to let her decide what to do. We're thinking of having our closest friends and family come to the party early for a short ceremony. Either way, the occasion needs to be marked in some way. A lovely dinner out as suggested before also is a wonderful idea.

Your friend's idea is a good one, but I've never known how to make it work. I started my kids (who are older than yours) with Latina Christiana and considered it a foreign language. Yours could start with Prima Latina, I think. Maybe someone else will chime in on this. Now I use Galore Park's Latin program for my teens. If I'd wanted to use Latin as part of my grammar program, I probably would have chosen Latin Road to English Grammar (I think that's the title). I ordered the free sample of that program and somehow knew I would never accept it as a substitute for an English program. But that program is too old for your kids. I guess I would treat the learning of Latin as a fun game. Yours are young enough so they'd probably like the chanting and such. I guess none of this really helps you. Again, maybe someone who uses Minimus or something else can give you advice.

I've never used a boxed curriculum just for the reasons you've stated. Wouldn't work for us. Since he's a young sixth grader, I'd think you could pare down some things. If it doesn't matter if you continue with Calvert, I'd say keep what you like and dump the rest. I don't know what Calvert includes, but if you like the history or the science, hang on to it. Sounds like the math and LA are the worst parts. I'd find a math book he can work with (maybe Life of Fred) and find some workbooks with grammar he can do on his own. Many people here like the Christian-based grammar programs that are pretty much self-teaching. Secular families use them, too. And for math, there's nothing wrong with buying some Barnes & Noble math workbooks for his age group that he can work on when you're really pressed for time. At least he's doing math every day that way. None of these items has to be expensive. In fact, you can probably pick up some stuff on ebay. Get yourself a notebook and write down (briefly) each day's assignments. This takes me about 10 minutes for two kids. That way your son knows what he has to do on any given day. Make him responsible for checking off the items. Read, read, read. Have him read all kinds of novels on his own, the ones he likes and some you choose. When you go to the library, check out as many books as possible, including history and science books. That way, if you don't have time to teach history or science, at least he can read about some subjects and write paragraphs about what he's learned. Time with your grandma is important to you now. Your taking care of her is a wonderful thing, but I'm sure it's stressing you out. Can you get visiting nurse services or something similar to help you? Your little guy is only 11. There's plenty of time to catch up. And don't worry about spending the money. This kind of thing has happened to all of us. Good luck. Keep us posted.

I wish I'd known about this two years ago when I tried to cobble together a chemistry class.

Our local private college (my alma mater) allowed my daughter to take a beginning French class. The only requirement: My checkbook. I seriously think my 8th grade son could have taken a class, too. This class can count as high school credit as well as college credit, too. Our local CC requires a compass test, and it does want the student to be at least 16, however, exceptions can be made My dentist's wife said a 14-year-old was in her Chinese language class at Western Michigan University and was doing quite well. So there are lots of options.

We're in our 3rd year of homeschooling, and I'm already seening my kids becoming much more self-directed. Mine are 13 and 15, so that does make a difference. I probably spend only an hour or so on direct teaching most days, primarily in math and Latin. This gives me time to help a friend who's recovering from an accident and check up on my MIL. I also work most nights, so if I had to do intensive teaching, well, we wouldn't be homeschooling. With younger kids, though, it takes more of a parent's time. And if your own parents need you quite a bit, I can see why you fell so stretched. Just see how it goes for now. You'll know in your heart if sending them to school is the right thing to do. Whatever you decide will be right for you and your family.

So I won't try. These are all thought-provoking questions. I've often wondered what would happen if the bottom dropped out of capitalism. How would we cope? All of our livelihoods are based on buying and selling in some fashion. Actors sell their talent for millions; we buy it in the form of movie tickets. Same for professional athletes. Farmers sell their crops, we buy them in the form of food. Target sells towels, soda, televisions and clothes. We buy some of these because we need them, some because we want them. What happens to the manufacturers, stores and employees who only sell wants such as cell phones, DVDs, holiday decorations and the like? I think we might all have to adjust to having less, but perhaps we'll find a way to value each other more. We'll have to make an effort to spend time together, time that doesn't involve watching TV, going to the movies, or shopping. We'll have to be creative and really talk to each other. Some people will find this easier than others will. I'm hoping my family won't find it too difficult. I don't like to be gloomy, but I don't see us pulling out of this financial pit any time soon. I'd like to fight my tendency to circle the wagons at times like these and instead reach out to those who are having a difficult time. This is a poor, rambling answer to some very good questions.

My Nimbus and Firebolt are parked in the garage, and my cleaning broom hangs on a nail on a big green cupboard. It's one of the first things people see when they come in the kitchen. Quite icky, really.

My kids hate stand-alone grammar workbooks. My kids read well, write decently and can tell if a sentence is awkwardly worded. Therefore, my sophomore does Vocab for the College student and Learn to Write the Novel Way for her language arts program. My 8th grader does Vocab for the HS student and a poetry program. They're happier. I'm not, however. I love grammar. I love diagramming. I love arguing about comma placement. Oh well. Call me a geek.

I'd forgotten about the pensieve bit in Book 6. Now it makes sense. As far as enlarging the Weasleys' house or Shell Cottage: Hermoine said (I think) that it took some quite sophisticated magic to create the roomy beaded bag. Not that any of the Weasleys couldn't do the same, but perhaps it's magic that isn't permanent? That's not mentioned, of course, but I wonder what would happen if the Weasleys enlarged the house, gave Aunt Muriel the spare room they created, then forgot to renew the magic. Would Aunt Muriel be squashed? Would they have cared? I imagine the twins would have shot off fireworks. Thanks again for your help. It's always good to chat with Potter fans.

Not an earthshaking question, I know. Does anyone know how Harry knew the Hufflepuff cup was in the LeStranges' vault in Gringott's? He realized something was in there, but I can't find the part where he figures out what it is. When he's in the vault, he tells everyone to look for the cup. How did he decide that? Perhaps I'm not as careful a reader as I thought. If you could list a page number, I'd be grateful.

I like to go back to old favorites for a lot of reasons: I'm ill and need some mental comfort, I want to introduce a favorite to the kids, or someone else is reading it for the first time and wants to discuss it.

Just finished Candide (what a terrific, gossipy, vindictive little story) and now I'm going to start a Perry Mason mystery.

Get the guidelines for the colleges your kids are interested in. More competitive schools will insist on 4 years of math and science (at least two with labs). All that I've looked at require 4 years of language arts. Many vary on APs and some will consider college courses in place of APs, depending on what they are. You'll have to ask. Get at least 2 years of foreign language. The schools my daughter likes want to see 2, preferably three. If you have a budding engineer, be sure to get in enough math and science. A friend told me those requirements are quite rigid. As far as an eighth-grader getting credit for HS work - I'm not sure that would work. My 8th grade ds is taking algebra 1 right now, but he's not getting HS credit for it. It'll just show on his HS transcript that he had Alg. 2 and two other courses. I'm sure colleges will assume he had Alg. 1 in 8th grade. That's what public schools are having the kids do now, anyway so I'm not really ahead here at all.

Although you said you don't have much room to store things: My son had the Lego bug about six years ago (as did I, sadly) and he received a vast number of wonderful sets (Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc.). Once these were built, I insisted they be kept on his bookshelf unless he wanted to play with them. I didn't allow him to mix these pieces with the box of generic ones. By generic I mean the ordinary bricks and extra pieces. All of them were Lego. That sounds like I was pretty controlling, but my ds didn't see it that way. He could play with the sets for hours and liked the fact that he could find what he wanted when he wanted it. When he outgrew the Legos, I put the sets in large plastic bags along with their directions. That way, if he wants to sell them or pass them down, he has everything. Now admittedly, some sets have a few missing pieces, but not so many that it makes a difference. The only problem with this system is that it took a lot of diligence on my part to keep the sets together. It was worth it, though, because he has two large tubs full of complete sets. I guess I was a bit nuts about this. The IKEA ideas sound wonderful, if you have room. This would keep stuff off the floor, at least.

Would you be able to homeschool her? If not, perhaps you need to go to her teachers, administrators, and if necessary, the school board. I'd go through the channels because many times, teachers do not communicate with each other as to the timing of tests and homework loads. And if teachers know you won't stop with them, they might be more willing to listen. Just be calm, fair and have her homework documented - number of math problems, length of essays, required reading - a real log of what happens each night. It would also help to get other parental backup. Perhaps this load is OK for a junior or senior honors student, but it seems excessive for a freshman.

I'm not kidding. My six purring cats (and the inevitable hair balls everwhere) make our home a nice place to be. If you're not a cat person, try a bird or some fish. Pets do wonders for atmosphere.

I gave up on fundraisers when my kids were still in PS. My kids aren't salespersons and most of the stuff up for sale is of poor quality and priced in the stratosphere. I will buy 2 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies from my cousin's daughter, but that's it. We love them. So, OK, I guess I support one fundraiser.

Someone was asking about college reviews a few days ago, and one respondent said she didn't get a good feel for Vanderbilt. Perhaps do a search for the thread or just look back a few days. I have no experience with the school, but this respondent had some remarks, both good and bad. I hope that helps.

My husband does all the grocery shopping. I'm very lucky.

My kids are getting an 85% and an 86% so far with LOF. They used Abeka pre-alg last year and the experience was miserable. Abeka was quite thorough but seemed to have endless problems that looked alike. LOF forces a student to think in a different way. It's especially suited to kids who enjoy reading but don't like math. But then again, many people on here will tell you their math-savvy kids like it, too. I sometimes will add problems from Algebra Survival Guide or from the Dummies algebra workbook just to see if the kids can translate what they're doing to a more traditional format. I told my kids I expected a solid B average in math this year. So far, so good.

This might be what I'm looking for. I wonder if a student could get a full credit or a half credit for doing this course.

This looks like fun.

We just visited Austin College in Sherman, Texas, this past week. It's a small liberal arts college, the oldest one in the state (I think), set in a largish town. The school has many interesting programs and classes, decent dorms, wonderful cafeteria facilities and long-time profs, and no TAs. My DD attended a French class and said the professor took some time to talk to her. The college welcomes homeschooled students and doesn't ask them to submit more materials than a student who attends a public school. As the admissions rep said, "What would be the point of that?" Financial aid packages are said to be generous. We very much liked the place.