I'm not sure this meets all the nuanaces of your requirements but Templeton Honors College within Eastern University has a Great Books emphasis.

Family Math

This won't be for next year, but I fully intend to do a "Civil War Intensive" with my boys when we do American History in HS. We'll travel to as many battlefields, reinactments, and such as we can. (have pop-up, will travel!) We'll add plenty of reading and younger DS will probably become a volunteer docent at a site nearby. He also has started collecting items to use as a reinactor. When DS#2 is 14 he'll probably spend a day each work working with our local archaeology department gaining hands-on experience in the field as well as in the lab. History is his passion and we intend to cover other subjects in the depth needed to pass CLEP tests so he can focus on history and internships in college. (One of the very good choices for majoring in the Civil War/Public History/Historic Preservation has a fantastic CLEP policy. And if he ends up going somewhere else, those subjects still count as fulfilling HS requirements).

Thanks for posting this! Just checked our library and they are available through our library. As well as ZooBooks and many other magazines.

It is counter-intuitive but I just leanred that heart burn can be caused by too low stomach acid. Antacids and such can make the problem worse. Google - "heart burn, low stomach acid, and apple cider vinegar" Apple cider vinegar works for me.

My oldest two are 13 months apart - both boys. It's actually been great. Didn't plan it that way but glad that God had other plans!

We out up our tree on 19th so it's only been up about a week. It will be up until at least Jan. 3. Ideally, it would last until Ephipany or a bit later but we have a cat who will eat the ornaments and he has to be put in the basement anytime we are not home or sleeping. He's getting a bit depressed over that so for the cat's sake I'll take it down earlier. I don't put up a ton of decorations - we have a few strands of lights on the front bushes and a white lighted tree, the Christmas tree inside, a 6 building Christmas village, the Nativity set, and that's about it. The stockings are put away. Everyone actually decided they want to do stockings on St. Nicholas Day from now on instead of on Christmas.

Well, you already have 2 names that end with a long e sound, so I vote for a different combination - Brynn Nicole

I think that if you use SL, that is basically a read-aloud revival already. Go with the schedule during the school year and read lots of extra read-alouds not on the schedule during the summer.

I'm a beginning band teacher for a community youth band comprised mostly of homeschooled children and I have a "petting zoo" at the beginning of the school year where the children try all the band instruments. They can decide which one they like the best and we can determine which instrument is the "best fit" for them. It's amazing; most of the time one instrument just stands out for each student. There are lots of factors - mouth shape, how the sound is produced (some kids jusy can't buzz their lips), how the instrument is held, etc. ETA: I would not recommend starting a band instrument until age 9 or 10 - mostly for physical development reasons. For example, for the clarinet the adult front teeth need to have come in and sometimes the fingers are not large enough to cover the holes.

I did it. Ektorp chair, sofa, and loveseat in beige in the family room. Sofa and loveseat in brown in the living room. We didn't like anything else that was a reasonable price. Love Ektorp furniture!

My kids only went around our immediate neigborhood but still got TONS of candy - too much - becasue there weren't many TOTers this year and the neighbors just wanted to get rid of it. Plus they got a ton of candy when they volunteered at a nursing home this week. Hypoglecemia runs in our family so I don't allow them to binge. I also have kids who react badly to artificial dyes. So I came up with this solution: If they have eaten a decent dinner they can choose one chocolate treat and one snacky type treat when they get home. They each get a wide mouth mason jar and can keep whatever chocolate treats they can fit in. (they get to choose and get creative trying to fit it all in - it must pass the "shake test" before it goes in the pantry). I think I might have gotten that idea here on the boards. They can then have 2-3 pieces a day until it's gone. Candy they didn't pick or that isn't appropriate for them goes with DH to work or to the dentist for the buy-back program. Things like bags of chips, pretzels, cookies, juice packs, etc. don't count - those go in the bin for special treats to take on field trips. They know sugar isn't good for you, but I don't want to be a total kill-joy, so this is our compromise.

Ted Amos. I still have him. My second born DS loved him when he was younger and had to have him to sleep. We had to make sure we took Ted on vacation. He has a pacifier :) I can't remember when his birthday was; sometime in the fall, I think. I won him in a contest. Our school band was selling raffle tickets for a Cabbage Patch doll. The member of the band who sold the most tickets could win a cash prize or a Cabbage Patch doll. I chose the doll - even though I was in 6th grade and thought I was really too old to play with him.

I just bought three. One for myself and two for gifts. Probably for the in-laws and brother-in-law & wife. Might get one for my mom & dad too after I try it out. I am always wracking my brain for what to get everyone.

I think it's a great idea! I'd love to get one and think I might just buy them for my extended family this year.

I am dealing with this same problem, especially with DS age 13 and DS almost 12. I would be estatic if they would begin school work at 10:00! The problem is they have three evening activities that are very important to them (Science Olympiad for one, band for both, and Scouts for both) and they often cannot physically get into bed until 10:30 or so. And I do feel they need their sleep..... But I struggle with it because I am only functional for so many hours of the day and even though they do most of their work independently I have to check it, get siblings to afternoon activities, cook dinner, etc.

And this would be difficult to do with four children!

Oh, I forgot about Singapore Essentials! I used it with DC #4 but only because I had book B already. Thankful that is done!

I am in the DC area and have T-mobile prepaid. If you don't use your phone a lot I think prepaid is the way to go. Much cheaper for me than a plan. T-mobile is great in/around DC but I have had low coverage in parts of VA. I don't have a data plan but can turn it on for a day or by the week. I like to do that when we are going on field trips.

Yup, the stabbing eyeballs urge.... I forgot to mention WWE2 for the third time...argh. I think I am going to use the scope & sequence of WWE with our SL history books, but not the workbooks. In the past, I wasn't confident enough to do so.

Beginning phonics readers are the worst! My youngest just finished the MCP Phonics readers and I really need to sell them. They actually worked very well for their purpose - I just don't think I can go through them again.

I also use SL and I don't mind doing the Cores over and over. But I have always added stuff. I never did a lot of SL LA but now I might - it will be mostly new :)

DC #1 and #2 did All About Spelling Levels 1 - 5 DC#3 is currently in Level 4. I am not sure she will do Level 5. And DC #4 Well, I don't know if I can stand any more All About Spelling! I have also been procrastinating starting FLL 1/2 with her.

OP- Does your daughter like her middle name? She could add Montana legally somewhere in her name but also kept the rest of her given name. I don't hate my name, but really wish my mom could have been a little more original. I considered switching to my middle name in high school and now wish I had. Signed, one of the millions of Jennifers

Educational Fontware?