I hosted the extended family Thanksgiving yesterday. Because the meal wasn't going to be served until mid-afternoon, I got out a marble cheese board I've had for a long time but rarely used. It's green marble, about 18 X 24 inches (large one, yes) and about 3/4 of an inch thick. I arranged cheese slices, crackers, and grapes on the board and set it out for snacking as I was preparing the meal and hostessing the party. After dinner, we were all expected at my in-laws' house for dessert. (They were unable to attend at our house because my father-in-law recently fell and broke his hip and he's still in rehab and not very secure on his feet.) One of my brothers-in-law rinsed all the dishes in the kitchen and stacked them for later while I took care of some non-family guests, saying goodbye, getting their coats, talking, etc. After the non-family guests left, the extended family began to leave as well to head on over to the in-laws'. My dog escaped. I had to chase him down, get him back in the house, and deal with my neighbor who was trying to help but didn't understand I was in a hurry to get somewhere. In short, I never got back to the kitchen to see that everything was okay. We got back home late, and I didn't check things in the kitchen at that time either. This morning, I discovered that my brother-in-law had left the remaining cheese slices on the green marble board. The oil from the cheese has, apparently, soaked into the marble, decorating my board with the square outline of the cheese slices. It's ugly. Is there any way to "fix" this, or will I have to just live with it?

There is a Lewis & Clark Museum right on the river in Nebraska City. Here's a link to the website for the place: http://www.mrb-lewisandclarkcenter.org/ In Onawa, Iowa, there's a full-scale replica of the expedition's keel boat. We actually got to ride on the thing and, if I can find the pictures, I'll send scans of them to you. Understand, the park is the site of one of L & C's campsites, but it's a lake left over when the course of the river changed. Here's a link: http://lewisandclarkfestival.blogspot.com/2011/04/lewis-and-clark-festival-onawaiowa.html There's a monument to Sgt. Floyd, the only one who died on the trip, near Sioux City. Here's another link: http://www.lewisandclarktrail.com/section1/iowacities/SiouxCity/FloydMonument/index.htm Before you plan to go to any of these sites north of Nebraska City, be aware that the devastating flooding that occurred this past year is still a problem for the area. Although the Interstate is open (finally), I'm not sure what kind of condition the Onawa park might be in, nor some parts of Sioux City. Just thought a heads up was in order.

My youngest son fell in love with the Japanese language and culture during middle school. He's completing his fourth year of Japanese language study with a private tutor. The tutor taught Japanese at a local high school until she quit to stay at home with her own children. She's now homeschooling them and does not want to continue to tutor my son. So, my son has now completed as much Japanese language study as this tutor would have taught her public school classes in four years. BUT, my son is only a sophomore this year. We live in Nebraska. Needless to say, qualified Japanese teachers aren't "thick on the ground" around here. We're trying to find another private tutor, but I don't hold out a lot of hope. All that back story to ask: Is there an online high school or college where he can continue to study Japanese? Thanks for any help you can give us. Linda

Great for boys. Battle strategy, weapons, protective gear the soldiers wore . . . it's got everything. The lecturer also has an interesting accent. One of our favorites.

I don't really have a schedule per se. We're watching the videos and reading, as a text, A Patriot's History of the United States. There's a documents book that accompanies Patriot's History, so we read some of those original documents as well. There are tests for the first five chapters of the text available on the authors' website, and I've made up my own for the rest of the chapters. It has worked well, but I'm obviously not the planner you are. As a result, we'll be finishing this up during the summer. Life got in the way. I'll try to answer any other questions you have, though. Sorry to be less than helpful. Linda

Actually, Smith's song is closer to the kind of music I usually prefer, but for some reason, this other one is just riveting to my ear. I think it's those almost cacophonous harmonies near the end that pull me in. I like the symbolism of the video as well. Thanks for the help, folks.

Okay. Whoever you were who posted the link to "Somebody that I used to know," I'm addicted too. Listening to the lyrics and reading them, I want to ask other addicts whether the female singer's part makes sense as the "voice" of the woman that the male singer "used to know," or do you think she's a new love who's telling him to take a walk because he's still hung up on "somebody"? I know. I'm obsessive/compulsive. I NEED to KNOW, though, so humor me.

Contact me if you're interested. The book is softcover, but is in a library-grade plastic cover that has kept it like new. Price is negotiable. Linda

My son, 17 and a Jr. this year, took the ACT twice and scored very well. His final composite score was 34, with perfect 36s in Reading and Science, a 35 in English, and a 28 in Math. (I tell you this not to brag, but to explain the background for my questions a bit better.) He's talked about Computer Engineering as a college major. Now, we know that requires a lot of math, his "weakest" subject on the ACT. His problem with testing re math is that he works the problems accurately, but slowly, comparatively speaking. So, his math knowledge is not really that far behind his other skills, he's just slower and more methodical, causing him to score lower in testing re math. By the end of his Sr. year, he will have taken Alg. I and II, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus. He would have gotten all the way through Calculus, but we were doing math at a co-op, which he hated, so we switched programs in mid-stream and he had to repeat Alg. II this year. Finally, he hasn't really zeroed in on any schools, so I don't know whether a college he's interested in will require SAT II testing. I do know our local state university does NOT require them. Here are my questions: -- Should he take SAT II tests AT ALL? -- If so, why? -- If not, why not? -- Should he attempt the Math-related SAT II tests, given his problems testing well in that subject? -- Regardless of whether he attempts the Math tests, what other ones should he consider? (In other words, are there some tests that are "automatic" for most students to take?) I'll probably have more questions once I think about it. I really don't know much about SAT II testing, so any general info will be appreciated. Linda

We used the same spine materials you used for 9th and 10th. We're doing 11th now. Once we finished the Middle Ages back in 10th, I looked for a Renaissance and Reformation Teaching Company lecture series, but didn't find one I thought would fit. Consequently, we sort of pieced stuff together with our Omnibus readings that got us through that period. We used the Teaching Company series on Natural Law and Human Nature and the one re Martin Luther. We tried "Birth of the Modern Mind," but didn't make it through more than a lecture or two before we cried "Uncle!". I regret I didn't try this one: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=3940 but decided not to because of some of the reviews. As for now, we've moved to the History of the U.S. lecture series discussed in other posts. It's great! We absolutely LOVED the one on the American Revolution as well. (It's the same lecturer as one of the ones in the U.S. History series). For a spine for American History, I'm using A Patriot's History of the U.S. It's a good mix with the lecture series. You get a more liberal twist with the lectures and a more conservative bent with the text (although I really think the text does a good job addressing issues in a fair and balanced manner).

I have two boys who are, respectively, 15 and 17. Neither of them were particularly interested in science until middle school. We used Rainbow Science those two years. It comes with complete lab supplies and the boys seemed to enjoy it more than what I'd been doing before. I would probably have moved on to this same program's Spectrum series for high school, but it wasn't published yet. So, I had some choices to make. There is a cooperative in my town. I checked it out only because I heard a retired chemist was teaching the science classes. He used the Apologia series for high school. I checked Apologia out at the homeschool convention -- the author was there. The text appeared very readable, engagingly written. I decided to give it a try. Essentially, because the homeschool cooperative only meets one day a week, most of the work is actually done at home. They do the labs at the cooperative, however, and I found/find that to be a relief. (I don't enjoy cleaning up after labs.) I relate all this to tell you that my eldest has now taken Apologia Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, and is now taking Advanced Chemistry. HE HAS ASKED ME NOT TO RESELL HIS SCIENCE BOOKS -- HE LIKES THEM THAT MUCH. They're the only textbooks he's ever ASKED to keep. Moreover, he just took the ACT and scored a perfect 36 on the science portion of the test. Needless to say, I'm pleased. Now, I'm not a young-earth creationist in orientation. (You don't mention what your beliefs are in your post.) The Apologia books are young-earth, but the boys and I read all of that, along with material from other perspectives, and discuss it. I firmly believe they should be knowledgeable about all sides in that debate. So, although I had reservations about Apologia because of the young-earth orientation, I've been very pleased. Most importantly, my sons really have blossomed as far as their knowledge and love of science. In retrospect, I could have started them with Apologia earlier. But, I do not regret the Rainbow Science series either. I thought it was very good as well. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have.

because the mandatory testing for NCLB begins, I believe, in 4th grade. They test 4th, 8th, and 12th (I think) here in Nebraska. It's interesting to read the results in the paper. Invariably, the LONGER the kids stay in school the WORSE they do!

I'm looking for apps too. So far the most practical use I've made of my tablet for homeschooling is to download books using Kindle. My eldest son and I are reading Undaunted Courage for school. I read ahead and highlight and make notes containing questions for him to answer during our discussion of the book or as a quiz over his reading. That's actually working out very well for me. Aside from that, I'm all ears:bigear:

Most of the US claim to "winning" the War of 1812 stems from the fact that Andrew Jackson, leading a hodge podge bunch of Kentucky and Tennessee riflemen and some soldiers operating heavy artillery, scored a decisive victory against the British at New Orleans in 1814. Anybody heard the Johnny Horton recording -- "In 1814, we took a little trip; Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip. We took a little bacon, and we took a little beans, and we caught the bloody British at the town of New Orleans?" Here's a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxB42cjHTGg Anyway, word of this victory reached D.C. about the same time the peace treaty was being signed. As a result, even though the treaty resulted in no real net change in territory, the U.S. ended up with bragging rights to the "win" by virtue of being the last to prevail in a major battle between the two antagonists. Essentially, the war was a draw on the whole. But, again, Britain was the world power of the time and, as in the Revolutionary War period, the United States was the underdog. An underdog fighting a world power to a draw is, arguably, a win of sorts as well.

First, I want to say that I have had white hair to one extent or another since I was in high school. My original hair color was a very dark brown to almost black. But, in my senior picture, if you know where to look, you can see the beginnings of a white streak just above my bangs, near the top of my head. By the time I was married in my early 30s, my hair was salt and pepper. By the time I was pregnant with my first child 10 years later, my hair was mostly white. With that said, my husband and I had just eaten at a neighborhood restaurant. It was snowy outside and cold, so I volunteered to take the check up to the cash register and pay for dinner while he went to the parking lot and brought the car around to the front door. There was a short line to pay, but I only had to wait a minute or two. When I stepped up to the cashier's counter, I was standing behind the cash register, so all she could see of me was from my midrift up. Before she totaled up the bill, she looked up at me and asked if I wanted my senior discount. I stepped out from behind the cash register, patted my VERY pregnant belly, and told her we could skip it this time. Boy, was she embarrassed!