:grouphug: Hugs for Hannah and family. It speaks well to how you have prepared Hannah for her chemo to have her be so positive! Take care of yourselves the best you can, parents.

OH, yeah! Throw in a white T-shirt and leather tool belt and I'm wide awake. Wow, I miss MrTea's construction job... No tie on his current job, either. Safety hazard in his factory.

:hurray: Way to go!

A lot of great discussion came out of that thread (and now this one). I appreciate the hard questions being asked because it causes me to examine what I'm doing in my own home. Thanks to all who dare to think out loud and share with the rest of us.

We tackled math exactly like that for awhile (all things Singapore, plus Key to, LOF, and a school textbook for more traditional practice), sitting side by side working together for 2 or sometimes more hours per day. I watched her closely and we'd keep at it as long as we were progressing, and we'd stop prior to one of us hitting a wall. The outcome has been great: math is no longer her nemesis, but just a bunch of challenging puzzles to tackle. I think I've actually seen her smile during math lately. I thought of it as math boot camp. Got her in shape, and she says she can now "think like a mathmetician". :) The plan is to tackle writing starting in two weeks in the same manner, although I still don't know what all I'm pulling from yet. I have a Write Source handbook that works well for us and we are part way through, along with a couple of college writing handbooks for reference. I have Unjournaling (writing prompts she likes to do) and a few lessons left in Figuratively Speaking. I picked up some poetry, fables, essay, and short story collections at the library for examples of writing. Mostly I have a file with posts copied from this forum that I need to read again. I am looking for ideas. Ideally, the end result of writing boot camp is that writing comes easier to her, and she can comfortably handle writing assignments in any subject called for outside of writing "class" . Conventions aren't a problem, spelling is not, but we are lacking in other areas. Intense focus on one subject matter has always worked for us. It just seems to be my natural style. I've got a background in manufacturing and I tend to think in terms of projects with deadlines. So yes, sometimes my girl and her needs are my "project" for the month. ;)

Yes, exactly. There is great value in the discussions.

I will try my best here, because I identified this book as being secular... Perhaps a clearer expression of my opinion would be that this book is secular-friendly. I see it as being very thoughtfully respectful of Christianity and other religions, without offending others. This book tackles some tough questions, including "If the universe came from the Big Bang, where did the Big Bang come from?" The author goes on to explain who St. Thomas Aquinas was, how he worked to prove the existence of God through his work called Summa Theologica, and how Aquinas might have answered that question if the Big Bang theory existed during his time. (Yes, the author uses the phrase Big Bang theory, and capitalizes God.) The author explains Aquinas' work - or the work of any of the thinkers in his book - and the questions they might ask of themselves to arrive at their answer. He gives great examples of the line of questioning a reader might ask themselves, breaking down the issues bit by bit. But he does not give the answers a reader should have, or tell the reader what to think. I did not identify a slant in any particular direction. I hope this helps somewhat.

Lunch was late and heavy: Pulled pork, sliced red peppers, grapes, and a baked spinach/mashed potato/sour cream/chive recipe that was yummy! Supper: none, unless somebody helps themselves to more of the above. New in my world this week: Hmmm...nothing but slow-paced summertime bliss around here. Nothing new, thankfully! Oh wait...here's something I believe I just did for the first time: I mailed off a Netflix dvd this morning. Except I am almost positive that they will be receiving the pool set-up instructional DVD that used to be on top of the player (where the Milky Way documentary that I do not actually own is now sitting). School: Nothing at all this week.

Yes, we used this for 7th grade, and have a bit more to go for 8th grade. IMO, this book is perfect for this age. They are questioning and sorting things out for themselves anyway at this stage, and the book gives them the chance to start thinking critically about values, fairness, justice, etc. We both LOVE this book, and it makes for great discussion. I plan to pick up White's philosophy book for older grades at some point. (I may not piggy-back them, just use the second book at some point in highschool.) PfK has 40 questions in 4 main categories: Values, Knowledge, Reality, and Critical Thinking. From the author: "These questions are about concepts or ideas that concern everyone in one way or another - justice, friendship, time, truth, and so forth." There are a few paragraphs in the front of the book to introduce philosophy to the parent. The question is posed, the philosopher introduced, the student has a short introspective, "get to thinking about the subject" type quiz, then more thoughts from the philosopher on their question. We did one question a week ("Philosophy Phriday", haha). My girl worked through it on her own, THEN brought the question to me for discussion. Or, waited and brought it to the supper table for the family to discuss. I'm bossy and opinionated, but didn't want to influence her thoughts at all, so that's why she worked her way through it alone first! She seemed to appreciate the idea that "someone" - this wonderful, mysterious author of the book - wanted to hear what she had to say! Also, the book is secular.

nt

I can't wait to host Granny Camp at my house! I'm ready, the baby's ready, but her Ma and Pa aren't quite ready to hand her over yet. (She's 2.5) Enjoy your quiet time. My own DD12 does a week of summer camp - no grannies/other relatives around - and it's good for all of us.

We did Tahquemenon Falls in a day, along with a lighthouse or two in the area. Definitely go to the Pictured Rocks area. Sault Ste. Marie, also, to see boats going through the Locks, along with some fantastic museums and drop-dead gorgeous old churches scattered around town. I poked Jennifer in MI for you - I think she's been to the UP (and the falls) several times. Jennifer, for one, should be able to give you some more info. Which way are you traveling, Strider? We may all have some more helpful suggestions of things not to miss! ;) ~Bridget (who is proud of her state and loves tourists)

:grouphug: So sorry, Danielle.

My Aunt Kip's words always motivate me to keep shoveling out...er, I mean picking up...when I don't want to: "I HATE to clean! But I LOVE a clean house!" (her version of "Just do it!")

I'm so sorry. (((Stacey and all the family)))

:)

We used her Ancient Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome books as my 7th grader's first real exposure to studying ancients. (We are new to WTM/classical ed and had some catching up to do in the ancients dept.) I have Islam also, which we'll get to soon. My girl has requested more of the series. We'll fit in all we can "officially", and the rest she'll be on her own - but only because of time restraints on my part. I need to identify any more history gaps before deciding what route to take. Without having used any of the other books you mentioned, I can't do a fair comparison. However, my girl and I enjoyed these books, reading aloud and discussing the whole time. The end-of-chapter questions were thoughtful enough, and I was happy to see they remained of consistent quality without being redundant or too formulaic and predictable. We nearly always covered the questions orally, with an occasional request from me to write out her answers instead. It was great to be able to gauge her comprehension of events and hear her thoughts on the people of history through these discussions. We didn't do many of the projects - we just talked about them. ;) These books could be used for a WTM style history notebook - my girl pulled vocab, facts, timeline info, and ideas for further reading from hearing me read. (Outlining could have been done, but amazingly didn't happen. LOL) Used absolutely alone, a 5th-8th grader (roughly) should get a good basic feel for the people and events portrayed. The books are "complete" and entertaining to boot. But it's history, so why stop there? :D We added every primary source we could get our hands on, additional maps, art, epic poetry, fairy tales, n/f reading, documentaries, the usual. These books are uncluttered and pleasant to read. You will probably want to add art, though: the artifact sketches could be comically simplistic. It's so easy to find what you need online though, and we had great fun finding paintings and photos to go with the books. Sorry so long and choppy. We've had crazy storms blow through and we've had to hit the basement twice now. It's finally calmer!!

Hello from Osceola County. :) (Small world, Pat! I lived in Sidney during part of my growing-up years. It was Ore-Ida country back then. The soil's just right for potatoes.)

Goodness, what a ride you've had with MDOT. (One that most of us never experience, thankfully!) I hope you are feeling a big sense of relief now, and can have a new home to fall in love with soon.

Lunch: Couscous salad w/ cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach. Iced tea. Chomping to get done: Watering the garden later, when the wind dies down. Thankful: Friends that spent the afternoon with us, and lots of good news type phone calls today. Ice cream: Definite yes. I just finished a bowl myself! If I'd had cookies, I would've had those also.

Books: NIV study bible, sudoku puzzle book, and a baby counting book for the number 4 Discarded book jackets: WTM and one of Joy Hakim's science books. I must've been reading them in bed at some point and got irritated with the paper jackets slipping around.

Lunch: PB&J as I dashed out the door to take my girl to her zumba class at 5 PM. I had been moving furniture and painting a bedroom all day, and didn't want to stop until I had to. Dinner: That ran late because of the continued painting, also. I had tomatoes, cukes, feta cheese, and a beer. New: Bedroom curtains and that paint job. MrTea will be surprised when he gets home in a few days. Evening: A few minutes of internet, then I'm going to drag my blanky to the couch to sleep tonight. G'night, all!

Aww, I was just claiming to be on a similar island myself, in another thread. :grouphug: My daughter and I ended up knocking on someone's door (neighborhood kids that we'd seen around, so not totally random and creepy it turns out) and inviting the kids to come see our baby chicks. That grew into lunch at our house, visits back and forth between our homes, holiday parties, and meeting up for biking and swimming. They happen to be former public-schoolers like us, but other than the fact we all like doing things outdoors our families are worlds apart. The kids play, and the moms talk about gardening and other fluff. It works. The moral of my story: Don't be afraid to knock on a few doors.

I have the internet again for the first time since January. I was able to read the forums occasionally on the CrackBerry but it was so difficult to post on there. But please know that I appreciate the kilts, the middle school writing posts, the birth announcements, the highschool transcript ideas, the KILTS, and the laughs. (Speaking of laughs: "What the kerfluffle!??" drew strange looks from MrTea every time I muttered the phrase. He never did ask.) I have been thinking of you as you've gone through struggles, heartache, celebrations, and graduations. You couldn't hear me because I was not able to be vocal, but know that I was listening all this time and pulling for you. I'm floating alone out here on my little homeschool island, with my parents gone and the rest of the family and friends not really "getting" what it is we do here. I knew I counted on you all for support and resources for a couple of years now, but I know I've never bothered to tell you. So THANK YOU for being here for me!

Lunch: Toddler bites. ;) I was babysitting a 2yo today and I was nibbling all the same stuff I was handing to her. So I had tiny bits of apple, oranges, cheese, ham, and celery, followed by a couple of graham crackers in the shape of bugs. She had milk, and I had lots of tea. Grating: The wind! It's insane! It's been screaming at us for 2 days straight. I expected it when we lived in the southwest, but we're not set up for it in Michigan. My plants and chicken run are taking a beating. Fun: MrTea's out of town, and I am in the middle of painting the bedroom as a surprise. PS: Did I tell you I love the bistro? Gosh, who else bothers to ask about my day? Thanks, ScrapBB!