Thank you for these leads! Off to do more research...

Is Sonlight 100 the only curriculum which schedules A History of US together with supplemental readings. I'm planning to use Hakim's series as a spine for my 8th grader's American History studies in the fall. I'd like to integrate historical fiction and other books as well, but I'd rather not take all the time to plan out when to read which titles. (I guess I could do it myself, but I have a 5th grade and 2nd grader to plan for as well, so I'd like to make my job a bit easier here where possible.) Unfortunately, the Sonlight Instructor's Guide is too much for my purposes. I only need help scheduling history and literature for him since he will be taken math, composition, and science classes. Basically, I wouldn't get enough benefit from the IG to justify the fairly expensive price tag. I've been googling for American History reading lists, but haven't come up with much. Any suggestions?

We've been using it since August. Flash cards were eating up a lot of my time and creating a lot of frustration for all of us. First we tried Timez Attack (free version). My kids enjoyed it, but I wanted something to cover more than multiplication. Facts First helps me with multi-tasking because the kids can do it independently. One child does Facts First while I work with another on something else. The program tracks their progress for me. I can log-in anytime to see which facts they've mastered and which ones need more work. I would say that it is worth the money because I have three children (grades 1st & 4th, plus review for my 7th grader) who use it daily. I don't think it would represent quite the same value for only one child. HTH!

This year we are using Facts First which is an online math facts program. It tests for accuracy and speed in a fun, colorful way. An annual subscription covers up to 4 students. It's working out very well for us. Check out the free demo.

Coming out of lurking here to say it sounds like they are trying to get rid of you. Every denial of services means $$$ to the school district's bottom line. So the default position is often "no." As someone who has had a lot of experience dealing with IEPs. I would urge you to: 1. Study the Federal IDEA law and all applicable laws from your state. Don't rely on the word of teachers or administrators. 2. Be the squeaky wheel. Parents who know their rights and are willing to make a fuss are more likely to succeed. 3. Document everything! Make important requests in writing and ask for written responses. When you talk to teachers, therapists and/or administrators be sure to take notes. 4. If necessary, get a special education advocate. Check out the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates website to locate one in your area.

Actually, yes. Maybe I do have a split personality. In addition to being me, I am also mother, accountant, laundress, drill sergeant, consort, nurse, director of procurement, teacher, maid, principal, chauffeur, chief cook and bottle washer. :D A few months ago I started going to a knitting group to get away from my house and family for a few hours a week. Though I like chatting with other women about the fiber arts, one of my favorite parts of the outing is definitely the time alone in my car or on the subway. Oh, the glorious peace and quiet! Before I started carving this time out for myself, I was constantly exhausted and irritable. My dh was not initially supportive. His mother was a person who never expressed a need to take time for herself, so he didn't understand. He thought all women were like his mother. Now he remarks that I function much better when I've had a break, and respects my need for a little space. I leave my kids with a to do list of chores which dh enforces while I'm gone. This way there isn't a big mess waiting for me when I walk through the door. The chore list guarantees that I am just as happy to come home as I am to go out. I get a few hours to myself, and the dishes and vacuuming get still get done! It's like the cherry on top. I believe I have found a way to protect my mental health and foster responsibility in my kids. I've also succeeded in earning greater appreciation from my husband who gets a small taste of what I do every day. I invest 3 hours a week in myself, and it pays off in big dividends for the whole family. Does it make me selfish? Well, if enjoying a little time to myself is wrong, then I don't want to be right! ;) I don't judge any mother who doesn't need or want "me time." I just pity the fool who tries to get between me and my Saturday afternoon knitting group.

I guess if it were true I would feel manipulated. Also it would make me question her judgment in other areas. There are quite a few positions on which she and I would disagree, but at the same time I do admire her accomplishments. So I'm honestly not trying to tear her down. It's just that with her being named to the ticket, it brought the story of the baby's birth back into my mind. I'm a headstrong woman (even a feminist), but I can tell you my husband would have hog-tied me if necessary and taken me to the nearest hospital ASAP. :)

It is troublesome, and I can see how you would say that. I'll admit to taking a big risk in posting about this topic. However, I feel that I tried to ask my question in a respectful way. I'm sorry if you were offended.

Thank you for this. I've never heard this before and it does help me to understand the medical issues much better.

I'm sure that many here have already heard the rumors surrounding Sarah Palin's last pregnancy. According to the story, she concocted the pregnancy to cover for her teenage daughter. There are lots of pictures floating around the web purporting to prove that Palin didn't look pregnant late in her pregnancy and others proving that she did. I admit to being very torn on the subject. A big part of me feels that her personal family business should have no bearing on the race. But another part of me feels that if the rumor is true, then we've all been manipulated in a most deceitful way. I'm wondering if there is some credible information on the topic, especially on this particular point... I don't understand why a woman, upon the discovery that her amniotic fluid is leaking a full month before her due date, would then: -choose to deliver a speech at a conference as scheduled -choose to take an 8 hour flight from Texas to Alaska -choose to drive 45 minutes to the planned birth place instead of a closer hospital -and do all this knowing that the baby has Down Syndrome and might need special care. I remember hearing this story before long before SP was chosen by McCain, and it didn't sound quite right to me back then. It defies all logic and what I would consider normal maternal concern for a mother in labor to act like this, or for her husband to stand by and let her do it. As crazy as it sounds those choices would make more sense if she were pretending to be in labor while her daughter was actually laboring under medical supervision elsewhere. On one hand I think it can't be true because who would go to all the trouble of inventing a pregnancy in this day and age. Why not just say, "Our daughter's having a baby and we are dealing with it as a family." Surely this would only win points for a staunchly anti-abortion political family. Then five minutes later I think there must be some truth to the allegations since no reasonable woman in labor with a sick baby would take such reckless chances with the health of both mother and child. There are both rumor and rumor-debunking sites on both sides, and most of them would not qualify as reliable news sources. I'm guessing that the good people of the Hive will be able to shed some light on this.

Thanks for the tips. I'll search the high school board. It didn't occur to me because ds is only 11. Oh my! The teens years are fast approaching.

I was able to get Chalkdust Algebra 1 and Teaching Textbooks from my charter school's curriculum library. Woo hoo! I'm very familiar with the TT model since ds has been using Saxon with DIVE cds until now. The video lesson is about 10 minutes, then you do the practice set. I'm having more trouble "getting" Chalkdust. I previewed the first dvd, and the video lessons seem so long, far longer than ds's short attention span. Are there any lesson plans out there for Chalkdust? How do you divide it up?

Of course I see why the choice would be attractive to social conservatives and people who live in rural areas. I was just trying to inject another point of view into the discussion since it seems to be so much in Palin's favor. I agree that the question of experience does cut both ways. It all boils down to your political leanings, of course. Please remember that regular Joes and Janes live in big cities, too.

Dipping my toe into a presidential thread for the first time... I'd say Palin is an bold, interesting choice for sure. However, the choice only solidifies my opposition to McCain. (Though in all honesty, his position on the war in Iraq means he never had a chance with me anyway.) My cynical reading of the choice is that it blatantly panders to women, with an eye toward wooing disaffected Clinton supporters. The experience factor is very troubling to me because of McCain's age and health issues. Also since all of her experience has been in a city and state with fairly low populations, I'm not confident in her ability to fully understand the economic and social realities of life in our country's urban centers. Oh well, if nothing else the McCain-Palin ticket will make for an interesting race.

So there is a trial and error element to this sunscreen business, huh? I'll check out Burt's Bees and Aveeno. Since it sound like ds had an allergic reaction, I won't use the Trader Joe's brand on him again.

Well, we are a whole lot darker than olive. :) When I was growing up sunscreen was never mentioned by my parents. I guess they believed we didn't need it. Yes, come to think of it. It was something new. I bought this sunscreen from Trader Joe's just for this trip. We had never used it before. Maybe it was an allergic reaction. If your skin is a dark color, say the tone of mahogany, then the white does not really go away. It can leave the person looking like Michael Jackson or like they are wearing white clown make-up. If you've never experienced it, then I guess it would sound strange. LOL! We did put it on 20-30 minutes before we got to the beach, so I guess I got that part right. But unfortunately, I assumed "water resistant" meant it wouldn't wash off without soap AND water. OK, learned that the hard way. No harm. Like I said, I wasn't raised to be concerned about this, so I'm trying to educate myself about it now. Starting with the doctor is a good idea because there is so much information out there in the market place to wade through. Thanks

:iagree: I would be quite ashamed if my town did this for all the reasons Tejasmamacita so clearly stated.

Sunscreen is something I have used infrequently and know very little about. I've never had a sunburn in my entire life and always assumed our abundance of melanin would protect me and my children. Last week we went to the beach and two of my kids got sunburned, even though I put a 30 SPF water resistant sunscreen on them before we got there. My 8 yo's face turned red, then the next day he had a rash all over his face and upper body. Over the next few days, he and his little sister had peeling skin on their faces. We've been to the beach many times but this has never happened before. Actually, I've never seen this kind of sunburn in my life on someone with dark skin like ours. I'm taking it to mean that we can't afford to be complacent about it anymore. I've heard that some brands contain potentially dangerous chemicals, but I don't know what to avoid. All I do know is that my husband doesn't like the zinc oxide kinds of sunscreen because they leave a whitish residue on brown skin. I can sort of cover this with make-up, but of course, he can't. What should I be looking for in a sunscreen?

:grouphug: I'm so sorry. I understand why you are hurt by this, and I believe that I would be as well. You can be the hero in this situation by being gracious enough to overlook it. It's not easy to be gracious, especially when we've been treated shabbily. Of course he should have called you, but he is probably beside himself with worry about his wife. He can't think too far beyond that right now. Try to support him and your step-mother the best you can. Best wishes to you and your family.

We are also in an homeschool pack which meets as a part of our local weekly hs park day. All the den leaders are mothers. Once the boys cross over into the the Boy Scout Troop, the meetings are held in the evenings so the fathers can be more involved.

If the PPP students are legally public school students, and public schools are not a threat to homeschoolers in your view, then I don't understand what the problem is. Honestly, I'm really puzzled by the vehement resistance many homeschoolers have to these programs. I agree when you say it's about money. School districts are motivated by the money they get from student enrollment and the reduced overhead costs. Families are motivated by the money they can use to pay for things they might not otherwise be able to afford. Imagine! Here we have school districts finding cost-effective ways to meet the needs of their students. That's what they are supposed to be doing, IMO. As long as parents are not forced to enroll, it's a win for everyone. We all have to pay taxes for public schools no matter how the funds are used. Public school students get sports, music/art instruction, swimming, and a host of other extra-curricular activities for free or at a highly subsidized rate. Few complain about these public subsidies even as homeschoolers in many states are specifically excluded - this, despite the fact that homeschoolers also support these services with their taxes. I've heard the slippery slope argument many, many times, but I guess I'm not convinced that independent homeschoolers will be forced into these arrangements. Sure that's what the schools and teacher's unions want, but is there any evidence that this has occurred? Or is it just a deep seated fear? As much as I love my ISP, including freedom to choose curriculum, the money, and the support I receive, I will stand up for your right not to choose such a program. Having the freedom to choose means being free to choose government sponsored programs, too.

Thanks to everyone for all the good ideas. You've given me a lot to think about. For starters, I'm going to make some changes to the menus. As long as there are candied yams, I don't think anyone will notice much.

Jennifer's thread about healing the holidays made me think about how I can make some improvements. In my situation, there is no extended family to ruin the celebrations because we live so far away from both sides of the family. Sounds like a dream, right? So what's the problem? Well, the distance is a blessing and a curse. We don't have a lot of in-law drama, but we also miss out on all the potential warm and fuzzies, too. Actually, I'm really the only one who dreads the holidays. Everyone else in the house has a great time. The kids have new books, toys and gadgets; the dh has sports; but I'm stuck with the carcass of a large bird and 8 hours of cooking all by myself. I end up feeling tired and resentful. My dh says I shouldn't feel like I have to cook the big traditional meal because they would all be just as happy with pizza. But I know that I would feel guilty if I didn't do it. I feel that the kids are missing out on the family gathering experience, so I at least want them to have the Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings. (Yes, I know I'm compensating with food, but we don't have enough time to unravel that issue. LOL!) I know I need to change my attitude. Many people have experienced far worse holiday meltdowns than me. I've had my share, though. That and the finances are what keep us from going east for the holidays. When my youngest is a bit older, I'd like to take the kids to do some volunteer work on Thankgiving and Xmas day. I know that would make me feel better. I'm looking for other ideas from those who are also separated from their families at the holidays. What works for you?

One day, I'm going to learn how to embroider, or cross stitch, or something. Anyway, I'm going to learn. And when I do, I'm going to stitch up this quote. Then I'll hang it on my wall for my children and my children's children, and my mother, and my in-laws. It's more than a notion, that's for sure.

Yeah, sure I do. I routinely force people to empty their homes of anything I deem to be unsafe - from firearms to flyswatters - before I grace them with the honor of my presence. After all, that's what we emotional, uninformed, rabid gun-haters do for a good time. (See, there's plenty of sarcasm to go around.) It's time for me to put my hands up, and step away from the computer. :D I doubt that anyone's mind has been changed, but we've had a fascinating discussion.