Let me start off by saying my son is more than capable of passing a spelling test but is choosing not to study. The past two weeks he has failed his spelling tests. Last week when this happened I made him rewrite each word 10 times and explained to him if he had spent time studying this wouldn't be a problem. We also went over the lesson again and reinforced it throughout the week without issues. I by no means expect my son to be perfect but I do feel he needs to take his schooling more serious. This is an ongoing things for him lately. He rushes to get his work done rather than taking the time to really read and answer the problem. I have actually sat down next to him and done the work with him but I feel that this shouldn't have to be done at this stage. Although we had occasional days last year when he just rushed through his work without thinking it wasn't an every day occurence like now. He is 9 years old. Am I expecting to much? Any thoughts of how to handle this?

The above posts have some great resources but wanted to add one more that I use: Books to build on : a grade-by-grade resource guide for parents and teachers By E.D. Hirsch This is from the Core Knowledge Series people.

:lol: I was thinking the same thing. Maybe we can find someone to sell them for a group discount. My DS really needs something this week.

We bought ours from gamestop.com It was in a bundle with three games. If I rmember correctly it took between 4-6 weeks because it was on back order. Much more convienent then have to call everyday and run around town. By the way, it ended up costing us less then buying the same from our local wal-mart (including shipping).

:sad: Great we just had neighbors move in down the road from us and we now have shoes on our lines. I really hope it doesn't mean drugs or gangs have moved to our neighborhood. I am keeping my eyes open from now on. Just another reason I am looking to move to a small town. Mine is quickly being overtaken.

Very well put Jennifer! I agree making lists and following a routine are great ways to learn to cope with ADD.

I do two 12 hour shifts 7p-7a Friday and Saturday. On Fridays, I stay up until around 11 or 12noon doing school with DS. Unlike most days I do all the instructions first and write a list as we go along for DS to complete. When we are done with instructions I make DS lunch and then go to sleep. While I am sleeping DS completes his list and then will read, watch a video, and/or play quietly. I wake up for work around 4-5p and start getting ready. Friday nights are usually quick dinners, leftovers, or he will go to Nana's to eat. On most weekend DS opts to stay over Nana's so I make a point of going over to see him before and after work. Sunday mornings I pick him up and then we spend the day together. I try really hard to make it unitl 5-6 on Sunday before I crash. Sundays are usually when I make any photocopies, write out shopping lists, and put our library books on hold. Mondays I'm usually fine to start school again by 8. As for keeping the house together I have to give DH most of the credit. We have opted to use a laundry service which takes care of washing, folding, and ironing. Dh does most of the cleaning when he gets home from work. DS and I are in charge of the cooking and shopping. What I have the hardest time juggling though is when they hold Mandatory meetings at work during the weekdays. Unfortunately, other than my family their is nobody I trust enough to watch my son. My son has had to endure many boring days sitting with mommy in a meeting. I try to make sure I have books hidden that I can surprize him with right before.

Brownies Spicy Chips Cookies Hot pockets Pie I also love eating soup and leftovers. Although I beg DH not to bring the temptations in the house he always does because he knows I really enjoy them.

I just caught the tail end of the documentary this morning and was shocked. Just the part I caught showed the poor treatment of employees and the high crime rate in Wal-mart parking lots. It basically was showing how Wal-mart was blatantly hiding or distorting facts to make the company look good. For instance, although Walmart knew that 80% of the crime happened in their parking lots and that putting 1 security in would drop the crime rate to almost zero they did nothing. This was taken from the companies own research data. Another thing that it showed was the contributions that Wal-mart makes to charity vs. Bill Gates. It showed Bill Gates donates around 52% and Walmart only 3.2%. It also showed it only donated $6,000 to its employee relief fund. Although I only caught the end or the show it definitely didn't look good. I was wondering if anyone else has seen this and if so what they had thought.

Robin is it an option to maybe use the questions for some chapters, do some orally, and then do some written? I know at one time there was someone on here that had a list of a variety of options to use besides just written narration. Maybe someone else on here saved it. I do not think your children will miss out if they do not do every chapter with written narrations.

When using both Saxon and Singapore how do the levels measure up? I have thought about adding in Singapore but thought maybe it would be overkill but since others are doing it.... lol My son thinks I'm nuts already because we use both Shurley English and Rod and Staff.

I can't tell you about Saxon K but we started on Saxon 3 and it was a good fit. It has a lot of review which is what DS needs. I also loved the teachers manual. This is only our first year homeschooling so it really helped to have scripted lessons. We have now moved on to Saxon 54 and my security blanket (the scripted lessons) are gone. Although I am not liking the design of the Saxon 54 book my DS actually appears to like it more. My one true complaint with Saxon is there are not enough word problems and have supplement. I have never had the chance to view a copy of the Singapore math program but from what I have read it sounds like a very solid choice.

OK seeing that you are going two weeks before Christmas I'm wondering if you have looked into Mickey's Very Merry Christmas. It is at night and there is virtually no wait for any of the rides. They give out free hot cocoa and cookies throught the night. The castle lights are beautiful. It really makes doing the entire park manageable. Also if you get the park hopper pass you can go over to MGM and look at the Chritmas lights there which are amazing. You are going at a really good time of year so I would look into what the parks offer for the holidays.

Some possible suggestions for interaction with kids: Parks Sports groups Church Co-op We have a JCC down here that offers a number of "after school" classes Zoo Chuck E. Cheese

I am trying to transfer jobs within my company right now but always get tripped up when interviewing. I know that I am qualified for the jobs I apply for however I get very nervous for whatever reason when I interview. This is not my usual self because I tend to know the interviewer and speak with/ work with them regularly. Currently I put in a transfer for another job and I know they are interested because they called me the following day to set up and interview. My question is this: I am trying to go from a higher job to a lower job and want to know how to put a positive spin on my reason for moving downward. The manager for the floor I am trying to get on is excellent with her staff and looks out for their best interests. I have worked with her a few times and work frequently with her other staff. I have been keeping my eyes open for almost a year now for a job to open on her floor that was part-time and weekends only and this just came up. I know I will be taking a pay cut but I think my happiness is worth it. I really like my current boss but think that certain people under her are disorganized and then it becomes my problem when I am having to cram things in last minute. My current position allows for me to work on many different floors throughout the organization and I really feel that this position would be the best fit with my personality. I know we have a largely diverse group of people here and would love to hear some suggestions on how I can present my desire for a lower position in a way that looks good. Also an other interview suggestions would be greatly welcome. I don't know why I have such problems. I tend to stick my foot in my mouth multiple times.

I sent you a message.

I agree with the above posters. If you get a park hopper pass then I would do the three day pass otherwise two days at the MK is more than enough. I would also agree that Animal Kingdom is a great pick for all ages. Although it has the big roller coasters it also has a large amount for your littlest to do. Both Animal Kingdom and Epcot have kids programs where they do different activities throughout the park in order to get a small stamp or poster. My DS had almost as much fun trying to find the kids centers as he did with the park rides. We love Disney parks.

We used lima beans and put them up against the side of a clear plastic cup in order to watch them grow. My DS was very excited about how quickly they grew. He would compare them with our plant chart to tell me the stage of growth multiple times throughout the day. :001_smile: We bought our seeds at walmart. We also bought corn seeds at the same time and compared their growth, roots, and leaves to the lima beans.

We have a Scetchers outlet about a half an hour away that has really good prices. I also like looking in Marshalls and TJ Maxx. After summer I buy sandals for my DS at the Gap for less than $10. We live in South Florida so sandals are always in season.

Thank you so much for doing this. We are in the middle of doing the ancients so this is perfect timing.

Sorry to jump in but do you keep mainly records of the books used for curriculum? We do not keep daily schedules but we do keep track of books used and work we have done. From this post I am wondering if I should be doing more.

Most places in the keys are family friendly. However, Holiday Isle and a lot of Key West are geared more toward an older crowd. Look into some of the State Parks they are great for exploring. Also many places offer glass bottom boat tours or day snorkeling trips. No matter what Key you stay in all of the others are within driving distance. Also don't forget the Everglades is only a little further north.

I'm not sure what grade level these are but my DS read and enjoyed this year. Sign of the Beaver Hatchet Matilda BFG Artemis Fowl (The Artic Adventure) Oliver Twist (A Treasury of Illustrated Classics) Secret of the Andes And the Lemony Snickets Series of Unfortunate Events

How long are the lessons? Can you break them up? Let your DS choose the order in which he does them? My 8yo does Handwriting, Spelling, English, Latin, Math, Science, History, and Reading daily. On top of this work he also has to practice his flute and do 1 hour of independent reading (usually done at night.) We usually do 3-4 subjects in the morning and then take lunch. During lunch we watch a Magic School Bus episode I have previously Tivo'd or an educational video. Following lunch we do the remaining subjects. Once we are finished we take a long break until dinner time. When I start making dinner my DS practices flute. After bathtime we complete our day with independent reading. I don't think what you are doing is too much work but maybe you just need to break it up a little or add a twist in order to make it work for your family.

Doran- Glad to hear that between dad taking over dinner and the PSP your day is falling right into place. Isn't it funny that most of the things we stress about seem to work themselves out.