This is our first year in a GC course, and there is definitely no formal writing instruction. I expected that, but most of their writing is in the form of discussion boards. I hoped there would be enough papers and essays as well, that I could incorporate writing instruction myself on these assignments. But that was not been the case. I think WHA realizes this, thus the addition of Advanced Composition 1 and 2 next year, which will use the literature from GC3 and GC4 respectively. So now, I'm trying to decide between FOAW or the Advanced Comp class because we will definitely need to add writing instruction next year.

Bumping this for you. I'd love to have any input or thoughts on Vine or Vierra. We are making scheduling decisions for GC4 next year.

Thanks for explaining the difference. With the LA course name changes in the last couple of years, I did not realize this.

In the beginning of the school year, we did continue with IEW but it quickly became too much with everything we were doing. However, my DDs are natural writers with a strong background in IEW, Essentials from CC, and some WWS. So we just incorporated the skills they already had into their writing assignments and discussion boards in the literature class. We did continue to use CLE grammar at home though. DMTB2 is not a writing class, but some general writing instruction is incorporated (no grammar) along with a lot of presentation skills. The teacher also teaches Fundamentals of Research and Presentation, so those skills were an added bonus. It really depends on if you are looking for a literature analysis class with some writing, or a writing instruction class with some literature. I was looking for the former because books weren't getting read and discussed as much as I had hoped. FYI - I have heard that FOAW is required to graduate with WHA (but I'm not certain), so if that is your long-term plan, I would definitely check with WHA and do that class instead of literature. I imagine taking FOAW and GC at the same time is a LOT of reading and writing, but I know some do it.

My DDs took a class with WHA this year in the 8th grade in preparation for their GC courses and possibly others in HS. We choose to do Don't Miss These Books 2, and it was a wonderful decision with a wonderful teacher. There is a pretty big learning curve with the technology of online classes plus dealing with accountability and deadlines, and I am so glad all that has been mastered ahead of time when it doesn't count for transcripts. I realize everyone has different experiences, but I can't sing the praises enough of our experience with WHA. This year my girls have mastered the technology, read numerous books and learned to deeply analyze them and discuss, did projects with live presentations and a few essays, interacted weekly with peers on discussions boards, and have grown leaps and bounds in their writing. Just last evening, as they were working on their final project using Power Point (a new skill for them this year), we were talking about all they have learned and how much they love WHA. They truly will miss their "friends" they have made. I must confess as I read their discussion board posts sometimes, I almost want to cry with pride at how deeply they analyze the books and express it so beautifully with their writing. As a homeschool mom, they have taken what I have taught them and WHA has bumped it up into a whole new level that I can't replicate at home. So yes, all that to say, for our family WHA was worth it money-wise and I'm thankful we did a class "ahead of time". We are looking forward to GC3 now!

I understand. It hurts! I zap the beef in the microwave for maybe 30 seconds to knock the chill off before I add the ingredients and mix. Then I have warm (but not hot) water already running while I mix it so I can stick my hands in and wash immediately afterward. Hope this helps!

Does high cholesterol run in his family as well, especially very highly elevated LDL numbers? There is a genetic conditioncalled familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Often those affected have heart attacks in their 30s, 40s, 50s. I highly suspect my DH and one of my daughters has this, as we just found out she has very high cholesterol at age 10. She is super tiny too - not overweight at all. My DH is on a statin. Most people with FH cannot control with diet and exercise. Statins can be lifesaving for them!

I haven't flown in many years, but I also experienced terrible ear pain especially when landing. I had a lot of success with EarPlanes. You can find them at drugstores, Walmart, etc. They come in adult and kid sizes. Basically, it is an ear plug that helps alleviate pressure on your ear drum. I have very sensitive ears when air pressure changes, and recently used a pair driving in the mountains on vacation. They've been helpful for me.

There are several places of interest in Mississippi. One of our favorite towns is Natchez. We love to tour the plantation homes...some of our favorites are Dunleith, Longwood, Monmouth, and Rosalie. St. Mary's Basilica is beautiful! We also enjoyed the "Natchez in Historic Photographs" exhibit in the First Presbyterian Church. Our favorite restaurants are Carriage House and the Castle at Dunleith. Vicksburg is another place with lots of historical attractions including pre-Civil War homes and the Vicksburg National Military Park. In Jackson, there is the Old Capitol Museum, the Eudora Welty House, an art museum, and the MS Natural Science Museum. Regarding music, the BB King Museum is in the MS Delta in Indianola. I'm not very familiar with blues music, but I think there may be other places of interest near Cleveland. If you enjoy archaeology, the Winterville Mounds are located near Greenville. Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis so you can tour many attractions associated with him there. Hope this is helpful!

I was able to fit the flashcards on a 2 inch ring, but it is a tight fit. I would go with a bigger size. I did go ahead and pay the money to file the timeline cards in page protectors in 5.5 by 8.5 binders.

Well, that hospital/cancer center is one of the best in the US, maybe the best. After I posted, I checked out their website, and it looks like there is a lot of information on there about making a first appointment and/or getting a referral. You might check it out if you want to "do something" in the meantime. I'm thinking of your family, and I'm sorry you are having to deal with this again. I hope you can get some help and a break very soon. More :grouphug:

I don't have much advice to offer, but what about one of the large, reputable cancer centers like MD Anderson? I live in the south, so lots of people here travel to Texas for their expertise and then work their plan with doctors/treatments in their home state. My father did this many years ago, as well as one of my best friend's mother. I hope you can get some answers soon. :grouphug:

I spell them as you do. I believe the silent final e is kept on the words that need it for the long vowel sound. At least that is my understanding in how SWR deals with this issue.

We have actually had both. Our old house had an in-ground shelter, and our current house has a safe room. I much prefer the safe room. It is essentially a steel closet bolted in our slab foundation and is installed in the storage room area of our garage. The main reason I prefer the above ground shelter is we don't have to go outside in the elements during bad weather. It is much easier to access with no stairs. We don't have to go in there until the storm arrives. When my girls were small and in carriers, I would have to prepare to go to the in-ground shelter way before the storm arrived. Now if you have an in-ground shelter installed under your house beforehand or in a place like under a porch, then that situation may be different. I would still probably prefer the safe room because I don't worry about getting "stuck" in there either like I did the in-ground. The door opens to the inside on the safe room. I don't keep anything out there. But I do keep a "tornado bag" near the back door to grab on the way out there. There is a portable light, flashlights, batteries, first aid kit, etc. in the bag. If a bad weather outbreak is forecast, I go ahead and take everything out there including a blanket and small chairs. I grab the cordless and my cell phone at the last minute. Now matter which one you go with, it will bring piece of mind. I am next door in MS, and I am so thankful we have a safe place to go.

We just returned from our January trip. We did Homeschool Days and stayed in Windsor Hills. :D Yes, the dates for October 2013 homeschool days will probably not be available until that summer. We only did the general presentation and did not opt to do the extra classes (that often do fill up) for $26 each. The presentation was very entertaining, and only took about two hours of our time total. Totally worth the savings on tickets! ;) We used StoryTime rentals. Their houses are a little bit pricier, but are very "Disney" decorated. They do stay booked well in advance. I know you can go to a website (Windsor Hills for rent??) and enter your info, and get lots of quotes from owners of Windsor Hill properties. Parking is $14 a day! So make sure you do budget for that. I just filled envelopes with the extra amount and kept them in our vehicle for handy access each morning. As far as meals, it really depends on what you want to eat/experience. I agree with the PP to check allears.net for menus. We have our favorites (Ohana and Le Cellier) that we happily pay $100+ for the four of us to eat. Then we also have our quick service favorites like Flame Tree BBQ that are a lot cheaper. For our family of four, we probably averaged $50 a day eating in Disney World because we didn't eat table service everyday. We shared some meals and brought in food too. And of course, cooked some meals at the house. Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions. Enjoy your trip! Perhaps we will be going back at that time as well. :001_smile:

We have Britax Frontiers. My girls are 7, and we've had them for about 3 years. I still have them in the 5 point harnesses, much to their dismay! :D I've told them I'll considering using the seatbelt only at age 8. One of my girls is quite a bit smaller than the other, and I'd like to keep her harnessed as long as possible. I really like these seats. They are very sturdy and well-built. IMO, they were worth the money. Now, they are big and take up a good bit of room, so consider your vehicle size. I have been very happy with my purchase.

:party::party: We are leaving in 8 days!! We surprised the kids Christmas morning, and it was awesome!! We'll be there for Homeschool Days, but unfortunately we will barely miss the WTM meetup. Our kids still don't know we are meeting our best friends there. ;) Or where we are staying. It's hard keeping all these secrets, but you can do it!!

Our hard drive crashed about a year ago. We used the Geek Squad Services at Best Buy. It cost about $150 to retrieve the data on my computer which included photos, documents, downloads, music, etc. I think it's worth checking them out. I agree with others that the cost you were quoted is very high, but your hard drive problem may be more in-depth. Good luck! I know how sad you feel. I was willing to pay more than I did to get my pics back. I am much better at backing up now, and am looking into online data storage as well.

I thought I'd add a little bit more info about how I am implementing CC at home. I did join the CC online community, and I do think it's worth the $6 per month. You can unsubscribe at any time, and I definitely think it would be worth it to join for even a short while to be able to download so many great things. That said, what I've been doing to expand on our weekly memory work is this. I made a tri-fold board with page protectors, and printed shared files from C3 for each weekly subject. I went ahead and got a huge file bin with 24 hanging files (one for each week). It took a bit of time to set this up, but now I just need to exchange out the pages and timeline cards after our CC meets on Monday each week. I go over the board daily with the kids, and we sing and do hand motions where applicable. This is a great visual for them. I'm in the process of getting maps enlarged and laminated, and we will work on geography by outlining our states and naming capitals. I've also been doing skip counting worksheets, and utilizing resources from the blog I linked previously. For instance this week, we made a Mayflower ship, read books about Pilgrims from the library, and did a Thanksgiving booklet. Oh, and of course, we listen to our CD often. It has taken some revamping to get this running smoothly in our homeschool (I decided to join CC at the last minute!), but we are really having a lot of fun with it. Hope this helps!

I get a lot of ideas from this site: http://halfahundredacrewood.blogspot.com/ She has a lots of good links and resources. This is our first year so I am still learning myself. :D

We are planning to attend Homeschool Days in January, and we are not staying on-site this time. As a matter of fact, you cannot add the special homeschool tickets to your Key to the World (for onsite properties). So I'm very certain there is no requirement for your lodging. Like you, I am sooo excited about the discounted tickets! :D

We went in December 2009, and bought our tickets right before the party. Like you, I debated whether to take the chance and buy in advance to get the discount. My twins were 5, and I wasn't sure about the weather or their moods after all that stimulation. :lol: We didn't have any problems purchasing at the gate. I highly doubt it will sell out on a weeknight. Either way, you should be fine. Like pps have said, the nights in December can be very cool so be prepared. I am currently planning another trip in January, and planned to use TGM like I did the last trip. However, his site is not getting good reviews from previous users any longer, and he is very slow in updating best/worst park days. I found a site (easywdw.com I think) that basically does the same thing for free, if you want to check it out. :001_smile: Oh, and enjoy the MVMCP! Yes, it was pricey and it was crowded, even on a weeknight. But it was worth doing it at least once...the parade and fireworks were fantastic, and my girls loved dancing with the stepsisters. :D

AuntieM, if you're interested, you can read the reviews of the ZymoDerm on Amazon. For some, it was no help at all, but many people, including myself, have had great results. Normally, I am a skeptic with stuff like that, but for once, it worked! :D

We tried waiting, tried the apple cider vinegar baths, and finally I tried ZymoDerm. I think I found it OTC at Walgreen's. I didn't have much hope, but I was desperate. Truthfully, I didn't expect much with anything OTC, but within 3 to 4 weeks of application, they were gone!!! DD probably had about 50 to 60 bumps. The stuff stinks to high heaven, but was painless for DD. There are still a few scars left where the worst bumps were. I hope you get rid of it soon. It is not fun. :grouphug:

We are members of a PCA church, and I do think there are differences. I am pretty sure PCA is a more conversative denomination than the PCUSA. I wish I could answer more specificially, but we are recent "converts" from a Baptist background. ;) Most of the Presbyterian churches around here indicate on their sign whether they are PCA or PCUSA. I can't imagine why the receptionist would think it odd to ask. :confused: