I suspected something was different early on due to the extreme nausea. I couldn't even handle the smell of the trash or dirty dishes in the sink, I had never actually gotten sick in previous pregnancies, and with this one I lost 15 lbs right off the bat. I brought it up at appointments, but because I had no other odd symptoms and I didn't show earlier, they disregarded, and only heard one heartbeat with the dopler. I really didn't show larger than normal until just before the routine 20 wk ultrasound, and that's when we found out. What a whirlwind.

Thank you, ladies. I knew there was probably a way to do that, I am just so short on time trying to get ready for school to start next week and canning, that I don't have the mental energy to search the web blindly so to speak. The Hive knows all...:001_smile:

I am not a wiz with computers, but am wanting to know if a person can download ebooks to their computers rather than an ebook reader like Kindle or Nook. Where does one go to find these types of books if they exist? Thank you so much.

I am surprised you passed one that big, too. Golly. I had a 13 mm stone during my second pregancy and had to have stents to keep me in business until a post-delivery litho. Hang in there, and drink lots of water. Are you having twins? (in your sig) Congratulations! You have reached the point where size becomes a bit burdensome and irritating, but it will be over before you know it. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: These are the situations we look back on and know we are a stronger person for having gotten through it. Do anything and everthing you can to make yourself more comfortable.:grouphug:

That's a pretty good list to start with, if you get through that you're doing pretty good. I don't know why last year didn't go well for you, but I would sit down and have a heart to heart with your dc about your feelings about last year, what you can do to not go there again, and move on. This will be our first venture into high school, so I can only share what I intend to do...and hope and pray it actually happens. My hope is that we can have a fun "date" to talk casually about both our expectations for the coming year, so we are on the same page before we start. I am guessing for my dd, this year won't so much be about increased difficulty in academics as it will be about increased personal responsibility. I am hoping to help her select a good planner to help keep her organized. I am also going to purchase a good quality photo album so she can scrapbook her high school years herself, and that will be like her yearbook. I don't want her to feel like she's missing out on anything just because we homeschool, so to re-create a few traditional high school "activities" is a focus of mine. I hope you find the advice you're looking for and that this next year is more successful than the last.

I have never had a flat iron that I loved and am tempted to jump on this. I actually do need the "hot as the surface of the sun" setting for my thick hair. Does the hotter settings of this compare to the Chi?

I agree. I have been told it is reasonable to have a grocery bill of 15% or lower. Our's is higher, but I could make it lower if I made less healthy choices.

Last year this time I was having a hard time staying on track with a consistant workout schedule. Right now, I am at the end of week 3 of a 16 week training schedule for a half-marathon. Praying the asthma stays under control as the long runs get longer and that I can find a form of glucosamine that I can take to help with the joint discomfort.

I am on a mission to wean the fam from store bought cereal, and only one of the kids actually will touch oatmeal at all. I think if I make it like this, I might have a chance. This is brilliant. I have tried just about everything oatmeal-ish and every time there is complete mutiny in the house. I will not give up.:lol: Thanks again.

I saw this thread right before I went to church, and it was only 5 pages long...fast forward to now...page 18...WOW! My dd14 will be a freshman this next fall. We are nervous because she is our first, but excited at the same time as it will bring so many opportunities for growth. We are very pleased that she will be joining a well established Classical Conversations community in Challenge B. We will be supplementing with Apologia Bio, a World History curric TBD, hopefully something that has a literature component like Notgrass. She is definitely a liberal arts kid, so CC should be a good fit. I wonder how many 9th graders this thread accounts for? Pretty cool. Thanks to everyone, you have supported us with wisdom and encouragement. Looking forward to doing high school along side all of you.:001_smile:

There were a few things other than some standard requirements that I let her do some choosing. Most of that went great except for history. I told her she could choose any time period...first she chose US history because "it's next in the sequence in our studies". Ok, that's logical, I thought and was greatful that it wasn't ancients. I don't know why, but the lit for that period scares me and I'd just rather not right now. So I researched US history, came up with a plan. She changed her mind. Wants to do ancients now. Grr. I did a little research on ancients curric, lit to go with. Didn't totally have a plan, but was on my way. Then she picks up the MFW catalog sitting on the dining room table and informs me that the world history package looks more fun and would rather do that. It's June, I need to finalize my plans, she is going to get what she gets...history and corresponding lit is too expensive to change your mind after it's purchased. I think we might study what "I" want to study.:lol:

I am trying to decide if I should use Elegant Essay and Windows to the World or use the lit/comp component of the Notgrass history dd14 is likely to do. I am willing to not use the lit/comp portion of Notgrass if the IEW selections are better, but if the Notgrass lit/comp is reputable, I would be happy to not spend money on unnecessary addtitional curric. Thanks for your help.

Thank you for your thoughts on those currics. I knew the TTC was for all ages, but thought that there would be grade leveled book recs and maybe LP's to go with but it doesn't sound like it. Windows to the World sounds good too, and I had been toying around with the idea of using Elegant Essay as well. This particular child is a voracious reader, but she will be doing an extensive amount of writing across her curriculum (CC Challenge B), so I am not sure that I want to add another heap(Elegant Essay) of writing on her in addition to her lit, history, current events, and science research papers but I do feel the literature is too light. I really should just make the trip to Exodus to see the books and compare, but it's almost 2 hrs away and gas is soooo high right now. I was also hoping to get input on the literature part of the Notgrass series...is it adequate instruction on analysis/composition. I have looked at the reading list for US History and it is definitely an even medium load...not too heavy...not too light. I could always add a few to it, I almost always do.

I am having a hard time getting a sense of what these two programs encompass. I have been to the IEW website and some of the example pages won't open, and there is very little description in the catalog or at RR. I am familiar with methods used in Teaching the Classics through a CC practicum, but can't find more info about the curriculum. Here is what I'd like to know: Book Lists for each, preferrably high school level. I CAN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE!!!! I am trying to decide if I should do this combo for a 9th grader, or go with the literature part of the curriculum of the Notgrass history/lit/bible combo. Also, which is a better program? Dd14 loves history AND literature, so SHE would like it to be rigorous. She is still trying to decide whether to do US History which is next in our history sequence, or World History. Please give me a picture because I can't seem to get enough info. Thanks.

In our district, they only accept credits from an accredited program. In fact, some credits from the local accredited private school aren't accepted if a student transfers. So, yes, high school can look like an all or nothing situation....unless you enroll in the dual enrollment program as a junior. If you enroll when you are 16, credit wise you are a freshman; but because of how the cc credits translate to high school credits, you can actually get your high school diploma and AA in two years time. It's scary knowing that what we do in the next two years doesn't count for anything to anyone but us, but it will pay off at the end of her senior year when she has 36 college credits and no debt because it's free.

I am contemplating this for next year for dd14 as a ninth grader. Is this unrealistic for a ninth grader, and what have you used with good results? Thank you for your advise.

I have never heard of such expensive campsites, tent, trailer or otherwise. We have a camp trailer and have never paid more than $27 per night for full hook ups. One of the more fancy camping spots we looked at had entrance to lovely hot springs at a resort, and the campsites were still only $35 per night. Maybe she should book a spot by you at Mt. Pisgah. I wouldn't feel obligated to vacation beyond what is in your budget. It's not relaxing...at all.

This is excellent info. Dd will be doing ChB next fall, so we are trying to do a little catch up from what she would have missed in ChA. I was told that ChA covers Lessons 1-10; ChB covers the next ten lessons...ChI covers all that and some more but at a much quicker pace. She also has never done Latin before, so it's been interesting, but not awful. We got the Henle 1, key, and grammar books. The audio CD has been very helpful. We didn't get the MODG, which I totally regret. I will probably still order it this week so we can have more direction.

Depends on the child...yep...get that loud and clear. This child is not stellar at time management and organization at this point in her life. I like the idea of meetings, but I can see having to do 2 a week to start. Probably once on Mondays to start the week and make sure expectations are clear, then on Thursday, before the week is over so I can do damage control. Friday she can tie up the loose ends. I have been trying to train her to use a planner this year, but it's a little hit or miss. I am thrilled that she will be doing Classical Conversations next year, so that takes some of the accountability load off my shoulders. It is so reassuring to hear your stories of struggles, progress, and success. Thanks so much.

This is all very good advise. Keep it coming!

DD14 will be a freshman. I am curious to hear from seasoned high school homeschoolers about how much teaching you actually do. Do you hand dc a list of assignments for the week and expect to see them on Friday? Do you still meet everyday for lessons? Does it depend on the subject? How much do you help them study for tests, or should this be their responsibility? How much prodding should I have to do to remind dc of pending due dates on assignments? I don't want to hold her hand on things that should be her responsibility, but I also don't want to be completely hands off and not provide appropriate guidance. What does your student's academic accountability look like at your house? I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this in that my own parents were completely hands off, no guidance at all, and I wished they would have asked me at least once "Did you get your homework done?" At the same time, I think that helped me become very independant. I need to hear what it's supposed to look like to have a good balance between good guidance and learning self responsibility. KWIM?

So sorry for your gma's health situation. I hope your mom can put aside the drama with your sister, and focus on what she needs to and that is your gma. I know you don't want to spite your sister by not updating her, but by continually updating her, that actually might feed the drama fire more. I would let your sister contact you for updates. If she really cares, she will call for an update.

We have decided to let dd14 have her own email acct. We would of course have full access. I am not impressed with all the ads that come up on Yahoo, but was wondering what you have chosen for your dc and why? Gmail? Hotmail? Something else? Thanks for your thoughts.

Welcome to homeschooling. I don't have any advice on what you are trying to make decisions on...I am also trying to figure out a schedule for 9th next year. I did just want to respectfully counter what this poster said about Physical Science. I think that whether or not physical science is a high school course largely depends on where you live. We have been out of the brick and mortar system for three years now, and in the mean time my dd did both general science and physical science for 7th/8th grade. However, that only happened because we homeschooled. As we explored returning dd to public school in our district for a few classes for 9th, and even in other districts, all of them start 9th grade with physical science. This means for kids in brick n' mortar schools in my state; their science sequence looks like physical science, bio, chem, physics or their choice of marine bio, human anatomy, etc. There are very few exceptions to this rule, the child had to have a certain gpa and have a teachers recommendation to get into bio as a freshman. Seems ridiculous to me, but that was the response I got from several school districts. I am sure the standard of starting biology as a 9th is standard in some districts, but not here.

Bumping for more exposure. For some reason I tend to post too late at night.