Redsquirrel, when you say that the stand mixer does more than knead dough and keep it at a good temp, would you elaborate? I haven't used a stand mixer. We have my dh's grandmother's stand mixer, and he uses it to make homemade pizza dough. I just thought a bread machine would do that and so much more. Plus, I've used a bread machine and enjoy walking away after dumping the ingredients into it and returning to a fresh, hot, yummy-smelling load of bread.

SJ, I have used WWS Vol. 1 with one of my children, and I really loved how SWB taught writing. The co-op class is different. We will only meet once-a-week, and the students are of different grades/skill levels. I would love to find source documents that we can outline. Years ago, I listened to Susan's "Middle School Writing" where she very simply asked, "What is the most important part in this paragraph, and why is it important?" This was how she taught first level outlining. Then she went on to describe how to do second and third level outlining. IEW teaches very differently. They teach a key-word outline. I've used IEW as well. Either one will teach outlining, but I do like the simplicity of Susan's way if I could just find resources to use. That is what I'm struggling to find. I must be making this more difficult than it really is. This is why I started looking at DK Eyewitness books. Then I broke down and began looking at outline-teaching books. Maybe I could choose my own topics and print out Wikipedia articles? I need to check on this. Or maybe I can Google topics and print out reports. I'm just not sure what the copyright issues are. If I could find an inexpensive book on an interesting topic, that would be the best thing. Could you suggest the sources online you are referring to?

I had no idea IEW offered source texts. I wish I could see samples, but I've used IEW for years, and I can imagine what they look like. Thank you so much for sharing this idea. I's still looking because the end goal of the class is for the kids to learn how to write a really good paragraph. Writing 5-paragraph essays is absolutely not the goal. As long as I could stick to my goals, this might work.

Thanks, ladies! Would you all please tell me the model of your machines if the beeping is low/quiet? I would like to be able to look at them. KungFuPanda, would I use a bread machine recipe with the mixer? Feels silly to ask. It's so easy to dump ingredients in the machine and walk away. Seems like using a mixer would be more work, but you're right about avoiding the obnoxious beeping.

No, unfortunately this is not the case. That is a great idea, but the kids will be different ages and grades taking all different courses. I had also considered for each student to bring their own history/science books to learn to outline, but I think it is more important to have the same book and learn together. I am checking out the books that teach outlining just to see what is available. It's not really what I want to do, but it might get the job done. Thanks for trying!

Thank you, Bluemongoose. Honestly, I think that is the case with most of the machines. I figured this would be the best place to ask to find out. Several of the machines on Amazon are priced very reasonably. I used to have a double-batch bread machine years ago, and dh and I really enjoyed the home-made bread. Thought it would be fun for our kids to enjoy one now especially since one can be had for less than $100. Hoping the bump back up to the top will give others a chance to reply. :)

I would like one for making bread, of course, but also pizza dough. And...one that does not beep (or has the option to turn the beeper off). Our dog really stresses at loud noises like beeping and thunder. I had to turn the beeper off on my Instant Pot because she reacted so badly to it.

I need to find something simple, interesting, and cheap. This is for 7th-9th graders who need to learn basic outlining and writing from an outline. The resource that has come closest to what I'm looking for is DK Eyewitness books. They are just meaty enough and interesting enough to use, but I don't like the formatting. The text follows the outline of the pictures and just doesn't look like real paragraphs. Also, a page is likely to only have one huge paragraph packed with information. I would rather have several short paragraphs of text so we can ask, "What was the most important/most interesting thing in this paragraph?" I have decided to look for a book each student can buy so that we all have the same information handy. (I had considered trying to take excerpts from encyclopedias I have at home, but it would be much easier if I can just find a decent book to use.) Parents have to purchase the books, so cost is a definite factor. The content needs to "hook" the students' interest. Colorful pictures are not really important to me. The goal is understanding the text. Encyclopedia articles have plenty of information but also have somewhat distracting pictures. Yet, if I were to steer away from encyclopedias which automatically come with a wide variety of interesting information, I feel like I have to pick a topic and look for a book on that topic, and that feels kind of risky depending on the interests of the individual students.. I also don't want one of those books that teach outlining. I want a "real" book- something the students can read, pick out the best information, write their outlines, and write paragraphs. By the end of the semester, they need to be able to apply outlining/writing skills to anything they are studying. What have you used to teach outlining?

Oh, ladies, thank you for replying. My Menieres is not hugely bad right now. It is much worse than it was though, and I am trying to do all I can to keep it from getting worse.I don't have major dizziness presently. When the condition began, however, dizziness was a primary symptom. I feel a little twinge of lightheadedness/dizziness occasionally.My ENT has told me that the ringing is the sound of my ears losing their ability to hear, and that is bad. He told me that if the hearing is going to fail, that it happens quickly and that it takes weeks or months to get it back and that some people do not get their hearing back. My right ear is worse than my left, but I hear a tiny bit of ringing in my left ear too.The good news is that some (and I'm counting on being one) pass through Meniere's. They may lose some hearing. I guess a few don't lose any. Then there are all the others who have terrible cases and lose most or all of their hearing.We'll see how Tuesday's hearing test goes. I feel sure I've continued to lose hearing in my right ear. So, as for cooking, I do not add any salt to anything that I eat. I have begun using Mrs. Dash on all my food. I'm having to modify what I cook. Oh, I should say that I pretty much manage to avoid consuming all salt for breakfast and lunch meals. The only exception is cream in my decafe coffee. But the supper meal usually has some salt. For example, I cooked a chicken pot pie for supper earlier this week. I did not add table salt, but I used low cholesterol cream of chicken soup. (I realize the cholesterol isn't relevant, but it is the healthiest version of cream of chicken soup.) I also used my own chicken broth. Even though this only gave me about 500mg +/- of sodium, I would still like to find a way to cut that down. I woud love to hear about cooking methods/recipes that would help make food taste good without using salt. Thank you again, ladies. :)

Mine was under control for several months- so much so, I began to enjoy favorite foods again just like normal. A few weeks ago, I began noticing more ringing and some pressure/fullness-the classic Meniere's symptoms. I have been on a diuretic since diagnosis (was off very briefly to see if I could stand it). Because of the new symptoms, my ENT put me on prednisone which really didn't clear up the ringing. Now, I'm on a stronger diuretic with more prednisone and potassium. I am still hearing the ringing. I have cut caffeine and salt tremendously. I know these must have been the culprits. It would be helpful, I think, to hear from others who have struggled with this condition. What has your experience been? Has anything helped? I sure would love to sail right through this with my hearing intact.

The kids would be fascinated with swimming in the Dead Sea for sure. This is a tremendous opportunity to explore the places you read in the Bible. If you have a favorite Bible story, that would be a good way to pick and choose places to go. The Sea of Galilee is absolutely beautiful. I loved that Mt. Hermon was covered with snow, but a day's drive away put you in the Dead Sea! Very diverse country! The Temple Mount and Garden of Gethsemane area are humbling places to visit with Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection in mind. Israel is an amazing place to visit!

As I read through his website, the author of Kiss Grammar seems to imply that teachers can print is work pages for their classroom students. I can't find where this is stated. Can someone confirm this for me? Again, this would be for a school class.Not homeschool.

Awesome, ladies!!!! I've been away from my computer, and will have to check again tonight to respond with questions. Thank you so much for such wonderful information!!!

Thank you, Sneezyone. Do you have any idea how many mg of sodium is in the recipe?

Suffering from Meniere's here. My ENT has me on a low sodium and low caffeine diet. I'm doing pretty well with this actually except for a few family meal staples. We LOVE pizza. We have been eating PaPa Johns, but no more. I need a homemade recipe. Can anyone help?

I don't have any kind of resource to share, but you might try searching for labs online. This may be a good option especially if you have an idea about particular types/subject labs you want to cover. My current 11th grader loves biology. On his own, he covered much of a high school biology over the course of several years. For his biology credit, he is using a Thinkwell CD set that I got off of Amazon. Thinkwell does not include labs, so I went online to try to match labs to related content in Thinkwell. He has finished the coursework, and we're going to focus on labs for the rest of the year. Based on labs I found, you probably won't find "hard" labs.... they tend to be rather basic, and certainly doable at home.

Thank you so much, ladies! She is going to change her major to business; that was the crucial decision to make today. Thankfully there is time to make adjustments if needed. She and I were creating a crescendo of stress considering choices and consequences. Dh brought fresh air, calmness, and clarity to the stress. She and I are both much better now! 😅 I really appreciate the insight to each of the majors. The interior design certificate idea is something good to know. Seems like that option could fit within her plans.

Dd is a freshman in college this year taking all the usual freshman required courses. She has not declared a major since she has been trying to decide what she wants to do. Around Christmas, she was inspired to choose interior design. Last week, however, she started wondering if a business degree would make her more marketable. She has a special niche. With the help of her dad, she has learned how to use his tools to make beautiful home decor items. She has made a small desk and bench seat for her room, American flag wall art, and ceiling lights made from some sort of tin canisters. (I'm not sure what the canisters were actually made to be. They were items of "trash" that she made into "treasures".) Starting her own business and selling her hand-made products has become her passion. The long term plan is that she would continue building her products and try to sell them on Etsy. Now, this business idea is related to interior design but isn't exclusively interior design. Herein lies the delimma. We are trying to decide if her degree should be interior design with a business minor, a business major with entrepreneur minor, or entrepreneurship and family business. ETA: It would be wise for her to choose a degree that gives her the opportunity to start and grow her own business as well as give her employment opportunities if her business doesn't take off. We want to keep doors of opportunity open, kwim? We would love to hear some words of wisdom!

Hi RootAnn, Thank you so much for replying. I am leaning toward using the MP Recitation book. I was so relieved to find this resource. I think it will be just the thing I was hoping to find. I've used FLL before, but I don't remember Growing with Grammar. I'll try to look at that one.

I wish I could use AG. I used it with my kids. It's just too expensive. Thanks so much for suggesting it though!

Awesome, ladies! Thank you! I remember Writing Tales from looking at it years ago, but it has been years since I've considered it. I'll also look at Creek Edge Press. Mama25angels, you and I are thinking the same thing... Easy Grammar and the MP Recitation rule book. I think that is a good combination. For Easy Grammar, do you think the workbook would get the job done? The primary text is probably too expensive.

Would you mind telling me why you suggest MP English Grammar bk 1? I've also just remembered Easy Grammar. Looking at this now.

Ellie, I fixed my OP to answer your questions and to add the need for basic punctuation. Jensen's i a good book, but the need for the grammar and punctuation would make it too expensive. Thanks very much for responding!

Thanks, ladies!

nm