Wow. And knowing nothing about the histories of other nations and regions is supposed to increase our national security exactly how? Isn't there a saying, "Know thine enemy?" :glare:

Well, this is just my opinion, of course. I did graduate at the top of my class (although only a smaller high school), was valedictorian, took honors classes, all that. Overall, I do not think it was all it was hyped up to be. My classmates who got B's in school and went to state colleges seem to be plenty successful as adults. I wish I had been more balanced during my time in school, not solely focused on academics. That said, I am very glad to have taken AP courses; getting to skip some of the English and math courses was well worth it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I think it's fine to just coast; I think you should work hard and do well, just not at the price of killing yourself or of excluding other valuable experiences in life. (Graduating at the top of your class at college might be more beneficial, as that could look good on a resume. Again, though, at what cost?) Just MHO :).

OP, thanks for the tip! I watched the first and third episodes and loved them! Truly there are only three?

:grouphug: I feel like this a lot, too. I'm sorry things have gone badly this week. I hope for a fresh start for you next week. Even semi-anonymous, virtual shoulders can be good to cry on sometimes. ;)

I didn't read the article, but the discussion got me to thinking... just how important is it to future prospects to get into a "top-tier" university? My dad always drilled it into us that we needed to have top grades in high school so we could get into a top college. I about killed myself my senior year with a heavy class load, graduated at the top of my class, and was accepted into a UC. Many of my classmates took it easy and were either also accepted into a UC or went to California State universities, other colleges, or CC. Looking back, I don't see that those who went to "lower" tier schools fared any worse. I think my dad, though well-meaning, was mistaken. I think I would have benefited more had I focused on being more well-rounded socially and in other areas rather than being so single-mindedly focused on academics. For my kids, I want them to be more balanced than I was. I still believe in academics (or I wouldn't be on this board! :)), but I don't think it's the end-all, be-all that my dad stressed. I want my kids to be able to support themselves, of course, and if that entails a bachelor's degree, then I don't see any problem with going to two years of CC and then transferring to a four-year college/university. And, having been to a UC, I would likely steer them to a smaller college where you can get a more personal academic experience. It just seems to me that for most practical purposes it doesn't matter much where the degree is from. What do you all think? Am I overlooking something?

:grouphug: You will make it through this. Your kids will make it through this.

:lol: My dog had a major noxious fume problem, so I completely sympathize! You might enjoy this story. Scroll to the beginning of Chapter 4. http://books.google.com/books?id=H7cgk-XV_koC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=cedric+boxer+herriot&source=bl&ots=36WuFfv1xg&sig=I_70udH9KDRgHA4A2Ry2VRGuR94&hl=en&ei=_hfaTOj7I4HGsAOhh8zKBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=cedric%20boxer%20herriot&f=false

:iagree: Even though I got A's in Algebra in ps 8th grade, my dad thought I didn't have a firm enough grasp and made me retake it in 9th. I was sooo mad, because all my friends were going on to geometry. By 12th grade I had passed them all by. It was the best thing my dad could have done for me.

:iagree: I used this series for ds's American History in 8th grade, and I agree that they are well-written and interesting. About a year ago I saw them on Amazon quite cheap, too!

Working from memory here, so forgive me if I get this wrong :D. Adjectives modify nouns; adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. So "sore" would be an adverb modifying an adjective.

Vexed would be a predicate adjective, right? Which means that "sore" (or sorely as we would say nowadays) would be an adverb modifying "vexed."

:lol: When I first read her sentence, I immediately thought of this sentence my dd did for dictation in WWE2 today: "Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort." Maybe she's not quite J.R.R. just yet, but she's gotta start somewhere! :D

This book helped me immensely. Even though I am still not an organized person, my house has stayed so much better after implementing these ideas almost 10 years ago! http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Organized-Homemaker-Secrets-Uncluttering/dp/0760722293/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288913671&sr=8-1

I'm sorry, I don't know. But in the back of my mind I remember hearing (possibly on this board) a while back about a website that is something like a silent auction, and you can get all sorts of things, including electronics, quite cheap. I wish I could remember the name. Anyone?

We don't celebrate Christmas, so they never believed. I grew up celebrating but I never believed, either. In fact, I just assumed that everyone thought it was just a fun story like I did. Every year my neighbor would ask me, "What did Santa bring you?" and I'd say that my parents had gotten me such-and-such, my grandparents this-and-that, etc. Then she'd say, "Yes, but what did Santa bring you?" I always thought, "I just told you, crazy!" :)

This is a one-day schedule we followed with a class of exchange students a couple of summers ago. Only I would skip Alamo Square and substitute Alcatraz for the Bay Cruise. That might take longer than the cruise, so you would have to take that into account. We walked up Lombard - ugh! Never again. If you want to walk it, try to get a ride to the top. Also, I highly recommend walking out on the GG Bridge - what a view! It's free. (I pasted on some info about the bridge below.) Chinatown is interesting, too. Hope you have a terrific trip! Remember that SF gets COLD, even in the summer. Schedule: All-Day Excursion to San Francisco: 9:00 to 7:00 Pier 39 Fisherman's Wharf Ghiradelli Square Cannery Lombard Street Alamo Square Optional : Bay Cruise Experiencing the Golden Gate Bridge Walk onto the Golden Gate Bridge if you can. You can't really appreciate the size and height unless you've walked on it, at least a little way. At mid-span you are 220 feet above the water's surface, and passing ships below look like small toys. The distance from one vista point to another is 1.7 miles a fun round trip if you're up to it, but even a short walk will be interesting.

You shampooed first, right? When my kids had lice :tongue_smilie:, only my ds had live bugs, but they were gone after the shampooing. Then it was just nit-pick, nit-pick, nit pick on the two of them for days.

When you say "- the absolute value of 100 - 121," do you mean "-|100|-121 or (as I suspect) "-|100-121|"? If it's the first way, it would be 144/9 = 16 16 x 3 =48 48 - 100 = -52 -52 - 121 = -173 If it's the second way, it would be 144/9 = 16 16 x 3 = 48 48 - |100-121| = 48 - 21 = 27 I hope. It's been a long time... ;)

My family and a lot of our friends are learning Punjabi. I suggested the "piaaree" (beloved) for my daughter to use with her name on her email account. Then I stole the idea back for my username here. (Although it is far less applicable in my case! ;))

If I were a Zeta test booklet, I might be hiding behind someone's dresser or nightstand....

AG teaches to put a comma before the and, and so does Voyages in English. I am also using MCT's Grammar Town, but I don't think it is addressed there. In high school in the 80s we were taught that either way is correct. Personally, I prefer to use the comma.

Sorry, I don't know a thing about Saxon. However, my understanding is the same as Kareni's, that Jacobs is Algebra I only.

:iagree:I would set the money aside now (I love squirreling money into "ghost" accounts!) while you have the green light and before anything changes. But then the money is still available if an actual emergency arises. Then buy the curriculum when you are ready. Until then, maybe you can start putting a little money aside so that you don't have to take as much out of savings when the time comes.

My thought would be to fold the cursive, typing, and especially the writing into the other parts of the curriculum, rather than have them as separate courses. Could she write summaries and small daily assignments in cursive, type up papers, etc.? IEW works very well incorporated with core subjects. She could write on history, science, and literature topics. My ds15 is doing Jacobs Algebra and one lesson takes about an hour. Are you assigning ALL the problems? I have my son do just the Set I and Set II problems. Set III is nearly identical to Set II, so I will only have him do those if he needs extra practice. Maybe that could help? Best wishes to you all!

Dal (lentil stew) and/or biriyani rice with naan bread would be nice. I love the kheer (rice pudding). Aloo-gobhi is a potato/cauliflower dish that is good. You can find gazillions of recipes online with a google search. Don't forget the chaa (tea)! My Punjabi friend showed me how to make great chaa: For 2 6-oz. cups: 1 (6 oz.) cup water 1 heaping teaspoon black tea 2 green cardamon cloves, crushed 1 whole clove (To this my friend added mint leaves and fennel. Different friends have used cinnamon and/or ginger. You can experiment with what spices you like.) 2 spoons of sugar (or to taste) 1 (6 oz.) cup milk (whole milk works best, but lowfat is fine) Put everything (including the crushed cardamom husks) except milk into a small pot and boil for 2 - 3 minutes, or as long as you like depending on how strong you prefer your tea flavor. Add the milk and bring back to a boil for about 2 minutes. Strain.