Sounds cool and edgy! I'm just getting used to the idea of high boots, though, so don't give my fashion vote to much weight. Would it be comfortable, sounds like it might be baggy?

Meteor, brilliant! I'm with Monica whenever you start a poll.

I have three kids using three different math programs, usually simultaneously. I set a mental one hour timer for the olders and they do what can be done. Sometimes ds does a bunch of pages, sometimes half of one. It's all good. I would be hesitant to skip problems in BA, there isn't much extra in there. Ds also does done work in MEP for practice and variety. I edit down those problem sets ruthlessly. Have you done a comparison of number of pages and number of school days to get a feel for the pace you would be shooting for? Of course, each section starts easy and processes in difficulty, but you could get an average number anyway.

Not saying this is you (you sound as patient as a saint!), but sometimes in situations like this the words "I'm bored." (Or "Mom? Mom? Mom?" or "could you get me...") become a trigger for me. In that case, in addition to assessing the problem I have to suggest alternate wording. I'm bored = can you suggest an activity for me? That sounds a bit odd, I'm sure you can think of something better. I'm always amazed at the difference it makes in me to hear the words that I just TOLD you to say.. Eventually I responded with some chores I needed done, or with the comment that when I'm feeling bored it usually means my brain is too tired to make decisions and I should go lie down in a quiet place until I feel inspired. But not for a 4yo. Good luck! Maintain your calm exterior!

We felt this way and talked about returning for 10 years after we moved. I finally decided that it was not helping and we needed to either move back or move on. I would recommend having that discussion yourselves and then making peace with whatever decision makes the most sense for your family. Visiting might help your decision.

I contacted AG directly and they had some "scratch and ding" copies that they sold me for half price. I don't know how often that happens, but might be worth the hassle of filling out their contact form....

We use what is available at our library for board books and early reading, but although I love our library, the foreign language collection is not large enough to support a year of early reading. SO, I am looking at using print-yourself readers from Tesoros de Lectura at McGraw-Hill's website. If you look at the tab for Familias (or the tab for Maestros) there is a section called Conexion con el hogar. Under that are weekly readers and activities for K-6. Using a set of Spanish-language products from an American company makes me want to *sigh*, but this is my youngest and if it isn't open-and-go it isn't going to happen. It is one part of my approach to Spanish - don't judge me! :001_rolleyes:

A billion years ago, the prevailing wisdom was canister was better for hard floors and upright for rugs and carpet. I bought my cheapish Eureka upright about 10 years ago, no signs of imminent failure yet*. *technically I did replace it once, but before the new one arrived I realized the bag was overflowingly full and that was why it was no longer working. <<blush>> I was able to return the new one at no cost, except to my pride.

Writing, AAGH! Ds 10yo needs help with writing mechanics, handwriting has shown little improvement in 3 years, capitalization rules don't translate to the page, everything is about minimizing the act of writing. I can't correct everything at once or there is a break-down, so I pick one thing to work on then lose confidence and switch to a different thing and eventually the two of us are just chasing our tails. "Will the schedule work?" Is a low-level concern that will hopefully dissipate by the end of the week, fingers-crossed.

I thought it was all about yoga pants. Although, I've not found a pair I feel comfortable in in public....

I would go with the existing house. The problems are known (one always hopes), six months ago you probably wouldn't be hesitating. In 6 years you could re-evaluate. Mostly this is just instinct on my part!

I looked at it and am really intrigued, which is crazy because I don't have room in my schedule (Once a week, though! Surely that isn't to much to ask!) What age is it intended for? Early elementary?

Can you pack yourself a snack and an activity and go sit in the car? Won't work if he forgets you said you were waiting in the car, though.

That's great.

It is my understanding that if you book your next cruise before the end of the one you are on you get (what feels like) BIG SAVINGS! This encourages serial cruising.

Take measurements! For any area you might possibly want to buy for. I get burned by that every time. I should fabric-marker them into my purse.

((Hugs))

My ds is not a fan of crafty stuff or writing, my dd likes it - to a certain extent. We did the SOTW ones. I did the cutting, they did the rest. We could do about 3 chapters at a time, so every few chapters we would spend some time reviewing as we put the lapbook parts together. I tweaked a few to better suit my tastes. They would bring them out for the grandparents, the tactile/visual stuff has been slightly helpful in retention. Now that younger dd is putting one together, my older two got theirs out and read through them again. After the two years of SOTW, I put together notebook pages for the next two years. I have a folder where I keep the next ten or so chapters printed out. Then once in a while when I'm talking people through math I will pre-cut a few chapters'worth of parts. It is going much more quickly with one student than two!

No, .mp3 is just a format for audio files. Audio books, podcasts and music use the same format. I don't have specifics to offer, but if you get an.mp3 file on your computer, the computer may make a suggestion. Otherwise, turn to Google.

How about using the Usborne First Thousand Words book as a bedtime story? YouTube has myriad kids short video options if you have time to screen. Do you have children's music for the car? If you are totally set on German for him stop reading here. Of course, obviously many young children DO learn Chinese or Arabic. Rather than add another language to your juggling act, maybe he could tag along with both of those for a year or two and then choose one. Or, reconsider French. If you and dh have taken classes in the past you could probably handle reading kids' books. Plus, many dvds offer that as a language option. Thirdly, it seems like there may be more curricula-type options available here for French than German.

When I lived there I laughed to hear a guy say he was from "Apache Junction, home of the unemployed, the newly wed, and the nearly dead." I know nothing about homeschooling there, but there are a few people on the boards from there, someone will chime in. AZ is a state with huge variety. Are you thinking of the greater Phoenix area? Tucson has more of a small-town feel, but a similar climate. Flagstaff, however, is a higher elevation with mountains, snow and pine trees. Ah, Arizona, I miss it.

I have. I try to catch the jeans before a full hole develops because that can be uncomfortable inside a patch. Then I find a nice piece of study fabric, acceptable all parties, and pin it over the worn area. Then I stitch a continuous series of Z's as wide as the patch from top to bottom. The edges of the patch start to fray right away, but it looks good along with the patching. Generally, by the time the patch has almost frayed away, the jeans are too small.

Kerileanne, we need a book about Job Perks the Counselor Forgot to Mention. So, run a laundry service and charge $2 a pound (high-end!) then watch the money pile up while you read a book waiting for the buzzer to go off. Another chapter could be about how if you are a pediatrician you could decide to just work Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Or, if you have the patience of an ant-lion spider you could teach piano to small children in the afternoons. The market is tight and piano develops their brains, right??? This is all meant in jest. I know all these jobs have downsides and dedicated practitioners.

Hugs

My organization skills are low, but what I do is just tear out the pages when we do the lesson, then the student pages get filed in 3-ring binders after. For various reasons, we never used the lined pages provided. Any non-consumable pages I collected back in the back of the book for the next go-round, starting soon!