Can you share some of her ideas so we don't all have to pm her? LOL

Here's my go-to, Thursday night, winter, meatless, lentil dish: Baked Lentils With Cheese, from More With Less In 9X13 combine - 1 lb lentils 4 c. Water Bay Leaf 1 t. Salt 1/4 (ish) pepper Dash of marjoram, thyme and safe 2 lg. Onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic 28 oz. Canned tomatoes Cover and bake @ 375 30 min. Stir in - 2 carrots, sliced 1/2 c. Thinly sliced celery Bake covered 40 minutes. Sir in - 1 green pepper, chopped 2 T. Parsley, chopped Sprinkle on top - 3 c. Shredded Cheddar (you know this is why they love it, nothing else really matters) Bake 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Ooh, I like that. I use a different phrase I got here, "b is a tall letter with a short part, and d is a short letter with a tall part." Now I'll be using both...

It's told from her perspective and she is the only one who figures out what is going on.

Oh, also Gail Carson Levine's Tale of Two Castles. Apparently she used Puss in Boots as inspiration - "cat goes in; cat comes out; ogre disappears; no witnesses, who knows what really happened?"

Hmm, this reminds me of The Westing Game. It is like "10 Little Indians" but for the juvenile set. Pretty sure the main character is female.

We did history three times a week. Sometimes we used a "period" for a craft or library book instead of reading a section from the book.

Try to minimize day-to-day decisions. Use a template like Kung Fu's, list one or two options for each evening and then use that to make a menu and the menu to make a grocery list. Fewer decisions should help reduce stress. Good luck.

Try to minimize day-to-day decisions. Use a template like Kung Fu's, list one or two options for each evening and then use that to make a menu and the menu to make a grocery list. Fewer decisions should help reduce stress. Good luck.

We started with 2 and are finishing 3 this year. I used only MEP last year. Then my students split (one to MM), and I got BA for my ds this year. He has been alternating between the two, and I compress MEP somewhat by cutting down the problems he gets, and choosing which parts of the lesson plans we do together. At this rate, we will run out of BA next year, and then go with MEP full time again. Sounds more complicated when I write it all down. I also needed a little less teacher-time, because my younger dd is starting through Miquon and some days I had trouble keeping all the math moving. I had to print a set of lesson plans and worksheets to flip through before I felt comfortable with how it worked.

We use Northwoods on salmon often, with a little olive oil to hold it on. Aleppo pepper is great. It has some red pepper flavor without the heat that my kids object to.

Ruth, is your suggestion to go ahead and do WWS1 in 5th, but just plan on half, and then finish it in 6th? Would you then apply the lessons to other content as time permits, or perhaps have time to do something completely different, or maybe doing half in 5th will just be plenty? I read your previous post about how to implement it with my students and appreciated the time and thought you have put in.

We finished vol. 1 last year and are into volume 2 this year. My thought is maybe alternate between the books somewhat. That would spread out prep, your older can use "off" weeks to fill in any holes, do independent, supplemental work, or watch a lesson from vol. 1. It could get out of hand if you don't have a plan, though. Your older likely won't benefit much from lessons in volume 1 convincing students that air is a substance, or differentiating between living and non-living things. However, others, like the lesson that talks about the direction of the earth's rotation can be very informative, even for (much) older students. I also recommend alternating, because it is possible to do the books in 2 years, even though the cover says 3. Don't rush it! Of course. I'm just saying that for some students the timeline is generous.

A friend pointed out the increasing frequency of "prolly" for probably. SCREEEEECH go the fingernails on the blackboard.

We used some as copywriter for early handwriting practice, then, in the last half of K we started FLL1. I replaced a few of her poems with others I liked better, but followed her approach to memorization. There are so many good anthologies, and it is so dependant on your tastes. We like the Random House anthology edited by Jack Prelutsky, Poetry Speaks to Children, and A Kick in the Head.

I'll second the Anno books. I picked up some used because the library didn't have them. Last night we read One Grain of Rice, by Rumi. Also, what about the Sir Cumference books (maybe those are one of the series I didn't recognize). Brian Cleary and Gregory Tang have funny, readable books on different math subjects. eta: reread your post, my rec.s are not what you are looking for I guess. Sorry!

Perhaps we can find Jack Handy (from old SNL) to host a webinar.

Okay, I'm in the minority here, but a children's theater with a clearly-for-children production, seems like the message could be more along the lines of "please be ready to remove children if they become disruptive." We just saw that, and there are no parts so quiet that an infant would ruin it. Of course, I was at the back of a theater full of school children. Last time we saw a similar production the police had to come in to free a boy who got his foot stuck in the seat. That was disruptive.

We were on a trip once and checked in for a night and the young, sweet desk clerk told us to call up if we had any trouble with the "Millers" I was worried about who was in the room next to us?! But it turns out millers are a kind of moth.

Reminds me of Ramona something what a "dawnzer lee-light" was. Haha

Wait! Don't forget to slip in a comment about how any amount of home schooling is better than most public schools. :-)

Even if I'm feeling sluggish, they are so habituated that they often show up at the table on their own. I also have a weekly schedule of topics, so I can glance at the appropriate day and pull out books without having to make any decisions or do much thinking. When we finish a lesson I do any prep necessary for the next time we do that topic. Lastly, steady stream of coffee.

I want to give up Sugar... Well, "Honey", I hear ya'. It's February, give it a few weeks before you do anything drastic.

Plus, we do our schooling at the kitchen table. In the kitchen. Right by the food. Sigh. Yes, there are obvious solutions to consider, but this is February and that should be taken into account also. :-)

Reminds me of an art installation I saw by a woman knitting a flash with telephone poles and some heavy equipment.