My 12 year old Hoover has a broken belt and I'm thinking it may be time to just replace it for a really great vacuum. Does anyone have a vacuum cleaner they absolutely love? Thanks!

I have been used SOTW for a couple years, but my oldest will be starting sixth grade. She still loves SOTW and wants to continue it, but certainly she has outgrown the maps and other pages in the AG. How do you handle mapping at this age? I believe WTM suggests some sort of map coloring book. Have you found that useful, and/or is there some other resource you've enjoyed more? I would prefer to have an "all-in-one" map resource, as opposed to constantly looking up and printing various maps off the Internet. Thanks!

Hmm, could you share how that works? I think my big problem is that while a kids is working a math problem or writing a sentence or two or whatever, and I'm just basically sittting there waiting for them to be done, it's almost impossible for me to not notice the floor is filthy and grab a broom, that kind of thing. Or, we'll be in the middle of a lesson and I'll remember I have to defrost the meat. Since the freezer is three yards away from where we're working, my choices are to leap up and take care of it; OR to be distracted by it and hoping I don't forget later. That's what drives me crazy about homeschooling.

:iagree: I've been think recently that I would enjoy homeschooling more if we all physically traveled to another building to do it for a few hours, then came home when we were done. I really enjoy the actual schoolwork. I don't like doing it while juggling and being distracted by the dirty dishes, sweeping the floor, and moving another load of laundry to the dryer. Not to mention all the constant phone calls! [i unfortunately have a family member who is very seriously ill, so it's been extra hard to ignore the phone calls the last few months.]

I remember a few years ago I read a book by Todd Wilson saying that many homeschool moms "hate everything about homeschooling except the results." He didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with that or that it was even a problem that should be addressed; just that it would help these women to know that lots of other homeschooling moms also feel that way. Next topic! That struck me as strange and sad. We don't love every minute here, but I would say overall we enjoy it most of the time. If I "hated everything about it," that would mean that not only would I hate a large chunk of my life, but also that I would hate a large amount of the time I'm spending with my kids. I guess I feel like if the homeschool parent truly "hates everything about it," then maybe they need to stop doing it ... or at the very least, seriously change something. It also makes me sad to think that many homeschooling mothers really do hate everything about it -- the lessons, the planning, the curriculum shopping, everything! -- and are only doing it because a) The believe it's sinful to do otherwise; and/or b)Their husbands force them to do it.

Hmm ... this gives me pause. What are others' opinions on this? Should I start an eleven year old and a [slightly advanced] nine year old in the first book??

I have two girls. One is in fifth grade, a little behind in math, and considers it her least favorite subject. She is halfway through MUS Epsilon. The other just finished third grade, is ahead in math, likes math okay, but gets very bored very quickly with repetition. (She is my MCT girl.) She is more than halfway through with MUS Delta. I am wondering if both of them (in different ways) would enjoy Life of Fred. For the older girl, I'm wondering if it would make her like math more, and not dread it. For the younger girl, I'm wondering if it would "make" her spend more time with math. Right now, she tends to have the lesson, "get" it, and then resent the fact that she has to do several problems of the same thing. (But I do think she needs the practice.) So I'm not sure if one or both girls should switch or if we should try supplementing with LoF. And even though I read their website, I'm not sure which book I should start each of them with. Also, would a beginning fourth grader do LoF on their own, or with an adult? (I'm quite sure she would want to do it with me, but I'm not sure how much time I could spare for it in light of my younger kid.) Any other thoughts? Thanks!

Ouch. If this is true, then maybe homeschooling is not going as successfully for us as I'd hoped. In answer to your other questions: Yes, I gave the tests myself, and did last year as well. There were several sections of the test that each child did not quite finish.

Just out of curiosity, what happens if they don't?? Are they legally ordered to go to public school?

I just got back the ITBS scores for my two oldest kids this year, and I was ... well, a little disappointed. I was also a little surprised. One child's vocabulary score went down 44 percentile points from last year! How can that even be?? Last year she had a good vocabulary, and now she doesn't?? There was nothing about the test-taking that day that seemed "off" or bad, as far as I could tell. And one child really loves science, reads and talks about it all the time, and I was surprised at how low her science score was. So I'm not sure what to make of these test scores. But one thing that bothers me about these standardized tests is that they don't actually tell what you what grade level they are on in anything, and it's hard for me to know what a "good" score is, or what "passing" (so to speak) is. Obviously everybody's opinion is different, but does anybody know, for example, what schools tend to strive for? For example, is there a certain percentile that causes one to be evaluated for special ed? Is there a certain score that a student is usually desired to have before they are considered to have "successfully completed" that grade? Are there states that expect homeschoolers to achieve certain scores, and it so, what are the expectations? Is anything above 50 percentile considered "good" because it's technically above average? Or is "average" pretty terrible? Do you personally have any specific expectations for these tests? For example, if you're child scored below a certain percentile in math, would that indicate to you that what you're doing isn't working well? What score would alarm you? Thanks!

One thing I just remembered: In college I was pretty good friends with a lesbian couple. One of them told me once that she didn't wear makeup since she started the relationship a couple years earlier, because "I'm proud of who I am as a lesbian." So I don't know if there is (or was?) a sort of thinking in the community that certain ways of looking "show" that you're a lesbian, or represent lesbian pride. Also, some people asked the OP where she'd seen these "masculine lesbians." I'm not the OP, but for whatever it's worth, I'll answer the question: Our neighbors are an older lesbian couple, and they are both very masculine looking. It also seems like one featured in news stories often look that way -- I am thinking about an article I read about two months ago having to do with how a lesbian was treated at a Catholic funeral. This woman was very masculine-looking. Also, umm ... a lot of masuline-looking female couples when I went to see Indigo Girls in concert.

I haven't read the replies yet, but just wanted to tell that I have truthfully always wondered the exact same thing.

Yes, I know, wrong time of year for it ... But I got the idea in my head to write a novel this summer. The reason I even thought it was remotely possible is because I've heard of NaNoWriMo. If you've ever done it (or know someone who has), I'd love to hear about your experience. First of all, did you actually finish your novel in a month? If not -- did you eventually finish it? I guess the idea of writing a novel in a month is curious to me because .... well, doesn't it normally take people a year (or longer) to write a novel?? I guess, to be blunt, I'm wondering how good a novel could possibly be if someone (especially a first-time writer) finished it in 30 days. Is the idea just quanity over quality?? Is the idea just to work around the clock for 30 days so you can do it in a month? Is the idea that, sure, you can write a novel in a month ... but that then it will take another 9+ months to revise it into something decent? Do most NaNoWriMo participants try to get their novels published? Did you? Were you successful? And most importantly -- what was that month like for you?? Did you spend ten hours a day writing? When and where did you write? What was helpful to you? Was it exhausting? Difficult? Easier than you thought? Any recommendations or advice if I take the plunge? (I'm thinking of doubling my allowed time -- write the novel in June and July.) Thanks for sharing!

:iagree: As I mentioned before, I was heavily into the on-line unschooling community for years, and we officially unschooled for two years. This was a BIG principle among unschoolers -- if your child loses interest in something, or has a new interest, they should just drop what they're doing, almost literally the minute it happens. I remember an unschooling article where the mom said one of her kids was interested in gardening, but after they started the project, the kid lost interest, leaving the mom stuck to tending the garden herself. Unschooling well can be tiring, seemed to be the bottom line. This article was discussed on unschooling lists and I don't remember anybody saying that the parents should insist the kid follow through on his request to plant a garden. The belief (stated flat-out) is that "whatever interests your child at that moment is what they should be doing." So if they want to watch sit-coms for 30 hours a week, that's exactly where their best learning will happen. (I'm not being flippant or sarcastic here; these are exact examples and quotes.) Along the same lines, having many things going on at once was often held up as an ideal. The gurus and list owners talked about how children learned much more through playing if they had tons of different toys out at once, flipping from one thing to the next and mixing them up, and had the TV on in the background as well. In fact, I was "questioned" on an unschooling list once by the moderator because I described a time I said to my kids, "Should we watch a second Barney episode, or paint?" I was told (by her and others) that I should have had them doing both at the same time, even if that involved re-arranging furniture, buying tarps for the living room, etc. Now that I write this, I realize that those two thoughts (which are pretty related) are the main problems I had with the overall unschooling philosophy, that now I my old age, I realize I definitely disagree with. I actually think kids can focus and play better when there are not toys everwhere and the TV on in the background. And I don't believe constantly switching and dropping activities and interests on whims is good for anybody, at any age.

I'd love to read a good, funny chick-lit book or two this summer. Do you have any favorites .... preferably one that is not about a husband or wife having an affair? (That seems to be a popular topic or subplot in these books ...) Thanks!

Since I posted about it so much here and here, I thought I should fill you in on the ending. The short version is that my husband spoke to his bosses, and then agreed to give him a slight raise to offset the increase. It won't totally offset it, and obviously there is still a Big Problem out there, not just for us but everybody ... but it makes this it a WAY better situation for us, at least for the time being. Thanks to all who responded.

Any of the companies and plans listed would immediately turn me away because of my pre-existing condition.

Thank you. Yes, I did get this information from one of the agents I spoke with. I know many people would make a different decision, but we just cannot go uninsured for six months, and the agent said she didn't blame me; that it was a "huge risk." For one thing, it would be a VERY expensive six months. For example, I am on four medications (when things are good; when they are bad, I'm on eight) and one of them has a list price of over $900. Also, I have to have labwork done every six weeks, which can easily be $500+ per visit. And I don't even know what my many doctor visits would cost. But more than that: We just cannot take the risk. I know other people do, and I'm almost envious of their ability to do that. But our family knows all too well how life-or-death situations that suddenly put you in the ICU for weeks can appear literally overnight, with no warning. To be uninsured and have that happen would be absolutely catastrophic. As pathetic as it is, I would rather completely deplete our savings and have to ask our parents to pay some of our bills before I would go uninsured.

Actually, it's exactly what I wanted to hear, since we want to know the actual reality. Thanks.

I asked an insurance agent about this. She said the law had changed recently -- ObamaCare?? Don't remember the details, but that NO, that used to be an option to get a plan just for the kids, but it no longer is. As far as a state plan for the kids; our income is slightly too high to qualify.

Bingo. I am not sure how we are going to eat, starting June 1.

Thank you. Doesn't anyone else have to pay crappy premiums? These all sound great ... surely not everyone has such great coverage for such a small price?? I'd like to hear from those folks too, if possible. Also, if anyone is from the Atlanta area, I'd particularly love to hear from you.

:iagree: I just assume that my husband -- and every other married man -- looks at and admires other women.

Hi Everyone, I already mentioned this recently, but my husband's company just announced that they will no longer pay toward our health insurance. The new monthly premium is $1385/month -- beginning June 1! I have a pre-existing condition, and no one will sell me health insurance. So our only options are to pay the $1385/month or to be uninsured, which I don't consider an option. Anyway, here's you come in: my husband has tried explaining to management that this is going to kill us, and they say, "Well, we did a lot of research. Things are just bad out there. This is what companies are charging now. These are typical rates." Well, we wanted to do our own market research. If anyone is willing to share, could you please post what your monthly premiums are (if you get family health insurance through an employer) and roughly what your benefits are (co-pay and deductible). Also, it would be helpful to know what percentage, if any, your employer pays toward it, and also how big a company your employer is. Thank you very much. As you can imagine, I have a perpetual stomach ache because of this.

Our state actually does have a test, called the CRCT. I've seen samples on-line, and I would fail the third grade test myself. It is *VERY* detailed, asking very specific history questions, etc. From the sample I checked, I could not answer half the Social Studies questions. Maybe the math and LA sections would be useful; can't remember what they looked like. But the parts I remember made it seem ... well, kinda like the kids almost must be prepped to memorize the exact test questions.