Thanks for the heads up! I am checking into it right now because we're in the yellow zone! Yikes!

They have a program Storytime with Soldiers. They are seeking book credit or monetary donations. Read more here: http://www.paperbackswap.com/donations/military.php and decide if you can help out. I donated. Can you?

someone pm'd me about the ability to print. No, you can't print with the ap (can't find a way, anyway). BUT, for those of you who want to print, find your books at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page and download the .pdf. Then you can print all you want.

I agree with the art museums recommendation. Air & Space is impressive if you haven't been to an Air & Space / NASA type museum. You have received great recommendations.

You'll change at or after 10 posts. Welcome!

For those who are not aware, Amazon offers a free app you can download to your computer that simulates a Kindle reader. You can then download all the e-books (free and cost) you want. Simply go find an e-book in the Kindle Store (drop down box next to the search), select the title, under the picture there is a link "requires Kindle device". Click from there and you will be given the option to download the app and register your computer. I did it today and downloaded 20 classics.

How about every classic known to man: Oliver Twist 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Moby Dick Jane Eyre Pilgrim's Progress the list goes on and on. If you are reading "The Well Educated Mind", nearly every book in there has a free version on Amazon.

Think forward to cursive. Will what your dc is doing now cause trouble for him/her later? For my ds, I wish I had paid closer attention to what he was doing and HOW he was forming his letters because now he will face a bigger uphill battle than he needed to when he learns cursive.

The first thing that comes to my mind is don't be afraid to back up where you need to. Your dc is struggling in math? Why? Would it help if they had a better handle on their basic math facts? If so, pause, take the time and start drilling. Is it word problems bringing them down? There are great resources (fan of Singapore Word Problems, but there are others). At the very least, incorporate drills as part of your daily math for awhile until they are answering at a reasonable speed (no contests here). Reading. What about reading? Phonetic pronunciation? Weak vocabulary? Comprehension? Please, please don't hear me attacking - I am asking, what I think are, reasonable questions to help you start getting back to basics and strengthen your foundation so that their education is a wonderful experience. Does that make sense?

AMEN!! Well said! See... we need all of us to make this crazy and wonderful world go 'round! Love it!

Legos, Knex

Exactly.

For those with Alzheimer's experience... I can't remember if I do or not....

Are you kidding? They're already better. I've been reading the post "Forum Game". I'm up to page 8. My cheeks hurt from laughing! I love you guys! :D

Thanks for the support, Ladies! Unfortunately, I wasn't cool, calm, and collected. I did not respond with class like I should have. What's worse... I am the director for our church's VBS this summer and she is one of the volunteers. I did call the pastor, let him know what happened, stuck my tail between my legs and apologized for any aftermath that may ensue. He assured me all will be fine - the mom involved is on serious medication for depression and is being counseled... I should have been a bigger person. But I wasn't. I felt attacked. I defended myself (note: I did not attack her). I should have let it go. Mutual respect and kindness is all I ask. sigh... If any of you are near Jackson Cove in Oxford, CT on a Wednesday between now and the end of July, stop by! I'd love to meet you!

I have had success with 2 things: Oreck dry carpet cleaning. It gets oil based stains out beautifully. We own the system and I've never regretted it. Stanley Steemer is GREAT for sugar based stains with the following guidelines (I've learned): ask they turn off the soap - water / alcohol based cleaner only watch them like a hawk and make sure they are going backwards slowly or your carpet WILL stay dry for hours - this also ensures they clean under your furniture. I know it sounds like a drag, but I have gotten great results this way.

Be careful with the extra vitamin E if you have a condition or take another medication where thinning blood would be a bad thing. I had no idea I had a blood disorder and had been taking vitamin E and it caused a complication after one of my surgeries. When they realized my blood disorder, I was told no more vitamin E supplements.

:lol: I am busting a gut laughing. Ladies, I SO needed to read this post. The Hive to the rescue! Should we all wear black capes with a hive on the back, running around rescuing the world from seriousness and stupidity? :lol:

Okay, so we are all created differently. Some of us are relaxed, some of us are hyper-organized and thrive on routine and checkboxes (me) and there is everyone in between. I just got off the phone with someone from church. I called to let her know I would be going to the local beach every Wednesday morning this summer that if she wanted to join us, we'd be there. I am inviting everyone in town. She informed me that I am too rigid and that by planning I am unable to fully enjoy my children and that I am living in bondage by needing a routine. She then informed me that I shouldn't worry and it is okay because she used to be that way too and in time I will grow out of it and realize how miserable I am. Um, excuse me? I am the biggest Polyanna at church - I always find the rainbow... even when I found out I had a kidney tumor, I managed to find the good in the situation. Half the time I feel like the darn Fairy of Joy sprinkling pixie dust where ever I go (okay, not really, but you get the point) I am who I am. Being a Christian, I believe I was made this way on purpose (no theological debate necessary here). According to her, I can't enjoy my kids because I do better with routine? :glare: Um, if I don't put it on the calendar, it is nothing more than a passing nice thought. I enjoy my kids more by putting it on the calendar because I DO things with them rather than get lost with cyberspace, phone calls, tv, and my own busyness. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Why can't we just recognize we're different and leave it at that without attacking one another? Seriously? :confused: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Okay, I feel better now.

Follow My Leader hands down. Phenominal story of personal triumph... and it is a true story. My kids were mesmerized and it taught so much to all of us.

Amen! It absolutely IS a religious issue at OUR house! Thanks!

how beautiful!

My trick? I plan 1 year in advance at any moment. So, I started planning the 2011-2012 school year LAST summer. I started planning 2012-2013 this past week. This allows me the freedom for books to come up on Paperback Swap ("free") and for me to see great deals on the sale and swap board. I also raid used books on Amazon and have found some good deals on TMs that way. Oh, and unless you have your heart set on a particular book, be flexible and use the library for the literature / read aloud type stuff. I have a small library, but it can pull in from all over the state. There are SO many great choices, to snag 2 or 3 through the library is fantastic. I simply browse the AG ahead of time and highlight which books peak my interest AND the library has (I sit online with our card catalog looking up books as I choose so I know what is available). I know this sounds crazy, but it helps me avoid what you are dealing with.

Try checking into Kumon My First books. They are $5-6 on Amazon. There are a handful designed for 2 year olds. My dd turned 2 in April so she will be 2.5 when school starts back in August. Each of my kids get their school books and supplies wrapped in a box as a present (education is a gift). I can't let my sweet Savannah feel left out. So here is what is in her box: handful of Kumon My First books bucket of colorful foam shapes of different size to sort (by shape, by size, by color) a few "new" books for our reading time Letter Factory (I love Leap Frog) coloring pages printed off and put in a brass tab folder (homemade coloring book) chunky princess crayons from AC Moore Sesame Street 123 Count With Me and Cookie Monster ABCs DVDs toddler scissors for my first cutting 2 new wooden jigsaw puzzles - actual puzzle pieces, not the nobby match a shape stuff letter magnets for the fridge and I am debating a glue stick (clearly to be kept out of reach with the scissors!) new pack of play-doh just for her That is all I have come up with so far. I was going to do the Leap Frog fridge ABC magnet thing but Savannah turned the animal one into a concert instead of playing with the magnets. I'll save the $20, thank you. Other ideas, if you haven't done them: create a bucket of toys RIGHT NOW that only come out during school time. If your dc doesn't see them all summer, they are new in the fall. ;) love the water bucket / small wading pool idea for water play love the sand table idea (we keep ours in our unfinished basement all winter... 7 months of winter = 7 months of sweeping up sand - the upside... 7 months of hours of entertainment for her and her older brother and sister!) play house play kitchen pots and pans play food it is the age of imagination... use yours and you'll go far rotate the kids - work with 1 child while the other plays with little one and then switch the older kdis Good luck... I'm right there with you

:iagree: History would have been SUCH a drag without them. My kids are 9 and 6 and mostly enjoyed the coloring. I found the comprehension questions and training to be good practice and training for me. The activities, while we only did about 10 of them were great. The mapwork, while okay, was good for the intended age - it plants seeds that these places exist and where they are on the map.