THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR TAKING TIME TO RESPOND! Great points to consider...I really appreciate the help!

Need some wisdom.... DD, junior has really worked hard in Alg 2 and Chemistry this year. Both courses have been difficult for her.....I'm sure she has surpassed spending 120 hours on each. My dilemma is, she has not finished either text. She will not be a math or science major in college. Does anyone here go ahead and assign a grade and credit if the book is not finished... If it helps we are doing MUS Alg2 and Apologia Chemistry...she will finish about 3/4 of each book by end of schoolyear. Thanks for the advice!!

Jennifer, I will PM you if I can figure out how:)

Thanks everyone for the great input! It's great how so many take valuable time to support eachother in these types of situations! I actually e-mailed MUS with my concerns and I got a very helpful response with some great suggestions that we will try. I will try some of your suggestions as well! Thanks again!

Someone who has been in my shoes, can you please offer some advice? DD (Jr.) has completed MUS through Geo. and is currently in ALG 2. She does "ok" on the MUS tests, but math is definitely not her favorite subject. The real problem is that any test she has ever taken (ITBS, PSAT, ACT) she just does not do well in the math portion. Do I just let it go? I really don't want to change curriculum this late in the game, but am I doing her a disservice if I don't expose her to something else? She plans to attend college....but will not be a math major. I just feel that with her percentage score in math on the PSAT being only higher than 30% of juniors, this is really holding her back from potential scholarships. She did great in reading a writing. Currently we are progressing through Alg 2 slowly and will end up finishing next December...so basically taking 1 1/2 years to do a year course. Any other MUS users see this same problem with standardized tests?

If any of you have ordered Apples and Pears (which I think is based out of the UK), how long did it take for your materials to arrive? The website states it will be printed in the USA and shipped directly from the printer. It's only been 5 days since I ordered, but I've e-mailed them and not gotten any answer on "about" how long it will take. Help anyone??? Thanks!

Welcome to the fun of legos! My boys got into them about the same age as yours and for years a lego set has been THE christmas gift for each of them. So they open their legos on Christmas morning and we build legos most of the day! What great memories!! We like the city sets best! And just a hint...we kept separate sets in separate tubs (shoebox size and up) for years...then they convinced us to combine legos. For us, that was not a good decision. Overall they played with them less because they would get frustrated not being able to find a certain piece (keep in mind, by this time we owned many, many sets). Just think through how you will store everything and it will be a much more enjoyable experience along the way:)

a little more info....it does take about 4 hours to assemble...but it can of course be done in "small doses"..older kids can help too! I really enjoyed the process of putting it together and being reminded of all the rich verses in God's Word that apply to my children and to ME! Also, I used colored pencils instead of highlighters...it saves on cost and works just fine.

THIS is the coolest thing since sliced bread...you've got to check it out...there is a short video on the website that is helpful to watch so you can learn how to put together a child training bible www.childtrainingbible.com ENJOY! Susan

Need some opinions of older/wiser moms....my 9 year old son is in 3rd grade...he has a September birthday...he is reading at about a 2nd grade level and not writing much on his own (just copywork)...he does average in math. If I hold him back a year he will be 19 during his 12th grade year. Does anyone have any experience with this and could tell me some things to think through before deciding? Just wondering how it would affect him being 19 and his "mom" still teaching him. Thanks for your thoughts, Susan

We've decided to just turn off internet on DD Ipod touch....and that's for a teenager we really trust....it just makes more sense in our family if you are going to be online to be on the main computer in the center of the house. Also, we have a rule that any app she ads, it must be approved...i've not had to say no to one yet, I just like the accountability for now. It's good to think through all these things like you are doing before giving them the device...it's so hard to go back and undo a freedom, but easy to give more freedom when they have proven themselves. :) Susan

Personally, I see writing instruction being the biggest area most HS moms struggle with (including myself), so you are not alone!! Can't really give this a thumbs up or down yet, but we are going to use www.essentialsinwriting.com this year. It is like Math-U-See only for writing...so the main instruction is dvd based. I personally spoke with the author at a homeschool conference and was very impressed. It is $40 per grade level. I spoke with a homeschool mom recently who sent her first child off to college last year and looking back she said the most important things to teach our kids before they go off to college are: reading, writing, math and character...she said if they are strong in these areas, all of the other subjects can be handled just fine. Her daughter did extrememly well her first year! I think that information is like gold and it really showed me what I need to focus on.

My 2 brothers and I will be throwing a 50th anniversary celebration for my parents...I want it to be memorable....we will be having it in their town which is long distance for me...so the planning will be a little tricky. We are thinking of reserving the fellowship hall at their church...need ideas for.... what time of day do others ususally have this type of event? (b/c of finances this will not be a sit down dinner) what type of food? is it a good idea to schedule people to talk in front of everyone about the couple? I've never been to one of these...so PLEASE...if any of you could just take a minute to give me some ideas of what you have done or what you have seen done...it would help us get started with our planning... THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

I would suggest a simple bloodtest to have your thyroid checked.

ours are similar to yours, except... SKYfive (the blue reminds us of the sky) sevenilla (the light colore reminds us of vanilla) ninemints (because the color reminds me of those little soft square mints) HTH!