How funny - we're reading it as a read aloud right now too! I'm in chapter 7 and still am not sure what is so fantastic about it...sorry! LOL Yes, I change the name to Kitty. The kids know her name is Titty, but I told them it bugs me to say it since the word is used for something else besides a girls name and while not a "bad" word, it's just kind of not something I want to keep saying. haha!

My middle child was a water birth at a hospital birth center. It helped a great deal with pain control and with being able to relax (both things that I struggled with greatly when I was in labor with my first child due to prolonged back labor). It was hard to find a position that was comfortable to push in and squatting wasn't comfortable (I use that word loosely obviously LOL). My husband ended up sitting down and I sat against him for support and that helped. Of the 3 births, this was by far the "easiest" (another loosely used term). I planned it for my youngest too, but because my water broke before I got to the birth center and it had some meconium, I wasn't able to birth in the water per hospital policy.

We have a Dyson Animal and an Australian Shepherd and I love both. LOL

I used the Well Planned Day for a year. Ordered it for the second year and never touched it. Likes: Pretty Nicely laid out Loved the articles Dislikes: It needs to be 3 hole punched instead of spiral IMO - it would be much more useable. Needs thick dividers between months or tabs to flip to them better Needs a lot more subjects listed (but wouldn't have enough room so it seemed like a necessary decision - 4 kid slots or lots of subjects for 1-2 kids). Honestly, it doubled my planning work. If I wrote down all the lessons for kids that week, I would either have to give them the planner or photocopy it to have them write them down in their planner or transfer it onto another sheet myself (either via typing or handwriting it). And it didn't double as a household planner unless I wanted to ignore the subject grid altogether (which I tried but it bugged me). It just made far more sense to me to type out their lessons on a homemade document in Word and print copies for them each week. Far less work and cuts down on having to lug around a semi bulky planner. Basically it made me realize that pulling together my own planner worked better. LOL HTH!

Timberdoodle has the Singapore Mental Math workbooks from grades 2 to 7. http://www.timberdoodle.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=singapore&Search.x=0&Search.y=0

I don't see him mentioned yet. He was an American scientist, inventor, botanist and educator - fascinating man!! My girls just today finished this book by Eva Moore and really liked it: http://www.amazon.com/George-Washington-Carver-Scholastic-Biography/dp/0590426605/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1305869458&sr=8-4 Ambleside Online has wonderful suggestions - you can check their science biography lists listed under each year.

We're following Ambleside this year, which includes SOTW4 (we did SOTW 1-3 prior to this year using Biblioplan). My girls are in 4th and 7th grade. The AG is not part of Ambleside's recommendation, but I'm using it for the mapwork, oral Q&A and outlining. I like that my girls can listen to the CD and fill in their half done outlines because it's a way to practically help and model to them how to take notes. I think if you are relying SOLELY on SOTW for history in the logic stage, then generally speaking, it's not enough. Otherwise, we love a good story and a main reason I chose to use SOTW was to ignite an interest in history (that I think it did! :)).

Ditto on the Jurassic Park! Oh man - and The Green Mile. I could not finish watching that - we walked out of the theater. We don't watch a lot of suspenseful movies because of how they usually stress me, but I do LOVE the Bourne movies, oddly! TV shows that have anything to do with disease or illness - simply cannot watch! Several years back I realized that with ER finally. Life was much more peaceful without it. hehe I can handle The Event though. Even though the Sleepers are now in possession of the Spanish Flu. :lol:

Lady Evelyn Coco-Ituni

Not working for me either.

I organize my Rod and Staff books (math and English) by grade. Otherwise, I organize everything else by subject. Much easier to find than by grade, which I would have to reassemble every year. This way if I am looking for, say, a science book, I have several to choose from in many levels and often find end up finding surrounding books for supplement or research. History is organized by subject too, but broken down by time periods.

:lol:

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5: This thread is hysterical!!! Cannot. Breathe.

SOTW American Language Series (Phonics)

Rod and Staff Math and English

77 hours It was awful. :ack2:

We live right near an elementary school and have for 6 years. The noise, drop off times, etc don't bother me most of the time, but I confess I have been looking forward to the idea of moving and not being so close to a school. The quiet....hmmm. LOL What's been difficult though, is that since many of the parents and their kids know each other in our neighborhood, and walk by our house to/from school on the weekdays, there is obviously a feeling of not being part of the community. I expected that already as a homeschooler, but it's a continual reminder being next door to the school. I have wondered a few times if the neighbors wonder why in the world we chose to live in such a prime location and not send our kids to the school across the street! :tongue_smilie: I don't really need to worry about when we're out front (which is rarely, for us) because the the school district is on a year round track. There are 4 separate tracks with the school itself (crazy!) so I figure that most people would assume we're just "off track" the times we're outside during school hours. **ETA - our house is on a court situated across the street from a small play structure and baseball field that 'bleed' into the campus. We are not "right" next door, but close enough IMO. I definately would not want to be any closer (i.e. our home backed up to the play area or in front of the school itself).

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:

Here: http://www.artoflogic.org/watts/index.php/about/mission_and_doctrine//Mission%20and%20Doctrine On one hand it strikes me as a little odd that some of the statements are even necessary on a Statement of Belief list for a curricula company. On the other hand, I think the nature of his subject itself (thinking/reasoning/judging) makes it applicable. Obviously I have to wonder if the reason he includes them because in some way they will be reflected in his program. If so, I respect that he is open about that.

Daniel Valles

This looks wonderful! Thank you for posting it! I am 99% sure we'll be using this next year!! :party: ETA CRUD! I didn't read his statement of beliefs beforehand. SIGH I disagree with so many of his views that I couldn't use a logic program he designed. :( Bummer.

Ours was for 9 sessions. Once a week. We ended up completing 7 only because she had improved drastically in that time frame. I was thrilled not to have to pay the $100something for those 2! LOL

With my oldest girls, I used K for teaching them to read (other than reading library books together) and that was basically it. With my third, now "in" Kindergarten, I haven't started teaching him to read yet - he wasn't ready in September. I plan to start next month. For us, Kindergarten is for learning to read and an opportune time to help them learn to listen better, sit for a while longer (still working on that with #3 - he IS a boy LOL), and help/nudge them to look forward to school.

Yep. Many homeschoolers I meet tell me they're doing charter/ps school at home and invariably ask if I'm "privately schooling". sigh

I'm reading the book out loud right now. It seriously meanders. It feels like the writer is about to make a point and then goes on to talk about someone else/other event loosely related/unrelated....lather, rinse, repeat. It's driving us all batty. :tongue_smilie: