MUS can be pretty independent. My kids watch the video and then I review it with them and then they are on their own. With the exception of the day the new concept is introduced they just pick up their books and go. Of course, I am there to help out with questions and I do check their work. I have one dc who just finished Zeta and one ds in the middle of Delta and it has worked this way with both of them. Good luck. We really like MUS! Marie

to answer your questions- this is USSSA. He has been on AA teams for 3 years and is looking to make the move to majors or AAA. That is interesting that you said he can't move back down from majors or move down an age group as that in not enforced at all in this area. Kids move from team to team and up and down age groups (obviously only age groups they are eligible for). My ds actually played on two AA teams this year- both USSSA- same age group. So they are very lax about the rules on this. There are quite a few boys I know that are on rosters for AA and majors at the same time or who are currently on rosters for 11U and 10U teams. I will check into it in case they were to begin enforcing it at some point but I know for a fact that those rules are not in place or not enforced in this region at all. It is definitely something to be mindful of, though, and thank you for the "heads up" that we could run into a problem. Thanks!

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful responses. Team sports can be tricky. I think we need to put him on the best team we can. We have done the travel ball for three seasons now on mid-level teams. We know the ropes and it is probably time to jump into that top tier. He will always have opportunites on the lower level teams. This opportunity to get on the elite team may not come around again. I definitely think he is old enough to make the call himself and we have been discussing it. The great thing is that he feels he will be happy either way, although he would prefer to take the step up. Thanks for helping me work through it. I am sure I put way too much thought into sports. Marie

I knew I'd get lots of answers from you ladies! I think Enchanted Learning is going to have everything I need and I'll have a K student this year (which I haven't had in a while) so I will be able to get my money's worth out of the membership. Thanks everyone. Marie

something with a map of the state and blanks to fill in the capital, state nickname, abreviation, etc. Surely this exists. I'm looking for something simple I can use with my K - 5th students together. Anyone know where I can find something like this? (for free on the internet would be best). Thanks, Marie

My ds will be playing 11 yo baseball. His current team is folding and he will need a new team. We will have a few to choose from and we are unsure in what direction to go. Our choices are: 1. Play for one of the top area teams. Ds will likely be outfielder/ backup catcher/ and fill in the infield when a regular infielder is pitching or out. Team will get to play more games against very good competition and will get to play in championship games/ win tournaments, etc. May feel the pressure of being the bottom of the line up. Ds will like the seriousness but may be frustrated at spending so much time in the outfield when he is really a more natural infielder/ catcher. 2. Play for a less talented team and be one of the better players. Would likely be regular infielder/ catcher/ pitcher. More personal playing time but the team would play less games total as they would get eliminated earlier on in tournaments. Wouldn't get the experience of playing in championship games and competing for tournament wins. Would likely get frustrated by playing with less experienced players. 3. Play anywhere you can get on with a friend who can carpool with! We will have to tryout for these teams but we know pretty well what his options will be. We have always been in scenario #2 and are thinking it may be time to change to scenario #1. We don't have any dreams of a professional career or anything but we do want him to be the best he can be. Anyone BTDT with advice? Thanks, Marie

It's been terribly slow and I'm not having trouble with any other sites. Marie

I, too, had been in denial about the "sounds" from the kitchen late at night. Then last night I actually saw him running across my kitchen floor. I am absolutely sick. Dh stayed home this morning to clean out the cabinets and had an exterminator come out. We had a trap set with peanut butter with no success for a couple of weeks. The exterminator set out some glue boards and some poison and only charged us $25. He also thoroughly looked through the house and garage and is convinced that it is only one or two and that they are contained to the kitchen area. I thought I was going to throw up when he was in the kids' room looking for them. So anyways, I am disinfecting everything in my kitchen. The only food that it looked like he had gotten into was a bag of chocolate (dh says that proves its a female mouse). The upside is that I have lost my appetite. Maybe this is the extreme diet I've been waiting for. I feel for you. I'll let you know if the glue boards work. Dh will have to come home from work to dispose! Good luck. Marie

I'm 37 weeks and my baby is transverse. The dr. thinks I'm a good candidate for external version. The dr. also informed me that she has done this procedure just once before. I've heard more horror stories about it than successes- how much it hurts, caused need for emergency c-section etc. I don't know what to think. I want to avoid the c-section if at all possible, but I'll end up that way if the baby doesn't turn anyways. Any experience with this procedure? Any other tips on how to get this baby head down? Thanks, Marie

You've been given plenty of suggestions for transitioning to longer books but I just wanted to put in a plug for the picture books. There are so many picture books with rich vocabulary, complex sentence structure, well developed characters, etc. My 10 yo and 8 yo who are excellent readers and tackle some big books will still read and listen to picture books. There is a lot of value there. I feel like picture books still help my olders understand plot development, conflict/ resolution, etc. Not to underestimate the value of your dd falling in love with literature. I'm sure you're reading plenty of good picture books. Our absolute favorite is Robert McClosky and I like most of the Five in a Row books. If your dd happens to get hooked on McClosky like my boys did you could try the chapter books he has written as well. Those are favorites in our house. Good luck! Marie

I haven't read them aloud but they like to read them independently from about 2nd- 5th grade. My ds buys them when he has a gift card because he feels like he is getting a deal with the "buy two, get one". Marie

I was unable to find it on the site. The kids want to go but I definitely want to go when we can get the deal. Thanks. Marie

I'm trying to plan a vacation for us this fall. I know they just had homeschool days in March but I've heard they have them in the fall as well. Does anyone know when these typically are? Thanks, Marie

Our plan actually only covers visits/ glasses every two years. That's fine for the adults but kids really need yearly exams, IMO. Anyways, I have one in glasses and one that goes for yearly checkups and I have to pay in full every other year. Ds gets NIKE glasses when insurance pays and cheapies when we pay. I know many are happy with Wal-Mart but I feel like our dr. is especially thorough so I am willing to pay. It does add up, though. I have heard lots of kid pass the dr. office exam with flying colors and then find out that they do need glasses or vice versa. I'd stay aware of it and maybe test it out a little yourself. If you don't see any problems, you could wait, but I do believe eyesight can deteriorate that fast, especially at that age. Our eye dr. said that 3rd grade is the biggest year for new glasses. Marie

I was in college. Mine they called "abnormal". I had to retest and then again in 3 months. It was nothing. It seemed from the way it was handled that it was a very common occurence. Although they left a message on my answering machine on a Friday afternoon and I had to worry about it all weekend. That part was irritating. That was 12 years ago and I've never had another abnormal one or any other problems. Marie

My 10 yo ds is beginning to sprout the occasional pimple. It's not bad but it's time to instill some good skin care practices. Right now I have him using the Wal-Mart version of Cetaphil morning and night and the Wal-Mart 10% benzoyl peroxide gel on any trouble spots at night. I think that is fine but I wish there were some sort of cleansing pad that he could use. I just think he would find that easier and be more likely to be consistent. I don't, however, want to give him something like Stridex pads. It would be too harsh for his skin. Is there anything out there that doesn't contain alcohol as the main ingredient? Any type of gentle cleanser in the form of a pad? Any other tips for preventative acne care in the pre-teen set? Thanks. Marie

That was all very helpful. I will definitely have the cabbage waiting for when I need it. It's amazing how complicated it all seems when all you've done is nursed before. Thanks. Marie

For various reasons I am going to bottle feed my 4th baby ( I breastfed all the others). I am worried about when my milk comes in. I remember how uncomfortable it was even when I could nurse to ease the pressure. I am nervous about handling this aspect of it. How long does it take for the milk to dry up? What do I do in the meantime? I was thinking I would need to dig out my heavy duty sports bras to wear through this time, does that compression help or just hurt? Any tips for getting through this? The engorgement was so painful and unpleasant even when I was nursing. I'm really worried about this. Also, how did you prepare your newborns' bottles? Did you make them up one at a time as needed at room temperature or make up a whole day's worth of formula and store in the fridge? Did you sterilize water separately or in bottles mixed with formula already? Any other tips? This all seems so complicated. I promise I'm not a dumb girl but I am a little unclear about these things. Please don't tell me I should breastfeed. I've given it plenty of thought and this is the way it's going to be for us this time around. Thanks, Marie

That gives me something to think about. I should have mentioned that dc are very good readers and read hours per day without prompting so I wasn't worried about their reading. I couldn't stop them from that if I tried. I will also be sure to keep them writing- though it will probably be more informal than our usual studies. Thanks for all the responses. They were very helpful. I am looking forward to a break. Marie

I am winding down our school year and planning for a new baby. We will likely start up again mid June. We have finished most of our curriculum and would like to spend the month of April on the art/ music we've neglected and doing extras, read alouds, etc. We will continue math during this time because I just can't get comfortable with taking a long break from math. Besides math, are there any subjects I should be wary of taking 3 month break from? My kids are 2nd and 4th grade. We've used IEW this year for writing. Am I going to regret setting that aside for so long? We don't do a foreign language, or I would probably not want to set that aside for so long, either. We've always schooled year round and this is the longest break we've taken. I am just nervous about it, I guess. I think we're all in need of a break, though. I want to be able to take it with a clear conscience. Thanks, Marie

bump

I just got this and it looks really good but I am confused about how to use it. I have the teacher's manual, text, and student activity workbook. The text is straight forward but how do I use the student activity book? Is that to be used completely independently of the text? How do I schedule it? If you've used Runkle, anything you have to offer would be greatly appreciated. Marie

Because I had read interviews they did in which they did specifically refer to use of tutors. Actually, one was a print article and one was on Oprah and I couldn't even tell you which was which so I'm obviously not that current. I stand corrected. It is possible that throughout their homeschooling years they have done plenty of both. I was pretty sure that it was Will Smith that said he and Jada teach them about "life" and a tutor comes in for the facts and figures. It could easily have been someone else though. I'm not a big celebrity watcher and it was not recent. Marie

The celebrities that homeschool their kids can afford to bring in the credentialed tutor for their children. I've read articles about Will Smith, Kelly Preston/ John Travolta, etc. and they usually stipulate that they aren't actually doing the teaching but that they have tutors in the home. So this wouldn't effect the wealthy like it would the rest of us. Marie

What is customary in your area/ parish as far as a stipend for a private Baptism? Call me clueless but I had my other babies Baptized and never even realized this was customary. I never offered a donation/ stipend with the others. I know I could ask at the parish office but I'm embarassed at this point to be asking such a question. They all know me and I'm involved in the parish and have had babies Baptized at this church before. How is this handled? Do you just hand the priest cash or send a card or something? I will probably be having a Deacon that I know well do the Baptism. It seems weird to hand him money. I was thinking of a thank you card after the fact. I was thinking in the $25 range but then read online a little bit and it seemed like it was more like $100. Help me out here, please!! Marie