Hmm Do you have to report to some state entity each year with exactly what courses will be or were taken that academic year? If not, just assign classes to academic years. ;)

Exactly. I guess it depends on if your state has set transfer agreements (then you go with those numbers), if your CC classes are the same as or harder than high school classes, and if you are looking at a university vs a CC (like a pp mentioned). There is no way a foreign language class reading literature (3 credit) is worth less than first- or second-semester foreign language class (4 credit). I'm giving 1 credit on dd's transcript for all the university classes she takes---3 or 4 or 5 (w lab) credits. The situation [i[might[/i] be different if she were taking a class at our CC.

First I would have her take a practice test. Maybe she is all set with the knowledge and she'd only need to practice for format and/or timing. For most APs you can only find the real, released FRQs (with scoring rubrics and sample essays from actual students) though there are a few old released full exams (multiple choice plus the FRQs) out there. Google hard. Or you could have her take practice exams from prep companies/publishers. Your library might have many choices available. Barrons tests tend to be harder than the real thing. Princeton Review ones tend to be spot-on for difficulty. Do not use the FRQs from those books. Combine their multiple choices with real FRQs. Be aware that AP exams are often changed, both in content and in format. I believe World is one that either just changed or will be changed. Make sure you use materials that fit the new format for practice!

Suggestions for the neck, feet, and smoked hocks? Dh has to limit legumes to once a week, so bonus points to recipes that do not use white beans or dried green peas (and my thanks ;)

Best wishes for your dd and a :grouphug: for you!

The AP classes dd takes at home with me are more challenging than the (same course) ones her older siblings did at two different high schools. I was able to eliminate repetition, busy work such poster presentations, and huge amounts of review-worksheet-type activities in favor of deeper readings and discussions and writing. Of course, dd is an odd duck whose level of appropriate challenge has yet to be met, even this year with university Arabic, five APs, and bio done in a semester, so take what I say with a gigantic grain of salt ;)

We began homeschooling in fifth grade. 5: ancient history (first volume of K12's Human Odyssey) 6: middleness of history (second volume) 7: modern history (third volume); world geography (by me) 8: US history (using K12's American Odyssey which is supposedly a high school text) I had planned on a similar rotation with three years of world history and 1 year of US history and government, but dd's interests changed dramatically between 8th and 9th grade when she was able to join dh and me on a trip to China. 9: ancient world history (based on The Great Courses "The world in ancient times: a global perspective); AP Human Geography (by me) 10: AP Comparative Government and Politics (by me); AP Psychology (by me) (She's graduating a year early.) 12 planned: AP US Government and Politics (by me); AP Macroeconomics (prob by me); either AP US History (by me) or just sitting the SAT US History subject test or taking US history at the University of Our State or... Dd plans on majoring in international relations (with two critical languages) in college, thus all the social sciences!

We were able to start saving a small amount when our oldest was 11. When he was 12, dh was recruited by a different firm (he's a Certified Financial Planner but worked in a totally different low-paying job until ds was 7). The recruitment package included a substantial signing bonus which we immediately put into 529 plans. We can afford the cost of attendance at our state flagship from that savings and from current earnings. We told the kids that was the max we would pay, and if they wished to attend another school they would have to make up the difference in merit scholarships and the basic allowed student loans. Of course, dh being a CFP, he showed each kid exactly what the loan repayments would be compared to prospective salaries ;) The older kids choose to attend the state flagship. They both received merit scholarships, savings us a considerable amount of money :D (Ds's second choice was $2K more than the state flagship after merit scholarships. Dd1's first choice came in slightly less than the state flagship after merit scholarships. After visits she decided that school wasn't the best fit for her after all.) Dd2 is chasing merit aid. Our state flagship will not be a good fit for her as she'll max out their Arabic offerings before graduating from high school! We told dd that, should she receive substantial merit aid, we will contribute the equivalent of our state COA toward extended study-abroad opportunities or grad school. Note: I received a generous inheritance after my parents died way too soon. For that reason, dh and I do not have to rely solely on his income for retirement savings. Our ability to pay for college would be much different if we needed to contribute more money to retirement.

When we pulled dd from school in fifth grade it was with the understanding that she'd be returning for high school. She would be able to choose between various charter and private schools, including the school her older sister attended (her brother attended a boys school lol). Dd loved the freedom of homeschooling the middle school years. She could move as fast or as slow as she wished! She could choose her own subjects! We had a blast. Driving home from a very successful Science Olympiad state tournament with a chest full of medals, dd asked if homeschooling high school was a possibility. I was :eek: We spent the next year researching and visiting all those great options. The options were no longer as great. She would max out their math offerings in tenth grade. No school offered a language other than Spanish, French, or Latin---she wanted Arabic or Russian or Chinese. She discovered that, even at the competitive-entry charter school with all the great offerings, she would not be able to choose any class for herself until junior year. She had no desire to be in lock-step with similar performing students. So here we are :) Dd is taking advantage of all the freedom and flexibility homeschooling offers her (we live in a non-restrictive state so we can set our own requirements for her which match with colleges/programs she's interested in). I allow her to choose what courses she wants; I do all the research/planning/preparation and then the discussion/grading. It's a heck of a lot of work for me, that's for sure, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I outsouce English (we use Blue Tent Online) and Arabic (The Potters School for one credit; Concordia Language Villages high school four week session for another credit; and now the University of Our State). I do everything else. Dd approached dh and I this fall with a proposal that she graduate early. Cue the :eek:

Well, you could count the AoPS materials as separate courses, with 1.0 credit for the Algebra 2 (Intermediate Alg book) and 0.5 credit for Intro to Number Theory. I did ;) Dd so far has no traditional, non-academic electives on her transcript (gym, health, art, music, etc). All of her "electives" are extra academic courses she wanted to study.

The first link is the best blog for current geography-related articles (popular and scholarly). I've been using it for two years. (I actually follow the author on twitter rather than checking the blog.)

There a couple gazillion-page threads on College Confidential devoted to parsing CB literature and speculating on this year's cutoffs. If you don't have anything left to do today and tomorrow... :lol:

For AP English Language and AP English Literature Blue Tent Online http://www.teacherweb.com/USA/BlueTent/Thompson/apt19.aspx

So happy for ALL of you :party:

Seriously Lisa, our kids have to meet. Dd watches the State Dept internship offerings. She's been reading blogs about the foreign service exam. Apparently it has a very low first try passing rate.

Thanks!

Can I use Bar Keepers Friend on the inside of my Costco French-made dutch oven? The beans cooked yesterday have left marks behind. Thanks

No one really knows how the new PSAT scores will compare with the new SAT scores, unfortunately. Back in the old days I had one kid go up an equivalent of 210 points (Oct to the next March) and one go up by 320 points (Oct to the next May).

I am in almost the same position as purplejackmama, though I was not following any weight loss program. I have increased my working out substantially in the past twelve months (including lifting/bodyweight four times a week) yet had not lost a single pound. I gained obvious muscle at the same time, so there's that. I met with a registered dietician at the gym who said the same thing to me. I has been eating 1200-1600 calories per day, tracking with MyFitnessPal. She said I need at least 1800, but more importantly, I need to increase my protein intake from an average of 40-50g to more than 100g. I am getting closer to 1800 calories by increasing amounts, not by changing foods. I eat chicken, eggs, fish, and pork/beef from local farmers. I eat all kinds of fruits and veggies (banana, citrus, berries, peaches I froze last summer, homemade applesauce, lettuces, sweet peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, green beans, broccoli rabe, bok choy, winter squashes------this week's list). I use olive oil, canola oil, amd butter. I use 1% milk in smoothies, lattes, and homemade hot cocoa (my treat on cold days). I eat extra sharp full-fat cheddar cheese and full-fat plain Greek yogurt. I eat plain whole almonds a few times a week. I bake baguettes and focaccia, I eat commercial wholegrain sliced bread, pasta, and various rices. I might have some chips once a week. I enjoy adult beverages on weekends. I have added a smoothie made with whey protein powder (I tried all kinds of protein powder samples from a local store), milk, and fruit(s) every day for breakfast. I have lost one pound in a week (I have weighed myself every Monday at the gym for a year) so we are hopeful this is just the start :) Btw I am 49 and perimenopausal. I am 5'2" and (currently) weigh 151 lb. I gained 15 pounds during the four years between my mother's diagnosis with ovarian cancer and the date I settled my parents' estate. My goal for this year is to get back to 135 lb. I would love to see 120s again.

We've outsourced only one AP class, AP English Language, and that to Blue Tent Online (80% rate of 4/5). TPS does not work for us because secular is a must. Dd preferred the description of the Blue Tent class to the options at PA Homeschoolers. I let her make the class choice.

Oh my gosh, Tito's is soooooo good! (I just knew you all were my people ;))

Quoting myself :lol: I'll add to this list: Labs came from: Bryn Mawr http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/ --We used enzymes, diffusion, osmosis, mitosis, meiosis, and Dragon Genetics (the second one). Explore Biology http://www.explorebiology.com/regentsbiology/labs/ --We used cell studies and leaf structure. Cornell http://cibt.cornell.edu/labs-activities/ (website has changed since I printed info) --We use Bouquet of Flowers (not part 2; adapted part 4) and there are more but names have changed so I need to look through them all

Twice a week I work with a trainer at the gym (I'm rehabbing a shoulder injury). Once a week I attend an hour-long bodyweight bootcamp class. Once a week dh and I lift together at the gym. Bodyweight exercises: squats, lunges, planks, pushups (variations on all of these) With free weights and dumbbells: rows, presses, deadlifts, squats, lunges (diff variations as well) With cable machine and weights: lat pulldowns, rows, tricep pulldowns, "wood chops" and so on

Shannon, it sounds like your friends and family (esp your Mom) don't listen to you and your needs at this stage of your life. That has to suck, frankly. :grouphug: I guess you'll have to let those types of comments go (not from acquaintances who are probably just making conversation).

--daily and Monday things --emails --the school stuff dd and I do together --college researching (trying to increase her list of schools after last week's visits) --register dd for summer drivers ed (don't know if she'll be in the country but we don't have to pay the $25 until early June so...) --make sure she applies to the Plan B summer program (app is supposed to be up today) not up yet :( --make double or triple batch of refried beans I think that's it. :lol: I totally forgot exercise---training session at the gym plus either walking there (it's warm today but gray right now) or some cardio at the gym.