I bought the wifi because of the cost difference and because I already have a mobile hotspot. I have wifi at home & my office and have only used my hotspot to connect a few times (like now because I'm in the car on my way back home from out of town). I think the wifi version is fine. So many places have free wifi now that it's pretty easy to find a spot to get on if you need to. We have a ,obols hotspot because we can use it to get multiple devices on at the same time when traveling. When dh & I are eligible for upgrade on our sprint phones we plan to get android phones that act as mobile hotspots during travel. I also just bought the 16gb model because I don't plan to store a lot of movies on mine. When I buy the old iPad model for dd6 I planned to get more memory because I'll store more stuff. For recipes I use the weight watchers kitchen app, epicurious and also have PDF recipes I've purchased from http://www.savingdinner.com in my free noterize app which allows me to mark through items when I shop. Any PDF recipe or recipe your viewing online could be imported in to noterize for this purpose. I also bought a cheap stand for the iPad ($10 i think) to sit it on while I cook and use my stylus since I'm a little messy when I cook.:001_smile:

I am interested to read your reviews after you get the kindles. I plan to get the refurbished iPad for my daughter for Christmas because it seems like the best option since dh will have iPads for work and we can share apps. I will be checking out the kindle also since it's less expensive but I'm definately leaning towards the iPad. Btw...I'm holding you responsible for the 64gb $399 deal being sold out...I'd been eyeing it online for a week or so before you posted & now it's gone :angry:

I typed a detailed reply to this thread last night but I lost my Internet connection in the middle of it. I couldn't find the thread when I got back online but I posted the answer in a thread about VoIP and the iPad.

I don't think there's mug to be excited about in fll. Dd6 doesn't dislike it but ir's pretty straightforward with no frills. He does like he poem memorization. Wwe on the other hand is full of interesting excerpts from books so she loves it an asks to do it regularly. We do both bu in her mind wwe is definately the fun one.

When I click and hold on a word it brings up the definition at the bottom of the screen. The box includes google and Wikipedia links at the bottom. I think when I first loaded the app & clicked on a word to define it I was prompted to load a dictionary but I'm not sure of the exact process because it was a few weeks ago.

My dh bought a spray cleaner & cloth from the electronics store which works great to clean the screen. I also bought a stylus because I like to write notes & to avoid dd using dirty fingers on the screen. That helps some but I still find myself cleaning the screen at least once a day. I have a leather case & it's been fine so far. I picked it because it looked nice and fit in my purse. When I get dd her own for Christmas I plan to get the hard cover for her.

I havwn't personally tried it but my understanding is that Skype and several other video conferencing apps work fine on the ipad2. FaceTime only works with other iPads/iPhones but it's not your only option. I typed up this nice response to a post earlier asking how iPad owners use their devices but my Internet connection was lost in the middle & I can't find the thread. Here's the response I tried to give for that post...maybe you can add something to your list of what you can do with the device. I use it for dd's school and for work. Yesterday we did school in the car on the way out of town. Before we bought the ipad we would have carried a lot of books and paper. Instead we did everything on pdf's. I scanned her assignments ans loaded them on the Ipad before we left. We also listened to our latin chants, song school greek & geography songs before playing with geomaster plus app to work puzzles on geography we've been learning. I don't have any games like angry birds but we so have educational games. Dd played some of these when we finished formal school work. There have been several threads on this lately but a few of the games she played are stack the states & countries, presidents vs aliens, rocket math & math bingo. We also have a flashcard app which we use a lot for several subjects. When we buy dd her own iPad for Christmas I will add ebooks & audiobooks for her and Jim Weiss mp3's. Just today I used it to take notes in an all day seminar, look up restaurants near our meeting, answer email, track action items in the reminder app which I use to keep categorized to-do lists. I use it for recipe tracking and shopping lists. I put the teacher's manuals for everything I have in PDF in iBooks so no more printing! I use a doodle app as a white board for lesson time. I use it as an ereader (I had an ereader before the iPad which I never used but I use the iPad all the time). I also use the free logos Bible study app which is awesome. I use the camera to take pictures and videos to post of Facebook for grandparent to see. I use a stopwatch on the device and my notes app for the p.e. co-op I coach. I use it for mobile banking. I use motivated moms and a chore app for keeping up with household chores. We have an app that lets you look at the sky with your camera to identify constellations. I have an app that allows me to access my laptop remotely so I don't ever carry it with me anymore. The iPad fits in my purse and the battery life is so much better. It also takes 2 seconds to turn on so it's way more convenient than my laptop. These are all things I've used it for in the few days. I use it so much more than I thought I would. As I've mentioned on other threads we went from not sure we would like it to deciding to buy 2 more about 24 hours after we bought ours.

It's built in functionality in both iBooks & the kindle app. We use it regularly to look up words. I also downloaded 2 apps for vocabulary apps. Word wit, which was recommended by someone on this board takes commonly misused words that sound alike (like prospective & perspective) and defines them before asking some multiple choice questions which give you a chance to master proper usage. Dd6 enjoys playing it. The second vocabulary app is SAT vocabulary which came with 1000 words for free. The words are on flashcards and the app has audio so you hear the proper pronunciation. The flashcard also includes a sentence showing proper usage of the word. Dd uses the app once a week or so and has started using some of the words. A few weeks ago she told me she had an acute sense of taste because even though I picked them off she could still tell that her pizza came with disgusting olives on it.:001_smile:

We have not reached modern history yet but as I mentioned on the previous post I plan to use sotw but supplement. Some of the things I've been considering are the politically incorrect guide to history books and vision forum materials. I looked at previews of their materials on dday and some other materials at a conference over the summer and they looked good. Their history of modern civilization also looked good.

We did ancients last year and are 7 chapters in to the middle ages and haven't found much objectionable that I can recall. We are conservative both religiously and politically. I like the spine and plan to use all 4 years but supplement with more conservative materials when we get to modern history. I don't think there will ever be a curriculum that lines up perfectly with my beliefs and/or opinions but I see those differing opinions as opportunity to have discussions with my daughter about the difference between facts and opinions and why we believe the things we do.

I love this! I could definately hear my 6 yr old daughter saying that.

I've heard great things about the Paul Tripp book too. I've attended classes and read other books he's written and they were great. There's an emphasis on parenting with grace and making sure our children know that we struggle with wanting to do wrong things too.

Dd reads ahead in both apologia anatomy & sotw. When we "do" history she answers the narration questions and we do the map and occasional activity page before she does the test. When we "so" science we work through the notebook pages & review what she learned from reading. We also get lots of supplemental library books for both subjects which she reads on her own.

Fwiw we use mus and just started division with remainders. The first lesson covered just listing the remainder but then the next lesson used fractions for the remainder. Mus doesn't thoroughly cover fractions until the next level (we're on delta and epsilon covers fractions) but it introduced the concept with division. I just asked her to do the problem the way that particular lesson focused on but then said, "what's another way we could write/say the answer." it seemed to work well. The teacher's notes also emphasized that 2/3 really means 2 divided by 3.

Mathusee curriculum covers place value very well. It's also good for remediation because the levels tackle one area at a time. You can buy the old version of the curriculum on VHS tape on eBay for next to nothing. I just sent a copy to my sol I found for $10. That plus the manipulatives should give him a good foundation and build confidence. Because the instruction is on the tape (or DVD if you buy the new versions) you and your son can watch together.

I really like mathusee. I'm sure lots of people will suggest Singapore but dd6 just didn't like it. We have the CWP book and are doing some of those problems but don't like Singapore as our spine. She likes to figure stuff out and enjoyed working with the blocks to figure out her addition & subtraction facts. We are at a pace of 2 to 3 levels a year which isn't cheap but I think it's giving her a good foundation. Both dd & I really like the way concepts are taught on the dvd's. I also saw many people on the board suggesting living math books and have added them to our weekly reading and she really enjoys that. We just started Life of Fred as well. DD loves it and actually complains when it's time to stop and move to another subject.

I have a 6 year old who would love to be a pen pal. Are you just going to let them write creatively or are you going to check spelling & grammar? DD is a pretty good writer but I think she would have more fun if I didn't micro-manage the process.

I only bump dd6's grade if it's necessary to get her in to a particular class. When asked what grade she's in I normally answer with, "she's 6 and if she was in school she would be in first grade" and leave it at that. At a few classes we attend (AWANA's and a fine arts co-op) I do list her as 2nd grade because there is a difference between curriculum in the 1st & 2nd grade groups and she fits in better with the 2nd grade group. She is big for her age and socializes well with all age groups. If I were to place her where she actually is academically it would be much higher but as pp mentioned I keep her with the group where it's not obvious that she's the youngest/smallest. I imagine as she gets older and we start doing some additional co-op type things we'll have to make some adjustments but for now this is working.

That's just crazy! It would be one thing if this was some sort of emergency & your daughter agreed to do it and knew ahead of time to take precautions because the kids were sick. But a mani/pedi hardly qualifies as an emergency. I actually can't believe someone would do that. I would talk to the mom...after cooling down of course.

We started astronomy and dd6 was enjoying for the first few chapters. We switched to anatomy because I re-read wtm and it recommended studying anatomy with ancient history & astronomy with the middle ages. We should be getting back to astronomy soon. For us it is a good fit. Dd loves to read so it's not a problem that it's wordy. I should mention that ahe is a strong reader so indon't know that most elementary age kida xouls eead Ns xomprehen the material on their own. There's a lot of information in each chapter. We use the notebooks and move a little slower than the recommended schedule because science Is often what gets bumped on busy weeks. there is definately a Christian worldview presented in the material. I plan to do all the elementary books.

We just started The Cat of Bubastes as a family read aloud and we are enjoying it so far.

Absolutely, yes! Dd6 acts Like a complete nut every time she comes in the room and dh or I are using our video conferencing software. Something about seeing herself on the computer screen is just so exciting she feels the need to act silly. We have to tell this normally very obedient child over and over to stop sticking her tongue out....or jumping up and down or saying silly things while we're trying to talk.

I helped a family member with a similar situation a few years ago after her husband died. Unfortunately it is true that the mortgage company won't really even talk to you until your six months behind. In her case she was so far upside down that she ended up doing a deed in lieu of foreclosure which basically means she gave the mortgage company the house back without going thru thr formal foreclosure process. She has to have the house on the market for 6 months before they we're willing to do that. All together it was a year long waiting process. If you are planning to make a permanent move I would suggest trying to buy a new house before you get behind on the one you are in. Otherwise, you are looking at a period of at least two years after the disposition on the house is settled before you can buy one. You will also usually need a large amount down.

The only difference between the iPad & ipad2 is the camera. They have ipad2's for sale also. The refurbished ones come with same warranty as new ones.

As a person who has been happily married for 14 years to dh who is five years older than me I don't think that's the worst thing that could happen to your daughter.:001_smile: I think the whole idea that I'd a teenager is given any freedom they will get pregnant is ridiculous. Teenagers are not animals...they can have self-control just like an adult. I think we have to do our best and teach them right and not worry about it. There are plenty of 14 year old girls and boys who would potentially be horrible influences. Take a trip to the local high school and they are available in large numbers. To me, part of the benefit to homeschooling is providing appropriate social interaction with people of all ages. Of course, according to pp I might be an unqualified opinion since I've sacrificed some dreams to pursue a different calling...being an excellent wife & raising & educating my child:)