Thank you for all of the insight and recommendations. I hadn't planned for Latin, but dd wants to possibly pursue a career in medicine and I'd like her to at least have some background of the language under her belt before college. Kim

I haven't read many responses to this post, but my first reaction is that, if you are implying that the level of knowledge/education of an individual cannot exceed that of an instructor or facilitator, than I believe that this philosophy has been dis-proven since the beginning of time.

No one at our house has any experience with Latin, so I need something very user friendly for my 9th grader. This will be her first time learning Latin. Any suggestions? Thanks! Kim

I can't believe that any homeschooler would even consider calling the authorities on another homeschooler because they don't believe their children are being educated correctly, especially if the mother is overwhelmed. Is the government school system really doing any better? I'm shocked that anyone would suggest that she even consider this.

If you like some things about Singapore, you may really like CLE math. It is similar in presentation I believe, but it DOES hold your hand and I have been very happy with the switch from Singapore with my youngest. I've been there, done just about every math program available when my other two were little, and am really ready for something to be easy for me. This is - just grab the book and go. Plus, my guy is really learning math! I don't think you would be unhappy with CLE. Kim

I've been throught TONS of math programs and am using CLE with my youngest now. I wish I'd had it YEARS ago and it would definitely be my choice over MUS. We really love CLE. Yes, it spirals, sometimes out of control, but you can tweak it the way you want. It's so simple and completely laid out for you. My son is really going to know math with this one. Kim

We had a terrible flu a few years ago. I don't know if it was h1n1, (that was around then) but it lasted about 14 days and was worse than anything we've ever had. We came down with it the first day of visiting with relatives and amazingly none of them got it. That being said, aside from face masks, I can't imagine that there's much else that can be done. How is everyone? Does it really seem worse than any other flu? I'm not worried about it because I figure if we lived through that other flu before, than this one can't be any worse, but I wonder if I should be worrying?!? Kim

Painless Grammar Book The Timetables of History by Grun Mastering Mathematics by Mastery Publications Kim O.

If the 13yo has not done much writing or grammar, I would go with SWI B. If she's up to speed on grammar, and has previously been writing, you could probably go with SWI C. Either way, I don't think you could go wrong. Purchase the TWSS to go along with it. Andrew shows you how to teach the SWI effectively. I also purchased the Tips and Tricks cd, which is not necessary, but has great info and I've gleaned alot from this. IEW has been great for us and if I had to oust something else to fit it in, I would. However, it really doesn't take up much of the day, and you may find it doesn't add too much to her load. BTW, I'm using SWI B with a 14yo, 12yo and 10yo and it's going great! HTH, Kim O.

We just don't buy it. Get everyone on board. Even with some non-aspergers kids, dyes can cause terrible tantrums and what I call "bouncing off the walls" behavior, as can other preservatives and additives. Even with my older kids, if I find out that something we are accustomed to eating has an objectionable additive, I just don't buy it anymore. When they ask about it at home, I just say "oh, we don't eat that anymore because it's not good for our bodies" I have never bought sweet cereals, but my kids know that when we're in the supermarket and they want a "kids" cereal, they have to pick it from the natural/organic food section where stuff isn't laden with so many chemicals. None of that stuff is good for anyone and getting the whole family to change their eating habits will benefit everyone. I do have one child that is particularly sensitive to red/orange dye. When she was about 3, my husband would take her to McD's about once a month for a happy meal as a treat just for the two of them. Most times, she would come home in a total state of craziness. We finally put it together with the times he had given her red punch. Another time, she had orange soda without our knowledge, and we couldn't figure out why she was going nuts, when someone spoke up and said "well, I gave her some orange soda, but that's not red dye" Duh....it's the same dye just less of it. It's so hard to convince everyone and get them on the same page (especially hubby, here) - and so hard to break habits. It's been well worth it here, though. My kids are healthier and I feel better than I did when we weren't so conscious of what was in our food. I wish you luck... Congratulations on the new baby! Kim O.

My dd is also going into 9th next year and like yours, writing is NOT her favorite subject. We started IEW back in January and it is going very well. It is so simple to implement, especially if you use the Student Intensive portion. Check out their website. http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/ There are lots of threads on IEW and tons of ladies who have used the program longer than I have that are willing to help. There's also a yahoo group that is a wealth of info on this program and the subject of writing and language arts. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I made the investment in this program. It is also working well for my younger two, who enjoy writing more than the oldest. HTH, Kim O.

We're using 5, 7 and Pre-Algebra and have no complaints! Nearly everyone in our homeschool group has switched to TT and I've heard no negs. from anyone, be they "math" people or otherwise. Two thumbs up here! Kim O.

We love the Love Comes Softly series based on the books written by Janet Oke. Some more favorites here are: Dreamer (does have the word D*** a few times) Eight Below Facing the Giants Little House on the Prairie (the first five or so seasons) Drive-Thru History Series (most are available from Netflix) The Apple Dumpling Gang The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again and Roy Rogers shows/movies (pre-70's but we love 'em!) Kim O.

Here's another MOSWOS - Mother of Star Wars Obsessed Son - :D He is 10, and since Dad grew up with Star Wars, they're sort of obsessed together. I think boys tend to really focus on one area of interest at a time. My son started out with Buzz Lightyear. Everything was BL for a few years. Then it was Bionicles. My mother in law started an interest in Transformers. He didn't really even watch these shows, he just hyper-focused on the toys and books for awhile. But, he's always come back to Star Wars and I'm sure this is helped along by the new movies as well as toys and games that he sees in WalMart etc. I'm betting that your son will move on to other interests as well. As he gets older, he'll probably share that obsession with another interest. For example, right now my son is in Star Wars mode, but is really into geology. So, he goes around dressed up like some rock exploring scientist with a backpack full of geology books, a magnifying glass, and digging tools, and at the same time there are little Star Wars character peaking out of the pockets. So, I guess I'm saying not to worry. It is pretty typical behavior for many little boys and it will probably change as he grows. HTH, Kim O.

My son did Singapore with the text and workbook for two years and it worked very well for him. I didn't see a need for any added components with the exception of some drill in multiplication, which seems to be the norm with any program. I switched him to Teaching Textbooks to give myself more time to work with everyone, but I truly liked using Singapore. Kim O.

We LOVE Lands End suits. They always have rash guard shirts and surf shorts to math the bathing suits and this year, they have surf shorts and skirts with the bottoms built right in!! My girls LOVE these. They are available for little girls right on up to sz. 16 girls and are in slim, regular and plus sizes. The girls rash guard shirts are lined, but my 12 yo was worried about show-through and wore a thin sport bra underneath. Also, they have an spf of 50, which is great for my fair kids. I know you asked about those specific suits, but just thinking this would be a help for future reference. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable in the suits that were in the link. They seem a bit bulky - I'm not sure. Kim O.

I will give a big second rec. to the Narnia series as done by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre. They're a big hit here as are some of their other productions. Have fun!! Kim O.

I purchased a bunch of those upright magazine racks from an office supply store. They are plastic, or sometimes metal, and have usually have holes or a grid design in either side. These work well for large amounts of paper. For smaller amounts, like our special paper with colors or designs, I put them in folders in our file cabinet with labels so if they are working on special projects, like lapbooks, they can easily find what they need. When mine were younger, I used those stackable trays for their lightweight handwriting paper, and they could easily be used for any type of paper. Here is a link to the trays like I used, but I'm sure I just picked mine up at WalMart. http://store.scrapbook.com/pepastpatr.html Kim

I would give a second recommendation for Teaching Textbooks. You can go to their website and look at some samples. http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/ Another big, BIG help here was Mastering Mathematics by Letz Farmer. It has been a great reinforcement and we refer back to it often for simple explanations of concepts my kids may have forgotten. http://www.masterypublications.com/Math.htm It is available on her site as well as through Rainbow Resources and other curriculum providers. Math has been an issue here as well, so I truly can empathize with your situation. Good luck! :) Kim O.

Thanks so much! I haven't been receiving their emails lately and had forgotten they existed! Kim O.

The only manipulatives my son has needed were just measuring tools from the kitchen, and we did use some counting bears and beans, although they are not even a necessity. Kim O.

where the Potomac meets the Chesapeake Bay... Kim

Hits IEW - TWSS and SWI - B LOVE IT! Teaching Textbooks Math - 2nd yr. of this - TT5, TT7 & Pre-Alg. Singapore Math Growing with Grammar - Yr. 2 of this also Startwrite CD Drive-Thru History DVD's - we just watch them, I don't do the curriculum Misses None this year, since we've ironed everything out finally after 9 years or so. Here are some past misses (there are many, many more) Saxon Math Writing Strands Abeka Language Spelling Workout - didn't "work out" hehe... I can definitely say that experience has taught me that, in general, curriculum written specifically for homeschoolers has worked out much better for us. Even better are programs written BY homeschoolers. Kim

to the point of distraction. It would be very weird for me and I don't think you're wrong to feel this way. Besides, in the small town where I live, there would be much talking going on the next day! Kim

We listen to these in the car and absolutely love them! I was playing them once when I had a friend in the car and she didn't like Diana's storytelling style. Definitely check out the samples and see if it's for you. Kim