So if you don't write anything on the rep form it comes out as neutral? I am glad I like to write. :) I thought you just had to click the "positive" dot.

Woo hoo! Thanks! :D

My dds suggested "Tink" (as in Tinkerbell, since she is so cute and little). I like "Bella." :001_smile: She's adorable. Good luck with the names! And have fun with her!

OK, so I have been inching toward 100 to try and get a second green pea. Is my goal accurate? Will I finally get another little greenie if I get to 100? I thought that was the way it worked??? :001_huh:

We were away this weekend and the first thing I did after turning on the computer earlier was check to see if baby had arrived! Thinking of you...hope you are holding you little bundle now!

That's where I got mine! I feel VERY lucky! :D

This is what I plan to do. :001_smile:

Here's hoping you are away from the computer because you are giving birth to your wonderful new baby!! Soothing labor thoughts coming your way! "Speedy delivery!" Good luck! :grouphug:

Congrats to all of you who are expecting! We are "done" (dh took care of that with a snip, so to speak) -- but I have really been thinking of being pregnant again reading about Aubrey and others awaiting their new babies! What a wonderful time in your lives! Enjoy!! :001_smile:

I am not sure if anyone has ever mentioned this before in the hive, but I wanted to share a cool reading site. It is run by the Screen Actors Guild and it has "celebrities" (for example, Sean Astin & Elijah Wood of LOTR, Melissa Gilbert, Lou Diamond Philips) reading picture books on video -- A Bad Case of Stripes, Stellaluna, Polar Express to name a few. Of course, I would rather read to the kids, but when I am busy teaching the older kids, it can entertain the younger ones. I am going to *try* to put the link in here: BookPALS Storyline Online Hope it worked! :)

Oh so true! Is that what you used? I have level 4 for her, but it just seemed to focus a lot on the forming of complex sentences, etc. She can do that. I need her to learn how to write certain types of papers, etc. I WILL make a decision soon!! Won't I?? :001_huh: Ok, I will. :001_smile:

Thanks for the info, Holly. :)

Well, the (whispering) s-e-x thing didn't work for me. But, lots of walking did help move things along. And I agree with the planning thing. Too bad there isn't an important football game or something to watch -- that worked with my dh and dd #2. :) Good luck! How exciting! Thinking of you & that baby to be!

[quote=~Tara~;438119} I'm quite organizationally challenged and nearly break out in hives when I think about taking steps to change it. I need help! :p That is basically me. But, too late now! lol I actually kind of did it just to get my butt in gear. (It will probably last about 4 weeks. I hope longer!!!!)

OK...so there is no turning back now! I just TORE UP all my workbooks and I am set to start on my WEEKLY BINDER plan! I am going to have a hole-punching party now. lol I have been organizationally-challenged (?) for a long, long time now, so I hope this works! I am excited (as are the kids -- they think it will be cool to have everything in one binder each week). And the CONTROL I am feeling over the days and weeks now...it is intoxicating. I am lovin' the power! LOL I have gotten a lot of inspriration about planning on these boards (thanks!!) and I am really looking forward to planning it all myself this year. Wish me luck! (OK, I admit it...I am gonna need it! LOL) :D

Way to go! I can't wait for that feeling! :) I am inching there... :D Cheers to you!! (Ok, it is a bit early, but pretent it is root beer!) :cheers2:

I can't answer your worry question because I am a champion worrier over here! lol But, we used the NOEO Physics I and I have chosen RS4K for us this year, so I can try to give a little insight. When we did NOEO Physics, my daugher was around 5-6 and it was a bit tough for her. It may have been the subject matter, Bio may be easier, but some of it went over her head. I really liked the living books that were used, but the writing down aspect of the workbook (you just do lab sheets, describe or draw what you learned) was difficult for her, in part, again, because of the subject matter. (How does a 5/6 yo draw friction? lol) I would def. start with the Bio I -- if it is too easy for your older one, you can supplement. (Bio 1 is up to age 8, Bio 2 is for ages 9 -12, so you could easily tailor the I for your younger child.) Then, after Bio I, you could do RS4K Chemistry Pre-Level 1. It kind of mirrors the Level 1 in subject matter, just in a simpler manner. I have both levels and I think the Level 1 would be too much for your 5.5 yo. Again, you could supplement for your older one (but I believe the ages for Pre-Level are K-3rd) if you need to. The RS4K is only a 10-week program, so I think you could do both and spread them out over one year nd then add on in areas they enjoy. (Can't remember how long NOEO is supposed to take.) We are going to do RS4K Pre-Level 1 (for my almost 5 yo and almost 8 yo) along with Level 1 for my 11 yo, to give her more depth. I did not find out it was only 10 weeks until after I got it (shame on me for not researching more!) so I am not sure what we will do after that. Back to the worrying? I think in school, from about 3rd to 6th, they do a little bit of everything in science. We did Calvert for those grades and the science texts they used just went over all different types of science (life science, physcial science, earth science, etc. etc.) in little chunks, adding a bit of information each year. Really, their textbooks were set up almost the same, with longer paragraphs for each section as the years went on. So, it's not like one grade studies one subject in depth and if they miss it they are in trouble. They are really not much more than introductions to the different sciences until they get to jr high or high school. That's where we homeschoolers have an advantage -- we can really delve into an area they enjoy. OK, I totally rambled. And, it is likely disjointed because my baby kept jumping on me. I hope it makes sense -- and helps a bit! Good luck!

I have used ETC and Spelling Workout with each of my kids. And, imo, ETC by itself is not enough for spelling. That said, if you are trying to remediate the phonics beause of his vision problems, I can't see how it would hurt to take a few months or even a year and focus solely on the phonics. With the therapy you don't want to overload him. You need to reinforce the basics of the phonics and maybe then the spelling will come more naturally. If you wanted to do some spelling, and he likes the computer, you could look into the Calvert Spelling program -- it is a cd-rom that does the spelling that way. We used it for a while when we did Calvert. That would be a way to approach it differently. Or, sneak some spelling in via the vocab while you read aloud -- pick words to practice spelling, but do it orally instead of written out. Sorry if that was not too helpful! Good luck!

Woo hoo! Good luck! Enjoy!

I feel the same way!! Hugs all around! :grouphug: Can't wait to "meet" your new little bundle of joy!

You are an absolute angel! I TRULY appreciate all of you insight and advice. I am going to mull it all over again this weekend. You have helped focus my thoughts. Thank you so much!

Love the idea! And love your blog -- the name is great. Beautiful kids. :)

Well, that's a tad depressing! And I was all excited about my 300+!

Book. Then you can form the characters in your mind yourself, before being forced to view them as some producer dictates. Then, you can either keep your vision in your head, or, if the actors, etc., did a good job in their portrayal, you can envision them that way. (I found this with the Harry Potter movies...I thought they did such a good job in casting that I had no problem shifting my vision to encompass theirs -- does that make any sense?? lol)

Looks great! You deserve to celebrate! :party: