My Side of the Mountain

Thanks for everyone's help. I ordered the Speed game. I do have the triangle cards and use them. He just fights using them. I may try the skip counting song. That seems like it could work. Thanks!

My DS9 has always struggled in math. He cannot seem to memorize the facts or even figure them out without mistakes. He has finally sort of gotten his addition and subtraction facts down and we are working on multiplication. We are using R&S grade 3 math and I like the way it is presented. Very clear and lots of practice (which he needs!). He understands the concept, he just can't seem to work the problem without mistakes. We're talking 3x8 kind of stuff here. So, I hadn't graded his math homework for about 2 weeks. I know, I should have but I wasn't too worried about it since he was doing OK with the oral drills. I graded them all this morning and the majority are in the 60 percentile! :confused: Unacceptable! Especially when on 2 or 3 papers he was in the 80s! I have realized that he is just lazy. If he thinks I am not paying attention he skips problems and does them wrong just to get through it. I am so upset! I am making him go back and correct them all. And threatened to cancel his birthday party if he doesn't improve immediately. I just don't know what to do with him anymore! :banghead: Thanks for listening! :001_smile:

:iagree: I would not bring anything my child was allergic to. That is crazy! And I thought that everyone bringing something WAS splitting the cost.

MY 9 year old DS does the same thing, only for him it's math. So annoying!

What a touching story! :grouphug:

Duck, duck, goose! Ohio

I just had to make the snack schedule for my kids' soccer teams. It was done alphabetically to eliminate squabbling. :001_smile:

I think the math in MFW K is very age appropriate. It is easy to implement and not overwhelming for the child. I have not used Horizons, but I have the TM and the workbooks. I have to say that I think it is very difficult for a K student. The K program is more suited to a 1st grader IMO. If you have a very bright or advanced child, Horizons may suit them well. If your child is average then MFW would be good.

We have done K12 and liked it. My oldest did it for 2nd grade. I liked the curriculum and felt like he learned a lot and was on target. The school was pretty easy to work with and I found the curriculum to be somewhat flexible. By that, I mean that I omitted the evolution parts and changed some things that we didn't agree with. I liked that I knew that he was learning things that were aligned with the state standards so that if something happened and I had to put him in school, I could with confidence. He did start in November, so he had to make up the work, but he tested out of certain things and we just doubled up on some lessons. I did feel that the LA was very heavy on writing, so I skipped a lot of the writing or did things orally with him. He has a big problem with writing too much. :tongue_smilie: This year I am using K12 for my Ker and it is OK, but the phonics is pretty dry and boring. It is also pretty advanced for a 5year old. They expect you to come in knowing all your letters and being able to write a certain amount, which my ds could NOT do. :confused: But, they have given me permission to put the phonics aside and just focus on learning the letters and then pick the phonics back up. That has lightened my load tremendously! They also have many class connect sessions (online lessons with the teacher) to help them learn letters and numbers. All in all, I think it is a good solid program and I have been pretty pleased with it. OHVA (Ohio) is very easy to work with and they pretty much stay out of my business. A plus for me! :D Oh, and if you do decide to go with any virtual academy, remember that there is a pretty big learning curve. So, give yourself time to adjust. It gets easier as the year goes on. Good luck with your decision!

I just have to say that I am appalled at the way people on this thread are reacting to what Catwoman said. She was simply answering the OP's question in an intelligent, kind, and articulate way. She has also been more than gracious to those of a differing opinion, while those people have been pretty mean spirited IMO. For the record, I am one who wears the same thing many times, because I do not have the resources to buy lots of clothes, and I tend to be very thrifty with my money even when I can buy clothes. I do not look down on those, like Cat, who choose to spend their money on clothes, as that is important to them and it's their money! She even donates those dresses to a charitable cause. How can you find fault with that? As for the OP's question, I probably would be very uncomfortable wearing the same dress a week apart in front of the same people. If it was a few months or a year, I would be fine with it, but a week is kind of close even for my thrifty soul. If I could afford it, I would definitely buy another dress. I hope you find another amazing deal!

I just wanted to thank everyone for their help. We chose Cigna. Thanks again!:001_smile:

We stopped at Target on the way home with a couple of them. With my DD7 I was Christmas shopping with her on day 3. With the last one, we took him to church on day 3. Home with 5 kids under 9? You would have gone to church too! LOL

We have new choices for benefits this year. Basically, there are only 2 choices. They cost the same and the coverage levels are the same. Our only decision is whether to choose Cigna or United Healthcare. Which would you choose? We have had Aetna for the last 4 years, so I have no real experience with either of these companies. Oh, and I have to make a choice tonight! Nothing like putting it off til the last minute, huh? ;) Thanks for your help!

I would definitely leave them. That seems plenty old enough to me.

I do. I think it is respectful. I'm sorry about your grandmother. :grouphug:

What about a magazine subscription to Highlights or National Geographic Kids or something similar. One subscription per family. The kids might not be thrilled at first, but each month they will appreciate it. I, as a parent, would love a gift like this for my kids.

Crazy!

My oldest DS (9) gets motion sick. The ped told me to give him allergy medicine, like Benadryl although we use the generic stuff. It works great!

I use MM2 with my DD who is 7 almost 8. It is OK, I honestly liked Abeka math better. MM is not really self teaching IMO, which is kind of a bummer since that is one of the main reasons I bought it. I thought Abeka had just as many explanations on the student worksheets (I didn't use the TM). I still have to go over all the concepts with her. To be fair, though, she is not an independent reader yet, so that may play a part. It is much less expensive than TT, but if you want a self taught curriculum TT might be a better fit. I am looking into TT for my DS9 next year. HTH! :001_smile:

I am not comfortable with that, so I don't have my kids in school. I didn't just drop in anytime I felt like it when my kids were in school. But, NO ONE is going to tell me that I cannot see my child when I need to. They are my kids, and I am responsible for their well being. It would not occur to me to simply show up unannounced and pull them out or insist on sitting in on their class, but to say I can't? Well, then my radar goes up and I become highly suspicious. If you have nothing to hide, you have no business making a policy like that. If a parent wants to observe a class, they should be allowed to make an appointment to do so at the teacher's convenience. I agree that having parents dropping in all the time or sitting in a lot is a disruption, but if an appointment is made, I see no reason to disallow it. It's just fishy to me.

That is so sad! I am so sorry that this happened to you. :grouphug:

I'm sorry things have been so rough. :grouphug: I SO know how that feels! Once you get into a routine things will settle down, but until that happens things are very difficult. Hope things get better soon! :001_smile:

Hello, neighbor! :D

$50 or less is a good amount. I do practical things that I would like to receive, like diapers, wipes, lotion, socks, pacifiers, etc, and a keepsake item that is special for that child. Something like a nice picture frame or a special wall hanging or stuffed animal. I have something like this for all my kids that was given to them at birth and will save for them. Another special thing is a handmade blanket or quilt. If I give one of these, it is likely the only gift I give as it tends to be more expensive, either money wise (if I am buying it), or timewise (if I am making it).