My two oldest are finishing up their first year with Sea Cadets. I am so thankful for the program, it is an outstanding opportunity for my boys, and I'm happy to pay whatever is necessary to keep them properly uniformed, outfitted, etc. But I just got the email for a "parents meeting" to discuss fundraising ideas. Just the thought gives me the hibbie jibbies. I hate fundraising. But I'm also not completely anti-social and I don't want to set up any bad blood within the "ranks" of families. I do so little already because it is rarely convenient for me to bring the younger kids. The fundraising will be actual goods and services, so it isn't exactly putting a net out at the traffic light. Enough details. Sorry. :blush: How do you politely NOT participate in an activity that your children are involved in? Thanks. Jo

Thanks, everyone!

I will have 13 adults and 18 kids over for thanksgiving. I was going to try and cook the turkeys the day before (I've read how to store the meat properly), but can I make the gravy the day before? Making the gravy is the always the last thing I do before the meal and it makes me rushed. It would be great to do it before, but it seems reheated gravy isn't quite the same. Would you agree? Thanks. Jo

:bigear: I'm going to bed in Hawaii. I'm hoping to have some suggestions in the morn..... Thanks. Jo

Just curious. I'm not complainin'. Nope, not me. Just wondering.....

I'm Christmas shopping. My soon to be 6yo is pretty much Ladybug Girl in real life, so I got her the beach one, but I need to know what else is out there in the collective hive mind. Oh, and if there is a picture book that a horse loving 9 yog (who reads chapter books but prefers to peek over the shoulder of her mother when she reads to the younger kids) would enjoy, maybe you could share that too....but for the young children, ya know, not her, cuz' she's too mature for picture books....;) Ages I'm looking for on Amazon tonight (and in the next couple of days): almost 8 yob, almost 6 yog, almost 4 yog, 2 yob. Thanks ya'll. Jo

I would like to get my children new towels for Christmas with their initials monogrammed. I usually only ever buy white towels so I can bleach clean, but I'm wondering if I should go with different colored towels with a white monogram, or white towels with colored thread. And if the latter is the case, do I need to request special bleed proof thread? I'm not doing the monogramming myself. Thank you for your information. Jo

Same here. My oldest 2 (14 and almost 12) have started getting up early so that they can get a subject or two done before the mob descends (I'm convinced I have the loudest children on the planet). They get up, make themselves a cup of tea and get to work before I ever descend. I get up early, but that is when I read in my room. We have had to be creative this year as the work has gotten harder and the house hasn't gotten any bigger. I'm trying to maximize the study time before the little kids get up and during naps. So, yes. We send the kids off to bed around 9. They often read until 10, but they are in their rooms quietly. It is also necessary for me to have "kid-free" time in the evening or mom might lose her mind. :tongue_smilie: Jo

I started my 14yo, new 9th grader in rhetoric exclusively. Now I'm backing off. It was too much. I'm keeping the history readings at rhetoric level, but I carefully select the questions. I am mixing the literature. For instance, we are only on week 5 of Year 4, but I am using Anne of Green Gables in depth. I am introducing literary terms using this book to give a more gradual entry into literary analysis. I hope that helps. JO

hiney. And my son is trying to keep a stiff upper lip, but he feels like he just went into warp speed. I just came here desperate enough to search the threads and I see some suggestion that literature at the young R level is tough. "Here honey, read all this modernist/imagist poetry and let's discuss".....poor guy, he doesn't know what hit him. Now I'm reading that many of you do a mix of dialectic/rhetoric for 9th and I would like to see how you do this *and* give credit for Literature. I really feel like we should stick with it because he won't be exposed to modern lit before he goes to college. I'm learning a lot that I wish I had learned before being thrown into the deep end of higher education. I'm rambling, because it is Friday and my head hurts from trying to figure all this out. I know we will figure it out, we always do, but I would SOOOOO appreciate some input from those who are here or have been here. Thanks. Jo

Thank you. I'll look into this.

We've gone through the Hymns For a Kid's Heart series for several years now, but now I would like something else. Does anyone have a good resource for traditional protestant hymns- Luther, Wesley, etc Thanks. Jo

I think this is a good rule of thumb. Unfortunately, we were spoiled by a tenant that was a general contractor and rarely called us for anything. We are in the process of getting new tenants and the gutters are definitely a hired process. The house is three stories in the back. Our lease says the tenant is responsible, but I think it is wiser to just have these two items scheduled and paid for by us so I know they are getting done.

What a great plan!

Who is responsible for gutters and chimney cleaning in your situation? Tenant or Landlord? Thanks. Jo

I'm amazed! We have cookies, brownies, and sweet breads (pumpkin, zucchini) around almost all the time. I bake in triple batches and freeze them. The kids usually get a cookie after dinner...because of the whole husband sweet-tooth issue. ;) But sometimes things get busy and we will go a couple of weeks without desserts. That is when my husband and kids get a little twitchy. My MIL swears it is a Norwegian thing. :tongue_smilie: I don't think these results are the norm. I've seen the recipes on this board. Where are ya'll hiding? Maybe this is a summer-bathing-suit-season issue. :D Thanks for responding everyone! Interesting. Jo

Be honest. :D My husband grew up with a dessert at nearly every dinner, in my home it was an occasional treat.

I'm a Black Warrior pencil girl normally, but I thought I might get engraved pencils for the kids. I seem to remember the last time I did this I didn't like the writing quality of the pencils. Any suggestions? Where is the best place to buy stickers in bulk? Thanks. Jo

In front of me I have J. Campbell's Transcripts Made Easy, and three tabs open on my computer to Homeschool Tracker, Planbook, and Edu-Track. My mind is melting. :confused: I'm a paper person. I like forms to be printed out and filled in with my pencil. I'm a planner, but not a lesson planner. I like my little spiral Teacher Plan Book. All I really want is something that I can enter the course, the grades on quizzes, tests, labs, and papers and then have it weight those grades and spit out a report card at the end of the quarter/semester/year. Can't I just do that with excel? Or do any of the above mentioned computer programs allow for just course and grade entry? I think I may be missing some benefit to these systems, because I can NOT imagine having to enter all that information. I've seen someone on this board swear by it because she has multiple grades to track, but I'll have 5 grades next year and I can't imagine entering all that information.

This is very helpful. Thank you. Jo

Thanks so much! Sorry it took me so long to reply. I do appreciate your time. Jo

I promise I didn't copy your schedule :-), but here is my oldest's schedule (look familiar?): MUS: Alg and LoF Latin: 1st/2nd Form English: Finish R&S 7 (I will get through an entire text if it kills me!), Wordsmith (he finished IEW B last year), Vocab from Classical Roots, TOG: History and Literature (I will be selectively adding govt and philosophy in but won't give credit above and beyond) Science: Apologia Biol. Logic: Finish the Fallacy detc., Toolbox, the Art of Argument (doing this summer and all orally) Start Traditional Logic 1 Piano, TKD, Sea Cadets, Typing

Okay, I'll settle for a simple Table of Contents "lesson #". :D Are there 18 lessons? 36? other? Thanks.

All I can find is the Scope and Sequence on their site. And- Do you think Wordsmith or Wordsmith Craftsman would be a full year program? Thanks. Jo

This is perfect. It is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks. Jo