Math Mammoth is on sale too. Kim

Legally, the co-op is supposed to supplement the teaching at home of core subjects. However, the state of NC says that Language Arts and Math are the only required subjects for grades K-8. With that in mind, yes, a co-op can be the primary teaching for subjects other than Language Arts & Math for grades K-8, since the other subjects are not required by NC law. Clear as mud? HTH, Kim

You could be ovulating. I ovulated with that kind of discharge when I was nursing. Kim

Roll out french bread dough ( home made or pillsbury) fill it with the "garbage" from your fridge, leftover ham/chicken/salami/veggies etc. sprinkle in some cheese or tomato sauce or both. roll up into a log and bake until done. My kids favorite is pepperoni and cheese and ham and cheese. We make this a lot in the winter for lunch with a salad and fruit to round it out. Kim ETA If you are cheap like me and have bread dough in the freezer, the cost is about .50. If you buy Pillsbury dough it's about $1.69. Plus the cost of your leftovers.

I like white board crayons, but they do wear down quickly and you have to rub hard to get them off the white board. Kim

Your Welcome. I guess what I'm trying to get across is, it's a good resource but it isn't divided by time frame ( Ancient , Modern etc). If you try to match up your copy work with your history readings, it's work. Hope that helped! Kim

I juice lemons and freeze them. I use the peels for Limoncello. I make lemonade with about a cup of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of organic cane sugar, fill with water to make 1 gallon. Kim

I try to pick something that goes with what we are studying or the time of year. Near the 4th of July, I try to pick patriotic poems etc. It hasn't been a big hit with my son. He tells me that boys don't like poetry. :lol:This year I am doing Connecting with History and using their poetry/Bible verses for copywork. I'm just tired this year..or maybe it's lazy.:) Kim

I use it with Start Write for copywork. Kim

With a 3 car garage and an unfinished basement, it sounds like a good move to me. A friend of mine turned her garage into a school room, you could do that with one of the bays, or finish the basement. As long as the basement has a concrete floor ( or other surface not dirt), you could "finish" it yourself by adding carpet w/ padding attached, inexpensive wall paneling ( we painted ours) etc very cheaply. Or if your garage is tall enough, you could add a bonus room above it for a school room or extra bedroom. We are currently looking for a home like you are describing, downsizing from a 2600 sq ft w/ another 1200 sq ft finished basement, to a 1200-1600 sq ft home. We have 3 kids. If you can get a home in decent condition for the right price, it could be a great thing for your family. Go look at the house, keep your mind open to the possibilities. After owning a home, I would never go back to renting again because in your own home, you can do what you want to it. Blessings, Kim

I'm in NC also. I've gotten the same notice. I've been told (via piedmonthomeschoolers yahoo group) that they do randomly pick 2nd year homeschoolers to check in on and verify their records. They set up in a hotel room for a few days and you go to them. It is voluntary, not mandatory. I don't worry about it. HTH, Kim

We say that a lot in NC. My inlaws, who are from CT & Long Island don't understand what " don't be ugly" means. Kim

You can freeze basil leaves. Spread the leaves out on paper towels, roll them up and put into a plastic bag in the freezer. They stay green and pliable this way. Do not let the basil get wet, then they will turn black in the freezer. My MIL has done this for years. HTH, Kim

I second MFW. Buy the Deluxe package because it includes Read Alouds. It would also cover your Bible, science, geography, art and music.You'd just need to add Math & LA. You can re-use MFW with your younger kids too, only repurchasing consumables. Or you can page protect/report cover (what I do) your consumables and use dry erase markers. Kim

I used both programs. It really bothered me to read x pages of this book, then that book, then the other book...all in the same day. They are both good programs but if starting/stopping reading when a teacher's guide tells you too bugs you....then do your own thing. Also both of those programs use American Pioneers and Patriots as a spine, you wouldn't want to do that two years in a row. Both programs cover essentially the same material. You could easily get AP&P or another book and read it and follow bunny trails. Use HOD's book list for books to borrow from the library and have fun. Kim

Pfftttttttt!!:tongue_smilie: Kim

Then later this week I hope to start a whole bunch of books for readers in the kindergarten through fourth grade category. I expect that this project will take several years.

This is what Stan replied to me @ the younger grades books. This was 6/21/10 Dear Kimberely, This week I'm putting the finishing touches on Life of Fred: Pre-algebra 2 with Economics. Then later this week I hope to start a whole bunch of books for readers in the kindergarten through fourth grade category. I expect that this project will take several years. One reason I'm writing these books is that there doesn't seem to be anything like the Life of Fred series for the younger readers. And I've looked at what is offered at Costco or at Office Depot I find colorful workbooks for kids to write in, where they circle the hippopotamuses and put squares around the giraffes. To me it seems like a lot of drill and kill. The alternative of flash cards doesn't seem to me to be much better. I'm sorry. I wish I could write you with more encouraging news. With my best wishes, Stan

I have the MCGuffey revised set. I have my child read a passage a day out loud to me and I check and correct pronunciation. We talk about the moral of the story etc. We spend about 10 mins on it. HTH, Kim

I bought a pocket chart ( you can use w/ cards for calendar, I use mine for counting) in Target's dollar section last year. I also found there small placemat sized laminated maps of USA & world. Wall maps too. I love Targets dollar section! They usually start putting those things out just after July 4th weekend. HTH, Kim

I have both programs. I haven't USED both, just still looking them over. MCP is more teacher directed if you get the teacher manual. It has extra word problems etc in it ( the K one does, I'm waiting for level C to arrive). It also has unit tests in it and a lot of teacher helps. Math Mammoth is written to the child directly. It does seem to be easy to figure out on your own and you can get answer keys, but it's just an answer key. You have to decide which way you want to go. Do you want your child to read the directions and do it herself? That's what Math Mammoth does.If you want to teach your child yourself ( explaining the concepts directly), then MCP might be a better fit for you. I'd encourage you to check out samples of both before deciding on one or the other. You can see samples of MCP here http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZ16d&PMDBSUBCATEGORYID=25741&PMDBSITEID=2781&PMDBSUBSOLUTIONID=&PMDBSOLUTIONID=6724&PMDBSUBJECTAREAID=&PMDBCATEGORYID=806&elementType=mergedNavGroup&navGroupName=Preview%20Products&PMDbProgramID=34562 Samples of math mammoth are here http://www.mathmammoth.com/samples/ HTH, Kim

Andrew M. Greeley book "The Priestly Sins" earrings Burt's Bee's honey & bilberry foot creme ( love that stuff) lamp ear plugs for when hubby snores trinket box to hold the above pajamas ...Tinkerbell if you must know!:lol: Kim

I didn't like it. The patterns are very simple coloring pages. It was lists of books organized by topics with crafts. The crafts were a lot of cutting from magazines, certain stickers that were hard to find etc.If you want it for the book list & crafts, then it's a good idea. If your child wants to do workbooks, then get something else. I like Catholic Mosaic for book lists, it's much better. I'm usinc Catholic Mosaic with CHC pre/k books for my 4 yr old. He's enjoying it a lot. If you want to look over the book, then I'd suggest buying it at cath swap, it's a yahoo group. You can usually pick up that book for around $25-$30. Kim

1/2 cup organic cane sugar to 1 gallon, dh hubby complained when I switched to this sugar & used 1 cup, he said it was to sweet. Kim

My husband's favorite phrase is" You're the teacher, if you think it will help the boys then buy it." Followed by " You researched it and think it will help, right? We can still pay the mortgage after you buy this right? Then, BUY IT ALREADY. I make money so that you can spend it." :banghead:That's great and all, no set budget etc but occasionally I'd like some REAL input.:lol: My dh does do science projects/experiments and helps with math several times a week. He also loves to take our boys on field trips. He's currently planning to take the kids caving and wants me to teach a short geology unit before they go. Kim