My twin boys (now 13) were on seizure meds for 8.5 years. 2 years of that was phenobarbital and 6.5 years on lamictal. My boys started with seizures when they were 10 months old and had seizures up until I took them off the meds (go figure). In their case, the seizures were never controlled. Gosh, I hate even thinking about those days, it literally makes me sick. We ended up taking them off because both were having identical side effects as a result of the lamictal. I just thought it was wierd that they would develop these issues after 6.5 years on the same med. Honestly, it's hard to tell if my boys' learning challenges are a result of the seizures or side affects of the meds. I will say that once we got them off, we had huge academic improvements.

Have you looked at a IEW? I found this to be a great fit for my boys last year and I really wish we had started sooner. My boys are also going into 8th and are not where I would like them to be, but I'm pretty confident that if we keep plugging along, they soon will be.

Mary Slessor and Mother Theresa were two of my favorite this past school year.

No, we took a year for each one. We did the Apologia Anatomy with a co-op with the intention of moving on to the new Physics book. I got a bit frustrated with the release date being pushed out and not getting it in time to start the new school year. I don't feel there's anything wrong with Apologia, I just needed a break. My boys didn't care either way, so going with Core F Science was a last minute decision. We will most likely return to Apologia for high school, but for right now, it was a much needed break. Now that we have completed Core F Science we are moving on to Rainbow Science.

My boys just completed Core F Science. This was the first year that they worked independently on science. They both enjoyed it and it was a nice break for me. For us, it was a review on Human Anatomy right after completing Apologia's Human Anatomy book. I couldn't stand to do another year of Apologia, and I just really wanted something they could do independently. I know a lot of people complain that there are not enough projects compared to the other science cores, but it was fine for us.

Praying for you and your family.

We've been using Fix-It this year and we love it. It is very much a stand alone program. As you can see, Jill is always very helpful in answering any questions.

I remember reading about this on their yahoo group. It is NOT the new SWI. They basically said that if your homeschooling, it's not for you. It's geared for public school students.

We've been using TT for 3 years and I find myself coming back to this article often: http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2013/03/beware-of-turning-educational-tools-into-crutches/

Thanks to all who took the time to respond. We school year round anyway, so they agreed to buckle down and do math 6 days a week so they can complete TT 7 and TT Pre-Algebra and be ready for Algebra in 9th. They seem motivated, but I do want to keep an open mind and reminded them that if it was too much, we would have to slow down.

Thanks to all who took the time to respond. We had a discussion last night and I stressed to them that although they may consider themselves 8th grade in the fall, their graduation year will be based on mastering what is necessary for graduation. I posted on another thread about the math issue. We school year round anyway, so they agreed to buckle down and do math 6 days a week so they can complete TT 7 and TT Pre-Algebra and be ready for Algebra in 9th. They seem motivated, but I do want to keep an open mind and reminded them that if it was too much, we would have to slow down.

I've been reading on some different sites where there is a lot of overlap between the two. Some background on both my boys-they are 13 and are working on TT 6. We've worked through TT4, 5, and now 6. They struggled for years academically due to some health issues but they are getting caught up and are all of a sudden hung up on grade level. (I posted on a prev thread today). Anyway, I considered having them work through both levels in a year, by doubling up on some lessons and maybe working on math 6 days a week, but now I'm starting to wonder if we could skip 7 and move on to Pre-Algebra. Math is not their favorite subject and they need lots of repetition, but at the same time, they have expressed that I may be underestimating them. I sure wish their grades reflected that. :glare: So, wwyd- move through both? Or give it a try and move on to pre-algebra?

My special needs boys just turned 13 in March. They are working on Core F and TT 6, as well as the other curriculum listed in my siggy. They should be in the 7th grade, but they really struggled for the first several years, so I consider them to be in the 6th grade this year. It was never a big deal. They have worked really hard and although they still struggle in math, they have really improved in all other subject areas. They never really participated in sports or extracurricular activities due to their health issues but now that the health issues have improved dramatically, they are finally getting involved in youth group and hope to get involved in other activities, where grade level may or may not come up. I am getting questions from them as to why so and so is 12 and in the 7th grade, etc. I don't want to make an issue of it, but at this point, its becoming an issue for them. One of the boys is looking at curriculum catalogs (yes, he does that) and has pointed out to me that me that since we plan on working on Core W next year and IEW Ancients, that "technically" that could be considered 8th grade and shouldn't he be considered 8th grade,except for math. Ugggh! I don't even know how to respond. Any suggestions?

I'm curious, For those who are against leasing, did you lease and have a negative experience? For the OP-here is a good article on the myths of leasing. http://t.kiplinger.com/kiplinger/#!/entry/five-myths-about-leasing-a-car,5252fde3da27f5d9d02f3fdb/1

We choose to lease and its been a positive experience. We don't have to worry about maintenance, we put low miles on the car, and have never had any issues. We started leasing about 6 years ago after having our van for about 7.5 years. We loved not having a payment but it seemed like everytime we turned around we had huge car bills. We traded that in for a Toyota Corolla for $199 a month and never looked back. That lease was for 3 years. We turned that one in for a Honda Civic-again $199 a month and that lease expires in December. W will be leasing again and would rather know we have a $199 a month payment versus a few hundred-to a few thousand dollar bill every few months. Not to mention that my van would shut itself off and it just was a safety issue. I don't miss that.

We've been using it a couple years and have never seen it go on sale.

I am so sorry your going through this. Sending hugs your way.

$3.90. I like your credit better.

:grouphug: Is there any counseling offered through his job? My husband works shift work as well and that can take a toll on you both physically and emotionally. His job offers access to counseling, upto 3 sessions at no cost. Maybe your husband's job offers something similar?

Thanks ladies. I'm rethinking using Core W and possibly going with core G and H. I remembered I already had the AG for the first SOTW book and it does look like it's for a younger crowd. My boys just turned 13 last week and we will be using this for 7th grade. Which is why I was thinking of Core W to begin with. We are finishing up SICC-A and I'm feeling confident enough to move on to the theme books, especially since I do own the TWSS. Thanks for your advice!

We just started using this a few months ago. Although it's possible, I can't imagine using it without the CDs. The CDs allow my boys to work independently.

I plan on using Core W in the fall with my boys and I plan on spreading it over two years, to allow for adding extras. I plan on adding SOTW and was wondering if anyone also adds in the activity guides and tests? Or would this be overkill? Also, I was looking into adding IEW's Ancients theme book for writing. Has anyone combined Core W w/this?

I plan on using Core W in the fall with my boys and I plan on spreading it over two years, to allow for adding extras. I plan on adding SOTW and was wondering if anyone also adds in the activity guides and tests? Or would this be overkill? Also, I was looking into adding IEW's Ancients theme book for writing. Has anyone combined Core W w/this?

From what I understand, even the 2010 edition was filmed in 2001. I bought mine from them last year and it was filmed in 2001 for sure. I believe you can download any updates to the lesson plans by pdf for a minimal fee from IEW directly. You can always get any questions answered on their yahoo group.

We are on Core F and I would say that the core readings and read-alouds take about 1.5 hrs. After we add in Writing, Grammar, Spelling, Math, and Science, our day runs from 5 (on a good day)-7 hours. We are dealing with special needs, so I take that into consideration.