[A woman from my neighborhood was murdered today . . . . .]

Wow, sorry to hear that. :grouphug:

[Growing with Grammar and Winning with Writing]

We love GWG and WWW. I'm so glad that we found something that is gentle and pretty painless.

[So my 11 y/o asks me if I had a moment to talk . . .]

Thanks for sharing! Thats surely a moment to remember ;)

[times tables struggles]

Facts First worked great for my boys. After we completed the multiplication section, they do extra drill on xtramath.org. Now they are working on the division section of Facts First. One lesson covers 2 facts at a time. Painless and it worked for us!

[Why should homeschoolers be allowed to participate in ps sports?]

Here in Florida, we do have the option as registered homeschoolers to participate in extracurricular activities. For years, my boys attended speech services and I was grateful for it. We did decide to opt out and sign up under an umbrella school, but I sure do appreciate having the option for my kids.

[So frustrated with Horizons Math and question about switching to Teaching Textbooks]

Thanks for the suggestions ladies! I appreciate your feedback!

[So frustrated with Horizons Math and question about switching to Teaching Textbooks]

We are almost done with book 1 of Horizons 3 Math after completing Horizons Math 1 & 2. We love the the fact that it is a spiral curriculum and although I've had my eye on Teaching Textbooks, we've stuck with Horizons. Maybe its just me, but earlier in book 1, I didn't feel the need to go so indepth with roman numerals. I was a bit hesitant, but we skipped that section. I kept telling myself I can do that if I want to, LOL.

 

Now we are halfway thru book 3 and in introducing the distributive property. We get what the distributive property means, but I really feel this is overkill. For example:

 

2 x 17 = 2 ( __ + 10 ) = ( 2 x 7 ) + ( 2 x __ ) = ___ + ___ = ___

 

So the answers were:

 

2 x 17 = 2 ( 7 + 10 ) = ( 2 x 7 ) + ( 2 x 10) = 14 + 20 = 34

 

I find myself getting frustrated trying to explain this. Yes, I'm using the teachers manual.

 

I probably should add that my boys are 10 years old and special needs and have an auditory processing disorder, along with severe speech apraxia, as well as a history of epilepsy. I give this information because they have really struggled in the past with retaining information.

 

I'm trying to find the best way to "show" them this concept. I'm starting to feel not very confident in teaching them math and am really intrigued by having them being able to be much more independant with Teaching Textbooks. Before we started Horizons 3 this past fall, they took the placement test for Teaching Textbooks 4. I'm tempted to switch now not sure if we should start with Teaching Textbooks 4 or 5. The completed section 1 of the placement test for TT5 without any problems but got stuck on a couple problems of section 2. I didn't even have them complete it because it was material we had not covered yet. So, opinions please! Should we complete Horizons 3 and then switch or should we go ahead and switch?

 

My next question is, how imperative is it to have my boys complete 10 problems on a page as seen above if it is frustrating all of us? Can we skip it?

 

Any advice and opinions are greatly appreciated!

[Legitimate work from home opportunities- do they exist?]

I just looked at the Arise website and it says that you can't work for them if you live in certain states (one of which is where I live). West At Home won't reveal if it takes candidates from all states until you fill out an application. Does anyone know why? I'd love a job from home like these.

 

I'm not aware of any restrictions on states right now for West@Home. I'm in Florida and I know they hire here. I think it would be worth applying.

[Legitimate work from home opportunities- do they exist?]

I have been working from home for West At Home for 4 years. You can check them out here: www.westathome.com. Its basically a virtual call center. West at Home contracts out with companies such as ProFlowers, GE, and Toys R US. The hours are flexible and it has really helped in earning some extra money. I work on average about 15 hours a week, but you can work upto 40 hours.

[Xtra Math online practice]

Same here! We are LOVING IT!

["I've been homeschooling since BIRTH!" and other things that make you cringe]

I think my fetus is gifted.

 

Just roll your eyes on the inside and move on. They will learn or they will put their kids in school.

 

 

 

ROFLOL....

[Said goodbye to my brother today]

I'm so sorry to hear this. May you be comforted by wonderful memories of him. Keeping you and the family in my thoughts and prayers.

[An honest question about marriage]

You've mentioned the Bible a few times in your post, so I'll address my thoughts on that. I think these women stay using the Bible as their example because they know that having an intact family unit that shows love and respect is what the Bible says is right. They are desperately doing their part and they hope by their example their husband will man up and do his part. Unfortunately, some of these men don't get it. The women don't want to fail in keeping the family together so they hanging in there longer than they should.

 

:iagree:

 

I guess some hold on to hope that it will get better.

[Please talk to me about the TM for Winning with Writing]

Are you referring to Winning with Writing? If so, I'm not aware of any TM. We are currently using WWW 2. I know there is an answer key, is that what your referring to?

[unsupportive spouse...]

This is a tough situation. I know every situation is different but never lose hope. I only say this because after 14 years of marriage, my marriage is in a different place than it was before. Its so much better now than it was and I for the longest, I felt like my situation is hopeless. Praying for you and your situation. :grouphug:

[Anybody seen Puss in Boots?]

We liked it. We watched it on Thanksgiving Day. I didn't think I would like it but I was surprised. I really did like it!

[Should I report this family to Children's Services?]

I agree. You did the right thing. At least you can rest easy and know that you did what you could. At this point, its in the hands of the authorities. Its better to be safe than sorry.

[Had to share: a handwriting breakthrough--finally!!]

:hurray: Thats awesome! My boys have struggled with handwriting as well, so I totally understand!

[Soaring with Spelling]

:bigear: I'm all ears too! We've been using WWW and GWG and trying to decide if we should go with their Spelling too.

[Who will be off on Monday?]

We will be. I haven't made a big fuss about MLK day in the past, but I want to be sure to make it a point to honor this day. Maybe not totally off, but we'll surely be doing some educational activities related to the holiday.

[Horizons Math 2 - TM?]

It depends. Some people are able to make it without it. The TM contains the answer keys, reproducible worksheets as well as some great teaching ideas. I like having them to make it easier on me. In fact, I have mine available. If your friend is interested, just pm me.

[Starting School Again After the Holidays]

I thought I was ready, but I'm really dragging. I decided that we will ease into it. I do think its common though.

[Betrayed (sorry....this is a bit long)]

Give yourself some time.

 

You say you could be in shock, and I don't doubt it. Nothing has to be decided right this very instant.

 

Give yourself some time and space, and once the initial dust settles, you'll be able to think about things better, and make a decision that you're ok with.

 

Act, rather than react.

 

 

:iagree: Don't rush into a decision. Take some time to process it to see if this is something that can be fixed.

[Why is it just assumed...]

My step-son was 17 before he got his learner's permit. We didn't feel he was ready and we only had one vehicle anyway, so it just seemed to work for us.

[Help for a Newbie!]

I have to agree with trial and error. Often times, we found that what worked one year did not work the following year. With children that young, I would not invest in too much right now. There are lots of free resources out there. Good luck!