They're lapbook-y but not quite a complete lapbook. They are more like pocketbooks since the crafts go into a pocket. There are not the folds and paper cuts like there are in a lapbook and the pockets are made of construction paper instead of folded file folders. They are close but not what I consider a full-fledged lapbook. I liked them for the younger children. The children enjoyed doing them more than lapbooks because there was a lot less of the craft stuff. The educational content was great.

Not us anymore. We were done by noon when they were in early elementary but once they got into upper elementary and middle our days became longer. They start around 7-7:30 and we don't end until around 2:00.

IMO religion has nothing to do with it. I think that I would have requested the written policy from him before going to HSLDA or over his head. He clearly was skewing the rules by his comments so I think that telling him you wanted the policy might have clued him in and he might have backed off sooner. But the bottom line is that he was making his own rules (for whatever reason) and got caught. He is just miffed that he was busted. :thumbup: To you and your dh for pursuing this. There is no telling how many other hsers he discouraged with his policy manipulations.

I'm a huge planner but it isn't for everyone. I think that whatever works and gets the job done is what is most important. :001_smile:

It is a good opportunity to be sure. However, I'm not sure about being ahead of the trend. Dual enrollment (same program as described in the report) in FL has been around for a long time and homeschoolers have had the option for as long as I've been hsing (over 10 yrs). You have to be cautious though, some dual enrollment programs require giving up the hsing status and enrolling under the ps umbrella as a dual enrolled student. We have both options in FL. We retained hs status for our son when he dual enrolled. The only diff for us was that we had to pay for texts. My son dual enrolled in 10th grade and was essentially f/t college from that point on. It is a great program as long as the children are emotionally and academically ready. :)

It depends on what kind of fondant you are eating. There are many different recipes. Wilton Fondant is the WORST. Homemade Marshmallow fondant is pretty good, easy to work with and very cheap. I personally like rolled chocolate fondant. It tastes delicious and after you get the hang of working with it is very manageable. I've bought Satin Ice which is a very reliable readymade fondant. It tastes ok too. It is my fave if I am not making my own. Choco-pan is tasty too. I've only used it once but it was just as good as Satin-Ice. Fondarific tastes yummy (like starburst) but tends to be a tad greasy and unstable IMO.

I did a FBCT (frozen bc transfer) for dh's last birthday. He likes Spongebob so I worked one up on the computer (don't forget to reverse or mirror the text). I taped the picture under a pane of glass that I took out of a cheap certificate frame. Piped right onto the glass and froze overnight. Tip-make sure you do not leave any open space and put a layer of butter cream over the finished picture for extra support. Remember to leave a lower leveled space for the fbct when you prepare (stack and frost) the cake so that it isn't sticking up too much on the cake. Mine was a lot of work (switching colors) but it was totally worth it! It was a Christmas birthday.

Personally, while I think there are differences between afterschooling and homeschooling I also think that the blogger was insensitive. I honestly could not even finish reading her blog because it reminded me of a few 'rabid' homeschoolers that I've run across that were rather full of themselves. Her blog entry devoted to validating her definition of homeschool makes me wonder if there is an element of over-justification going on. A tad insecure perhaps? That said, I may have to try her brownie recipe since having to read her long-winded obnoxious blog gave me a headache. :glare:

It might be ok to kid about it once or twice...in a lifetime. But this sounds passive-aggressive. I've known people that veil their meanness with "oh, it was a joke" or exactly the same thing your friend said. I'd have a hard time being around someone like that. It isn't a friendship when you can't even talk without being under stress that she will call you out. I'd call it quits.

:grouphug: You'll get through this. :grouphug:

7-7:30-Get up, tidy rooms, clean cat boxes & feed them, take dog out. Start school & light breakfast. 7:30-1 or 2-School & lunch 2-6-free time, errands, get-togethers 6-dinner 7-9-family time 10-bed for the girls

Whoo hoo! As long as she's buying, I'd give her a homeschool wish list!!! This is a great opportunity to get some stuff you'll really use. ;)

I'd do a "Julia & Julia" type thing with him. Get a good cookbook (Julia Child maybe). I'd look for one that has term definitions and goes into detail. Then I'd start going through it step by step. You'd both learn and it would make some great memories! :)

Nope. Never have those thoughts because my good friend has her children in ps and I hear about all the drama, homework headaches (that start after the kids get home around 4 pm), all the fundraisers, carpooling etc. It sounds like way more work and stress than anything I've experienced with homeschooling. :)

I like their math up to and through 7th. That is all I've used. :)

Oh your poor deluded BIL. Sounds like he guzzled the public school teacher indoctrination Kool-aid. I have a BIL that did the same thing...poor guy...he quit even before his first year was over and never went back. The kids did indeed sense the "wacky, inexperienced" aura. Those kids were on him like piranhas. It was horrible for him. The 'teacher training' tells them how great they are and what a great contribution they'll make. They can get quite full of themselves as a result. Unfortunately, many are ill-prepared for the reality. It hit my BIL like a truck. Time will tell with your BIL. You might consider sending your sister a 'concerned' email letting her know that he needs to take his ego down a few notches and that if he needs any teaching advice you'll consider giving him some coaching. Afterall, you've been doing it longer and more successfully than he has. ;)

That woman is nuts. Her poor sentence structure and spelling are a good reason for me to keep homeschooling. Don't even get me started on her shabby research skills. She must have known more experienced minds would have made mincemeat of her article since she has no reply or comment enabled. Sounds to me like this gal has made one too many trips down the rabbit hole. ;)

I have this and we're starting it this fall as a supplement. I had started it when the girls started Spanish I but it was a little frustrating for them. Now that they have completed Spanish I and a summer of review we're going to start over and complete it and enjoy the story. I've heard good things about it. Our book came with the disk as well. I think the storyline will go well with a haunted history unit we're doing for fall. :)

I have a 7th and 8th grader taking Biology this fall and as long as they are doing high school level work, I'm giving them credit for it and it will go on their transcript. I've made one transcript already and IMO as long as they have taken the class and it qualifies as a credit, the year it goes on the transcript is for me to decide since I'm the one making it. From what I have read, it doesn't matter if you take Apologia Bio before Physical Science. They can be taken out of order. Also, I've read that you can make your Apologia Class an 'Honors' class by requiring a formal lab report writing component and more in-depth study of the materials. From what I have seen, that is pretty standard in the Apologia scope and sequence anyway. HTH! :)

It is totally inappropriate. I imagine they'll get some business from it ...although probably not the kind they'd like. ;)

Seriously?! That is just nuts! I would have been all over that 'evaluator' for that! Those aren't words that most soon to be 1st graders know. Grrrr! People like that make me so angry. :rant:

One of our males started urinating in a corner of our tiled kitchen and it turned out that he had a urinary obstruction. Males are prone to crystals in their urine especially if they are on a dry food diet. If the vet rules out urinary issues, what you'll need to do is super clean and completely eliminate any odors from all the places he has sprayed and ban him from those areas for awhile until the habit is broken and the scent is fully removed. There are good biological products that act on the bacteria that makes the urine smell. Make sure you limit his area and that he has a litter box that is cleaned every time he goes. Spraying has a lot to do with territory or stress so you might check out the Feliway products. We use them and I think it does calm the fur-babies down.

Golden Retrievers are sweeties! Ours is very loyal and great with the kids, minds her manners with the cats, had to do some training there but between that and some attitude adjustments from the cats she learned. She loves to swim and is just like a big furry teenager. Lots of fun!

We just watched the BBC mini-series Day of the Triffids. It isn't the old 60's one. The BBC made this one in 1981. The description: A brilliant meteor shower blinds most of the population, making them vulnerable to attack by triffids: ambulatory, carnivorous plants accidentally freed from a lab. Still able to see, Bill Masen (John Duttine) and Jo Payton (Emma Relph) team up to fight the menace. As they discover more sighted survivors, they find that civilization is crumbling around them from the triffid attack. This chilling BBC miniseries is based on John Wyndham's book. We also recently watched the musical version of The Little Shop of Horrors. It is so funny. I love Steve Martin as the dentist! We were doing an mini-unit study on odd or unusual plants in our Hogwarts Summer School so these films were fun add-ins. Both are instant views on Netflix. :)

The ghost tours in St. Augustine are fun and informative too. The Lighthouse and the Lightner museum are interesting too. Buying a day pass for the trolley is the way to go too. :)