In our city if a dog barks non-stop like that for at least 15 min you can call in a report to Animal Control. TIP-some will not respond unless at least 2 people call in (so enlist a friend). :)

Our UPS man knocks the door or rings the bell and then just puts the package on the porch. I think he is just letting us know he dropped off a package. He is usually back in the truck by the time I get to the door and he waves then.

Yes. Moles do play dead if they are frightened or cornered. I've rescued a few (not sure why though :glare:). The best thing to do would be to find some dense underbrush, away from other animals or traffic and let them go. They won't survive well in captivity.

Christianbook have always been very trustworthy when we've used them. Their customer service is great. I'd call them to get a UPS tracking number and then go to the UPS site and get the delivery date. The UPS delivery dates are very accurate and you can see exactly where the package is along the way.

Skewers with blocks of cheese, pimento olives, salami, pineapple etc. (basically antipasto on a stick). Cheese-wiz...on anything. And my mom's favorite...the mainstay of our diet growing up, Tuna Casserole

In a search, just type iknowthat. You should see what looks like maps come up with the title 'skillbuilder'. These are the games. If you look over to the left under 'media type' it will say (77) skillbuilders. This is what you want. Click on one and the game will come up. NOTE: when the game is over you will get a screen that has a list of all the games and you can click on those instead of going back to the US choice list. Hope this helps! If you can't get them then I'm wondering if it is a regional thing or if having Plus subscription is a factor. Hopefully it will work for you because we played on it this morning and it was fun!

Books by Gary Paulsen are great for car rides. Lots of suspense! White Fang or Call of the Wild-London Phantom Tollbooth The Westing Game The Cat of Bubastes

We went partway through Homer and threw in the towel. There was sooooo much stuff in it that we found redundant for us (the grammar, since we have another curriculum we like for that). Once you take out the grammar, it didn't seem worth the $$, time and teacher intensity. I had dragged my feet about IEW but finally took the plunge and we LOVE it. I just wish I had started it earlier...like before we slogged through CW for so long. I admire people who get through CW though, it just wasn't a good long term fit for us.

I've had Unitedstreaming for years and I keep finding cool stuff! We're doing a big geography unit this summer so I've been looking for cool games on the computer to add in. I found the iknowthat.com and was drooling over all their geo games but was not going to buy a subscription ($85). Then I wandered over to Unitedstreaming to check out their geo videos and noticed they had some games in the index. I go over there and find the iknowthat games!!! I'm in heaven! If you do a search in Unitedstreaming on 'iknowthat' you will get lots of really great quiz/skill builder games.

Routine, Routine, Routine! I make sure I do a little daily so we don't have a huge weekend cleaning extravaganza. Getting up early and starting with a tidy house. Cleaning as you go and training the children to do the same.

:iagree:

We get up early so that we can get most of our work done by 1:00. Then most days we get some lunch and go swimming and hang out by the pool. Most of our friends are late risers or start later so when we're done with schoolwork we are free to socialize too.

:grouphug: People can be so mean. :(

This is a site that I like to check out for homeschool freebies. They have TONS! http://www.freelyeducate.com/

Daily: Get up and empty dishwasher. I clean sink, table and counters after every meal and keep loading up the dishwasher for an evening run. Sweep floor. Weekend: Before weekend grocery run: clean, declutter and organize fridge and food closets. Mop floors.

We doing low carb so tonight's menu is: Chicken Mozzarella-Parmesan (9 total net carbs) with an additional pasta side for the children.

I like the books by Erik Larson. I want him to write more!!!

Listen to your little voice! Do you have a dog? Alarm system? I'd consider one or both. Stay safe!

FLVS is Florida Virtual School. It is public and homeschoolers can enroll and take the courses free without it affecting their homeschool status. The courses are middle and high school level. We've taken many courses and have had very great experiences. The teachers are attentive and interested in the student and they are always available. The courses can be accessed at any time and can be done at the student's pace but there is a time by which they need to complete a course (very reasonable). Here is a link to the site. You can view demos there too. Let me know if I can help you with anything more. :) http://www.flvs.net/Pages/default.aspx

We use 2 programs. We're in FL so we can take Spanish free from FLVS so we do that during the school year. In summer we do the Spanish course on Unitedstreaming. This summer we're doing the middle school course. It is really good and the worksheets and teacher helps are great.

On my idealistic level, it concerns me because along with standarization we seem to be consistently lowering the bar. On my realistic level I understand that it is an efficient method of gathering data and provides a framework for what is expected from a system of mass education. Testing is vital considering the numbers that institutional education deals with. As a homeschooler, I give standardized tests annually but only use it as a diagnostic tool to see where we may need more focus or to reassure myself that we are doing well. I don't see it as a precise or perfect measure nor do I tailor the majority of our curriculum with it in mind.

I think it would not be absolutely necessary but would be a really nice addition to earth science. We're doing the Jason Project Monster Storms this summer and part of the curriculum has instructions to build your own: barometer, hygrometer, dew point, anemometer, rain guage and wind vane. You can see the instructions at: http://content2.jason.org/Common/Content/operation_pdf/oms/OMS_SE_EM_lowres.pdf (go to page 6 & 7) I wanted something a little more sturdy looking but not terribly expensive so I ended up getting this kit: I looked all over for for a kit and this was the best I came up with. Sturdier than cardboard and not expensive. It is compact too. I haven't received it yet but any day now.

That is really scary!! You need to have a police report today! You also need to call the emergency animal control number that they should have for off hours reports and get an investigator out there. I would also encourage the owner of the cat to press charges. That is outrageous!...and YES, the dog is a potential threat to anyone as long as it had done this and is clearly not being controlled.

The 3rd (Webquest) could be a lot of fun and it would be nice for him to have something educational published on the net for others to learn from. When I reseached webquests a few years ago, there were easy to use Webquest sites that offered the template, space and publishing. I think some of these are free too.

We have Plus and there are about 4000 additional videos. I'm not completely sure but the teacher helps and materials might be more extensive as well. If you are considering Unitedstreaming, be sure to check out the price on Homeschoolbuyers Coop. This is where I get mine because it discounted. http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/home-school-curriculum-resources/ HTH!