I'm sorry for what you're going through. If HSLDA advises you quit then I think I'd listen to them. Backlash can be a scary thing. Do you have a YMCA you can join nearby? My children do their swim team via the Y and the rules are well-enforced and the environment is very team-oriented and supportive. It is such a shame that one mean girl can hurt everyone like this. :(

My girls are in TaeKwonDo and love it! My son and I have Black Belts in it too. It is a great sport and also teaches respect and self-control.

ABeka, Life of Fred and Keys To Series are scheduled weekly. ABeka M-Th, LOF on Fri, Keys To daily M-F because they are fast and easy.

Our rule is we don't dissect anything that had a name and required the purchase of supplies from Petsmart. I vote to give Placo a water burial (a few kind words and don't forget the flush). :)

Never. I live in FL and our rule is an adult must ALWAYS be present. Kids can get into all kinds of mischief and if an emergency happens they cannot be fully relied on to use mature judgments. Things can happen even with the most reliable children-accidents, choking or breathing issues etc. that can become a life-threatening event. I've heard and seen the aftermath of some tragic pool accidents that happened with adults present (used to be part of a safety swim organization) so the thought of not having one is IMO taking an even larger risk.

Wow! This is so out of control! I'm not sure quitting swim team is the answer though. I would approach the managers of the team and ask that the girl be subject to the same conditions that you are. She should not be allowed to approach your daughters and as far as her being able to make false allegations...well..that is tricky. I wouldn't want to live life afraid like that because honestly anyone can make an allegation. I wouldn't want the girl to know she has that kind of control over you. I would encourage you to stand your ground and show your daughters and everyone else (who will be potential new targets if you leave) to show this girl and her nutty mother that you are not intimidated. I'd also make the swim team powers get off their rears and address this issue in a more proactive manner. Ignoring it will not make it go away.

I like the way diagramming cements everything into place. The children can memorize and recite what the parts of a sentence are but when they diagram, they get to see how the pieces all go together. It is like the icing on the cake. We like diagramming and turn it into a game to see who gets the right answer.

That is one of my all-time faves! I wanted so badly to see Heathcliff and Katherine ride off onto the moors together...alive...not in the great beyond.

Definately! When the pressure drops I get almost instant sick type migraines. It just happened last night about an hour before we had a huge storm. Dh says I'm better than a doppler.

WOW! IMO she overstepped and violated your trust. I wouldn't worry about sugar-coating it-I'd give her the pink slip. Maybe her behavior has a lot to do with why she had difficulty keeping employment. I suspect you are not the only employer she has stressed out. Trust your gut and get her out of your lives. Good luck!

4-H has sewing curriculum. I signed our family up as a 4-H group and had access to all their courses. We did a sewing into one and it was ok. You might check out the local Joann's classes and get an idea of what they are offering for their summer kid sewing topics-you can easily impliment those in your home. They do jammie bottoms, quilts, etc. and all the patterns and supplies are available in list form at Joanns.

My copy says this too. BTW this is a huge history hit in our house! :thumbup1:

That is too bad! We've done several classes via FLVS and our experience is totally opposite. Have you called the teachers on the telephone and discussed the problems? Is there a possibility the teacher isn't aware of the IEP? Did you negotiate a special pace? The "anywhere/anytime" motto refers to taking the class anywhere at anytime of the day but the actual pace that each student is required to adhere to refers to the designation of Traditional=32 weeks, Accelerated=17 or Other=this is where you work with the teacher to map out a special rate of completion. It is my understanding you do this at the start of the course because it requires special permission to have a differing pace. So while the student can take the class anywhere at anytime, they still need to be very careful about maintaining the agreed-upon pace or the student risks failing the class. Staying on pace is highly stressed so that is one thing that anyone considering these classes needs to take into account and if working at another rate is crucial then FLVS may not be a good fit. I'm sorry your experience wasn't what you had hoped for. :(

Artistic Pursuits! Easy and low-stress implementation. The kids like it too!

This! I was thinking this is more a problem with discipline and structure than learning. Both mom and dad need to get with the program. Mom should have been on top of things when it became apparent that dad was dropping the ball. Both parents are allowing the tail to wag the dog. Just my opinion. ;)

NO on all. If it helps, my 11 yr old thinks she should have some of these things too but that isn't going to happen. Just because some of her friends have these things isn't a good enough reason for us to cave in and give her them. My children have better things to do than spend hours on the tele texting and shutting themselves in their room watching TV until all hours of the night (however...shutting themselves in their room reading til all hours is ok :D).

I think that you may be reading too much into this because of your sensitivity. B & N is just a book retailer. They have limited shelf space and would naturally stock titles with the goal of gaining the most profit and turnaround. It sounds like they are taking demographics into account. Their goal is just different from what you think it should be. I think it would be nice for them to have a well-rounded representation but from what I know of B & N (a friend worked for them recently), they are profit driven (which is completely understandale). I do know that they will order pretty much anything you can ask for though. I wouldn't try to read too much more into this. I'm sure they aren't meaning to insult or infer less importance to other religions with their selection. Maybe a nice hint to the manager about re-naming the section or posting a note that encourages the consumer to special order selections might be helpful.

A man I used to work with had been molested in a movie theater when he was a child by a man. This happened decades ago but I'm always very wary because of what happened to him. I always make sure I'm between my children and any strangers or they are sitting on the aisle.

We're doing that lapbook too and we have: How the US Government Works and Presidental Elections. Both are by Syl Sobel. We're also using The Everything American Government Book by Nick Ragone.

We're doing Calvert School Civics and it is working out very well! It is a little pricey but it is secular and through which is what I wanted for my 5th and 6th graders. The teacher guide is nicely done and the lessons are short but meaty. You can check it out at: http://www.calvertschool.org/accredited-homeschool-curriculum/enrichment-courses/history-courses-/civics-in-america/

Check out Linney's "Getting Started With Latin". It might change your mind. It is sooooo stress-less. :)

You sound just like me. My motto is, " You can never have too much curriculum!" Surprisingly, I use most of it too. If I do find a dud, it gets Ebay'd quickly to make room for more curriculum gems. :D

Oh my! I'm so glad he is going to be ok. That must have been horrible for you. Sending big ((((hugs))))

We only got 1/2 way through too. The lessons were extremely redundant which works for some but not for us in grammar. The final blow was finding out that the kids were working so hard to memorize erroneous versions of the poetry. Had to sell it on Ebay then.

I'm not even going to try to know which parent in this situation is 'right'. All I know is that the entire family is hurting and I feel badly for everyone involved. There aren't any clear cut solutions that are 'best'. Someone is bound to feel a loss. Sending big (((hugs))).