:iagree:

Calvert and MUS are pretty different in sequence from what I understand. Calvert is a more traditional sequence and MUS is different so I would check into that. I've only used Saxon and ABeka for the lower maths so I'm not sure about more but the sequence of MUS is what concerned me the most. From what I understand, it is a math program that you need to be sure you are going to stick with to get the most benefit in the long term. My friend uses MUS and it is fairly teacher intensive. She watches the videos with the child and then they use the manipulatives to cement the info.

Did you change cat litter brands recently? Sometimes even minor changes to the litter or placement can upset cats. You might also scoop more often because even though it may not seem to need it, cats can be finicky. I have to scoop after every deed because mine are adamant about not going if the other has left something behind and will leave a 'calling card' to remind us if we forget.

Mine took Eng Comp and College Algebra. American Lit would be a good one for a starter too.

I have to agree with this. We have some kids down the street who seem to have a stand out every other weekend. The kids scream at passersby and run into the road. It really discourages me from wanting to stop. The are the same neighbors that are always getting written up by the association for letting their dog run wild. I'm not saying this is how your children are but maybe other people are drawing on their negative impressions from the past and that is a problem. We also do not stop and buy lemonade or candy bars or cookies because they aren't very healthy.

We never do 'homework'. We just do the lessons during the homeschool day and that is it.

I am using Apologia Jump-In this year and we really like it. I haven't personally tried these but they were on my list of interesting possibilities before I settled on Jump-In: Wordsmith Writing Tales (this seems like a easier to use and less intense form of Classical Writing)

Hummm...my last two are very close together so it itself helped...also...potty training and teaching two to read (felt like I was doing phonics and Bob books FOREVER)...oh and the GINORMOUS double stroller that literally parted the crowds when they saw us coming. All of those reasons helped us in our resolve to not have more children. Now I'll babysit and I love to hold other babies but I'm happy to give them back to their mothers too. :)

I wish I had something to say that would make it all go away. My heart goes out to you. All I can offer is to look to the place you have always found your strength and hope. Sometimes just when things seem like they cannot get better then somethingmiraculous occurs. Keep trying to find that place. My thoughts are with you and your family. Please keep us posted. (((hugs)))

My 9 and 11 yr old are almost finished with Hake 5th and they're doing great with it so I would recommend you can easily begin at whatever grade level they are working at. I would think your 11 yr old could do well with 5th or 6th and the older one in 7th. That is what I would do. You might want to call the Publisher for Hake to see if they can offer any suggestions on placement. But I really think you could just do grade level and be fine. :)

This! And check out: Septimus Heap series The Phantom Tollbooth A Wrinkle in Time (series)

http://www.studygrammar.com/index.php I recommend Hake Grammar. They offer grades 5-8th. It is designed after Saxon Math. One of the biggest selling points for us was that it includes diagramming and spirals. In terms of remembering the concepts, this has been the best grammar program we've used so far. The program also has a writing component but we don't use that part.

When I first started hsing I gave great weight to the WTM book recomendations but after implementing some that just didn't work for use or seemed unchallenging or too 'busy' I found I gravitated to the boards and find that the recomendations here are more informative. I was glad to break away from the book.

I did Write-Shop with a middle schooler and while he is very good at writing I thought he got a lot out of the program. I don't remember it being all that teacher intensive but perhaps they have changed it since I used it several years ago. While I liked it back then, it probably wouldn't be my first choice now because I like some of the other writing options that have come out since.

When our schedule for the coming week looks a little more full than usual or I know that we have things planned that will cause us to rush some subjects, I like to do some of the work on the weekend before. For us personally, there is nothing about Sat or Sun that precludes doing any schoolwork.

ABeka is a solid, more advanced math. I plan to use it up to Pre-Alg and then we're going to switch. It provides a great basis for advanced math but I personally don't like the look of their advanced math.

This is what I was thinking. I want to think that it had to be more and maybe she just didn't want to go into it all. I have a friend who had an adoption disruption for some severe problems. She has difficulty talking about it and deals with it daily. She lost many "friends" by not being able to fix the child and live up to others expectations. I used to be very self-assured in my parenting ability and somewhat judgemental until I experienced some of this friend's issues with her adopted child first hand. It was quite and eye-opener and I because of it I'll never presume to know what others are or should be capable of dealing with. In the end, she found a much more appropriate placement and the child did better. Sometimes being the best parent is knowing when to let go of pride and seek good solutions. I hope all works out for your friend and that child.

ABeka for lower math Teaching Textbooks for upper math Life of Fred for all math levels Jump-In writing Worldly Wise The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Van Loon Calvert's Children's History of the World Hake Grammar and Growing With Grammar UnitedStreaming by Discovery Prentice Hall Science Explorers Homeschool in the Woods Colonial Study Hands of a Child Lapbooks & KnowledgeBox Lapbooks

I was just thinking about this lately too. I have a 6th grader next fall and I think I'll have her do: 7th-pre-Alg 8th-Alg 9th-Geometry 10th-Alg II 11-Trig 12-Cal We're using Abeka right now but may switch to TT or Chalkdust for the higher maths.

I used the Colonial Time Traveler and we loved it! It didn't replace our whole history but rather was a unit for several weeks.

Missing May by Rylant perhaps?

WOW! The extent to which her illness is spewing is astonishing. I feel very sad for you and if you don't find a way to get her out of your lives you will all suffer from Post Tramatic Stress Disorder...if you aren't already (which I suspect you do). I want to address an issue of your FIL. I sense that he is the glue that that keeps you all orbiting around this sick woman. I know something about this because I have a close relative that created that situation for us. After a lot of self-help reading and thought, I realized a few things. For your own safety and sanity you need to let the relationship with FIL stall out for awhile. He needs to be forced to confront a decision only he can make. Clearly MIL uses him when she says hurtful things and his passivity allows it. In my situation, I finally told my passive relative that it was ok if they accepted bad behavior but that I was done and that unless there was improvement I would not expose myself to that damaging person and by extension I would limit contact with them as well as long as it continued to be a problem. You need to light a fire under FIL. Since she will not take the meds and IMO represents a danger then he could easily have her hospitalized but he isn't taking control. It is HIS choice if he wants a continued healthy relationship with his son and grandchildren. If he cannot be a positive or supportive influence then he is enabling this horrible situation to continue and you have every right and obligation to limit or halt the contact. You only have limited time with your children. You all deserve a life that is free from this kind of continued psychological torment. It has nothing to do with homeschooling. If you put the kids in PS your MIL would find another reason to rant. Make your decisions based on what you know is best for your children. FIL makes his own choices-to remain in the abusive environment and keep enabling MIL or to cultivate a better relationship with is son and family. That is a choice HE makes and you cannot urge or compel him in any way. You have to accept the choices he makes but you do not have to be shackled by the choices he makes. Just as he has his choices-you have your choices. Do not let the guilt trips and psychological battering make you doubt yourselves. You need to change your address, move across town and get a PO Box, change the addy on your licenses, take out a restraining order etc. I would investigate some short term counseling for your family to help you to see how this is affecting you and to give you clarity. The more you put up with, the less able you will be to escape the insanity...evidence...your FIL. You need to take back your lives now. (((hugs)))

Hi! I joined WW in March and have lost 18 lbs and I'm .4 away from goal. I love WW'ers! I'm doing flex and the best advice I can give is... 1. Keep a strict journal of your points and stick to the point limit. "If you bite it, write it!" "If you drink it, ink it!" Also, pay close attention to those sneaky calories-like in salad dressings and watch the portion sizes. 2. Drink plenty of water. Try drinking water when you feel hungry. Thirst is often percieved by the body as hunger. 3. Begin exercising. A little every day. Starting off by walking is a great way and then think about a gym or exercise videos etc. 4. Try to anticipate 'diet obstacles' like eating out, family gatherings, etc. Find ways to attend these functions but make good choices or bring something that you can eat. Many of my group bring WW recipes for potlucks and that way they know there is at least one thing they can eat without much thinking involved. When we eat out I make sure I've banked some points during the day (other meals lite and no snacks) and make good choices on the menu. 5. Lastly-Try to attend the WW meetings. They are VERY supportive and I've gotten such good advice along the way!

Too much of the same thing. I'd do one or the other and then supplement with different things like Life of Fred, some fun workbook word problems, mini-math mysteries, fun geometry. You can get really interesting math workbooks from Critical Thinking but check Rainbow since they might be less there. We're suppl. with LOF and Sherlock Holmes Mini-Mysteries, Blastoff Pre-Alg. and Keys-to Series. We take one day a week to just do one of our 'non-text' maths.

Our faves: Singapore MPH series Prentice-Hall Science Explorer Rainbow (not strictly secular but minimal religious content) *We also have Unitedstreaming and in conjunction with our Science Explorer readings we watch the videos-US has thousands!