We used 100 EL along with Before The Code and then went through the Explode the Code series...and LOTS of BOB books and beginner readers.

I agree with the poster who suggested the open box. We have 4 cats and only use a Brand name premium multi-cat scoopable (ie. Tidy Cat, Fresh Step etc.) The box is in the laundry room and we can easily see when one of the cats is doing his/her deed. We immediately scoop. My biggest tip for keeping odor down after scooping is to scoop into a gallon size zip-lock bag. You can use the bag throughout the day and toss in the evening. Sealing the 'deeds' in the ziplock keeps the odor away. I also sprinkle a little Tidy Cat deodorizing power after I scoop and give a quick room freshner spray. It all combines to work very well! Good luck with the new kitty!

Say as little as possible in a way that communicates your intentions clearly. Then do not allow yourself to be quizzed and do not engage in or feel the need to explain any resultant gossip.

:iagree:

My daughter like the Home Depot class and we've taken some a Michaels that were so-so. Joanne Fabric also has classes that are fun and we've enjoyed those. Select Publix supermarkets (the ones with Aprons Cooking Schools) offer children's cooking classes and summer camps.

I just looked at your menu and the thing that struck me is the wheat and sugar seems a little out of balance. I would try to cut down in both of those areas and you may see an improvement in the joint pain especially. I know that if I overdo wheat products the first thing I notice is joint pain and headaches.

You should have had an 'other' option. I like to grab hair spray or deodorant...or any other aerosol we have on hand and stun/freeze/encapsulate it from afar. I've even been known to use Lemon Pledge on the little scary creatures.

I would like opinions too!

What is this kids currency? If he likes video games-take them away. If he has a tv show he watches-he has to miss it. Isolation will only work if he is a social child so if that is not his currency then he won't feel the punishment. I think you are on the right track with the counseling too. :thumbup1:

Oh boy! We need a 'red flag' smilie because I want to be waving it right now. Your instincts are IMO right on track. DH is acting like a schoolboy and enjoying this woman's crush-like behavior. DH needs to start acting professionally and put limits on this funny business. Whether he thinks it or not, the other office workers are seeing what is going on and DH may very quickly find himself the object of office gossip and ridicule. DH has the power to correct this and he is the one with the most obligation to do so. He needs some tough talk and a good dose of reality. :smash:

I think that schooling year-round helps keep our daily time lower. We also start early (7 or 7:30 am). We also do the 'together' stuff first. We keep a yearly and weekly schedule that helps to schedule curriculum in a staggered manner-you don't do 'everything all at once'-again-year-round homeschooling makes staggering different curriculums even easier.

We love Abeka Math! The girls have done awesome on the SAT testing with this math. Hope this helps quiet your nerves. :)

I agree. I recently lost about 25 lbs and now people I barely know are telling me how much better I look with the weight off but at the same time I can't help but feel it implies that I must have looked huge or awful. I know the comments should make me feel good about the loss but on the flip side I keep wondering what their opinion was before I lost it. Maybe I'm just having a pms day but this happened last night and the gal gushed on and on (loudly too) and it made me very uncomfortable.

:iagree: I used to think that multi-tasking while homeschooling was a good thing but I too have come to the conclusion that it has a place....just not while we are actively schooling. I multi-task when we aren't focused on school. It is a personal decision but it worked best for us.

You might check out Calvert too.

Our main math is Abeka but we do a weekly supplement with Life of Fred.

I only use Calvert piecemeal. I've used CHOW (with the cd too) and it was great! I have the famous paintings program and that is pretty good. I liked the spelling cd's ok but they weren't a great match for us. I just purchased the Civics course but haven't received it yet. I've also peeked at their curruculum choices and used those choices but didn't purchase from Calvert. I used their logic choice last year and it was great.

Well I gave up blogging so that is how I do it these days. :) I found that the time on the net was eating up too much of our day even though we are very schedule oriented. For me the online stuff was just too much of a distraction and I wanted to put the effort into the hsing and cut back on having a webpage, blogging and net time in general. I still go through spurts of net activity but that doesn't last long and I get over it pretty quickly. I also limit telephone time with friends. I find that both hs and public school friends call me a lot and that is a huge distraction and time flies by quickly while you're chatting with friends. So now I have 'no ring' times and that has helps tons with time management. We also get up early in the day and begin studies by 7:00 or 7:30. We keep to the schedule and find that if we're focused, we are done by 1 or 2 at the latest. When I first started hsing, I was very much into online hsing groups, net activities associated with hsing and outside co-ops but as I have gone along through the years, I find myself becoming more picky about where I put my efforts. I have let some activities/associations go for the sake of centralizing more of those efforts back into my homeschool. It is all about finding the balance that works for you. That balance that you find is not going to be the same as others. The only thing you want to really accomplish is finding what makes your homeschool the best for yourself and your children.

I'd like opinions too!

I used Homeschoolbuyerscoop to renew my Unitedstreaming membership. It was a nice savings! I also have a subscription to Pokemon Learning League through them. I love their savings and there is no cost to sign-up!

Clearwater too! :)

My son used Write Shop years ago and it worked very well. I agree with you about the IEW videos etc.-the thought makes me cringe. I'm not that visual. Right now I am using Apologia Jump-In for my younger ones and it is working very well too. You might check that one out too.

For Saxon which I have used in the past, I would rather skip about the first 1/3 of the book rather than miss out on anything at the end. The last 2/3 is the best part IMO.

We're doing Gettin Started With Latin. It is very easy going. We like it and it works well with wordly wise for us. They are not so similar that it is overkill.

I've had both but stuck to Wordly Wise because I like the way it works with our schedule. Each lesson has a word list and then there are 5 activities using these words. I can schedule this nicely in a week format. I like classical roots too but wordly wise just was a better fit for us and the children seemed to retain the vocabulary better.