There are decent areas right around the U of M. We live in a suburb of St Paul/Minneapolis, but we have friends renting very near campus and they love it. I grew up here, so I am partial. I lived in Champaign IL for 3 years as a child and the public schools at that time there were rought, at best. I was not well-served there, but was a good student and able to get caught up when we moved back to MN. I don't know that the public schools in Minneapolis are great, but there are great charter schools in MN. Apply now. Even if you don't know if you'll be here - it doesn't cost anything to apply but they do fill up and there are waiting lists. Nova Classical Academy and Eagle Ridge are two that come to mind, depending where exactly you settle. The public schools in my neighborhood are great, but I am in the suburbs. As for public transportation, there are busses (which I have never used, but again we are suburbanites) and there is the light rail. My kids love the light rail and my husband takes them on it quite a bit to go to museums in Mpls and sporting events and the Mpls Farmers Market. It is very cheap and rather new - parts of the rail are still being built in St Paul. I notice in your signature you are Catholic. We have lived in 4 states over the past 12 years and we were so glad when we moved back here to find that there are a lot of strong parishes. You would have plenty of options, whether you want a high liturgy, a charismatic community, the Latin Mass, etc. Of everywhere we have lived, I think MN is the cleanest state. Roads are generally better than most places. But it can get darn cold and gray in the winter months... This winter has been exceptionally warm and pleasant though. However, being sturdy Midwesterners, we make the best of it when it is cold and snowy by taking up snowshoeing, kick sledding, cross country skiing, etc. In the summer months you have lots of water activities available - our family prefers kayaking in the many lakes in the metro. And visits to the north shore are amazing memories for our family.

I read it aloud to them until we hit WWE 3. I think it helps to train them to listen better for details, though they certainly are capable of doing the reading themselves and would probably be more easily able to answer the questions if they did so.

Yes, it is perfect! I love it... and buy it at Sephora. I don't think the cost is that bad, considering that I use it in place of a separate moisturizer and foundation.

My understanding (which could be wrong) is that the woman who wrote it was a businesswoman in the 1950s. I don't think it is about cleaning the bathroom in your dress and heals. :001_smile:

And I wanted to add - did you find it helpful in putting together your own wardrobe? I feel like I really need to spend some time and money on a wardrobe update after this baby arrives - when I look nice, I feel nice and I act nicer. But left on my own, I am rather clueless. If you have other suggestions, please share!

Did you like the book? I think it looks like a fun book, and I am looking for some light reading during our break week next week. I've been wanting to read this for a while now, and I can't get the updated 2008 reprint through my library system (even using inter-library loan). Is it worth buying? Is it one of those books that is fine to just own on Kindle ($15), or should I spend a couple dollars more on a hard copy ($18)? I think I really want the hard copy, but then I don't have any daughters to pass a book like this on to and I am trying to be more aware of what is taking up space on our bookshelves. I can't tell for sure, but it appears that there are not pictures in the book, so maybe the ebook would be fine.

I went to a state college, and even though you could get contraceptives at the student health center (though certainly not for free) I had friends in the dorm who went to a sliding scale clinic where they got the pill for free (I'm guessing the reason they got it for free was that they personally had no income, though most of them were from well-off families). And that was in a small college town not near any major city. The girl at CUA certainly has many options off campus, especially in DC.

I've used the mineral powder, and I liked it well enough -- but not enough to buy it a second time. If you go to Beautypedia.com she has good reviews and may address your specific concerns.

No report this week, too busy - but rather a happy moment of a 4 yr old bringing a book to life this week: http://storiesoftheglories.blogspot.com/2012/01/caps-for-sale.html

I haven't started it yet, but last night I checked out "The Rise of Christianity" by Rodney Stark. I've heard good reviews from people I respect.

My biggest regret so far is that I wasted time caring what other people think - those who think we are freaks, but also other homeschoolers who think we are too rigorous or that we have too much space between babies or whatever else they are thinking. Actually, I really regret I've wasted so much time trying to be friends with many other local homeschooling moms... It took me a long time to realize that I just don't like 90% of them and don't care what they think of me or our schooling. (Don't get me wrong, they are nice people, I just don't connect with them and don't want to be close friends.)

I use an Excel spreadsheet to record what we are planning to spend in each category each month, and then in the next column I record what I actually have spent (I keep my receipts so that I can record this when I get home). The third column shows how much we have remaining in that category.

When I talked to Martin Cothran at our homeschool conference last summer, he said they do a few lit guides per grade as they want the kids to really spend time in those books... But also that they spend time reading a lot of other books too. It's just that they don't expect them to go that into every book they read. If you contact MP and ask for "Martin's book list" they will email you a really long list of books he recommends for every level. I bought the lesson plans but ended up returning them as I realized I would be swapping so much out. But my oldest has loved reading Famous Men of Modern Times alongside SOTW 3 this year, and we are also very happy with their Latin. I am really impressed with the quality of their products and can't wait to use that $10 coupon from their Christmas card!

I have used 100EZ lessons with my oldest 3 (3rd boy is currently using it) and I think going from there to AAS is a great way to continue on with phonics. I may be wrong on this, but I thought only the first level of AAR is out, and he is going to be beyond that. With my oldest I did use ETC for a while, but I think we all like AAS a lot more for learning the rules of phonics. As for reading aloud, I just spent a lot of time finding good books that were at his level. It was not long before they were on to chapter books like My Father's Dragon and the Thornton Burgess books, alternating reading paragraphs aloud with me. I really don't think another reading program would be necessary after completing 100EZ lessons.

I have them and have used them with my oldest 3 boys (the 4 year old is currently using them). I don't know how people use them on their own, but I just let him read to me from them after he has learned the sounds from our main reading program. He loves being able to read the entire book without help, though I do agree with a PP that the kids can guess a lot from the pictures (which is why I would not use them exclusively). I don't think it hurts to have them around, and if I had it to do over again I think I would buy them again.

I pulled into the garage with the tailgate door of the van still up. It made a huge noise and I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Backed out to find my brand new next door neighbor and his dad watching the whole the thing, and a huge scratch down the back door of the van where the garage door opener scraped the paint clear off. Thankfully it was a in a different house in a different state in a different van and I had almost forgotten all about it until now! :)

I just watched the 2007 version and did not like it at all. The 1995 version is by far my favorite of the two. The 2007 version seemed to take more liberties and strayed more from the book. I just wasn't very impressed. I finally finished my first book of 2012: Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope. I very much enjoy Trollope's sense of humor in commenting on the social changes taking place at the time. This is the third in the Barchester series.

Letting things go is not easy for me either. As I go throughout the day, I try to be aware that each hour is one that I will never have again, and try to ask myself if I am doing what I ought with that time. It does not mean we get everything done in a day, as I frequently fail to do what I ought now rather than pushing undesirable subjects/tasks off for "later". The reality is that even if I always had us doing what we should be doing, there are only so many hours in the day and a lot of times I overestimate what we can realistically accomplish. I have found it very helpful to me to reflect at the end of the day on (1) what I have done well that day (there is always something, even on the worst day!), (2) what I could have done better today (usually been more prepared, wasted less time online, or been patient with the boys), and (3) I make a resolution of one small thing that I am going to focus on improving the next day. Very often I realize that I am often making the same resolution many days of my life, but I think everyone has some dominant fault that we have to struggle against... My oldest boy does this same examination of his conscience each night before bed, and I think it is very helpful to him and has been fruitful.

Why is the iPhone so expensive? I thought the iPhone 4 was about $150 now? I love my iPhone, and while I use my iPad (which was a Christmas gift last year from my parents), I don't think I would ever spend the money on one myself. I basically use it for email and to access online recipes while in the kitchen...but to me that is hardly worth $500. However, I use my phone all the time and love having all my lists and my calendar in one spot.

I've done laser hair removal in three different states and have never been asked anything like this! Typically I pay for my sessions in advance with a package type of deal, and so I guess I have never paid on the way out. Still, as you said, it is more of a doctor's office than a salon, and I would never think to leave a tip there. I feel like I am already paying them very well for the 7 minutes they spend with me!

We are half way done! http://storiesoftheglories.blogspot.com/2012/01/half-way-done.html

We are doing NL2 as well this year. My 3rd grader isn't super challenged by it, but he has certainly learned a lot of good vocabulary and he enjoys it. It is challenging for my 1st grader. I have seen level 3 and it looks significantly more challenging than level 2, so I think my older boy will love it next year. We did level 1 last year and both boys LOVED every lesson, even though not all of them are exciting. Even now, they would tell you science is one of their favorite subjects. I like NL because (1) we actually DO science, start to finish!, (2) they are getting a solid education on how to accurately describe the world around them, using vocabulary we wouldn't necessarily use otherwise and (3) I think it will set them up well for higher level science later on.

This is my first time participating... I am starting off this week with Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope. This is the 3rd in the Barchester series (I loved the first two) and I am hoping to finish the entire series later in 2012.

:iagree: LOVE both of these - they can be bought used on amazon for a reasonable price. I re-read mine every so often.

My husband takes the boys out most Saturday mornings or afternoons for a couple hours... I don't usually use the time to plan (though sometimes I do), but I often use it to catch up on other things that I am not able to get done during the school week (cleaning, balancing the checkbook, email correspondence, errands, etc). It is good for them to spend time with dad, and good for me to have some time alone! He did this even before the boys were school age, it has been a good routine for us for a long time.