I read in an article recently that parents who have given their children weirdly spelled names regret it within about 10 years. Also, the article pointed out that adults generally are not pleased with their own weirdly spelled names. In addition, people with names such as these are perceived by others as being lower class and less educated. But, given that it has become so prevalent, that perception could change over time.

I didn't cook supper last night for a less compelling reason than yours - I didn't feel like it and neither did anybody else. So, we made popcorn. This morning, everybody is fine. We all lived through it with no negative consequences. IMO, stay home.

Thanks for linking this article. I did enjoy it! "17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more." To this one, I tend to nod my head sympathetically and say "It is a big commitment and it does take self-discipline."

I'm not trying to agree or disagree with this theory. I can only speak from my own experience as a dyslexic knowing that many other dyslexics don't share the same experience. After a few years of a specialist working with me in 2nd and 3rd grade, pretty much all of the sudden I could read fluently in 4th grade and by the end of the year had moved up to the top reading group. But, even today, especially when I'm tired, the words on a page become jumbled up. I also tend to have some very non-standard ways of comprehending things that I have learned on my own including visualization techniques, summarizing paragraph by paragraph and reading out loud so that I can hear the words.

I think you did the right thing. Children are going to experience all kinds of people who say all kinds of things that you agree and don't agree with. It's good that your child can talk to you about them and that you can then explain your own thinking process and beliefs. It's also good that your child learns that disagreeing with your beliefs doesn't make somebody a bad person. I consider these kinds of things good opportunities to teach children how to function in the world. That said, if the teacher where saying or doing things that I felt endangered my child, either physically, emotionally or spiritually, I would definitely take action.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that only a few students that make the cutoff actually get the National Merit Scholarships. I'm not sure that a prep course would be worth it unless it would also improve her SAT/ACT scores. That said, I'm :bigear:.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. This verse is a reminder to me to work with my children to help them become what they can and should become. Not what somebody else should become or what what somebody else thinks they should become.

:grouphug: What a great blessing for your family!

I used to attend a church where Saturday Sabbath was held in such high regard that it rather than Christ seemed to be the focus and to some extent the means of salvation. I now attend a more mainstream church that understands its' foundation to be Christ. And I still keep the Sabbath on Saturday. Sabbath is good thing but Christ is central. What I have found is that the Sabbath helps me to get away from the day to day and reset my focus on Christ. Without it, I think would be easy for me to get my priorities messed up.

I hate it when I do stuff like that. On the bright side, things like this do give our children practice in forgiveness.

This link from the Art of Problem Solving website might be helpful to you in making your decision. http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Resources/articles.php?page=discretemath

:iagree: As a college student myself, I know that a laptop will be much more useful. Student work is done primarily on the computer and many homework assignments are submitted electronically prior to class rather than handed in. A laptop allows students to work on assignments between classes, etc. rather than only being able to work on them in their room.

Okay...here's some help to start: 1) those are your issues, not his 2) the only person you can change is you. Yes, marriage counseling can help but you'll have to come to the realization that it takes two people to ruin a marriage and two to build it. And each of you will have to do 95% of the construction work. Sorry if this is harsh. I speak from real experience having been there. There is hope. And you can really get to a better place than you ever thought possible. My husband and I went through 2 counselors and many, many books including love languages, imago, communication training, personality, etc. What we learned is that we are incompatible and that it would be nearly impossible to have a good marriage given who we are and what we've been through. Our counselors couldn't figure out why we were still trying. The training did help us to communicate better and gave us some useful tools, but it did not have the answer. Our problem was that our deepest needs were not met and none of this knowledge could meet them. Counselor number 3 took a different approach. She did not try to save our marriage, but to help us each individually understand that our value does not come from the other person. That it comes from God. I guess for the non believer, this would be akin to finding worth in ourselves. We now have a marriage that I never thought could be. It's a process and still is. I hope this isn't discouraging, but that it helps to get you ready for really investing in your marriage, in your spouse and in yourself. I wish you the best success.

I have one here that nobody is using. It's a USB webcam and several years old. If you give me your address via private messages and I will send it to you gratis.

I think it sounds like a little infection/pimple sort of thing also. I've had one before and it felt like what you describe. You might try warm compresses to draw it out.

I got my undergrad degree in computer science.

I do computer systems work for several companies. I average about 8 hours/wk and make about $800/wk. My husband is disabled so, outside of disability benefits, it is our primary income. Depending on client needs, there are times when my work consumes more than 20 hours in a week and other times I have no work at all. My kids are independent learners for the most part but I do need to transport them to/from activities, define expectations, grade their work, teach math and generally help them when they don't get something. I feel fortunate that I am able to provide for my family with so few work hours/week. I hope that blessing continues.

We are doing human geography using an AP curriculum that I designed. Our primary texts are these: deBlij, H.J., Erin H. Fouberg and Alexander B. Murphy. Human Geography AP Study Guide: People, Place and Culture 9th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Kuby, Michael, John Harner and Patricia Gober. Human Georgraphy in Action 5th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

We are also using Rosetta Stone. My son has a good attitude about most subjects with the exception of languages. He does manage to suffer through Rosetta Stone so, for us, it's a way to get through the language requirement with some degree of success. Being able to communicate with Spanish speakers is really what we're aiming for. Honestly, for most students, isn't the ability to communicate the more useful language skill?

I started my daughter with DAW in 7th grade last year. It took more than a year to complete, so I'm guessing that we'll not be through EOC this year. I'm thinking that the whole series is going to take 4 1/2 years plus I'll be adding another year of just American History either separately or at appropriate times throughout the Trisms curriculum. I would tend to hold off on American History until later. Another consideration in holding off is that my state wants to see American History as a High School subject.

You also might want to check out Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.

What a wonderful opportunity. We would love to follow your blog! FYI - The 'Shine On' link isn't working.

I second that....it isn't terribly difficult to do yourself. It does take a some up front planning time that you'd probably normally spread throughout the course anyway.

My son took the PSAT this morning at a private Christian School. There were a few other homeschoolers who took the test. He's in 10th grade so it was a practice run this year. The school treated the homeschool kids very well. All in all, it was a good experience for him.

In my high school in the 70's I took Algebra I, skipped Geometry and then took Algebra II in my senior year. I learned trig in physics. In college I tested into Calculus with that background.