Anyone? I know some of you used this program. How did you schedule it?

I am needing to get lesson plans laid out for my child to do Basic Math. Has anyone used this math and already have lessons/assignments organized? Thanks!

Thanks for posting this! I am with you on that. I hate hearing movie music on commercials that have nothing to do with a movie. But I am having some fun with my kids now with this. They are huge LOTR fans, and my dd has the piano music to it and plays the songs all the time. I emailed them both with the link you posted with a wager. $2.00 if they could tell me what movie that music was already a part of, and $5.00 if they could tell me what scene. (Thanks for the specifics there.) I am pretty sure I am out $10 in the morning when they check their emails. :lol:

I have the Chalk Dust generic 4th edition Algebra 1 set. How do you schedule the lessons/assignments for it?

I have done this technique in our house and in a rental on the walls without the poly top coat. It is in the kitchen and dining area in the rental and it is WONDERFUL because it can so easily be repaired if stained or damage. Crumble paper, add glue, DONE. The renters just seemed so hard on the walls - no matter who they were. So I have been happy. As for my own house, it is up my stairway and in my school room. We have an old house and some of the plaster was cracked so that was my solution. 12 years later it still looks great and I still have people ask me how I did it. I am now considering it for a flooring option... I will have to research this a bit more...

Thanks! This is the input I was hoping for! We chose that area despite the tourist traps because it seemed centrally located. We don't mind snooping through shops and do want the convenience of grocery stores and things, but we wanted options. I didn't know about the aviation museum! That is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to find. I have family that flew WWII planes, so this is something we will do for sure. I also called the Aquarium and yes they give GREAT discounts for homeschoolers - I just have to have my paperwork with me, so that is a huge savings to us and will tie in nicely with our science studies this year. Thanks for the input on Asheville. For the drive, it doesn't sound worth it, so we will pass on that. Keep the ideas coming! I was afraid this trip would be a bust, but it is looking quite promising now!

We are thinking of renting a cabin in the Pigeon Forge area in September. We have one picked out with good reviews, location and price. I would like to have a plan of things to do in the PF, Gatlinburg area, and are interested in heading over to Asheville, NC if there are things to do/see. We are not touristy people so we don't want to hit the typical tourist traps. We have heard of Cades Cove in the National Park, so that is on our list, but what kinds of places/things to do are there that aren't commerical/high ticket gimmicky places? We enjoy historic and natural things if that makes sense. Also, DH and I are great cooks so eating out isn't a big draw, which is why we got the cabin instead of a hotel. There will be DH and I and our kids 14, 12 and 8. We can take our bicycles if there are places to ride them (Cades?) Can anyone help us with our "frugal" vacation in the Smoky Mountains?

4 day school week here too! We have done it for 4 years now and I won't give that day off up for anything. Thankfully we are doing Heart of Dakota which is 4 day program, but before we did HOD, I still did a 4 day week. We usually took Fridays off, but if we had a full weekend and needed to catch up from it with rest or laundry, we took Monday off instead. It allows me to do field trips, visit elderly family, serve in our church or community, etc. without it disrupting my school flow. My family enjoys serving in the kitchen for funerals at our church, and having that flex-day gives us that opportunity. Before the 4-day week I would feel rushed and push the kids to finish stuff on the weekends, etc. and that isn't what I wanted my homeschool to be. Also, I use Fridays to clean the house, run errands, buy groceries, etc. so we can just relax on Saturday. The kids now know that Fridays are work days but once the work is done, we have fun, so it is amazing how fast things get done Friday morning.

And if so, does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks!

We sold our house a few years ago because of our flexibility. My realtor called and said she had a buyer from out of town that was ready to buy and wanted to get it done and they had looked at all of the scheduled houses already but she drove them past ours and they thought our house would be perfect but wanted to see it NOW. She wanted to know if I was willing to waive the 24hour notice to show it. I had two kids napping and the house was a wreck with toys. I told her I needed an hour. She said, "You have 10 minutes otherwise we are going on to XYZ suburb." I said, "OK!" I tidied up a bit quick and was just going to get the kids up when the agent and the prospective buyers arrived. I told them I had to go get my kids up from their naps quick and then I'd be out of their way. The woman was so gracious and said, "Oh, just let the little ones sleep, we'll just take a quick peek and not disturb them." So I just stayed out of the way and let them look around the house. They were there about 20 minutes and thanked me for my flexibility. They gave us an offer the next day that we happily accepted. I was SO glad I didn't stick with the typical "24 hour notice" that I was entitled to. I would have missed these buyers if I had.

I printed out the first 50 pages, but after that he just flipped back and forth on screen. He told me it wasn't worth the ink and paper to print it once he got the hang of just flipping back and forth, so I was happy with that!

Xposted on middle school board, but I thought it would be of interest to those in high school area as well if looking into Teen Coder. I bought the Kid Coder computer programming (Homeschool Programming is the company name) for my son (8th grade) from HSBC last fall. We then decided to use HOD so his day was full so I didn't add the computer programming course to his workload. Instead I wanted him to use it as a "summer school" course. So he is several lessons into it now and I am very impressed with what he has already put together and programmed. I had no idea! He is currently doing the first semester "Windows Programming" but at the rate he is going, he will be done in the next week or so and then will go on to 2nd semester "Game Programming." Since he isn't bogged down with other subjects, he can sit and spend hours on this, which is how he is getting through it so quickly. I am definitely going to get the high school version for next summer so he can get so high school credits. Just wanted to put that plug out there if you are looking for a computer programming course!

I bought the Kid Coder computer programming (Homeschool Programming is the company name) for my son (8th grade) from HSBC last fall. We then decided to use HOD so his day was full so I didn't add the computer programming course to his workload. Instead I wanted him to use it as a "summer school" course. So he is several lessons into it now and I am very impressed with what he has already put together and programmed. I had no idea! He is currently doing the first semester "Windows Programming" but at the rate he is going, he will be done in the next week or so and then will go on to 2nd semester "Game Programming." Since he isn't bogged down with other subjects, he can sit and spend hours on this, which is how he is getting through it so quickly. I am definitely going to get the high school version for next summer so he can get so high school credits. Just wanted to put that plug out there if you are looking for a computer programming course!

Last summer I did a serious anti-fungal detox taking caprylic acid, pro-biotics and cutting out all yeasts and sugars from my diet. After 3 days I had flu-like symptoms that sound just like yours. I read it is a fungal die-off which is a good thing. Your body is getting rid of the fungus in your system and as that fungus dies, it emits a toxin. Don't give up and eat sugar or bread or anything or you'll have to start over. Just tank up on water, sweat if you can (by being outside, even light walking, etc.) and keep the bowels moving. You may even get foamy diarrhea in the day or so. (TMI I know, but you asked!):D You will feel better in a few days. I haven't gone back to yeasts at all, and have very limited sugar. I have lost 45lbs and was finally able to run more than 3 minutes at a time - I'm now training for a 1/2 marathon. Before I had constant fatique and body aches. The detox of the fungus/yeast in my body has made a huge difference in my quality of life. You might start seeing some great results from this candida die-off in terms of your fibro symptoms. Some people do.

This reminds me of a Cajun Chicken Alfredo dish from Trader Joe's that my dd loves, but it is too expensive to buy for our whole family. (It is only a 2-3 serving pkg) I bought it a couple times when it was just for her and her 2 siblings - like date night. I will definitely try this. Thanks for sharing!!!

SOLOMONs!!!! They are the BEST shoe for that terrain. You will LOVE them.

I am 40 and feel fantastic. Last July I gave up anything with corn and yeast in it (HFCS, corn starch, dextrose, etc. and yeast - no bread, no yeast extract, etc.) Taking those things out decreased my desire for sugars as my intake of that has decreased remarkably. I don't use any artificial sweeteners. I had been a fairly active person, regularly walking, etc. but I would be exhausted by 1pm and would need a nap nearly daily. I would push myself through on the days I couldn't nap with a Coke. I would have trouble sleeping, etc. I just never really felt good. I changed those things in my diet, was able to go from just walking to running and ran my first 5K in October. I went to the dr. and I had by October lost 35 lbs, and all of my blood numbers came down dramatically. I ran a couple more 5Ks and then started training for a triathlon in February, and this weekend I will participate in my first TRIATHLON ever! So I am a firm believer in changing one's diet and getting some exercise. I have never been so energetic and full of life. I am just glad I got this figured out while my kids were still young enough for me to enjoy playing with. Make the changes. You have nothing to lose but the way you are feeling right now.

I buy most of my stuff from Athleta, but I do have some nice things from Kohl's.

Using Digital Frog or Froguts would definitely make the hands-on element credit worthy. The point of the dissection is to get a feel for the insides of the animal and you don't need the smell of formaldehyde to do that. A lot of schools are going with virtual dissection for sake of costs and time. Landry Academy is also using Shepherd Biology and I know they use virtual dissections as well. If you wanted your child do actually do the cutting of an animal, they encourage you to attend a 2 day Intensive course, but it isn't necessary. The virtual dissections are adequate for lab credit.

My daughter broke her wrist, but we didn't know it. She just fell off her bike when on a bike ride with DH. He saw her fall, but she shook it off and it wasn't until much later in the evening that she mentioned it hurting. It was swollen, hurt to move, but she wasn't crying or anything. I gave her some ibuprofen, wrapped it in ice and tried to keep her comfortable. The next morning she couldn't move it so we went in to our doctor. Sure enough it was broken so it was set and cast. Found out if we'd gone to the ER, they would have like just wrapped it ice like I did so let the swelling go down, so I was glad I didn't waste her night's sleep in the ER.

Set a goal and work toward it. Last September I decided once and for all that I would run a 5K. I even signed up for one that would take place in late October so I had some money on the line.:D Then I did the Couch to 5K and completed the 5K successfully. Then I signed up for a longer trail race and did that one. I am very slow, but steady once I get going. Then I decided to try to train for a triathlon in January. That event is coming up in 3 weeks and I AM READY! But it has not been easy or something that I have wanted to do everyday, but since I have that date on the calendar, I get up every day with a plan and I follow through. I agree that if you can join a fitness class, that will really help get you motivated. I love my spin class (when it is over - getting there not so much.) So just set a goal, put it on a calendar, and work toward it.

Thank you! I need this for our HOD program next year - Resurrection to Reformation. I love mixing things up and having some of the books on the Kindle.

Pam, it is a pool swim, which will make it easier than learning a wet suit. I am struggling with the swim leg in terms of getting a good time in. I can bike pretty strong, and my runs seem slow but steady. How much "brick" training do I need to be doing?

I am in the midst of training for a triathlon, but I don't know anyone who has done one. The tri is in mid-May. I can swim 400m in about 12 minutes (depending on if I get interrupted by one of my kids. LOL!) I can bike the 12 miles right now in about 45 minutes, and my average 5K time is 35 minutes. Am I doing okay considering I have 6 weeks to before race day? I just don't know how to judge these things. Today I rode by bike 13.5 miles at an average speed of 15mph and then jumped off it and ran 2 miles for my "brick" training day. I am now doing 2 types of training a day 5 days a week, taking 1 full rest day, and one easy swim-only day.That feels pretty good, but I just don't know what I should be doing. The books I read are for much more hard-core athletes and not for us 40yo still a bit overweight women. Anyone done one and willing to lend me some advice? Thanks!

Fruit is in a different category, but even that we eat Granny Smith apples, (which are lower sugar than Red Delicious), grapefruit, oranges, and lots of berries. We limit the bananas, melons and grapes a little bit. As for the honey and maple syrup, I understand why they mix them all in one lump, but from a practical stand point, you can use just a smidge of honey or syrup to replace a half cup of white or brown sugar. I made pumpkin pancakes this morning for my family, no added sugar, with just a small drizzle of maple syrup. I would be surprised if anyone had more than a TBSP of syrup on their pancakes other than my husband who had seconds. As I look back at our day of eating, we have had no other sugar today other than fruit. (Chef salad and strawberries for lunch, blueberries for a snack, quesadillas, apples and carrots for dinner, and we will have yogurt smoothies for an evening snack - plain yogurt, pineapple and frozen berries.) That said, I don't feel a bit bad about them having a little real maple syrup on their pancakes this morning. Moderation is key.