Before living in Japan, no. Now, yes, they definitely can. My kids were 9 and 7 when they moved so no, I wouldn't expect kids their age to know how to do it. I think this is just a case of cultural difference. In our society, you don't come across squatty potty situations often, if at all.

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I'm not sure yet. I haven't really found my tribe any of the places we've lived. I'd love to be somewhere with an IRL homeschool support group who doesn't do the opposite of supporting people like me who don't fit in a tidy box. I'd like temperate climate, lots of things to do, not too high COL, and plenty of friendly, kind, non-superficial people to hang out with. For some reason, this has been a really tall order :huh:

The rest of the summer we'll finish up Holt Science and Tech Earth and Space and do the science kits I bought to go along with them. I also want to add some more documentaries as my kids are getting into them lately. They also really like doing crafts related to science so I may add more of that in. The fall-ish we'll do Holt Science and Tech Physical Science adding in Ellen J. McHenry's Chem stuff for fun. I'll also continue with my youtube video lists. Maybe I'll buy some chem science kits like making perfume or soap. Maybe a simple machines k'nex kit for little dd. Haven't really planned this one out yet. (need to though!)

It sounds like he wouldn't really need WWE 3 or 4 if he can narrate/summarize/restructure sentences well orally. I think you can find the pre and post tests for WWE 1-4 levels online for free to check out. If he does well with all of those I'd move past narrating into something else. I haven't used WWS yet so can't really speak to whether it's good for a pencil phobe. I know many have used it with 6th graders successfully but I'll let others chime in on whether it would work well for your situation. Now, grammar..I think R & S would work well as it's pretty easy to curb the writing by doing the work orally. You can also compromise with his doing the writing/diagramming on a whiteboard with dry erase markers (generally easier on the hand). Maybe get the workbook if you want to give him more review and actual writing practice. We went from FLL4 to R&S 5 with no issues. I think if he knows basic parts of speech and such he could start at level 5. 6 is supposed to be a lot of the same material...just bumped up a notch, but if you'd like to start more slowly with formal grammar than 5 should work. It's cheap too. :) *I apologize for any typos or incoherence. Had LASIK a few days ago and am still recovering

Not explicitly, really, just when they naturally come up in books, movies, teenagers goofing off in the neighborhood, Mommy stubs her toe ;) I think if I made a "thing" of it by spending time really teaching them instead of letting these conversations happen organically, the kids would obsess about them more.

Our tour of the Capitol was great fun. We went maybe 2 yrs ago?? Do be aware that they will not allow you to bring *any* food or drinks inside of any kind. They make you toss them. Friends we were with were less than pleased with that aspect but the tour itself was really great. There was a little show that we watched that the kids really enjoyed. If you go, don't wait in line...arrange to get that rep or someone who works there who has an in to let you in. We bypassed a 4-5 hr wait that way.

I have Youtube video lists that correspond with Human Odyssey...like 80 or so videos. Search Human Odyssey Volume 2 Renaissance (for Renaissance videos..I have lists 1-3 going from Renaissance times to 1914..not done yet on those) and Human Odyssey 2 (This for middles ages time period) and it should pop up. You can pm me for a link, if you need to. I'm still finishing the Renaissance book..I'm about 3/4 of the way through.

Yes, I did use one for a couple months when older Dd was 2 and in a sprinting-into-parking-lot phase while I was also 8 months pregnant with little Dd and could only waddle moderately fast. I was worried for her safety. I didn't want to do it but after she almost got hit by a car one day, I told Dh, "Enough." He didn't want to do it, but it was for a short time. She got a monkey backpack leash from Target and Mommy held the tail/leash while she wore the monkey body backpack. She loved the backpack, actually. She really liked monkeys at the time, so much so that she was the lone monkey for Halloween among a troop of Disney princesses. :tongue_smilie:

Not necessarily a love situation but Rod and Staff Grammar was one that I was fully expecting to hate. I actually put it away and tried secular texts for a few months but ended up coming back to it. I like that it's clear-cut, easy-to-teach and has solid diagramming instruction. It builds incrementally, has a great review section and is really affordable. I also thought I'd hate AAS..and did when using those $%%^ tiles. The tiles were not helpful for us at all. Pulling out the whiteboard saved us in this case. I love the dictation sentences and teaching the phonetic rules. Older dd was/is a natural speller so it wasn't as needed for her but little dd is a hot mess speller so AAS has been awesome for her. All the other things that I love I've expected to love b/c they're WTM-recs ;)

Um, all of the above?? :lol: I worry..but usually about my oldest as I haven't 'done' that year yet. I'm not too nervous for my little one b/c there's an air of btdt to her grade level since I've taught oldest at that level years before. I'm also familiar with the majority of the curriculum I'm using with little Dd so the planning isn't daunting either. Planning for oldest can be scary at times, honestly. Planning overall...once done...tends to center me, however. It gives me direction and purpose; it allows me to take a deep breath and carry on. Those X-grade planning threads help me relax and feel like I'm on the right track. I also have that general anxiety about their future and homeschooling crippling their goals somehow. I'd probably be better about it if I had any IRL homeschooling friends to discuss things with but alas I'm not *insert random thing*-enough for any homeschooler, it seems.

Not currently, but I did a couple years ago. The school got a great score on GreatSchools and its reputation was certainly fantastic (helped with re-sale quite a bit so I'm grateful). The thing is, though, I quickly learned that reputation isn't everything as all the neighborhood moms would gripe to me about X, Y, Z aspects of the school. The academics weren't as solid as people had assumed they would be. Separate reading/math groups and G/T testing and placement didn't happen until 3rd grade in the county. I didn't want a sit-around-and-wait approach to my kids' schooling. Getting a feel for the nitty-gritty of what the experience would actually entail from the mouths of moms who had only incentive to tell me how great it was (so the negatives were probably much worse or pervasive than even the stuff I heard) gave me the confidence to keep on keeping on. I'd evaluate why you're homeschooling. Did your original reasoning have to do with only the then current school system? Is there something about your schooling now that you could simplify so it doesn't seem like fruitless labor? Have you talked to neighborhood moms to get a sense of what the school is *really* like? Does the school feed into a good 'next tier' school? Sometimes the elementary is a dream and the middle/high is a nightmare! Make sure you aren't just end-of-the-year weary and seeing the school through rose-colored glasses.

Eagerly awaiting the Marine Biology!! :w00t:

I use this recipe for our lasagna but mix in some Nutritional Yeast to give it a B vitamin boost and make it taste a bit more cheesy.

I often felt that way and even had bloodwork done to try to find the reason. Extremely low iron levels and very, very low vitamin D levels. I drink that nasty tasting iron drink from the health food store (I think it's called Floradix or something...dark amber bottle) when in the States and also take large doses on Vitamin D. Do you get sick constantly? That might point to low D as well. ETA: Yup, I get up to pee at night but I have since I was maybe 9 or 10. About 3-4 times a night regardless of how much I drink. 1 time a night is only if I'm maybe zonked on heavy flu meds or extremely sleep deprived (like 2 hrs the night before)

Yes, the only thing that bothered us was the hardness of the floor and the breaking of all the things b/c I'm hopelessly clumsy. It took weeks for our feet and the kids' to toughen up enough. We were seriously hobbling along with thick slippers on constantly for a few weeks as our feet were just not used to it at all! It was painful. I also dropped plates and cups and destroyed a lot of dish-ware. I've always had way too many dishes so it wasn't an issue, really, but just a pain to clean. YMMV if you aren't as clumsy as I am. :)

Card carrying member of the Fan Club. I technically have not purchased the Speed Queen as it's in my rental but oh.my.word. do I love this washer. It works quickly yet it doesn't eat clothes. I'd never had a quick washer that worked well but didn't tear my clothes to shreds. It puts my old HE washer to shame. I can wash so much stuff in one day. It's seriously made laundry so much easier as I also have his friend the dryer. ;) Mine has the knobs, fwiw.

Our British friend would tend to cook a ton of sides and one small main dish (usually lamb or chicken). So we'd have a large salad (I will second no fruit on salad...she thought that was gross), cauliflower cheese, veggie sides (fresh and steamed usually). I found her and her family/friends when they visited to want lots of veggies.

I think you should absolutely go for it. It sounds like you're willing and able to meet the needs of others in the state. It can be difficult when the state is only serving one small group of individuals. :(

Oh my gosh, where do I begin.... What I don't like at conferences I've attended: -Random vendors who are there as empty-space-fillers; their business has nothing to do with homeschooling -Vendors who can't answer basic questions about their products -Vendors who are overly eager to push their specific seller code for purchasing online (make sure to use my code! or Make sure you put my name in the box on the site so they know I helped you!) So, in short, a vendor who works only on commission and is thus very, very pushy. Vendors who try to up-sell people i.e, I could get by on just product a and b but you insist I should buy a, b, c, and d products -Vendors who push people toward their products even if they *know* the products are a bad fit. (People rolling up to my booth insisting on gobs of worksheets, no manipulatives at all to fiddle with were kindly turned away) -A conference that is 90% speakers/workshops and 10% vendors. I personally come to browse vendors and have never gone to a workshop as they've never interested me -Speaker sessions on religious or political topics. Speakers who claim their way is the only way to do this "right" thus playing into people's fears to get a sale. Feels smarmy to me -Conferences who exclude vendors who aren't the right type of Christian or not Christian at all. Conferences should be religiously neutral arenas. I don't see why it's a huge thing to represent creationism *and* evolution in your vendor hall. Things I've loved: -Conferences anytime from May-July..preferably more like June/July timeframe. -Allowing parents of preschoolers to come in for free. It was helpful for me as a new to homeschooling mom to be able to check out the conference without having to pay a huge fee. -An organized gridded map of the vendor hall put up on the conference's website weeks beforehand so I could print it out and highlight the booths I wanted to check out. -I puffy-heart loved working the conferences that had a tech support team to assist with getting mics and speakers, cords, computer stuff up and running for all my talks. Some conferences I'd have to leave the booth 15 minutes before my session would start to ensure that all the tech was set up and ready to go. Having that covered was immensely helpful. -Organized check-in process (some conferences gave this job to disorganized teens *sigh*) with number of chairs and tables my convention coordinator had arranged previously to be *correct* and waiting for me in my spot. Nothing more irritating than having to call my boss to confirm that we ordered x number of tables (they need to be paid for, oftentimes) and to have to have her e-mail me the payment receipt so I can argue with the convention hall person about a freaking table when I could be getting my product display up and a second coffee in my body. *whew!* - Not allowing people to stay past the time specified in the vendor hall schedule. By this time, vendors are fried..an extra 15 minutes is no fun for us. We often have to drive to a hotel, wake at 5 the next morning and do a hugely long day all over again. The best conferences did a little 5 minute warning chime over the speakers and had a team to gently usher people out while announcing what time the hall would open tomorrow. *Loved* those guys. :001_tt1: -A wonderfully close to the hall parking area. Often, the products bins are heavy and cumbersome to push/drag over to the vendor booth. A parking lot with ample space right behind the center (like a 500 ft walk with huge boxes) was heaven. -An atmosphere of religious acceptance. I had a lot of people assume I was Christian and I often had to lie/pretend in order to ensure that people wouldn't boycott my booth or my boss' math products. The vibe at many of the conferences from customers was sometimes quite hostile towards non-Christians. It was sad and always nerve-wracking as to whether I'd be 'outed'. Putting my current hometown on my vendor ID tag caused a lot of issues for me (Oh, what church do you go to? Oh, I haven't seen you at *insert mega-church in small town we both lived in*. ) Please don't do that to a vendor. -Having your conference in a climate-controlled area. One state has their conference in a barn. When it rained, we vendors froze, when it was sunny, we baked. Not pleasant. -Charging a fair amount of money for the conference like $40 to $50. Often, conferences that were $15 a family or less...if it rained, people didn't show as the money was little enough to not bother coming. This made it very difficult to predict if we'd make any money at the conference or not. Some vendors stopped coming to these conferences over the years as there was no guarantee and they became a break-even or even a loss to attend as a vendor. -Conference hotel deals, like tell the hotel you are with x conference and you can get into one of our discount rooms we reserved for way cheaper. Hotel connected by walkway to conference hall, or there's a shuttle. Had to walk back to hotel in sketchy areas sometimes...as a woman, alone at 10pm at night...yikes! One conference even had a team of guys whose whole job was to walk people back to their hotel at night!! That was awesome. What I wish a conference could be like: Like the WTM conference which focuses on academic speaking sessions. A large vendor hall with big name people in the homeschooling world like MCT, Jim Weiss, Andrew Pudewa, dude from Videotext whose name is escaping me, my wonderful former boss Dr. Cotter who is amazingly brilliant, Julie Bogart, etc. Having talks and vendors that span the ages and stages. So, things for those who need transcript help down to those who need help wrangling their toddlers so they can teach the big ones. Having a huge amount of volunteers or workers who help with check-in, session tech support, vendor booth issues, parking lot for vendors issues, information booth for map or session or schedule questions, anything that's needed. More volunteers, the better IMO. And I'm sure I'll think of more. It's been a couple years since I've been a vendor/attended a conference. I'll ponder this some more. Great topic!!! :)

You have to look at the personality of the kid you have. With either of mine, if I threw out the book they'd see that as a victory and continue in the lying/hiding behavior with renewed gusto. Some kids need structure and firm, loving consequences in order to learn. I have the 'give an inch, take a mile' kind of kids. They're good kids, but they're good kids because I'm a no-nonsense parent. I'd go with HomeAgain's suggestion, but my kids need that kind of firmness to learn how to behave.

Never. But my childhood memories were less than fond. I'd have liked to buy my grandparent's home (either one actually) but I'm not crazy about the location.

I'm happy that combining my kids for science and history has worked as well as it has. I wasn't sure if I could find that sweet spot of just enough challenge for them both but it's been fine. I'm also happy that despite having to be flexible with what we use due to shipping issues, we've still done pretty well this year. I'm glad that I listened to Julie Bogart's Periscopes so I could gain some perspective and settle into our individual journey a bit more this year. So happy for you and your DD. Getting my kids into reading has been so rewarding. :)

We moved into Latin for Children but it definitely is a more rigorous course and doesn't have your kid translating every day like GSWL. It's working but I'm definitely not in love with it. We're keeping with it b/c it gets done and Dd seems Ok with it for now. If you do decide to go with LfC, I wouldn't buy the Activity guide that goes with each level as it's mainly the kind of thing your kid hates (crosswords and puzzle-y stuff :) Just an fyi. Headventureland is similar to the Activity book in puzzle games and matching quizzes, etc.

It really depends on the layout of your kitchen but ours had a cabinet that was in the corner with a lot of dead space that wasn't used. When we got new cabinets we put a lazy susan cabinet in that corner and I could fit all.the.things in that bad boy! It was ridiculous how much room had been wasted. Our realtor also said that that cabinet, paired with our massive 5 drawer pantry, helped sell the house. :)