P :iagree::iagree: Just as a side note...I don't think Amoxicillian works great for strep, so make sure they retest her. We've had two instances where it didn't kill it and we had to do another stronger round, so my kids now take other abx when they get strep. PANDAS and other severe complications are very real.

Thank all for your responses! Merry--I appreciate the time you took to respond in detail as well. I believe it was you who convinced me to stick with it earlier this year by adding in the extra weekly and monthly review. I guess I just needed to hear it would all come together as we keep on moving through! I has definitely slowed down how fast we move through the program, which is ok with me as long as the end result is excellent.

Can you tell me if you have done all of the available levels of AAS with your child (who presumably wasn't a good speller prior to starting the program) if your child's spelling grew by leaps and bounds? We're into level 4 and began at level 1. It is slow going b/c I have built in extra review, which he needs. He does great with the words given, but not transferring them to other words not given with the same rule. At this point, I don't really want to abandon this great program. I believe in the process, I am just wondering how to continue when I don't see the transfer to writing across the other subjects...or even birthday cards, notes, etc. in everyday life. I'm trying to decide if I should switch to something else, stick it out as is, or stick with it, but add SWO or something to it for more reinforcement and different words. FYI, this is for a 9yo soon to be 4th grader.

Artificial colors are a problem for everyone. They are made from petroleum and used to be made from coal tar. Yum, yum, right? We don't eat them at all. For the poster looking for candy, try http://www.naturalcandystore.com, most are available on Amazon as well. Also, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have candy without synthetic colors, flavors, HFCS and more. They are great and my kids love them when they get them. Dye are in TONS of things, including some toothpaste, ice creams, pickles, canned vanilla frosting, chips, yogurt and more. ALWAYS check the labels when you're shopping!

My soon to be 7 yo would say it's too young looking.

Next is not Boden quality, but it's not Boden's price point either. I would say of Old Navy quality if you're familiar. I like it to get a couple of trendy things each season for my DD that I don't want to spend a ton on.

I think it has helped his capitalization and punctuation. He can orally narrate very well CM style (which is not TWTM style). HOWEVER, I can't see that's it's helped his actual writing at all and he's used it for 2 full years. We did 1 and are now finishing 2 in a couple of weeks. We will be moving to IEW, SWI-A for next year. I had planned both, but haven't seen enough change in his writing to warrant spending the time or money on both. Again, just my opinion...

Mine did this when my thyroid was off. Not saying yours is, but worth a chance to check. FWIW, my ob gyn did say there is no harm in missing(I missed 4 in a row before seeing the endo), but I feel like it's part of nature and if I miss, then something in my body isn't working right---well at least until menopause!

If you're looking for prepackaged...I LOVE Pirate's Booty and so do my kids (who are not GF, just me!). Also, popcorn that you can cook and store in ziploc bags to go and Cinnamon Chex (nearly all of the Chex cereals are gf, except wheat and one other.). I mostly snack on fruit and veggies, but if I need something to take in the car, it's usually one of these. For a treat I buy some of the Enjoy Life snickerdoodles....YUM, but I don't get them often. Also, Enjoy Life is supposed to be coming out with a cracker/chip product soon...it hasn't made it this far south yet, but maybe it's already at your store.

We love Naartjie and Mini Boden too. Also, Next clothing out of the UK is nice and affordable (nextdirect.com, I think...), Garnet Hill for kids, some Hanna Andersson, Belk's Red Camel line is really cute if your area has one. Also, love 77 kids (American Eagle's kid brand)!

What we LIKE about HO is that you do a certain region, finish there and then say...at the same time that was happening Asia, this was happening in Europe. The order seems to flow better for us. For example, we just finished China & Japan from 1850-1900, reading sections of 4 or 5 different chapters in SOTW 4. Now, we are beginning Europe 1850-1900 in the same fashion. FWIW, I also have the AG from SOTW and add in some fun hands on activities and we do oral narration of each section that we read.

I have HO, Level 1 for Early Modern and Modern. They use SOTW 3 and 4 respectively as the major spine. If it's the book he doesn't like, maybe HO wouldn't work?

I would like a full year science course that includes a TM with lesson plans, text (or living books), plus a workbook and/or lab book. We are Christian, but prefer secular science, however, for suggestions, Christian or secular is fine---I need to look at them all. We DO NOT want to focus on one topic all year, but a variety of topics, like a survey course. This is for a Grade 4, 10 year old with science background. Houghton Mifflin? BJU? are there other choices? I need this to be EASY for me and interesting for them. We've used RSO, Elemental, RS4K, Academy of Science kits, unit studies and probably more that I'm forgetting.

Great idea! We use the whiteboard for it all, but I'd love to have a record when we're done, kwim?

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

Joe-Joe's (vanilla bean) and their brushetta mix...they season it so well!

We used Saxon Phonics K this year. It worked wonders. It's Saxon so think a little tedious but tons of review.

I have it--feel free to PM me. I'll be spotty in getting on a lot over the next week or so, but would love to offer anything I can in the way of advice.

A Child's History of the World--so many inaccuracies for us, but I know others rave about it, 100EZ lessons--didn't work for us at all, Horizons math, Singapore/primary mathematics, GWG, Writing Strands, and I'm sure there are more I can't think of now! These aren't bad curricula, they just aren't for us.

Yes, but if you need to save $ you could make your 2nd set. We started in 3rd and I got the multiplication facts set, but they still use the addition/subtraction as review during lessons, so I just made my own from index cards, rubberbanded them and stuck a post it on top as to which group they were.

My son love the Judy Blume Fudge books. He also LOVES. LOVES. LOVES. the Dave and Neta Jackson Trailblazer series of historical fiction books....all of them! I've heard too, that Carole Marsh is awesome. My ds is too sensitive for some of the ghostly mysteries though.

I think that you need to teach him to do it, but I don't think it's too much to ask. Tell him to make checklist...ask me how I know...my son ds9 plays hockey. His coach even tells the team THEY are responsible for every piece of equipment and being ready for their parents to bring them to practice/games on time/early. He does well for the most part, it's always the under armour that gets him. I do stand and have him double check his bag before we close the garage door though, so I guess I'm still helping.

Still planning.... Math: CLE 400 Grammar: FLL4 Writing: ugh. WWE3 and WWW3 OR WWE and mix in IEW....I'm not sure yet Spelling: AAS 4/5 Vocab: not sure maybe Mega Words or WW? I may have him repeat ETC 7 and too...he struggled through it this year. Latin: Finish GSWL Art: Mix MTM and Atelier (when we get to it!!) History: We just started SOTW 4 with AG and HO Modern, so we'll finish, then??? Science: Just started Mr. Q Earth...we like it so far. We'll finish and then?? Typing: Typing Instructor for Kids (already doing this) Bible: either BSGFAA or CLE Bible...not sure yet

Looking for comparisons! We use CLE math and love it. We haven't been consistent with a Bible program for school, so I need EASY to use (so it will get done) and good retention for the kids. I would get 1st and 3rd for CLE and Beginner and Intermediate for BSGFAA.

My plan is to buy the AG once and let the first (my oldest) use the student pages and mark up the chapter sections with what books, projects, games we liked/didn't like. Then, when dd (my younger) needs it I buy the downloadable student pages and print them. Unless, of course, I could find a used, intact AG for less than the .pdf download. I only have 2, but it seemed easiest to me this way. I did this for SOTW 3 and we're in 4 now.