8FillTheHeart- That was a very interesting perspective. That has been part of DS's frustration- there are so many ways to spell phonetically, even when following the rules. I would have to skip the word searches as he can never "see" the words. I'm convinced, I'll give A&P a try. Is there a way to determine placement?

Thanks for giving me curriculum to look through. :)

Chelli- Thanks for linking your review! I'm wondering, though, it seems that dc would really just be memorizing the words vs. understanding the rules. When ds gets careless, he'll spell "uf" and "whut". And, yes, he'll be using the computer plenty this coming year.

I am looking for modern history- 1800 or so to present. DS studied early American history ad nauseum last year at ps. My first impression of Light to the Nations 2 is that it might be a bit on the hard side, even though DS is a good reader. I'll look at it more closely.

I'll look further into Catholic Textbook Project- the cover looks pretty, although it says it's for 8-10th grade. Connecting with History isn't out yet for logic stage modern history. I also don't want to be flipping through different resources. It's too hard for me to keep him and myself organized. On further thought, maybe there aren't too many delicate topics for a bright 12 year-old. It's not like he's a sweet 6-year-old Disney princess, like his sister was a few years back.

I know it's billed at 3-6th on their website, but it just seems like a more engaging approach than the memoria press samples I've seen. Latina Christiana et al seem very thorough, but rather... boring. However, this would put my son in the 2nd book when he's in 7th. I read people complained that the second book moves too quickly, but perhaps that would be more approriate for an older student. Thoughts?

Regentrude- I knew that spelling didn't look right! :) So what did you use for analysis when your kiddos were younger? I have previously felt the same way, but I'm exploring other options.

How much writing is actually involved over the course of a week? Can DS type it on the computer? My son is a reluctant writer- how much other writing will be needed outside of IEW to round him out, or will IEW pretty much cover that? Thanks!

One part of me likes the idea of just having a reading book from classic authors with questions regarding the excerpt. The other part thinks a whole book should be necessary to truly get it. Does anyone have suggestions for a reading book with classical selections? Or for some other literary analysis? We're Catholic, but it doesn't have to be Catholic, per se.

DS12 is a little out of sequence with classical history. Is there an engaging curriculum for middle school that is fun and thought-provoking, yet age appropriate with some of the more delicate topics? Thanks!

DS gets super frustrated with all of the exceptions to spelling rules. But has no memory for recalling the spelling without them it seems. He needs the rules. Does Apples and Pears teach rules? I'm willing to put time towards the topics that he can't really do independently. Right now I'm trying to determine what those are. :)

I will be homeschooling my 12yo again this year again after taking last year off for a wild toddler and a new baby. His spelling is truly atrocious, and he seemed to lose much of what we had gained with our ps break. We had gotten midway through AAS3 when we stopped. I just used the teacher instruction manual and a white board, trying to keep it simple. I really would like him to be as independent as possible and was wondering about Apples and Pears. Is it a workbook equivalent to AAS?

I have a 6th grader that I'm thinking of starting in this program in the fall, probably the writing intensive course. Just how much time is involved with each lesson? He's had some dysgraphic/dyslexic issues. As I choose his other courses I want to plan accordingly so as not to overwhelm him. Thanks. (Thanks for the heads-up Marrayshire.)

Thanks for the input. I'm leaning towards not going. It is a ton of money. Maybe next year I'll be more on the ball about registering early for half the cost.

Thanks for the link! People seem fairly divided.

This will be my third year homeschooling. Usually we are out of time during the convention, but this year we happen to be here. Is it worth the expense? I have a good idea of the curriculum I'll be using already.

This is brilliant!! Thanks for the idea. I pulled out the dress and it seems a bit.... billowy, but this is a small affair and I think I can make it work without spending oodles on a new one.

OK- the wedding gown idea is just not going to happen in a week. It's a fantastic idea, since it's just sitting in storage at MIL house anyway. I did call the church- they did not offer a white bib. I'll see if I can find anything else. Really, it's just a white dress that dd1 wore, not so much a baptismal gown, per se. She was about 3 months old, so I don't know if dd2 would be swimming in it or not. I guess I could actually pull it out. Thanks for the responses. I guess I'm a little paranoid- there was a baptism after mass on Sunday, and the baby girl had a gorgeous, long gown with big bow-thing on her head. She was beautiful. It's not about being a show though, I know.

New Baby will be baptised next week. DD1 was baptised in a Lutheran church- she wore a white dress that had been mine as a baby. I even made a handkerchief bonnet in a rare moment of craftiness, thinking it could be "something old" when she gets married. I do not forseeing myself getting it together enough to make another one. I was not raised Christian. Is it traditional that each baby have his/her own garment, or is recycling common, or does it not really matter? Silly question, perhaps, but I really want to establish traditions within our little family since I don't have any to pass down.

I'd eat it...

Good luck to your dd! Been there, done that.

Anyone else? It's tied three ways. :D

My birthday's coming, and I want a toy. Mostly to surf the net, possibly read a book, or play a silly game while nursing dd. Either would be reconditioned to cut costs. I don't have a smart phone, just a very basic pay-per-minute model. What say the hive?

My due date is the 14th, and dh and I have struggled for the last nine months finding a name we can agree on, etc. Our other children are named William, Sophia, and Henry. We both like classic names, but many of the good ones have become popular, like Sophia :( My husband insists on it being versatile. He likes Catherine, which I think is a beautiful name, but very common in every age bracket. I like "Adelaide" (Ada, Addie), a nod to a very distant Norman grandmother. However, people think that I'm saying "Natalie" and I have to repeat myself. Our last name starts with K. He mentioned using "Linda", his mother's name in it somewhere, but that name seems dated in a bad way. She is a marvelous woman that I adore and I know she would love it. Help! Wait for the poll.

I have two kids- one on the 16th, the other the 27th. They are always celebrated on their birthdays. My dd also plans a "summer party" to invite friends over for pizza/sleepover/whatever- no gifts.