Echoing Kathy's congratulations and sentiments. As to almost halfway through, dd has just 1 more year! It has gone *so* fast. ~Moira

Hi all Well dd2 didn't get into architecture at McGill -- although she's been accepted into the Arts Faculty there. She was disappointed but not overly so. She's more concerned about a summer job she's applied for :001_smile:: She's still trying to decide between architecture and Japanese. She's happy to go with Japanese at this point although that may change if she gets accepted at another uni in Canada whose deadline for portfolio's wasn't until April 1 (2 this year because of the weekend). So. We wait... ~Moira

Mooooom, Congratulations to all your dcs, good luck with decisions. My dd2 has now heard on 2 of 6 applications, both positive. She's still working on the required portfolio for one of her other applications -- things seem to be later (and more laid back) in Canada. ~Moira

Congratulations to your dd ~Moira

So sorry to hear of your dd's continuing health problems. I hope you get a diagnosis soon. Hope her application for medical leave goes smoothly. Prayers for a swift recovery. ~Moira

dd2 is an intern with the food project here in Boston. They have a build-a-garden program that puts raised bed gardens into the yards of inner city folk --raised beds are the best way to avoid lead issues. They also teach the gardeners how to use square foot gardening concepts in those beds. You'll find a growing guide pdf here. It is intended for zone 5 gardens so the timing data will not apply but the information about spacing and cultivation should be useful in any zone. Good luck with your garden. ~Moira

Too funny! Enjoy the accomplishment! Congratulations to you both. ~Moira

Not my student! She's done, and most thankful to be so. But I did drive her to the T-station early this morning to get to work and she was pretty grumpy! As I came to the rotary where we'd have had to turn off for the school where she took the SATs, I suggested that her day could have been worse...I think she *almost* smiled. Good luck to your dd. ~Moira

You should check out The Dog Who Wouldn't be if you haven't already. We laughed so hard! Second thoughts maybe not such a good bed-time book.. ~Moira

A few titles I haven't seen others mention: For science in general: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions For chemistry: The Disappearing Spoon For biology: Darwin's Ghost For history (not a book but worthwhile anyway): History of the Supreme Court For art(?) Color hth ~Moira

Dutch Blitz is really amazing to play especially with competitive players. With six it may just get too frantic. But it's cheap, so why not try it? Other games we like. Honor of the Samurai Trans America Five Crowns Mahjong Sorry Scrabble Uno ~Moira

Sorry to hear she's not improving as anticipated. Hope that things will turn out well. thinking of you all ~Moira

:grouphug: Glad to hear that it is something readily managed. ~Moira

:iagree: for winter days. 55 @night 78 in summer. ~Moira

Questions for you: Did you enjoy Omnibus I? Did the format work for you? Would you like to continue with II but feel discourage by the amount of work you anticipate? Well, just to add to your confusion...Omnibus II is way less work than Omnibus I. I think the authors realized that they'd gone overboard in I. It was our favorite year of the 3 we did. Just a data point for you. hth ~Moira

I finally broke down and bought TI-89 Graphing Calculator for Dummies last year when I was going through Precalculus with my younger dd. Her elder sister had used the TI-84 which I could handle much more readily. I loathe the whole dummies concept but it was the best resource out there that I could find. I think my major contribution to her progress was shouldering the frustrations of learning to use the calculator. ~Moira

Coconut sugar is, I'm told, considered safe for diabetics. We use that in baking since it substitutes directly for cane sugar. Other than that we use raw honey, agave and maple syrups. Best way to avoid sugar though is to not buy any processed food. jmho ~Moira

Wonderful, congrats to him. I love your comment about his being employable and not moving back home. ;D ~Moira

I considered it after using his Algebra 2 text very successfully with my elder dd. I really like the way he presents material I decided against it for dd2 for much the same reason that you cite. I stuck with Jacob's Algebra and then Geometry, and only went to Forster when my dd2 was older and ready for a meaty math text. jmho, hth ~Moira

Thanks everyone. It's nice to have a place to share these stories. @Jane, she posted a recipe for chicken liver this am! ~Moira

:grouphug: It is hard when your child is suffering. But it sounds to me that she's going to find a way to make it work for her. Things really do seem to settle down in the second semester -- your sig say's she's a freshman -- and things do get easier. Dd1 is in her second year now, she is busy and involved. Her first semester was tough, the second was much better. Hang in there. My suggestion is that you be supportive of her wishes but set boundaries for yourself. In some ways the hardest aspect of being the parent of older kids is not being about to make everything better. ~Moira

:iagree: There is just so much to do at this point in senior year, and as Faith indicated, there is real ambivalence. They want to be done with school but aren't sure about the next step. Hang in there, you'll make it and so will she but probably not on your schedule. ~Moira

dd1 was profiled for the McGill chapter of this online magazine. Not a mention of homeschooling so it looks like she passes for normal :D You can read the profile here if you're so inclined: Campus Celebrity ~Moira

Interesting, it looks like you can an e-text with a 1 year license to the student text for less than $16. It may be a good option for those of us who are brushing up our own French. ~Moira

Cheryl, There are many, many online options available. Some run asynchronously, others require 'classroom' attendance. However, I do counsel you not to start with too many at first. Some students really do well with online courses, other just flounder. Maybe, you could find a short course that would work with your plans for this year and see how your student reacts to this new way of learning. As an example, I used 6-week writing courses from bravewriter with my dds to see how things might work. These replaced their usual English studies for that period. hth ~Moira