I work part-time, approximately 60 hours per month, as an independent contractor/writer. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal; it kind of forces me to schedule my time a bit better than I might otherwise. :o Sometimes, though, the week before deadline can get a bit...tense.

Saxon math. For this, I really need a "gouging my eyes out" emoticon. So not the program for us. History's Masterminds (Trisms). Oy vey. I read all the critical reviews. And bought it anyway cuz it just sounded so great. Guess what? Everyone else was right. And I was...less right.

Wow. That was exactly on point. I love this place. BTW, it's cheaper at Amazon. Not that it's now on my wishlist or anything.

:iagree:

I'll trade you. We've moved into rain/freezing rain territory. The ground is starting to thaw out, so the muck around the barn is ankle-deep. Oh, and it's partially frozen in the morning. Bleh. All this after I told God in the fall that I wanted it to be in the 20's from November 1st to March 31st and then spring into spring. I know that He answers, but I'm not so fond of "no."

First of all: :party: CONGRATULATIONS! From a mother who, for medical reasons, could only have one, I delight in your blessing! As for potential ways to handle an announcement: I think the poster above said it perfectly above! :thumbup1:

A little OT-sorry OP! I have no experience with RS, and this is not intended to be critical of those using it. Just, in response the bolded bit above, we have used Analytical Grammar this year. The program is divided into three "seasons," and we're partway through Season 2. I have been AMAZED at my DD's level of retention.

I think we are leading almost parallel lives-at least wrt to 11 year old DDs. We did this, too!

I'll echo the Zaccaro books recommendation. We completed MM6, are doing Lial's Pre-Algebra, and are using a Zaccaro book on Friday. My DD needs a relief from Lial's, which she describes as "tedious." Sigh. But that's another thread.

Today's strains are FAR more potent than earlier ones. Having spent nearly two decades as a prosecutor and having attended lots of training explaining the neurological effects of various substances (particularly the impact on the teenage brain), I am quite firmly in the "Just Say No." camp.

We live out in the country now, but this was a problem at a prior residence. We had a neighbor whose dog thought our front yard was its personal potty. My DD was small and frequently played in the front yard with a different neighbor's children. Sometimes barefooted. I was not amused. We had many, many conversations about the pottying puppy, but the standard line was, "Oh my goodness, not my darling pooch. I watch him all the time." Umm, no you don't. He's frequently loose (as in, let out every morning into the front yard to do his business in MY front yard when they have a fenced back yard themselves) and I SEE him pooping in my yard. Eventually, I got fed up. The next time I saw it happen, I broke out the pooper scooper (you know, the one I used to clean up after MY dog in MY yard) and returned my neighbor's property to him. On his doorstep. With a sweet note, saying "Your dog left something that belongs to him in my yard and I'm returning it." The neighber stopped talking to me, but we NEVER had the problem again. I don't know that I'd recommend this plan to others, because it's no fun having a neighbor who hates you. On the upside, he remained friendly with DH.

Nope. That's Sears. :p

To the previous posters: Your problems are easily fixed. Simply move to a place where there is no Target and no Costco. Voila! Problem solved. (Now, DO NOT ask me what happens to the budget when one heads off to the "big city." But here is a pictorial: :drool: :w00t: :eek: )

We love Analytical Grammar here.

This a FWIW: Last semester, I allowed DD to take a class at a public school (Under state law, we have the right to use the public school system to the extent we choose, and sometimes the schools allow us to do so!). In hindsight, the disruption to our schedule was not worth it. Mornings are our "work" time, and giving that time up created a really ugly situation. (For us. I only have one, and I saw that you can use the time with your younger students.) We had a longer drive, as well. I'd just make sure to consider, in advance, what packing up the school and moving it around will look like in practice. For me, in theory, I thought it would work fine. Oops. On the other hand, I have off-loaded Latin to a class at a local conservatory. (Bad Mommy.) The class meets in the late afternoon (to accomodate public school kids), so it doesn't impact our "school" time. It's more like an extracurricular activity than school, which works for us. Hope this helps. Good luck.

We feed Blue Buffalo, but it's not cheap. On the upside, when you switch to a higher quality food, you feed less because there are fewer fillers. (Makes the backyard cleanup easier, too!)

OP, when we transitioned a barn cat into the house (My first time living in the country as an adult and I learned about mice-EWW.), we kept her in our German Shepard's crate for a week or two. The crate was large enough to accomodate a litter box and food/water bowls, as well as give the kitty room to move around. Maybe you could isolate the more aggressive cat until the transition outside? Also, we have two barn cats who do just fine with sub-zero nights in winter and fairly hot summers (can get into mid-90s.) Granted, they have a barn and a hay stack, as well as access to our shop, but it can be done. Good luck; it sounds like a difficult situation.

OP specifically requested that those who disagree please move on. Perhaps one should honor the request?

:hurray:

:crying:

I agree with much of what has been said in previous posts; I try to point out the positive, but I will try to encourage improvement (gently) where needed (I have a sensitive child.) However, in dealing with the specific bolded situation, I will become quite, err, assertive. If DD were to blow off a performance that involves others (and she does perform), I would not hesitate to point out that her lack of effort/attention/thought negatively impacts others. We treat those situations more seriously because a lack of effort will hurt more than just the slacker child. (If the difficulty with the performance were not because of a lack of effort, obviously the above would not apply.)

We are using AG this year, 6th grade, and love it. We completed Season 1 and then did several weeks of Reinforcement and Review. We started Season 2 this week and DD's retention has been fabulous. I am very pleased with the program and have not found it to be unreasonably difficult. IMO, it seems to build nicely upon itself. As for what we are going to do after- :bigear:. I can't wait to hear what others have to say.

Susan Wise Bauer, on 17 Aug 2012 - 04:55 AM, said: The more intuitive and natural your young writer is, the more they'll hate WWS. It is absolutely the wrong choice for a kid who loves writing. I call it my "Engineer's Guide to Writing." It was constructed with the non-intuitive, "I can't figure this out!" weeping writer in mind. *Those* were the kids who seemed to me to be totally unserved by existing writing programs. Alte Veste Academy, thank you for posting the above. I've not read this quote before, and it has now helped release me from the "But I'm not following SWB's program and she's so awesome" guilt that I've been carrying around. :iagree: This was us, too. This thread has been a great reminder that great curricula don't work for every great child. And that's okay. Thanks, OP.

The Zoo is fabulous; I wouldn't miss it if you've not yet been. (Sorry for the bit of hijacking, OP, but I couldn't resist. I really love San Diego!)

Legoland was our FAVORITE theme park when DD was small (4-5 years old.) There is so much for the little ones to enjoy, unlike the larger parks where many rides are limited to taller children. For us, two days was great. It allowed us to take our time, rest when the short legs needed it, and schedule nap time in the afternoon (Yay!). With only four days, however, I don't know whether you'll want to schedule that much time. I guess it depends on how much your children enjoy theme parks. I went to law school in San Diego; what a fabulous place for a vacation! Please know that there is, in a part of the country that is bracing for another round of extremely cold weather, a woman who is bitterly envious. Have fun for both of us, will you please? :drool5: