Wow, very impressed and wish I could use any of these products! I hope you all have Shirley Temple days today!

The one thing that I didn't read that our floor refinisher guy said, is that you must dry the floor. I wash and then the kids dry it. I will say that this has decreased the frequency of this event for us, but we do it sometimes and it looks great when it happens. Ronda

I would SO like to have Jennifer Garner play me (in my dreams)! Strong and beautiful. I will have to do this online thing to see who it would REALLY pair me with. I am sorry but a size 6/8 John Candy is making me lol! Ronda

I learned much of how I save money from the Tightwad Gazette when she was first writing it, but I have never heard of this? I am going to google it, but would love to hear more about it! Thanks ladies! Ronda

I have been on these boards for many years, off and on, and it is such a encouragement to hear of people living their dreams. Hope your daughter has a great college experience with God in the lead. I just prayed that for her. Ronda

The score is great, but your enthusiasm is what is fantastic! I think that I have some real worries about these tests that will be coming up soon, so your wonderful example is truly blessing me! Ronda

I think that your ideas about reading some higher level books of specific interests and then writing up a portfolio about her help for your presentations. This has been so enlightening to me. Thanks for your post. Ronda

Hope you will see this note today. She is prayed for and cared for by our God that sees and hears us! Ronda

Our cooperative Bio teacher has concurred with this gal. Very similar, but they did make us switch to the new one for the class. I have the old General Science one and liked it and may stick with it. Ronda

Maybe won't work for you, but sure DID for us. You wouldn't even have to use the whole book. Great tool for just this issue, I think. Ronda

Hi, I immediately thought of our mentors daughter. They all love the Lord, but this dd was going to push you over a cliff to get her way. They would have to put her on silence to get her to finally stop talking. She is now an excellent ICU nurse and wife and mother. I think that she has learned the hard way about upsetting other people with her "my way or the highway attitude." She is honestly lovely now. Controlling our first impulses is harder for some than others, but the school of hard knocks is a fabulous place to graduate from. Ronda ps I prayed for you as I finished this email. Hope is elusive, but real anyway.

I know that we have had a lot of extra stress here at home and one of my friends wants to start a group called M.O.M. --Mothers Against May. I had to laugh as we have so many activities winding down but with such huge pomp and circumstance! Here's hoping that we all REALLY take a break and do something to burn off the stress of the school year.

Are they all hardback? I have both of them and they are hardback and I bought them off of the old board about 3 years ago. They were like new and we have used them for 3 years and they still look great. This was a great find and is a great plan for my children. Here' hoping that people sell them when they are done... Ronda

I am really enjoying these helpful posts. I didn't even realize it until now, but my My Father's World curriculum really has a bent toward a 4 day week. We do extra fun stuff on that 5th day. I also have done it where we do school for 6 weeks and take a week of break instead of the traditional all summer break. I need more of a reprieve than they do sometimes. Blessings, Ronda

i appreciate your great ability to have parts of your pain figured out. we don't make it a big deal here either. i usually want us all to go outside to plant something or just breathe clean air together.:) i don't want to be offensive, but i would like to pray for you, as i understand this pain, and have not been able to ever reconcile it alone, but enough said. your note is a great reminder that there is joy, but sometimes it is harder to find on the well beaten paths. With kindness, Ronda

This is the site that we use quite a bit as well. I will add that if you let your kids look at what the site says, they need to be careful as the authors are very direct and this may not be appropriate for the younger people reading the plugged in website. Thanks for the great warning! Joy, Ronda

Our ds is finishing the Notgrass Ancient Hx. in the next 2 weeks and has commented that he has finally "gotten it" regarding why our government has evolved, if you will, the way it has. I also would add that I know that he will be having 2 years of US history and government the last 2 years of hs if God is willing. We like the classical order of the WTM and I am seeing it benefit ds. Joy to you, Ronda

I agree with reading a very long list of classical books, but I am finding that the books that I am rereading with our children as an adult, I am understanding now because I have LIFE experience. When I was 15 and read Beowulf, I got an A and thought I understood. Ridiculous. We read 35 books for the Middle Ages study, but only delved into about one per month. I have the getting bogged down and trying to be utterly comprehensive problem so we have to make ourselves keep moving. My 2 cents worth. Ronda

A man at a hs conference once told us that to help his kids figure out that they were responsible for their school work, he told them that if they were behind at the holidays they would do school on that day. They could eat with them but have to go back to their work after the meal. He said that at least 2 of the older ones had to do that, but ONLY once and the younger ones got it and never did have to do that in highschool. Kinda radical, but you know our lives are like that now, don't you think? Ronda

Briefly, my I add, that sometimes when people are "just sitting staring out the window" it appears that they are doing nothing. However, many people ARE doing something....thinking. "Stew pot thinking" is some of the most creative, original and ingenious thinking that can be done. Maybe this is not the case here, but I thought it worth putting the thought out there. Secondly, a trick I use that none of my children like, but that it does work very effectively for short durations, is the timer. It gives us a plan and then we go work it. Joy to you today, Ronda

Maybe this is in the duh column, but our son loves anything by C.S. Lewis. He read the sci-fi series last summer and wishes there were more. I agree with these other contributors that it is ok to be reading at a level that is not your grade. I do it all the time. Isn't that what every magazine in America is written to? Joy to you today! Ronda

Our son loved the Chuck Black series called the Kingdom's Edge series. These are exciting and scripturally allegorical. He is 14 now and read them as they came out since he was younger. He also says that he really enjoyed the Hittite Warrior. He read the Odyssey this year but says that if you don't love reading to definitely choose something lighter to start. I agreed. Joy to you today, Ronda

I agree with Karen regarding the book that she suggests. I have read parts of it and our curriculum (MFW) suggests reading it. Joy, Ronda

Yes, it is required for us to write these for matriculation into our state university and it is because we hs. We have banded together and are helping each other get some consistency going. I am using Inge Cannon's Education Plus material to keep good records. Joy to you today.

I have had help understanding some of these same issues from the humble people at http://www.reasonstobelieve.org Hope this is helpful. Ronda