Besides baking, I use it to make pizza dough. My kids' absolute favorite meal is when I make the dough and give them each a piece, then they can each create their own pizza. It's also a hit when they have friends over.

My son did TT Algebra 1 last year (when he was in 7th grade) and scored advanced on the state testing. The only problem I found with it was that it didn't cover the quadratic equation, which I went over with him. I did notice that the Algebra 1 book has been revised this year and does cover that. He is doing TT Geometry this year and I have been pleased with it.

Last weekend we went to the beach. I think it's the first time I've been to the beach, without a jacket on, in January! I've also been noticing the poppies growing along the road.

DD 11 - dyslexia Math - Teaching Textbooks 6 Barton Level 6 Winston Grammar Word Roots Vocabulary Goes to school 2 days a week for History and Science Other activities: Awana, Taekwondo, Horseback riding

You'll definitely want to get the new version of Algebra 1. My son did the older version last year (only the book, he doesn't like the CDs) and right before state testing I realized that it didn't cover the quadratic equation! For the week before the test I had to cover that with him, and he said there were a few questions about it on the test (he did still manage to get an advanced score on the test). I saw that with the new version coming out this year that they do cover the quadratic equation.

I've had a friend hint at having me homeschool her son, but he has educational/behavioral issues and there's no way I would bring him into my home to disrupt my children's education. The only time I seriously considered homeschooling other children was a few years ago when the teachers in our school district went on strike the month before school ended. There was talk of them shutting the schools down for the rest of the school year. I told a friend that she was welcome to send her daughters to my house during that time, so at least they could learn something the last month of school. It helped that they were the same age as my children, so they could just do the same lessons my children were doing. I didn't end up doing that because the strike lasted only a few days.

My son also does not like the CDs so I am only going to be using the book for him for Geometry this year (he didn't use the CDs for Algebra). That makes it much more cost effective.

I just received my STAR test results today and my son who did the TT Algebra 1 scored Advanced. I'm happy with the program.

This year we were horrified when we saw the practice STAR test books (the California standardized test). The problems were so difficult it was apparent that they were way above grade level. We haven't received our results back yet, but the actual test had to be easier than the practice book! (I have a science degree and had a difficult time answering many of the science questions in the 5th grade book. This was almost college level material!)

My children like the workbooks better than the CDs. My son did the Algebra only in the workbook.

I took my son to the orthodontist this morning and asked why they weren't doing the Herbst appliance with him. They said that they will do it if the overbite is severe enough. Fortunately, my son's overbite is not too bad and can be corrected easily with just elastics. They said the appliances can be uncomfortable, so they try to avoid it if they can. They take it on a case by case basis for each patient.

When I talk to the orthodontist, I'll let you know (it was the assistant who told me this).

I hear you! I used Writing Stands last year (5th and 7th grade) and was not thrilled with it at all. I'm going to try Bravewriter this year. I hear very good things about it. Unfortunately, since I haven't used it yet, I can't tell you what it is like.

They haven't told me exactly what the procedure is, but they will be using elastics instead (which is what I thought they used to do before the Herbst appliance!). My son probably won't get it done for another month or two.

My son got his braces on at the beginning of the year. They were going to put a Herbst appliance in to correct his overbite. At his last appointment, I asked them when they were going to put it in. I was informed that our orthodontist no longer uses the Herbst appliance and uses a different method to correct overbites now.

I used Word Roots for my daughter last year (5th grade) and Vocabulary from Classical Roots for my son (7th grade). My daughter enjoyed the Word Roots workbook. The only down side is that there are different words on every page, so if you want your child to learn those particular words well, it could be difficult. Word Roots is good for teaching the child to break apart the words, look at the different parts, and figure out what the words mean. VFCR teaches the individual words better (more like a straightforward vocabulary program), but my son would have a hard time picking out the Latin or Greek root within the word. This year, I'm again using Word Roots for my daughter and VFCR for my son (my daughter is dyslexic, so VFCR would be a little too dry for her).

I received the most recent newsletter with a sample a few days ago. Here is the link http://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.bravewriter.com2/page_attachments/108/The_WandSample.pdf

Your children are at a good age to start the Basic program. Since I break each lesson into 3 parts, it doesn't take more than a half hour to do each part. If you are going to do a lesson/worksheet all in one sitting, I'd say give it at least 45 minutes or an hour. If you are teaching multiple children, you can buy a separate card set/workbook for each child. The supplemental book does cover the same lessons as the Basic Winston Grammar - if your child retains things well, you probably don't need it. My daughter is dyslexic, so I thought a year of review would be good for her. I like your idea about color coding with highlighters. I was so impressed with the Basic Winston Grammar for my daughter, that I am going to be using the Advanced Winston Grammar for my 8th grade son (not dyslexic), but he doesn't like the cards, so maybe I'll have him do the highlighting instead. The cards are good for a child who learns well by multisensory methods. By the end of the year last year, my daughter was not using the cards and going straight to the workbook. It depends on the child. Word Works touches on different grammar usage questions. You can find more info about it at www.winstongrammar.com. The price is pretty reasonable for the programs. Check our rainbow resource for pricing.

The only place I've found jeans to fit my daughter is Target.

My 5th grade daughter did it and we made it last for the whole year. A teacher at the charter school my daughter attends had actually taught Winston Grammar in a classroom setting, so I asked her for advice about how quickly I should move through it. She said to do one lesson a week. I would do it over 3 days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). The first day would be the lesson, and the next 2 days would be a half worksheet per day. I was very happy with how comprehensive it is. For this next year, instead of jumping into Advanced Winston Grammar, I'm going to do the supplemental book to Basic Winston Grammar to reinforce the concepts she learned and also do Winston Word Works.

I did WWE with my daughter for the first time last year and was getting frustrated with the dictation also. She definitely can't keep whole passages in her head. I break it into small parts and she does Ok.

I obtained my MT/CLS license in California in 1992 and worked at UCI Medical Center for 12 years in the microbiology dept.(before staying home full time to homeschool my kids). In California, it's a little different because a state license is required (there are a few other states in the country that also require this). I obtained a bachelor's degree in Biology and then entered a 1 year training program. I agree with the previous post that it would be extremely difficult to pass the licensing exam with only lab experience and no formal training. The licensing exam is really tough! I've heard that the fail rate is very high for people who didn't go through the training program (of course this was in 1992!) - usually these would be people from other countries who were medical technologists and needed to get licenses in this country.

No way. If the skirt was longer (at least knee length) then I would think about it.

My dyslexic daughter was in 5th grade last year and we used Winston Grammar. For math we used Teaching Textbooks. I liked both programs for her.

My husband starting working at home 3 days a week last year. We have a school room upstairs and I offered to give it to him as an office. He tried it for one day and didn't like it - he likes working in the living room downstairs where it's nice and open. So we do school upstairs and he works downstairs. My kids are junior high age, so they can work quietly on their own upstairs. It has worked very well for us. He enjoys being able to take a break and hit golf balls with our son.