All I had to do was go to the LCC site (latincentered.com) and read the updates there. For those interested, here is a quote from the "Updates" section on that site: 6/9/08: John Mason Neale's History of the Church for Children, is temporarily unavailable. The publisher informs me, however, that they expect to be able to offer the book again by July 1, 2008, in good time for the school year. So all's well that ends well. I know better than to search around when I am sleepy. Thanks to those who *would* have answered me! So now all I need is that darn "Memory Work" book......

I am trying to find "A History of the Church for Children" by John Mason Neale. I don't see it at paideaclassics.org, (a very very groovy site that I am itching to explore!) and when I google I get a different book (I think) titled "Deeds of Faith: Stories for Children from Church History". I might just be too tired to see it all correctly, but I am having trouble finding this book! Does anyone have any experience with finding it? TIA!!!

My local garden store had them too- I think anywhere that specializes in "green" or "organic" type stuff might. They had a pretty good markup, though. I tell you what, the price is high, but after you drink from one you'll never go back to plastic! I drink so much more water now that it tastes like water.

I was just fussing last night that I needed something like this! Thanks so much!

I don't have a coupon, but I did find the Klean Kanteen website to be the lowest price on line. They are out of stock at other places constantly, and I know why! We just got ours and absolutely love them! We bought them at the local gas station (Sequential) for the same price as the discounted price on the website. Hope you get yours soon!

Just curious: what Classically Cursive book are you on? My 5th grader is slow in handwriting due to some LD's, and just finishing up HWT. I like the look of CC, but am not sure where to start. TIA!

Well, my dh and my good friend's dh got together and did the craziest SnS. They bought thick plastic and laid it down the slope of a hill, ending it at a slightly dug-in inflatable pool. Yep, a home-made hillbilly slip-n-slide.... 40 feet long! I did it. Once. The kids loved it, but I guess I am too wimpy! The splash into the cold water a the end was just too much.

The beginning MUS books went fast for us too, then we slowed down a bit starting with Gamma. In my opinion, there is no "too fast"; as long as the student is mastering the material it is fine to move on. I would rather do that than make it boring by going too slow. You could always supplement with another program at the end of the year, just to present the material differently to be sure the student is getting it. Just my opinion- hope it helps!

This is a great resource- do check it out!

Our valley was smoky here in Southern Oregon today, and I thought about y'all down there in CA... I have so many friends there too... Praying for all of you!

I just got my first pair at Costco. They had great service, wonderful selection and helpful staff, not to mention really good prices compared to the other place I looked. They did a great job of helping me choose frames: the woman at the desk discouraged me from getting a pair of frames that I now know would have been terrible for me! She found another pair in a similar style that are amazing, and half the price. I will be going back there!

I joined too, but I am waiting to see if the moderator accepts me. :) Thanks for doing this! You rock!

:)

I agree with all the above posters, and just want to add a few things. We eat as organically as possible. We have 5 in the family, but lots of company. Costco saves us quite a bit. They have lots of organic, and though some is comparable to the grocery store prices most is about half of store prices. I buy frozen fruit, organic hamburger (which we stretch by throwing in a can of kidney beans BTW, no- one has caught on yet!), kettle chips, canned tomoatoes, etc, etc. You just have to budget a LOT of time to wander, and then you won't feel so overwhelmed. Think of it as a huge thrift store, give yourself lots of time the first time, and you can get the hang of it. Another thing- our costco is 2 hours away (though at a town I have to go to once a month). If I buy only one giant bag of organic tortilla chips, the kids seem to eat less, as they know that when they are gone, they are gone. We won't get them again for another month. So by buying more at a trip, and taking one less store trip a month, you can cut costs. Does that make sense? I do it with my haircuts now too... by going a week longer in between I have 2 less haircuts over the course of the year, that equals savings. Apply the principle to the groceries and you will save lots without realizing it. Recruit the kids! After telling them that I can't buy item X every trip due to the economy, they of course complain. Eventually the get it, and even become interested in helping out. Sort of. They still won't eat my leftover surprise, but they are better (also, my friend commented about how much $ I throw away as leftovers, and I have been getting better at that, too). When I find that smokin' sale on toothpaste or whatever, I now buy enough to carry me to the next sale. Makes a HUGE difference. I don't get the psychological panic attack at cutting costs if I see my pantry all full of the basics. When my pantry is bare, I buy more. It's genetic or something. OK- off to work in the garden (big this year to be able to have organic tomatoes... they grow well in pots, too...). HTH!

I find people to be so helpful here that I have never posted on TLT group! I get a daily digest, but honestly since all the posts about the getTOGether a while back I just delete the digests before reading them. Not that I think the get TOGetehr was a bad idea; just that I wasn't going, nor did I know who anyone was even talking about, so it did no apply to me. I am too busy to even be an integral part of the forums I really like (like this one!). I imagine I will just delete my subscription as soon as I get a minute. Now that I know it is a tad creepy (I felt it but thought it was just me?) I imagine I'll delete sooner rather than later. So sorry you had to go through that!

Bumping this for you! Last year (TOG 1) I noticed the I.L. Ancient World was exactly the same as the History Encyclopedia, just larger and with different page numbers. I saw a few page match-up lists floating around on the TOG forum, but it was so very easy just to match the sections to the threads we were reading that I never bothered to check them out after the first week. I guess what I mean is that if you *don't* see a match- up list don't despair... it was super obvious which pages went with the week's reading. I am assuming the Medieval one will be similar, so I am not purchasing the separate book this year. HTH!

Thanks! I guess I can place the order without worry!

It never fails: I make an order and in days I get a free ship offer from the company! I am getting antsy to place at least *one* of my fall orders, but don't want to get bit by "murphy's law of shipping" (i made that up). Anybody know if they ever have shipping offers?

You might call a local print shop. Ours tries to beat the big chains, and they do a great job, provide great service, and at a lower price to boot. Even though I tend to use my home printer for most things, for large jobs it is worth it to me to go there due to the speed of the machines and the good price.

OH thank you so much! I was just looking at these last night and wondering what 'real people' might say about it.

All the Thursday Next novels are brilliant, and so so so funny. I quote them (as best I can...) all the time. My dH thinks I am absolutely nuts!

OK, I am still checking out your blog and it is very very very helpful. I am not sure what needs to be in a notebook for the UG level; that is where I am hung up! I want to list her books for the week, maybe not the chart but more like a list with check boxes. Then any sheets for literature, and maps. I love having a time line incorporated int o the notebook... I am thinking if it is all together it will be more likely to get done! When you talk about adding in coloring pages, did you copy them form another source and put them directly in the notebook? Also, I did purchase evals. this year, but I don't have them yet. I am not sure what is on them (:)) but I bought them hoping to include a 'comprehension quiz' at the end of each week. Thanks so much for helping me think it through!

I forgot to add that I am reading your blog right this minute! Thanks so much for putting the notebook info on there. It is so helpful!!:)

All the kids like the look of the Evan-Moor geography workbooks, so we will do those this year. They are ready for some 'modern' geography. The problem with the TOG maps for my aspie was that the labeling was too intense. I thought perhaps if I included the teacher maps (from Map Aids) in a workbook, we could use them like a resource to understand the setting of the info, without the activity of labeling. Does that make any sense? I am trying to think this through so I can put it all together in the notebook. If I don't plan this far ahead, I am afraid TOG will get set aside too often.

Let me start by saying I like TOG, and it is a good fit for *me*. I love the planning and the variety. My dd loves it as well. It does not fit my ds (11) for many reasons. After reading LCC I just *know* (in that weird way you do) that I am supposed to go LCC-stlye this year. But- I already have TOG 2, and about 1/2 the books. Here is the possibly crazy part: I am considering doing LCC in the a.m. (approx 3 hours). Then, after lunch, my dd can work on TOG (because she wants to). I figure the only way that this will really work is if I stretch Units 1 and 2 to the entire year (I was going to do that anyway) and then make a groovy workbook for each unit (like Karen, Mindy, and etc. do.). My questions for veterans: If you were only going to do a bit of UG level TOG, say 2-3 hours a week, what parts would be essential to put in the notebook? Writing will be done earlier in the day (CW Aesop) as will geography. Would it be useful to put in the teacher's versions of the maps as a reference? How did the timelines *in* the notebook work out? Are notebooks just going to be overkill? Am I nuts for even thinking about this??? Help!!