We used both Saxon and Singapore, a lesson in each every day, in the order in which they appeared in each book. I'd often have the kids do either the odds or the evens in the Saxon, but they did both programs. I felt this was a much better approach than trying to supplement. It was not an overwhelming amount of work and they got an excellent math education. My kids were on grade level in the Singapore, and a year ahead in the Saxon, so in 4th grade, for example, they would be in Sing. 4 and Saxon 6/5. Ria

You'll want the Primary Math series; you can either get Primary Math, US edition or Primary Math, 3rd edition. They are the same program except the US edition uses fruits and foods common to the US in their word problems (apples and bananas instead of leechees and durians) and has US names for the kids mentioned in the word problems. You need Textbooks 1A and 1B and Workbooks 1A and 1B. If you feel your dd is still moving more quickly than you'd like, you can click on the math supplements tab at singaporemath.com and order Primary 1A intensive practice, or extra practice. Hope this helps! My kiddos were similar to your dd, but they slowed down a bit once they moved into 1B. Ria

Package #3 is what many of us on the boards got. Hope that helps. Ria

We *love* Firefly here! Ria

Oh, my! She's a doll! I love Bostons. I'm going to have to show her picture to my good friends up the street...they have two Bostons! I'm jealous of your new baby! Enjoy!! Ria

Any chance you can make them pay for refinishing it? Maybe you have some pictures of it showing it in good condition before you left? Did you make the house-sitters sign a contract? I'm sorry! Ria

She's stunningly beautiful! Feel free to post more pictures of the little sweetie! Ria

Congratulations, and thank you so much for including us! I loved the pictures! Ria

How big of a risk are tetanus, diptheria and pertussis? Diptheria and pertussis are contagious. Tetanus isn't contagious, but the pertussis and diptheria vaccines are often given with it which probably explains the school's actions. Depending on where you live, pertussis can be a serious concern. We live near Amish country (ie, lots of unimmunized kiddos) and yes, pertussis does rear its head almost every year and it can kill. I'm not sure if there are diptheria outbreaks in the US at this point; I know it is still a common deadly disease in many Third World countries. Risk could be assesed in two ways: risk to individuals who contract the disease and risk of catching the disease. As far as risk if one contracts the disease, you could google and find out the facts. As far as risk of actually catching the disease in this country, there are some variables. In general, kids in the US are at less risk of catching the diseases for which we immunize because most kids here are immunized...unimmunized children are at less risk of ever contracting the diseases because there are few carriers of them in this country. However, if the unimmunized population increases, the chance increases that such childhood diseases will once again become prevalent. Ria

How exciting! Please post pictures of your new baby when he/she arrives! Ria

This is so funny! I've been away from the boards for such a long time, and popped in. And guess what? I got a friend request! And I was sooooo tickled! Someone remembered me and wants to be my friend! It honestly made my day. How silly is that?! LOL!!! Ria

When my six kiddos were still all in elementary grades, we had the most luck using Sonlight for history because I could easily combine the kids (those were in the old days before SOTW, lol!). I wrote my own science program and we used that with everyone, too. Math and English were all done at their individual levels. Other subjects were completely independent. What I found worked best was to have some "together" time and then have the kids do their other subject, then more together time, then more other things. For example, we might start the day with history (lots of reading aloud by me) and then everyone would do math. I'd work with one child at a time, explaining the lesson and sending them to the table to do their own work while I moved on to the next child. While the kids were waiting for their turn with me they would work on their independent subjects (spelling, handwriting, math drills, Learnables) so they had no reason to just sit around doing nothing. I think organization is more important than a specific curriculum for most subjects. I do think it's much easier (and a heck of a lot more fun) to use a history program that you can adjust to include all the kids. We are no longer homeschooling, but some of my fondest memories are of us curled up on the sofa reading aloud. Ria mom of college sophomores dd and ds, 19, and boys 16, 14, 13, 11

I have a friend who did this, but with a male dog. It worked beautifully. The dog showed and made champion and was used for stud, but lived most of the time with my friend and her family. After a certain period of time my friend became the sole owner. It worked very well for them. Their dog was a Westie. Ria

Thanks, Michele. I actually had that one, but it lacks the depth and detail I am looking for so I sold it. :( Ria

Our district has a similar policy...some books can come home, but others must remain at school. The ones that must stay at school are books for which the textbook is available online, so the kids can access the book from home via the internet. In some cases I have also bought the books (used, on ebay or amazon) just because I like books better than a screen, lol. Ria

Our twins are sophomores in college this year, and our 11th grader is just beginning the college search. One thing we did with the twins that really helped was to first figure out two things: 1. What size school did they want? and 2. Where in the US did they want to be? Our kids both decided they liked smaller colleges, and they both wanted to be within 2-3 hours of home. Once we had those parameters, we were able to go to the college board website and input that information along with their desired majors (dd: nursing; ds: engineering). We got a great list of colleges. Next we looked at the college websites, and decided which schools to visit. One thing we did not do was limit schools from the search because of their tuition; we know that private colleges often have a lot of grant money available. Long story short, dd chose a small school that offered her a full-tuition scholarship and admission to a highly competitive 5-year BS/MS program (she'll graduate w/ her masters as a nurse practioner). Ds was accepted at a very competitive private school, but they gave him a 1/2 tuition grant, thus making it possible for him to attend. Ria

I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a good US history reference book. My boys (6th, 7th, 9th, and 11th grades) are in ps now, and I'd love to have a good US history book in our home library. I've got one of the Spielvogel texts for world history, but really don't have a comprehensive US history text suitable for the 6th and 7th graders in particular. Suggestions? Thanks! Ria

We adopted two cats from a local cat rescue organization two years ago. It was a wonderfu experience. The kitten (8 weeks old) and the cat (3 years old) had been kept in foster homes and were much loved by their foster families. Both were healthy and friendly. Our 11-year old lab was great with them, and both cats quickly learned to like the dog. We've decided to get another kitten in a few months. This time we've done our research and found a show breeder of Bengal cats. She's got a good reputation nationally - she's not just a "backyard breeder." Our kitten was born two weeks ago...I'm so excited! Our two existing cats are both males and are wonderful. The new kitten is a little girl. With five sons and only one daughter, plus the two male cats, I deserve a little girl! My friends at work have girl cats and think they are great. I think my male cats are great. Ultimately I think any cat can be wonderful...it's all in the personality and how they are raised. Ria

We have a coal stove (we are lucky - coal is widely available here in PA). Our dryer is on the off-peak service so we save there. I can some food (this year some jam, salsa, and pizza sauce). We freeze sweet red peppers since I can get them cheap from the Amish in the summer ($12 for a bushel!) and blueberries. We dry tomatoes in the dehydrator. I make everything from scratch and often make my own bread (I grind wheat for whole-wheat flour and make half white/half ww bread). We make our own yogurt by the gallon and make our own granola. I buy meat in bulk and freeze it in smaller portions. I rarely drive to a single destination anymore...if I go out, I try to run as many errands as possible in whatever area I'll be in. That's really saved a lot of gas. We get lots of our clothes at thrift stores. I make my own laundry detergent, too. Ria

We sat our five sons down and told them that when a parent asks them to do something, there is one - and only one - acceptable response, "Yes, Mom (or Dad)". Grumbling or arguing earned them more work, and sometimes separation from the rest of the family. The key is to be consistent. Do not allow grumbling or complaining, and discipline for it each and every time. My boys are now 19, 16, 14, 13, and 11 and while they might not want to do what we ask them to do, they do it without complaining. Today I asked the five of them to do some work for me while I was at work. I came home and the entire downstairs was spotless, as were the three bathrooms. And they still love me. :) Ria

Call the police. NOW. Ria

My dh is a chemical and mechanical engineer who designes heat transfer equipment mainly for the petroleum industry. I am a pharmacy technician. Ria

We got 3" memory foam toppers. They are wonderful. What we did was buy a king-size topper (it was Sealy or Serta, I think) from Overstock.com. They offer these for the same price no matter what size you get. So, we ordered several king size toppers and used an electric bread knife to cut them in half. Voila...two foam toppers for the price of one. BTW, our kids love their toppers so much that we ordered an extra and cut it so each of the twins could take one to college. I actually had some of their friends email me to find out where they could get one! LOL! Ria

Do you have a friend who has a front-loader washer? Maybe you can find someone who would let you wash it at her house... Ria

My favorite is tomatoes...I dry them until they are still *just* pliable, and then put them in mason jars and cover with olive oil (sometimes I add garlic as well). Voila...sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. Lovely! Ria