We use Sadlier-Oxford (also for 4th and 6th). It seems challenging enough for the grade level and I like the variety of exercises. For us though it seems we'll be done with the books at mid-year, so we'll be switching to something else for the second half.

Well I think kids should ONLY study typing until high school. Just because people say things doesn't mean you should pay them any mind.

Just to be sure to check the mattress seams and the headboard and you'll be fine. If however they are found, I would not stay in ANY room in that hotel. Good luck!

Me too. Let's see, radiation, or groping. Great choices. Unfortunately many people have little choice but to fly, but for me going forward I will only fly if there's no way around it. These TSA people don't get such great screening themselves (remember the case last year of a TSA agent "planting" some drugs on a passenger as a joke -- believe it was at the Philadelphia Airport)? I'm not counting on people like that to use good sense or humanity with respect to either naked scanned images or pat-downs. And good luck to us all suing the government, TSA or the out-of-business airlines a decade or two from now when the increased incidences of cancers start showing up. (okay, let's see all your airline flight stubs from the past 20 years to prove how much you flew...) It's maddening. And there's nothing preventing anyone from blowing up buses and trains, and they still appear to be running.

Yes.

Haha, thank you Capt. Uhura, kinda funny that I even referred to Caesar's English later in my post. Let's just say I start in Town -- are there aspects of the prior level that I should consider getting anyway? I'm already thinking of the poetry, since my son has already expressed an interest in this area. Torn. Conflicted. I don't really want to rush. Yet, I also don't want to be wasteful of my kids' (or my) time, since we do plenty of "stuff" in our hsing day.

She's engaged to be married. Does that change the thinking at all?

Thanks for all your great info on MCT and your experiences with it. Also thanks to Capt. Uhura for her input. I checked the abbreviations sticky but don't see "CE" -- may I ask what that is? We are also big LOF fans, so maybe there's something to that connection in terms of how a subject is approached. My kids love words and wordplay, I can always make them laugh with a slightly offbeat turn of phrase. Also my 4th grader has always naturally extrapolated language to the point of creating non-real phrases. He will say he's "full-handed" if he has too much himself to help me carry something. Or he'll refer to his pant legs as "leg sleeves," and one time he had a pain in his "leg pit." Heh. When he was much younger and didn't like something, he'd tell us, "That's too fluvin." (I'm just guessing at how that might be spelled, possibly "flooven.") My husband asked me what I thought that was, and I said, "I don't know, but it's definitely an adjective." I think level-wise we OUGHT to start with Town, but I'm still longingly leaning toward Island so we don't miss anything. With a mid-year start we won't feel like we're behind, just getting up to speed. I do have a fear of turning the kids off due to it seeming too easy, but at the same time I've read of certain people starting even older children than mine (9 & 11) with Island and everyone still enjoying it. I don't see any huge turnoffs in the Building Words sample pages -- does it just suffer in comparison to the Caesar's English levels, or is there something dreary about it? Maybe because my 6th grader just finished a Roman Studies unit, I was rather enjoying the arches and aqueducts. Still suffering my indecision.

I just print what we need, when we need it. We've been really enjoying Time Travelers.

In this economy, it's becoming even more common. I've seen articles on it. Think, if you're underwater on your mortgage by a lot and can't afford to sell the house etc. Not to mention coming up with money for divorce lawyers.

Gee, it was starting to sound like an urban legend, except it actually happened to you! But I did wonder why ANYONE would be sitting in their car for a couple hours watching a dog? Seems very strange. Also concerned that your kids got out of the car -- thankfully it wasn't a ruse by a stranger wanting access to kids...but it could have been! Glad everyone's home safe. Too bad you didn't get the lady's license plate number.

I'd be up for that!

I would like to try it, but I'm very conflicted about where to start. I'd love to start at the beginning, but my 4th grader is strong in langauge arts. But if we start in Town, I'm wondering what neat stuff we might miss at the prior level. On top of that we're approaching mid-year, so that sort of complicates my thinking on the issue. Ack! Also the program is too pricey to guess wrong on this. And right now the Royal Fireworks message boards are almost brand spanking new, from having switched from a Yahoo group. So there is not a lof of information there, yet, to offer guidance. Right now with my fourth grader we've ditched Easy Grammar (although my 6th grader likes it), and we're just doing worksheets that I've culled from TeacherFileBox. As a side note, my 4th grader has been very envious of my 6th grader doing Lightning Lit this year (especially the poetry), and wants to know why his Language Arts isn't interesting like that. Egads.

So they scan all the people but not all the cargo. Sounds safe!

Shoving? And mom won't let you out of it? Well, will she agree to be your bodyguard so no more shoving occurs? Eek. It wouldn't be difficult for me to skip a party for 80 in favor of a small family gathering on your own.

What would be the purpose in charging the interest?

All it would take is an EMP or a solar flare to take out our Electronic Comfort Zone. Then, whatever isn't written down isn't accessible. I just bought a whole set (used) of encyclopedias from the library. (and lots are available free locally) I just don't trust everything to disk, hard drive, whatever. I will never throw out my recipe books, no matter how easy it is to save and look up things online. I hope this period of history doesn't end up in a black hole due to our failure to archive.

Could be a yeast infection. Might want to try an apple cider vinegar rinse.

There's some question as to the scanners and how harmful the radiation might prove to be down the road, particularly to kids. (my kids have been through once) Pilots' unions are recommending that this be protested (on behalf of the pilots, not the public). I've read anecdota horror stories on the patdowns, but obviously only the worst ones get talke about, so I don't know how common that is. You've got my sympathy!

The "lawsuit waiting to happen" actually IS one of the reasons for a shortage of doctors. Malpractice goes up and up. Secondarily, more than half of med school students are women, and women tend to work for a while and then go part-time. So even though the number of medical school slots tends to be fixed, by virtue of having more women doctors you're not getting a full-time doctor for a full career out of a lot of them. Hence, fewer doctors.

I kind of look at fame as a form of mental illness. It isn't normal to have everyone cater to you, stare at you, want to be near you etc. etc. That has to have an overwhelming effect on even the most grounded person. And if you're NOT grounded, well, we've seen many of the ill effects of fame. Very sad for the kids. I can't imagine growing up that way.

Legalism is being more interested in the letter than the spirit of the rule or law. (Pharisees = legalism oftentimes in the Gospels)

I understand not wanting to falsely accuse without being "certain." At the same time, with a previous accusation (or discussion thereof), PLUS what your son said recently, I wouldn't want him alone with step-dad unless you were "certain" nothing was wrong. Which you really can't be, under the circumstances.

Kind of reminds me of scientists who dismiss anything that doesn't fit their preconceived notions, whether it be the "Warmers" or the "Big Bangers."

Wouldn't there be fingerprints in her house? (do to whomever broke it?) Did she say the suspect was wearing gloves? (seems unlikely to me)