I appreciate all those who have responded to this thread. Those who have mentioned other titles, I especially appreciate as I haven't researched those programs. Is the complete Ecce a level reading book and activity books divided into a and b? Are there answer keys or are the answers in the activity books? Obviously, I don't have a Latin education or background. Will a mom without a Latin background be able to teach Ecce? Are any of the other Latin programs mentioned easier for a mom like me to teach?

We played a little bit with Minimus in 1st and 2nd grades. Then I let Latin go in favor of Hebrew. DS's Bar Mitzvah was last August, and now I am planning for 9th grade homeschool. I have decided DS should have 2 years of Latin for college-prep, Romance language background, and science. He is fairly resistant, so just this week we are starting with LfC-A. I also have the B level, and we will get as far as possible by the end of summer with LfC. I don't have the CDs. It will be just a easy warm up. Then in the fall, I want to do a high school level Latin that is really sufficient for hs credit. I have looked at Henle and the religious focus is very uncomfortable for both of us. He will continue his Hebrew language studies throughout high school as I am planning for us to move to Israel as soon as I am prepared in work and money areas. So my questions are: Is 1 level of Ecce Romani worth one year of high school credit in Latin? Are there any other Latin programs without Christian focus that would work for high school credit? That are affordable? Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

A mom just told me about this site and I haven't registered or worked on it myself. It is free and that works great for me. I am concerned about safety on line for him. Also, I am concerned about the content in a subject that I don't know anything about. Has anyone used this? Also, any other suggestions? I am open, but it must be reasonably priced.

Jean and RC, you two are hilarious!! Jean, I do hear you saying to just start and do the best you can, and to continue. I am pretty nervous about the whole thing, and afraid of not getting the results I want and need. As I said, I have never done this before.

I am considering starting Zumba - class or CDs at home, don't know yet. I am 52 and my knees hurt all the time unless I take naproxen. I am about the same weight as my last prenatal visit and DS is 12. I need to lose about 50 lbs. I have never been on a diet in my life. I have started to do a low fat and low carbohydrate diet due to health concerns. I could really use suggestions and support. Thanks to all!

If you used LoF Elementary Physics did you use it as a primary text, as a supplement to what primary? Did you use an experiment kit with it? Make your own? I need help planning for the year starting in August for 8th grade for my DS who will be 13. Thanks ahead of time.

Getting treatment as soon as possible is a good idea. Remember, bacteria can move up hill or against the flow of urine. The infection can move up to the kidneys, and that would be a very serious situation. Alternative treatment would be increased water intake, cranberry juice or pills ( you can find an unsweetened cranberry concentrate liquid in health food stores ), increased vitamin C, herbal treatment can be Uva Ursi tea and other herbal teas. Oh, forgot, if you save silks from corn on the cob, dry it and save in a dry jar, you can put it in tea and it will help with bladder infections. Also, use the Uva Ursi tea separately from vit c or other acid foods by at least 2 hours on either side. Good luck and good comfort. Sorry you are in such pain.

Congratulations!!!:D

As a mom myself I am experiencing the same dynamic from my now 12yo DS. I feel like a recording "Get a move on, the day is going!" And as a nursing student I learned about the Remodeling of the Frontal Lobes of the brain. This is caused by the start of pueberty's hormones and actually causes the brain cells of the frontal lobes to detach from each other, individually, and reattach to a different neighboring cell. This is a many-year process, usually until the middle twenties. The frontal lobes are where judgement and decision making occurs, and that is why teens tend to have poor judgement. I have known this info for many years, but have to reassure myself it is time to apply it to my own DS. He has started to grow both a peach fuzz mustache, and very slight pimples on his face. I suppose it is time. Thank you moms and OP for reminding me.:hurray: IT IS PUEBERTY!!

We love: Veggie Corn Chips with Flax Seeds Whole Wheat English Muffins Sour Dough Bread Organic Romain for a low price Kosher chicken, turkey, and beef Soy Dream 72% Cacao chocolate bars Organic Heirloom tomatoes Whole Wheat tortillas Turkey Meatballs!!! mmm, mmm, mmm! And the kiddo can make them! Arabiata pasta sauce

I would also suggest a chorus experience. If you are near a university with a Music Education program for university students to become music teachers, they may have a children's chorus. Near where we live there are three children's choruses divided by age/ability. It is very resonably priced and has scholarships for those that need them. Duration is by university semester. Then there are other opportunities that we wouldn't know about except through the university. DS was in 3 operas in the last two years; the first was Brundibar, a children's opera from the Holocaust, the second a new children's opera called Shoes for the Santo Nino, and then he was in a production of I, Pagliaci. He just recorded his audition CD for the All State Children's Chorus for this year. We will find out if he gets to participate in early December. The chorus avoids the fine motor problems and the child still gets the auditory exposure, reading music, and group co-operation.

I have a son(newly 12 years old and would be in 7th gr.) who is an only child. He reads at a 12th grade level. His history has not followed STOW or WTM and so I wanted to prep him in 7th and 8th to do a 4 year series in 9th through 12th. I originally thought we would do STOW 1 & 2 this year with History Odyssey Level 2 Ancients and Middle Ages, and also combining in my own Jewish history possibly using Sand and Stars: The Jewish Journey Through Time by Yaffa Ganz and The Atlas of Great Jewish Communities: A Voyage Through History by Sondra Leiman along with Jewish literature for the time periods, and CHOLL Ancients and Middle Ages Logic Stage. But, I have now read many posts about Human Odyssey. I am not getting what people are so happy about regarding this curriculum. Am I wrong, but isn't it a public school curriculum? I get that it is secular. What is the attraction/advantage(s)? What are the disadvantages? Does it cover World history or only Western history? I am not trying to start conflict, just really want to know so I can make a thought-out decision.

Do chemicals in chemistry kits expire?? I am considering buying an older kit that has been kept in intact plastic wrapping. I remember years ago posts complaining their experiments didn't work. My money is minimal so I am wanting to make it go further, but want a good experience for my ds. Also, I just don't have the time to put together various ingredients. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated. Thank you.

A cool demonstration you could take the kids to would be your state fair. There should be a series of demonstrations that show wool comes from sheep and this is how they are shorn, preparing the wool by carding or combing, the dye pot for natural dying, weaving, knitting, crocheting. I think the state fair is incredibly educational; we don't go on the rides. Also, at the rabbit show you may be able to find some Angora rabbit owners grooming and/or spinning right from the bunny! Kids always love to see that.

Tea tree oil and lavender oil are both great for natural healing of skin injuries and can be applied directly without dilution. Also, lavender oil on a cotton ball and put near the pillow helps with relaxation for sleeping.

My ds just turned 12 this week so we are remembering.... This was before the publication of OPGTR. I had started reading to him at 2 weeks of age. At 2 1/2 yrs old he begged me to teach him to read and "Do number." I made him wait a little so I could get materials. We started with BOB Books, and Phonics Pathways reading only one or two pages of PP with other lines covered by plain copy paper, only revealing what I wanted him to read. At 4 1/2 yrs old I started him on ETC and only 1 page a day was required. Many days he would want to do 4, 5, or 6 pages. I would have to stop him otherwise the book would be used up before I could afford the next one. He only did the 1 1/2, none of the other 1/2s. I feel this really cemented his grasp on phonics, which in turn become spelling rules. Good luck and HTH.

My ds tried FLL 1 and it just had too much repetition for him. So, I tried GWG 1/2 when it was still one book. He just finished GWG 6 a couple of weeks ago and is enjoying a grammar break for the rest of the summer. We both looked at the Table of Contents for Levels 7 & 8 on the website. They are much more challenging, just what he needs! He does great with English grammar and it has provided a great grammar frame of reference for foreign language study, as well. I haven't had him do the tests for the 1-6 levels, but with the sets I have ordered for 7 & 8, I will have him do the tests for better retention.

DS just today finished Singapore Primary Math 6B!!!!!!:D He has done the whole program. Now he will finish LoF Decimals and Percents. Today he also did BTS 2, VfCR-A, WWS1, CHOLL-Ancients, Hebrew handwriting/vocab/text, and we will do a science experiment tonight.

So glad the hive is back up!!! :thumbup::hurray::willy_nilly:I was planning on shopping on the For Sale board as I usually miss it due to one activity or another. I am wondering how the Wise-Bauer family and farm are doing? Hope all are safe and well.

May G-d comfort you and give you peace. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I wish you a good and honest experience. Honesty is always worth the risk.

The movie is a compilation of several of the books. My 11 year old son has read almost all of the books and then we saw the movie together at the dollar theatre near us. It was a very visually dramatic movie with many scenes showing the perspective of the owl who is flying or falling. It was a little shocking and scary to me, an adult. My son says he wasn't scared because of the science fiction we watch, but it was visually stimulating. I feel the age is important and very young kids under 10 probably would do better hearing the books read aloud. However, of course that is up to you as the mother. Another suggestion is for you and your husband to watch the movie when the kids are asleep or out of the house. Then you can make a decision relating to the movie's appropriateness for your children. HTH

Poetry so visceral, cried for my son's younger years all gone.:crying:

Statistics is a high level high school topic, Life of Fred has a very thorough book my community college stats teacher was very impressed with and was going to have the dept adopt as the standard text. Just an idea.

I buy a 1 lb. chub of turkey sausage from Walmart for a very reasonable price, and turkey is much healthier than pork sausage. I would not assume that all coupons are for junk food. Yes there are many that are easy to come by that are for white flour products, or very sweet type of items, HOWEVER, there are usually coupons at the local health food store. Please consider using those when you can. The health of your family is so important. I agree with the stir-fry strategy, but try on whole grain noodles since your dh doesn't like the rice so frequently. The fiber is healthier and will fill up the belly for longer than white noodles. The big strategy for food pantry/banks is to call the United Way in your area. They should have a list of all in your area and their hours and any other requirements. The UW can also fax over any required referrals. They helped me, and were positive and problem solving...no shame there. The biggest suggestion I have is a group that wants to keep things out of the landfill. They are called FreeCycle.org. You go to their site and sign up for their group/s in your area. The local group should be on yahoo.com and you check their site or get emails. People give away things for free; clothes, cars, building supplies, home decorations, food, baby supplies, etc. I got lots of baby/toddler equipment and clothes for ds when he was young from people in this group. Oh, also bulbs and small plants. Clothes for me some great, some not us. Lots of these folks just want things out of their hair, so you take the group of items, keep what you can use, and pass on what doesn't work for you and your family. HTH