We read literature as much as we can for history and classical literature. However, the sheer volume of reading required to finish whole books is just not do-able for us. Therefore, we pick some whole works and do excerpts for the rest, using textbooks. For math and science we have used texts since the 7th grade. Gail

What about World magazine? They have a regular adult magazine, suitable for high schoolers as well, and issues which are age appropriate from K-grade 9. We have successfully used these for current events for about five years. I assign the articles, they read them, and we discuss them at the dinner table. Gail

We don't have the DVDs or homesat but we used the 10th grade World Literature books and teacher materials from Abeka this past school year. In a perfect world, I'd have him read all of these books in their entirety. (So many, many good books, so little, little time.....SIGH.) This course fit the bill WELL as a thorough overview of classical literature. It included literary analysis and instruction about authors and time periods. It complimented our study of World History beautifully. He is now familiar with the literature and famous authors over the centuries and he did it all in one year. I needed something that could cover this in one year. I just did not have any more time than that to devote to the subject and still work in all the other subjects he needs. I have not seen BJU's world literature course. In making my own decision between the BJU and the Abeka course last summer, I opted for the ABeka, based on reviews that I read about both. Also, I think ABeka's course is a bit more compact than BJU's, which, again, is a feature I was looking for. Gail

We also tithe 10% to our church. We do it out of obedience too. However, we also tithe as act of worship and trust. If you are trusting God to provide for you, it shouldn't be hard to give 10%. Ultimately, tithing is walking the talk when you say you trust Him to provide. If you cannot bring yourself to tithe, you're not trusting Him enough to take care of you. Any donations given to ministries other than your home church are considered "offerings". These are over and above the tithe. People who give to televangelists or other ministers are not tithing. The tithe belongs solely to your home church. It is God's provision for the functioning of the local church. Gail

Hi, You might look into the Smarr Literature programs. They are available from Rainbow or direct from their website. Here is their link: http://www.smarrpublishers.com Also try this: http://www.homeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/reviews.php?rid=601

We used Draw Today. It was nice but . . . it bothered me that the "drawing" was really erasing. The student uses charcoal to black out the entire page, then uses erasers to "hollow out" the picture based on a drawing grid. This is not bad, but it seemed counterproductive to learning how to actually draw. I was interested in teaching the rudiments of perspective, shading, etc. Draw Today is one way to learn to draw. I was not satisfied with it as my sole art curriculum. I felt it needed supplementation with other forms of drawing instruction.

Hmmm. That's interesting. I was under the impression that State Farm policies were universal across the U.S. (don't know where I got that impression, just had it) I guess Texas is different than in Wisconsin. We just called our agent about this very question two weeks ago because our son went for his learning permit. Thanks for the information. Looks like it depends on where you live.

OH my goodness! How prices have gone up! I was a high paying babysitter some years ago when my children were young. I paid $5/hr then. The babysitters liked to sit with my kids because we paid well and they were well-behaved. Now, you say it's $10/hr. Whew! Scary.

My little girl used to call a magazine a maz-a-geen. She also called a hamburger a hang-a-ber. We all thought it was pretty cute.

Well! I was thinking of reading this book. Now, I won't. So many good books out there, so little time. No sense in wasting any on this one.

State Farm does not increase insurance premiums until your child has an actual driver's license. There is a discount for good grades.

I'm spoiled. I like flavored coffees-----hazelnut cream is my current fav but that could change any day now. I love Dunkin Donuts brand and Gloria Jean's. Gail

We have found that group field trips are usually a lot of time spent with very little educational return. We have had much better luck just going on our own to the places we'd like to visit. The time commitment to set up group things is an issue. Also, in groups there are always children running off who have to be found, toddlers along who get cranky and need naps, etc. When we have travelled in groups we have found that the group is herded through exhibits by tour guides who have a schedule to follow and we don't get to stop and look or discuss things at our leisure. Unless the discount is significant, we like to go alone or take along one other family. Gail

I ponder the extra-curricular activity question a lot. I hear other parents touting all the activities their children are in and wonder if I should have them involved in more things. I keep hearing about how important it is to have a lot of impressive outside interests in order to get into college, yada, yada, yada. But I agree with some others on this. Running every afternoon and evening got to be TOO MUCH. As it is, even with elimination of activity, we still feel very busy. My two children are very active in youth group, which involves two nights a week. My son is a drummer on the church worship band which involves practice one day a week, playing on Sundays, and drum lessons on another afternoon. My daughter is in gymnastics, dance, and piano. But that amount of activity allows only two nights per week for having dinner at home as a family. There are so many things they COULD be involved in but I really don't know when we'd fit it all in. Their days are filled with school and chores from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm and all this other activity occurs after those hours. It's hard to find a good balance, isn't it? Gail

Well, I really need some capris----------since it won't get warm around here even near the end of May! I have plenty of shorts for warm weather but not much to wear when the temperature is in between cold and warm. :) That's what I'd spend it on. Gail