We read this last year with WinterPromise 1 and my son (then 7) loved it. In fact, my husband and I enjoyed it as well and did not find it offensive and we both come from Native American families. (we are in okla. and are each 1/32 NA with many NA relatives by marriage as well)

They are beautiful! I like to think my cats are pretty, but yours are truly beautiful. (of course the newest member of our cat family still has scars and scabs on his head from his days of tom cat fighting:tongue_smilie:)

For me it was the strollers. We had three strollers (one baby) and it was a tearful goodbye.

I wouldn't expect your siamese male to get over 13 or 14lbs ? ....my tabby (male) is 11 lbs. but it sounds like yours could still have a pound or two to go!

We do short morning devotions to start our school days, but ds 8 does not do devotions on his own yet. I try to use children's devotion books that have discussion questions or pictures for him to reflect on so I know I'm not just reading a story he does not understand. I also think that it is great for parents to model prayer aloud for their children....not prayer that has to be on your knees, or uses big, fancy, "grown up" language....but praising God for little things in your life that your child can relate to and making prayer requests your child understands. My son says the most beautiful prayers as he has learned to just talk from his heart. (We also end our day with prayer)

Do you know what breed they are? Or are they of unknown origins?:tongue_smilie:

:iagree: When they are ready, they will learn. Snuggle and read a lot of great books to your children and allow your 5 yo to learn through play. It will be much less stress for you and the learning will happen naturally. Did I mention it will be much less stressful for you?;)

We have a small homeschool group here (small town) and so it is common for children of various ages to play together. My ds is in cub scouts now and I'm noticing that all the other boys his same age are much bigger than he is. He is 8 yrs 8 mo. and 50 lbs. and 50 inches. I haven't had him to the pediatrician in ages (he is rarely sick). Should I be concerned about his size or are there lots of other 8 year old boys this size??? How big is your 8 year old?

We use NL 2 and are really enjoying it. It seemed pretty basic at first, but my son is learning science vocabulary words and concepts and it is very enjoyable. The lessons are short (about 15 min) but include vocab. words, a hands-on activity, and a worksheet. We used SL and WinterPromise for science in the past and while NL seems more basic, my ds has a better understanding of the concepts taught and greater retention. The lessons are scripted and easy to teach and my son says science is his now his favorite subject. (We sometimes do multiple lessons in a day because he is enjoying learning so much) I have also been highly impressed with the company. Their customer service can't be beat!

I have never been, but my parents just toured in July with Globus tours. They have been on about 8 different European tours now and they remarked that this was by far the most expensive....significantly more than say England, Germany, France, Italy... For example, they paid $30-35 for a grilled cheese sandwich and pickle. They said that this was not indicative of one particular dinner, but the country as a whole. McDonald's was just as expensive! They had a great time, and I'm totally envious of you:tongue_smilie: (just do your research ahead of time and plan on budgeting a fair sum for your trip) Enjoy!

We are using SL E (with some WinterPromise added) and are throughly enjoying the readers and read-alouds. I am having to read some of the readers aloud and find easier selections for ds though. He seems to have "stalled out" on reading skills. Has anyone else encountered this type of "reading skill plateau?"

Dh tried the kit and the results were not worth the effort. We hired a pro tub refinisher for another tub and it looked great, but started to peel a little around the drain plug after just a few weeks. (We moved shortly after so I don't know if it continued to hold up or not)

Has anyone tried the Guest Hollow American History 2 free curriculum? What are your thoughts on this? I'm trying to decided between WP AS2 and Guest Hollow or some combination of the two? :confused:

Love the table!!!!! I've never seen one like that. It is awesome. I'm going to go research it....see if I can afford it;)

We used to have the same problem. I used the front "entry closet" for most of our school supplies. I don't know if you have one....most homes around here have a coat closet near the front door. My hubby bought inexpensive wire shelves and our supplies fit pretty well with all the shelving. We also used a kitchen cabinet for craft supplies. Do you have a garage? It may not be ideal, but file boxes with a handle are easily carried to the table for school and stacked in the garage out of the way when you don't need them. Best of luck:001_smile:

We are currently using WP American Story 1 for 2nd grade history. I really love the WP AS1 and plan to purchase American Story 2 for next year. The selection of books is wonderful. We previously used Sonlight (also great literature-based) but WP offers lots of hands-on projects and as mentioned, has lots of additional resources listed on the lesson plan each week. I think that it is important to note that it is not intended for you to try to accomplish every project and checkout every additional resource. It is just nice to have this info. provided so that if you choose to dig a little deeper on the topic, you don't have to start hunting for more resources. (We rarely check the websites and have only checked out 1 recommended movie from the library) My son loves the hands-on activities though and this has made a huge difference from last year with Sonlight. He retains the information and has greater understanding when he is an active participant in the lesson. He loves history now and is always eager for our next lesson. I guess it depends of your children's learning styles and interests and your time needs (it takes us about 45min-1hour to complete an assignment with craft). I understand it is not for everyone, but we enjoy it. Hope that helps and you enjoy whatever you decide to try next:)