We're very happy with the MWB DVDs. One of my girls watches the DVD then does the problems on her own. She occasionally needs some guidance from me, but usually gets the material fine just by watching. My other dd watches, then I have to go over it with her again, and do a few problems with her. She does tend to be a little spacey and I think her mind wanders while she watches the DVD. I think the teaching on the DVD is very clear. The book has answers (not worked out) to the odd problems, except for the chapter review/test. We often do the even numbered problems if the girls need more practice, and we do most of the story problems. I bought the solutions manual from Amazon Marketplace for $60.00. It's kind of hard to find, but well worth the price.

I gave up on SS- I much prefer Apples and Pears.

:iagree: Well said.

I didn't watch the report, but I wonder if he addressed the reasons for the set aside program. I'm not an expert on agriculture, but I do know that without it, there would be problems with overproduction and surplus, and major environmental consequences.

Here's an interesting article from Volokh Conspiracy about what is meant by "redistribution of wealth."

I guess I don't think our choices are awful. I'm pretty happy with one of them.

I'm surprised. I've done these before and always matched very high with Obama. But on this one it was Nader 84%, McKinney 79% and Obama 64%. Anyone else notice they spelled "Independent" wrong?

Ummm- she's quoting from the article.

How many problems do you have your dc do in Foerster's Algebra 1?

My son has had great difficulty with math facts and we've tried many, many different approaches. We are finally making really good progress with ALEKS quick tables. Nothing else has worked. It's expensive though.

I agree- I think "sugar bugs" is actually a pretty good term when teaching children about dental hygiene. It helps them make the association between germs and sugar, which would be lost if you simply used the word "bacteria". I also recognize that the dentist is more concerned with educating about health than building vocabulary. Of course, I hope at at some point they transition to more technical terms but I don't see any benefit to it when talking to a 5 year old.

Good. There is a complication of a sinus infection (Pott's Puffy tumor) that can cause a painful forehead lump. It usually happens in kids though. I do agree that you should see your doc.

Have you had a sinus infection recently?

I'll have to go back and look at it again. I recall the abortion issue, because I had some explaining to do when that came up. But I only remember it being discussed once. I don't remember anything about evolution. I didn't go over it with a fine toothed comb though, so I probably missed it. I did feel that it had a mild bias, but we discussed it when it came up and it made for some interesting conversations. I'd love to see a purely secular logic course, but I don't know if there is one that is appropriate for late elementary/ early middle school.

Art of Argument isn't completely secular, but we were happy with it. It's the best I've been able to find.

I'd have the mastectomy.

Sunday Hamburgers on the grill, salad Monday Enchiladas, rice and beans Tuesday Dan Dan noodles Wednesday Salad bar, cheese and crackers Thursday Beef pot pie Friday Kung pao chicken Saturday Bean with bacon soup, grilled cheese s/w

I had my first baby at 35. Some advantages: Financial stability - we had no worries about being able to afford a family. I think I was pretty confident as a new mom, in large part because of age and experience. I didn't have much of the self-doubt that I often see in younger moms. Hmm. I can't think of any more right now. That's sad. Disadvantages: I definitely worried more about the health of the babies (while I was pregnant) more than I would have if I'd been younger. I worry more about leaving them orphans. I would like to resume my career, but I'll be 55 when I finish homeschooling. It will be very difficult (probably impossible) to enter academia as a new researcher at that point. My options will be much more limited than if I were younger. I sometimes wish I could have had more children, but I ran out of time.

I hate goody bags. It's all junk and ends up in the landfill. What a waste of resources.

This is a great post and I agree with everything. Is he having problems just with comprehension of what he reads himself, or also what is read to him? If his listening comprehension is fine, but he has trouble with reading comprehension, he probably just needs to improve his decoding and fluency. In that case, working on "comprehension strategies" isn't going to be of much use. If his listening comprehension isn't great, I'd spend a lot of time on narration. Start with just reading a couple sentences to him and have him retell. Gradually work up to a paragraph and then a longer section. I am doing this with my son using SWB's Story of the World, and he is making a lot of progress.

My 10 year old liked it at first, but after he completed the easier levels it has become very frustrating.

Pillars of the Earth and Wuthering Heights.

Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't use it, and it would get lost, so I'd never buy one. On the other hand, many (most?) of us here would regularly drop $13 on a book we'd finish in a couple hours and never look at again. For some people, a beautiful bookmark might get used and appreciated on a daily basis for many years.

Do you have a link to the original list? I can't find it. Thanks.

The mortgage is our only debt. Is paying off the mortgage better than investing the money?