Anyone?

When I say updated, I mean the newer one without Mrs. Vick teaching. BJU's Science 6 was one of our favorite classes. The the last time I had a sixth grader, Mrs. Vick taught the class and she made the class awesome. Can anyone let me know if the new video instructors are just as good, or maybe even better? ETA: I wasn't impressed by the sample clip with Mr. Harmon.

Maybe look for a one-year course and then flesh it out with whatever your child is interested in?

$51,000 median household income And just for reference, the average house price is a titch under $400k.

Memoria Press uses Tiner's book, grades 6-8: https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/science/exploring-the-world-of-astronomy-set/ We haven't used Tiner's astronomy book, but the physics books was really interesting!

I love this broccoli salad. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/14281/bodacious-broccoli-salad/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results&clickId=cardslot%205 It's great as is, but I like to make it a bit lighter by using turkey bacon, using a sugar sub like stevia, omitting the cheese and using vegenaise + fat free greek yogurt for the dressing.

I'm not sure if you already know this, but BJU usually has a $99 sale on their distance learning subjects in August or late July. And, they give access for 18 months to the subject for no additional cost. Science 6 with BJU is one of our very favorite courses. It's the only one all of my kids have done.

:grouphug: I'm so sorry for your loss.

The Penderwicks series The Green Ember The Great Brain series Anne of Green Gables The BFG on Audible uses a great narrator. We all loved it!

It's a super-flawed system! BUT...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! :hurray:

Would your son really be kicked out of school for innocently using a word that now has ugly connotations? FWIW, we used a vintage book of poems that referred to a kitten as a p*s*y. That would've caused some really awkward situations if my son had used that word at a friend's house! Hopefully, if it had happened without my knowledge the adults around would've just talked to me about it. Sometimes, these words change meaning over time and there's no ill will meant by the person who uses it now out of context, you know?

Classy!!

That laptop is a real possibility. It looks like only an additional $34 for a one year warranty.

Thanks, everyone for the all the good info! You are all making it much harder to live in denial, though. I have recently optimized the disk (and run all of the performance and maintenance tools). I have configured the start up to not run programs automatically. The CD tray is trying to open when I give the command either by pressing the open button, using the paperclip, or by accessing the command in the control center. For a while, it only opened reliably if there was a disk in the tray. Now, it won't open at all. It's a desktop, not a laptop. The internet connection is hardwired, with a cable directly going to the modem/router (it's just one unit, provided by my ISP). I'm not that tech savvy...but I know that as old as it is, my PC is outdated. I know things accumulate and junk-up over time and that just by reason of age tech has to be replaced/updated. May I whine a bit? I strongly dislike shopping for tech. I feel like specs are intentionally misleading and brand-specific so that I cannot compare across stores and brands. It took me months of research just to buy a phone. Maybe the biggest hurdle is the budget? I don't think most quality new machines are inexpensive. I want another computer that will last me a while, which is going to cost me. I will look at your links closely, Lanny.

Sure, there are 2 USB ports in the front and 3 in the back. An external drive is probably my quickest solution. :) Thanks for mentioning it, though I will try your other rec. I'll look at the MS security, too. Thanks again!

AK Mom, Thank you for the thoughtful response and your kind manners. :) I'm okay with the straight truth. What I meant when I said it was still 'plenty' is that the hard disk still has 50% memory free. It does only have 2 GB RAM, though. We don't do much besides online school, shopping and light web surfing for news and research and stuff. I know all of this adds up over time. The disc drive does have the tiny hole, which we've used. It sounds like there is something inside the tray that is catching and won't allow the tray to open. I can hear the tray trying to open, but it doesn't.

I have a still good enough for me computer, bought in 2008. There is still plenty of memory and it does everything I need it to. But it's SO SLOW! Slow to download. Slow to open a program offline. Slow to do everything. Like, slower than molasses in January. Like, press a key and walk away and get your coffee and then come back and press another key. And the CD/DVD drive has stopped working. Since it no longer opens and/or closes, I don't know if it can still spin and read a disc. I took it to a Data Doctors (maybe a local chain?). They charged me $250 and told me everything is fine and in great shape. I really don't want to buy a new computer. Mine is pretty old, but it is still plenty of machine for what we do. And even though it's slow, it's been a great computer and is in better shape than the newer, cheaper one we bought three years ago. How do I clean up & speed up my current PC? I do minor things like emptying trash bin, clearing temp files & cookies, defrag. It's an HP with a Pentium processor. 32-bit OS. I have Vista Home Premium. I use Norton antivirus.

Some kids respond better to reward than punishment. Maybe start there? Maybe try adding more movement into her afterschooling? How long is she already in school during the day? Truthfully, though, I'd let the girl draw and color.

I think it might depend on the cause of the depression? Not sure about that. Omega-3 supplements really help mitigate my PMDD-caused depression and anxiety. As a side note: 5-HTP can be contraindicated in people with heart disease. There's not a study (I think) 'proving' this, but there has been some writing about how too much 5 HTP can raise serotonin levels too high, which may lead to heart valve damage & scarring. (I used to take 5htp, and am pretty sure it caused some damage my cardiologist is treating. I was not taking a large dose.)

Tom Sawyer Murder on the Orient Express Watership Down The Hobbitt Swiss Family Robinson Treasure Island

I don't have much advice. My 16 year-old niece is in a similar situation. She probably won't ever lead an independent life. We've all had to mourn, but no one as much as her mom (my sister). The one thing I always think of whenever my sister is really down is, how much of a blessing her daughter is to me and to the people who know and love her. My niece brings so much joy to our lives. I think about how much we would take for granted or never notice or be thankful for if she wasn't in our lives and we didn't love her so much. It's much harder for my sister than for me, and I know my sister carries a burden I can't really appreciate, but I tell my sister how thankful I am for the gift of my niece's life and what it has taught us. I'm thankful your son is so happy. That speaks really well of you. I don't think we ever stop mourning. I think that is part of grief...the knowledge that things will never be the way they were, or the way they were 'supposed to be.' It sounds like you are doing amazingly! Here's to brighter days for you. :grouphug:

I love this! What you need is strength training. (hugs)

Just a caveat. We used to live in Flagstaff, AZ, where nothing was cheap.

There are six of us. My husband works construction & eats A LOT. My teen boys are eating machines! Though, my little girl is no slouch. I spend $800-$900 per month, not including toiletries. I'm in a pretty high COL area. I don't buy meat, except the rare package of chicken (my sons hunt & fish & I include processing in our grocery budget). We drink water or cheap coffee. I'm a fairly successful tightwad. I don't buy organic/clean/natural/trendy foods, but I do buy real foods. We could eat cheaper if I bought processed foods. We don't eat out. I guess what I'm saying is, even though my amount is high, I think I'm feeding us frugally. It's our biggest expense.

I just want to congratulate you on taking care of yourself. LOL It's been no easy task for me to work through my list of body dings! My 30s were deceptively easy. My 40s are an entirely different matter.