Oooh, now that is cool! 'Cause you got to go into the bell tower, where most people probably never got to go. Did you clean after hours so you had the place to yourself? That is what I'm imagining, and it sounds awesome!

I like Frances! I think I would choose Frankie for a nickname. :)

I like it, but not the way it's spelled because it seems too fussy to me. I prefer the more common spelling. So I used that as part of one dd's name and she told me she wished I'd spelled it the way mine is spelled. :001_rolleyes: I am really glad that my parent who wanted to name me something else didn't get their way. I would not have liked that name because it's way too prissy for my personality. Or maybe I would now have a different personality if that were my name...?!

Can you hear an alarm clock, or do the ear plugs block that sound too? Because I need to get up in the morning... so I hesitate to try ear plugs.

Same here. After I read part of the book, I canceled my Amazon order. The book is interesting, but I don't think I'd re-read it enough times to justify the cost and the space that the book would take up. I'm going to put a hold on it again, though.

When dd went to Europe last year, we opened a new Visa card and added her as a signer. Also she and I opened a joint checking account so she could use the debit card at the ATM or for purchases. One of my friends told me that when traveling abroad, you should always have at least two different cards in case something happens with one account and the card gets frozen. Well... even though we notified the banks in advance, one of the cards didn't work in one country because the stupid bank didn't put the correct foreign country authorization on the account. She also took some euros so she didn't have to go to the ATM right away. Also, she took an iPod and used free wi-fi to keep in touch with us through email. And she said her small backpack came in very handy, as did a small camera (took better photos and video than the iPod did), and she had several memory cards with lots of capacity. Some countries want the passport to be valid for 6 months (I think) beyond the expected date of return.

Dd took biology at co-op, using the Apologia text. The teacher held two short review sessions at the end of the year, adding an overview of evolution which the Apologia book didn't include. Then dd went through some sections of the Princeton Review's subject test book prior to taking the test. She received a very good score.

This is what I am dreading. No writing score here yet.

Pony camp here (3 hrs day, 4 days/wk) is 1 kid per pony, and costs $425. They do not spend all of the 3 hours riding. There is craft time, snack time, grooming and tacking up time, etc. When I say 1 kid per pony, what that means is that there are twice as many kids as ponies. They split the kids into 2 groups. One group does non-pony stuff, while the other group rides, and then they switch. I don't remember if both kids groom the pony at the same time. I just did the math: that is $35+ per hour. Horse stuff is expensive.

My high schooler said, "I do whatever I want whenever I feel like it and get everything done. I never thought of myself as unschooled, but compared to the schedules here, I feel like it." Hmm. I think "whatever I want" is in regards to organizing her day, not literally whatever she wants to do (eat cookies? watch YouTube videos for hours?). Here is her schedule: Monday: co-op classes; youth symphony in evening. Tuesday: schoolwork, exercise, music practice. Wednesday: schoolwork, exercise, foreign language prep class, music practice. Thursday: music lesson, schoolwork, exercise, music practice. Friday: schoolwork, music practice. Saturday and/or Sunday: work, music practice. Almost all of her classes are outsourced so she manages her own schedule to get her assignments done. I work a couple of days per week so I actually have no idea how she arranges her day while I'm gone. She also helps with household chores, some cooking, and helps her younger sibling with schoolwork when needed. I'm pretty sure there is plenty of personal time for doing... whatever... built into her day, but she meets her deadlines so whatever she does is working for her.

Here is what I make: The Original Prayer Shawl - Knitting Pattern It ends up being maybe 2.5 by 4 feet or thereabouts. Then I put fringe on it, which makes it a little longer, closer to 5 feet. I use 3 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun yarn and size 13 needles.

The shawls I knit are rectangular. Although I have knit a number of them, I've met only one of the recipients. She told me that in addition to using it as a shawl, she also sometimes used it as a coverlet while napping. I had never thought of the extra bit of versatility of the rectangle. That said, I have seen a number of patterns for triangular shawls. You can make whatever you prefer. If you are on Ravelry, search for prayer shawl patterns. There are tons, and you can filter by knit/crochet, yarn weight, etc. If you're not on Ravelry, it's free and it's a GREAT resource.

I was not aware that pre-high school scores were used for anything other than satisfying state testing requirements. What kind of opportunities do you mean?

Same here (8th grader)... and my curiosity is finally satisfied. :) And I am really pleased with the score. Too bad it doesn't count because it's pre-high school. But it satisfied state testing requirements which was the reason why my kid took it.

Just 90 more minutes... :toetap05:

So... now I have a question for y'all. If the composite is GOOD... how does the written essay's score affect the overall picture?

One dc's score is up, but the other's is not. Different rooms at the test site = different processing batches?

Some of my kids' favorites: The Complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm by Alice & Martin Provensen Big Book of Farmyard Tales by Heather Amery & Stephen Cartwright (I see there is also a "Complete Book" that has 4 more stories) Burt Dow, Deep Water Man by Robert McCloskey Lentil by Robert McCloskey Yoko by Rosemary Wells The McDuff books by Rosemary Wells One of my kids had the huge Thomas the Tank Engine compendium. That got a LOT of use although I have to admit I'm glad I'll never have to read it again! My middle schooler is now nostalgia-tripping on the Yoko and Friends school days easy reader series by Rosemary Wells. "I remember this!" Maybe I should open that cabinet more often. :)

Bought the syllabus & student book, got a used textbook from Amazon, thought it looked great, and then decided to use Luckymama's syllabus instead, with a few research papers thrown in. It has been a great U.S. history year! I may use Oak Meadow with my next kid.

I buy sweet onions because my eyes never water when I cut them up. But last Thanksgiving my mom asked me to cut up some... leeks, I think they were... and my eyes just streamed.

Regal Crown Sour Cherry. Around Christmas time, I was in the candy aisle at World Market and I smelled Regal Crown Sour Cherry candy. But I couldn't see it anywhere! Some other candy was messing with me... I thought about buying every cherry flavored candy in the aisle to see if I could figure out what it was and if it tasted as good... but I didn't.

I had no idea that a dog could puncture vehicle tires by biting them. I would be worried that somehow the dog could get its head trapped between the wheel and the vehicle if the tire deflated rapidly.

That is what I do. It has eliminated our overdue fines. Also I read a lot of e-books which go away when they're due, so no fines on those.

The makeup bags are cute. I would buy one if I wore makeup.

Thank you for mentioning SD Mines. I had not heard of it. After looking at the school's website, one of my dc has added it to her "I'm interested!" list.