Fix-It is quasi working here. It gets done. She can find the parts of speech. The vocabulary is good. However I really feel that something is missing, but I don't know what. I think, maybe, more explanation instead of just a list of pronouns, articles, etc. My daughter relies too much on the lists and the flashcards instead of internalizing it. I think I need to go back and add MCT Town level back in with it, but like ZaraBellesMom I was shocked at how little she remembered from Island when we took the pretest for Town. That made me bummed since it's not a cheap program. I might add in Grammar-land (the vintage book) or look at doing Analytical Grammar with her. I really don't know.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries!!! It's set in the same time period as Downton (fabulous clothes galore) and is about a very free-thinking female private detective. All three seasons are playing on Netflix right now.

I'm all kinds of messed up! I loop schedule our block schedule! :lol:

You can purchase MIF student textbooks for really cheap used on Amazon. Usually they are in almost brand new condition. Since you already own Standards, you could purchase one of the textbooks and compare them both to see which one you prefer teaching from and which one your child prefers.

My son started bathing alone at 4. He does a great job too. His hair is short so he has no trouble washing and rinsing by himself. The girls were probably closer to 6 due to the hair issue, but they did everything else by themselves starting at 4 and just yelled when it was time for hair. I'm shocked so many people think 4 is too young. It's interesting to see different perspectives.

Dd 12's personal read aloud; Finishing up Heidi and starting Bridge to Terabithia. Family read aloud with siblings: Ramona series School read aloud: An illustrated condensed version of Moby Dick since we're studying oceans right now.

Math in Focus is my favorite. I couldn't figure out how to teach Standards even with the HIG. It was just so different from the way I was taught math. The student textbook that MIF uses was simple to teach out of and helped me understand. Plus my kids love the color in the textbook. Games, hands on activities, and difficult word problems are all already included in the textbook so no need for extras. Plus you can buy the student textbooks for super cheap used on Amazon and the workbooks new from Rainbow Resource. I've not needed the teacher's manual at all so far and I've taught through the 4th grade book.

LOE is very thorough and in depth. It teaches everything! Letter sounds, voiced/unvoiced sounds, all English phonograms, etc. What I really love about LOE are the hands-on activeness of the program. There is a game in every lesson usually a get up and move game like phonogram race or shoot the phonogram with a nerf gun. The writing is minimal in the program which is perfect for kids that can read, but their writing isn't quite there yet. The program actually teaches handwriting to your child as well. I am finishing up Foundations D right now with my middle child and it has been a wonderful gentle language arts program. Level D included spelling, copywork, grammar, and some basic literature terminology. Logic of English Foundations slowly turns into a full language arts program that is not just focused on reading, but includes a little of everything. That might be a plus or minus depending on your wants and needs, but for me it is a plus because it streamlines everything.

I haven't used fourth grade, but I did purchase the fifth grade history/English book for use with my oldest. The fifth grade book is very independent. In fact, the entire thing is written to the child. It has a weekly planner calendar for the student to fill in their assignments for the week in all subjects to make sure they plan their time wisely. We are doing this part together and then when she had her independent work time, she goes to her room and does her Oak Meadow history and any other independent work she has like math worksheets, writing assignment, etc. My daughter is loving it because of all the projects, crafts, creative writing. I do check in with her daily to make sure she finished her work or if she struggled with anything. So far, so good.

Does the $97 amount cover as many students as you wish or just one student?

Burners. I grew up in Arkansas.

One thing I can't ever do is cheer for Alabama or LSU. Just can't do it even if they are SEC like my beloved Razorbacks. Go Clemson!

I just placed my daughter at grade level. It seems right so far.

I just started a new money making venture from my home where I make meals every Thursday night to sell to the public. I post the menu for the month in advance and take a max of 10 orders each week. I've had the ad up on Facebook for 24 hours and have already had 10 orders for the month. I think there are lot of families out there who don't have time to cook a meal every night and must rely on fast food. One night a week I'm giving them the option to have homemade fast food!

I don't have a set marking system, but I do write notes in the margin, draw pictures, underline, and highlight all over my Bible. It actually helps me find things more quickly!

My word is FRUITION. This year is going to be the realization of some goals/dreams of mine. My first book will be published this year which is a lifelong dream. I should finish losing all of the weight I've been working on losing. My oldest is transiting over to being almost completely independent in her school work which we've been prepping for. I have a couple of homeschool curriculum guides that I should finish writing this year as well. A year of seeing things come to fruition indeed!

Next Star Wars movie is May 2017 from what I understand.

As much as I hate to say it, I hope this is not true. If so then the next Star Wars movies are just going to be the same story/plot line as 4-6 with dad turning back to the light at the last minute. For this reason alone I hope that Ben killing Han is what puts him in the permanent evil camp. I'm hoping for a new story to be told in the next movies. This one had many parallels of 4 which I think was on purpose to show those of us that grew up with the movies that Abrams is going to be true to the initial story telling and get us on board with what's coming next which (hopefully) will not parallel the other movies.

********************************************************** ************************************************************* ************************************************************* ***************************************************************** My initial thoughts were that Rey was Han and Leia's child as well. Maybe someone took her from them after Ben's turn to the dark side, and they believed she was dead all this time. Possibly even Luke took her and dropped her off on the planet since he felt like he'd already lost his nephew, he didn't want to lose his niece as well. But then again, when we first saw Poe I thought he would be Han and Leia's son because he was an awesome pilot, leather jacket, and a smart @ss. I even leaned over to dh and said, "That's got to be Han's kid!" Wrong. :lol: Reasons why I initially thought that: 1) Ben (Kylo Ren) seemed to know her (or feel something) when he interacted with her more than just that they both had the force. 2) Her flying and mechanical ability is very similar to Han. Although Luke was known for his flying and mechanical ability somewhat in episode 4 as well so that could actually go either way. 3) The fact that she seemed to just click with Han. Han is generally not a very open, warm guy but he was with her. Even to the point of offering her a job on the Falcon. Possibly he sensed that he knew her even though he might not have known it was his daughter.

We're going in one hour! The preliminary reviews from other Star Wars fans have me hopeful about this being really good.

We each have separate quilts on our king size bed and have for about two years now. And in total honesty, it's because I'm the blanket hog. I love to roll up in my quilt like a burrito to sleep. Now we're both happy.

The bolded perfectly describes my oldest (the one I'm considering using Oak Meadow for) and me when it comes to her idea of learning and mine. Although my dd does like LOF, MCT, and CAP W&R because they are story based and creative enough for her. Dd8 is like me. She wants just the facts when it comes to school and then devours books for spare time.

My reasons are 1) I need my dd to be more independent and 2) she would thrive with all the creative and artsy projects that OM includes. However, I'm not using their complete grade package. I'm mainly looking at science and history and literature. Hopefully without needing the teacher's manual since looking at the samples it seemed I wouldn't need it. The one thing holding me back is cost. :svengo: Since I don't think my other two kids behind her would enjoy it as much as she would, it would be a "buy, use, and sell" purchase.

Following. I'm considering Oak Meadow next year for my oldest.

I don't know how supportive I was, but when we went to the park this afternoon there were two Muslim women there with their children. I spent a pleasurable hour chatting it up with them and generally having a great time. They were both homeschoolers as well so we talked about that some. As we were leaving my son noticed he had a scrape on his ankle that was bleeding. All I had in the car were some napkins, so I told him to hold the napkin over the scrape until we got home. One of the women had a bandaid in her car and she went and got one for him. Once we got in the car, Levi said, "That was a super nice lady to give me a bandaid." I replied, "Yes, it was very kind of her." He never even mentioned her head covering or that she was Muslim. He just saw a woman who was nice to him. I was so happy that my children are being raised to value people based on their individual actions not fear or hate them because they are part of a certain racial, religious, sexual orientation, etc. group. I guess my support comes from...wait for it this is shocking....treating them like I would anyone else I meet with respect and kindness.