FYI - http://essentialsinwriting.com/essentials-in-literature/ Level 8 is out. Night by Elie Wiesel is the novel used for the novel unit. There is a small sample online. Next levels to come out 7, 9, and 10. They hope for these to be released by fall 2016. I think they will release as they become available, not waiting to release these 3 until next fall. They had hoped to record the webinar yesterday, but due to technical difficulties that did not happen. Another webinar to be hosted on Thursday, August 6th at 2pm central. Cost for the next 30 days is $97 for the student workbook, parent/teacher guide, dvd, and novel. Cost will increase to $107.

We tried Sling TV for 3 months and are now back with Dish. Our service was especially bad with the XBox One - not as much trouble with the Roku. When we were without Dish, we mostly watched Amazon Prime and the 30+ channels we were able to get with an antennae. One more note about Sling - we noticed that when something was on that many viewers were tuned into, the service wouldn't always allow us to watch. Soo... with football season coming up, Dish is now back up and running. :)

My brain knows this. The rest of me... still has question marks over my head. :)

Apparently they entered their not guilty plea via video from the county jail. And attorneys want to seal the information. Hmm... ETA: I know the request was made in hopes that the boys would get a fair trial, but really? They confessed. Their sister has already said it was the two of them who did this. I know that it's the law, but imo it just seems like a waste of tax payer dollars. There really is no question they are guilty.

Both boys are charged with 5 counts of first degree murder and 1 count of assault and battery with intent to kill. They are set to appear in court today where they are expected to enter a plea and preliminary hearing date will be set. Still have not heard anything about a motive, other than they what I posted above.

Yep to Chacos. I used to love flip flops, but had to stop due to plantar fasciitis. My sneakers w/inserts & Chacos are almost all I wear.

I read about the ammo in one article, but it appears the ATF has not yet confirmed that. I read somewhere the boys started with their family because they were easy targets and that they wanted to be "famous" like the Columbine killers. Do people really still remember those boys' names? Okay, so I do remember the first name of one boy, but... really?? I just do not get it.

I had LASIK in 2004. I cannot recall what my vision was at the time, but after surgery I was 20/15 in both eyes until a few years ago. And now I'm 20/20. My husband had it in 2009, but his vision was worse than mine and he was older (probably around 40) - his wasn't as successful. He was 20/25 and even though that was much better, he was used to how crisp his vision was with glasses. He has been back in glasses for a couple of years now. My recovery took no time. I took a nap when I got home (pretty sure they gave me a pill to take), and when I woke up I really could see. I watched a movie that night without glasses. My husband's recovery was a little longer, but not several days or anything. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It has been amazing for me! To wake up and be able to see the clock across the room... To swim with my kids without glasses... To buy $3 sunglasses at Dollar General (lol). Yep. I would not hesitate to do it again. I don't know if my husband would do the same. He was only out of glasses for about two years. I don't know if it was because of his eyes, or the surgeon, or ?

There is North Star Geography here - https://www.brightideaspress.com/shop/north-star-geography/ We will be using Barb's (harmonyartmom) free schedule with a little tweaking. http://harmonyfinearts.org/2011/03/world-geography-for-high-school-harmony-art-moms-plans-to-download/

Yep. On all counts.

Very sad. And I absolutely hate the hysteria we know will follow re: homeschooling.

I can only speak to the common core part of your question, but, no, that should not make a difference in dealing with the NCAA.

My kids aren't driving age yet, but when I took driver's ed many years ago, my instructor also taught me that I should be able to see the rear tires of the car in front of me at a stop. As far as teaching them to drive in the left lane... well, that is just... :confused1:

I took a screen shot of my daughter's assignment sheet, but it's too large to upload. I can try to PM you or if you would like me to e-mail it, you can send me a PM and I'll forward to you.

Thank you. This is very helpful!

Next year my 9th grader will be studying world geography & cultures. She has a hefty list of classic literature for her English class, but I'd like her to do some reading for geography as well. I have a few literature selections on my list, but wondered if there was an anthology of short stories or folk tales from around the world that would be appropriate for a high school student. Thank you for any help!

Wondering if something like this exists... Looking for a book with stories from around the world to go with our world geography and cultures study for next year for my 7th grader. I've seen the Usborne Stories from Around the World, but was hoping for something geared to a slightly older child. (But only slightly.)

Just enter the coupon code: 23663 when checking out.

Thank you! Just placed my order!

Speed Queen! If you search the forums for washer reviews, you'll see an overwhelming number in favor of the SQ. I purchased one 2 years ago and absolutely love it. The delivery guy even commented that they never have to work on them and he'd just purchased one for his elderly mother.

Depending on the size of the book, sometimes I print at Staples. They often have coupons for % off of printing services, and I like their default paper weight. You can take in a flash drive with the document on it, or you can upload it on their website. You can see the cost as you add options (hole-punching, binding, covers, etc.).

I was going to recommend Fix-It! as well. It does not have diagramming, but my grammar loving dd really enjoyed it this year.

And here that is (because I went looking, too): http://www.hopeforhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/07/essentials-in-writing-review.html

Just a quick note on the WP Equine program. I purchased the digital student notebook and had it printed for right around $30 at Staples. WP has a deal w/them and the discount to print is huge. It's over 300 pages and there is instruction for which pages need to be in color vs black & white.

Anyone?