Hits: Math in Focus, Galore Park English Misses: BraveWriter Arrow (although may be too early to tell).

No, it's not in graphic detail... but I'd argue that in no way does Toni Morrison condone pedophilia. Also, regarding "condoning" from what I remember, there was no punishment regarding Lot's daughters and the whole sleeping with Daddy thing. (Not saying that any Christian or Jew or anybody I know of any faith for that matter condones pedophilia...but I'm also saying I don't remember condemnation in that instance.) It was also common to force a rape victim to marry her rapist. (See Deuteronomy). One can read that...and think...Oh my, how barbaric (and yes, part of me does). One can also read it, think of the times, and wonder why that's there. Is it to protect her? Remember, it's not like there were a lot of options open to a non-virgin at the time. It's something one can discuss and perhaps should. Nobody can force anybody to read any book or think a certain way. I understand people who are troubled by some of the writing within TBE. I understand even why they are troubled and why they may not want to read the book themselves. Yet, I get a bit upset when people express outrage that one of the great modern authors' work is included in a recommended reading list for 16 and 17 year olds. Even if it deals with something troubling. I'm sure there are people who don't read Oscar Wilde because he was gay. There are people who don't let their kids read Harry Potter because of witchcraft. Sadly, it's their and their kids' loss. I don't worry about my kids becoming gay, a witch, or wanting to be a pedophile from a book. If they want to learn more about paganism--I will steer them to people I know, yet I really don't stay awake at night wondering if they're going to leave for a boarding school for witches. If reading OW opens up a discussion about sexual orientation...and provides a door for that... great. We can also talk about the history of how people were persecuted over their orientation and include people like Alan Turing.

Very neat. We're doing a self-crafted Rumi study this year. I'm definitely going to tuck this away to use ISA later. :)

I want to say we do about 2 to 3 hours of actual seat work in the a.m. Then maybe 1/2 to an hour in the afternoon. I'm not counting reading time, because it's tough to get DS to stop reading. There is no delineation between pleasure and school reading for him. Usually what we do is start with math.... then we do something physical like a workout tape, walk, biking.... then we go back and do either English (grammar/spelling) or History. Depending on how his mood is we might do some foreign language or science or not. Afternoons are very casual and involve a little language and art. Once or twice per week, we throw in a science experiment or field trip or what not. DS likes to read science books for pleasure, we're not doing a lot of formal science. Just working through the Galore Park Jr. Science book slowly, along with the various science blocks of Oak Meadow and some fun labs.

Sure. It is educational--they'll learn a bunch. Heck, you can even talk about math when you talk about the amazing Disney crowd engineering. :) BTW, Disney does do "real" homeschooling days too. :) http://www.disneyyouth.com/our-programs/education/sp/homeschool-days/#categories-homeschool-days

No...but we have incest with Lot and his daughters in Genesis 19 or so. And one of King David's sons rapes his sister in 1 Kings 13. Also, let's not forget that a woman was viewed as marriageable as soon as she had her first period during much of history...including Biblical history. I would think many of us would find sex with a 12 year old "sex with a child."

I think other posters like msjones and Dialectica bring up good points. There was a story about a little 5 year old girl named, Lama al-Ghadil, who was raped, abused, and tortured by her father and eventually died. Reading that is horrible. Reading that can make you feel outrage. However, it was knowledge about the extent of her injuries...(and I'm not going to post them here, but you can google them if you desire)... just what he did (and yes, it's quite quite horrific), that lead to public outrage that caused change.... and a big change in Saudi Arabia. Sometimes, you don't get just how bad it is/was when it is glossed over.

OK...I'll take it a step further. Rape is very much a part of life for many many women. I think the worldwide stats are 1:3 women experience abuse in some form. 1:5 college women experience forced sex. Incest is a part of far more children's lives than I would wish. In my family, my uncle didn't think it mattered because I was adopted. Call it the Woody Allen syndrome. 93% of kids who are abused under the age of 18 know their abuser. A 16/17 year old should know that. It can be discussed. Life is messy. Life is violent for many. Right now in Syria, human rights orgs tell us that rape is a tool of war. Prisoners have their family members of both sexes raped in front of them. That's reality. That should be part of the discussion in saying do we intervene. All wars involve rape. If you are studying history with your kids, and you don't talk about the rape of Nanking, or the rapes that occurred after liberation in Europe. You are doing them a disservice. You are not giving them an accurate picture of what war really is...what it does to people. It's far more than just deaths. Heck, we have a problem right now with American soldiers raping other soldiers. You can't hide people from the messy things in life... and IMHO, if you are doing that to a soon-to-be-adult, you are doing them a disservice.

I think the book is something every 16 year old should read. It's more than sex. Sex is part of the plot, just as sex is part of life. "Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for normalcy, for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in.Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison’s virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterized her writing" I graduated from high school 25+ years ago. I doubt high schoolers have changed much. They still know a lot more about sex that their parents think...and are far more interested in sex than their parents think... even if they come from "conservative" families. However, just because they read about sex, does not necessarily mean they're having sex. Sex in the context of a well-written plot is fine. It does not constitute pornography IMHO. Heck, knowing that there's something in the book that some parents are upset about might actually get the kids to read it. :) If you're really worried about your kids sexuality, then be far more concerned with sex ed and how it is taught. Abstinence-only is the worst for ensuring healthy sexuality and pregnancy prevention. It can also be quite damaging. Elizabeth Smart had a lot to say about how she was raised...and how her feeling that she was damaged and nobody would want her kept her a victim. It's worth the read/watch. When Smart spoke at a Johns Hopkins University panel last week, she explained one of the factors deterring her from escaping her attacker: She felt so worthless after being raped that she felt unfit to return to her society, which had communicated some hard and fast rules about premarital sexual contact. “I remember in school one time, I had a teacher who was talking about abstinence,†Smart told the panel. “And she said, ‘Imagine you’re a stick of gum. When you engage in sex, that’s like getting chewed. And if you do that lots of times, you’re going to become an old piece of gum, and who is going to want you after that?’ Well, that’s terrible. No one should ever say that. But for me, I thought, ‘I’m that chewed-up piece of gum.’ Nobody re-chews a piece of gum. You throw it away. And that’s how easy it is to feel you no longer have worth. Your life no longer has value.†The most popular book among all the girls (especially the ones from very conservative families) when I was in middle school was Judy Blume's "Forever." I read that, and far more explicit work. It didn't affect my virginity one iota. Having sexual feelings as a 16/17 year old is completely normal. Reading about sex is also normal. Being curious about sex is completely normal. Just because a book mentions genitals and sexual intercourse does not make it pornography.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23947820 "A team from the UK found that the transformation from a land of disparate farmers into a state ruled by a king was more rapid than previously thought. Using radiocarbon dating and computer models, they believe the civilisation's first ruler - King Aha - came to power in about 3100BC...."

Such an awesome story. I was so happy for her. So much to admire...that she kept trying (five times!) and finally succeeded at 64. I also love that her body is not "perfect." My kids and I were looking at some of the videos of the coverage, and I wanted to point out to them what an amazing, fit body she has. Need to negate the only thin or only a very low body fat (although her body fat is lower than most women her age no doubt). She needed some fat to make the swim to fuel her for 53 hours. :)

I really think the whole "a BB gun is not a real gun" is a big problem. BB guns can do just as much damage. As I said before, DH is an ophthalmologist and basically a kid last year lost his eye to a BB gun. Wasn't the first time, either. Guns, even BB guns, are dangerous. They are REAL guns that can kill and do massive harm. Don't let your kids think that it's a real gun that requires any less safety protocol. Part of the issue (with related to the eye) is the actual BBs, but the fact that they can be made of copper, and the metal itself is toxic to the eye. "At close range, projectiles from many BB and pellet guns, especially those with velocities greater than 350 fps, can cause tissue damage similar to that inflicted by powder-charged bullets fired from low-velocity conventional firearms (3). Injuries associated with use of these guns can result in permanent disability or death (4); injuries from BBs or pellets projected from air guns involving the eye particularly are severe (5). For example, based on data from the National Eye Trauma System and the United States Eye Injury Registry -- a system of voluntary reporting by ophthalmologists -- projectiles from air guns account for 63% of reported perforating eye injuries that occur in recreational settings (6)." http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039773.htm

Honestly, we tried mayo, olive oil, Cetaphil, and a Robocomb....nothing helped. Spent hundreds of dollars on stuff. Key is combing. I suggest following this schedule: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/theliceprogram/theprogram.html "Action - Day 1 - removing the layers *[VIP]* Today's combing session is aimed at removing existing egg-laying adult lice that may have been missed the day before. All your family should be lice-combed today again, ideally at the same time in the day or evening. Do not look for the lice in your hair but use the comb systematically in sweeps so that eventually you will have passed the comb through all of the hair. You will probably find far less lice today then yesterday but it is important to be very persistant. You will have missed quite a few lice yesterday and you need to remove these 'evaders' today. There will be very young nyphs in your hair which the comb may not remove. Do not worry about these as we have planned to get them out later in the program when they are bigger and before they reach an age where they are able to lay new eggs. You might be lucky and get some of these today with your combing session. If so - great! Action - Day 2 - removing the last of the layers Today's combing session is aimed at a second attempt at removing existing egg-laying adult lice that may have been missed in the last 2 days. All your family should be lice-combed today again, ideally at the same time in the day or evening. Effectively, you are repeating the session you did yesterday. Action - Day 3 - a day of rest If you and your family and have not missed one combing session in the previous 3 days, you can all have a break today. If you combed properly, then most of the adult egg-laying lice will have been removed. You will still have younger lice in your hair and hundreds of eggs, some starting to hatch, and you might have a few egg-layers left but we will deal with them all later in the program. If you feel you have not done things well in the first few days of the program, then by all means repeat the combing session you did yesterday. We think a rest works well right now and you will have one more chance to remove any egg-laying evaders in action day 5 so take a break and congratulate yourselves for taking the action required so far. Action - Day 4 - a day of rest Another rest day today. Please take a break from combing and have a good day because tomorrow is a special day in the program and all your family must be present to take a critical action to ensure the program's success. Action - Day 5 - last chance day! *[VIP]* Today is one of the most important days in the program. It is your last chance to comb out any remaining adult-lice egg layers. Bring your family together (if all living in the same household) and perform the lice combing with extra special care and attention. Make sure you comb right from the scalp to the tip of hair tufts and wipe the comb deligently after each stroke. Work through all the hair several tmes and check the comb before re-introducing it to the hair to make sure there are no visible lice stuck on it. The reason today is so important is that the rest of this program assumes that after the combing session today, you are free of first generation lice able to lay eggs and lice just about to reach the stage when they can lay eggs. After today we are only concerned with very young lice, the dormant eggs, and eggs just starting to hatch. You must not miss the combing session today or the program will fail! If you have missed any combing sessions todate, this is the only chance you have left to make amends an get those adult egg-laying lice ou of your hair. This is war and today marks a significant chapter in you winning that war.... It continues up to 21 days.

So, we have a Wii (not a Wii U) that the kids love. Our neighbor where we lived before had his hooked up to a hard drive, that he had all their games on. It sounded like a great idea, but I never asked him how to do it. The kids just destroyed yet another disc, so I'm thinking about trying it. Have you done it? How hard is it?

You don't have to worry about using chemicals. Put everything in the wash and in a hot dryer. Stuffed animals can go in the dryer if not washable. if something is not washable, then put it in a sealed garbage bag for two weeks. The most important thing is the comb. None of the combs in the stores or included with kits are worth anything. I really recommend this one. If you can't wait, go to a pet store, and buy a metal flea comb. I like this foamy stuff. Works just as good as Nix in our experience. If you want to use no pesticides, then go here. It's a free combing program. They also show videos teaching you how to comb. VERY IMPORTANT. It's completely free other than the comb. You can also pay somebody to treat your daughter. Costs about $100. Google lice removal and your city. Four kids, never had it until DD brought it home last year. We all got it and I had to shave my head because my hair is so thick. It was hell.

The Jacksonville Jaguars should sign him...if only for the reason that he'd be a big draw. Lots of Gators in the area to attend games.

This article might offer some tips. They advocate talking to your kids about the mechanics around the age of 8. http://www.valuesparenting.com/talktokids.php While the authors recommend (or used to recommend) the book "Where Did I Come From?" ....my son really liked this book better, "It's So Amazing."

I agree with having them pay for the gun safety course. As for the fact that it was a BB gun, DH is an ophthalmologist and last year had to repair a ruptured globe (eye) of a 12 year old from a BB gun. The kid most likely will lose (if he hasn't already) his eye. Don't kid yourself that a BB gun cannot be very dangerous. There was a recent story about a gun safety instructor who shot a student in his class because he didn't realize the gun was loaded. I wouldn't be 100% certain that kids would be able to verify it. We follow the gun safety protocol of if you find a gun, don't touch it, tell an adult.

Point taken. :) I mistyped. I know very well that some studies say that 93% of people under 18 who were sexually abused knew their abuser.

The article mentioned in the article you linked says "sexual and health education." If you go to the actual link, it says, "CPS insists the curriculum will use language children understand and focus on topics like bullying, correct names for external body parts and the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching. “As you identify body parts, you talk about should you be touched here or not.,†said Stephanie Whyte, the CPS Chief Health Officer. “And if someone touches you, and it’s uncomfortable, you should tell a trusted adult.â€" I have no problem with them teaching appropriate body part names, don't let a stranger touch your swimsuit area, etc. If you start talking/teaching about these things young, it's not so big of a deal when kids are older. Most parents wait too long before talking about sex. I'd rather my kids hear things from me, rather than their friends.

Very cool article on the BBC which might inspire some. Never occurred to me to try and read an author from each of the world's countries. What a great idea. http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130715-reading-the-world-in-365-days

We had "Classical Baby" when DS was younger. The DVD is somewhere.... :) Today, we watched "Rhapsody Rabbit." I totally remembered the cartoon! Loved it. :) I think this will be a homeschooling win. Can't wait to get to Sideshow Bob singing H.M.S. Pinafore...but then again, my kids don't really know about the Simpsons. Will they appreciate it? :) http://vimeo.com/51469481

So, I remember one of my first exposure to classical music and opera was through the old Looney Tunes cartoons. (Also Tom & Jerry). Does anybody know if there is a list of which cartoons introduce which classical pieces? I think it might be a fun way to introduce my kids to some of the great composers.

Thanks everybody for the reassurance.

Thanks everybody. LOL@RoyRogers re: "Trumpet of the Swan" :)