My favorite BBC move EVER. Richard Armitage and Daniela-Denby Ashe were simply excellent in this. And you've heard, haven't you, that he is one the main dwarves in the upcoming Hobbit movie, right? Can't wait! My next fave is the 2006 BBC version of Jane Eyre with Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson. It's the best!!

This is excellent.

And this just affirms my point about diversity. To each his own. I'm glad for you that you can glean from it what you need. ~Love to all

This made me smile. :) (And I've read Twilight). Even though I am a FB addict, I admire people such as you who resist because of your principle. :)

I am sighing right along with you. I don't usually post on these kinds of issues-you will see that I hardly ever post on the forums at all. I regret posting in this one earlier. Not because I regret what I said or believe about this issue, but because in an artificial environment such as an internet forum a lot is lost. We can not see each other face-to-face, we can not hear the person's actual voice and we can not see the messages conveyed through body language. The immediacy of response causes us to lose the valuable asset of time that allows us to step back and consider a statement carefully and our response to that statement just as carefully. We have lost sight of the big picture when we allow ourselves to be caught up in petty bickering over issues that are not sin. Since this a homeschooling forum, I am assuming that all of us here are parents who are home educating our children and we came here because we were looking for answers to questions, support for the hard days and friendship in a sometimes isolating lifestyle choice. Why are we bickering about this issue? It has nothing to do with home educating our children. All of the energy spent in this defensive stand-off could have been directed at lifting each other up as we begin another school year and all that goes with it. As I said before, our Creator made us all different and He was pleased with His work. That means He finds value in diversity. Maybe we should too. So I like to wear make-up. Big deal. I still care about my children as passionately as those of you who do not. Wearing it or not wearing it doesn't make us better people, better parents or better Christians. It's just who we are and what we've decided to do for whatever reason. I don't believe that on Judgment Day God is going to judge me based on something as petty as whether or not I happened to wear mascara or not. I just don't think He cares a bit where I get my clothes from or what style my hair is. Instead, I believe He will judge me based on how I treated His children and how I judged and treated them during my time on earth. He will judge me based on whether or not I did my best to train my children in the Way that they should go and whether I treated my brothers and sisters here on earth the way I would want to be treated and whether or not I let others see His love through me. Time is too short and the days too evil to spend it tearing each other down for these kinds of issues. I need help and support on this journey we call homeschooling, and I bet you do too. Let's focus our energies there, shall we? ~Love to all

Yes, yes and yes!! Vanity comes in all kinds of forms, not just outward appearances. And, while some many not realize it or intend it, the spirit and tone of their posts against those who do like to have their hair cut or wear make-up on a regular basis sounds almost more vain and proud than the women they are looking their noses down upon. Really, it amazes me that this is even up for discussion. To each his own! If someone wants to wear make-up, get their hair cut and wear clothes that fit, that's ok. And if someone wants to wear baggy sweatshirts, hair always in a ponytail and never wears a stitch of make-up that's ok too. Someone else here mentioned "cookie-cutter" hairstyles...that mode of thinking can go in reverse. Those who choose not to do the things mentioned in these threads can still be wanting to "cookie cutter" their way of thinking. Our Great and Glorious Creator made us all different and He was well-pleased with His work. Why can't we just respect that? Why can't we just appreciate all of the things about a person that make them unique? It would be a dull and listless life if everyone looked the same, thought the same and felt the same. If God had wanted that, He could have created us that way. But He didn't and I think all of us need to get off our high horses about a great many things and spend some time learning from our Lord about what Grace and Mercy and Compassion and Respect mean. Because there are a lot of us on these boards who could benefit from time spent doing that, instead of looking down our noses at those who act or think differently than we do on something that is not a sin issue. Love to all~

It's actually very sad. I apparently missed all of the drama created by this woman, never corresponded with her on these boards or in email. But based on what I have read describing what has happened, this woman sounds to me like someone that my family came in contact with a few years ago. Factitious disorder (I don't know how to link to a page that describes it) is a mental disorder where someone makes up elaborate stories about their lives, often involving over-the-top tragedies or unbelievable incidents in their lives. A few years ago, a woman called my husband (who is a preacher) and said she had been reading stuff online and felt she needed to be baptized. The long and the short of the story is that after that happened, immediately horrible things started happening to her. She was pregnant and her husband, furious that she was baptized, beat her up and caused a miscarriage. Then while she was in the hospital for that, they discovered cancer, etc. etc. It kept getting more and more sensational. The thing is, we went to all of the hospitals and could never find her. My mother even worked for one of the hospitals and was able to access the patient files and no one was listed under her name. We became very emotionally caught up in her story. Finally, another preacher from a nearby state heard about it and called us and said it sounded eerily similar to a woman he and his congregation had helped. We exchanged pictures, and lo and behold, it was the same woman working under many different personas. It was very sad and very emotionally exhausting. Turns out this woman was abused when she was young and making up these stories and getting people emotionally attached to her stories was her coping mechanism. I don't believe she had hurtful intentions, but was seriously mentally ill. I say all that to get to this point-I believe that the woman described in this thread very possibly could be suffering from factitious disorder and this woman needs our prayers and compassion. I would also be watchful on other boards and forums you are a part of because if she's been banned here, she will most likely seek that emotional fix elsewhere. So very, very sad. :( ~Marita in IN

With a review like that, I gotta check it out!

Books that have had the deepest influence on my homeschooling philosophy and way of living have been: The Well-Trained Mind -this was the book that started it all and it made homeschooling so clear to me, as well as gave me confidence that I could actually *do* it. Climbing Parnassus- Wow. This book was incredibly inspiring to me. It's one that I try to re-read every year. It has a lot about Latin and Greek and its importance in education, but it is so much more than that. It's about our heritage and the need to preserve it. Very inspiring. Many days when I am having a hard time I have the mental picture of climbing that mountain and how it will feel at the top. A Thomas Jefferson Education- and all other books by the DeMilles have changed my life. It has taught me how important it is to be inspiring. And it has shown me the extreme importance of keeping my own education alive and thriving as an example to my children. Their seminar on cd of the "Core and Love of Learning" phases have really been inspiring to me as far as family culture and way of living day to day. I don't adopt all of their philosophy, but wow, they have a lot of great things to say. The Year of Miss Agnes- just a short, simple story that I read just today that made my heart swell with inspiration to be a better teacher and inspirer and mentor to my kids. LOVED this book. Though written by a public school teacher, I found the book Lessons from the Classroom to be incredibly helpful and inspiring. This book is by Hal Urban. This has been an exciting thread to read. I had not even heard of the book about teaching math by Liping Ma. I am definitely going to check that out. Also the Circe recordings. I'm inspired to re-read Norms and Nobility again too.

There is a very active one for workboxes which has been helpful and it's easier for me to follow in that format than digging around in all of the threads on here and trying to find my place again later. Has anyone started one yet? ~Marita

...Learning Adventures? I think it has the continuity of one program, or one theme, but each theme is broken up into unit studies that last 6 weeks or so in length. **Marita** http://www.learning-adventures.org/

We have three things that are a must every day...Bible, Math and Latin, usually in that order. On Mondays and Wednesdays, we do Language Arts. We try to do a whole week's lessons on those two days. Tuesdays and Thursdays are History days. Fridays belong to science, field trips, and catching up on anything we didn't get done previously in the week. I feel like focusing on just one main "theme" for a day leaves my mind so less cluttered. However, since everyone seems to be raving about the loop schedule, I am considering trying that. But then I wonder if I'd just be changing to try something new that everyone is raving about instead of just continuing on with what is working already. **Marita**

Yes, there are definitely Catholic overtones in some of the lessons. We just kind of move over that. It's not been intrusive. There hasn't been anything like that at all in the chats. **Marita**

...and I love it! My daughter Tessa is taking Middle School Henle Latin 1. The chats are so cool...she can see the teacher on the screen and he asks them all questions and they answer back. The work load is definitely quite a few steps up. It is more demanding but I am grateful for the accountability. And though she probably wouldn't admit it, Tessa is really beginning to like Latin. There were a few tears shed at the beginning because it is so different from the gentleness of Prima Latina, and the fun of Lively Latin, but we both are enjoying it immensely. Worth every penny! **Marita**

...I went and purchased the HP for Ancient Rome! Where do we find these? On the Evan-Moor website? I almost special ordered Egypt and Greece, and was going to have to pay upfront for them, but changed my mind. So glad you posted this info!!

...Climbing Parnassus, by Tracy Lee Simmons. It will inspire you a zillion times over as to why Latin should be a part of your children's lives, and yours, too. I can't recommend it enough. **Marita**

What is your website? Is it about afterschooling? I'd love to see it if it is! **Marita**

...to fit everything in that I want to do, and I don't even work outside the home!! But I do have a 9 month old. Isn't that almost the same? :) I homeschooled all three of my older kids until last year. I ended up liking our elementary schools so much, I had my boys return this year. I am homeschooling my sixth grade daughter and of course still have the baby at home too. You have to think differently when it comes to afterschooling. You are not trying to homeschool them after school. It's different. You have to assess what their school does well, and then have the grace to leave that to the school. You can reinforce it, but my take is if the school is doing so well with a certain subject, that leaves me free time to pursue with vigor the things I really want to or need to work on with my boys. For example, I really like our school's math program. It is the perfect complement to Math-U-See, which I am using with my first grader at home in the evenings. We do math almost every night, but some nights it just doesn't happen. Like tonight, we spent most of tonight making cookies for a cook-off at my daughter's homeschool group cookout. They let the boys participate also. I had to make three different kinds of cookies tonight. But I got one-on-one time with each one and as a poster above mentioned, I still count that as learning, just as I would if we were homeschooling full time. I am doing the Chess course from WinterPromise with my eight year old. He absolutely loves chess right now, and I have always been scared to death of it. But he loves it and I want to be able to play with him, as well as improve his game. I figure we have something special just the two of us are doing, and it is improving thinking skills for both of us. I am planning on purchasing Core 1 from Sonlight to do with both boys, taking my time with it and savoring the read-alouds. I am doing Core 6 with their big sister, so that way they will be somewhat on the same page as us. Also, give yourself some time to find your groove. As time goes on, you will gain a better grasp of what works and what you have time to do. Best of luck!

...Real Science 4 Kids by Dr. Keller and she had a cool supplement to her program that was called "Science connects to...Language" and it was a study of the terms we used in the science and their Latin roots and connections. I liked it a lot.

Math practice and Latin consistently, as well as copywork. I do read aloud to them as much as I can. About once a week I have them read a science book or magazine (such as Ranger Rick) and have them summarize an article or the book. I do reading lessons with my youngest, along with writing practice. And I just started Classical Writing: Aesop, which is about once a week.

So my kids are on spring break for the next two weeks. While on break, I've had my 11 year old daughter doing Latin, math practice, copywork and fun reading. Today after completing her Latin, she said, "I'm really enjoying this stuff you're having me do." Music to my ears!!! What?! When we were homeschooling, getting her to do her Latin was quite a chore. This got me to thinking about something. Perhaps since this is not required "schoolwork", or at least not called schoolwork, she views it as learning for enjoyment. If we were still HSing, she'd view it as drudgery because it would be required work. I still require it to be done, but it doesn't have the stigma of being "schoolwork" attached to it. I require it, but it doesn't have the stress of "we have to get this done to meet school requirements" attached to it and perhaps she now views it as doing it because she *wants* to and not because she *has* to for school. I find this very interesting. And it makes me excited about what possibilties this opens for me and what I want her to study more in depth. Have any of you who homeschooled and went to afterschooling notice this change of attitude?

...regarding making new friends, I have already experienced this. In fact, that is one of the things I really like about our current situation. I was very active with homeschooling, and have a lot of outstanding friends who are still HSing. But as far as day-to-day contact and getting to *be around* people, I am loving public school for the exposure to people some of the same things in common. I never thought I was lonely before, but now I feel like I must have been and not known it. For the first time I really feel like a part of our community and I am really enjoying that.

First, a bit of background... I HS'd my kids up until last year due to a hard pregnancy and my father's illness. I was a very passionate homeschooler, very active. If you had told me before I became pregnant that my kids would ever go to PS, I'd have thought you were crazy!!! When I made the decision to put them in school, I had a mixed reaction. Some begged and implored me not to do it...it couldn't be worth it. Some were mad at me, others told me they were disappointed in me. Some of my own family screamed at me about it over the phone. At that time, I was totally convicted that it would only be for one year, then we'd return full-force to HSing. What I didn't bank on was enjoying PS so much. This has led to much anguish over what to do for next year, as I stated in an earlier post. I confess that a great deal of my anguish comes from fearing a negative reaction from my friends. As I said before I get this sense of them viewing me as "selling out". I still frequent the homeschooling boards and join in the threads regarding curriculum and still talk about my educational plans with my kids through afterschooling, but get vibes of"Why are you still here? You aren't one of us anymore". I don't know if I am just building this reaction up in my mind and am just being paranoid. For those of you who went from HSing to PS, did you encounter this problem? If so, how did you deal with it? I know I shouldn't really care what people think of the well-thought out choices my family has made for school, but I do care about these people, and wish I could still enjoy all of the same things we used to enjoy together without the PS-Sell-out stigma hanging over my head.

It's written by Kathy Weitz. The website is http://www.classicalwriting.com

This is a program patterned after the Progymnasmata...we are doing the Aesop level. I learned about it from Drew Campbell's book The Latin-Centered Curriculum. Google for more info on the Progymnasmata. We are just starting this writing program, I'll let you know what I think of it after I've used it for awhile. ~Marita