I have not used the self-paced but have gone through all six years teaching my children (and a few others). I think the self-paced courses look amazing and I know people who have used them and are very happy with them. You're correct that it takes the responsibility for all that prep work off the parents' shoulders. Knowing myself, I know that I would not do all the reading and engage in the discussion with my child about what they had read when I knew a program would do it for me. There were hours and hours of reading to be adequately prepared to participate in discussion. The teacher guide gives you answers but it really can't anticipate the questions your child will come up with and you'll want to be ready to answer those. This was a huge undertaking but I think it is well worth it. My kids, and I, got so much out of the discussions and I so appreciate how much you get to really understand how your children think and understand the things they read. It feels like you are flying through these books but the lasting results are amazing! All of mine consistently brought up topics and authors from the first few years to compare to the people we were studying in the later years. If I hadn't done the work too I would have missed out on all of that as well as the appreciation of the thorough grasp on history that I know they have because they are eager to share with me when they encounter things that relate to the shared base that we have. I don't doubt that the children I know who used the self-paced program received as good, or even better, instruction, but they don't share that with their parents the way mine do. I don't know your reasons for homeschooling, but apart from quality of education, one of mine was to build strong relationships with my children. This has been one of the best things I've used to do both of those things at once. Now, having said all that, please don't think I'm putting down anyone who doesn't have the time or resources to devote to this type of project. I really loved the Omnibus program and I've seen that children get a lot out of it whether it is parent taught, self-paced, or using the Veritas Academy. The most important thing (IMHO) in choosing a curriculum is choosing one that will actually get done.

My two kids were 10 and 12 when we got ours. They have used it quite a lot and it was plenty roomy for having a few friends to swim with them. They still used it last summer at 15 and 17, might not get as much use this summer since they both have jobs but who knows. Well, I can't get a link to paste into this post or I'd show you the system we have. It's made by Intex and the one's I found online just now ran about $120-190. Dh found ours for about half that but it was 3 years ago. I really can't tell you how much it is worth it! Much better on the swim suits than chemicals also.

We have that exact pool and we have loved it. We have had the frame for 5 years and replaced the liner once. The first liner lasted two seasons (with a very slow leak during the second season) but the 2nd liner has lasted three years and we will use it again this year. The difference was in getting the salt water system. The chemicals you have to add to keep the algae at bay are really tough on the liner. The salt water system has been by far the best investment we made. The water is not really salty at all, it makes your skin feel softer rather than drying it out and, best of all, we can leave town for days on end and not come back to a yucky mess. I also recommend the solar covers that sit right on top of the water. The extra heating is necessary where we are but they are also much easier to use that the covers that go over the top and they won't blow off no matter how hard the wind blows.

Have you tested your soil? Getting my soil in proper shape to do what I was asking of it took care of my garden woes. Test kits are rather inexpensive at garden or hardware stores and come with complete instructions for fixing any deficiencies. The kits have charts to tell you the range of each nutrient for the type of crop so you can adjust each area for what you want to grow there. If you need all organic methods I've found that the local garden shop can always tell you what natural product to use in place of the chemicals the kit may recommend.

I call my parents mom and dad. Ds calls me mom and calls dh dad. Dd calls me mother and calls dh father, we don't know why, she just always has.

I'm doing this with a student (I teach part time at a small school now that my homeschoolers are in high school). I have two third graders in 5/4 and one in Intermediate 3. He did Saxon 3 last year but he really floundered in 5/4. It seems like the jump in the amount of work was just too much for him. The information in Int.3 is the same as 3 but the presentation is different. There is text for him to read and learn to understand how to read a text. The workbook helped a lot at first but he is transitioning to doing it all on paper. I've found it really helpful for this particular student. Hope that helps.

Huckleberry is my very favorite. But really, how could you go wrong with pie?

The new edition is pretty much the same course as far as content, structure and pacing. It is only one volume now because the labs were removed and put into a separate lab manual. I've never used SS so I can't compare them. Hope that helps.

I can't understand what you are going through, but I know several folks who can. My dear friend is involved with a ministry with the sole purpose of helping people heal in this very situation. Their website is http://rachelsvineyard.org/index.htm . My friend, who has gone (is going) through this herself is involved with this ministry through her own small, local ministry Word of Hope. She hosts the Rachel's vineyard retreat annually in our area. I would encourage you to look into this, they really do a great job of helping ladies wrap their hearts and minds around what they are going through and begin to heal. Even if you can't attend a retreat (and there are always scholarships available to make sure that those who want to go can) they have a lot of resources provided by loving, Christian people to help. Even being able to have a support group of people who all share the same burden, can help to ease yours. I'm glad that the Lord has given you the courage to speak up and let those He has in place to help you know that you are hurting. It's scary to step out in faith and trust that the Lord has only good in mind for you. I encourage you to continue on this path that He has started you on towards healing, He'll be with you every step of the way.

Dh and I only go to Lowe's on our anniversary and really special occasions. For just a regular night out it's Home Depot. Our kids have always found it hilarious, but they didn't have to go through the terrible times before they were born when even a very small Menards was 4 hours away!

My oldest is in 11th grade at PS this year. He says it is such a waste of time. The teachers like to talk about most anything except the subject at hand and will not tell them their assignments until the end of the hour so they have do it at home. These are almost all AP and honors classes. He leaves at 5:15 for morning swim practice, sits at school all day accomplishing nothing, swims until 6:00 then comes home for homework until 9 or 10. He actually dropped the one non-honors/AP class he had so he could take a study hall and actually get something done during the school day. He plans to come back home next year so he can have some free time again, take college classes instead, and swim more. I thought he should come home now but he feels that he should finish the year that he started since it was his choice.

I haven't used them yet, we're just getting there, but Veritas Press has a few choices for Rhetoric. It's a place to start looking at least.

I have no experience with Apologia General Science so I don't know where you are starting from, but I have a lot of experience with BJU so I can tell you where it goes. A student who has completed Algebra should be ready mathematically for either course. The real difference is in the content. Earth and Space is just that, the study of the earth and space. Physical Science is an introduction to Physics and Chemistry. If you plan to stick with BJU this Earth and Space course is the only course that covers those topics in their sequence. Physical Science is also the first course designated for high school, the work load and pace of the class increase quite a bit from E&S to PS. If the Algebra course you used was not particularly strong however, I would go with the E&S first. I'm not terribly familiar with different math programs, we've always used Saxon. I teach classes using the BJU science series though and I know that many students who have completed other Algebra programs are not ready for the math in Physical Science. So, while I can't answer the question of what's best for your child, maybe that will help a little.

Looked it up, here's a link to their page with accreditations: http://www.homeschoolacademy.com/bridgeway-advantage/accreditation-accredited/

Not the same folks. I started to look into Bridgeway because one of the kids I tutor for math and science was using them. His family has been very happy. I believe their accredidation is through the state of Pennsylvania,but can't say for sure. I haven't had any personal experience with them yet but am considering it for my dd since she may want to go to high school her junior/senior year. MT does not accept courses from nonaccredited schools and I know that the family I'm working with has had one child return to the local high school and all of his courses from Bridgeway were accepted for full credit.

Montana - no for high school, younger grades it's up to the school

In the teacher's defense, you didn't mention if he told her that the answer was an actual numerical value. I have been known to give my students problems that don't work with the intent that they are to discover that and tell me so. Sometimes you get a group of high school students who just don't want to put the effort into their work to look back at it and see if it makes sense. They want to plug numbers into a formula and give you a value without understanding what they are doing and that is really not learning. This may not be the case, and if so then please disregard my response.

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked? This sounds like how I felt before I found out I had an extreme vit. D deficiency. If that's the case, the good news is it's easy and quick to treat.

I don't know how old he is, but since my ds became a teen his favorite stocking stuffers are food. A beefstick, some jerky, maybe some little bags of trail mix and he is thrilled!

Dh and I both served in the Air Force, me for 14 years and him until he retired. My dad is retired AF as well

My college calculus prof prided himself on how low the test scores were in classes. He considered himself a failure if he wrote a test where anyone was able to score above a 50%. And I had to deal with this man for three semesters of calculus! My Calc 1 average was 47%, the highest in the class and I got an A. It was an engineering school so most students had to take all three semesters. Makes you wonder what this guy is like to live with!

We are doing this course this year with a small group. I have had the same issue with their tests but I found out about the BJU testmaker software. They have most of their courses on it (and you can download new versions as they come out) with multiple choice, short answer and essay questions for each chapter. You just choose the questions you want to use, print a test and an answer key. I've found this very helpful.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." This is NIV. Not the version I usually prefer but I really like the way this sounds more, even though it means the same thing in the others. This is my favorite because it reminds me that I am in God's hand and He has things all worked out for me, even when I don't see it and can't imagine how things are ever going to be good from where I am at that moment.

I just typed up a basic transcript and State Farm was happy with that. They started out wanting SAT scores but when I mentioned that he won't take them until his Junior year they said a transcript was fine.

My seasonal allergies do this to me. Try an antihistamine, oral or eye drop form, and see if that works. If that is the problem you'll get relief right away.