I am very sorry.

I was watching this thread with a lot of interest (and feeling totally betrayed that we still have no photos:D) and then when I thought you were going to put the fence in the wrong place, it was so upsetting to me that I decided I couldn't read the thread any more........Thank you for reconsidering - you're doing the right thing!

midsection line, I love the idea of the framed entry with a pitched roof that the others suggested. I would not do the fake rock either, but put real rock at the base of the new vertical supports that would be in the front of the entry. Also, with a nice new front door and windows, it could look great. I would also investigate whether (from a living inside point of view) if any of the windows could be made taller - probably couldn't go up much, but could start lower......

From someone who has been through legal issues with neighbors and "adverse possession" which you need to research in your state, I can tell you it's legal suicide to put the fence inside of the old hedge stumps. Besides losing the ability to use that strip of land for your own, think about it - you're "giving" it to your neighbors. Not only did they get rid of a hedge they disliked, but somehow they cajoled you into giving you the land! Seriously - DON'T do this. This is from property line disputes 101...........and when I said in the title, to put it ON the line, I mean on your property with the outside of the planking touching the line..........just looking out for you.......

:iagree:

did well when I lived in Seattle............

DS was in ps for Grades k-2, and they used Saxon. I wasn't a critic then and didn't have much to comment on. It seemed fine. Then, we started hs'ing in 3rd, I researched curricula and decided to try Singapore. Although good at math, at the beginning of grade 3 he tested at 2A, so we started there and finished 4B at the end of 4th grade. Circumstances warranted him returning to ps for 5th. At the beginning of the year, his 5th grade teacher told me he was the most advanced math student in the entire 5th grade - all classes. The Saxon math was all too easy for him, and we thought the "incremental" (more aptly named chaotic and random) approach was counterproductive. Now, near the end of 5th grade, after a year of Saxon, he's dumbed down to be in the middle of the pack again. I went into this without an opinion, but after our experience, I loathe Saxon! This summer, we're back on Singapore........

I remember exactly where I was and how significant a loss it was to the music community. Now decades later, with a son who is a fiddle player, I can appreciate the roots of the Dead's music so much more. However, being a mom to an acoustic musician who practices daily, I don't enjoy the live recordings much - because they seem so messy. But the studio recordings are really wonderful. What creativity with guitar solos and folk music. It's all still in my heart...........

I'm in the PNW

believe it or not, with her then 9 year old boy...Someone had suggested this to her, and as soon as they tried it the bedwetting stopped immediately....

these pants you linked to are probably about the fanciest I've ever worn leaving the house. I assumed you were talking about tights....these look like they could be warn with a blazer........gosh - I wish I always looked that dressed up leaving the house............so what makes these yoga pants and why wouldn't they be appropriate to wear at work?

I have to say, overwhelmingly, it's gone really well. His teacher told me he needed to adjust socially in the beginning of the year. He did come home one day in tears (not like him at all) because a group science project didn't work out. I think he's a pretty bright kid, so the academics haven't been an issue at all. Also, the required homework has gone pretty smoothly because he has an outside authority figure who he respects. Deadlines are deadlines, and he meets them. He also had to do a presentation in front of the class, something that wouldn't have happened at home. This caused him anxiety and nervousness. It was a great experience. And, also, ironically, it went so well, that he was asked to give the presentation again to another class, so he got to go through the whole nervousness cycle twice. He learned that you get through it. I'm told that a good index of how children are doing socially, is how they like recess. Recess can be hard for kids. He loves recess, so that's good. Realizing that life is compromise, we're accepting the lower academic level of public school, and supplementing on our own during the summer. Given my work situation now, it's impossible to home school, so he will continue there next year.....

Florida - Why not try some of Lively Latin. Isn't there a sample chapter? We're sticking with it through BB1 and may or may not do BB2 - we're planning on moving to GP later at some point......

It's quite simple. I chose the download option, because I thought it silly to have all the printed matter sent to me when I could print it out myself as we go. I print out one chapter at a time. THere isn't any "looking for stuff on the computer" mentioned. My then 9 yo son and I both felt it was our favorite curriculum of all that we have used. Right now, he's in ps, so we're picking Latin up again over the summer. I've been really impressed with the program. We wanted secular, however...

One is One http://www.amazon.com/One-Barbara-L-Picard/dp/9997483340 was recommended to me on the board and I think it ranks as one of our favorite books of all time. I read it aloud to an almost 10 yob. It's 14th century - not sure if you're looking for end of the m.a. into the ren., or both time periods. Beorn the Proud http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Beorn+the+proud we also really enjoyed, especially since the check-out record in the back of the book showed it had sat lonely on the shelf for 13 years....

and at first I was thrilled - with my new-found freedom, and the ability to work at a paying job.....and then I looked at what they do at school, and I find myself mourning......I (and he) love the classical education. However, now that he's back in ps, the phone rings more often (it had become a problem) and his social skills are improving........I can totally relate to how you feel. We should congratulate ourselves on our successes, though. DS, like yours, is doing well at school - our academics were so much more thorough.......My biggest disappointments are the random history studies - no connection with chronological order, no place for pegs. He's studying native Americans and has no idea what time period they are in.......hmmmm - I remember this from my own ps'ing years ago.......the language arts is pretty bad, also.........oh well - in live - there are trade-offs, and compromise - and this is a good example of it........Best of luck to you....

already did Treasure Island, and I noticed we have the dark frigate on our shelf........any others?

....I already have Johnny Tremaine......any others?

Are you sure you want to start latin with a first grader?

ditto on renting. Your child is growing and may outgrow the size in less than a year. http://www.ifshinviolins.com/rentals.html in Berkeley rents countrywide - they ship the instruments, as I'm sure other shops do.

I'm assuming the CW Primer is too advanced for an average 1st grader...

Well, we chose Lively Latin and have really liked it. This was for my 4th grade son. I was really hesitant to study Latin - thinking that I would drop out, and not entirely convinced of it's merit. We've done almost a year and I'm pretty excited about it. With LL, you could do 20 minutes a day if you planned on one sheet per day. We've chosen to do usually 2 pages, and sometimes (lately) it takes my ds 40 minutes to do 2 - but that's if I leave him alone. Lately he's become confused with the declensons and conjugations, so sometimes he sits stumped. I explained that he will have a light bulb moment when it all becomes clear, and he'll be able to work through his assignments quickly. For planning, I would plan on 20-30 minutes/day and just cut off the lesson at that point.

and not buy the text?

Many here continue to use it, as we will. For my 5th grader, we will use SOTW 3 because we started in 3rd grade. I would gladly use all of them over...

Oh gosh - now I want to read these. Generally, in the past, we've loved weirdness because it gets us giggling...