[Why Do Obnoxious Atheists Act Like That?]

Oh damn, I'm a double a$$hole: outspoken atheist / anti-religionist & love Zumba.

 

Also vegan, green smoothies, clicker training.  My fb timeline must drive some people crazy.

 

 

Are you a runner too?  Because I can't handle the Obnoxious Runners.  :P

[Accusations in the past against Josh Duggar? (warning: sensitive content)]

I had heard a rumor over and over for a very long time, but... I just read the police report.  I'm speechless.  I also saw that they got spanked with a rod.   :crying:  My heart is heavy.

[NOOOOOO!]

Um....did she seriously post a meme suggesting that people were jealous of her?!?!?!   :huh:

[NOOOOOO!]

Corraleno, thanks so much for the summaries and analyses.

 

I am so, so sad for those kids.   :crying:

[Testing-do you test if not required?]

I do not test.  I've considered it, but decided not to.  I might give them something standardized in 8th grade or so, to get their feet wet for SAT/ACT/whatever.  We'll see.

[Do you knit and crochet?]

Knittinghelp.com helped me get through the days between my knitting classes.  :D  I learned to crochet with Teach Yourself Visually Crochet and a crochet video site that I think doesn't exist anymore.  I go to YouTube if I don't know what a stitch is now.

 

Okay, the first part of this video is exactly how I knit.  I guess that is Continental, but I always see it with "picking" the stitches.

 

[8th Grade Goals: What skills do your kids need to practice before high school?]

Fantastic thread!  I only have a rising 7th grader, but I am definitely looking ahead.  SO glad to have this resource of you ladies (and gent or two?)!

[Can a lit-based curriculum turn my kids into better listeners?]

I just wanted to chime in that WWE helped my kids listen to stories more easily. At first, I had to read a bit at a time and remind them to picture what I am saying as I read (like a movie playing in their heads). We didn't start WWE to improve listening skills, but it did have that effect. It was really helpful!

 

 

I was going to add this too.  It is definitely a skill that needs to be worked on, but it will come.

[Ideas for Last Day of School]

The girls get Blizzards at DQ.  I earned one too.  :D

[Asking for food assistance-jawm]

You have already deleted, but I completely understand.  I'm so sorry and I hope you find something to help soon.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[my 10 year old nephew ran away last night]

I'm sorry, I wouldn't send the kids over there.  I like the idea of having the nephew over to your house.  Maybe a somewhat regular thing?  I'm sorry to hear he's so upset.

[What are you doing for 7th grade?]

I'm adding in CLE's Home Ec. 1 and she is over the moon!

 

 

Okay, on the laptop now.

 

I'm in denial.

 

My Father's World Exp.-1850, adding in SOTW 3 AG

Saxon Algebra 1/2 (fingers crossed)

Apologia General Science

Rod & Staff grammar 7, spelling 8

CLE Reading 7

Progeny Press guides for Witch of Blackbird Pond and Johnny Tremain

IEW writing for early American history

Discovering the World of Geography 7-8

Fallacy Detective

 

Competitive gymnastics, hopefully level 7, which means ~20ish hours in the gym every week.  She LOVES it.

 

She also crafts when she can. Rainbow Loom, sewing, knitting, crocheting.  She loves to cook, so I'm trying to find things for her to learn.

 

 

If you are doing CLE 700, are you taking two years for pre-algebra?  I love CLE and hate to switch, but I don't want to take two years for pre-a.

 

If you are doing Apologia General Science, are you using the notebook?

 

I want to add in Spanish, probably in 8th, but I need something fairly self-directed and something that I can continue through high school for credit.

 

[What are your end of school year traditions?]

We go to DQ and get Blizzards for the girls.

[What's the WORST book you've read all the way through?]

RE: Game of Thrones series - I liked the fourth book fine, but A Dance With Dragons was just confusing to me.  I still couldn't tell you what actually happened in it.

[s/o do you knit or chochet - magic loop]

I would go ahead and teach magic loop as an option.  I like it so much better than DPNs!  2 circs is fairly easy, but kind of unwieldy.  I've done it for a blanket twice.

[Do you knit and crochet?]

:scared:  I hated working with DPNs and couldn't manage socks until I discovered Magic Loop.  So funny!  Knit Picks interchangeable needles are my favorite - I like the aluminum ones best, but I have a few Harmony and Caspian tips because they're pretty.  For crocheting, I just like the cheapy Boyes.

[Need a new laptop]

I hate, hate, hate Windows 8.  Our desktop has it and I just can't manage it.  I'm going for a Windows 7.  I won't upgrade right away either.

[Need a new laptop]

Several years or more. These are not simply "used" computers. These have been Refurbished by a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher. Blair inspects the capacitors on the motherboards and replaces any defective capacitors. That is *critical* with any used electronic equipment!

 

One can spend *far* more for a brand new product and it will probably have the same one year warranty and may not last as long.

 

This particular model is easy to service. So far, neither of the 2 Latitude E6400s we bought from Blair last year have had an issue.   :hurray:

 

 

Thanks!  I need a laptop too; we've been sharing one since January and that's not going to work once school starts back up.

[What's the WORST book you've read all the way through?]

I'm so relieved to see that I'm not the only whose answer is Moby Dick.  I was just saying last night how traumatized I was by it.  The story of Ahab and the whale?  Great.  The rest of it?  UGH.  The only good thing out of it was that I really GOT The Wrath of Khan afterwards.

 

Wuthering Heights was pretty awful too.

 

I read Portrait of a Lady and I can't remember what happened.

 

I ditched Lovely Bones halfway through, so it doesn't count, but it would probably the the most hated thing I have ever read.

 

Never even wanted to touch Twilight or Harry Potter. Or 50SOG - does that even count as a book? I worked in a bookstore during the height of HP madness. Now you know why I hate it.

[Do you knit and crochet?]

I'm not even sure if I knit Continental or not.  It's like some kind of weird hybrid?  It doesn't fit either style of video.

 

Yes, I hate crocheting into foundation chains!  But that long tail cast on... when you run out of yarn... :cursing:

[CLE Math Help]

An hour is definitely too long for a CLE lesson.  My ODD just completed 6th grade and didn't take that long.  I have had both girls do xtramath alongside CLE until they mastered all four operations.  I recommend that and trying to just sit with him while he does a lesson and watch over his shoulder if you can.

[Random question regarding pencils...UPDATE]

I used to buy a lot more pencils and we went through them more quickly.  Some of them never seem to have the leads set in straight, so they're a waste from the start.  We ended up discovering Ticonderoga Noirs, and I want to say a dozen has held us for this school year.  I'm trying to decide whether to order one or two dozen for next year.

 

And the cap erasers - those are key, good ones needed here too!

[Do you knit and crochet?]

If you do both, which did you learn first?  Do you think one is harder than the other?  Which do you do more and why?

 

My mom could crochet, but not knit.  I never caught on to her crochet instructions.  I ended up taking a knitting class when the girls were little, and then I somehow self-taught crochet.  Right now, I crochet more because I keep finding cute blanket patterns and it just goes so much faster.  To knit a whole blanket seems to take forever!

[Just watched Beaches]

All of the above.  I was a blubbering mess during "Life is Beautiful", you are not alone.  What about "Sophie's Choice"? OMG. :(

 

There's an old film from the late 30s, with Robert Donat, called "Goodbye Mr. Chips."  I always cry in that.  For the longest time, I wanted to get an English Bulldog and name him "Chips."  

 

"Love Story' with Ryan O'Neill and Ali McGraw.

 

And of course, when Bambi's Mom died and in "The Lion King" when the dad is killed.

 

 

Ah, you reminded me about the opening story in Up.  I always tear up.

[Do you volunteer?]

my youngest and I volunteer with a cat rescue.  They keep some of their cats at a petsmart in a special room, so the cats will get seen. Volunteers go there twice a day to clean the boxes, feed, and play with the cats.  It was my dd's dream to do this. Me, my grandmother was a cat lady- I shouldn't be there... :driving:

 

 

No way!!  My ODD would flip over that!  Pun sort of intended.

 

I have done work with church for homeless and I absolutely loved it.  I wish I could do it again.  Right now, our schedule is bad and we only have one car, so Rebecca and I are crocheting pet beds and baby blankets.