I am a vendor too and just got the info. Susan Wise Bauer was not listed as a confirmed speaker, though. Did you see that somewhere else?

To the OP, good luck! It sounds like you know what you are doing, and the house is worth the effort!

Throwing it out there, what about a Mennonite or other Anabaptist denomination (I grew up Brethren in Christ which split off of Mennonite. It is a small denomination and a little bit more on the Evangelical side than Mennonite, but still shares many values). They are very orthodox Christian, but the emphasis is on serving others in very practical ways, living simply, and peace making. And not all of the women wear dresses and head-coverings! I think they have a lot of integrity, and are certainly trying to apply Jesus' teachings in very real, practical ways. Some Mennonite churches end up leaning fairly liberal on social issues as well, such as caring for the poor. You might enjoy reading about Mennonite Central Committee, their organization for relief around the world. http://mcc.org/ Just a thought!

Wow, sounds like us a year ago. We did end up buying from the owner, with the help of a real estate lawyer and a good inspector. We payed the lawyer, and in our case it came out to about $500. It was a messy transaction with a lot of panic and moments where it looked like everything would just fall through. The owners sound similar. In our case, the owner was very fiscally conservative (not that that is a bad thing) and was also extremely proud of and attached to the house, and having someone in the middle who was not emotionally involved definitely would have been helpful. I credit my dh for persevering through it all with patience, and perspective. I probably would have walked away a couple of times. Whatever you do, make sure the owner signs the sales contract right away...and don't count on buying the house until he does. I do feel bad that our buyer's realtor was cut out of the deal after the time she spent showing us other properties, but I think she understood that this was the house for us. We sent her a thank you note and gift card for her time. Not much, but something. So, in our case it worked out in the end, but the process was not pretty. I will be happy to use a realtor in the future, and definitely learned the value of what they do. On the other hand...it was THE house. We love it everyday, and now that all of the drama is over, we know it was the right decision.

Well, here are the things that I would consider. I love vegetable gardening and trees, so I sympathize greatly! This summer I got very in to learning about trees, and native plantings. I am from central PA so we would share many of the same types of trees. Do you know what kind of oak it is? This would really weigh in to my decision. Almost all oaks are native to the US, and oaks are an incredibly important foodsource for insects and wildlife. Did you know that more types of moths and butterflies can use oaks as their host plant (for the caterpillars to eat) than any other type of plant, especially in our area? White Oaks win as the very best. I would never, ever take down a White Oak. (In fact, I planted one this summer!) Since it sounds like you are in a suburban setting, it is likely that you have a Pin Oak. They seem to have been quite popular to plant in suburban settings. Pin Oaks are lovely, wonderful trees as well. However, there have been some problems with a blight on many Pin Oaks, called Oak Wilt. If you have a Pin Oak, watch it this spring/summer to see if all of the leaves stay healthy and green. If they become brown, or leaves fall, it may be a sign that it is not very healthy anyway. We have two large Pin Oaks in our yard, and I am a bit worried about them. The trees don't recover, so it might be best to take them down anyway. These are some of my thoughts. If you were considering taking down a Norway Maple, or some other non-native tree, I would say to go ahead! A healthy Oak, though...they are a treasure!

First, I just want to say that these are my personal comments, not endorsed in any way by CAP, but as creating a second profile is not permitted, this is who I am! My DH teaches in a biology dept. of a Christian liberal arts college, and let me tell you, this subject comes up a lot! Over time in his studies in college and grad school, his previous belief in YEC, which is what was taught in church of course, was deeply challenged, and now he is best described as a theistic evolutionist. He still believes God created, and that Christians must be uncompromising in confessing God as creator, but the "how" and the "when" are not the hill to die on, especially if scientific evidence, which is also a testimony to God's work, says otherwise. One other thing that I find important to remember is that science can not inform upon faith. Science is a measure of the natural world, and it can not inform on the supernatural. Do not be intimidated by what atheist scientists say about science disproving faith...it has not and it can't! Faith is beyond the scope of science. Another thing that is hard for Christians (I know, it has been hard on my own faith) as there are implications to our understanding of sin, redemption, and God's plan. I personally don't believe that Genesis should be considered scientific, but it is deeply true, and wrestling with these theological questions is important. I recently read this essay by Tim Keller, which I believe to be a great start on this discussion, about Adam and Eve, sin, etc. in light of evolution. http://www.biologos.org/uploads/projects/Keller_white_paper.pdf One other note: the book The Language of God was very important to us too. Final note: I am not a scientist at all!

To help with some more details about the new edition: The intention of the rewrite was for several purposes. First to make the entire book as neutral (politically, sociologically, religiously) as possible, or at least to try to be fair to both sides of any given story. Second, to update many examples that have just become too dated for students. Third, to simply provide many more examples of all kinds, using sports, technology, business, and more. To address abortion specifically, there are still a couple places where abortion is discussed, but several others, including the Jane Roe example (which is where rape would also have been mentioned) have been replaced. This new version is now copyright 2010, and is Version 8. Personally, I also think it is a vast improvement, and really appreciate the work that went in to these updates! Hope this helps! ETA: Also, we recommend the book beginning at 7th or 8th grade, so we hope that these issues (which are toned down now anyway) would be appropriate to discuss.

Just wanted to add a note about the Song School Latin and Song School Greek TEs. Song School Latin is a simple book, and most people do not need the Teacher's Edition. This spring we released a new version of it that has extra activity workpages to give to students. Some are crosswords, or other review sheets, so this might be a reason to add the TE, but you are all right that you can most certainly figure out the answers on your own! Tonia, as far as Song School Greek, I do think that the Teacher's Edition is a lot more valuable, mainly because of the hurdle of the Greek alphabet. The Teacher's Edition provides a lot more help for a teacher with pronunciation and just recognizing the words in Greek. The Teacher's Edition also includes a DVD for you, as the teacher, to watch and get your own mini Greek lessons. Of course you can see that I work for the publisher, so I hope that you can hear some testimonies from other users too. Thank you all for the feedback!

Yes, please use this link to download the cards again! They are now on Headventureland.com http://headventureland.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=6&Itemid=41 We spent some time debating whether the free cards would be too much competition for the Clash Card game that we now sell, and they were not posted for a time. Due to much popular demand, though, we are happy to put them back up. Please enjoy!

The are probably black swallowtail caterpillars, and by all means, let it make its chrysalis on the construction paper! Then just move it somewhere where you can keep an eye on it! Here is a blog I found with a quick search about black swallowtail caterpillars, with pics. http://yearroundgarden.blogspot.com/2008/05/who-is-attacking-my-parsley.html In our house we have been raising monarchs all summer! Fun!

Here is a link to the web page where you can see a sample of the Latin for Children DVD set. It is about halfway down the web page. Best wishes! http://classicalacademicpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_6_13&products_id=9 Also, FYI: The lesson begins with children chanting their Latin for the week, and then cuts to one of the authors, Chris Perrin, who teaches a grammar lesson.

Hi! Just a quick response about CAP and the Veritas History Cards and Shurley Grammar curriculum... Our Latin for Children curriculum has certain elements that incorporate Veritas and Shurley, but it is not at all necessary that you use them! The method of teaching grammar in LFC is integrated with Shurley and a good explanation of what that means is on the CAP FAQ page. Here is the link: http://classicalacademicpress.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=2#shurleygram_integrated Also, we offer supplemental Latin History Readers in which students read simple history stories in Latin. The stories chosen correspond with the Veritas Press History Cards so that students could be learning a history topic in "history class" and then have it reinforced in Latin, should the two be "lined up" so that they match...which, honestly, is often more unusual than the norm, especially for homeschooling families, and that is just fine! For students not using Veritas, they can simply enjoy reading short history stories in Latin, at their level of understanding. Again here is a link from our FAQ: http://classicalacademicpress.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=2#period_history As far as other CAP materials, such as our logic texts, there is no connection to any other curricula. I just wanted to help explain the connection so it is not a confusion! Best wishes!

This is a super fun website about mid-century home, architecture and decoration. It is definitely hard-core about maintaining original mid-century styles, which won't suit everyone, but it might give you some fun ideas and info! http://retrorenovation.com/ We are buying a 1968 ranch too! Fun and congratulations!

I should answer here as well. I work for Classical Academic Press, (customer service and marketing) as you can very clearly see in my signature! I enjoy being a member of the boards for the research in to what is important to classical homeschoolers, and for the opportunity to answer questions about CAP products if they come up. I do not post often. I will certainly not try to advertise. As a quick note on our convention reps, we do hire some faithful customers to run a booth for us when our own schedules do not allow us to make it. We do actually pay cash for this, as well as travel expenses! Otherwise, though, they are not being compensated in any way. Great discussion! :001_smile:

My dh and I got married last July, and his mother passed away in the beginning of May, obviously before our wedding, but also just before her own 50th wedding anniversary. It was incredibly hard on my dh. They had a great relationship, and it was (and still is) so hard for him to grasp that she is no longer there. There is also the struggle with guilt and regrets of the times that were missed that he could have spent with her. That might be one of the hardest things for him. I have not lost a parent yet, so how to help and support him is still sometimes a mystery. I have learned to recognize a quiet far away look as a time that he is probably remembering and missing her. The best I have been able to do feels like nothing, really. Just be there and mainly keep my mouth shut...and listen. I was not as close to his mother, as they lived farther away, and as we were not married yet there just was not the time yet to have gotten to know her. I do feel like I missed out on a lot that I could have learned from her, and could have enjoyed with her. One of the most positive things that has happened is that dh (and me too) have gotten to spend so much more time with his Dad. They have never been closer, and that relationship is so special. It has been helpful to me to read the other replies too! Thanks so much!

I was homeschooled beginning in 4th - 8th. Went to public school for ninth and then back to homeschooling for 10th-12th. We started out with a school room with desks in a rather dark room in the basement. Moved to working at the kitchen table quite quickly! I loved reading the stories of the colonists and pioneers, but did not do well with Saxon math either! Many tears were shed at that kitchen table with Saxon. We took field trips to trails along the nearby river, the library bringing home canvas bags full of books, and many more local, low key, lovely places. My Mom hated homeschooling conventions so I only ever went to one. In high school, we were part of a strongly academic co-op, and I worked much more independently from my Mom. Through the co-op I took Biology where I dissected all of the usual suspects from frog to worm to fetal pig, took several literature courses and learned that I could read, understand, and enjoy anything I put my mind toward, from Austen, to Dostoevsky, to GK Chesterton. I developed the most beloved group of friends, with whom I grew in to an adult, with all of the heartbreaks, joys, and drama of any group of teens. I love that I got to share so much with my brother and sister...still the people I would choose to spend time with over anyone. These are the highlights at the moment...

Actually, several of the Classical Academic Press games are very usable for students using other Latin curriculum. The Latin Bingo game, in particular is completely independent. And even the products that are tied in with CAP curriculum (the card games) could be played by any students. They are simply vocabulary review games, but are just organized by chapter with CAP texts. Again here is the link to the product page. http://classicalacademicpress.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=21 The Headventure Land games are the same...they are vocab review games organized by chapter to go with CAP products, but Latin vocab stays the same, no matter what curriculum is used! The online readers are completely independent. Hope this is helpful!

Hope you all enjoy the new website! Please feel free to email feedback to us at info@classicalsubjects.com It will continue to grow over time, (A Greek FlashDash game is one of the next things on the to-do list!) so please stop back now and then! :001_smile:

Also, here is an article by Karen Moore, author of the Latin Alive curriculum. It is posted on the CAP website. http://www.classicalacademicpress.com/images/samples/why_latin.pdf Hope this is helpful as well!

Yes! There will be a native speaker on the audio CD. She is coming in to record next week!

Since you are all discussing and emailing us Spanish for Children, I am jumping in to give some info! Spanish for Children is modeled after Latin for Children, so it is intended for students grades three and up, and it is scheduled to be released in May. There will be an audio pronunciation CD available upon it's release, and we are planning a DVD set to become available in the next year. It is a three year program, each text to be released one per year. We will work toward filling out the program with Activity Books and Readers as in LFC as well. I hope this helps to answer some questions, and please feel free to ask! Also, I am very sorry if some of you have not recieved responses to your emails. We have terrible spam, and sometimes, if a "good" email ends up in the "bad" email folder, it is deleted by accident. Please feel free to use our forum, or give us a call!