My dd has enjoyed the Dragons in Our Midst series by Bryan Davis this year. Christian fantasy, and she (and quite a few of her friends) have devoured them. There is the original 4 books in the series and then after that there are two prequel books (the third dd is anxiously awaiting this summer). She also enjoyed (though not Christian fantasy) The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. It begins with Dealing with Dragons. I have read these and they are fun and enjoyable. Nothing questionable. I think there are others, but my brain's dead right now. By the by, CBD has Dragons in our Midst and the library has both series.

Is this a Joann ETC or just a regular Joann store? If it's a regular store, then I might hop over, it's only a couple miles. However, our Joann ETC is 30 min away. I'm always surprised by how much more is in the ETC store. Thanks!

I have been thinking about this for a couple days, didn't read any posts because I didn't want to be influenced. I'm surprised that the answer didn't come to me right away. It was definitely Steve Irwin's death. I remember how sad I was for days and days. My oldest dd is a huge animal lover and Crocodile Hunter had been a big part of our house for years. It felt just like he was a member of our family. I felt horrible for his wife Terri and his little kids. In some way I remember thinking that it wasn't fair that it was a freak accident. All of the dangerous work he did, and THIS was what happened. On a smaller scale, I would say Princess Diana. I remember my parents waking me and a friend up to watch her wedding and was very sad that she had died.

Nope! Dh uses dandruff shampoo. Oldest dd needs two(or three) shampoos as she has a scalp condition where it crusts and flakes...alternating shampoos helps but then it's gets oily so then we have to add in a regular shampoo, too:001_rolleyes: I use shampoo & conditioner for colored hair. Youngest dd uses whatever smells good in the kids shampoo & conditioner. No fun!

I also worked on sorting and organizing. Our craft room/extra bedroom has had school and craft stuff all over both rooms. I spent yesterday AM trying to get the school stuff all in the extra bedroom and closet and craft stuff in the small craft room (think walk in closet size). I still have a few piles of stuff in the middle of the basement floor and papers to get filed and sorted. I did get my older dd's school books packed away. I'm awaiting shelves in the craft room to finalize organizing in there. We then took a trip to the library and I came home and read a little out in the warm sunshine. I have more that I wanted to do today but I woke up achy :( and midol puts me right to sleep. Nothing accomplished but the history that we are finishing this week. I needed to do more... the Rainbow Resource box will be here in 4 hours :w00t:

I'm so excited. I have some fun stuff for the girls that they don't know is coming!!! :party: Now if only UPS came EARLIER in the day.... I just had to share my joy :D

Hey Sue, How is that sweet baby? We used MFW Rome to Ref. this year. I copied the schedule, one for each dd. I then took the handy dandy white out to anything I wasn't using (I don't like looking at it if I'm not using it...I know...weird:tongue_smilie:) and then penciled in any assignments that were not listed. It worked out very well for me. I have to say that this is the first year in my four years of homeschooling that we actually stayed on task. MFW was so easy to modify, even when we had interruptions (like our best friends leaving for mission work in Kenya...we missed weeks right before they left) and sickness. Their schedule really kept me going. I'm happy to say that we are actually going to finish next week. I can't believe it :D I do use HST, however I use it backwards. I enter in my information after we have already done it for the day. I use it more as a "grading"/tracking system than a scheduling system. I tried using it to schedule with early in the year, but my MFW schedule in my handy dandy 3 ring binder just was more simple for me to work with every day.

My dd will be going to horse camp in 3 weeks. She wears cowboy boots. As Josie said, the heel is the important thing. At our camp there are some girls in full riding dressage. Most are wearing jeans. Dd and I take a trip to the thrift store before camp. We usually find the jeans we need there. If your dc are short on collared shirts, I'd do those at the thrift store too. Ours is an overnight, week long camp, so I buy things that I don't care if they come home ruined. That's why the thrift store is such a good deal;) I hope they have a blast, my dd loves it!

I would check out Jump In writing from Apologia. Dd and I like how it breaks down the writing steps and goes through each part of the piece being written (like persuasive paper for example) then has you put all the pieces you worked on together at the end. Each writing assignment gets a littler tougher and teaches a new concept or adds more to something already studied. It's very conversational. My dd who doesn't like to write for an assignment has done well with this program this year. There is enough material to use for two years...that's what we're doing. HTH

My dd loved 100EZ Lessons. I had to pick it up two different times for ME to like it:tongue_smilie: I was able to check it out at the library and see how dd liked it before I purchased it. I remember her being mad when I had to take it back to the library. That's when I realized that what appeals to her is definitely different than what appeals to me.

We finished up R&S 6th this year for 8th grade with my dd. In my opinion, it was pretty weighty. We had done R&S 5th before 6th and I'm glad we did. If your dd was just coming out of Abeka, I would say go with the 6th grade book, but I'm unsure if the 5th or 6th grade book would be best with that year of Easy Grammar in between. You could breeze through the 5th grade book pretty quick by taking out all the writing assignments (which it looks like you won't need). She'll still get the foundation that R&S builds on and you'll get a chance to see if she's in the right place.

My oldest has a late October birthday. She attended Christian school before we homeschooled. She was very bright, so we had her tested and she entered school at 4 going on 5. She had no problems. However, now she is going into 9th grade at 13 going on 14 and I'm looking at her graduating at 17. If she chooses to go to college she would begin at 17. I am not happy about that. If I would have know then what I know now, I would have waited. In fact, with my younger dd who has an early September birthday, I have taken a more laid back approach. She's also smart, but now I know better. I just teach to her level and call her a 1st grader. She'll be a just turning 8yo 2nd grader. All that to say that I wouldn't put them in the higher grade. ;)

Here are my plans for 9th grade next year for my dd. Bible - SL Core 7 Bible (though we are omitting a few and adding in one) History - SL Core 7 and Our Living Constitution through co-op Math - Video Text Algebra LA - R&S 7th (grammar only), WW3000 9th, finish Jump In Writing Literature - SL Core 7 and I'm still trying to figure out if LL8 will fit in nicely or be overkill Science - Apologia Physical Science Art - Artistic Pursuits Music - continue piano lessons, also children's choir at church PE - co-op plus dd is hoping to begin horseback riding in the fall We are also doing science lab at co-op and are considering geography at co-op also (possibly Mapping the Word by Heart). Dd also participates in yearbook club for the co-op. I may consider adding health the 2nd semester to get that required credit out of the way, we'll see how the year's going then.

Awww, thanks for listening. We have been at co-op ALL day today for CAT testing. Well, we were done with the testing part on time, but we have had a rocket club this year and they were setting off all their final rockets today after testing. I'm usually the photographer, so we were there a while later. I'm pooped. Is there a smiley face icon passing out on the couch?? Unfortunately, I'm trying to get some of the stuff back in the aforementioned craft room because I have the yearbook club coming to my house after testing. :eek: I need to go shopping for some cute containers & shelves for the wall, but did I mention I'm pooped :tongue_smilie: After the paint dried, it did look nice, though much brighter than I anticipated. The second coat made a huge difference. I am planning on painting the dining room in a couple weeks. I may wait and have my cousin help when she comes to visit. She's always painting something;) Dh will be home tomorrow night and then is taking a few days off. I'm planning on him putting up the shelves:D Off to find room for more stuff....

The craft room is really the size of a square walk in closet. I got another craft table for Mother's Day and decided to rearrange furniture. Then I decided that if I was going to rearrange it all nice, maybe I should paint so I wasn't taking everything out all over again later. Now my downstairs living room is a wreck (along with the extra bedroom) with all the contents of the craft room all over the place...yuck. I still have to arrange it all nice and neat but it's at least painted. A nice green (much brighter than I thought it would be). And I also realized I stink at painting:blushing: I'm just wiped because we've already been to the Scholastic Book Warehouse Sale today, McD's, Walmart (to get the paint) and then I came home and did the painting. We have CAT testing tomorrow & Wednesday. I have no idea what the girls ate for dinner...bad mom! And you all get to hear about it because dh is out on a business trip to FL while we are sitting here in 60 degree weather :mad: and I have no one else to talk to. Thanks for listening... I think I'm off to bed :001_smile: Angel

I was grounded as a child/teen. Only once did I believe that it was too long of a grounding, and even that time it was definitely deserved. I had things like phone privileges taken away, tv privileges, not being able to go out with friends/boyfriends. My senior year my parents informed me that if my grades dropped even a little, dating would be cut-off (I was dating future dh at time). Did I grumble and complain? Of course. Did I deserve what I got? Almost always. I am glad my parents disciplined me as they did.

I just turned 36 this month and my mom is 58. My Dad will turn 67 in two weeks. I'm their one and only. I was 22 when I had my first and 28 with my second.

That's just wonderful, Janna! Congrats on little Atticus! What a cool name. I will be sure to remember you all in prayer. Now that I've found out the exciting news, time to go get ready for church.

Here's ours for next year. Math - Rod & Staff 2 Spelling - All About Spelling Phonics - ETC 5 & 6 (don't know if we'll need this but dd likes it) English - FLL 2nd Five in a Row unit studies Music - children's choir at church, possibly piano lessons next year She will probably listen in on any of big sis's Sonlight read alouds that are appropriate. Handwriting - HWT Cursive I think there is more but maybe not :confused: I'm tired today.

If you go to the West Side Market, stop in at the West Side Market Cafe! My sister in law and her fiance run it. My father in law says it's pretty good.;)

I'm wondering, too. I was too chicken to post, I was afraid she'd throw rotten tomatoes my way if she's still hanging in there:D I hope no news is good news!

Thanks for the replies. I think we will be going with something more academic but I wanted to throw it out there if it might work, and I think it could. Thanks again.

Anita, We print our form from the CHEO website. It is under Assessments and then I click the pdf file and print it out. It shows only a place for the composite score, so that score is all I send. I do not send a copy of her test. I haven't been homeschooling long, so I don't know if this is one of those "hot topics" but I don't think Marie in OH's county can request the whole form by law. One of my homeschooling friends had her county/district call and request the entire CAT form. She politely explained that it wasn't required by law and that she had followed the law in what she had submitted. The lady accused her of being able to lie and my friend politely explained that maybe some people would be she wouldn't. She received a call back within the hour from the lady, apologizing because she checked the state homeschooling law and she was not allowed to request the whole CAT results, only the composite. I consider those scores my dd's private records, so I'm happy submitting the composite score and going on with my day:) Hope that helps!

I agree with Patricia in WA. I am a size 4. I would never fit in a size 6.5 or 7. I do usually wear a size 6 in tennis shoes, however my current size 6 tennies are too big but I was in hurry and couldn't find anything else. I find the kid's size 4 roomier, which is why I prefer it (I have wide feet after kids). I cannot find regular shoes that fit in a size 6 (let alone 7), so I'm curious as to the logic about them being the same size. Not your logic, by the way, but the logic of the person who told you.;)

My grandad on my dad's side (born in 1892 and died just short of 101 in 1993) was Fred. His sisters, my great aunts, were Cora, Sarah Margaret, Ida May, Beulah, and Mary Jane. My aunts were named Cora Nell, Ida Ann, and Flora May. My great-grandmother was Trinvilla and grandfather was Armstrong. I was almost named Trinna for her. My dad's mom was Dona Belle or Belle Dona, I've seen it both ways. Her mom was Hannah. I'm not sure of her sisters. My grandma on my mom's side was Audra Iris. I know one of her sister's was Wilda, I'm not sure if there was more than one.