Thanks! I just put in an order for this. The program looks great, and I hope it will help the poetically challenged like me!

If this is your first time with chickens, get ready for many learning opportunities that will come all on their own! We have learned about predators, diet, rubber egg shells/egg shell development, parasites, chicken diseases, pecking order, different breeds, egg shell colors etc. just from owning them. I found a fascinating book written in the 1910s on various chicken diseases. http://archive.org/stream/cu31924000931570#page/n1/mode/2up This site also has tons of information: www.backyardchickens.com We own a set of the 4h poultry books, but we have not really used them much. Sorry that I don't have anything formal offer. Enjoy your birds!

I like china, silverware, crystal, etc. I don't think I could ever get rid of ours. I argue with my dh over using it because his family was less formal. We were fortunate in that we were given enough to use with our family plus a few guests. I also recently inherited a china cabinet to display it in. If you don't decide to keep the china, I think you should definitely keep the creamer and sugar bowl. If you don't have a special place to display them, you could use them like they are everyday-ware. www.replacements.com is great. They are very picky, though. My mom and my brother's ex-girlfriend tried to take some pieces to them that the girlfriend had purchased at several estate sales. The store was extremely picky, which is great for buyers! Maybe not so much for sellers. If you do sell it all, keep the make and name of the pattern. You might change your mind or have a sentimental granddaughter one day! :)

I have an electric warmer from Yankee Candle in which I melt tarts. I also buy scentsy bars, bars from Walmart, soy crumbles, and Pink Zebra Sprinkles. I have a few warmers from Scentsy and another one that is similar to a fancy cup warmer. I have not had the PZ sprinkles for long, but they are currently in my YC burner. I have used both types of bars in my scentsy burners. I have only used the soy crumbles in the cup warmer. All of the warmers work with a light bulb, except for the cup warmer. The cup warmer-type thing has a hot plate in the bottom of it with a glass cup that sits on yop. I will probably use the sprinkles in all of them eventually. Their scent is stronger and longer lasting. I would think your tarts will work fine. Even Partylite has a line of melts. Any of the wax/soy products that melt at a low temperature should work in any burners. The only precaution I have ever heard of deals with warranties. For example, if you melt a non-scentsy product in a scentsy warmer, then you void the warranty. I have also noticed build up in my scentsy warmers that does not easily clean out. That might be from using the walmart bars. If I took the time to really clean them, I would probably be able to get the build-up out.

My dd takes singulair and zyrtec, too. 5mg of singulair and half a zyrtec pill. She has uticaria and asthma. I just went to a doctor today for chronic allergy problems. I have gotten sick about once a month since last December, and each time lasts a few weeks. She gave me a script for singulair. I had been reading about it online tonight, prior to seeing your post. It takes from a few days to a few weeks to build up in your system to be effective. Singulair blocks the allergens from attaching themselves into the histamine-producing places in your airways, thereby stopping the release of histamines. The anti-histamines, such as zyrtec, block the histamines that are released (from those places where the singulair does not adequately bond) from reeking havoc in your system. Also, my doctor recommended rotating between Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra every few years. Our bodies can get "used to" a particular anti-histamine. She also said to rinse your nasal passages three times a day with Simply Saline. That won't work for your ds if he has an aversion to nasal sprays, but he might change his mind later. I hope he feels better soon!

I think part of the reasoning behind this question is that people can be grouped into three categories: 1. Those that had many friends in school 2. Those that had hardly any friends in school, but desperately wanted more 3. Those that were happy with a few friends. For the first two, the idea of being at home for the better part of everyday, not surrounded by other potential friends, seems unpleasant. They aren't thinking logically; they are thinking emotionally. They think we are depriving our kids of all those wonderful "friends" in the school, even if they did not have them either. The third group probably doesn't think much about hs socialization. I think that many ps families today run themselves ragged dragging their kids to every event, practice, game, etc. for which they can sign up their kids. Homeschooling seems more "relaxed" in comparison which inwardly they may crave but don't want to miss any opportunities for their kids to get ahead. (I know my BIL has expressed this desire but won't quit all his family's sports involvement.)

I have done my fair share of complaining and then some! :grouphug:

Glad I am not the only one. I finally decided to take the time to change mine, and I can't. :glare:

We've had a year like yours. Things haven't calmed down here yet since Dec. 2011. Maybe we are just getting older? I'll pray for you.

Once a day. I don't put in pots, pans, nice baking sheets, baking stones, newer tupperware, a couple of very large bowls, Pampered chef knives, wooden spoons, and ice cream scoop, cutting boards, peeler, and a can opener. We use those things often, but handwash them; my dishdrainer is full everyday. We eat at home a lot, too.

My dd last bday party involved making your own pizza. We kept it simple: pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, green peppers, pinapple, mozz cheese, and pizza sauce. She had a guest that could not eat dairy nor gluten, and this worked great for her. She brought her own base and cheese. I made the pizza sauce, so she could use that. Everyone loved it!

Have any of you purchased a good digital scale? I bought one from amazon, but it arrived broken, so I am sending it back. I would like to use the scale for small scale science projects as well as for larger projects like soap making. If I could use it to check postage and coins, that would be great, too. I would prefer that it use an AC adaptor instead of just batteries. Am I going to need two scales to do all of this? Or does someone have a recommendation for a good general purpose scale?

Thank you! I reserved this book and another titled, Smart but Scattered. That title describes my dd perfectly! I had never heard of executive functions before your post, so thank you very much.

My dd has a similar problem. She has terrible handwriting. If I force her, she will form her letters beautifully, otherwise her handwriting is atrocious. She often forms her letters from the bottom up. Should I even worry? She is excelling in every other subject. She has no problem putting her thoughts down on paper. Her handwriting does not seem to hold her back in communicating her answers nor writing paragraphs and essays. She can form cursive letters, but usually prints. If her work is illegible, I make her redo it. She is generally sloppy. Her room is a constant mess. She likes to draw on her workbook pages. She forgets to complete an entire task or pick up after herself. We are constantly telling her to pick up, put dirty clothes away, shut draws of her dresser, clean up around her place at the table, etc. But she will absorb herself in a book and finish large books in a short amount of time with decent comprehension of what she read. She will choose to write a report on anything for any reason at any time. Teaching her has been easy. Except for handwriting. Should I worry about her handwriting or just hope she'll become a doctor or use a computer for the rest of her life? :) BTW, my other dd is the exact opposite! :~

I voted yes. We rely on bountiful baskets, case lot sales, Sam's club plus membership discounts, coupons, our chickens, garden, canning from bountiful baskets, and sales. I have a freezer, and we keep it full. If I buy something for full price, it is usually because I planned poorly. I keep way too much on hand due to having lived in parts of the world where "you buy it when you see it" was our mantra.

My girls loved the Valentine exchange, too! They want to do it again next year. Thank you for organizing this!

I would love for my kids to participate in a science fair once a year, but where I live that is not possible. We do have a huge county fair. Our fair accepts science projects, and I am thinking of having my kids each complete one to submit. The judges at the fair are most likely not great scientists, and my kids would not be present to answer questions during the judging. So... Is this even worth it? (Outside of the great experience of completing a project.) If we live here when my kids enter high school, will be able to put on a college application that my kid won __ ribbon(s) at our county fair? Mind you, our county is huge and with one school district, the 5th largest in the nation. There maybe hs science fairs in the large city associated with our county, but I have yet to find any. I live in a small town in the same county, but the fair is held a few miles from my home. Thanks for your insight!

We would love to participate. My girls are 11 and 9. I 'll pm you our address. Thanks!

So... I have decided to use SL 3+4 Condensed American History next year. I already own half of it, so I thought I should use it. I will beef it up with other things. I have a couple of Geography texts from our local ps. They are middle school level. I am not sure I want to use them, because I will have to do a ton of prep work to use them. Do you know of any great Geography programs we could use in 8th grade? Have any of you used the History program Critical thinking Co. publishes? It is new. The first book is out, and it looks like the 2nd one is on its way. I thought those would be good to review World History while studying American History and Geography. Thanks for the information about Omnibus. I am going to wait until 2nd dd is in 7th. She has been able to handle more complex info than her sister, so once she hits 7th grade I think she will be ready for the material in Omnibus.

Thanks for the information! Now that I know Horizons has Algebra 1, I will stick with Horizons for the next two years. Instead of Saxon, I am going to aim for the recommendations from Veritas Press post Horizons. At least that is my plan now! :)

Thanks for all of the replies! I think I will start out with Apologia next year and go from there. I live in a small town, and there is a so-so community college here. It doesn't offer much. My dh and I move around a bit, so we may very well not even live in this part of the country once my dd hits high school. Thanks again!

Thanks for your input. Is it important to teach American History as a separate class, or can we cover all of it in our studies of world history? Does it ever have to be taught independently of the rest of world history? Thanks!

Thank you for sharing this!

I didn't know Horizons added Algebra 1. I love Horizons and would rather stick with it, but they don't have the upper level classes. Didn't pre-algebra just come out last year? Maybe they will continue with Algebra 2, Geometry, Trig, and Calculus. That would be great! Add in Khan Academy videos when needed, and I'd be set! :)

My dd is in the 6th grade. I am looking at making significant changes to our curriculum choices next year. I thought I had settled on Apologia sciences, but now I am not sure that will be a good fit. My dh and I both have science backgrounds, and our dd does well in sciences. I would love for her to get a STEM degree. I would also love for her to take AP science courses in high school. From my research today, Abeka, which we have used up to this point, and BJU are great choices for prospective STEM majors. Neither company seems to offer AP classes, though. For those of you whose dc have taken ap science classes, what curriculum did you use in middle school and high school? What did you use for AP classes? Which specific science courses did you use each year from 7th to 12th? We are switching to Saxon Algebra 1/2 next year. I don't think she will have any trouble keeping up with it even though we are switching from Horizons and skipping Saxon 87. Thank you for your help!