I might look at the outside of the cards, without touching them, but I wouldn't open any of them up to look at the inside unless I asked first. Even at my parents' house, best friends' houses, or anyone else's houses for that matter. I tend to be more conscientious of other people's stuff, because I don't want anyone else messing with my stuff. That comes from growing up with a younger brother who was a thief!

I am sorry you are frustrated. I think we all go through times where this lifestyle wears on us. This past weekend I had forced down time, and it was great! I got to complete a couple of projects and plan a menu for the entire week! All b/c my dds were sick. Bad reason for the down time, but good for my sanity. Maybe you could consider making a few changes.... 1. School 4 weeks and take a week off 2. Schedule a couple of hours off each day - like SWB's 2 hour suggestion 3. Have older kids teach younger kids some of their subjects - we learn more by teaching another person... 4. Find some subjects that can be taught by CD, DVDs, computer programs, so teaching is less intensive for you. I pray that you find some rest and rejuvenation.

I am downloading worksheets for Latina Christiana I. Does anyone else use this site?

Could anyone tell me more about Scribd.com?

There is a 4th grade class in MI that got rid of spelling because spelling lessons do not meet any of the state's standards. I don't know if it was just the one class, or the whole school. My mom relayed the conversation to me from one of the parents of a student in the class.

I missed this! I love vanilla - even if I smell like a cookie! :lol: But bacon.... I can't go there.

I like perfume occasionally - like for church or special occasions. Sometimes I use some just to make me feel a little better. I have to be careful with scents, though. I can only wear a few perfumes. I will get congested or a headache. I love candles, but I have to be careful with their scents, too. I don't burn/use scents every day, so I don't think I am polluting my environment too much. Everything in moderation! But... nothing beats good, clean, fresh air!

I am glad that the new office at least attempted to help, even though they mailed the glasses to the wrong address. I would look into one of the cheap online eyeglass places to get a back up just in case she has a problem with her glasses again. The frames might not be pretty, but they would work in a pinch.

Will all of these apps work on the Kindle Fire? Do you have to have a data plan to run them, or are they downloadable and that's it? I don't want to buy an Ipad, can't afford a data plan, but I am interested in the Kindle Fire. I know I can download apps through the app store on amazon.

Praying for you and your dad, too. :grouphug:

Thanks for all of your comments. Especially about being respectful. Yesterday was hard, because my mom is with my gma, not me - I am too far away. My mom was mad at my gma for making the decision to give up. I could not get straight answers from my mom, but I also had to be careful not to push her too much. She has a DNR filed with the hospital, but I don't know what level it is. This morning I got a call that the dr ordered hospice to evaluate her. That is supposedly happening now. She was off all food, water, meds, and nothing moving through her IV. A little while ago, my parents went to the hospital to prepare for the hospice meeting. My gma was sitting up in bed, playing a game with a nurse, and had been to therapy this morning. Now she is talking again and acting like everything is fine! My parents think she just had a pity party for the past couple of days. I hope her recovery is real and not some last bit of goodness for all of us to enjoy - I am thankful for that, though, if that is the case. I am waiting to hear about the meeting with hospice. (Just got the mssg - hospice is not an option.) She has had a good, long life. I just wish I can bring my dds to see her again before she does pass away.

Johnny's seeds - I bought from them in Alaska. My garden is not that large here in NV, so I don't buy seeds anymore. Another farmer down here uses them, though.

Thank you! I wish I could be with her, but she is thousands of miles away from me.

Has anyone on here been involved with hospice or lost a grandparent... My 92yo grandmother developed a UTI a month ago. The drs did not discover it until after she had fallen. In the fall, she broke her wrist. She was hospitalized and given a brace and IV anti-biotics. A week and a half later, the drs discovered she had also broken her hip in the fall. She had hip replacement surgery a few days later. Since the surgery, she has had bouts of delirium. She wasn't eating well for a while. Her urine output was low, and her breathing was labored. After my parents were able to get back to where she is, they helped pick out her menu and got her food that she liked. She seemed to be doing much better and acting more cognizant. Since last night, she has decided that she wants to die. She is now refusing food, drink, and medication. She is still on the IV antibiotic. She is basically unresponsive to everyone around her. My parents think she is stubborn and has decided she is going to die. I don't know all of her vital signs, but my father thinks this is a mental state, not a physiological state. She refused to let her blood be drawn to check her magnesium levels. That was off earlier, and the drs have been trying to correct it. I know she is miserable and doesn't think she can walk again. I just wanted to know if anyone has been through this with a loved one or has any advice... I don't know if we should prepare for her to go or hope that this is just a "phase" and will get better soon.

I like embellishedgoods site, but that is too much ink, glue, etc. Just writing on the popsicle sticks sounds good! I liked the idea of painting half the sticks, too! The responsibility station looks interesting. I enjoyed her video. I like the manila folder/index cards, too. I especially like the cards that describe exactly how tasks should be accomplished. I have two girls, I want something I can set up on the weekend and "pay out" the following weekend. I'll check things daily, but with my schedule it is easier to have a system where I set it up at the beginning of the week and have it ready for the entire week. Having to reset it every day won't work for me. Thanks for all of your input!

Thanks for the site. Anyone else have any ideas?

I want to start a new chore system. I have heard of people writing chores on popsicle sticks, but I don't know how to go about doing it. Does anyone here use this type of system? Do you use different colors per day, per child, per chore type? Do you assign monetary values for allowances? I have two girls, 8 and 10. They have never received an allowance, but we feel it is time to start giving them one. I would rather they earn it than just given it. Thanks for your input!

Has anyone used MCT Town level and dropped or omitted the Building Poems book? I am currently swamped with a longterm sub position, and my daughter is already trying many other difficult concepts in her other subjects. The poetic component of the Town level is overwhelming. I did not use the Island level with her last year, but I am currently using it with my younger dd. Can I quit the Building Poems book and save it for later while dropping her back down to the Poem book in the Island level? Can I drop it all together if need be and maybe save it for a few years from now?

My kids have never been in ps, and I don't plan on enrolling them any time soon.

:001_smile: Fun! I heard him singing on the Today show. We love watching his program.

My 2nd grade dd did Prima Latina last year with my 4th grade dd. The 2nd grader was reading young chapter books before entering 2nd grade and quickly moved up in reading levels. She is almost at the same level as my now 5th grader. She really did not need phonics instruction last year, just a little review here and there. My older dd definitely needed to wait until 4th grade for Prima Latina. They are both doing well in Latina Christiana this year. The grammar is heavy in LC, not so much in PL. They will need to be able to spell well in LC. LC repeats a lot of PL's material, so if they don't master it at that level, they will see it again. If you are still teaching your dc basic reading skills, then I would definitely wait. If you have an accelerated reader, then for sure go ahead and start Latin. If they are somewhere in between, start with something simple like PL. I hope this helps. I hope this helps.

What??? That's insane! I hope he told her, "No!"

Anyone see this on homeschoolclassifieds: 9/14/11 Fellow Homeschoolers: We have an URGENT need to provide free curriculum (used or new) to displaced homeschoolers affected by recent fires in Bastrop, TX. (Over 35,000 acres burned and 1500 homes lost.) We have identified at least 20 homeschooling families in need and the numbers are expected to grow. These families have lost, in many cases, EVERYTHING. Curriculum Needs are being identified here. (See the Notes Section for specific needs.) Curriculum can be mailed (see address on FB) to the Distribution Center in Bastrop. See the FB page and/or email wildfirehelp@yahoo.com to see how you can help. Thank you! The link takes you to a facebook page.

I was in Malaysia on 9/11. A very good friend of ours saw it on the news and invited us over to watch it at his place. We did not have cable, so we stayed at his home until 1am. My cousin worked at the National Hospital, across from the Pentagon, at the time, but thankfully was at a patient's home that was located outside of DC on that day. We saw the Malaysians' responses. We saw the responses of many different nationalities, too. It was a very enlightening time. It was also interesting to see the "changes" in America when we came back stateside a year later. I felt as if our service at church this morning did a good job of recognizing and honoring the events and outcomes of 9/11. I hope that others in our service agreed, too.

Yay! That place was great! And it gets the most random stuff from time to time. My shopping motto in Malaysia was, "When you see it, buy it. It probably won't be there the next time." And... It took my shower to realize that non-halal would have been for pork products, not beef. Sorry for my lapse in common sense. We had a good local friend that introduced us to a market near our apartment. He also lived near us, but he would not take us to the one where he shopped. He said that if he took us, being Americans, to his regular market, then his prices would go up - even if we weren't with him! Does Amazon ship to Malaysia? I remember book prices being awful - always full price, never on sale.