I've emailed for Cobb/Marietta, and I know there's been an email from in town as well. Atlanta could probably support three or four gatherings!

I wouldn't worry about it in terms of people saying it to you; however, if it's affecting your kids, I would be tempted to smile and say something nicely.

Okay, SWB, I adore you even more, and also? I'm volunteering my house.

Oh, I'm sure, but until 2000, the networks generally flip-flopped each election year. In other words, in 1988 & 1996, the Dem states were red and the Rep states were blue. But then with everything in 2000, the red/blue assignments "stuck."

Oh, sure, but I mean something even bigger and more public. Most people that aren't homeschoolers aren't really aware of it at the present time. I think that's going to change.

Ds's birthday party was Saturday afternoon. Everyone that RSVP'd came (except one little girl whose mother called about 3 hours earlier, as she had a fever). No one RSVP'd no. We just had to assume that they weren't coming. It was very odd! Usually when it's not RSVP, it's "Regrets Only," not "Acceptances Only"!

Yep. :iagree: Methinks they need a history lesson, if the use of red type is meant to imply what I think it's meant to imply. I foresee a big schism coming in the homeschool community. I don't like it, and I don't want it, but that's what I see down the road.

The Spectrum Chemistry publishers also produce a product called "Bridge Math" to facilitate the math component of chemistry. I plan to have dd work through it starting in May and over the summer before starting Spectrum Chemistry in August, even though she's completed Algebra I. Take a look at Bridge Math and see if you think she would be willing to work through it. :)

Yep, I do this, too. There are lots of programs that we'll probably never use that I've been able to recommend to friends, etc. that were perfect fits for their kids & their family. I also keep looking because I want to have ideas in the back of my head for the future. Not all of the curricula we use are long-term, and I like to pull from multiple sources for other subjects.

:iagree: Yes, please consider your words.

Ours is up! Busy weekend ahead--I'll try to catch everyone's WRs on Sunday evening.

I absolutely agree here. I had a friend ask me why I would buy my curriculum for next year at the convention last weekend; specifically, why I would get PHP items (at 10 or 15% off, mind you) versus their price on amazon. My answer was longer, but it boiled down to: Because I can. Because I try very hard to save money on books where I'm not buying them from the publisher directly, because we prioritize some expenses over others, then I can turn around and buy products directly from small publishers and small businesses, so that they will get more profit than they would from an amazon sell, or similar situation. I've watched all the locally-owned bookstores disappear from my county in the last ten years. There was a time when we had much less money, and I bought fewer books. If I could go back in time, I would have bought even fewer, and bought them there. I don't want to see the same thing happen with other small, independent stores and publishers.

Welll, that's true, in theory, but we usually finish in early May, and I've never gotten that letter earlier than July. :lol: A lot of it will depend on the exact county in which you land. There's a link going around lately about an online source for submitting attendance. I haven't tried it but some people seem to like it. For older kids, you're going to want to use certified return receipt or something similar, because you want proof of 'attendance' when it's time for them to :auto: --there wouldn't be a problem getting the certificate from the county office, but I figure it's better to err on the side of "just in case." HEIR also has forms (they're the ones I use).

I too find his voice somewhat irritating. However, the kids don't, so that's good! Generally, I play the CDs for the kids at a time when I need one of them to be occupied so I can do something else, which means I don't have to listen to it. ;) Other than that small logistical hiccup, I've been very pleased with it.

To add to this for others... if you use them as a stand-alone curricula for algebra upwards, I strongly recommend at the very least "checking" them against a text that uses standard algorithms and format. Dd is very "mathy," math-intuitive, etc., but she's had difficulty translating her conceptual knowledge (learned from Fred) into a more traditional format. She also failed to understand just how important order of operations was, from using Fred--that may well be just her, but the concept is of enough importance I thought I'd mention it! She'll still be using Fred for supplementation & review, but it's no longer her first exposure to material.

They want water. We had an awful time with them during the drought, but during the wet years, we rarely see them in the house. If it's any consolation to anyone reading, I grew up 100 miles north of where I now live. We have awful bug issues here. We didn't have any where I lived growing up (still definitely in the south).

My Wordless Wednesday is from six years ago today. :001_wub:

I do my best to plan ahead for them, and reduce the expectations on a 'crazy day' when possible. If a crazy day sneaks up on us? I immediately reduce expectations, even if it's merely in my head. Like others have said, we attend to issues of food and cleanliness, but after that? It's rest time, followed by watching the show of mom's choice (which usually means it's going to be National Geographic or Schoolhouse Rock!) and some time outside if the weather allows. I find that the crazy days are so much more likely when the weather is just abysmal, though.

SOTW Miquon math FLL 1 & 2 is a repeat with my younger, so I'll count that. HWT for K/1st handwriting (same as FLL w/ regard to 'repeat')

:iagree: This makes me much more likely to make the effort to attend their events in the future.

Well, here I was going to respond, and Angela said pretty much everything I would have. :tongue_smilie: I would add to #3 that I do think investing in the homeschooling parents weakness is a good use of time, money, and/or energy, within reason.

I don't know for sure, but the Memphis website says something about "see you next year," and the Greenville guides had 2012 dates printed on the front, so that was my assumption. I sent an email using the contact form--I know they are still busy but I'm such a planner.

Bumping... :bigear: Anyone have the dates for Memphis 2012?

Yep. MY pet peeve is when I can't get a book for weeks or even months because someone is hoarding it.

Classics for Kids. It's free. There are activity sheets if you want them. You can go more in depth with library books & recordings, or you can just do the podcasts for a composer.