That might be a good idea - the biggest problem is, our local library is a little low on phonics-friendly readers. Where he is, we've gotten into long vowel sounds (with the silent E at the end) but all we have is the first set of Bob books for him to read. We don't own anything else, nor do I even know what to look for that would be at the right level. Do you know of any books that would be good for that?

So DS6 is learning to read using OPG. I really like OPG - I think it teaches them to read logically, and I just really really like it. We have only made it to like, Lesson 70. :glare: Which wouldn't be a big deal, I don't think - but the last week or so it's been AWFUL. He says he hates doing it (he says he hates school altogether, but that's just because in *his* perfect world, he would get to play and watch movies all day. Hopefully, he'll realize...at some point...that we HAVE to do school) and he DRAGS through it. We literally spent 30+ minutes reading 2 little paragraphs today (I think it was like 9-10 sentences). It is really driving me nuts, because I feel like he CAN do better, he just ISN'T. He's being really slow about reading the words, and he is sometimes still sounding out REALLY easy words that I know that he knows already - man, etc. Any suggestions?

I think pokemon is actually kind of cute. :) We've watched the shows, and we have a DS game. I see nothing wrong with it whatsoever.

You know, I actually remember reading that they had the Pizza Hut on the website - then when we got there, I didn't have a whole lot of time to 'look around' so I never even saw it. I totally forgot about it. :glare: I also didn't know they had room service - all I saw when we were there was the snack shack and the restaurant (whatever it is that it's called - the buffet type thing, which wasn't what we were wanting but it's all we saw) which cost us $100 for dinner. I even looked through the book in the room and stuff, and couldn't find anything else (except restaurants outside the hotel). I do remember thinking, 'I could have sworn there was more to eat...' but I couldn't really remember off the top of my head. In any case, it isn't a vacation for me if I still have to bother with lunch in the room - we did breakfast in there though, and we don't really do snacks. :) But thanks for reminding me of that Pizza Hut (though, knowing me, I'll end up complaining when we're there that we could have PH at HOME, so we need to go somewhere else...:lol:)

I think that my google search brought up some very extreme results. I did read one that was saying (it was more of a blog post, actually, from a book, I do believe) that Christians should just follow everything a pastor says. Period. In one, a pastor had his board sign a loyalty pledge to him. In another, the pastor would bring a board member up on stage and give him a bunch of commands, to show how 'loyal' he was to him, boasting that, if the pastor told the man to, he would go jump off a bridge. Many of the others went more into walking the fine line between being supportive and loyal while at the same time having a mind of our own. Authority I don't have a problem with - particularly in the church setting, because let's face it, a pastor is not sole authority over the church. He has people he answers to - he is not the 'boss' of the church, so to speak. I actually can't think of an instance where a pastor would have free reign to change anything in the church at all, just by himself. A pastor thinking that just because of his position, people should follow what he says - because he has been given 'favor' or 'authority' from God is what I'm unsure of. People refusing to think for themselves because they feel that no matter what, a pastor is right - just because he is their pastor - is another thing I'm having a hard time with. I personally feel as though I pledge no 'loyalty' to any human in that sense. But I'm finding many that feel differently. I just want to be coming at it from the right perspective, I guess. A lot of people will happily quote scriptures that say to 'obey your leaders' and I'm left thinking :confused: - because to me, that just doesn't seem right. To me, I should be able to think for myself and have an opinion that differs from the pastor. To me, it should be okay to disagree, it should be okay to bring up concerns if they are a big deal to the individual, it should be okay to think a little differently. I think that it should be welcomed for people to express their uncertainty with decisions that have been made without their consent or knowledge. I think it should be welcomed for people to step up and try to take responsibility for themselves, their lives, and their salvation. We don't rely on a pastor to get us into heaven...or do some do that? (not here, just general 'some') Do some just accept what the pastor says as the Truth no matter what? Do they even check? Come judgment time, if their life wasn't what it could have been, are they just going to point fingers at the pastor and say 'well, it's his fault - he was my pastor'? (Overdramatic but just saying to try to emphasize my point) To some I feel like it's 'agree with the pastor on everything or leave'. I guess I'm just trying to see if my reluctance to feel a deep seated loyalty to any human is something that I need to get past - or if such blind loyalty is, in fact, not Biblically sound. ETA: I'm not new to church - not even new to this one. I know our pastor and his family well, and I support them very much. Just wanted to throw that out there - this isn't so much something that I'm personally struggling with on any level other than just what I think. Does that make any sense?? :tongue_smilie:

You should be able to find cost for particular dates on their website. They list special offers and such. :) We went this past March and loved it! (Williamsburg location) We'll probably go back next fall sometime. Note: in house food can be pricey - particularly at the restaurant. The snack shack in the water park area isn't so bad. Next time we'll go out elsewhere for dinner.

I'm just wondering. I've been reading up on it and have seen some articles in both directions: supporting the pastor no matter what, and giving him unquestioned authority; or being supportive but not pledging blind loyalty to him. Just curious as to what 'normal' people think (as opposed to some of these authors of the articles, who I know nothing about.) :)

:iagree:

Well, I'm lazy and I haven't done anything, but I REALLY need to jump on this wagon... so I'm reading for motivation and ideas. :D

The bolded is what I have been doing with DS7. I time him for a minute and mark where he was at that point, then he finishes it. That's a relief! (I know that sounds silly, but I'm totally serious!) That is what I'm a little concerned about. I don't want this experience with the timed drills, etc, to be something that makes the boys hate math... :glare: This is what I'm most worried about with trying to switch. How do I know what would work? How do I know which ones are good? It feels a little daunting, not gonna lie!! An aside - would knowing/learning my kids learning styles assist me at all in this? Or just confuse me even more? :lol: I think that's a good idea! Today, rather than timing him for 1 minute, I set the timer and timed how long it took to finish it. It's the first I had done it but he totally didn't mind it. I could see him going for that, even if we don't stick with Saxon we could do that for the rest of the year. :)

Ok, this is kind of random and may not make a whole lot of sense, but... We use Saxon. DS7 is in Saxon 2 and DS6 is in Saxon 1. I have to admit, Saxon drives me just a little insane. But at the same time, I like it - I feel like it's thorough, it is teaching the kids the concepts well, and they are doing pretty good with it. DS7 doesn't like having to do the timed drills (fact sheets) every single day - he usually only gets 8-9 of the problems answered before the minute is up. So he has started getting kind of frustrated with that. But as far as learning the stuff, he definitely is. He still occasionally counts with his fingers when doing addition, though I would prefer he didn't. Is it ok that he does that? DS6 goes back and forth - there are things about it that he likes and things that he doesn't like. He has fact sheets every day, too, but his aren't timed. I let him do his on the whiteboard sometimes, and I just write down how many he got correct. But often when I pull out the fact sheet, he breaks down into tears and HATES it. Doing it on the white board - no tears, no fuss, but I'm sure that would get old, too, if we did it all the time. So I'm trying to limit that to maybe 1x/wk. The rest of the time, it's just filling in answers, and he knows all of the answers, but he just loses it and ends up taking FOREVER because I guess it just seems like so much to him?? :confused: I should add that he isn't a particularly strong reader yet (he's actually in K, just doing Saxon 1 because K math stuff just seemed insanely easy for him), and while he likes to do handwriting, his fine motor skills aren't exactly excellent. :tongue_smilie: Meaning, he can write just fine but it isn't pretty. Anyway, he also seems to be learning the concepts ok, he's having a little trouble with +1/-1 and a little with +2 but we just did that yesterday the first time. But that could be totally normal. He still has to use something concrete to do some of those problems - crayons or something. Anyway, what I'm wondering is, should I be considering another program for next year? Or should I just go with it? If the kids are learning, should I stick with it no matter what? Part of me is afraid to try anything else, but then part of me is just curious to know how they would DO with something else! If it would come to them easier, make more sense, etc. I guess I'm just torn. I'm making up my budget/curriculum list for next year and just have no idea whether I want to plan to just buy Saxon 3 and the consumables that we've used from Saxon 2, or if I want to try something else altogether... :bigear:

Wow. I really need to check out hs laws in other states lol... ours isn't bad, but seeing what I see about some others... wow. :D :iagree: :iagree: The Amish, to my knowledge, don't really do anything at all with the government - they don't vote, pay some taxes, etc. I didn't read the other thread because by the time I saw it, it was like 39 pages lol :) But I wholeheartedly agree. When DH and I are talking about the government stepping in any situation - welfare recipients, etc - I always think about things from a hs perspective. And I always decide what I really think about it once I've determined how it could potentially affect homeschooling freedoms. :iagree:

I've actually not felt like that as of yet. It may be because homeschooling isn't that incredibly rare where we live?

Something you can either throw out or wash really, really well when he gets home (think with a power washer lol). :D And I would go with whatever you can get on the plane (weight/size limit, etc) that is a reasonable size for him. DH went to Haiti in February, short term. I honestly can't remember much about what he took with him...a mosquito net, everything all sealed up, etc. They actually slept outside, on the roof, when he was there. I do remember going to Bass Pro to buy some stuff he needed. Make sure he has good sunscreen - DH forgot to put it on his head the first day (he has really short hair) and was peeling horribly when he came home, even though he remembered the rest of the week. :) And peeling on the head is like the most disgusting of all... :ack_2: lol. Also, try to send a lot of long sleeves/pants. I know it will be warm, but that is best when dealing with all the bugs. We also bought some permethrin (might be spelled wrong, but that is how it's said, anyway...) and he doused all his clothes and stuff with it. He said he barely even saw a bug while he was down there, because he was a walking repellant. :)

Can you go along as a chaperone? If not, do you know the chaperones well? Do you trust them all? Is the group religiously affiliated at all? (Not that religious groups can't have some insane stuff happen, I'm just curious). Personally, I think I would probably want to chaperone the trip if I were sending my teenager. I don't have any teenagers yet, but I think that would be what I would do...

:grouphug: I definitely can empathize with your predicament. :( Unfortunately. :iagree::iagree: :crying::mad::grouphug: :iagree:

I was 18, DH was 21. We've been married 10 years and we're doing excellent. :) We will be married 50-100 more. :) (We both 'waited' also.)

I would LOVE to get LASIK!!! :) That's the plan in another year/year and a half or so, and then I'd be rid of pesky contacts and pesky glasses!! :D

:lol: I'm not trying to be insensitive but that is the SINGLE most RIDICULOUS exchange I've ever heard! O.M.Goodness. Hilarious. :lol: hehehe

Ok, I'm going to give you an opinion which may be quite unpopular... It would be best if you didn't wear your contacts for long periods of time. I started wearing mine in December of 1996, and I wore them every day, from when I got up in the morning til I went to bed at night. I always took them out to sleep. I took good care of my lenses, got my rx checked regularly, and overall did everything that every good contact lens wearer does. In August I was having major eye redness and pain, particularly in my left eye. When I went in, I had an infection and an ulcer on my left eye, and the blood vessels in both eyes were growing where they weren't supposed to because of the lack of oxygen due to contact lens use. They asked if I was a contact lens 'abuser' so to speak, and I said I didn't think so but apparently I was. Thankfully I didn't end up with any long term effects from this, aside from a scar on my cornea which is just outside my field of vision. However things could have been much, much worse. I do have contacts again (I use biofinity now - used to use acuvue but they were drying my eyes out a lot) but I only wear them maybe 2-3 days a week. This week I have to wear them every night (musicals/dress rehearsals) and it is freaking me out a little, even though I'm not putting them in until right before I leave and I'm taking them out as soon as I get home. They don't feel comfortable anymore - a lot of things have been affected. I know that my story is NOT the norm. I'm not trying to say that this will happen to everyone, or even to the majority of people. Just be careful. :) No matter what the contact lens companies may say, NO lens is as good as being 'just like your normal eye' or whatever as they say it is. Your eyes need breathing time.

mine...http://wp.me/p1Mck9-3w

:lol: I can picture some girls I know wearing that exact outfit. :) I'm with the others - just go with it. Try to influence a little here and there if you like, but in general, it could be worse. :) Hmm...well, unfortunately, people tend to judge based on what we wear. The thing is, there are people out there who like each different style - even what you are describing. :) Some people even judge little kids based on what they are wearing, which baffles me. (That's been my experience.) As time passes, there will be more knowledge about how sometimes we need to 'dress the part' or whatever. For right now, it's a big individuality thing - something that can be done based on personal taste. :)

Personally, I kept 1 outfit from each of the kids from when they were really young. I put them in the cedar chest in our room. The boys, I kept everything for my SIL, plus I figured we would maybe have a 3rd kid, so one way or another I thought they would get used. And if not, I would consign them/donate them. DD's clothes all went straight to consignment. I've started keeping about 1/2 for my SIL in case she has a girl next - but idk when she's even planning on having another (they have 2 boys, want 4 kids total). I'll just store full tubs in the attic if necessary. I have 0 attachment to most clothes. Keeping one little outfit was plenty for me. :) (I also rejoiced at getting rid of cribs, etc... :D )

What sort of things is it? Patterns, colors, the way outfits are put together? As long as it is something that is modest both in what it covers and in tone (meaning the general vibe that the outfit gives off), I think anything is ok. But I'm really lax with what they come up with when it comes to clothing and personal style...always have been. :) My kids aren't that old but they've been dressing themselves for ages (well, except DD, who is just starting to). It sometimes makes for interesting combos, but I know what you are talking about is on a whole different level. In general, teenagers (is your daughter a teenager? That was my assumption...) will do whatever. They usually tone down with time, some more than others. I would just go with it. I actually look forward to my kids being able to dress a little more creatively...and secretly hope at least one of them wants to dye their hair funky colors. ;)

First off, :ack2: ...that was disturbing. :iagree: w all above. the whole concept...it bothered me a little. I don't consider those of us who made decisions for abstinence to be weird...not in the freak show way that they are displaying, anyway! :001_huh: Wow. All of our pastors would heartily disagree with that guy. :D As would we... That's how we stood. :) It was our pastor's idea. He figured, why have a ceremony where everyone just sees our backs, when we are who they are there to see? He did all weddings like that.