I dislike it immensely, but still feel fortunate to have a roof over our heads and plenty of room for the children to play, both inside and out.

I am struggling with what to do with Joy in the near future. I had always planned to let high school level coursework be completed at home (probably using MFW or some other independent study plan with Great Courses) and then follow a traditional college route. Then I started reading and thinking about online correspondence high schools, dual enrollment at our community college, as I am certain most homeschooling parents have. Joy is an intelligent, self-directed learner. I have not yet had any behavior challenges/personality conflicts with her that warrant moving her education towards outsourcing to help preserve our relationship. She is mature for her age, but has been fairly sheltered, as we live in a rural area. Beyond helping her select materials, taking her to the library when needed, and checking her work, I just sit back and let her work at her own pace. She would learn well in any setting. Are there any threads that hash out this parenting dilemma?

I am trying to find a geometry program for Joy and have looked into CLE's program. I know they are Alpha Omega's units repackaged for CLE, but are they the older version or the revised version of AO? I have actually read some decent reviews of AO's older geometry, and was wondering if this was what CLE is selling. I am considering using it combined with something else (don't know what yet) for a self-teaching course.

:grouphug:

I used a local service found through an Angie's List deal of the day. It wasn't cheap, but a more affordable option that way.

What a handsome dog!

The only idea I can come up with is buying an extra pillowcase or two that match your sheets and sewing one down at the bottom portion of your sheet where your feet go. Think of it as a preemptive patch, perhaps?

Listening in as we dip our toe into the high school planning waters...

A bit more info on Joy... She is a very conscientious student and does well in everything. I have not had to really "teach" her anything since she learned to read well by the time she was in second grade. A little clarification here and there, and she is off and running. She has great aptitude for mathematics, but does not really enjoy it. It is a do it and get it done subject in her mind. As far as future plans go, she is the child who would succeed well in higher academics, but doesn't really have any ambitions. I am just trying to keep her challenged while still giving her plenty of time for her interests. I can see her being a professional student for the rest of her life. I have been tossing around the idea of enrolling her in the American School (or something similar) followed by an online degree, just to make sure she has a degree in hand so she has a marketable future before she leaves home.

Derek, thanks for the link to the master thread. I totally missed that!

Joy is just about done with Lial's Introductory Algebra/Algebra 1 (two more chapters to go) and I have no idea what to do next. Background: CLE Math 7 and Lial's Prealgebra really gave her a great foundation in Algebra to the extent that I have allowed her to to the tests and quizzes only for Lial's Introductory to Algebra/Algebra 1. She has missed no more than 3 problems on each one and is immediately able to spot her errors after I return her work. I thought after a few chapters, she would run into something she needed to dig into and learn, but she really gets it. She is very much a self-learner and I rarely have to step in and help her with a concept. She has fiddled with some Patty Paper Geometry and and another free program mentioned by you awesome Hive members, but nothing formal or vigorous. I am looking for a solid Geometry program that is well laid-out and self-explanatory. I had a solid B average in high school geometry way back when the earth was still flat, so I would definitely need to brush up on the concepts. I am looking for a textbook program as she has vision issues that make computer usage difficult for her. When I studied geometry, it was the proof, the whole proof, and nothing but the proof. I don't know if that has changed or not, so I don't know how to evaluate the available programs. Suggestions, please? I have Lial's intermediate Algebra/Algebra 2 lined up to follow geometry, if that makes any difference. Thank you for your help!

:grouphug: Continuing to pray...

Continuing in prayer... :grouphug:

Prayers said for CatMan, CatWoman, And CatBoy. Also for doctors, nurses, and all other caregivers on his team, as well as the donor's family. May God grant you peace during this time of waiting, Cat. :grouphug:

My horrified gasp and "Oh, no!" sent the kids running to find out what was wrong. He was a great actor. How could I love Col. Brandon so much and despise the Sherrif of Nottingham just as much? He will be missed.

Burners...OH, PA, and IN

Praying for you and Fezzik. :grouphug:

After catching up on laundry and dishes, I tore my side of the walk-in closet apart. Lo and behold, there were some Christmas gifts that I had wrapped and forgot. I dithered over whether to save them until next year or go ahead and give them to the kids now. Of course, I handed them over to the kiddos! :D The closet was in quite the state of chaos in the weeks prior to Christmas. I had so many Amazon boxes shoved in there, I couldn't get to my clothes to put anything away or get anything out. I sort of tossed clothes into the open drawers and crossed my fingers, hoping something would actually land somewhere in the vicinity of the drawer. I tried scaling Mt. Amazonboxia several times, but had to admit defeat. I wore the same eight pieces of clothing for about a month, washing them regularly, of course. After the heavens opened on Christmas Eve and I was able to reclaim my closet, I knew New Year's would bring out the organizing maniac in me. Since winter seems to have really decided to settle in, I was able to put away the short sleeved t-shirts and other items I had kept out for those unseasonably warm days we kept having well into December. I really don't have a lot of clothes, but they were literally everywhere, so once I sorted things out and tossed a few pieces, it was in pretty good shape. I Kondo'd the drawers and felt pretty happy. I found four unwanted t-shirts that will be recycled into shopping bags tonight. Tomorrow: the schoolroom is in for it.

:grouphug: I am sorry. So many losses that close together is so painful.

The way my morkie's tongue sticks out when he sleeps.

I grew up watching MASH reruns after school. I loved his character. My mind can't absorb the fact that Wayne Rogers aged beyond the age of his character. Silly of me, I know. I cannot believe he was 82. So sad for his family. :(

I have used the ancient, spiral-bound version with my girls. Joy went through the purple and green levels. She liked them and I credit LLATL with helping her develop her writing skills so well. She asked to try something else after that and we haven't gotten back to LLATL yet. I have the new Gold levels waiting for my perusal. I ordered the new version of yellow to try with Faith because someone gave me the TM that went with it and I wanted to try new and shiny. After looking it over, I was disappointed. We tried it for a few weeks, and quickly ditched it. It felt very light and disjointed. It lacked the direction and thoughtfulness of the original books. I wanted to switch back to the old version, but Faith wanted no part of it, so we went in a different direction. I am still hoping to steer her into it later on.

Praying for you and Caden!

Books, craft supplies, and pets that my dh brings home.

I ordered a couple of special glove type things that fastened on with Velcro for Alvin's thumb and finger sucking. I think it was call the Thinger. I just googled and couldn't find it, but I came up with something similar called the Glovey Huggey. The Thinger worked like a charm for Alvin. He stopped completely within two weeks of using it.