Ladies, Have any of you ever used vacationrentals411.com? I've used vrbo.com very successfully, but I've never used the one above and was wondering. I'm looking for a rental in Anini Beach , Kuaui, HI. Thanks, ReneeH

Just a quick note - don't most states require a biology w/lab in high school? Make sure that you know what your future plans are with your son. All states are different, but 8th grade courses are usually not accepted for state scholarships, diplomas, etc except Alg I and sometimes Spanish. Rhrice

Ladies, My dad is interested in taking a psychology course during high school. At this point, I am not sure whether we will bother about AP so I would love to hear your opinions on any curriculum you have used for this elective. Thanks in advance, ReneeR

Sorry, Ladies, but could you tell me what "TPS" stands for or give me a link. We are starting foreign language next year, and after much thought, we are probably going with French. Thanks ReneeR

We just selected one or two from the backs of each book. Some were "no brainers" like Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, etc, but we picked ones that sounded interesting that we could find at local library or borrow online. I sold all the books they went with Sonlight 100 when we moved (Henderson the borrowing),but that is a good list to use as well. Rhrice

WOW! You should be so proud,! Rhrice3

What about Willa Cather? As an American writer, I think that she is a must read. She does an amazing job of bringing the west/plains living during the 1800's to life. I love everything of hers I have read Rhrice3

My dd needs to work on vocabulary - I ve let it slip up. She is 8th grade and has done some Wordly Wise. Where would you recommend to start for high school - we could start it now. Thanks ReneeR

I would offer much the same advice. My daughter did chalk dust Alg II, and then went to public high school the next year. Since she was not going into a science/math field I did not see a need for her to do Cal then AP Cal so they recommended dual enrolment. While she did very well in the two semesters, it was definitely a higher level math and she had some struggles with a few new trig like concepts. I would definitely do Alg II first and then dual enrollment Rhrice3

My dear friend has a child who is very bright but has some issues. They sent her away to a boarding school for her senior year (long story), but now after 2 years, she has not completed the work and the school is kicking her out. She is over 18 so, of course, the local school district wants nothing to do with her. I immediately thought of GED, because I thought that it was geared toward people out of the system. Another question is what will colleges in the future think of GED? My friend called in tears, and I immediately thought of you wonderful women of the hive. Basically, my friend wants her child to move on in life but right now my friend is feeling desperate. Any thoughts or wisdom would be appreciated rhrice3

I will put in my 2 cents. My son looked at Bucknell a few years ago, but chose a different career path and different school for that reason. At the time my father-in-law pushed Bucknell and could say nothing but wonderful things about them. What makes this a glowing rec is that my father-in-law is a PhD in Chem E. He graduated from impressive schools including 2 ivy league schools. He has taught all over the world and at a few large state universities in the states and publishes textbooks. He says NOTHING good about anyone or thing. A summer camp is an excellent way to get a feel for a field and school, and the faculty will get to know your dd much better than a quick visit. rhrice3

Yes, I have a Kindle Free app on my iphone 5 and our iPad. I can't figure out why anyone would buy a Kindle now? The only difference that I see is the brightness is slightly less so on the app then the iPad or iPhone - of course, I turn the brightness down so it works well for me. rhrice3

Yes, we always travel with water bottles -empty. Then we fill up at fountain near gate. Once on the way back from Italy my dd forgot, and she had water still in it at German security check. They let her drink it in front of them -proving it was water. Of course, she was tall, blonde, and 18. I would never get away with that ; ) Rhrice3

My dd had sleep terrors/walking as a child. We discovered that they usually occurred when she was over tired. She would sleeping restlessly for the first few hours waking in a half lucid state about every hour. It is sad but after the second or third time of putting her down, we would give her a baby dose of benydrl. The terrors were mostly between 4-6 yrs of age. At about 11 or 12 yrs she started with the walking. It was strange, she would head for wherever there was light on in the house. If the lights were all out, I would find her staring at me in my sleep. Once I found her roaming the upstairs carrying dresses on coat hangers - the dresses were all inside out. Once she carried all her shoes downstairs and threw them on the kitchen counter. She would never remember any of these things and always have this little grin on her face when she walked, but she was never awake. We did alot of research on it, and we found that puberty was usually a time when walking/terrors showed up again and then disappeared. The walking did disappear for her - she has not walked since she was 13 yrs old , and she is 19 yrs old now. She does, however, have crazy legs sometimes - her college roomie has become accustomed to it. I would definitely mention to his new peds doctor when you get one, but I am not sure that there is much they can do for it. Chances are that he will outgrow it soon. Also, it seems to be definitely genetic. My sister and grandmother were horrible night mumblers! My 2 cents. rhrice3

We do not use a DVD for Alg I since I enjoy Alg and my kids "get it". I go through a lesson per day and then we work some of the even problems together. If the lesson is especially long or complicated or has a formula type section and then "real world" application section, I split them up. I have her do about 15-20 odd problems per day aiming at 45 min-1 hr of Alg I. We do all odd problems for review ( like the previous person stated) and all problems for mid-chapter quiz and end of chapter test. My text is an older version, but it, also, has a cumulative test at the end of every third chapter ( 1-3, 4-6, etc). I have her do these entire tests. One thing that I always do at mid-year and around March is check to to see that we are still on schedule to finish the book. That way if she is having trouble with something, we can spend a week on it if we need to. Good luck, ReneeR

My husband and I are going to France , Belgium, and Switzerland for our 25th anniversary. We would like to brush up on some more common french. Could someone recommend something? Thanks in advance Rhrice

I might concentrate on writing skills and great literature. My oldest went to public hs when we moved - he was a jr at the time. I felt good about the writing I "forced" on them in middle school and fresh-soph year, because hs papers were so much easier for him later. Also, I never saw him pick up a book to read in jr year of Eng, and he was a voracious reader. It was not until AP Lit that he read the number and quality of books that I thought he should be reading. Don't know what your future plans are past 8th, but that is my 2 cents. ReneeR

I would not tackle Alg until 8th grade for different reasons. Right now you don't know what her interests or major might be for college. Alg at 11 could put her so far ahead by 10th or 11th grade with maths she might not even need for college. Also, depending on the state, some will not accept Alg in a grade BEFORE 8th - we had this situation years ago in TN. A friend's son took Alg in 7th grade (he was an older 7th grader) but when he was ready for college, she had to jump through hoops to get it accepted by the state and the college of his choice. Ever child is different, but I can tell you that enjoying them at 11 and spending quality time with them will be better time spent then pushing Alg on everyone. Let her enjoy what she is doing and continue on your path - daughters are so precious at this age. Good luck, ReneeR

So we have decided to go to NM this summer. We figured to spend 4-5 days in and round Santa Fe and the same around Taos. Do you guys have any must do hiking trails or attractions? Thanks and Happy Mother's Day ReneeR

Since my senior is done next week, I think that I will be hard pressed to get my 7th grader to do work past may 24. Also family is coming for graduation and the house will be full of fun!

Do those of you that run, have more than one pair of shoes - different shoes? I was just thinking that sometimes when I am tired, my feet feel so heavy. I wear a shoe for severe pronation so I was wondering if something lighter with moderate pronation would feel better. Thanks ReneeR

Have you thought of making fresh berry breads or muffins while you are cooking the night/day before. I don't know how many kids you have, but I would make a dozen muffins or a loaf of berry bread or homemade waffles and put it in tupperware for the next am. Also, we all like yogurt so I buy greek yogurt in bulk. I love cooking breakfast so we do eggs and bacon and sausage when everyone is home in the am. ReneeR

Rod and Staff is a great spiral program. Considering her scores, I would definitely move on to 7, and you can be sure as another replied she will do well and be strengthened in the difficult spots. We personally never go past 7 since by then my kids are proficient at grammar and we concentrate on more writing. Good luck ReneeR

We did it, BUT my son was a voracious reader and history buff! Since there were many important topics, his dad often read some with him so they could discuss. It was way too much reading for my dd so we did it in 9th grade. I think doing it over 2 years and adding some activities would work well. Good luck ReneeR

We are thinking of going in early June. We were looking at Banff and Jasper. My husband heard that Banff is now really populated and commercialized so we might prefer Jasper. Does anyone have experience with these areas? We would hike, kayak, etc. We don't do amusement parks, shopping, etc. Also, we were thinking of the islands off British Columbia? if anyone has experience doing some nice family activities there. Thanks ReneeR