Is it cold where you live? How about serving a soup or chili with croissants or corn muffins and fruit? If not, chicken salad on croissants is always a nice choice. You could serve that with fruit as well.

I did standardized testing for a friend's children, and her dd tested at about 25th percentile overall. Her dd just started 4th. She was very discouraged tonight when I showed her the scores. She pulled out her scores from being in public school and they weren't much better, but were a little. Here's a little background. She runs a business from home and has 5 children. The oldest is doing dual enrollment at a nearby college. The next 2 (including the dd) do Switched on Schoolhouse, the complete program. She's doing A Beka K5 with the next and there's a little one. She says she is constantly having to help dd with questions she doesn't understand. Once she explains it further, she usually knows the answer. I told her it was possibly a reading comprehension problem. She scored only 1 percentile on math computation, though. I made a suggestion of chunking the curriculum for this year, and focus just on language arts and math. I asked if she reads much other than schoolwork, and she said no. I said you have to get her reading. It will help her vocabulary, etc. I suggested the Magic Treehouse series. I figured that would help incorporate a little history and science. Can anyone give me any other suggestions for her? Thanks!

Thanks for all the advice. She does have trouble falling asleep, but once she does, she sleeps very hard. She doesn't even hear an alarm really. I'd say she sleeps about 10 hours a night, but that's with me waking her up, not on her own. She needs a well check up anyway, so we're planning on that in January. Our new insurance plan kicks in then and pays 100% of it, so I'd like to wait, unless it gets worse. This morning she went into her room after she got mad, came back calmed down and was fine the rest of the day. I don't think she gets enough exercise. She wants to be in her room and read so much of the time. There are daily light saber battles at our house! LOL! Does that count? I've tried to get things she would like (dance pads for the computer and playstation, indoor trampoline, etc.), but she almost never wants to do them. Her friends who come to play usually do girl stuff, not physical. She's not interested in any sports. We all are lacking in this area, unfortunately, and the fact that none of us are outdoor lovers doesn't help. I'll try to figure out something to get more exercise in, for all of us. I normally start school by 9:00. I really don't want to wait until much later. Since she has friends who like to play after they are home from school, so I know she'll want to be done by then. I usually get her up about 8:15 to eat breakfast and get ready. We are a praying family, and I am definitely in prayer much about all of this.

Seeing the person write about James also got me thinking about his church requiring specific works that are hard for him. The bible is clear that there are different gifts. I believe that God would never have us all do the same works. I feel that it is wrong for a church to put mandates of how a person serves God. We need all kinds of service. Works should follow faith, but those works will all be different. This world has so many needs, but if we work together, we can meet them all. Some will be able to give financially to those in need. Some are able to go and build ramps for elderly. Some can show love to a person they see upset on the street. Do you see what I mean? I was in a dollar store and the cashier seemed very uncomfortable about something. I asked what was wrong. She said she was in pain because she has kidney problems. I asked if I could pray for her, and she let me. I have continued to think of her often and lift her up in prayer. That was a good work. We sponsor a child in an orphanage in Kenya. He has made dramatic changes in the 2 years. He has gone from sad and unhealthy to happy and healthy. That is a good work. We invite families in our neighborhood to church, and even take some of the children with us. That is a good work. God will put us in the place to minister, if we will be open to show his love wherever we are. Do I feel that I do everything God wants? Probably not. I'm not perfect, but I am striving to be like Him. That is all He wants.

I'm not sure what do with my pre-teen daughter. She is not a morning person at all, so I've always had trouble getting her going in the morning, but the last few weeks she gets really angry when we start school work. She eventually settles down and does okay, but I'm about in tears over it. I was not a teen with any anger issues, so it's hard for me. I was a very good student and didn't give my parents any trouble. For the most part, she doesn't either. She is slow at everything she does, even getting ready to go the parks at Disneyworld! I am trying to be patient and understanding, even telling her that I want to understand. She has a very hard time expressing her feelings in words. She's the child who I would pick up from school (she went to private through 2nd) and ask how was your day and get short answers, never details. How do I deal with this? She would be happy if all she had to do for school work is read a book all day, but you can't just do that your whole life. Is this hormonal? She hasn't started her period yet, but is going through physical changes. I have wondered if we should put her in school; however, the public schools here are not an option. My dh teaches and sees the results of the education system. It's not pretty. We can't afford private unless I go to work, and that means they both have to go. I would only want to teach at a school they are attending. The chances of finding that this time of year are very slim. Any advice?

Would your dh's schedule allow him time to drive a bus, or could you help in the business so he could? I know several self-employed people that do that in order to have better insurance, plus you get to participate in the school retirement system here in GA. My dh is in the school system and our coverage for the whole family will be $135 a month in January.

You are so wonderful to want to do this for him, especially since you are not a Christian yourself. I will be praying that he has a full understanding of just how loving and merciful our God is. To know Christ has been the most rewarding and fulfilling relationship of my whole entire life. I want everyone to know this kind of love and joy. It is unlike any other. Here is a link to a description of salvation through faith that I think is great. It has lots of scripture references in it. http://www.abideinchrist.com/selah/oct14.html

Wow!

Quesadillas: I buy La Banderita brand (it doesn't have hydrogenated oil). They have whole wheat, multi-grain, and low-carb that's made with whole wheat and several fibers. I get them at Wal-Mart

My kids eat fresh fruits and vegetables much better than cooked, so every lunch has some for the sides. Here's some of what I do besides sandwiches: Grilled Cheese & tomato soup(we only eat whole grain bread) Quessadillas (whole grain tortillas, sometimes just cheese, sometimes chicken & cheese) We like this with salsa and quacamole. They are very quick to make. Supper Leftovers I do usually let them pick one processed thing a week that they like (frozen pizza, Spaghetti O's, etc.). Breakfast for lunch (different than they had for breakfast that day)

I'm not good at estimating the hours, because dd spends so much time reading both school and pleasure. Last week's reading for history, on her own, included a chapter in BJU 6th grade ancient civilizations book (? pages, it's in her room), "The Trojan War" by Olivia E. Coolidge (250 pg book), and a non-fiction book, "The Search for Lost Cities" (46 page book). It really varies week by week, based on what I can find for the time period that I want her to read. She's 6th grade.

My husband and daughter are trying to find out about a tv series or movie that was made about the Tripods. He even thinks there's talk of making a new movie of them. Do you happen to know anything? My dd is an avid reader, and really enjoys books designed for boys. She has read some Christian series for girls as well, but sci-fi, is her favorite. She's a huge Star Wars fan.

We have a good layout and good space. It's a ranch with a bonus room over the garage. It's a split bedroom plan. We have the kid's bedrooms, a bath, and linen closet on one end. The living room and large eat-in kitchen are in the middle. We have no formal dining room, but I think we have larger bedrooms and closets because we don't. Our master suite,a relatively large laundry room, and stairs to the bonus room are on the other end. Our master bedroom closet is almost 100 square feet and was a big seller for me. I had hoped the bonus room could be half school room, half play room, but we have a hard time regulating the air up there. It's most comfortable if you keep the door closed. With my son being in Kindergarten, his school work isn't nearly as much in length as my daughter's. He's not content to stay up there as long as necessary, and I don't want him downstairs with the door closed where I am. So we do school at the kitchen table and in the living room. My dd does some at a desk we have set up in her room, as well. My dream house wouldn't be much bigger. I'd trade the play room for one more useful to me. I'd like to have a school room and a small guest bedroom with a bath. All of our family lives elsewhere.

Have they read "The City of Ember" and the books that follow? We read the first 3, but haven't seen the movie yet. Book 4 may out, but I'm not sure when it is. Do you mind Christian fiction? My dd reads a lot of books that I would think appeal more to a boy. She loved the kids Left Behind series. There are 40 books. We got them all through the library here. She also enjoyed a series by Jerry B. Jenkins called The Wormling Series. My dh and dd just read a series of books by John Christopher. They are "The White Mountains", "The City of Gold and Lead", and "The Pool of Fire". At least I think these are the right titles. They are science fiction.

Yes, the person who is my very best friend is my husband. I can talk to him about most anything. He's the least judgmental person I know, including myself. My 2 sisters are my best friends, too. They don't live here, but not very far away. We have "sister weekends" of just us 3 girls (nursing babies were allowed) at least once every year and have done this since 1985. This last time, we allowed my dd to come along. She was thrilled! I also feel very close to my mother. I'm probably closer than my sisters are. I have a very good friend in the homeschool community here. We've been getting to know each other for about a year. We've lived here just over 4 years and I've not had the close relationships I experienced in the other places we lived. I'm glad she and I are becoming close. I'm thankful my life has been so blessed!

Yes, I had to show ID and fill out a card with my name, address, and birth date. I think showing ID should be a given, and should be required in every state. I also think every store should require ID for using a credit card. It would probably help cut down costs of theft.

Thankfully, she hasn't started her period yet! For In The Great White North: I don't know how to quote several people in the same reply, but I do have some soap with tea tree oil in it. I purchased it from a friend who makes soap. For Frontier Mom: She actually is in a similar situation of wearing flip-flops a lot, and now going to lots of socks and shoes. We'll give the tea tree oil soap and keeping them dry a try. If it doesn't help, we'll go to the doctor. Thanks again for all the help!

My dd is having trouble with skin peeling all around the bottom of her toes and foot just below her toes.She says it doesn't itch. Does anyone know what this could be? I asked her if her feet sweat, and she said they do in her Sunday shoes, but that's the only day she wears them usually. Thanks in advance for any help!

My dd was in 2nd grade in a Christian school that used it. I started homeschooling in 3rd, and didn't use the whole BJU program at home until 4th grade. It's very expensive and didn't know very many resources for finding it used. I did use their book links for 3rd grade. I think it is a great program and that the worksheets cover things I might not think to on my own. That aspect of a reading program is what I really like about using reading curriculum, not just reading and discussing. My dd isn't the workbook lover that my ds is, but I think it's all right if some of their school work is a little mundane. We all have things in life that we have to do and don't like. That's just the way it is. I feel that if we, as homeschoolers, continually let the child's likes and dislikes decide the curriculum it won't be what's best for them. We don't let them only eat the food they like do we? I have to make mine eat some vegetables! It's just a thought. We used the full program for 5th last year. On my dd's ITBS tests at the end of last year she scored top 1% overall in reading and end of high school grade level. I'm not using it this year, simply because I could never get a good deal on it, and she's doing a ton of extra reading with our Mystery of History. I've all ready purchased 2nd grade for my son whose in Kindergarten, and will use it all the way through with him. I'm always checking ebay and other places for good deals on it. I'm looking for 7th grade literature for next year for her.

We are using Positive Action for Christ this year. They have regular year long curricula for K-6th, then move into individual studies or various kinds and lengths for upper middle and high school. Each week has character traits to cover with them, also. My K ds really likes it. The workbooks are colorful and engaging. He loves workbooks, though. My dd doesn't, but she doesn't like workbooks. I feel part of why she doesn't like it is she's having to move in to more thought provoking questions instead of just straight, simple answers. She really gets upset when she doesn't know something or get answers right, so I feel that she thinks she'll be wrong. I'm wavering on continuing it. I've thought about putting the workbook aside and just read and discuss it. I really like the topics for her (i.e. finding God's will, resisting temptation, being filled with the Spirit, and a study of Christ and Revelations). I also have her reading sections of the bible with our history (MOH, Vol 1.).

I like the idea of Fridays totally free for that stuff. If I can manage to get everything in during 4 days, I think I'll try to do that as well. There's so much I want to do, yet don't get to it. We're on staff at our church so I have outside responsibilities. I feel like the older I get (I'm 41), the worse I am at time management, too. Thanks for suggesting it!

You can throw up with strep. I wouldn't waste anytime on getting him to the doctor. They will do a throat swab. Has he ever had that done? I don't remember noticing what age he is, but the procedure, although quick, can be quite unnerving. I think strep left untreated can lead to more serious conditions that can cause heart problems later in life. Sore throats are an automatic trip to the doctor here, that is if not gone fairly quickly.

Sometimes I do a modification of this, doing chunks of a small number of subjects a day. I like it because it's less to prepare for a day. The kids have never complained. I always start off every subject each day, but before long I'm back to chunks. It makes the age difference in mine seem more manageable. It also helps with our varied outside activity schedule. We go to boys/girls clubs 1 Friday a month, 4-H 1 Thursday a month, and usually a few outings with our homeschool groups. We belong to two different groups. I wanted more options and have friends in both. This week (Field Trip Thursday, Clubs on Friday) Son: Lots of math on Mon-Wed; History Mon-Wed; Phonics/Reading Every day; Lots of Science Friday Daughter: Finish Election Project display board today; History Mon-Wed; Lots of Math on Tues-Wed; Reading every day; Lots of Science on Wed - Fri; Lots of English Tues - Wed

My ds likes to rub a mole on my collar bone. He doesn't have to do it anymore to actually fall asleep, but he still does it sometimes. He even does it in the day. He'll just come sit in my lap, hug me and rub it. He loves the feel of my neck, also, because he says it's warm. He loves skin and touch so much that I'm afraid we're going to have to move to the mountains when he's a teenager!!!

I have something for you to keep in mind if you continue homeschool. I taught Saxon Algebra 2 and Saxon Advanced Math at a coop. In the Algebra 2 there only 2-3 separate practice problems per lesson. In Advance Math there were none separate from the lesson itself. There were may 3-4 in the actual lessons. For almost all of my students, it wasn't sufficient. Some were students who had gone through Saxon completely. The author also told students information that other textbooks do not. For example, he said it was fine to leave negative exponents in your final answer. I asked a friend who is a high school math teacher, if the rule saying that's a no-no had changed, and she said no. I ended up so many times presenting the Saxon way in class, then the way I was taught (over 20 years ago), and they always understood the "old" way better. I'm sorry I'm not familiar enough with Algebra 1/2 and 1 to help you there. Before I taught at the co-op, I had planned on switching my dd to Saxon since I had heard so many good things about it. I will never have either of my kids do it now.