I hope the NAET works for you. My son has had them and his life is much improved. One of the worst things for him was airplanes -- evidently whatever they clean airplanes with is just horribly toxic. Someday I'm sure this will change. My son can even be around pets now. It's amazing. One of his allergies turned out to be B complex vitamins, and since all day long he ate whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat bread, etc. --- curing him of this allergy was one of the most important. He was also allergic to iron (the nutrient) and his own braces. It was also helpful to clear him of these allergies, especially because he LOVES hamburgers. His braces are off now, but don't forget to get your child tested for things like polyester (clothing) and any braces or or fillings he may have. Good luck! Julie

When people say they are "conservative," does this mean they agree with EVERYTHING that "conservatives" agree with? Pro-life, against gay marriage, freedom to drive a big car that has low gas mileage rather than take public transportation, etc. These are all actual things I have seen on this message board that I am lumping together here in order to ask my question. Here's another "conservative" notion that faces me since I live in Alaska: do we allow mining operations in ecologically sensitive areas. So does the OP mean that she is "conservative" in all things? Yes to mines, no to salmon streams? Yes to airborne hunting (Sarah Palin re-instituted this after it has been voted down in a referendum), no to laws requiring electric buses? Sincere question. Julie

I'm reading War and Peace right now, and it is not difficult at all. I HIGHLY (evangelically, obnoxiously, annoyingly even to strangers on the street) recommend the new translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Tolstoy is a really gorgeous, delicious writer and this translation retains some of that. Here is an excerpt from the introduction: "Drops dripped. Quiet talk went on. Horses neighed and scuffled. Someone snored." It is a night scene, and one of the most haunting moments in the book. Other English versions translate the first sentence as "The branches dripped," "The trees were dripping," or, closer to the Russian, "Raindrops dripped." They all state a fact instead of rendering a sound, which (by a stroke of translator's luck) comes out almost the same in English as in Russian. (The Russian is "Kapli kapali.") Another example: "The children were riding to Moscow on chairs and invited her to go with them." Some other translations of this read "The children were sitting on chairs playing at driving to Moscow." This fails to capture the charm of Tolstoy's words: he enters the children's play world completely and invites the reader in. There is also a chart of "Principal Characters" in the book that give you all the names for each character and how each character is related. Tolstoy fought in the Crimean War (I also looked at his "Sebastopol Stories") and he was one of the first to write about war without glossing over the messy bits. He had experienced both aristocratic parties as well as dirty, awful battles in which the leaders had made fatal decisions. He described "War and Peace" as neither fiction nor nonfiction. You know, if you've read "Gone with the Wind," it is actually similar in structure. One is most tempted to skip over the "war" parts to get back to the drawing room gossip. But the whole thing is quite enjoyable because the characters are so vividly drawn. Happy reading!

Now everybody's gonna think this is me, posting twice. I swear it's not me, but how funny that we both posted at the same time!! And while the Venetian is NOT smoky, it does have a scent. A good scent, but I would prefer just, you know, air!

The Venetian is extremely elegant (and I believe there are no bad rooms there). The only downside is that you will do a lot of walking --- it's a huge place! They usually have good shows right there in the hotel. We saw the Blue Man Group, but there was also another show right in the hotel (it was Phantom of the Opera when we were there). The most amazing part of the hotel is the outdoor dining area that looks like a street in Italy -- walk down the sidewalk and choose which restaurant you like. Then, you look closer, and realize that you are indoors. The ceiling is really high and they have painted to look like early evening, with soft clouds and gentle light. It is truly amazing. They usually have GREAT deals on rooms if you do your homework. Sign up for e-mail notifications from them. You probably won't have to pay more than $125/night with this economy. It is not far from the Treasure Island show -- that pirate ship thing. There is more than one swimming pool, so explore! Some of the best restaurants require reservations, so ask the hotel which ones you might want to reserve ahead of time. The French-style restaurant on the top floor (Bouchon) is amazing. We just had breakfast there, but even that was just breathtaking. Best service I have ever experienced --- anywhere. And the hotel room was also excellent. And no, I'm not going to give you a second choice, except for maybe the Palazzo, which is actually connected to the Venetian. The Palazzo is pricier, but I believe both hotels share the same restaurants (and the Canyon Ranch Spa). Edited to add: and of course there are gondolas and canals, but everyone knows that part of it. We didn't actually do the gondola thing, because we didn't want to be stared at. We were happy being the starers. One of the restaurants (Canaletto) overlooks the canals and has really good food. Have a great time! Julie

Latin-Centered Curriculum by Andrew (it's so late that I can't remember his last name).

We also have the CD-Rom, and besides enjoying hearing the Latin read aloud correctly :) , he also enjoys doing the written exercises on the computer. Just try to get him to do the written exercises on paper! The exercises are in a separate book. I only know this because I originally made the mistake of getting ONLY the exercises, not the story. Wow, were we puzzled! I think it will suit your needs perfectly. Julie

I have had the longest, most circular arguments with people about this. I know a father and son both named Don, and they had a friend named Dawn. After I said that "Don called," a friend from the East Coast would actually say, "Dawn or Don?" and think that I could tell what they were saying. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. Hee. Can you tell which on which coast I was raised? Julie

I'm not sure, but I'll check it out. It also may have been Daily Paragraph Editing. Now that I look at it more carefully (or at least the sample pages online), it looks like it does involve actually writing paragraphs. It takes baby steps, like "you may use any of these topic sentences or write your own." My son is a pretty good writer, but he just will not follow the rules. Rules bore him. The other day I had him write a paragraph and the ONLY requirement was that the topic sentence told the reader what the paragraph was going to be about. Well, he said that it was a mystery and he didn't want to give it away in the first sentence. Sigh. Thanks so much Melissa! Julie

Hello, I wasn't paying attention, or at least I wasn't writing anything down, when some folks were talking about what they use to learn paragraph writing. I am paying attention now......:bigear: Was it something like Daily Paragraph Editing? No, that's not it. This is for fifth grade. I'm pretty sure OhElizabeth was one of the people using it. We also have Classical Writing - Homer, but that is just SO not summertime curriculum, you know? Julie

The California Train Museum is in Sacramento and is very interesting. (I'm not sure how old your kids are, or how many.) It was around 110 degrees when we were there last summer, so be sure your hotel has good air conditioning. We like the Embassy Suites chain (the one in Sacramento is especially nice, right on the river) because of the excellent breakfast buffet and the pool. I second everything Joanne said, especially OMSI in Portland. We are members, and we don't even live in Oregon! Another place definitely worth a splurge (check their website for specials) is the Overleaf Lodge. It is in Yachats, Oregon, and there are amazing tide pools RIGHT in front of the hotel. The best oceanfront walking I have ever done. We thought we had died and gone to heaven. Every room is ocean view. It was hard for us to find sand dunes to play on, but I'm sure with the help of your guide book you can find a good place if that's something you want to do. We wanted a quiet place with no dune buggies (or whatever they are called these days), and we found one --- but it meant hiking about a mile to the dunes. Small price to pay to see such a beautiful spot. It was so remote that we ended up taking all our clothes off. :001_huh: I was going to suggest making a reservation at the Getty Villa in Malibu, but I see that you live in Los Angeles. But for others who are reading this thread: it is free, but you must reserve in advance. You feel like a private guest. It is amazing -- newly reopened after major renovations. Sigh. Where else can you see such a fine collection of Roman coins? In San Francisco, the Academy of Sciences has just reopened in the park near the DeYoung Museum. When we were at the deYoung enjoying the incredible view of the whole Bay area, we could see the Academy taking on its finishing touches. Perhaps someone else can tell you about that. I like the Japanese garden in Portland (OR) too. There is a great playground in Washington Park right near the entrance to the Japanese Garden if you need to reward the kids for letting you look through the Japanese Garden. Have fun! Julie

My ds 10 (4th grade) is finishing up EG - Year One. He has really enjoyed it. It is gentle but clear, with lots of built-in review. I would also be happy to answer any more specific questions. Julie

So are you in your second year of Latin or the first? I couldn't tell if you were talking about calendar years or school years when you said that you began "last year." My advice would be the same no matter what your second language is going to be: wait at least a full year before adding in the second one. Greek is pretty easy after Latin, as they are both declined languages. The declensions are used in much the same way, such as genitive for possession. I highly recommend Elementary Greek, which we started after completing Latin for Children Primers A and B. We are finishing the first Greek book, which IMO is quite gentle, but not too babyish for your olders. It is a nice slow pace, four chapters on just the alphabet, I think. The workbook lays it all out for you so you don't have to wonder how to teach the program. So I guess I vote for adding Greek to the mix, but not dropping Latin. Elementary Greek takes 20 minutes a day, tops. And we usually only do it four days a week. Be sure to get the flashcards! Edited to add: Oops, I see your oldest is only 12. Definitely not too babyish for a 12yo! I thought you had a 14yo. Julie

I am sitting here looking at Singapore 4A, and it is mostly multiplication and division. So he might be fine just where he is, and you could do 4A over the summer. If you haven't done the Intensive Practice books, you could look at the one for Singapore 3. If you have the Right Start games book, that is useful too. Perhaps a friend has it and you can borrow it? Julie

The folks that publish Latin for Children have a really wonderful program called "Bible for Children." It is perfect for the ages you listed. It is written from a Christian perspective, but not too much so. I liked that it reinforced the learning with activities (crosswords, word games) and also has built-in review. I seem to recall that it is organized around the different names for God. When we did this, there was only one book and they had not yet published the second. It stopped right around the book of Ruth. As far as a particular Bible to use (did you ask that?), there is one that is called "The Adventure Bible." I believe it is just an NIV Bible, but it is packaged for kids. However, if you don't want your children to become Christians, you might want to choose a less engaging one! :001_smile: Julie

Our Grow-A-Frogs (Leap and Hop) are five years old. We did have to get a much bigger tank for them. They are enormous! Just FYI, they are African Clawed frogs if you want to read up on them. I guess if they were hardy enough to survive the trip from Florida to Alaska in the MAIL, they are pretty tough frogs. Julie

My son and I saw this movie, and we both enjoyed it immensely. It is better if you don't know much about it in advance. My son is 10, I guess I wouldn't recommend it for any younger than that. My son believed the propaganda movie that was shown in the movie (as did the main character), about how much fun the work camp was for the Jewish people. He was therefore confused when the camera allowed us to see the true conditions. This movie isn't for every family, but for ours it really allowed for some good discussions. Julie

I have a Prius too, it is 2007 or 2008 model year, I forget which. Anyway, I wanted to clarify that sometimes the gasoline engine never turns on. So if the engine is off at a light, when the light changes the engine will not turn on until I exceed approximately 25 or 30 mph. So in city driving, my car can go for 30 minutes without the engine turning on. Or if I am going 45 mph, but downhill, the engine will be off. Now that is fun......silently, very silently, whizzing down a hill like I'm on a bicycle. But (anticipating your next question), it is a little dangerous for bicyclists, blind people, and children riding bikes. I creep up behind them absolutely silently and scare the living daylights out of them. My hybrid really came in handy one time when I was in a very slow-moving line of cars. The line was moving, but very slowly. Some people almost ran out of gas waiting in that line, but my car's gasoline engine never turned on. It's silent electric motor did the job. I just found out that a new bill has been introduced in Congress, called the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. It is a bipartisan bill, which means it is supported by both Republicans and Democrats. "New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other." For this reason, the aforementioned bipartisan bill would require that the government "conduct a study on how to protect the blind and others from being injured or killed by vehicles using hybrid, electric, and other silent engine technologies." Companies like Lotus Engineering and Harmon International are already one step ahead of this legislation with products intended to add some extra sound to silent vehicles. I thought that was interesting. I almost backed up into a skateboarder today, but it wasn't because my car was quiet. It was because the skateboarder dude was going really, really fast and he was looking at girls instead of who might be backing out of their driveways. Julie

Regarding what to do about your kids speaking to you disrespectfully, I strongly recommend a zero tolerance policy. In other words, don't allow eye-rolling, sighing, ANY disrespectful body language or speech. Make it clear that it is not acceptable in your house, and you will not speak to them like that either. It seems harsh to punish disrespectful speech, but IMO it is crucial for harmony in the home. There is a book called "No Backtalk: 4 Steps to Ending Rude Behavior in Your Children" that will walk you through this: http://www.amazon.com/Backtalk-Steps-Ending-Rude-Behavior/dp/068484124X Best of luck, Julie

Both of these suggestions sound good to me. I am only familiar with the "Spanish Now!" book & CD. Julie

for the same child. It was necessary for us to skip 4, simply BECAUSE he did retain what he learned in GWG 3. He is retaining everything well. He loves diagramming. (Shhh: so do I.) It does have a lot of review, so I don't really understand why some kids are forgetting. My son also did FLL 1/2, if that figures into your informal poll. Julie

Since my family doesn't enjoy the usual birthday song, here's the one by Red Grammer for your special day (I hope you know the tune, I couldn't figure out how to include it in my post!) On the day that Dawn was born On the day that Dawn was born On the day that Dawn was born The angels sang and they blew on their horns And they danced, yeah they danced, They smiled and raised up their hands On the day, on the day that Dawn was born. Enjoy your special day. Julie

In our local school music program, a lot of the instruments are owned by the school and it is expected that the children will borrow them for a semester or whatever. Are you sure she has to give the loaner back? Now, if your daughter is planning on continuing with the instrument, her private teacher could help you select the violin. Just yesterday my son's teacher was grousing that one of his students bought a violin without consulting him and it is terrible. I wonder what you mean my expensive, and what size violin your daughter is using. In my opinion, a good violin would cost at least $400. But you can buy excellent ones for that price, and terrible ones at that price. So don't go by cost alone. Would your daughter's school music teacher be willing to go with you? We have to go to Portland, Oregon to buy ds violins. He recently began playing a 3/4 size. He is 10, but quite tall for his age. They have an excellent violin shop there (David Kerr), and they give us a variety of instruments to try and a variety of bows as well. We ended up bringing three bows back with us (to Alaska) so that my son's violin teacher could choose one. He spent 20 minutes choosing the bow, using all sorts of techniques. Now, I realize that my son is an advanced player and this is not (yet) your situtation. But if you get the wrong violin, she won't be able to get a beautiful tone even if she does everything right. And you get to listen to it every day at home while she practices! Take all this with a grain of salt. I've been working all day at the computer and am quite loopy. Julie

We're going to do "Elements" plus "Carbon Chemistry" next year for fifth grade. Wish we lived close enough to get together once a month and play games. I think our kids would like that. Julie, who is homeschooling an "only" and is O.K. with that most days.