I just want to clarify that depression can occur because of tragic events in your life that cause your moods to spiral out of control, OR it can occur for purely biochemical reasons. If your mom died recently and my depression is caused by a brain chemical imbalance, our serotonin levels might be exactly the same. Two different causes, same result. But since even depression that occurs for "no reason" (the kind I have) results from many different brain chemical imbalances, I do not believe they have come up with medical testing for it. Probably because the questions reveal whether you are depressed, and most importantly HOW depressed you are. If you are suicidal and you have a plan, you would probably be admitted into an inpatient setting. The reason why there are so many antidepressants on the market is not because they haven't quite got the magic formula right yet. It is because there are many biochemical causes for depression, and it might take three or four "tries" to find out which kind works for you. For example, my depression brings with it a huge surge of energy and anxiety, so they used to give me tricyclic antidepressants (they have a sedative side effect). But now they have more precise medications that can treat your problem more exactly with not as many unwanted side effects (dry mouth, etc.) There are ways to get help! Unfortunately, when one is depressed it is really hard to take the first step because of, well, the depression. You just don't have the energy to figure out who to call. Oh, I almost forgot my other recommendation. Try to find a psychiatrist who has been to school within the last 10 years. I actually wasted a lot of time with a shrink who still practiced Freudian psychoanalysis ALONE with no other therapy. In that system, it is all the parents' fault. My poor, blameless, loving parents! Julie

Judging from your list of literature, your post probably belongs on the high school board. You'd have more luck there, I think. Julie

It might help you focus a bit. If you really put Latin (and possibly Greek later) as priorities in your homeschool, there is no need for extra grammar or spelling. The suggested schedule in the new edition is very streamlined and somehow.....peaceful. But my own son loves history so we do it three times per week instead of once. And I'm too fearful to drop grammar completely, so we do GWG 5. But he has learned more grammar from Latin than anything else. Once you ramp up the writing like you suggested, I don't think you'll have any problems keeping him challenged. I believe Homer requires approximately an hour daily (which is the same amount of time LCC recommends in upper elementary for "composition"), and is quite challenging. We don't really do narrations here. But what I will do is ask him to write four sentences about, say, foliated rocks (that's his science) or why the Mexicans were beginning to get annoyed with the Texans when it was still part of Mexico (that's history). The key here is FOUR sentences. No, probably not enough for a fourth grader. But he's writing. And if he has trouble thinking of four things (or four aspects, or four events), I will help him by asking questions. I have yet to meet a NON-reluctant male writer of this age. Even my friend who is a published novelist and homeschools her son tells me that he will always ask, "Did I write enough? Am I done now?" :lol: You're not alone, my friend. Julie

tracks and trains and roundhouse and bridges and..... I don't think anything will be made out of wood when my grandchildren are born. I've seen the clearcuts. Anyway, it is a beautiful set and my son loved it so very much. He spent hours setting up elaborate tracks and then crashing the trains so he could use the "Break-Down Train." Remember the break-down train? Getting misty now. I also have a gorgeous set of all the Winnie the Pooh books that must have cost my mother a fortune. They are beautiful and my son still likes to read them. "Mom, these aren't really just for children, are they?" Awwww. Julie

We are on that chapter right now. He was at the Alamo. I'm just glad that SOTW doesn't glorify these men out of proportion to what they accomplished. He was a good marksman, and he was a politician (Tennessee representative), but evidently not a stellar one because he did not get re-elected. Then apparently when he did not get re-elected, he told his public that they could all go to h*ll, and he would go to Texas. (No, I didn't get that from SOTW....:lol:) We have done a lot of American History this year by supplementing with lots of books about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams (all books suggested in the AG!), the History of US (Volume 4 - The New Nation is particularly good, and I like the last chapter for memorizing the first 15 presidents). And simply include a lot of U.S. History in your memory work, which both WTM book itself and the SOTW 3 Activity Guide recommend explicitly (no extra planning involved!). All of this is to say, "Just hang in there." This is why we will finish SOTW 3 in the middle of February 2009 instead of June of 2008...... And lots of good picture books are recommended in the AG. Do I maybe have a newer version or something? For example, right now we have a book out from the library called "Susanna of the Alamo: A True Story" by John Jakes. Gorgeous illustrations (Paul Bacon) and a gripping story, but not for young ones since her husband (and the father of her children) dies in the Alamo and they are right there inside hearing the cannons and gunshots. But it is a picture book. I think the reason that SOTW 3 does not recommend many "young" picture books is because if you follow the chronological history plan, your student will be at least a third grader. There are some recommendations for "younger siblings and reluctant readers" though. HTH a little! (And Davy Crockett is featured in the picture book mentioned previously, playing his fiddle to keep spririts high...) Julie

Most of you know about the Iditarod sled dog race, but do you know about the Iditaread? It is really fun. Even if your child doesn't end up participating in the reading, encourage her to look at the race updates. (They are told from the viewpoint of a sled dog....) http://www.idita-read.org/ Happy reading! Julie

Sheryl, On a different note (but not really), your daughter is just in time to sign up for and participate in the Iditaread! It is a reading activity in which she chooses an Iditarod musher and then she tries to read one page for every mile that "her" musher races. It is even more exciting if "her" musher ends up finishing well in the Iditarod! Here is the website: http://www.idita-read.org/ Julie

Ds 9 just finished "Tucket's Ride" by Gary Paulsen, and before that he read the Bartimeaus Trilogy. We are studying the 1830's - 1850's (straddling SOTW 3 and 4 right now). "Tucket's Ride" is set during the Mexican-American War, and ds really liked it. We also have "Josefina's World - 1824" (set in New Mexico when it was still part of Mexico), but he just reads that in short spurts. I guess I didn't realize that it's not a story-type book. It's more like a DK book. Fun thread! Julie

Unless your 6-yo is some kind of linguistics genius, this would bore her to tears (and frustrate her as well). Has Classical Academic Press come out with something for youngers? I don't know who publishes Song School Latin, but that would be good for your 6yo. Or simply wait until she is older and do LFC with just your older child. I recommend ordering the set directly from Classical Academic Press. That will ensure that you receive the latest version of everything (they have improved the DVD's since we started the program three years ago). Their customer service is amazing. Julie

I can't really say whether you should stop or not. It is not worth sacrificing the parent-child relationship. But one part of your post stood out to me: "She rarely practices." Forgive me, but in our house that is akin to saying, "She rarely completes her math lesson," or "she rarely picks up her grammar book." It's just not an option. It's on the schedule every day, just like Latin and Math. Would it help you to have a written schedule? We vary ours every day so his favorite things are first sometimes and sometimes they aren't. It doesn't sound like she has a Suzuki teacher. Suzuki emphasizes love of the violin, the fact that EVERYONE can learn to play (just like every child learns to speak his native language) and it also emphasizes the parent as a practice partner. It also emphasizes finding something positive in the child's playing during every single practice. (Now, I'm not saying I follow the Suzuki method very well -- it just sounds like she is practicing all on her own and that you don't attend her lessons, so it must not be that method.) Too much coffeeeeeeeeeee, sorry! Julie

Don't you hate it when people who have NO experience with your problem post in response to you? :tongue_smilie: Just two thoughts, having been a teenager myself once. One, I think the parent needs to detach a little bit at this point simply to preserve his/her sanity. But my parents did this a little too well when I reached my very horrible teenage years. So I guess it is a tightrope: let them make mistakes, let them see how their behavior adversely affects their friendships, but also somehow let them know you still love them completely. Instead of "I don't care what you do," "I care, but you still need to find your own way sometimes." And secondly, remembering your own teenage years might help you find a little more compassion and (consequently) tolerance? I'm saying all this in a very hopeful way, since I'll have a teen before I know it. Best wishes, Julie

If it is an "all-purpose" university, LOL, and not just a seminary, their children's section will be pretty thorough because of elementary education programs. At least that is why our university, small as it is, has an excellent selection of children's books. There is no "children's area" suited for little ones, but I often see teachers in there checking out books for their classrooms. (And of course a few of us "fake teachers" :)). Julie

I'm going to sound like a mom here, but please get enough sleep and don't try to do everything that you have to do. You know it will be impossible, right? It is really easy to strain muscles from packing boxes (especially while holding an infant -- ask my neighbor!!). And if you are out of commission completely, that won't do anybody any good. I so wish we could help. But we have a whole 'nother country between us. Is there a playground somewhere nearby the new house? Or a park of some kind? Julie

I joined Facebook quite a while ago to see someone's page. I really can't remember who or why, but I was probably just being nosy. So it was all fine and dandy because I just left it there for probably a year or so. No activity. So recently my high school graduating class representative decided to use Facebook to organize our 30th annual reunion. Aaaaagh, 30 years??! But I digress... So she somehow "found" me and has been inundating me with friend suggestions. I befriended about five classmates with whom I was close in high school, but stopped short of befriending the whole durn class. (To be fair, the whole durn class was fewer than 70 people). Oh, and before all this, one person "found" me and requested friendship, which I accepted. She and I used to be close about five years ago and lost touch because we live in separate towns. But I really, really dislike the whole format and how CONNECTED it is. How I can just link from one person to another and do they really know I can do this? Can I bow out? Should I tell my "friends" first and apologize? And to others who were wondering about FB, the main reason I want to bow out completely is that if I were to respond to every "calendar request" and look at everything my friends are asking me to look at, I would be even further behind in my own work than I already am. I prefer this board as my major time-waster.....don't need another one! Julie

I loved her pregnancy workout video. Wasn't her own child in it at the end? That was what inspired me....seeing how fit she was after childbirth. ETA: I just Googled it and she was actually pregnant in the video, but there was a "postnatal" section where you were introduced to her baby and she showed you what exercises to do after giving birth. That came out wrong....you know what I mean. I mean WAY after giving birth. So, to Jessica: think Kathie Lee Gifford. Yeah, really. But her workout tapes/DVDs are really effective, so I think I would put up with her for a while until I could mute her. (Sounds like something involving duct tape when I put it that way, huh?) Best wishes. By the way, I just started Jill Miller's DVD a few weeks ago (something about "Core"). Not for the faint of heart, but oh so effective. It is relatively new and by my friends Ian and Mark (Pranamaya -- they act like this big slick company but it is just Ian and Mark). If you ever get to the point where you want a really challenging yoga DVD, try Shiva Rea's "Yoga Shakti." It is like a mini-vacation, because she filmed it at some tropical beach location. I can't do half the stuff on it, but I still like it for what I can do. (ETA: there is nothing inconsistent with Christianity in the Yoga Shakti DVD. Can everyone hear Jessica rushing off to re-enroll in Netflix??) Julie

I thought that was the cutest thing. You see, that would only work in a town small enough that nobody locks their cars. It was a rainy place, so there was NEVER any leaving packages "on the doorstep." They would be completely ruined, or even float away..... Julie

My son had a palate expander at age 8 (I think he was newly 8) and he has sensory issues. Boy, does he have sensory issues. He can't wear socks with seams! Anyway, the palate expander was fine and successfully expanded his palate. I was skeptical because I also have a very small mouth and I had to have four teeth removed during my orthodonture. Now he is almost 10 and will have his braces removed before his 10th birthday. Everything looks good! Oh, I forgot to say that there was an issue with the expander, but it was not a sensory issue. There are holes in it and he couldn't properly make certain consonsant sounds. So it sounded like he had a speech impediment. I think it was "t's" that were the problem....maybe not. Can't remember. The ortho said he would learn to talk properly, but he never did until it was removed about six or eight months later. HTH a little. Julie

I have training in this field, but I am not working in it. Most programs take two years, and all would involve study of anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, and of course the coding classes. One frustration is that the United States has not gone to ICD-10 yet, which was finished in 1992 and adopted by most countries shortly thereafter. We're not quite there yet :tongue_smilie:, and are still using ICD-9-CM. So, guess what? You still have to study ICD-9-CM at school even though the rest of the world uses ICD-10. Perhaps more importantly, ICD-10 resolved a lot of the ambiguities and problems of ICD-9 and includes more up-to-date techniques and procedures. Also, you will need to learn ICD-10 as well since we might change to that any second now. (That's what they said five years ago when I started studying coding.) As far as whether you can code at home, it depends on your employer. I would suggest calling medical facilities in your area and asking them whether they have any coding staff working from home. Our hospital requires you to work there for the first year, and then if you are reliable and hardworking they will allow you to work from home. They hook you up to the computerized medical records system so you can "see" the medical records from home. Julie

Nope, don't believe in God. Like the Dalai Lama, I believe in loving kindness. One of my teachers is Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, who believes that until we have ONE religion, we will not be able to stop war or misunderstandings that lead to war. So in his books, he uses examples from all religions when he makes a point. (He actually does advocate praying, so I am not exactly the same kind of Buddhist that he is.) By practicing yoga and meditation for hours each day since he was very young, he has attained what I would call enlightenment. (He is a Shinto/Buddhist priest who heads a temple in Japan, but visits the U.S. from time to time.) Anyway, all of that introduction is to say that he can "see" all of your lives at once. He is very modest, and simply says that we will too if we practice seriously. I believe in reincarnation partly because I have such a strong connection to some people that seems to pre-date this life. Dr. Motoyama says that if one's relationship to one's spouse, or child, or father, is particulary strong or "unfinished," we will see them again. But your father from a previous life might be your female friend in this life. When my son was about 1-1/2, he turned to me and said, "A long time ago, I was your sister." I am not particularly close to my sister in this life, and so I don't feel like we are siblings for any particular reason. But I feel like my son "chose" to be born to me because of our past connection. I also wanted to say that Dr. Motoyama says that thousands of years ago, human lifetimes were farther apart. "Millions of years ago, a single person might be born only once in several thousand years. However, now some people are reincarnated almost immediately after death, and for most people the cycle between the other world and this one is about 200 years. Most of you have been born ten times in the last two thousand years, and 100 times in the last 20,000 years. That is a lot of rebirths! You have been a man in one life and a woman in another, very intelligent during one cycle, while in another lifetime you were not bright at all." I've always thought that was interesting. It is from his book "Awakening of the Chakras and Emancipation." His book "Karma and Reincarnation" and also "Theories of the Chakras" are more accessible than that one and should be read first. I mean, if you are interested in reading more.....:) Go Steelers! Just kidding. I will watch Bruce, though. Julie

Here is a post copied from the Right Start homeschool forum. It is dated May of 2008, and is by Carissa, a customer service representative who uses Right Start with her child/ren. You will see that Right Start recommends VideoText for algebra after all levels of Right Start. They also mention that you should play ALL the fraction games in the game book, not just the ones that have been "assigned" in the Right Start curriculum. OK, here's the post. By the way, we are also finishing Right Start E this spring/summer, so I'm making the same decisions. "After Level E you should do RightStart™ Mathematics: A Hands-On Geometric Approach (Geo App). It will take a longer than a school year to complete (at least a 1 ½ years). It is not Geometry, though it has many of its elements. It is using the child's math skills they have acquired in the previous levels and now are putting them into useful functions. For example, instead of doing worksheets to work on multiplying decimals, the child will find the area of a rectangle that is 5.2 by 3.2, and of course you have to multiply. This allows the child to gain experience and meaning for math all at the same time. Personally, I have been doing the Geo App exclusively with my oldest child and have found that he is utilizing every math skill from basic functions to critical thinking to algebraic operations. I had tried to add in another program and found it to disruptive for us, so we have stayed with the Geo App. The only thing I have felt that it lacks is long division (even though it is taught in Level E but not reviewed in Geo App) and that is a simple fix with giving my son two long division problems each week. We are about two months from being done and will start VideoText Module A in August. So, I hope to encourage you that the Geo App is not only geometry but is a useful way for your child to see that math is functional and useful. Please feel free to email or call 888-272-3291 if you have more questions. Thank you for giving your child a RightStart in Math! Carissa Customer Service Rep"

here's one: Sorry, I just couldn't resist. Julie

You transcribe it as, "I love Papa." :lol: That's what this argument is REALLY about, isn't it? And BTW, I also vote for "mama." As in the children's book, "Mama, do you love me?" Julie

I practice my tai chi, I sing with my local choirsters (two nights/week), I meditate, I practice yoga, and I read. But I never really feel like I have free time because I never do as much of those things as I would like. For example, today I practiced yoga and meditation but never got to my tai chi practice and I didn't read any of "War and Peace." Things I wish I would do: practice piano, learn knitting, practice guitar. Those things RARELY happen these days. What is this "free time" of which you speak? :glare: Julie

Things We Wish We'd Known: A Guide to Abundant-Life Homeschooling by Bill (?) and Diana Waring. They are just the editors; it is 50 veteran homeschoolers telling about their experiences. The homeschoolers are of all different types and are answering the question, "What is some advice that you wish YOU had received before homeschooling?" It stands out in my mind as being particularly helpful. Julie