We didn't do every single practice sentence. My kid catches on quick and it was overkill.

I know who you're talking about. ;) I am so sorry if my posting of my kids' scores added to any irritation or insecurity at all! I mostly posted them because 1) to help shut up some relatives that are anti-homeschooling and 2) because this year for the first time his scores *weren't* all over the map and I couldn't help myself. Standardized test scores go about as far as you can throw them iykwim, and you are a fabulous homeschool mom FP! I am frequently in awe of you. :)

I recommend The Rocks Don't Lie by David Montgomery as a primer on how geologists have come to conclude that the earth is billions of years old. I can't tell on my phone how old your soon is but it is pretty readable and an interested middle schooler could handle it.

Walker of Time by Helen Hughes Vick

nm

Very superior DH. I, however, am poor. Opposites attract? ;)

See if you can find a copy of "My Backyard History Book" by Weitzman. Pretty cheap used. It has some great ideas for studying local and family history.

DH makes breakfast for the two of us. <3 Then I make breakfast for the kids as he gets ready for work. I'm in a much better mood to deal with their idiosyncrasies by then. :D

Mine are not. They are also different metals and don't nest together very well, so I don't know if they even can be. I never looked into it. I sometimes just wear the plain wedding band and leave the engagement ring behind since it has a more delicate stone (it isn't a diamond). My mother's and sister's are soldered, though.

Yup. They freeze, too. Eta: if you can find a butcher that will give you those organs. In my area, apparently that's no longer done. I was able to get hearts and livers etc from the butcher, but not eyes or brains.

I'm weird. I do my big-picture planning (goals, topics to cover, spines) in a mind mapping program (my favorite is MindMeister). From there I just plan one week at a time, pulling out resources we need each Sunday and keeping track of each day's to-do list modified bullet journal style. Then every month or so I go back to the mind map, check things off and revise as needed. At the end of the year I export the mind map to word or excel and print it out and stick it in the file. This has been the only method that has worked for me long term.

If you like Connie Willis, also try Kage Baker. Two of my favorites.

My DD has had a similar path, but is a little farther along. She had many ear infections as a toddler and her adenoids out at around age 6. She still has trouble pronouncing 'r' and 'th' at 8.5. She can hear the sound correctly and there is definite progress, her SLP is pleased and optimistic, and she now reads very well, but she is still a terrible speller. It is coming along, we are using Apples and Pears spelling which is helping. It's just a slow process though I think.

I have never used one, but I've been one. When friends of my parents retired, they decided to take a months-long trip and leave their elderly dog (a setter, sweet old thing) at home. At the time, dh and I were a year or so married and just out of grad school, a very transitional time. The family asked around hoping to find people just like us to stay in their house and take care of the dog while they were away. We did and it was a wonderful arrangement for us, those few months were enough to let me find work and find an apartment in a new town, and they came back to a clean warm house and healthy dog. So, my advice would be to ask around, you might be surprised who you can find.

Start with your GP, and soon. Best thing I ever did.

Seconding this. Great book.

Taxidermy. Oy.

Great lists so far, many my DD loves. Phoebe and the Unicorn is another.

I combine them. :) BW is not something that can only be done just one way, and I modify "the Bravewriter lifestyle" to fit our needs. And for us, that includes MCT materials. Last year I fast tracked DS through portions of Island and he did all of Town, and he's using Voyage this year. I will admit that we don't use the writing portion of MCT exactly as written, I use it more as inspiration for types of writing to suggest DS tackle. It is working very well for him. DD is not as wordy as DS and will not take MCT at the same pace as DS, but she is doing well with selected Island level materials this year.

About 5. But I'm 4'11" in shoes. A little bit affects me a lot. I'm visibly thinner in the morning than I am late in the day thanks to meals and water retention. (Visible to me, anyway, not sure anyone else can tell. Except DH, but he knows better than to say. ;) )

SOTW was also a disaster here. I also often don't think I should admit that publicly, but you're not alone! I had to do our own thing for a couple years, using a history encyclopedia as a spine and picking a lot of books to go along. It worked well.

I just counted. 20 blank pages near the end. It's plenty for me. I do have a book list back there and a test page for ink/pens, but i do most of my listmaking on the daily pages and the "coming up" lined pages that begin each month (one per month).

Yes, there are some dot-grid blank note pages in the back. I'm such a fan. It is really well designed.

I have it! The Hobonichi is my boyfriend. I bought it from the Japanese company directly, elegantlion's link. For me worth every penny. I even bought it with the cover which keeps my matching fountain pen right there with it and the paper is so perfect and the cute cover has little ribbon bookmarks and pockets and it fits in my purse and somebody stop me because I can go on and on.

Turquoise and paprika, several sets each. Would love some more!