I just bought Physics 2 for my 4th grader from NOEO and finished going through it mapping it out. I really like the looks of it, and the experiment kits, etc. There are tons of fun things to build from the Gizmo and Gadgets book they use. Don't know for sure how it'll go with my ds, but I'm really liking what I've seen so far.

I much prefer just getting my burger lettuce wrapped there. Plus it's healthier. The buns are usually good, but if they are old or left out in the open air they dry out easily. If you live in southern Washington or northern Oregon, Burgerville is pretty good about gf. They will cook your burger separately and give it to you with the bun in a sealed plastic baggie. They will not toast the bun because of the risk of cross contamination in the toaster. They do not do a dedicated fryer for fries, however.

The PAL link to AAS is "continue working on AAS lessons" essentially. It is not closely linked it. Really, it's more of their "suggestion" on what spelling to do. All kids will master spelling at their own pace. FWIW, I'm really loving PAL for my younger ds. Older ds just finished IEW SWI-A

Filling out job application forms, financial aid forms, etc would be a much more beneficial and appropriate life skill.

I have these: http://www.basetenblocks.com/ Nothing fancy, but they work well.

You could combine dictation of your choice with just about any writing program you like that teaches kids how to write on their own. I personally love IEW, but there are a lot of programs out there.

Our state requires a test or assessment with a certified teacher (cannot be the parent), though we don't have to turn the results in to anyone. I did the assessment last year. It was really helpful to have the teacher work 1:1 with my son and then give me very specific feedback as to where he was at.

In your case I'd use SOTW. I'd buy the book and the audio book on cd (or download the MP3s). Have you kids "read along" in the book while listening to the audiobook. Then find extra books on that time period at their reading levels so they can read on their own or slightly more difficult books you can read aloud to them that complement. I used biblioplan for half of this year, I did not like it. I liked how they had books scheduled in, but it wasn't broken down into how much to read per week, etc, and a lot of them were from smaller Christian publishers that were hard to find at the library - and many were by the same author or same publishers series - so not that much variety. I ended up getting a free unit of TOG and LOVED it. It was all I had hoped Biblioplan would be. So I switched. It outlines the reading a whole lot better and has a better variety in literature. Just throwing that out there because biblioplan was mentioned in this thread (in case you were looking into it).

One thing I love about IEW is that they have checklists for what is expected. You don't have to switch to the program, but you may want to develop your own checklists for what is expected in each writing he does from WWE (depending on level, it can be as simple as first letter in sentence is capitalized, proper nouns are capitalized, punctuation mark at the end of sentence, etc.) He can evaluate his own work via the checklist before giving it to you. Then you can double check. If he missed something it's really easy to pinpoint and fix.

The HIG tells you exactly how to teach each section, using manipulatives when needed. You definitely need some sort of base 10 block system. At some point you'll need a simple balance scale, a clock, and money (you can buy fake or just use real money). I personally LOVE CWP for supplementing. I don't use the others. I schedule a bit different than the HIG, leaving one day every other week or so to do a section from CWPs. My 6yo likes those days best. I do it at the same level, for the most part.

Since you don't feel well versed in history, I'd suggest you listen to some history audiobooks as you can. It's an easy way to build your knowledge base so you feel less "lost". The SOTW audiobooks are fantastic (I could listen to Jim Weiss all day long). I also like the History of US series and you can get that on audiobook too to get a good background of US History. I didn't really like how history was taught in school at all as a child. I loved reading books about times in history that I was interested in, mostly historical fiction. When I got to college and took my first history course I found that I LOVED it. What was the difference? In college we didn't just read a textbook and regurgitate like in elementary/jr. high/high school. We read different sources, we analyzed. We learned that history is not absolute, and that one has to evaluate sources to try to figure out what actually happened. It's kind of like being a detective. I don't know if there is an approach like that for jr. high/high school, but that might be a lot more fun than simply reading and outlining. (I ended up majoring in social history, btw).

A while back I emailed AAS and asked them about an app. They said they were working on one of their own. So maybe in the future...

I wonder if this has something to do with personality too. My 9yo is a total extrovert, to the extreme, and he needs those outside interaction times. My younger son is only 6 1/2, but he's an introvert and happy staying home - I have to drag him to outside activities and he has fun once he's there and warmed up, but it's a struggle. As far as exercise, he's perfectly happy running around the cul-de-sac, pitching to himeself practicing baseball, etc, all on his own. I'm not sure that'll change as he gets older. Dd is 4 is my extreme introvert and she goes to a preschool AND she needs more outside the house time on top of that than my 9yo does. Gymnastics is a great outlet for her right now, she is in the gym 2x/week!

I'm more concerned about our two kinects connected to our xboxes sitting there in our family room, 24 hours a day, then I am about my laptop camera.

Last year my middle child kept singing "deck the halls with Buddy Holly". This year it has evolved to "deck the halls with holly jolly".

Our AAA office does photos. Never had an issue with any of them being rejected, they are very careful there and with the kids have done multiple photos to make sure they had one that was "right".

Harem style pants were quite popular in Europe (and parts of the US) in the 1910s. So it would not surprise me if some forms of pants were acceptable by 1938 in Austria. But most likely not the norm.

Unfortunately I can't find it in our PBS listings. :(

With cornbread, most has flour in it. You can either make your own subbing in a gf flour blend, or buy a gf mix (I really like Bob's Red Mill - I bake it in a 9x13 pan, despite the recipe saying 8x8).

He graduated high school in 2008. So he is probably 23ish. http://www.centralcatholichs.com/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=15

That's my alma matter! I don't remember any older students in the drama department when I went - they were all the regular college age (of course I wasn't in the drama department, so I could be wrong, but I did have friends there). Maybe he's just exceptionally hairy? I didn't realize that Max was played by a CMU alumni too! Neat!

I agree on a chicken. Chop up some sweet poatoes, carrots, and onions and put in the bottom of your roasting pan. Stick the chicken on top and roast. The veggies will be coated in the chicken juices and super yummy. And it's all in one pan. To serve, remove and chop up the chicken and put the veggies in a big serving bowl. A salad on the side is perfect. For dessert, how about a flourless chocolate cake? They're pretty easy, and you can top with whipped cream. If you want to do a casserole, there are lots of rice/chicken/broccoli type casseroles that you could make. Just read the labels on the broth you pick (costco organic chicken stock I think would be fine).

I don't use a cover when reading. I have a pouch that I bought on amazon that I keep it in when not reading. I had a cover with my older kindle, but it made it bulkier and heavier. I prefer the lightweight pouch.

Lots of soups and chili are very easily made gf/df.

You can have things ready in the fridge/freezer that all you have to do is reheat quickly in the morning, or throw together. It takes a bit more prep the day (or days) before, but then it makes the mornings almost milk and cereal easy.