I second Skechers Gowalk. They are so light and soft that my whole family loves them.

Ds took US Politics and Government as a 9th grader last year. There was very little "teaching", and I would describe this class as a "teacher guided self study". I did like the online textbook used for the course, it's got a pretty balanced view instead of leaning right or left. From my memory, the course material consists of 1) reading the online textbook and take the chapter quizzes, 2)participating in the student forums, this includes both class related topics and current events, the majority of the students hold very conservative views, 3)FRQ grading exercises which later turn into FRQ writing exercises, 4)misc. class projects. As for the teacher, she did grade student's work very slowly at times because her husband was deployed that year and she had a very young baby at home. But I don't remember it being a huge problem. The course and the AP test was very easy for ds because he is very politically minded and he reads news and watches c-span for fun. But even if he weren't, I would imagine this course could still be easily self studied. All you need is a good structure: get a good textbook, plan out your weekly schedule, start prepping for test in either Feb or March using online resources including CB's printable past FRQs and do them once a week until May, and maybe get a good prep book for review.

AP US History with PA Homeshoolers by Susan Richman Blue Tent Honors English II (currently in Honors English I) AP Microeconomics by Gene Hayward (will register for this when it becomes available)

Do you have any idea yet which field in PT or OT you are interested in? In general OT work is much less strenuous than PT work, but there are fields in PT that are less strenuous. For example, it is more physically strenuous for a PT who works in the subacute wing of a nursing home than one that works at an outpatient clinic.

I voted for kitchen garbage can because it happened twice. I can't believe other people's kids do this too!!

There are many other GV features that I don't use but you can see here for all the features if you scroll to mid page. One thing I do find useful is the call-waiting signal to let you know another person is calling you while you are on the phone. In that situation, you can decide to pick up the call on the other line, or just let it be. Eventually the caller will be asked to leave a message (if you don't pick up) which you'll be able to listen to online later.

Can GV give you a new number? You can pick a number that's easier for you to remember from a huge list of numbers GV provides. So, I can link my cell number to google as well as my landline number and have it ring with Google? Yes, you can link them so when your home phone rings, all the linked cell numbers ring as well. In other words, if I call your home phone while you are not home, you won't miss my call because your cell phone rings too.

So, help me understand. 1. If I get an Obi Adapter, can I use it as my main line at home? Yes, that's what we did. 2. Are there yearly costs associated with the Obi or with Google voice? No, just the initial cost of Obi Adapter. 3. How do I "port" my number over to google voice? See here. It says you can port your mobile number, but my sister and bil successfully ported their original landline number. We didn't do that because my husband refused to pay $20 for it. :laugh: 4. Is there actual tech support? I can't find a number to call. Google voice has a "help page" if you call that "tech support".

I am a fan of maangchi.com as well. Try this easy noodle recipe: JapChae , you don't have to have beef in it if you want all veggie.

I keep very little of ds's school/art work. Every year I have him go through the box to see what he wants to keep and he throws away lots of stuff. He couldn't care less. My niece, on the other hand, keeps a box on her own, and shows me the content when I visit. She remembers everything, even stuff she made in preschool more than 10 years ago. So I guess it depends on the kids.

I feel your pain. We were getting on average 5 calls a day even though we were on the "Do Not Call" list. We finally ditched the landline and switched to Google voice. It's currently free if calling within US and to Canada, although you do need to purchase a box to link up to the computer and the conventional phone. We have not received any unwanted call ever since. Google voice has many many advantages (you'll see if you google it), but one thing you can't do is to use it to make emergency calls like 911. Look into it and see if it's something you want.

No graphing calculator is needed through algebra II, but after that, it will depend on the textbooks you use or teachers you have. AP Statistics from PA Homeschoolers requires a graphing calculator, Lial's pre-calculus also requires one.

I don't wear any sent on myself before I go out because people around me might not like what I like, so I use essential oil only at home. My favorites are Aura Cacia's Pillow Potion and Rose Absolute. Here are ways I use them: 1. I put a few drops on a cotton ball and put it on my night stand and the whole bedroom is soon filled with the aroma. 2. I put a few drops on a cotton ball and keep it in my linen closet and all my towels smell nice. 3. I put a few drops on a cotton ball and keep it in my closet and all my clothes smell nice. 4. I put a couple of drops in the shower stall before I take a shower, you can also put it in the bath water if you take a bath. edit to add: If your kitchen has some food smell, or if you just want to freshen up you living kitchen/family room, you can put a pot (with no lid on) of water and 2 teaspoons of dried thyme on the stove to boil for about 5-10 minutes, it will make the living area of your home smell heavenly.

Maybe we are strange people :laugh:, but both dh and I feel the mechanics is the hardest part in high school physics. Even though the mechanics part is easier to relate to in life, it can still be very abstract. For example, we can't see all forces at work. All we "see" is the effect of the net force. And so it could be pretty abstract when it comes to drawing and noting all the forces in a system. If one has a hard time doing that, then he can forget about solving any physics problem that requires it. As for biology, I think it is still a knowledge based science at least in high school level. Classification, evolution, ecology, human systems are all pretty concrete stuff. The only part that's more abstract and hard to "see" is the stuff happening at the cellular level. Even with topic like cellular respiration, you can know the "what" without knowing the "how". But one can't get away with that in physics.

I believe in the physics, chemistry, biology sequence for science. However, ds who finished algebra 2 before the end of 8th grade couldn't grasp the concept of the mechanics. I tried Hewitt's Conceptual Physics (it was an epic failure), and then Giancoli's textbook (a much better textbook for a math inclined student) with no luck. I am glad I took the last couple of months of his 8th grade year to try out physics before we settle for it for 9th grade. Needless to say we are doing biology for 9th grade. So I guess math is not the only reason. In our case, the ability to grasp concept in physics is the deterring factor.