She wrote two books https://www.goodreads.com/series/115052-the-women-of-the-real-downton-abbey. I just looked at my ratings and I see I loved the first but was pretty ambivalent about the second. Eta link should be https://www.goodreads.com/series/115052-the-women-of-the-real-downton-abbey

I also agree that Angela is supermom. So glad Abby is continuing to improve from her surgery. The breastmilk /baby food allergy connection is so frustrating since it can take 3 weeks to know if you got it right. :grouphug: Angel :grouphug: Glad to have you back with us! I loved the real Downton book(s)......there are two! Mom Ninja.....Lots of vacation rentals in Gatlinburg and Hilton Head. Glad your dh will be home soon. Amy, This won't surprise you since you now know Dh. Lots of conflict here over books depicting the unpleasant parts of history with my kids in the middle.

Robin, Happy Anniversary!!!!! Rose, I hope Shannon feels better before the trip home starts....

I just wanted to add that if you already had teaching plans/books for US History in the coming year I wouldn't necessarily switch everything just for the CLEP. I would buy the REA book and check off topics as covered and add in the missing bits (if they exist). We have done these exams many different ways. The only consistency really is REA and Free Clep Prep which we love. http://www.free-clep-prep.com

My dc's have done several CLEP exams successfully. They did Western Civ not US History so no textbook recommendations but we never ever use the current edition. We normally order a few textbooks that we can get inexpensively and pick from what arrives first......for instance the Out of Many textbook can be purchased for $7 used with amazon prime (totally random). It's the 2002 edition but should serve your purpose. The reality is between instacert and REA your student with a respectable basic knowledge is going to be able to get test ready reasonably quickly. If they aren't ready you will know from the instacert. Peterson's has helpful online exams also.

I am still listening to the first Master and Commander having passed the halfway point this afternoon. I am reading some cozy mysteries with Donna Andrews on the top of my pile because Dh was able to pick up a stack of them this week from a library that we have a card for but is over an hour away. I am also finishing To Darkness and to Death which is my next Rev. Clare Ferguson series book. A bit disappointed because I thought it would be the book the romantic element moved ahead. So I ended up reading the blurbs for each book on Goodreads to find out when something was going to happen and have now had way too many spoilers. Big mistake! I also checked out a color book that was on my wish list, Deborah Crombie's Leave the Grave Green. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211143.Leave_the_Grave_Green

Welcome!

I once tried to teach a leftie to crochet....blocked most of the experience from my brain for a reason. Youtube saved the day. ;) That being said I can follow most patterns but cannot knit well with double points. Socks look fun but remember the magic loop method exists for a reason. https://blog.tincanknits.com/2013/10/03/magic-loop/ I always knit on circulars and seem to have taught many of my friends to also. It's much more portable.

Jane and Jenn, You guys have me trying to decide what I want to do. Physical copy, maybe subscription, via BF who would enjoy it also is an option. If I download it will I be able to easily print out patterns? I haven't touched my knitting needles in months other than to move the "current" project out of my way. I have become pretty obsessed with quilting and have plans for 3 totally new quilts waiting to be started beyond what I am working on. I started listening to the first Master and Commander and can understand why Jenn loves them so much. I was shocked when looked at my screen at the start of the second chapter and discovered that I was already almost an hour in to the book. I also finished listening to my Rev. Clare Ferguson series book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24018004-out-of-the-deep-i-cry. All I can say is what a cliff hanger! I actually checked the next one out in book form to find out what happens next. :lol:

After seeing those amazing photos you definitely get my vote as the cool fun mom!

I agree, you could do it with just the teacher's manual. We did several levels.

When it comes time to actually prep for the exam I would have your student pick E or M and stick with it. There is a recent thread that I can't find where the student studied for one of the biology exams and changed on the day. The score wasn't what was expected , probably due to the last minute change. Anyway my kids have always gone in with a set plan regarding testing order etc. Seems to help confidence wise. Just want to add, they can change on exam day.....technically I think they can even change to completely different exams (not listening foreign language) within the booklet. I know they can take extra exams and pay later. Limit of three per test day.

Have you tried a Gap store? We have an outlet near us in England where I get some great deals and the clothing is cut to suit many body types. Skinny, curvy etc. Something for everyone. Dd has always done pretty well there....

When dd was that age we shopped the woman's sale racks for size 0. Not any particular brand, we tried on lots of clothes. Ironically my tall 10 yr old never grew much taller. She can still fit in petite sizes!

:grouphug: I can only imagine how stressed you must be. Since the move is more than a year away I would probably try to accelerate slightly to put you more in line with where you might be moving. Not hugely, not skipping things that you have been looking forward to. I would move onto the new year's subjects as soon as you finish up one if the books have arrived. Maybe do a bit of math over the break keep it fresh for an easier start.

We haven't talked about the new format. Insert a blushing me. I thought I had done something accidentally and was considering asking you all how to fix it. I don't like it at all..... Your Miss Buncle's book is an odd coincidence. I haven't been getting much reading done today but I have browsed my online libraries extensively. ;) I was looking at what was recommended off the Miss Julia series (which you can consider required reading, Ethyl recommended it and I love it) and this https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1404710.Mrs_Tim_Christie book came up with the title being Mrs. Tim and the Regiment. It sounds delightful and is on the list! I am so happy to hear that Abby is keeping you really busy in such a great way! I did keep my library's copy of Don Camillo during yesterday's purge. It is so ancient I am afraid to read it. I need to sit down carefully at a desk or table and start reading. I can't quite believe they loaned it to me. Glad to hear you really enjoyed it!

I have the Master and Commander audiobook constantly in my holds. I do plan to listen to it (them actually :lol: ) eventually. The timing has been off so far and I end up returning it because I know I won't be able to finish it before it is due. I listen in overdrive read. I currently am listening to the third Julia Spencer Fleming https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24018004-out-of-the-deep-i-cry. I think you would like these. Not sure about the narrator, bad southern accent. Once again I am used to it! Lol

I am going to chime in simply because we used Abeka. We actually used both Abeka and Singapore with CWP in the early years. I feel pretty stongly that the combination of a good spiral curriculum combined with Singapore led to my dc's success in math. I only looked at CLP once long ago because it wasn't an easily accessible choice for me 12 years ago in terms of actually buying it. I don't remember it in the RR catalogue and the Abeka man had a curriculum meeting near my house, so Abeka was our choice. My kids did prefer Abeka over Saxon because it was in colour. That was particularly important to dd. The story problems are great. Maybe five story problems per lesson with the lesson's concepts fully applied in story problem form. I did think they were better than the other curriculums that I was able to compare with. I would make sure CLE offers the same number and depth with each lesson. One thing about the CWP that we used (I think there are multiple updates now) is the problems were hard and could be very frustrating if the child wasn't really comfortable with the concepts. There were a few every year that left us pondering how to solve it without using more advanced techniques than an elementary student would have, no teacher's edition just answers. :lol: We always did CWP one year behind where we were in the Singapore progression. I was looking for positive reinforcement and gaps in knowledge with CWP. I hope this helps!

The voice of Ramses cracks me up! A most unchildlike child. So bad it's sort of entertaining. ;) I haven't decided if the voice is so weird because it suits his character or if she is doing it on purpose. I will admit the only reason I like these audiobooks is I have never been able to read beyond the first couple of pages in the actual books. The books bored me hugely so this narrator is all I know. I am finally done with the quilt, just need to label the back. I don't think I will be giving up audiobooks because I have found many other stitching projects!

Angel :grouphug:, I hope your fil is feeling much better very soon! We have missed you! Jenn and any other Tony Hillerman fans.... I used to read the series pretty faithfully but probably haven't read one in 10 years. I just put the first one that his daughter wrote (Spider Woman's Daughter https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17349269-spider-woman-s-daughter ) on hold. Do you think I will enjoy it without reading/rereading more series history?

I have been busy making return piles for my libraries today. Only one book has stuck so far a British Cozy by LC Tyler titled Herring in the Library. My overdrive accounts were a bit empty because I am next in line for several books. I gave in and had a fun time checking out the next book in some favourite series. I was just about to get the next Miss Julia when Stiletto popped into my account. I have been looking forward to this book since last fall! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25695756-stiletto I think I had better continue leaving a space or two empty! I will probably start something fluffy tonight and work on Stiletto in the morning! I just wish I had started with Miss Julia..... I did finish my birth year Agatha Christie. The Clocks is one of the last Poirot books and he is not my favourite Christie character so this is definitely a book I had skipped for a reason. ;) That being said I liked much of the book leading up to solving the crime. I kept thinking that it was pretty good and that if it wasn't Christie I might really like it.... I think knowing Christie is the author changes expectations hugely. Well the conclusion was sloppy. It was one of those where every point of speculation I had came true in maybe five pages. It was too much too quick. Not a bit satisfying.

:grouphug: I'm so sorry.

Jane, Congratulations on 52! Staci, I will play the favourite 5. I really haven't read any stand out single novels this year. Partly because it's been a stressful year and then there was my British Cozy obsession. When I look back over my list there were many enjoyable books but these stand out as good fluff! I am anxiously awaiting the next in Anna Lee Huber's series and the last instalment in the series was great! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398824-a-study-in-death Because I love C.S. Harris and St. Cyr is perhaps my favourite leading man in books......great series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25258226-when-falcons-fall Anne Bishop's The Others series is always great. I shouldn't like these but I love them! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22062202-marked-in-flesh This series was just so sweet and fun! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248889.A_Rather_Lovely_Inheritance My audiobook obsession. I don't like these in book form but love Amelia Peabody when someone reads the books to me! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9811296-crocodile-on-the-sandbank Not the mostst intellectual list but they are good series. I recommend reading these series in order.

Yum, Pimm's. What a great idea Jane! Now for books, I finished a rather fluffy historical romance within hours of overdrive delivering it to my Kindle. The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath was an interesting read, slightly different if you read a lot of historical romances. I have been waiting for this book ever since I read the first in the series and wasn't disappointed. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26029545-the-earl-takes-all?ac=1&from_search=true

CollegeBoard website distribution of topics is here https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat-subject-tests/subjects/science/biology-em