I will be praying for you. I do understand the situation you are in. :grouphug:

Pride and Prejudice for the classic. The Raven for poetry. Dd is a bit older but just read it and loved it.

I would use something else for LA. We generally enjoy the read alouds the most. We did not do G -- we did get several of the books from the library.

Last summer my best friend -- mother of one daughter-- annouced she finally understood what my life was like. After watching him run zig zag through ditches filled with nettles in shorts-- he was bored--then uncomfortable but aware of what he was doing to himself. Fun??? Spontaneously trip over his own feet and fall on his face--3 inches in a couple of months makes a boy very uncoordinated. Sleep there and back. He sleeps on her dds shoulder which is quite funny since they argue most of the time when he is awake. I can't wait for 14--will he lose what little comman sense he still has???

When we were landlords we never inspected unless asked to repair something. We now rent. Our landlord watches the house while we are in the states for us. Huge help. He trys to do repairs while we are away. While we are here we rarely see him unless socially.

I just mentioned to Dh that the underground doesn't operate on xmas day. We started talking about your situation. One more idea would be a hotel near the airport with a shuttle service. Then move in to central london the next day. Obviously this depends on your flexibility reservation wise and how long you are here for. BBC is going to be good that day and you will be tired.

I just wanted to say I am sorry. I read your op a while ago And decided to think about it before responding. I just came back to tell you to leave if uncomfortable with the situation. There are many great churches out there-- I have recently discovered. Also elder/deacon leadership does not prevent these problems--with a dominant personality you just end up with several"rubber stamps." If there is a book of order or church constitution you should consult it and see what it says. You have a much bigger problem if the book of order/constitution is not being followed. :grouphug:

Congratulations!

:grouphug: I gave up on more children several years ago and I still feel very emotional about other people having babies. I feel your pain.

:grouphug:

I would look at the skeins with the paper and find out what kind you have. Main kinds are baby or 4 ply, dk or sports weight, aran or worsted weight, chunky. That will help with what size needles are best. Basically baby is a 3, dk a 5, aran a 7, and chunky 9. That is super basic but maybe helpful. Other sizes depend on what you are doing and how you knit. Straight needles are easiest and the end should say. If it has an mm after number it is the european sizing and different. Should be able to convert online. The basic rule is the thicker the yarn the thicker the needles. Have fun. I love free yarn.

:grouphug:

I have never done the American history core as written--we moved to the UK at that time and it seemed a bit silly. More important to study what we were looking at. We have read many of the books and enjoyed them. We loved Cores B and C. Absolutely loved them. I would not miss them. You can always suppliment the older. Or adjust for the younger. Whichever seems easier to you after you see what you have ordered. For me SL is totally about being together and enjoying the great books. I will admit that I have never resisted tweaking a bit.

I didn't vote but I couldn't resist adding this. I don't think white chicken eggs can be purchased easily in the UK. I have never seen one in five years. I used to buy brown eggs from whole foods--dd didn't like white??? Now the choice is free range or caged! I can get duck and goose eggs easily. Other like pheasant with a bit of effort.

Please have him contact a Military Chaplin. Dh says they may refer him from there but to start with the Chaplin. :grouphug:

I have the other half--I guess Core H. It goes in book order but in matching up with George Washington's World etc you do end up out of chapter sequence quite often.

:grouphug: I pray you reach your sister first. It is hard to be there for every one. Just do your best. Support DH and hopefully your sister can be there for your friend. Does she live closer then you? Dh's older brother died from a heart attack a few years ago. It really changed how he saw many things after the initial panic.

Now that I know a bit more about your family (your oldest dd sounds a bit like mine) I want to add a new idea for next year. We loved SL middle ages. Possibly our favorite year ever. Since your youngest has been able to sit for some higher level books in the past I would consider trying. With math and language arts on their level it could work. For the oldest dd have you considered VP's Middle ages? This was how I supplemented dd. You don't have to have everything. The SL material will cover many of the basics. The student guide and cards are essential. Most of the questions can be answered off the cards as I remember. You could suppliment with harder readers from their list. This would be another way to keep everyone together.

We bought really nice sets at COSTCO for each child several years ago. The sets are now at grandmas in the US and they both receive pretty constant use while we are there. Dd builds to the manual and has made very detailed helicopters etc. Ds is creative .... it is fun to see what he comes up with. They have certainly been used. The deal at COSTCO was great I would check there first.

:grouphug:

When we first started SL I ordered K for my 5 year old son. I wanted him to have something to do -- he hated writing/coloring and refused to learn to read. But liked to be read to. At that point dd was 7. She had a long list of academic accomplishment and was working a couple years ahead in most things. When the SL arrived it was pretty amazing because dd thrived with it too. It was not meant for her but she loved it. My son learned what he was supposed to I think. A broad scope of info with some details fixed in his mind. Dd took the info a learned it all sometimes expanding on it. The great thing was our family was excited about the same exact things. Ds was far more interested because dd loved it too. We have carried on with SL or that style throughout the years. Matched more to ds level then dd. She still joins us and does her own thing on the side if needed. She simply requires more -- disiplined and academic to an extreme. I think what you are planning sounds good. Two cores is possible. Dd has her own now too. I can't imagine doing three. A close friend tried and burned out. Two of her kids could have been combined and had been previously.

I never expected to do anything but lurk when I signed up for this board. The other name was easy for me to remember but not private. I have a number of friends who I suspect might lurk here probably thanks to me recommending the WTM to them! I just didn't want to be identified at a glance. I didn't want to bother the moderator's so I kept what I had. I wish I had put more thought into it this time--there are many great names I have thought of since! But no plans to switch again, I plan to live with my lack of creativity. I am honestly still a bit shocked that it worked. I added an avitar etc the same day because dh was willing to help me figure out how. I was so happy to get rid of my old name he wanted to enhance my experience I think.

Praying for both of you too! :grouphug:

Really lovely post. Thank you for sharing. I have way too many friends with cancer right now. It was inspiring.

We took the process quite gradually starting with hand sewing. Since you are not familiar yourself with a sewing machine you need to find someone to help with that part. Either a class or an elderly friend would be perfect. We started with baby blankets for a gift (two pieces of fabric wrong sides together, quarter inch seam around outside edge leaving four inches, turn right side out, quarter inch stiching around outside edge). Both dcs have made these several times but I am comfortable with the machine myself. Whenever ds sews we always have to adjust tension etc.