I had a really hard time letting dd go with the sewing machine and quilting equipment--rotory cutters are dangerous! I finally came to the realization that my hovering was probably more dangerous. I belong to a quilting club that gets together frequently so I left her at a workshop with two good friends of mine, who could stand to watch her, in charge. She is a pro now. I also took her to a seminar where she learned how to fix her own machine.

Do you have the companion cd rom? They explain the examples in more detail there I think. We use the cd rom that is all combined and usually just play the problem being worked rather then go through the written explanation. We have found it quite helpful but are not up to acids and bases yet. I have no idea what is in the extras--I think they are experiment related but don't really know. We haven't used the khan academy for chemistry but we have found it helpful with other subjects. I would try it. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

:iagree: I have not looked in a couple of years but there were some really nice collections on ebay. IMO you need a few if they want to play with the horses. I used mine like Barbies and so did my kids. They started with mine and have built their own collections. Dh and I found several going cheap at a store closing several years ago and used them for xmas and bdays for that year. We have added several since via ebay. My kids used a large green towel as the pasture and a stable from another brand.

I would give him another chance either by making a new test or have him correct the first test until it is absolutely perfect (in showing work etc) and move on. Count all future tests. Especially if it was the first test in a new course. We recently had to do this with DS for a NEM2 exam. He breezed through exam 1 in under a half hour, showed no work, and did not bother to answer things in the right format--fractions instead of decimals etc. He was close on some but graded properly around 60%. He spent a couple hours correcting it until it was perfect--I made him fix each one until it was right without my telling him what was wrong. In all honesty it was an awful session but it paid off. We just did the second exam, after about an 1 1/2 hours he gave me a perfect test paper -- well 1 format issue but because work was shown, it made sense, and I gave credit. He deseved it because showing work is a huge issue with him.

I think for us it has been a combination of the knowledge that Dh and I will take them home if they misbehave. We have never needed to but we would. We have always discussed proper behavior in the car on the way to whatever activity, especially if it is new to them. What will it look like, questions they might be asked etc. What to do if....... They go in well prepared. We took them to a very formal wedding when they were 6 and 8. They were the only children at a really posh affair. They were kissed and hugged constantly by lots of really old people that they did not remember but were really dear to dh and I. We were in the process of leaving the US so people wanted to see them. They smiled, hugged, and chatted. We were so proud of them. The whole affair was completely out of their comfort zone.

Wonderful news! :grouphug:

Cross stitch is good too. I made birth announcement wall hangings while on bed rest. I also knitted up a storm but I already knew how. Crochet is definately easier.

Dd14 has watched Rear Window, Jamaica Inn, Notorious, and North by Northwest. She has enjoyed all of them. I recently saw the last half hour or so of The Birds. It was not as frightening as I remembered from my perspective of mom to a 12 and 14 year old. We will watch it soon. Just need the time.;)

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Praying for answers.

Bump!!!! I made them as a child. I don't think they dried all the way and I kept mine a while. I think we did something with lemon juice...... anyway bump! Someone must know.

Praying :grouphug:

My mom does this but I like it. She only does it if I am involved. So and so died, should I include you on card. I haven't lived in my home town in years and now live in the UK. It is nice not to have to do it myself. It probably normally would not happen because I am not a good card person. My husband takes care of it for me too.:lol: I left a box of baby gifts at her house. I quilt and knit so when she needs a gift she assembles something and includes both of our names. Always checks with me on if I approve. I add a few things to the box each year.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Not sure what I would do. Maybe if the opportunity comes up with the mother I would explain that dd is very concerned about good food hygiene and that she may say something to the other dd so to be prepared for questions. I would add that we prepare food for our church often and that dd has been taught about hygiene because of this. I know exactly how you feel. :grouphug:

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I am so glad to hear your wonderful news! His recovery is amazing. My mil was like your mom. Just keep moving forward around her -- it's great your dad can make his own decisions now! :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

We all sleep in things we can actually wear in public like leggings, sweats, exercise shorts, with soft t shirts. We almost always travel home in our "PJ's". This gives us the extra outfit. We also take as many unisex items as possible. Dd and I can wear mens/ boy socks with jeans--they really cannot do pink. I do take one pair of fresh socks for each day for us just the extras are mens. Extra tops are always character or gap t shirts that anyone could wear.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I have found lighter loads and a switch to name brand non-bio tabs (perisil) with fabric softener every load have made things much better. In the US I used vinegar and baking soda with our stinky dog stuff. Beware of "washing soda" here -- it is apparently much different. We used it for a craft project in a group and I asked about laundry uses. I guess it is not a good idea but unsure why.

I have the World Geography one and like it. What great finds!

Just wanted to say thank you for this link. Dd14 played it for an hour or so tonight and has Europe with capital cities pretty much mastered--admittedly it should be the easiest since we live there. She likes it! DS12 is a hard sell but did play longer then anticipated. Aime--thank you so much for looking at the Ultimate trail guide for me. I had started convincing myself we needed it. It probably is not the best choice for us. So you saved me money!:001_smile: I did look at Oak Meadow. It looks interesting but the World Mythology tie in was the best part and you are the one who added that! I have time so .......we'll see how the game works.

Don't worry about it--I just could not figure out what I was missing on that website. We like MODG for latin too, so it sounded great for geography. I will take a look at the Oak Meadow one later. Your description of it sounded like something dd14 would enjoy. If you do look at the Ultimate trail guide please let me know what you think of the high school portion. I did think it was the other trail guide book which I had a long time ago and never used. We did love the Galloping the Globe by the same company just never did the second one. I just discovered that the worksheet book that I have now is by Teacher Created Materials and is called Challenging World Geography. I have used EvanMoor in the past. Sorry.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Praying for you.

I hate to ask this but I can't find an MODG Syllabus that uses Glencoe. All I can find is one using the Ultimate trailguide to World Geography which sounds too young for my 12 and 14 year old. If I am wrong about the too young part please correct me. I really need to find a good geography course. The Glencoe plus other books sounds perfect. Not sure if this is helpful but Evans Moor makes some good geography worksheet books. I have a rather old one given to me by a friend that I like. Maybe something suitable can be found there.

I am not saying this to be difficult at all. I know you do not want to return to to work-- I don't either. But like others have pointed out extra money is always good. Would it be possible to become the department head working one day a week-- trouble shooting from home no more then one hour a day? Your payroll situation requires an accounting clerk imo, not a human resources person necessarily. If they hired an assistant for you would it work with your life? My best home ed friend does something very similar to this. She is home eding 4 with abroad age range. Her dh works from home on her office day--since you both work in the same place.......it is a real winner for everyone there. Her employer has someone with almost 30 years of knowledge coordinating a rather difficult area. She loves Mondays, fun and different. Not mommy that day but her old self. As you can tell I am a bit envious at times.