Yes, it is definitely possible. My sons do it all the time. They link their ds' and only one of them has to have the game to play. I have no idea how you know which games are like that and which aren't. My oldest son figured it out and just started trying out all of the games. LOL Out of 10 or so games, I think 3-4 of them do this.

Yes, you absolutely can tell her no. No matter what her expertise, you know your body better than anyone else and you definitely know when it needs a rest. I would tell her that finances are bad right now and that you are just going to take some time and see how things go. Promise her that if you get bad, you will not hesitate to come right back, but you need to do this for you. If she gives you lip about it, then she may not be the doctor for you. I think the dr has to respect the patient just as much as the patient needs to respect the doc. Best of luck to you!

I would do the ETC books, but you may want to start higher than book 1 if she is reading well and spelling well. I am not sure about FLL. For handwriting, we are using pentime and LOVE it. It is really working for both of my kids and it is simple, clear, and not a lot of stuff on one page. My 5 year old breezes through it, colors the pictures on the page, and is always done in 10 minutes or less. It has been great for us!

Post nasal drip, or maybe even irritation from Choir practices. Have you been practicing more lately than you are used to? If so, it could be strain on your vocal cords. Try eating some hot things - soup, broth and drinking hot cocoa or coffee. Lemon juice is also supposed to be good, but I have no idea how you would even go about that one. LOL I never was brave enough to attempt it.

I never have issues from actual Amazon...but have had from external sites. This year, so far, has been pretty smooth *other than a person on vegsource who took my $$$ and never shipped my product and won't e-mail me back!...yes, paypal claim has been filed!* But last year, I ordered from Bath and Body Works online and it took almost a MONTH to get my order. Never again will I order from them at Christmas time!

I have all I need. Dh and I are not buying for each other. We have gotten to where, when we want something, we buy it. And, if we don't buy it, it is because we couldn't afford it or didn't need it anyway. I did, however, ask the in-laws for a globe for the school room. :)

This is my plan after we finish WT II - we shall see. I would love to hear feedback too from those wo have BTDT. Anyone??

How old is your dh? My husband, who is almost 40, has now found this weird fascination with Ernest P. Warrell movies (Jim Varney). As much as I hate to even think of "Ernest Goes to Camp," it made my husband as happy as a school boy. Any movies that your dh loves or talks about having watched as a young person that he may not be able to own on DVD?

I use GWG loosely - about 3 times a week, one whole page each time. We love it!

My son has ADHD, but not the aspergers to go with it. I am sorry you had to hear those words today, but am so glad you now know which road to travel, so to speak. Best of luck to you and your son. ANd praise God for homeschooling!!

I would let her read to her level, but make sure the subjects are comprehensible for a 5 year old (and appropriate). Just because my 9 year old could read Harry Potter book 6 doesn't mean he gets to do so just yet...KWIM?

AAS....The slow pace...the teaching intensive method.

I placed an order late last week and got it today.

Wow. Just...wow! :(

We did AAS 1 with my 4th grade struggling speller and found it to be absolutely too elementary. My 4th grader was honestly horrified when the book would come out. We dropped it after a couple of weeks of trying. I suppose I should have placed him higher, but the issue is that if you do not learn "their way," then the later books seem to make no sense. :(

We tried AAS and absolutely hated it! We are making progress with the method we are using now - Spelling Power starting at Level A and the Calvert Mastery Series CD for his grade level. His issue is that he has an almost photographic short term memory and could regurgitate words on a spelling test...but then promptly forget them. He missed learning a lot of little words and basics that we are now picking up by reading a lot more and doing the early levels of Spelling Power. I appreciate the tip though that this is for a natural speller. My younger is a natural speller...so this is something I will consider for him when the time comes. Thank you!

Does anyone know where I can get a peak inside the 2000 series of books? I can't seem to find them anywhere that lets me preview the book. Those of you that use Spelling Workout...what level would you recommend starting a 4th grade struggling speller who is already using (and missing a few words) in Spelling Power level A and Calvert Spelling CD?

Well, my kids are 4 years and 2 months apart in age and I can't say they "get along" LOL but I can't say that kids who are closer in age get along any better. There are challenges to both. If I had my choice, I would have had my kids 2 years apart instead of 4...but I would not have had them back to back within month of giving birth to one. However, I was divorced and then remarried, so I didn't really have the luxury to make that decision within MY time frame... ETA: I also think that homeschooling changes things a bit. If my kids were in ps, they would be in different classes with different friends where it would be "uncool" for my older to hang out with my younger. However, being at home together and in the same "classroom" here all day, they have a bond that is much tighter than what my sister and I had growing up. I am 3 years older than her and we were always fighting. She would bring her friends home to play and they would follow me like lost puppies. She got mad at me for it and I got mad at her for it (I didn't want to hang out or be seen with those little kids! LOL). Homeschooled kids are just...different. It is not all about age...not in our little world anyway. It may also help that my dh is 10 years older than me - the kids see that age is just a number and it does not limit people in their interactions. :)

We absolutely do! We use all of the extras including IP, CWP, EP, and even Miquon workbooks up to a certain point. I schedule them based on what I think he needs to work on. For instance, sometimes we are doing addition practice in EP while learning division in the regular book and doing word problems or graphs in CWP. This morning, for instance, he is doing two graphs in CWP, Mental Math (3 and 4), and his workbook/textbook exercises. He is in Singapore 3B. IP covers more of the same...but it ups the difficulty by a bit. My son is a good math student (though is only in 3B thanks to what he did NOT learn in ps) and IP is a challenge for him at times. Miquon can REALLY be a challenge depending on what you run upon. I would check out Miquon to use with her. They are really "think outside the box" type worksheets and they really go well with Singapore.

I don't follow TWTM by the book...but I also don't use a boxed curriculum. I do my own thing and it really works for us. The way I know if I am "doing enough" - if my son seems challenged, but not overwhelmed and if our schooling takes the 3-4 hours it is meant to take and not 10 hours due solely to work load. ;) That said, I do use some of TWTM suggestions and have enjoyed many of them...while absolutely hating others.

Awww, love her heart. I am sorry for your loss. She sounded like a wonderful horse!

Your kids are great ages to introduce a new puppy to the mix. :) My kids are 5 and 9 and Rosco is 3, so they were 2 and 6 when we got him. It worked out well, but I won't say it was easy potty training a 2 year old kid AND a puppy at the same time. LOL I think if you have your heat set on the pug, contact breeders and decide the one you want to go with. Get on her waiting list, fill out her application, and e-mail often about her litters. My breeder became a good friend during the buying process and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. I still look at her website often and oooh and aaaahhh over her litters. I can never have another cocker spaniel...not after my Rosco because he is just the best dog EVER...but I do enjoy looking. Good luck!

Business Casual...I think a nice sweater and slacks with flats. I wouldn't even think "dresses" as I never, okay, hardly ever, wore those to work. If you do go with dresses, just something they would wear to a dinner - a skirt and sweater or a black dress with a button down front and maybe a sweater over it...nothing "fancy." For your son, a Polo style shirt (long or short sleeved) and khaki. Sorry if they are "dorky," but jeans are definitely NOT business casual.

Well, a fellow homeschool momma and I (along with the kids, but who counts them? LOL) enjoyed several rounds of UNO recently. I had forgotten how much fun that game can be. :)

And the moral of this story is...buy the hazelnuts already shelled (LOL) and skinned. ;)