We found this last year when ds was in 5th grade. Eragon had the same reading level as the "How to Train Your Dragon" series. The middle school librarian said the way they calculate the level for each book was by the number of spaces between words, so poetry books have higher AR levels than chapter books. I don't know if that's true, but ds and I noticed some discrepencies between the levels.

My dd developed a ganglion cyst when she was playing piano competitively. The cyst, combined with moving, caused her to stop playing the piano. The dr. said she could have it removed or aspirated, but due to the location deep in her wrist, it could be a tricky surgery and would likely come back. She opted not to do anything and has found that it comes and goes. It seems to bother her when she's stressed, but otherwise, it doesn't seem to be a big deal. An aunt has had her ganglion cyst removed from her foot twice now and is expecting it to return.

My son is currently reading The Paladin Prophecy. He's really enjoyed the Nicholas Flemel series.

The Professor Noggin games are fun and cover a wide range of topics. We didn't play them the way the game is supposed to be played; we just asked each other the questions, easier questions for the younger kids and difficult questions for the older kids/adults. It was great for riding in the car, waiting at the dr's office, etc. My dd now uses them when she goes babysitting.

Try HHMI.org for a free science magazine. Also, Symmetry is another free one we enjoy, but they only offer it online now. Kids Discover is a great magazine for kids. It covers one topic per issue, history or science usually.

When I was 16, I had only flown one time. I flew by myself to Berlin, and needed to figure out missed connections and the different language. I lived in Berlin for a year with a German family and travelled all over the city by myself. I would absolutely allow my daughter to travel to Europe with her sister and would likely allow her to travel there by herself. There's something about challenging yourself and moving out of your comfort zone to realize you (the teen) can handle things without a parental safety net that gives one confidence. It's one of the ways for kids to mature.

At the elementary school in the community we recently moved from in FL, the PTO budget is consistantly larger than the school's budget. The PTO covers all the copiers and needed supplies, gives each teacher and the principal a discretionary fund to spend as needed for the school, and pays for many other things. One year, there wasn't enough money in the school's budget to hire a substitute for a teacher who was going on maternity leave. The kids in her classroom probably would have been sent to the other classrooms until the teacher was ready to return to work, disrupting all the other classrooms in that grade and making the classes larger. The PTO ran a successful fundraiser to pay the salary for the sub, which the school district unsuccessfully tried to take away. (The school district said the money should be shared evenly between all the schools.) So even if the schools receive the same amount of funding, as another poster mentioned, the community and especially parents can have a huge impact on the kids and schools.

I homeschooled in that area when we lived there and were part of a group, sort of, for a year. They were all friends/neighbors outside of the co op and there were many people who came to visit, looking for a group and co op, and left after a visit or two. I stayed a year because my son made a friend in the group, but we overstayed our welcome. I know there are many Christian homeschoolers in the Gulf Breeze/Navarre areas; if interested in making contact with someone, give Midway Baptist Church a call. They have many hsers there, including high schoolers, and could perhaps point you to other groups. Good luck finding a secular group!

Once my dc learned, I required it with all written work. It's interesting now that my youngest is in ps (6th grade), his peers have commented about how they can't read his writing because it's in cursive. When they trade assignments to correct them, the kids don't know what he's written. (His cursive is legible.) Many students don't know how to sign their names because they don't know how to write in cursive.

Also in Boulder is NCAR. I don't know how old your children are, but we enjoyed our tour very much! We had kids ranging from 5/6 through 11/12. The youngers didn't get too much out of it, but the older ones (and the parents!) learned a lot. ETA: There is also a greeting card tour in Boulder. I don't remember the name (leanin' tree maybe?), but the "tour" was more of an art museum type tour, showcasing the artwork of the artists featured on the greeting cards. They also had a sculpture garden outside, which was a nice place for a picnic. Most of the artwork and sculptures had a western theme.

I put my son back in ps when he began his 5th grade year for many reasons, one of which were the fights we were beginning to have about schoolwork. His father was deploying and ds wouldn't have a male role model to tell him to knock off the attitude. (I could tell him, but his reaction to me was vastly different!) I was more concerned about our relationship than I was about his academics. I knew he'd learn where ever he might be, but I wanted to make sure our relationship stayed strong; I didn't want home schooling to get in the way. He wasn't sure he wanted to go and would have preferred staying home. Soon after he began ps, he was able to do fun things we would never have done at home...playing kickball at recess, going to space camp for 3 days, sometimes being the expert on something he'd already learned but the rest of the class was just learning. This year (6th grade), he's been able to take band and participate in science club and math club. There have been times he's been bored or upset and angry, but overall, it was good to move him out of his comfort zone and try something different (for both of us. I was lost at first with the kids all at ps.) It was a difficult decision, but in the end, I was the one who had to decide. While sometimes he wishes he were homeschooled, I think overall the decision I made was good for him. One thing I've needed to back off from is expecting his public school work to be as detailed/thorough as his homeschool work. He does own his work and gets it done on time, but the level I expected from him while homeschooling was higher. I wish you much success with whatever you decide is best. I'm not sure this is what you are wanting with your post, but thought I'd give you my ideas anyway. :)

Bump. Can't help you with the hsing groups in Gilroy, but the mention of Gilroy brought back some wonderful memories! We still talk about driving up to the Gilroy Garlic Festivan and smelling the enticing garlic ong before we arrived.

When we moved in to a house that was like this, I decided it was time for my kiddos to do their own laundry. The youngest was 6, the oldest 11. They were able to navigate the stairs without problems as long as they did their laundry on a consistant schedule. If they waited too long and had too many clothes, dh or I helped them carry the load upstairs. (Sometimes they had to take the laundry downstairs in multiple loads so they wouldn't trip going down the stairs.) Could your older kids do their own and perhaps one of the younger's laundry? That would leave you to wash your and dh's laundry, plus whatever needed doing from around the house (bath and kitchen towels, etc.)

Thanks for making this distinction for me. I'd never thought about the two being different. What makes them different? Does it have more to do with living arrangements, ie, an honors dorm, or cost or...?

Thank you for the information. We're learning to how to conduct the research, but one thing we're struggling with is how much to encourage dd to do the research herself. I believe she will have a better understanding of what she is choosing if she handles researching universities and the college applications, but she's not stepping up to the plate yet. I realize she's only a junior and has a bit of time before needing to make a final decision, but we'd rather not force or require her to research and make decisions. We'd like her to want to make these choices herself. (This is all being said by a parent who's going through this for the first time. I expect things will be different, but hopefully slightly easier, with the next 2.)

I'm showing my ignorance here, but dd will be applying to colleges next year. How were you able to determine the bolded above? We haven't done many school visits, but the honors programs are something we're watching because they would be a good fit.

Well, I didn't see the recipe, but I'll give you a bump. I'd love to have sticky chicken for dinner one of these nights...Link?

We saw an older man in a parking lot last year who kept going up to different cars, all the same color, trying to unlock them. He couldn't keep his pants around his waist despite the belt and we noticed only one leg was in his undershorts. He had a very difficult time trying to hold his bags, hold his pants up, and unlock the doors. My husband approached him to see if he needed help, which the older man didn't want. As we continued to watch, he moved across the parking lot and eventually found his car, got in, and drove off. (We did follow him briefly as he pulled out of the parking lot and turned in to a subdivision and he seemed to drive without a problem. If we hadn't seen him in the parking lot, we wouldn't have thought there were any problems.) We didn't know what to do to help him, especially when he was clear he didn't want any help. Thank you for telling me about contacting the police. It never crossed my mind to do so then, but if we see something similar again, we'll be sure to contact them.

I'm not familiar at all with restaurant servers' salaries, but if I had a manager who told me not to worry because it was all taken care of, it would raise big red flags to me. (Besides the fact I don't like people to speak condescendingly to me! They're my finances and I need to understand them.) The manager isn't the one who will be on the line should there be a problem; it will be your daughter's problem and she might not have any recourse should there be problems. Of course, when I was a teen, I probably would not have pursued the issue, but as an adult (with a daughter who could be in the same boat sometime soon), I would be telling my dd what kinds of questions to be asking the manager and what kinds of answers she should expect.

I found the cd. It's Lyrical Life Vol 3, not Vol 1. Are you still interested? If so, pm me your address and I'll let you know what shipping is after I send it. I wouldn't imagine it would be much more than $3.

if you want one to look at inexpensively, I think I have one I'd be glad to send you for the price of shipping. Just let me know.

I haven't read all the responses, but one year when my dd was 5, she didn't want any gifts, so she asked her friends to bring an item for the food pantry instead. The friends were able to bring something (it feels strange to attend a birthday party without bringing something), it could be very inexpensive for the friends, and the food pantry benefitted. My dd enjoyed delivering the food (it turned out to be quite a bit of food) and feeling like something she did made a difference for someone else. I don't know if this would be a possibility for your dd due to her special needs, but thought I'd toss it out.

Hope you both like it as much as I did. The author was a homeschooling mom using a literature based curriculum for read alouds and a bit of afterschooling. (The kids all attended the local Chinese school during the day.) I wondered as I read the book if she was perhaps on one of the homeschooling forums.

I'm reading Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary and The Reluctant Tuscan by Phil Doran. The Tuscan book was recommended by my father who found it to be quite funny, but I'm not seeing the same humor he found. Destiny Disrupted is "a history of the world through Islamic eyes." Very interesting.

I'm concerned about my younger two who are in public school (6th and 8th grades). Their school doesn't have textbooks to take notes from and the teachers provide all they need for studying, including online notes, so there's no reason for my kids to take their own notes. (The teachers are able to save the diagrams/notes they make on the smartboard when they're teaching the material and post them online.) My 8th grader isn't motivated to go beyond the easy expectations of the classes and I think she'll have a difficult time once she moves into material that doesn't come easy for her. The jury is still out on my 6th grader...