Thank you for that! I don't want to be tied to the clock, believe me! My son told me "I don't care if we get to all of my favorites, I just want to have the experience."

I really like the looks of Hewitt's Light. Lit. and know many on here use/recommend it. Do any of you utilize a core program with Hewitt, using their whole grade level pkgs. along with their advisors? I am strongly leaning in that direction, because I like what they offer/include for 7th & 8th grade, and theirs also seems to be the least expensive program (of that type) that I've seen. I was also looking at Calvert, and they are twice as expensive, and I don't like their offerings as much.

I guess I need to get more involved with it. I've been letting her do it all without any input from me, and I'm woefully behind in even checking her work, so maybe that's the issue. It's also that EIW isn't talked about here that much & I put a lot of stock into the feedback here. For instance, I know that IEW doesn't work for everyone, but I believe it's a very thorough, put together curriculum. I purchased EIW to basically get us through this year, now I'm stumped. One reason I'm doubting it, is that for our history class, dd is supposed to write a report on Ben Franklin, and her comment was "I don't know how to do that, you'll have to help me." Okay, what have you been learning to do the whole year???

Thanks for this site, it saved me!! I have planned our total itinerary, and only had to switch a few things. I finally feel like I have a handle on things! Did you feel Toy Story Mania was worth it? There were only a few things (Toy Story, Star Tour and Lights, Motors, Action show) we really wanted to do there, and I'm wondering if we should take that time for Animal Kingdom (we're going the day we get there, but it's at the end of the day so we can only do 2 things) instead. It's the day before we leave, and I would much rather do AK in the morning and then just spend the time at the resort.

We are going to Disneyworld end of Feb. and I am starting to book our Fastpasses. We can only do ours 30 days out. What I am finding, is that most of the morning passes are all taken. So, our only options are just to book what's available, right? The other problem is that we want to attend the Electrical Parade (and others) and I hate to waste our Fastpasses on it, because we only have 3 per day, but I'm not sure what to do! Would you say you have to have them for things like that? Also, we want to do Mickey's Philharmagic, do you think Fastpasses are necessary for it, or should we use it for something else? For those who have been do Disney in Feb. what should we be prepared for when it comes to lines? My dc aren't totally all about the rides, so that's good. Here are our top picks: Mag. Kingdom: Hall of Presidents, Pirates of Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear's Spaceranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Big Thunder Mtn., Peter Pan, Swiss Family Treehouse. Epcot: Mission Space, Innoventions, Soarin, American Adventure, Maelstrom, Seabase. They want to walk through as many countries in the world showcase that we can. Animal Kingdom: Flights of Wonder, Kil. Safari, Expedition Everest They want to see the Main St. Electrical Parade and we have reservations for the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks dessert party. We're there for 7 nights, and are doing 1 day at Sea World. My dd (because of anxiety) doesn't do well with non-stop morning til night go, go, go, so we want to somehow have some down time. That's why while we have quite a bit on our list, we didn't want to have too many "must do" things. Do you think what we have for our timeframe is realistic? Any other advice or must see/do is appreciated. I know the advice is usually to get there super early do avoid the crush, but since most of the morning fastpasses are booked (so far), would it be dumb to go a little later and then stay into the evening instead? Again, we need the downtime. (We're staying at Windsor Hills & have a 3 bed. villa) I know we need to factor the travel time into everything. Thanks!

We had been using R&S for grammar the last few years, and I did like the content and rigorousness of it. Our writing, however, was very hit & miss, and dd really hasn't had a consistent writing curriculum. Luckily, she enjoys writing on her own, so she did do that, but we obviously needed more. Also, we were having lots of issues, so I wanted to switch to something more independent for her. She started with Essentials in Writing this year (I started her with Lev. 6, even though she's 7th grade.) She likes it, understands it, and especially likes the independence. So, why am I questioning anything? That's what I do, second-guess! :tongue_smilie: I do want to make sure she's prepared, though. I don't see that they've done any outlining or anything, and even when I looked at Lev. 7 (she will start it before the end of this school year) I don't see outlining or notetaking anywhere in the schedule. Is it enough? Is the grammar and writing a solid program, do you all who use it think? Honestly, when we added it this year, it was really to save my sanity, so that's why I'm questioning it. I know the old saying her, "If it works, don't change", and I agree for the most part. But, I want her to be prepared. I was looking at Cover Story as a possibility, because it also comes with a grammar dvd. And maybe adding Fix It from IEW. I don't want to completely change things up on her; I still wanted her to have a lot of independence with it, but if I needed to do more, I would.

Well, all my worrying was for nothing! What I did was ask her mom ahead of time if she was bringing it, and she said "yes", but only to text/message her goodnight. She said she gave her dd the order not to use it for anything else during the sleepover, so it wasn't an issue! Prior to this, however, I did have a chat with my dd and told her that if her friend was using it, and if it bothered her, she should speak up and say something. I told her sometimes it's just a habit and that they are good enough friends to be able to be honest with each other. Still, it was a good lesson. Thanks for all of the advice! :001_smile:

I don't think it would end their friendship if she said something, but I always worry. It's probably because she only has a few close friends and I know how during these middle school years, friends are becoming so important to her. I do agree, I need to let her navigate these things, though. It's so hard! I'm so used to handling everything, I forget that now I have to back off and let them start.

After thinking about it more last night, I do think this is the best way to handle things. I thought I would say something like "Hey, I don't know if dd is planning to bring her IPOD, but I want to make sure it doesn't interfere with the fun and we do have a no electronics after 9pm policy, so you might want to let her know." Hopefully, it won't deter her from coming, but if it does, she's not the girl I thought she was.

Ideally, I agree with you. I do want her to start solving her own problems, but would most kids at this age be able to confront a friend like that,l even in a respectful way? Mine, at least is so worried that kids won't like her, that she'll hurt someone's feelings, etc.... Yes, we need to work on her confidence, but it is what it is. Some of it is personality. She has a strong personality with us, but with the world, not yet There are many adults that wouldn't/don't say anything in similar situations. I am not one of them; I have talked to several friends about their habits, in a joking way "Hey, remember I'm the one who made time to be with you today, stop texting so & so" or something to that effect. No one has taken offense. But, they're adults.

I like the "no devices in the bedroom" or after a certain time idea. That way, I don't have to be confrontational. Although, I guess it still could be. I'm wondering if I should tell her mom about our rules ahead of time so that she can go over it with her. Except then she might say she doesn't want to sleep over. Honestly, I think these kids are addicted! The girl/friend (who I've known for years) was telling me how one of her friends Facetimed her at 7am on a Saturday, and when I asked her why she didn't just turn it off before she went to sleep, she looked at me like I was crazy.

My dd is having a friend overnight and the question is, how do I delicately suggest she not be on her Ipod while she is here? I don't see any way to really do this without offending, but my dd has told me that the last time she stayed over at her friend's, she was on it a lot, sending messages to her friends, etc... My dd doesn't have one, so it isn't something they can "do together", and the girls the friend is messaging & Facetiming with, aren't friends of my dd. So, I know I'm in the minority here, but I consider it rude for anyone to bring their device to a sleepover or use it while they are supposed to be entertaining a friend they have over. Isn't the point to be spending time with the one you're with?? I am friends with the mom, any she talks to her daughter while she is here, so the issue isn't that she needs it to contact home. Advice?

It is not lame at all; ds loves it! Ds got the subscription for the Tinker Crate for Christmas & dd got the Doodle Crate and both of them have been thrilled. They've gotten 2 boxes so far. The first had a small motor that he put together, the second a Trebuchet. Everything you need comes in the crate; a blueprint that is the instruction for the project, a "Tinkerzine", which is like a little magazine that explains about the project itself, gives in depth info. about it, history of the project, and it also has other experiments/projects that you can do with the things in the Tinker Crate. He cannot wait for the next one. I love it because he's learning, and it's completely independent. And, it's not junk. When you figure out what the cost would be per crate, it's a bargain. Get it!

Typically, how long do the lessons take? I like that R&S covers other stuff, because she usually does get most words correct out of the lists I give her. That's the frustrating part! (I know, it's good, but you know what I mean)

I have totally failed my dc on the spelling front. :blushing: It is one thing that has been totally inconsistent and totally hit or miss, here. We've used quite a few things, but just never kept with them. Probably because it's just one more thing that added to our time. I know, terrible. Anyway, my dd (12) is a natural speller. End of last year we started to use Spelling Power and she just kept breezing through all of the lists-we usually never even made it to the actual list, because she tested out of them all. So, she's good. Because of this, though, for her I'd like to challenge her, and think it would definitely boost her self confidence. Where do I start? Spelling Power is okay, but despite what everyone says, I think it takes a long time. Especially when we never even get to a word list for her to study. Ds, is another story. He's my voracious reader, so I thought he would be a natural speller. He's the exact opposite. So, even though his reading level is off the charts and he's 10, where and what do I start him with??? For both, I will have them study their lists using SpellingCity; they both like it and it seems to have worked well. (When we've actually used it) I've been searching like mad, and I don't want something that's going to be pages worth of busy-work for them. "Natural Speller" looks good, but if anyone has other suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Also, am I the only one who has dropped the ball on spelling?

What's the title of your thread? (Ever since the WTM changeover, I'm not good looking up threads by member name)

:grouphug: Wow, you guys have it tough. It's so hard to explain to them that they need to eat a certain way so that they can feel good. My dd just does not get it. Well, she does, but it is the end of the world to her to have to be gluten free. She's mostly okay at home, but whenever we have to go to a function or eat out, she gets upset.

She has been off of gluten for over 2 months now, and I do have her on a really good probiotic. We have been seeing a naturopath, again for over 2 months. She has another appt. with her tomorrow, so I want to get her take on things. I understand changes don't happen overnight, but we were thinking she should notice something happening by now. Yoga, I will for sure implement. I wanted to schedule regular exercise in to our school day, so that it would break up the lessons. The chiropractor is another good idea that I hadn't thought of.

Did any of your dc have the stabbing pains in the intestines? They would constantly make her gasp, they were so bad. I kept thinking it was spasms or something, but none of the doctors really seemed concerned, or addressed it!

How long after stopping dairy do you notice a difference? We did try this last year, I just can't remember how long we did it for. I know it was at least a month.

I'm glad you did, because I am open to all options, since others haven't worked. I wouldn't do this without checking without a Dr., but am curious as to how much fiber your dd eats now. None even from fruit, or do you mean things like breads, etc....? My mom has gut issues and had to start a weird food combining diet. She can't have any starches or carbs with her proteins but she can eat them separately. The same with fruit, she has to eat it separately from her other foods. I can't remember which book she got it from, but it is the one thing that has helped her.

I will have to double check, but she was on the Miralax for close to a year. With us having to steadily increase the dose. The naturopath who we saw (who is/was also an RN) has her on special drops that will help her heal her colon so that she is able to go on her own without the Miralax.

Where do you get the psyllium husk?

I will try this! We have some Chia seeds, but haven't used them yet. And, I just ordered the magnesium powder last night.

No. I've not heard of this, so I looked it up. Wouldn't there be more severe symptoms? She has occasional back pain, but doesn't have problems with her feet, standing, etc...