What Jennefer said. :) We've used it as a complete phonic program. We started out with Get Ready/Get Set/Go for the Code and used Starfall.com as a supplement. The two together worked for M and letters just clicked for him. When we picked up Book 1, I picked up some Bob Books. They were fun books that reinforced what he was learning. We're on Book 3 now and he's reading Dr. Seuss and Little Bear books on his own.

I've been hypothyroid for 10 years and haven't found a doctor who is willing to do anything but look at my TSH results. My Synthroid dose has been steadily climbing in the past 10 years and my TSH results have been all over the place. I picked up Feeling Fat, Fuzzy or Frazzled? by Richard and Karilee Shames and I've been following the plan laid out in Feeling Fat... and I'm feeling much better. I'd like for my doctor to help me, but ultimately it's up to me to take care of myself. I can try to bring new information to my doctor, but none of the doctors I have seen are willing to learn from "just a patient" (yes, I'm still searching for new doctor). I've been adding supplements to my daily vitamin, eating better, and gently exercising. It's taken a month, but I'm feeling an increase in my energy levels. Exercise will never be fun or enjoyable for me, but now I can do it without it wiping me out. I'm not a doctor (nor do I play one on tv), but this has worked for me. It's not a cure, but this book (along with others) has helped me to understand what is going on in my body and to find a way to feel better.

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble with your Gateway. Our first computer was a Gateway and we had nothing but problems with it. Your customer service as much better than ours, though. We weren't offered a new/used computer, but we were offered a "great deal" on the financing of a new Gateway. We've had 2 more PCs since then and have had nothing but problems - crashes, viruses, bugs. We're converting to Mac as soon as we can. Join me. :)

Monday: Chicken with chorizo and rice Tuesday: Soup and sandwiches Wednesday: Meatballs and mashed potatoes Thursday: Leftovers Friday: Pizza and movie night Saturday: Breakfast (pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs) - the kids get to help plan the menu and then get to help make the meals they chose. M loves breakfast for dinner, so he'll be helping make pancakes.

My avatar is a picture of pancakes - my kids' favorite breakfast.

Our oldest daughter listened to music while she worked. She has ADHD and the music would serve to block out the other sounds the house so she could concentrate better. She'd listen to cds of various types of music, some had lyrics, some didn't. Our two youngest children do well when there is classical music playing in the background. It cuts down on the chit-chat while they work. If I put on something with a faster beat (jazz, rock, r&b), they spend more time dancing than they do working.

E and M spend about 2 - 4 hours a week with other kids. They both are in swimming lessons and spend time in the kid's activity room at the Y. Our neigborhood's population is older, retired or semi-retired folks. There are some kids behind us, but they aren't out much. We often see other families out at the library, book store or playground, but they're not people we see regularly. I'd like for E and M to spend time with other kids, but they're both pretty shy and tend to stick with each other when in a group of children.

English Toffee. Easy to avoid since the really good stuff is sold in candy stores. Starbucks Toffee Nut Latte. Not as easy to avoid as the toffee, but the closest one doesn't have a drive-thru and is always packed. Five Guys Bacon Cheese burgers. Torture - there is a Five Guys 4 minutes from my house.

I lurked for several months before I joined and have been a member for almost 2 years.

What is the difference between safe mode and unsafe mode? I've been running the scans in safe mode as everyone has recommended, but I don't know what or why I'm doing it. (I don't always do what I'm told without knowing the reasons why, but in this case I'm bowing to those more knowledgable. :))

We ran an AntiSpyware scan from safe mode and my husband ran a Symantec scan, and they both came up as not finding anything. We haven't found any new or unfamiliar programs on the computer, either. We're still getting the same screens when we try to log onto our accounts so I it looks like we're going to have to have someone look at it. Thanks again for all the help and advice.

Thank you for all of your help and advice! We're running another scan from safe mode right now. I found that I can access the banking sites from my iPhone without any problems or the sites asking for any of the info they wanted when I was on the home computer. This has me concerned...

I ran our virus program yesterday and deleted all the cookies. I've done this before, but have not had these problems logging back into the financial sites (I always log out of these sites when I'm finished). The information the site is asking for isn't related to my security questions, but is asking for specific banking information - account numbers (we log in using access numbers), SSNs, check card numbers (along with expiration dates, CCV numbers, & ATM pin numbers), addresses, email addresses - all information the banks tell you they will never ask for online or over the phone. Basically, it's all the information I gave them to open my bank account. It just seems a bit fishy to me, but I've been a bit cautious (or is it paranoid?) since my mom's identity was stolen 10 years ago (she's still dealing with it) and my old checkcard number was stolen last year. I'll run my virus program again, then defrag. Thank you! :)

I'm hoping that someone here can help me or point me in the right direction to get some help. Yesterday, our computer rebooted itself. I was in the middle of reading my blog list and it shut down and restarted by itself. Since then, it's been running really slow. Screens are taking quite a bit longer to load and I seem to be having trouble with my keyboard (I hit the keys but the letters sometime don't appear). Today, I tried to log onto my bank's website, but got a message that my computer wasn't recognized and I needed to enter my check card info (number, security code, expiration date and pin number). I didn't give out any of the info and called my bank. It being a Saturday, there's no one there to help me. I tried logging into our USAA account and got a screen that said I needed to enter my name, address, SSN, account number, pin number, mother's maiden name, etc. Again, it's Saturday and no one is available to help me. It's only the banking websites I can't log onto. All the board, blog and shopping sites are coming up fine (although slow to load). Is this something I need to be concerned with? I don't know enough about computers to know if I might have a virus or if there's something else that's going on.

I'm coming a little late to this party :), but wanted to say how much I appreciate this thread. I'm working on our 5th grade schedule for next year and I'm finding a great deal of good information here. Our schedule so far: History: Kingfisher and History Odyssey Level 2 Math: Math U See Zeta and Life of Fred Decimals and Percents Grammar: Michael Clay Thompson or Rod & Staff 5 Writing: Writing with Ease 4 Spelling: Rod and Staff 5 (love how rigorous this is, but wish it was secular) Literature: From the WTM and MCT reading lists Logic: Critical Thinking Science: Unsure. I'm looking at Oak Meadow and GEMS Latin: Unsure. I'm leaning towards Galore Park, though. Music: Piano lessons PE: Swim team Art: Unsure. I like the look of Atelier, but don't know if it will fit into our budget this year.

This is only our second year homeschooling but we've had several duds. WP American Story and Animals and Their Worlds - The reading for AS was all over the place and often over her head. Too many crafts and hands on assignments. AW was just too many animals! Wordly Wise - she didn't retain much and was often in tears. There were times when the definition they gave was different than the way the word was being used. Spelling Workout - She hated it. OPTGR/100 EZ Lessons - My son hated both of these. ETC was a much better fit for him. RS4K - I wanted more *meat* to our science program; more examples, more explanations. Latina Christiana I - We liked Prima Latina, but neither of us cared for the way LCI was set up.

:grouphug: I had a night like that last night, too. Only it involved the youngest, laundry and vomit. Ugh.

I'm a night owl and fortunately the two kids left at home are not morning people, either. We usually sleep in until 8am (and after years of getting up at 5:30 am, anything past 7am is sleeping in). The kids are in bed with lights out no later than 9pm, but I'm often up until midnight or 1am. I love my quiet time.

We make homemade pizzas with different toppings. My daughter's favorite is roasted butternut squash, carmelized onions and goat cheese. My son loves olives, carmelized onions, tomato slices and mozza cheese. We've added sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, spinach, whole cherry tomatoes, and other veggies, along with different kinds of cheese. I've also set out a variety of things for them to pick and choose from: bagels, french bread slices (toasted and not), pitas hard and spreadable cheeses olives, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers, etc fruit kebobs (different kinds of melon, strawberries, apple pieces, etc) leftover meat (chicken, pot roast) or salami hummus and pita wedges You can use whatever you have on hand. They love eating with their fingers and I love that they're enjoying a healthy meal.

I've got a large cast iron skillet and a dutch oven. They're both Lodge brand and I found them at the hardware store. :) I've also seen them at Williams-Sonoma (for much more than I paid) and at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I've got to say that the best pot roasts I've made have been cooked in the cast iron dutch oven. Clean up is easy; I use one of the non-scratch scrubbie pads and some hot water, then dry immediately. eta: I also have a biscuit pan that makes some amazing dinner rolls.

My favorite authors in the long run have been: Orson Scott Card Diana Gabaldon Brandon Sanderson Mercedes Lackey Laurie R. King Anne Perry Sherri S. Tepper Douglas Preston Lincoln Child I've been reading Neil Gaiman recently and I am really enjoying his books.

Our oldest has ADHD and is currently at a community college. She taking their Electrictrician's course and will be applying for apprenticeships this summer. She's doing very well in her classes. She seems to have a natural aptitude for it all and enjoys it a great deal. The hands on work of the Electronics class is really what she needs. That there are certain steps and procedures she must follow on all jobs is, I think, comforting - helps her to focus. Online courses were a disaster for my daughter. Not having a *real* schedule or the accountability of the classroom often meant that she wasn't finishing her work or completing projects. She would get distracted while online and end up on facebook or reading blogs. Even with her meds, she was easily distracted by what was going on in the house or outside her window. For her, she needed the transition of leaving home and going to school to get her in the frame of mind for school work.

I've got a short stack this week: American Gods Thyroid Power Knit Cafe The Cat in the Hat Comes Back :)

Congratulations on learning to knit! I was a late learner (38 years old) and now there's no stopping me. It's also very addicting. :D There are tons of free patterns and there are several helpful forums where you can get answers to any knitting question you may have.

My mother doesn't know me at all and doesn't care to get to know me. We talk on the phone once a month and she asks how I'm doing and what's going on, but it's more a matter of form than because she really wants to know; she doesn't listen to the answers and takes the first opportunity to talk about herself.