Hey, I am unpacking my Abundant Harvest persimmons as we speak :-)

:iagree:

Cheesy potato soup Add potatoes to corn chowder Potato pancakes

You know, I have been really thinking about this a lot lately. The TED talks that someone, (please forgive me for I forget who it was), posted recently, have impacted me significantly. Especially THIS one. I have a son who lives, breathes, eats, history and writing. His desire is to become a history professor and writer/researcher. He LOVES it. He does not love math and science. I have come to believe that it is a great disservice to him to insist that he excel in math and science. He must perform at grade level, but I do not insist that he excel. It is not his passion. I have chosen to give him lots of time to read history texts, watch documentaries, and to write on what he loves. Not all children will excel at everything. It is our duty as teacher/parents to allow them the opportunity to really invest their time and effort in what they are passionate about. My husband is a computer programmer/manager. He does well, but absolutely does not love what he does every day. He's is a musician (composer/pianist) and he LOVES that. He is trying to make a go of a music career now on the side. But it is hard. His parents insisted that he excel in math and science, which he does well at, but does not love. His sister has a PhD in advanced statistical analysis and works for the government, but she has no love or passion for what she does. She wakes up early every day to write, because she's always wanted to be an author of children's books. All this to say, I think it is important to give our children the time and opportunity to saturate themselves in what they love to do, whatever it is. Think about it...wouldn't our human experience improve if everyone we interact with on a daily basis loved what they did?

From my experience, this is the best/most active homeschooling board on the net. There is a lot of info. here on all of the topics you mentioned and the ladies (and men!) are very willing to answer questions. There are many of us here who are closely following the trivium philosophy laid out in TWTM, and who have done so for many years. You can use the search feature if you are looking to find answers in a particular area. Otherwise, ask away. However, you will want to do it on the K-8 Curriculum or High School boards. The general board is a social chat area. I do not know of any site that is laid out in the exact way you are describing.

I just wanted to say...last summer I took my five children to the beach. In the parking payment line in front of me was a classic SoCal surfer dude...completely bronzed and buff with his board under his arm. When he turned and saw me he asked if 'these were all mine.' I said, "yes," and waited for the snarky reply, but none came. He said, "I'm one of five, too. I think it's cool." And he strode off. It totally made my day. :001_smile:

:001_smile:

I am doing Diogenes Maxim and Diogenes Chreia with my oldest 2 this year and no, they are not as time consuming as Homer.

Phonics Pathways 4 times. I have 4 very strong readers and amazing spellers.

non-denominational: monthly

No, I prefer chronological history and interest-led science through 6th grade.

The Magic City by E. Nesbit (actually anything by Nesbit)

Pollyanna

one of Alphabet Pam's ridiculously good no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.

I take it all from the model. I figure that's where all the spelling/punctuation we are working on is found, so it makes sense to reinforce that.

I appreciate it...it had slipped my mind, as well. Thanks, Kate.

Colorado Classique It's a cookbook from the Junior League of Denver. My SIL collects Junior League cookbooks and shares some with me. This is my current favorite.

I can only respond about Gladys Aylward: Adventure of a Lifetime. Just this week both my 13 year old son and my 12 year old daughter picked this book up and read it in one sitting. They both said it was one of the best books they've read (and they read voraciously!)

I just wanted to tell you that I pre-ordered your husband's book back when you mentioned it here the first time. My 13 year old son is crazy for military history. He will be getting your husband's book for Christmas. Congrats to your hubby and to you, as well, for being supportive for so long ;-)

I've had 2 that did not need the review and 2 that did. It completely depends on the child.

Just fyi, not all orthos pull teeth. Mine doesn't. Both my 13 year old and I have braces with no pulled teeth. Honestly, if she's insistent that she doesn't want them, I would skip it. She can always get them when she's an adult (like I just did :-)

We actually took 4 years to get through LfC A-C (3rd-6th) and began Latin for the New Millennium in 7th. There aren't many reviews because it's so new, but after perusing the website quite a bit I felt it was a good fit for us.

Well, is it weird if I answer my own question? :tongue_smilie: We are using Latin for the New Millennium and finding it a very good fit for us. We have slowed it down and are taking 2 weeks (or more) per chapter. We are also using the workbook as additional reinforcement. All in all, I am very happy with it.

After much research my 12 year old daughter just bought a Nook with her birthday money. She has had it a month and we are thrilled. She is very trustworthy and has always asked if she can download certain books (even the free ones). It goes through my B&N account, so any purchases show up in my email. It has been a lifesaver for me because this kid reads 5-10 books a week for free reading, over and above what I assign for school. This has enabled her to always have something new when she wants it. I have to say, also, that it was the in-store help that tipped the scales for us. We have a B&N store 10 minutes away and the staff there is great...always eager to help us figure stuff out.

110 degrees here in the San Fernando Valley right now. Tomorrow looks to be a bit cooler - only 100 or so :-) So very, very thankful for AC right now,