I appreciate the positive info -- I'll pass that along to my mom.

Any tips or experiences on how to deal with this and help her? She lives close by so I am taking the kids and bringing easy to eat food and unsweetened fruit juice for her. The doctor said she may have some nausea but shouldn't have much trouble with the drugs. It is for chronic leukemia and this is her first time. Thanks.

I saw some online but they were quite pricey. Anyone know of where to get some for a fairly reasonable price? They seem great for inspiring healthy lunches and eating.

Thanks!

Does Atelier have any video samples on their website? I couldn't find any...maybe I missed them?

I have tried them on my computer on Windows Media Player 11 and also my IPOD. Any ideas to get them to play? I have tried several computers and nothing works!

I have been struggling with this for multiplication facts -- so I'm definitely going to try this -- I have a visual learner here as well. Thanks!

The World's Very Best Opera for kids..in English

Is this reasonable? My boys are 3rd graders and dislike WWE 3. In addition it doesn't seem to be building their writing skills and I consider them to be somewhat behind in writing for their age. They completed WWE 2, but WWE 3 seems too advanced. A homeschooling graduate (and college English graduate) has recommended IEW with the DVDS because it breaks things down into concrete pieces. Level A says that it is for 3rd-5th graders and the sample lessons look more manageable. I especially like the checklists that go with the lessons for self-checking because one of my sons is particularly sensitive to correction. I like WWE but I am wondering if a switch is appropriate and if IEW is the way to go. I would appreciate any thoughts!

I am actually reading this right now -- just got it from the library. Some interesting points -- I haven't read his other books.

My son is 9 1/2 and he started blinking and opening his mouth about a month ago. The doctor said that it is most likely a tic that will pass in about 6 months. I have noticed that it is aggravated by lack of sleep and stress and also possibly when he gets sick. It was quite noticeable for about a week and has since tapered off. Apparently it is fairly common in kids this age (one statistic I read said 25% of kids get it). One thing that the doctor told us to check for was whether he did it in his sleep, so you might watch for that as well since they may ask about then during your appt.

I get the feeling that many here do not strictly follow the recommended reading lists in WTM and I would love to know specifically what books everyone is using. For 1st and 2nd I followed WTM closely for the assigned reading aspect of the curriculum, along with some of the books recommended in the SOTW activity guide. This year I am skipping some of the abridged versions and adding in some Ambleside recommendations. I would love to know what others are using.

I had a hard time getting my boys to practice (they would complain and even cry at times), but now after 2 1/2 years one boy loves it and the other likes it. One thing that helped was waiting until dad was home in the evening and they would practice for him. I am really glad that we stuck with it. They have a good teacher that they really like and that really helps too.

Does anyone know what age this is appropriate for? It is on the WTM reading list for 3rd grade so I am wondering if they can read the unabridged version since it is a children's book.

The WTM recommends that 3rd graders memorize at least the beginning. Is that just the beginning paragraph? Has anyone done this? I was thinking of the first 2 paragraphs but it seems like a lot.

I prepare our S corporation tax return and personal tax return on Turbotax. To prepare a partnership or corporate return (depending on how you elect the LLC to be treated) you actually need to purchase a separate program from Turbotax. The business premier version only works if you are filing for a sole proprietorship or single member LLC. I think Turbotax is a great program and actually used it as a tax professional way back in the 1990s. I agree that since this is the first year of the LLC you may want to have the LLC return done professionally just to get you started and then prepare your own in future. You could probably still prepare your own 1040 after they prepare the business return. The business return has to be prepared first since you use info from that to file your personal return.

Bump

I am teaching a small Spanish co-op class and would like to try it without video. We finished Puerta Abiertas and can't find a video program that we like. We have tried Elementary Spanish in Discovery Education and I have previewed La Clase Divertida. Any suggestions for a Spanish program that I could teach myself to 3rd-5th graders? I have a minor in Spanish so feel okay doing it. Thanks.

My husband got mine for me and he says that he definitely doesn't see it as a replacement for regular books, just a supplement. So even if I get a classic for free (such as Pride and Prejudice) on the Kindle, he doesn't want me to get rid of my hard copy because there is something about browsing a shelf of books to pick something to read. Also, I love my Wall Street Journal subscription. No newspaper to get rid of and it is ready for me as soon as I wake up, so I can read it before I even get out of bed.

I liked Monticello better and the gardens are definitely more fun. We even bought a few packets of Monticello heirloom seeds in the gift shop which was great. Our kids were too small when we went (age 4) to remember much of it. Mount Vernon is great too with a really nice museum and our kids really enjoyed it. The nice thing from a time and transportation standpoint is that you can take the subway and bus to Mt Vernon. It was quite easy and made it really nice because the driving around D.C. is a drag. The bus ride is just a short one on a regular city bus. Total journey from the Smithsonian area was maybe 1/2 hr to 45 min.

I am looking for a good reputable source for information on this. My dad is a big fan of Adelle Davis and "Let's Eat Right to be Fit" but I have heard a lot of negatives about her book and wondered what the latest research says. He is big on high protein and no refined sugar. He definitely has a point about making sure that we all have a good breakfast but the question is -- what does that consist of?

This looks like it will fit well for us. Thanks for the suggestion--we are going give it try!

I would like to try teaching French to my kids just for fun. Nothing serious, but just to learn to pronounce things and have some beginning words. We are already doing Latin and Spanish. Any suggestions for a program for 9 year olds?

We try to follow the reading list from the Well-Trained Mind, keeping in sight that some of the recommendations are "about or selections from". The Jane Austen one has me flummoxed. I was thinking of just going with one of the movies. What has everyone else done? I haven't found any children's versions of any of the books and they seem tricky to translate to elementary age anyway. I would love to hear thoughts on this, and on any other of the nebulous listings for 3rd grade.

I have been looking for one too. Preferable one that is portable since we accompany my husband on business trips. The Costco magazine shows that they have a Yamaha online for $139. We looked in Best Buy and found one it that range as well but it was too big to be portable.