Thanks for the post! I haven't heard a bad thing about the camp yet... but there's not that much out there about Bigstuf either way. What little bit I can find is all positive. Thanks again... the eyes of an onlooker are sometimes the most critical! Robin

Yeppers. Also, a few times we got comments like, "This is too long, shorten it to two pages." Not much guidance in that regard. Also, the last project we did was a biographical report. The first lesson, dd was instructed to pick someone to write about, and then jot down interesting facts to include in her report. She was specifically instructed to write these as a list... no outline or anything... just a list of things. Next, she was told to draft her paper from this list. Huh? What happened to organizing the notes first? No instruction at all in that regard. And, believe it or not, the feedback that we got on the first draft was not about how well her paper was written or organized... it was about what my dd had chosen to write about. Dd had chosen William Penn, and focused on establishing the colony... the teacher (who happens to live across the pond, btw) thought that Penn's relationship with his father should have been covered more thoroughly. Her criticism was about content, and didn't have a thing to do with skills used for developing papers like this. It would be okay to give comments about how to make a paper more interesting once it is in proper order, but really, after the first draft on Penn, I decided the class wasn't the best use of our time.

Angela, in response to your question, I'll just say that I've always felt that the willingness to sacrifice for others or for our beliefs is what separates us from the animals. It's what makes us human. I wouldn't starve my child to feed someone else, but if we were comfortable and our neighbors were starving, I'd definitely share my food. Robin

:iagree: I tried, but they won't let me give her any rep, either. Boo hoo!

LOL! I hear ya!!

HEre's a link to a post I made describing our experience with Write at Home. HTH! http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=149598#poststop

I do not store for the long haul... but I do like to have a couple of week's worth around, especially during hurricane season. The problem, though, is that if you do suffer a power outage then preparing food you've stored is difficult. No electricity, no oven to bake bread (and no power to grind that grain! LOL)... we have a generator but gasoline during a major power outage is very difficult to come by... propane for a gas grill only lasts so long... and clean water isn't always available. What you need in times like that are foods I normally don't like to purchase/eat - canned foods (fruits, vegetables, meats, pastas) - something that you can open and eat without preparation. That's not the same sort of thing as storing grains and dried foods, etc., in the event of a general food shortage problem. And boy howdy do I know what a huge mistake it is to have a freezer full of meats, etc., when a hurricane hits. This reminds me of a really funny comment I heard last year at our homeschool convention... it was one of the speakers (I won't say which one :))... we were hanging around her booth talking and somehow the topic of Y2K came up. She said that everyone at her church purchased food for storage, but that she didn't... she said that her family are all big hunters, and they told their friends at church that they'd let them store up the food and if things got real bad they'd just come with their guns to get *their* food. LOL She wasn't really serious about that - her husband is an elder in their church - you would have had to have been there to understand how she was gesting... it was really, really funny.. But you know... there's a lesson there... if you really are worried about this, better keep your food storage hush hush!

I agree!! I would add that any program that causes the parent and student to talk about spelling rules and patterns, and why certain words are spelled certain ways (etymology) and which words are "rule breakers", etc., is the best. For us, that has been R&S Spelling, using The ABC's and All Their Tricks as a supplement to rely on for discussions. My dd learns best when I use the TM to actually teach/cover the lesson and take time to discuss what she's learning. She doesn't do so well when I just hand her the workbook. Funny, the way that is :). Robin

My mind was all made up to go to Chalkdust Algebra after finishing 8/7, because I've been convinced that 8/7 is adequate preparation for algebra, but now I'm not so sure. I saw the Larson Algebra I text a few days ago, and I'm not sure we'll be ready for it after Saxon 8/7. We have about 1/4 of the Saxon 8/7 text to complete, but still... there seems to be a huge jump to the Larson text. And then a friend who has graduated several students advised me to never skip a level, even if dd is doing well in 8/7 to not skip that year of prealgebra. Especially since dd's a year ahead of schedule in math anyway. So now I'm thinking about CD prealgebra next year instead. I don't mind doing it if it will give her the edge, but I don't want to lose momentum and do this course if it's not necessary. Has anyone done this? Held off Algebra for one more year just to make sure their student is fully prepared? I could have her take the Chalkdust placement test, however... I wouldn't have her do that until she finished 8/7. And if I decide to put her in the prealgebra course next year, I think I'll just quit 8/7 now (or give a cursory overview of the rest of the text), take the summer off, and start the CD Prealgebra in the fall. I'm really not worried about whether she places in the Algebra course or not, what I'm worried about is whether the course will be a struggle for her (and I'm not sure the placement test will be a good indicator of that). That's why I'm looking for BTDT feedback. Thanks for any input! Robin

Bump... anyone?

Thanks, Nan and Lisa. This makes sense. I like the suggestions for when to summarize, when to mark in the margins, how to keep up with all the notes, etc. Thanks for that, Nan... good ideas (as always). Robin

How do you do this? TWTM is arranged chronologically, with lit readings tied to history. TWEM is arranged chronologically by genre, beginning with the modern novel. I'm sorry for sounding so dense, but I honestly can't figure this out. Obviously you can't do both at the same time. I am guessing that you follow TWTM, and just pick from TWEM whatever applies to your current reading. Is that right? Do you keep up with the development of the genre somehow? Thanks! Robin

My dd's been invited. There would be a chaperone in each hotel room with about four girls per room. Any feedback? Looks fun, but kinda wild, too. Personally, I would have loved it... which is exactly why I'm not sure I should allow my kid go. LOL Robin

This is a very interesting comment, worthy of much thought. Thank you for your post, Nan.

:iagree: Robin

I heard Rob Shearer talk about this and he said the exact opposite when it comes to certain degrees. He said that as a past human resources manager, he recommends a liberal arts degree over a business degree. This might not be true if you're planning on going onto further studies in a highly specialized career such as engineering or medicine. But for the student who wants to have some flexibility in their career, his point was that a liberal arts degree prepares you better for life long growth and continued learning. He felt this was more valuable in the common business world, and that it was a better option for someone who was going for a masters in a business area. I've heard the same thing about graduate school being much more important that undergrad. Of course, that applies only if you're going to grad school :). If not, then undergrad matters more. When we recruited for health care management trainees, we went to all the top universities across the nation who offered graduate degrees in HCM... where they went for undergrad never mattered. It was what they did at grad school that mattered. I know people who got jobs because they had a college degree... that was what caused them to stand out from other applicants... and often the degree wasn't in the same field. I am concerned about a college degree for my daughter. Women, unfortunately, hit glass ceilings over things like this... if my dd ever has to support herself or help support her family or if she simply wants a career, I want to give her every advantage. I don't think college is for everyone or absolutely necessary for success, but a college degree under your hat NEVER hurts. Being without one can. Bill Gates might not have a college degree, but I'll bet his employees do :). But there sure are some fine ways to live your life without that degree which are meaningful and productive and quite comfortable. So no, I don't think it's an absolute must have. It's Plan "A" in our house, though... default mode.

Wishing the best to all the terrific moms reading these boards. Enjoy your blessings and have a grand day! Robin

I purchased my first outfit from them at the new outlet store near my home. For the things I purchased, they ran a little large. I was able to get into sizes I normally don't wear, which felt pretty good :). I was very pleased, but I don't think the items were worth anywhere near full price. For that kind of money I would expect a whole 'nother level of quality.

I've always heard that the DLX style doesn't mix the dough as thoroughly as the Bosch. So I got the Bosch. I've never regretted it, but I can't say that I wouldn't have regretted a DLX either. The problem with researching this is that brand loyalty/opinions re: DLX vs. Bosch is about as hot and contentious as politics or math curriculum :). Back when sellers of these machines were individuals going through a national distributor, they used to be able to carry both brands. Then there was a split at the distribution level, along the lines of an ugly church split, and sellers had to chose between which disitributor/brand they wanted to carry. That's when brand competition/hostility broke out between local sellers in my area. The fact that Bosch survived the split with healthier sales than DLX is one reason why I think Bosch truly must be the preferred brand, something to consider if you end up wanting to resell. HTH, Robin

I read somewhere that it only affects filers who agreed to have their turbo-tax filing fees deducted from their refund. Turbo tax filed those through a 3rd party account instead of using the filer's bank account for direct deposit (so that they could deduct their fees and forward the remainder to the filer).

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. This had been going on for two weeks... couldn't look inside any books at Amazon. I cleared all my cookies, history, temp files, etc., and then rebooted our modem so that Amazon wouldn't recognize my IP. That combination seemed to work. I have no idea what was going on there for a while... Thanks again! Robin

That's it, Tracey and Jenn! Thanks so much! Robin

My advice would be to look at the size of the pan and the height of the sides, not the slope. Especially when you're first starting out, an 8 X 4 is easier to get good results with than an 8.5 X 5. And 2.5 inch sides are better than 2 in sides. IMO, slope is not as important as these two dimensions. Dark heavy metal is best... better than glass and much better than stainless steel which I have not been pleased with. Not at all. Good luck! Once you get the hang of it, you'll be baking all the time! Robin

ETA: Forgot to say that you rinse the beans first! First I cover the beans with water, boil for a minute or two, take off the fire and let set for about an hour. Drain. Add fresh water to cover by about an inch or so (not too much... you can always add more water while they cook), diced bacon, chopped onion and salt to taste. I do not like the taste of beans when the salt is added at the end. It's just not the same. Cover and simmer till beans are soft and juice is thick and rich. That's really all you need. I don't like them when they are done in a pressure cooker or a crockpot. And I don't like a bunch of spices, either. These are good served over brown rice or in a burrito, etc., but the real country way to serve them is to dish up a bowl and heap sauteed onions and ham on top. Bean soup... do the same but add a can of petite diced tomatoes, a little extra water, a handful of fresh cilantro, and a couple of tablespoons of pinto bean flavoring (yes, there is such a thing in the spice aisle!). This is particularly good served over brown rice with chopped green onions and shredded cheese on top. Mashed left over beans make an excellent sandwich spread, btw. :) Good luck! We love beans. Robin P.S. how are our kids? Did you ever get them checked out re: lead poisoning?

I've been searching but can't find it. Recently there was a discussion about what sessions to not miss at a book fair/convention. There was one in particular that stood out - something like, "Don't let your child's gifts pass you by." That's not the title, but it is the gist. I'm trying to find the name of the speaker who gives this talk. Thanks! Don't know why my searches are coming up empty... probably because I don't know the name of the speech or the person I'm looking for! LOL Robin