I would get it checked out. We had an electrical fire last year. The smoke damage to our home was really bad. We lost many cherished possessions and we had to live in a rental for about 6 months. It wasn't fun at all, but we were all okay including our pets so I can't complain. Suzanne

Sure, I bought this model: http://www.amazon.com/National-Optical-134-CLED-Intermediate-Illumination/dp/B009WXFAQ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372030134&sr=8-1&keywords=national+optical+cled+microscope

I just bought a National Optical LED microscope. I am very pleased with it. Suzanne

This website (http://www.preschoolexpress.com) has a lot of fun ideas that are free. Right now, I am using the alphabet letters with my three year old. She paints them and then we decorate them. We just finished letter U. She painted it and them put stickers of umbrellas on them. I have also printed out pictures for her to glue on them. Suzanne

Praying for you and your mom. My mom was really sick recently. I know it is hard. Suzanne

I have the Venice style in the Keens too. They are so comfortable. I have arthritis in my feet so I can't wear a lot of shoes. The Keens are great for my feet. This pair of Keens is my first, but I will definitely get more. Suzanne

Thank you so much! It sounds like it will definitely be worth my time to go through the labs and make sure they are activities that we will do. My insect phobia daughter will not want to do an insect collection! I think it sounds cool, but she is terrified of any bugs. Suzanne

Thank you so much! We are using the distance learning with this course. We haven't tried it before, but I have read about so many people that liked it. Suzanne

Hi - My daughter will be using BJU Life Science in the fall. I would like to buy a science kit to use with the investigations. Has anyone used either the kit by Logos Science of the Home Science Tools? Would you recommend one of them or one I haven't hear of? Thank you, Suzanne

We did that and loved it. Our butterflies loved oranges. I just sliced them in half and put them in their habitat. It was so cool to see them eat. I also put flowers in their habitat, but they preferred the oranges. I'm sure I read about the oranges either on the website or the instructions that come with the kit. It is a lot of fun. I didn't get milkweed or read that I needed it. I used the kit from Insect Lore. Good luck with your butterflies. Suzanne

This past year was a rough year for us. It doesn't seem so rough compared to what some of you have shared. We had a house fire in May. No one was hurt. We weren't home and the dogs weren't either. Even the fish survived. We were totally blessed. However, it still turned our life upside down. At first, I wasn't sure I could continue to homeschool. I was totally overwhelmed with all the decisions that had to be made. We also had to go through and inventory our entire house. Most of our things survived, but many of them were badly damaged by smoke. Between the insurance paperwork, decision for restoring our house, emotional trauma from everything, it was difficult. I decided to enroll my daughter in a one day a week class. The class provided lesson plans for us to do during the week. I knew that if I just covered what was in their lesson plans, we would not be behind. It was a huge help to me. My mother got severely ill in April and it really helped during that time as well. I'm glad we can go back to doing school the way we used to, but the service of that school was very helpful for me this year. Blessings for you and your family, Suzanne

I have used both and like both. My daughter feels the same way. However, her favorite art program is Atelier. I really think a first grader would have a lot more fun with Atelier than Artistic Pursuits. Artistic Pursuits is a book of art lessons that you go through with your child or at least that is how we did it. I believe the first book goes in a somewhat chronological order and covers various artists. It has been several years since we used it so I am not sure. Atelier has DVD instructions. Even when my daughter was in first grade, I could gather the materials and pop in the dvd for her. She didn't need my help at all. She also enjoyed seeing other children enjoy art. She also liked to type of projects better in Atelier. I don't think you can really go wrong either way. They are both good programs. Suzanne

I live in West TN. Homeschooling in TN is simple. I don't know any one who uses the school district either. That route sounds more complicated and I prefer to avoid the school district when possible. I register with a local umbrella school and follow their requirements. The requirements are simple and easy to meet. Our umbrella school requires: a yearly application with curriculum listed grades submitted 4 times a year standardized testing yearly starting in second or third grade attend a once a year parent meeting/orientation Most of the other umbrella schools that I have looked at require something similar or even less. Suzanne

I had a really nice Whirlpool Duet front loader. I hated it. It did get our clothes clean. I hated leaving the door open - my toddler was always closing it for me. I hated not being able to add more pieces of laundry without a hassle and a mess. We had a house fire about a year after our purchase. When I replaced the washer and dryer, I went back to a top loader. I like it so much more. It is a kenmore and it is huge. It holds as much as the front loader. Suzanne

I went through this last year with something I bought and something I sold. I think the person receiving the package has to file the insurance claim. Both times, the post office refunded the money, but it is a hassle. Suzanne

My daughter actually prefers to do her school at the counter sitting on bar stools. She's been working there since first grade. Before that, she used a Stokke chair at the kitchen table. She has an appropriately sized desk, but it doesn't get used for school. Suzanne

i just voted for all of you. Good luck!

More prayers for you and your husband today. Suzanne

Praying. I'm sorry for what the two of you are going through. Suzanne

Prayed

First, my heart goes out to you. We had a house fire in May of last year. A lot of our keepsakes were damaged by smoke but not totally ruined. It was a heartbreaking process to sort through it all. I would have moments of wishing it all had been destroyed. I am pretty sentimental so it was so hard throwing away some of it. Anyway, I know what you are going through. I do regret some of the things we threw away. Our house was hot and smelled like smoke and now I know we rushed the process. My advice would be to really take your time going through your things. I know the process is hard, but you don't want to have regrets later. I wish I had thought to snap pictures of some of our damaged items. Blessings, Suzanne

I think you could easily use it without a teaching manual. I only used mine to speed up grading. Suzanne

I will continue to pray for you and your husband. I am sorry for what you are going through. Suzanne

It is hard. I have an 11 year old and a 3 year old. I can totally relate to your post. When my older daughter was my only child, we did a lot more. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, but just today my 11 year old mentioned wanting to see a movie. Of course I can't take her during the day because the movie isn't appropriate for the 3 year old. I don't have any suggestions, but I can totally relate to what you are experiencing. Suzanne

I might be interested in participating. My daughter will be 4 in December. Suzanne