I think it's your "tone" and not the precise usage of the word that's a little excessive for the discussion we're having. We're talking about augmenting one (small) element of a spelling program. And you would like to insinuate that it has the power to ruin the program's effectiveness. Absurd would be a better word.

Oh please, spelling and pronunciation are interrelated. Why then, learn the sounds of the the phonemes at all? Because they correspond to pronunciation. It helps my child (who was once a terrible speller, btw) to acknowledge that Y says /E/, because clearly it does. If it helps you and your students to do it another way, I won't call your method inexcusable if it doesn't work. So let's not act like Spalding is some kind of magic formula; it only works if it's done precisely or the spell (nice pun, eh?) won't work.

SWR is the same, there are five kinds of silent final e. And there are specific markings used for each type. Obviously the /e/ is also there the /g/, but the markings and explanations for the word "voyage" include "strongman E" (meaning /a/ says its second sound) which I find totally baffling. I just find the "think to spell" unreliably helpful. Sometimes it is, other times it just isn't. But it seems to weaken the philosophy (which drives this genre of spelling curriculum) that the spelling of English words is so very consistant. "Think to spell" is just another way of saying "memorize this spelling anomaly."

My children do; it's for this reason I change some of the markings.

This is what I do. FWIW, we often change the markings that make no sense to us. For instance, voyage. SWR marks that final silent /e/ as a "strongman E," meaning it makes the /a/ say its second sound. Perhaps you pronounce voyage that way--we do not. I know she has think-to-spell rules to explain why. But I find it easier to mark the words in a way that directly corresponds to our pronunciation and talk about the think-to-spell reasons for it.

One more thought. I use two sets of plastic drawers for camping. I keep them packed all year long with the non-food items I need for my camp kitchen. Coffee mugs, plastic utensils, pots, sharp knives, cutting board, zip locks bags, paper plates....you get the idea. That way I don't have to think about what to pack--I already have everything I need except for food. The larger one with my cooking items goes under our table and the smaller one one top. I also have a first aid drawer--with all the stuff we need antibiotic cream, band-aids, tampons, eye drops..you know all the stuff I usually would forget. The next thing I need to do is make a check list for packing. One year we left (for a week) with all of the duffle bags full of our clothes sitting on the living room floor. As you can imagine, there was much rejoicing when we unpacked at our campsite.

I too have looked at that camp kitchen. Here's why I've never bought it: 1) We (often but not always) camp where we have to use bear boxes. It makes no sense to load and unload all my food into those hanging bags. Even without bears, I wouldn't want any of my food in a nylon bags, the raccoons are far to clever. 2) I need a sink, a table to work on, and a stove. That's the real deal breaker for me--that kitchen doesn't have a sink with a drain. I had my husband jimmy-rig a plastic dish pan with drain spout. He attached tubing so I can drain my dish water to an appropriate place. Also, we hang an outdoor shower bag (from Cabela's) to use as our faucet. Here is a picture of a pre-fab kitchen with a sink. I think it's more practical--just my opinion though.

Not if it really bothered me, it would interfere with my ability to be present with them. There are plenty of ways to be with people that don't involve eating or trying to parent another adult. I'd just change the venue to free-up my ability to pay attention in the ways that nurtured the relationship.

Consider what you want from your in-laws and if they're capable of giving providing it. I'm of the opinion that they are either unable (or unwilling) to provide the kind of relationship you seek. Confronting them, is really just another way of asking them for something they can't (or won't) give you. I just wouldn't put myself in that position . I agree with previous posters, make plans, invite them, but never expect them to come.

I pay $10/hour for my three boys and I live 30 minutes east of LA. The students who sit for me think it's a lot. But I've never needed a sitter and not had one. ;) They are always happy to come help, so I can be picky. It's worth a little extra money to have that. But I would at least pay the minimum wage, which is $7.25.

Sorry, but I think being a Christian is the very reason to "subject" yourself to "that kind of behavior." Who exactly do you think Jesus ate his meals with? The Pharisees who were obsessed with purity laws? And for what it's worth--there's swearing in the Bible. And yes, it's in the New Testament: Philippians 3:8. He doesn't consider all things rubbish--I'll let you decide what he considers all things. ETA: This isn't advice to the OP, but a comment directed at this sentiment specifically.

I really hate to be tedious here, but these aren't from the Church to which I belong. Bill's already articulated my thoughts on the Anglican Church in North America, so enough's been said on that. I really (really!) hate this kind of discussion, but somehow I've put myself into the fray (which I know I will regret). With that caveat, scripture described as "all things necessary for salvation" is not the same as sola scriptura. You may disagree, but the Church (yours and mine) does not. It's not the best example, (or even the most interesting) but it will do. This is from your Church's website: We receive The Book of Common Prayer as set forth by the Church of England in 1662, together with the Ordinal attached to the same, as a standard for Anglican doctrine and discipline, and, with the Books which preceded it, as the standard for the Anglican tradition of worship. Scripture doesn't "stand alone" to inform doctrine, discipline and worship.

There are a lot of conflicts between Anglican/Episcopal Church and Protestantism. Anglican/Episcopalians don't accept the two major tenants of Protestantism: sola scriptura (the Bible is the sole authority, not Church tradition) and sola fide (faith, not works as a means to salvation). So I'm not sure what the phrase even means.

Sorry the Catholic Church fails requirements 3,4,and 5. But the Episcopal Church, on the other hand, meets them all.

I use PDF Pro, which is way pricier than your option ($9.99). But I love it. I can save any document I open on my iPad as a pdf, it has a zoom function, I can rotate the document, bookmark, it has hyperlink support, I can annotate, highlight, search for specific words and even sign a document. I love it! But I'd better, it cost 10x as much as yours. Have you used a printer app on your ipad? I also purchased Printer Pro with my pdf app. I really like it--I can print straight from my iPad.

I use a recipe in the Joy of Cooking for my crust, called Pate Brisee. It uses a lot of butter and very little shortening. It is similar to this recipe, although I don't use sugar and I add 1/4 cup shortening. My rule (which I think I learned from Martha Stewart at some point) is to make pie crust cold and quick. So I cut my butter into cubes and freeze it for several hours before I make the crust. I also put my shortening in the frige and I use ice water. I use my food processor, and I don't over process it. When I take the crust out of the processor, it's a pile of crumbs (that hold together when I pinch them) but still crumbs. I dump it out onto Saran Wrap and I use the wrap to push the crumbs into a disc. I then divide it and put it into the fridge. ETA: I also make sure the crust is plenty wet. Meaning it holds together well when I pitch it. Nothing is more tedious to deal with than a dry pie crust. The butter in this recipe make the crust tasty (shortening tastes like NOTHING) and it's tender and flaky. My other tip for an apple pie is to avoid using cinnamon in the fruit. I use only nutmeg and vanilla powder. I feel like cinnamon over-powers the apples. Also--I put in plenty of flour with my apples. I don't like a soupy apple pie, so I usually put in more flour than any recipe calls for. I hope that helps.

I'm on week seven of WWS with my 11yo ds. We completed all levels of WWE. I'm really liking WWS. So far, the Topos assignments are the toughest for my son. It's hard work, but the right amount of work. All of the curriculum I've used from SWB is appropriately incremental. The work builds on itself at a steady, thorough pace. What I find extremely helpful, are the rubrics she provides. They help keep me focused on the elements of my son's writing that are most important to address. HTH!

I've used almond milk to bake cakes and quick bread with no problems. Although I have't used it for pie, I don't see why you couldn't. Can't help you with the oat milk.

Not that you asked, but I also love to Skype or Facetime on my iPad. It has two cameras, one facing the user and the other on the back, facing away from the user. So the other day, I Skyped my mil in Colorado (cuz I'm good like that) and I took my iPad out on our driveway and she watched the boys play basketball. When I wanted to talk to her, I just switched cameras and talked to her directly, then switched back so she could watch the boys play. Awesome.

I use my iPad in my graduate courses (where I have a desk) and meetings at Church (where I usually use my lap) it works well in both environments. I use Evernote, which is a free note taking app. I can organize my notes into "folders" and it allows me to search them by multiple categories. I can even take a picture of the notes my professor puts on the board and store them into my notes. It's awesome. I can also print from my iPad, download pdf files and annotate them (stylus or not) and save all my notations. I also have Dropbox on my iPad so I can access files from my home computer. It's awesome. It makes taking, keeping and using my notes really easy. I think I sound like a commercial. Oh, how I wish Apple would compensate me for my endorsement. ETA: I can't compare it to Kindle Fire, but tablet devices are only as good as the apps you put on them. The iPad is so good, only because there are so many apps to customize its use.

Any method that using the Orton/Spalding method, because it will build on her phonic instruction. Here's a quick list: Spell to Write and Read All About Spelling The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading They all do approximately the same spelling work. It will depend on your style, and how many other components you want. For instance The Phonics Road is a complete language arts program. I personally use SWR and love it, but it's not for everyone.

I went to a conference and heard Dr. Robert Epstein talk about the very issues you mention here. He believes our culture doesn't know how to help children make the transition from childhood to adulthood and we extend adolescence far longer than necessary. Here's his book, The Case Against Adolescence. You are singing his song. BTW, he is a big advocate of homeschooling and finding students like yours apprenticeships so they can participate in meaningful work guided by a adult.

Their behavior is totally inappropriate; they need help with boundaries. I would simply tell them (as calmly as I was able) that you don't want them to use your belongings or enter your property without your permission. And because they clearly have boundary issues, the first time they asked I would tell them no. I wouldn't want them to think that asking for permission is just some cursory action; I really have a say over what happens with my own property. They likely will take offense. That is their issue--not yours.

I've been in your shoes. I use Spell to Write and Read, but I don't use it as a complete LA program. I like that it requires the student (and teacher) to break words apart, and mark them with coded markings. This requires thinking about how phonics/spelling rules correspond to your actual pronunciation. Sometimes they just don't; the word has to be memorized. There are times (while breaking apart words) we find the SWR's coded markings to be inaccurate, so we decide how we think the word corresponds to the rules and mark the word accordingly. It is through this process (and endless practice) that my son's spelling has improved. He is about a year behind (according to the placement tests in SWR). But I'll take it, because three years ago, he couldn't spell anything (reliably) except VCV words.

I totally agree. There is another board where the people who run it sell a particular curriculum. You are not allowed to critique the curriculum (even in the slightest) or mention any other competing curriculum. So all discussion revolves around either housecleaning, prayer requests, or praise of the approved curriculum. Blech. And make sure you don't disagree with a moderator, or you'll be banned. For life. Ask me how I know.