Your kiddos are young, so adjusting your schedule wouldn't be difficult. Mine are junior high and high school, so it takes a little more tweeking. There are usually about 165 lessons in the elementary level courses. You can easily knock out about 15-20 days of lessons by combining test days with the intro lesson of the next chapter. The sale is typically around middle to late December, and you have til December 31st of the following year to finish the course. Starting in January and working steadily thru June, you'd be at about lesson 130. Combining test and lesson days should get you to about lesson 145 - 150. You'd probably run a little into July, but for $99, that wouldn't be the end of the world ;) At our level, we opted to school year round. We take breaks periodically throughout the year when stress levels get too high! My kids have learned so much through the BJU program! They gladly adjust their schedules because they LOVE their teachers :) The Science 4 teacher is PHENOMENAL!!! Mrs. Vick teaches science through 8th grade. My daughter was sad when she hit high school, but Mr Harmon stepped in where Mrs Vick left off :) You'd probably need to supplement with something between June and December. Or, you could go ahead and start them with the BJU program with you teaching and swap to the videos in December. The videos are divided by lesson number, so you can jump in on the online classes at any point. Hope that helps :)

We buy our curriculum every year in December during the $99 sale. It's the only way we can afford it! There are ways to arrange your school year around the sale / availability dates. They typically offer free e-textbooks with the DLO program,so that's another plus ;) And, they offer an interest free payment plan for orders over $400. When you put all of this together, it makes it much more affordable for a program that's WELL WORTH every penny!

My teen daughter can't leave home without a full emergency kit + epi-pen. Not conducive to using cute little purses :( I got her a cute mini backpack/small messenger bag from Payless. Got it in the same color with fringe as her favorite boots. Makes it a little easier to stand out from her friends ;)

My teen daughter can't leave home without a full emergency kit + epi-pen. Not conducive to using cute little purses :( I got her a cute mini backpack/small messenger bag from Payless. Got it in the same color with fringe as her favorite boots. Makes it a little easier to stand out from her friends ;)

We do Power Protein bars. Haven't done comparisons in awhile, but the last time I looked, they gave the most protein with lower glycemic index (no amount of protein helps if it's wrapped up in sugar) Be careful when selecting protein bars for your daughter. You want whey protein derivatives, not soy based. Soy can have adverse hormonal effects on teen girls. Hope that helps :)

As previously mentioned, you know your family dynamic. We were in a similar situation about 4 years ago. My oldest was really struggling, her workload was getting heavier as she was approaching high school, and for the first time in 7 years of homeschooling we considered putting her into a private school. After much prayer, the Lord opened the door for us to utilize the BJU DVD program. It REVOLUTIONIZED our schooling for both of our children! I had these pre-conceived ideas that (1) I wouldn't be "teaching" them anymore -- someone else would have total control over that, (2) I'd be forced to stay within the parameters of their program, and (3) schooling wouldn't be nearly as interactive without me lining everything out. I was proven wrong in every aspect! They truly allow the parent the freedom to tailor the program to your child's needs. We're on a college track so we use the program as it's lined out, but you don't have to. The BJU program is quite classical in method as well. I'm not saying just go that way to make life easier. Trust me -- it's not "easy." But if it's something you feel might help lighten your frustration and encourage learning in your daughter, don't push it to the side just for the sake of wanting to keep on your current path. YOU determine that path for you & your child :) Best of luck in your decision making!

Depending on your state requirements, the choice may be made for him ;) In our state, biology is a requirement. On top of that, if he plans to attend college and has hopes of scholarships, they'll want to at least basic biology on a transcript.

This is the other suggestion --- My BJU Homeworks Consultant says she can't "guarantee" this sale every year, but they've done it for the last few years. In December, BJU will run a special where you can purchase the online distance course (no books!) for $99! The courses I purchased (Life Science and Earth & Space Science) have online textbooks included in the online course, but I don't know that that's true for all online courses. I picked our books up used on vegsource.com. Got the full program for about $150 for 2 kiddos :) I was one who NEVER thought I'd allow someone else to teach my kids! I can vouch for Mrs Vick -- she has a gift for teaching! She's very engaging and does a GREAT JOB aiding in UNDERSTANDING the concepts, not just "learning." Hope that helps :)

I don't use the "quote" feature very often, so I'll have to give my reply in 2 separate posts --- This is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO true!!! I'm a CHEAPSKATE!!! My nickname at home is the "coupon queen!!" I don't pay full price for anything, and my philosophy has always been why am I going to pay someone else to teach my kids at home! Well....... we hit science 7 and I learned REAL FAST why I would LOL!! We went through about half the year with me teaching it. I'm a college graduate with a 4.0 GPA --- It was beyond me!! I'm not a "sciency" person (I'm a language arts kind of girl ;)). We've been homeschooling since dd was in 1st grade, but we found ourselves struggling. We were getting it done, but not on a regular basis because of me, not her! The biggest reason we chose to go with the online program was I could tell my daughter wasn't grasping the info. She was making straight A's, but she was struggling. ONE WEEK with Mrs Vick and ALLLLLLLLLLLLL that changed!!! She suddenly ENJOYED science! Was learning AND understanding! Now science is one of her favorite subjects!!

www.saveyourguts.com Changed our lives & helped tremendously with dd's trigger for her autoimmune disorder -- gluten!

That's AWESOME!! The TRUE indicator of if you need to "lose weight" is if anything jiggles :lol: !! I'm not there yet! Still have about 10 pounds to go! Every "body" is different! I'm only 5'3" and have BY FAR a "small" frame! For me to "look" good, I have to deplete just about EVERY excess fat store!! The best way my trainer & I figured out how to do it was cardio + low weights, high reps. He changes my workout up from time to time. We've done the just weight training without the cardio a few times. It showed results, but for my body comp, I've got to do the cardio first. We just all have to figure out what works best for us :)

Last tip and I'm off to Life Science & Ghengis Khan :crying: --- Keep in mind, the older we get, the more our bodies react differently to exercise. The one thing I had to understand when I started training was I can't look at an exercise suggestion for a 20 year old --- I'm FORTY!! As we age, our metabolism changes. You have to get the metabolism pumping before any longterm "physical" changes will be evident. Secondly, I spent my ENTIRE life trying to do it the "easy" way --- fad diets, crash diets, and even eating disorders! When you're at the point in your life when you look at yourself and truly want "change," not just a quick fix, it'll take time. Don't do too much too fast. Alter your diet small ways at a time --- Increase water intake is MOST important! Increase "raw" food After those 2 things become 2nd nature, you'll notice your body will naturally crave "good" stuff :) Begin your exercise routines SLOW and STEADY!!!!!!! If you try to "blast off" it most likely won't last unless you have ALOT of determination! Have fun! Get your family involved! And ENJOY the new lifestyle :)

This is true, but keep in mind that if it's "fat" (flab!) you're trying to get rid of, you also have to do some cardio "before" the weight training (even if it's just 5 - 10 mins) to get your metabolism up high enough to really start burning longterm. The general rule of thumb for most trainers (mine included) is -- if you want to "bulk up" you'd use the heavy weights If you want lean muscle tone (aka, "look" good) you want cardio + low weight, high reps I started trainig 18 months ago @ 225lbs! In 6 months, I dropped 65 lbs of fat & built ALOT of muscle. I'm a size 12 now (was a 22!), but I "look" like a 10 because of the lean muscle mass. This is what my trainer recommended and I can attest --- it works :) Any exercise is good! Just depends on what your personal goals are. Have fun training is the BEST advice :)

We do something similar. We're in the south, so it's HOT here most of the year!!! The only months we get a little reprieve is November and December. January and February are the only 2 cold months we have here, then it gets warm again in March. It works out quite well --- we school from January - October and take off November and December. Perfect timing for the holidays :) Plus we take our family vacation in early November, so it's off season and VERY relaxing anywhere we decide to go. Have a great Fall Break :)

Thanks so much for all of your help :)

Protein eats fat!! If you're wanting to tone up, have a small amount of protein and a good carb at each meal, especially breakfast. Don't stress too much about taking out the bad stuff. Focus on putting the good stuff (lots of fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, etc) and you'll naturally gravitate away from all the other stuff :) Believe it or not, using moderate amounts of things with "real" sugar & full fat will actually HELP with weight loss efforts!! Our bodies aren't designed to break down all these substitutes. Eating smaller amounts of "real" food curbs cravings :) Exercise along with diet will increase results. Always check with your doc before starting any new exercise program. Cardio followed immediately with light weight training will blast fat away :). Walking at a brisk pace followed by old fashioned push ups is a great (cheap!!) Way to get started. You'll be in your skinny jeans in no time :) Good luck!!

It depends on what you & your student(s) consider difficult :) Its a very rigorous program. LOTS of information! They lay it out in a very doable format, but it will take effort on the student's part to complete all the assignments. The teacher manual gives a TON of supplemental suggestions -- books, projects, movies, etc. It would also depend on your personal goals for your family. We are staying oncourse with the BJU suggestions because we intend to use it through graduation. If that's what your goal is, it would be tough to recoup that extra year down the road (each grade level gets progressively more difficult). If that's not a concern, splitting it up would give you more indepth study time on individual topics throughout the course. Hope that helps :)

My kids were 10 and 7 when my dad killed himself. My hubby & I both come from dysfunctional families! Mine lies about everything, his lives in complete denial. A few years ago we made the commitment to tell our kids the truth about whatever comes into our lives, and that day was no different. It was the hardest thing we've ever done. My son asked "how" and my hubby told him -- gently but honestly. I was in SHOCK when he told him the complete truth. My son fell apart! We sat there & held him for what seemed like hours (actually about an hour), while he wailed uncontrollably and we could do nothing to ease the pain. It was the best thing we could have done! After that day, there were no unanswered questions. My children are able to talk about it without fear of any reprocussion or finding out something new or different from what they were told when it happened. The person who wrote "there will never be a better age for them to be told the truth," that's exactly right. I wish you the grace & understanding to handle this in the best way possible for your family. Your family will be stronger for it.

From the sounds of your message, it appears you're trying to "streamline" things a little. If that's your intent, then the "extras" aren't necessary. BUT, they are VERY beneficial! There's nothing in any of the curriculum that I would consider "fluff," so we do it all. But, I only have two kiddos. I might have a different take on the matter with seven :) It is the same in our house :) I don't like using the DVDs personally. I enjoy teaching! Once we hit 7th grade --- World Studies & Life Science (ugh!), we had to do something different. I was spending so much time teaching my older one that the younger one started getting behind. We have videos for all of the classes, but we only do about half videos. DS (10) uses the videos for English, Reading, History and sometimes Bible. DD (13) uses the science investigations videos. We do the same as you mentioned --- DS does his lessons in the living room so he's RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of EVERYTHING! He's actually pretty good about paying attention. He LOVES school, so I don't have to prod him too much. He doesn't care for the English teacher (LOL), so we have to pay a little closer attention to that one. My daughter and I watch them together for the most part. Mrs Vick is AWESOME!!!!!!! I'm actually learning right along with her :) You're correct in that it's a learning tool. The beauty of homeschooling is each family can use these various tools however fits our situations best. Happy Homeschooling!

Thank you SOOOOOOOOO much for posting this info! We're not required to test, but I like to test every few years just see where we're at. I only have an Associate's Degree, so I have to find someone to test my kids for me or have a perfect stranger come to my house to administer the test! I've been looking for something like this for awhile.

What grades are your kiddos in?? We use the DVDs. From my understanding, the online option doesn't give you the teacher books --- everything is accessed online. I like to have a BOOK in hand if I'm needing to help my kiddos figure something out :) The elementary grades are pretty much independent. Some of the writing chapters in the English courses require you to help you child revise / proofread / edit assignments. The reading and history courses will have a "digging deeper" activity a couple of times a week that would require some prep work on your part. They're fun and very educational, but not required. The science works out all of the experiments on the videos, but we still do alot of them just because I have 2 science geeks :willy_nilly: The junior high levels are just about completely independent. Basically all you as the teacher do is grade :) Hope that helps! Happy Homeschooling :)

We've used Saxon since Kingergarten with my son, since 3rd grade with my daughter --- dd is currently finishing up 7th grade, getting ready for the jump into pre-algebra / algebra. The only thing I would interject into this conversation is that Saxon is very much an independent program in the later elementary years and up. The primary grades have alot of teacher interaction. Once they hit about the 5/4 level, it takes a predominantly independent turn. That would be a big consideration --- will this type of program be a good fit for your child? On a completely personal note, we LOVE Saxon! I would prefer something more teacher intensive because I just love teaching & watching my kiddos learn! But (for my kids), we can't make ourselves even consider another program! DD went from HATING math! Tears EVERY DAY!! in early elementary to math being her favorite & best subject in just one year with Saxon. I personally like the "drill." There's not much you can throw at my kids that they can't deduct mentally. I believe it's because of the years of ALOT of math problems -- every day! When choosing curriculum there's really only 2 things to consider --- 1) As a parent, what do you want for your child? 2) Will this program be a good "fit" for your child? Everything else is relative :) Happy Homeschooing!

Talk to them! And let them talk to you :) My dad committed suicide 2 years ago. Needless to say, it was HIGHLY unexpected! And to explain to an 8 and 11 year old how a Christian could take his own life was another dilemma altogether! The biggest thing is listening to them. I do agree to keep a good routine, but don't stress so much on "keeping things going" that you don't hear their hearts. Even though they're children, they have the same pain, frustrations, and confusion as adults do when it comes to death. They'll want to talk about what's going on in their hearts, and you don't want to miss those opportunities. It was more for me than it was for them, but we took about a week off. I just didn't have the mental capacity to teach during those first few days. They read, worked puzzles, watched educational videos -- things to keep their minds occupied but not distracted from the truth that needed to be faced. Hope that makes sense! I'm sorry for your loss.

Thanks for the tips! She FLIES through her math textbooks, and she LOVES Saxon! I was leaning more toward going the Algebra 1/2 route. That helped me have a little more confidence with my decision :) Thanks!