You can't leave, all the plants will die.

Pollan's is really quite remarkable to read. I think he sums things up rather nicely. I have been quite sad to hear so little said about food policy by either candidate, but it really isn't a "hot button" issue so I can see (bitterly, I admit) while it's pushed aside. Thanks for the link.

Padawan Learner (13) and I both have it, too. New Balance and Asics running shoes every 6-9 months makes a world of difference, after putting in a new, supportive insole. Lots of water really does help. I can tell right away if I slip back into my dehydration habits. Losing any extra weight is absolutely essential. Sorry, but it really makes a huge difference to your feet. Yoga, swimming, bike riding and free weights will help without putting too much stress on your sore feet. Confession: I still wear nice, high heeled boots occasionally but only if I'm not going to be walking or standing too much or too long in them. 50 is the new 30? Well, *%#$, why don't I feel 23 then?

I was down to a single pair of jeans and 3 pair of dressy trousers. Chemistry experiments and dry clean only? I.don't.think.so. But, having just spent all our wad on a major home improvement project, money is a bit tight right now. Disclaimer: OK, I should admit it right now. I like the high-end brands. I do see a difference in fit, durability and material between clothes I've gotten at Target and brands that I've paid top dollar for. That said, my sister-in-law loves to follow the latest fashion trends, she regularly wears things for a seasons and gives them to charity the next, so Target, Wal-Mart, and the like makes a lot of sense for her. I, however, don't wear anything trendy. I like classics that never go out of style, so it makes sense for me to pay more and wear it for years (even decades). Therefore, I'll pay a very pretty penny on a great pair of perfectly tush-hugging, non-sagging, hot-momma-making jeans or some they fit so well I want to walk all day shoes. But since top dollar that isn't an option right now ... Yesterday, two other hsing moms and I hit 7 consignment stores - 5 of which specialized in high-end clothing brands. None of us really enjoy the process of shopping and it took most of the day, but we had a nice leisurely lunch and it was a very welcome break from daily life. I was exhausted afterwards, but was able to find four pairs of great pants and a pretty knit top for about $75. (I also found 2 pair of ridiculously high-heeled short boots that made my heart flutter at an alarming speed - red and saddle brown - and a little tan Coach purse for another $100, but we won't talk about that. Everyone's got their weak points, right?) We all set out to find certain things (pants, shirts and a spring/fall jacket respectively) and we all found the things that we really needed - and only a few things that we just really wanted. Definitely check out the yellow pages for Consignment Shops if you're looking for some great pants at a good price.

I'm paying almost double that for the same grass-fed, no antibiotic, no hormone beef products. Get it while you can!

and I know what you mean about the low points. But, really, it hasn't been too bad. I hope you don't have too many days that make you want to throw in the towel. Hop over to my blog. I've got a few posts about carless adventures as well. Good luck. You can do it!:)

Sure... I go on vacation and you all put up a Star Wars themed thread. Star Wars is, perhaps, a minor interest in our home. Maybe. Could be. Let's see: Dad Windu went as Obi-Wan Kenobi for Halloween (even grew a beard) while Padawan Learner went as Anakin Skywalker (just as he was going over to the dark side). I went as the frazzled seamstress. I completely nailed my role, by the way. Star Wars "stuff" litters Padawan Learner's room, the Lego area, the toy box, the "it doesn't belong here" boxes, and has spilled over into all my neighbors' houses as well. I'm sure they thank me. I'm sure of it. And yet...we still haven't seen Clone Wars, but we will soon!

From my blog's "About Obi-Mom Kenobi" page: My son is a fan of all things George Lucas, with the Star Wars series being his favorite. He’s been watching the films, reading the books and learning about the “history†of the characters and a certain galaxy from long ago and far, far away since he was just a little guy. For the record, if you haven’t seen R2-D2: Beneath the Dome, than you just don’t know Star Wars. Who knew that such a strong, brave droid could experience so much angst…. Because of his obsession interest, there are many little quotes from the movies that frequently get bandied about in our house. Many. Frequently. One of the most common is after someone makes a demand for assistance (and forgetting to use the more polite, requesting, method) says, “Help me …†someone else will inevitably cut the request off with “Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.†Giggles will ensue and the request is repeated more appropriately. This eventually turned into Obi-Mom Kenobi being used instead when I was the recipient of the request and the expression stuck.

I would start at the 1st grade level and work through all the books, a page a day should do it. I can't say enough nice things about this program. Padawan Learner had two completely different handwriting systems in the two schools he attended (K-2), and his handwriting really suffered for it - even 5 years later. We decided to go back to the basics (2nd grade book) last spring and it made a huge difference in just a small amount of time. We're keeping it up because it's a pleasant way for him to really reinforce the proper letter formations and increase his ease and speed over time. Good luck with it! PS - the special 2 lined paper really did make a world of difference for him. It's more expensive, but worth the expense. Don't worry about the other "extras" in the program. Pencil, special paper (for all assignments) and the workbooks are all he will probably need.

First, know that I've been there too so I completely understand your fear, but I agree with the post that said you cannot rely on any state or federal lists to keep your kids safe. There are several registered offenders within a mile of me (I live in a mid-sized urban area) but I assume that there are many more unreported sickos that we all encounter every day as we go about our daily lives. I think that if you love the house and the neighborhood and the town, buy it and live your life. Peace to you, your family and your memories. :grouphug:

Sorry, I should have done a search before putting this up. That said... Thanks, Angel! Same as us, Megsmachine. I want to go to Williamsburg too, Tess in the Burbs Give that man a hug from me, Mrs. Mungo August 11, abbeyej ?!? Seriously? *shudders* Indeed! Vegetables wait for no man, er, homeschooler, Tracy in KY

I don't think anyone should be rude to their guests or put people down as part of their "shtick". Name calling has no place in my life.

Padawan Learner generally likes to be around me when he's working on things, but he's wandering off more and more as he gets older. The only thing I can think of for your situation is a regular "check-in" time reminder to keep them working and showing you their progress (such as a kitchen timer that you both can hear or the hour "beep" from their digital watches). At this point they could also get additional input from you about staying on task, elaborating on a topic, etc. Maybe 15 minutes to begin with, and moving to every 30 minutes, 45 minutes and eventually every hour? As for putting stuff away... I think all you can really do is make it a priority (use a check off sheet, if necessary) and hold to your guns. We do a tidy first thing in the morning, at lunch, and again at the end of the day. Padawan Learner must be able to account for all his materials (stored in baskets) each time and have his work area relatively neat. It was a serious pain early on, but it has made both our lives so much better over the years. As for the seperate floor issue, they can come to you for their check in periods. That way you only need to check their spaces for tidiness (maybe make a few surprise visits early on). Good luck!

I'm seeing so many posts and blogs about (non-year round) families that have started homeschooling already. Any one else here still wallowing in the lazy days of summer? ;)

Why? Because we want to. Because the chance to reclaim a bit of my son's family history is intriguing to me. Because pedaling under an old windmill on a deserted bike path makes me shake with happiness. Because my son could wander the winding canal paths of Delft for days and not get bored. I firmly believe that any language that you want to learn should be a language you have the opportunity to learn. Spanish isn't going away. Your son can always learn it later, should he choose to or need to, but to remove a desired language because it's not "practical" is like removing all your pretty shoes in the closet because they're not "sensible". *shudder* Please, please go with the language that your son is loving and don't eliminate it just because you can't see the point to it. The Chinese and Indian economies are the fastest growing in the world. Who's to say that his interest in one of those languages isn't the best idea he's ever had?

We focus on science twice a week but only use the text 1 of those days. On "textbook day" we'll do the related activities found in the book. On the other day, we do additional science experiments and read other related books. This year is Chemistry and I'm really glad we've got the extra day each week to really dig into the subject and do fun experiments. Next year we'll cover 3 books, so the "textbook" time will pick up a bit more.

Following the British system, we're planning a Gap Year (at this point) after the Padawan Learner finishes his standard 4 years of high school. This will be a year where he lives at home or with family friends and, and through volunteer placements, "tries out" various careers before heading off to college. But, like all things parenting, we can't foresee the future and it may not work out that way at all. I think the year of extra maturity, working and thinking about his future will be time well spent.

We're using the Comprehensive Narrative Writing (2nd - 7th), Comprehensive Expository Writing (2nd - 8th) and Comprehensive Pursuasive Writing (7th-9th) books from Empowering Writers. They are intended for the school room (used throughout the US) and can be photocopied to be used for multiple students, but the activities can easily be adapted for homeschooling. Padawan Learner really struggled with writing - hated writing - but has really taken to this program. No more "I hate writing." Warning: They are not cheap ($70 a piece), are never sold used (v. good sign) and are usually available only from the website.

Unfortunately, until she cares about the quality of her work, very little you do is likely to produce good results. Don't bother looking for a magical curriculum solution to cure her disinterest. As I see it, if she really and honestly does not care, you have only two options: demand excellence in all her work with papers returned for editing, correction and legibility OR ignore it and wait for her to care about the image she projects through her written communication (which might be never). But first you should determine if there is some actual interest. If she's even a little bit interested, start looking for curriculum. (I recommend the Editor-in-Chief series of workbooks for a starter). If she truly doesn't care, pick your poison: meanest-mom-ever or maybe-we'll-pass-on-the-SAT. :001_smile:

I use a blank template, MS Word format, that I found here. It's a two page, weekly lesson planning template with subjects across the top (8 subject areas) and the days of the week down the side. You can save the template to your computer and print off as many as you need. Happy planning.

I agree that diagraming sentences is not essential to write your native language well (we internalize the grammar), although it can be rather helpful. However, I believe it makes a world of difference in someone's abilty to learn, manipulate and use a foreign language. By learning the associated terms of grammar and how they function within a sentence, students will be better placed to understand the grammatical references used in language learning programs and to use them appropriately. Not only is the Padawan Learner learning to diagram senctences in English, he's also learning to do it in his second and third languages of Dutch and Latin. Poor kid... :tongue_smilie: Here's the books we're using. Cheap, easy to use and fun: Better Sentence Structure Through Diagraming, Book 1 and BSSTD, Book 2.

Been there! My son didn't know his math facts very well until the middle of his sixth grade year. He will sometimes waver a bit on one or two, even now, but he seems to sense when something seems wrong and stops himself to figure it out. We just kept going with his math lessons, without emphasizing the fact that he hadn't yet memorized them. He still used his flashcards, played the license plate game (take the first two numbers of the license plate in front of you and multiply them together, repeat with other license plates you can see), filled in a multiplication grid, found other ways to figure out the answer (6X8 is the same as 3X8 doubled), played mutiplication war (flip two cards instead of one and multiply the numbers to get the higher score - Jack was 10, Queen was 11, King was 12, and Ace was 15) and used his multiplication grid when he really got stuck. I think me getting uptight about the math facts only slowed us down in the end. I wish I'd relaxed about them sooner. Good luck and happy summer.

Total chick lit but LOL funny is Unpredictable by Eileen Cook. You won't believe the messes the main character gets herself into. It isn't going to win the Pulitzer by any means but it's absolutely perfect for the beach or for some mental downtime. You can get it on Amazon pretty cheap.

My son isn't interested in running at all, but my pediatricians have all recommended going barefoot as much as possible to promote proper arch development and putting the money forward for good, supportive shoes to maintain that arch development. If you can at all afford it, I'd recommend getting a good, quality athletic shoe from a local, athletics-based store where they'll really try to find the best shoe to fit your son's feet. Good luck and try not to cry at the cash register.