LOL I am telling you, I must not be holding my mouth right when I search. I know I have seen multiple threads on this but CANNOT find them. LOL :) Figures, right? Okay, geography. Yes, I said it. GEOGRAPHY. LOL We do the mapwork assignments in the book so I know they are getting some exposure, but I feel like the kiddos need more than what they are getting. KWIM? I always point out hills, mountains, valleys, islands, piedmonts (as best I can) and more... but, I feel this is lacking. So, does anyone use a supplement for geography? If so what do you use? What do you like or dislike about the program? Thanks!

Oh no! I was hoping and praying that they would find the little boy alive.

I just want to offer :hug: for the bladder sling. A simple surgery is never simple, is it? That is dreadful, about your gall bladder. I have to do this quite often... *sigh*

Don't feel badly! We do too! :) We inspect it for anything that might be suspicious and then let them have at it. It might help that we only trick or treat inside of our neighborhood (still 250 houses... LOL)

Take a mini break. :) For a few weeks, go completely off beat. Exploring nature,museums, etc. Learn by living. :) Hopefully that will bring your enthusiasm back. Good luck! Also, remember you need a break ever now and again to avoid burnout!

My girlies have a lot of chemical sensitivities, so I just feel better buying the raw material and doing it myself. :) Plus, I like to work with wood. It isn't about saving money but about being proactive on their health. :) We aren't very fond of plastic materials. At this point the most plasticy things in the house are appliances/computers! *snickers* We have been in the middle of upgrading all of our storage containers so they only have a plastic top, but a metal bottom, etc. :)

Fortunately, we haven't turned our heat on yet! :) Just once, for testing but not for actually heating. We did our testing the first cool wave we had come through. I don't want to be freezing because when we do need it, it won't work. :) KWIM? So far it has dropped to 55 in our house. It isn't uncomfortable though.... :) We just don't wear tank tops and shorts in the winter like we used to! LOL :) We have more blankets as well. Last year we purchased a wood stove/heater and we plan on using it when needed during the day. ;) For 80 dollars I can get two pickup truck loads delivered and stacked. That normally does us for two months or so. :) If the kiddos start shivering, we will turn the heat on. :D I am not going to let them get sick, but oddly enough the cooler we keep the house the less germies we have going around. It works pretty well here. :)

I am going to give it a go next week! Any tips? My friend told me to pick up some trim at home depot and to use a wood burner to score the markings for all the blocks that are bigger than 1. :) Any tips or advice before hand? Thanks!

This is very intriguing.... I will have to try and remember to stay away from that name!

Firstly, don't take what I say the wrong way. I offer my two cents for what it is worth and nothing more. :D This is a very important decision, not only for your son but for your entire family. We believe in letting the child mature, as you said you do. There are ways to help a child 'train' their impulse controls and their behavior. :) My youngest daughter is on the autistic spectrum so I can tell you that it is a hard road traveled. We were offered numerous pharmaceuticals when she was younger, but we declined and decided a child psychologist was the best option for our family. We also did a ton of therapy! :) It will get better in time, but it is a lot of work. Some children actually benefit from the use of Ritalin. If you have a university near you that will do a brain wave study, that is what I would do. :) From what I understand children that will benefit from Ritalin or other similar medications have a distinct brain wave abnormality that can help identify them. I am sorry if I wasn't much help. I tried to offer advice, but remain as pc as possible. :D That is hard to do!

Okay, I am completely ignorant on the subject as we never had this in school growing up. :) I am already learning more than I know with a first grader and a third grader, OH MY HEAVENS! LOL :) So, my question is this: I am teaching the girls about Greek Gods & Goddesses, but there are a LOT of them. Which ones do I hone in on? Which ones would be a good base so when we return to this time period we can build more? Same thing with the Roman Gods/Goddesses. :) TIA!

Thanks for linking that! :) That is the gentleman I was speaking of! :) I was simply trying to lighten the mood. I don't like the fact that this is coming down to racial backgrounds and fears. :( I wish it was more about the candidates and what they stand for. :(

... I don't think that anyone is saying so and so shouldn't run because of their race/religion/etc.... I have thought about the rioting and it is a very real possibility. :( It is sad, but it could happen. Let's think about this, we know most people in America today are tolerant but there is that small fraction of people that never will be. Our family is a melting pot (Irish, African Americans, Pacific Islanders, Chinese, Mexican, etc.) and we all worry about this together. So I know that it isn't just limited to one ethnic group panicking. I am just saying that so you understand I am not racist... I love all colors...Even the people that are tinged blue due to an incident with Silver. :) LOL! What happens if Obama is elected and one of those in tolerant people go to 'handle ' the situation. All heck will break loose. KWIM? I don't think they are saying they are intolerant or that he shouldn't run. They are just wondering the what ifs. I think it will be a big problem no matter who wins unfortunately. :(

:bump: :D Thanks.

LOL! I am trying to setup a wired network but failing miserably.... :( I have a Linksys RTP300 Router that has 2 voip ports and 4 ethernet ports. We have the cat 5 cable ran, so that part is great. My problem is that I don't know what settings to change on my LINKSYS admin page. What do I put for dns, subnets, do I need to change access privileges, etc..... I would be truly appreciative of any help offered! :) Thanks!

See, that is exactly what I would do!

Oh, I homeschool my two littles. It isn't an option to hs him, though it may be in the future. :) Right now, I am just doing what I can. KWIM? I posted an ot thread about it on the general board because I wanted this to stay curricula based. :D He has a 44. I can't talk with the teachers just yet, but we are working on it. :D So, right now I am as blind as everyone else. :) I really want to bring up his writing/grammar. I can help him with reading so I am not so concerned with that. :) Thanks in advance for all the tips, and the ones already given.

I agree with Erin! I am so glad that everyone is okay! :grouphug:

I think we all feel this way, in some way or another. Our homeschooling items literally take up 30 percent of our home and shelving. My sewing hobby, okay fabric addiction, takes up 60 percent of the shelving and about another 30 percent of the home. :) The rest of the shelving is cookbooks and pleasure reading. :) I would kill for a large library here at home. Oh, the joys I would have! :d Sorry, I didn't mean to go off on a tangent. We all go through organizing troubles, just take a deep breath and declutter one room at a time. That is what I have to do. LOL :D

I don't have one that I read every day, except for the Bettendorfs. That is only when I get a chance to log on though. :) We are without cable, so the only time I get on is when my neighbor lets me hijack their wireless. *snickers*

That is great! Once in awhile you can find the older styles marked down to 5.99 each at Final Markdown! ;)

:) Just curious because I have noticed that some people do. It seems that some people may not. I feel like there is no sense in issuing a grade for a day. Does that make sense? They do turn in a certain number of assignments per week. I do grade those and keep up with their weekly averages. :) I don't do 'report cards' since I don't need to communicate the grade with the parent... lol kwim?

They can be used as manipulatives for addition, subtraction and multiplication problems. :D They can be used to learn place values. There is a great Cuisenaire multiplication lapbook on Hannah's group, but I am not sure if it is color coded to your exact set. :) You can also use them for sorting/classifying.

My son is probably at least a year behind, if not more. He goes to public school and is having a lot of trouble. I tend to try to pull him up (I hope I can.). Can anyone suggest a good remedial LA program for him? His reading level is Grade five month 2. TIA!

Well, our stores don't go on a particular schedule! Ugh! LOL Also, the told me that the color tag is changed daily but that it really isn't worth timing the cycle because ANYTHING could be red (clothes, electronics, etc). They mark all items that come in today with blue. In three or four days blue will be on sale. So, I could find a shirt I like but don't want to pay 6 something for and find a shirt that I don't like/doesn't fit for 6 that has a sale tag... No wonder I am so confused by this store!