I have to post to say that I also viewed my first graders journal work as a bunch of misspelled words on a page that I can hardly read but after my teacher conference last night I view it a lot differently. She pointed out to me how great her writing was (once you deciphered it)....example; the teacher read a story in the morning and my DD independently without a prompt made up a story of her own that mirrored the technique that the morning story used (can't remember the term but the author told a story, provided an opinion about it and ended by asking the reader a question). She also uses a lot of descriptive words and longer sentences ("I like red apples better than green and yellow." vs. "I like apples"). Stories had a beginning, middle, and an end with main ideas and supporting statements even though she has no idea what a main idea or supporting statement is. She also has been going back to add details and rewrite previous stories to make them better. The misspelled words really do drive me crazy but I do feel that she will eventually learn to spell better and I am proud of her writing. Just wanted to provide a possibly new perspective on it all....

You have to give them the e-mail address you use with paypal.

There are usually fiar books on ebay.

I am on PBS everyday....my computer is suddenly running very slow. I wonder if I have the viris.

I am not sure about the details but aren't AP classes an inexpensive way to get college credits? I think that you just have to pay a small class fee and pass the test. There was an article in the local paper that a high school senior took enough AP classes to get credit for 1.5 years of college. Again....I am not sure about how it works but I will definately be looking into it more.

My gyno. even told me before I scheduled the mammo that I would probably get a call back and not to freak out. (but I did freak a little bit!).

this always helped my daughter.

It was quick and easy. Just look at blue book value before you go so you know if you are getting a decent price.

Are you familiar with paperbackswap.com? It is very quick and easy to list. You don't make money but you earn credits that you can then use to request other books.

You can buy tickets from any Disney store in the U.S......no discount but you know it's legit and no waiting in lines once you get to Florida.

Here's a squidoo lens re: months and weeks for preschoolers/k'ers. http://www.squidoo.com/livingmath-months-weeks

I hate packing too! See if your condo has a washer/dryer and pack half the clothes for a week and just do some laundry. For me I'd rather do a few loads of laundry than have to pack, unpack, and pack up again a ton of clothes when we leave. We also rent the linens and towels - cost is very reasonable and you do not have to wash them before you return them. Also, I make a list of food/toiletries that I can shop for once I am there. (if you are coffee drinkers don't forget to get filters!) Hope this helps!