I haven't pretended. Dh is always good about me saving a meal for another night. Sometimes he is craving something in particular and I really am not big into cooking. It's a win all around.

Same here. My kids love their stuffed animals. They are very real to them. I try to discourage any more coming into the house though.

How old were you Michelle when you started? I had just turned 12. I recently found out that in my dh's family the girls start at 11. I made sure to prepare my dd since she was 10. Nothing big, just a few chats and hugs. BTW, I was extremely irregular for years, not sure how other girls' cycles were. Your dd may not get it monthly for a while. Hugs to you.

I think choir is an excellent choice. Many voice teachers won't take kids this young. Choir has helped both my kids immensely and they love it.

You need a "Don't buy, don't sell" policy. I am very anti-fundraiser here. It's out of control.

No. I wouldn't chance it.

Go buy yourself that LED thingamajig. I will spend money on my dh and kids that I won't spend on myself, and that's just wrong. So, please, give me a thrill and get yourself what you want/need. :)

We are always coming and going as well. When we really sit down and eat together though it is hysterical. Lots of talking, usually quizzing each other on whatever we are studying - the kids are more into it than us parents. Its just so much fun and makes me smile. We should probably work on our manners more though, I've seen more than one of my children shout out an answer with food in their mouths. I hate to scold them though when they are so enthusiastic. Plus, we are making great memories.

Hmmm, we are Church-on-Sunday Christians. Actually, often we are family-devotional-at-home Christians, too. I think anything you do to bring you into a closer relationship with God is wonderful. Its really all about relationship with God and it doesn't have to be a formal tradition, but those are good, too, so don't think those of us that only go once a week are any less for it. I've found a closer walk from actually pulling away some from a lot of organized meetings.

Sure would.

Are they planning on updating their LL high school guides soon?

Hewitt has the LL courses for high school out already. They are sold by semester packs. Have you visited the Hewitt site? http://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/book/blight.asp

My ds is just finishing up the 8th grade course. We jumped into that one because he was a reluctant writer and I just wasn't following through with adequate writing instruction. 8th grade is foundational and they covered most of the different types of essays. Most of the essays are revised twice and our teacher is very good at giving detailed critiques of work while also being very encouraging. I don't know much about the essay workshop. They have goals and objectives as well as well as a complete syllabus on their website. They usually evaluate the student from their first assignment and work from there. My son started in the fall and it wasn't until January that he started spitting out good essays in a timely manner. I was so tickled. Feel free to contact Don Myhill or even your son's teacher. I was discouraged at first and sent her a message. She was very helpful. I think Write@home is particularly good for the reluctant writer or mom that can't seem to follow through with writing instruction. That was my weakness as a teacher and so I'm very glad to be using a program that keeps us both accountable and really catches errors I might not have. If your son needs help with essays I think Write@home will definitely help. Post again when the quarter is up and tell me how its worked out for him.

I'm glad to hear about LL not being as workbook-like. I'm including vocabulary & grammar review as well. Maybe I'll feel more comfortable about my plan when I see the high school LL version in person. Thanks.

I am planning on using Lightning Lit American Literature, both semesters and also Write@home. This may be 1 1/2-2 hours of work a day. It seems like this will be a lot but thorough. We did 8th grade LL & Write@home this year and his writing really improved. I'm having to cut some of the worksheets out of LL because its just too much to do in a day and get everything else done. Does this look like a reasonable course load? Any other ideas out there for English composition and literature? I'm very open to other's experiences and opinions. Is there a better option for literature out there that is more analysis and reading and less worksheet-like? I'm trying really hard to educate this incredible kid that is a very motivated student without burning him out. He's more a math and science kid, too, if that helps.

Laurel, I googled the incident. These girls are from a violent family and have a violent past. I'm sure you know this. If these girls don't get more than a slap on the wrist they may kill someone next time. I sympathize with you and your dh's situation. I'm so very sorry.

I have not. I visited a local professional organizers website and she charges $100 an hour. I'm willing to pay someone $20 an hour but not $100 an hour. I ended up solving my own problem anyway but I'd love to use someone in that capacity when I get stuck.

I'm supposed to organize them? Uh, oh.

We love the Black Warriors but they are soft and need to be sharpened often. The Ticonderogas are good if they aren't a defective batch where the lead falls out all the time. Those are the best.

Piano, especially if he's being taught music theory covers a lot of music. It really is incredible how much they learn. Throw in some composer study and classical music cds and your child is really getting an excellent musical education. I love it.

I think the tide may be turning. I know 2 principals whose wives homeschool their kids. There are just oodles of public school and private school teachers that homeschool.

I lived through this with my dd, too. Both my older kids tend towards perfectionism. My dd though had it bad. We butted heads in piano and schoolwork. She had meltdowns with her teacher as well. You're handling it right. Most of it is talking, talking, talking when she is calmed down about how everyone makes mistakes, no one is perfect, we learn only through mistakes, etc. We talked about all the famous inventors and how very many failures they experienced - thousand of mistakes all put to good use. When she started to lose it I'd send her to her room to calm down. Then when she was calm we'd talk and go over whatever we were doing previously. It took time but with patience and maturity she got over it. So I would say most of it is maturity. Hang in there and keep loving, training, and talking to her. She will outgrow most of this behavior and will be far better adjusted from your hard work with her. :)

This has been happening since I was a kid. I remember in a middle school in OH, just outside Wright Patterson AFB where my dad was stationed a bunch of kids attacked and knifed my math teacher. They used to attack elderly ladies walking to the store, too. Its horrible and unexcusable but its not new. I wish it was. :(

No. If you're together & enjoying it that's all that matters. We've had our best times at Target shopping without kids.

I'm so sorry, Laurel.