If your body doesn't feel well doing it, I'd take something like a fiber bar or small sandwich to your room the night before. Then in the morning, wake up, eat it, and get moving.

Yeah, the appropriate time to decide about senior-year math is around junior-year time. By then she'll have a lot more narrowed down. If she gets algebra and geometry and algebra 2 finished, she can make up her mind and change it anytime up to and including the beginning of senior year.

I'm friends with my first boyfriend ever, but the breakup was pretty amicable (think along the lines of "I'm joining the military and we're both too young") and he's happily married to someone else. I congratulate them on pics of their kids occasionally. They're pretty cute.

Does it have to be dinosaurs specifically? I think that her interest in dinosaurs could very easily be tied in to a historical geology class which would sound much more traditional and still have a large focus on dinosaurs. This would have the advantage that you could easily get a ready-made textbook and laboratory manual.

Lovely. I also was trying to think of how to say that until Jann summed it up.

And if she insists on paying for the buffet and you go for fruit or vegetables, at least go for the expensive out-of-season ones :D I do this and say "Gosh! This is great! I never get _____ at home!"

If she's paying and insists on the buffet, go and take steamed veggies and a small quantity of grilled chicken and let her have the buffet.

I think jumping and filling gaps sounds like the right plan here.

Jenny, if you can't afford that but like the premises, you might consider the free "no S diet" if you haven't already. It also focuses on learning how to intuitively eat in moderation rather than on counting calories or cutting out whole swathes of food. I use a minor variation for maintenance myself. http://www.nosdiet.com/

VT's scope and sequence is different from a traditional sequence, so if you only cover the first half of their algebra you will be missing important parts of a standard algebra 1 course. By the end of their algebra you've covered everything from algebra 1 and 2 with the exception of trigonometry (included in some algebra 2 courses). It isn't a problem if you do algebra 1 and 2 there, but it is a major issue if you change curricula between algebra 1 and 2. This would apply especially for someone who's going to take algebra 2 in a class rather than at home. It is like changing in/out of MUS elementary in comparison with a sequence such as Saxon that does some of everything each year.

History and Science are ideal subjects to block imo.

Good idea, being able to report and have positive feedback is a great motivator.

I don't have a specific program recommendation, but when you do pick one, I want to add: The first thing I'd recommend is working every day -- this increases retention as well -- and don't take holidays unless they're really important. Make math part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth. I'd consider this superior to trying to double up on lessons.

Ok! Now your concerns make a lot more sense! After CLE 600 it would be possible to move to a solid pre-algebra, but if your gut instinct is saying that it would be better to work through CLE 700/800 I would do so. Starting algebra in 9th grade is totally fine. She should work on math year-round until she is on track for 4 credits of high school math, including algebra 1, algebra 2, geometry, and an elective (the elective is not necessary to determine now -- if she continues her interest in psychology/psychiatry my personal favorite option would be to dual enroll for college algebra in the fall/college statistics in the spring). Just in case she does not, though, if she is not ready for algebra 1 by high school, though, she is not. It is better for her scores on college entrance exams and on college math classes to be solid on algebra 1 and geometry than to have rushed through more advanced classes, have them appear on her transcript, and still do poorly on SAT/ACT and end up in remedial math. Keep meeting her where she is and working year-round. She should be fine.

Doing MM on grade level is absolutely fine.

The biggest pitfall is in quitting completely. I have found that I can afford a lot of slack if I weigh myself daily. I use a spreadsheet to track my daily weights and calculate a rolling 7-day average with dropped outliers. If the average goes up a bit, I know I need to get a little more strict. This takes about 60 seconds of my morning (add last weight, drag-and-drop formula).

Fattening food as gifts -- see if you can find someone you know is struggling, or a local college student who is far from home, and give it to them. That way it will not be going to waste and it will not be going to waist either. Alternatively, plastic wrap it and freeze individual portions. Food in front of you at parties -- Try very hard to sit away from the food. Face in a different direction. It's still incredibly challenging but it's slightly easier if you can't see it. Also, go to a party in pants/a skirt with a tight non-elastic waistband (use a belt if necessary) so that you can't eat until your belly bulges. Soups -- focus on broth-based soups rather than cream-based soups, and include massive quantities of soupy vegetables, especially non-starchy ones. Stews -- go easy on the starches as well. Add more celery, onions, sweet potatoes, and carrots, less potatoes, and don't eat it with large portions of pasta, rice, or dumplings.

Pretty much any Marguerite Henry book but be aware that the Mustang: Spirit of the West book involves some pretty sad stuff about horse slaughtering. Black Gold also had a pretty sad ending. The Black Stallion books are fine but get quite formulaic after a while. The first several are great. Walter Farley wrote some other books as well -- The Horse Tamer is pretty cool. The books by Will James involve a lot of horses -- the two I have are Flint Spears and Smoky the Cowhorse. My Friend Flicka and Thunderhead would also be pretty cool. I think the third one in the series is a little more mature and I never liked it until I hit puberty. The Horse and His Boy was my favorite of the Narnia series just because of the horse. The Billy and Blaze books might also suit. If he likes horse books, how about dog books? The ____ Red books by Jim Kjelgaard were nice books involve a boy, his dog, and some wilderness survival. The collie series by Albert Payson Terhune are also very enjoyable. Not really the best quality literature but really convey a love of the dogs. Bruce has some pretty crude anti-German stereotypes -- remember that it was written by an American during the first world war, and discuss accordingly. I can't think of another with those stereotypes but I might be misremembering as it has been a while. If I think of more I'll come back. I really loved books about animals as a child. :)

I refuse to count but I consider them professional expenses. I also collect old university math textbooks. :D

Skipping and cycling back is a very useful skill to learn for future math classes as well. It's something my college students at ALL levels struggle with.

Caddie Woodlawn and Magical Melons.

It actually sounds kinda like this MIT course -- http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/earth-atmospheric-and-planetary-sciences/12-007-geobiology-spring-2013/ -- why not call it Geobiology?

It's not checked as part of my health assessment -- I looked. I kinda wish it were but I don't care enough to make them start including it. And to answer the original question, I wouldn't worry. Even if it were high you are doing all the right things to get it down.

You know, I clicked ready to say "NOPE NOPE NOPE" but on reading the actual post ... maybe yes! Here's why I say that: 1) It is not going to cost him money. 2) His denomination accepts it. 3) If he wants to do a PhD and they do not accept the coursework, it will just mean that he has to either challenge it (depending on their rules) or re-take it. In either case, having had the coursework is very unlikely to hurt him. 4) It is not going to cost him money. Yes, I listed that twice. I would NOT pay for an unaccredited degree unless I really had the money to throw away.

If the kid really is that advanced and ready, DE after passing both APs is the most likely option for PS. But I agree with you that in most cases it's not the best idea.