I'm a former teacher, and I wasn't surprised in the least by the behavior of these kids.

I'm so sorry, Joanne. :(

I thought of something today that reminded me of this thread. 3.5 years ago I changed my diet because of physical health problems (thyroid disease, arthritis, and more). I went both gluten- and yeast-free, which meant that I basically cut out processed foods at the same time (I also avoid preservatives, food dyes, etc.). I'm very sensitive to chemicals, so I avoid synthetic chemicals, including fragrances, as much as possible, too. These changes greatly improved my physical health. I was able to wean completely off thyroid meds after being on them for ten years (I have Hashimoto's disease), and I rarely have arthritis flare-ups anymore (I always know the trigger when I do). In addition to these benefits, I saw an enormous improvement in my mental health. I don't have depression for no reason like I did in the past, and more important for my family, I don't "lose it" over small things. Besides the changes I already mentioned, I should add that I also take probiotics, which have been shown to reduce depression and anxiety. I began taking probiotics before the study discussed in the article to which I linked even came out, but now I'm really glad that I did. Others mentioned fish oil, which I think is also a good idea. I haven't found a fish oil that I can tolerate, and I'm allergic to flax seed, so I haven't been able to take extra Omega 3s. However, by changing my diet, I'm getting more of the good fats than I did before anyway.

Thanks so much! I was thinking the same thing! LOL

Make sure she understands that this is only true if one or both of the fractions are not improper fractions.

Dawn, this is awesome! Have you estimated how much all the materials will end up costing?

allearia, this is for older kids, so it probably isn't what you're looking for, but I recently got this book to use with my son (he's an upcoming 8th grader). I've looked through it a bit, and so far I'm very impressed. I'm not going to rush through it; I'll probably take at least two years to go through it. The author is supposed to be coming out with a New Testament version, which I hope happens. The Old Testament for Teens: A Guide to Critical Issues and Perspectives This (well, the original version from the 60s) is what my aunt had when I was a kid, and I used to love to read the stories. I'm not Christian, but I think I'll order one for myself and my son.

I totally agree with the others that you should contact the credit card company.

I personally would start with a counselor and then go from there. Then again, I'm leery of meds. (I won't get into why at the moment.) Having said that, are you sure meds would ruin his career? My brother-in-law is retired military, and I'm almost positive he was on meds for bipolar disorder for about the last five years of his military career.

I'm happy for both you and your daughter! As someone who struggled to get through school (especially college) because of depression, I'm so glad to hear that she graduated. If I had not gone to a small college with very caring faculty and staff, I would never have gotten my degree. Despite being a top student throughout both high school and college, though, I didn't pursue a higher degree; I decided that my mental health was more important. On the plus side, 20+ years later I found that changing my diet has helped me a lot.

Keeping the family in my thoughts.

That looks interesting! Dh is fluent in Spanish. He is hispanic, and he grew up speaking Spanish and and English equally. He's not even sure what his first language truly was, but he thinks it was Spanish. Unfortunately, though, he hasn't been good about speaking Spanish to ds, and he isn't very helpful with homeschooling, so this is an area where I'm going to need help when ds hits high school (he's an upcoming 8th grader).

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/ There are lots of different games on that site, but we do a lot of the geography games.

No, because the only error is in the punctuation of the sentence. The prepositional phrase in question modifies the verb no matter what.

Awesome! Thanks!

I agree with this. It's good to vary where adverbial prepositions are placed, and I'd be glad that he was doing this. I would just help him with correct punctuation.

Donna, I'm so sorry you got scammed. I'm another one with an upcoming 8th grader—only I'll be 46 in July!

This looks really interesting. Thanks!

There doesn't seem to be a consensus on how many kingdoms there are and what to call them. What do you teach, and what resources do you use?

In my experience, grammar is like math in that you have to keep using it, or you lose it. I prefer to do a little grammar every year, reviewing what was learned the previous year, and adding on more and more each year. This is the way we were taught when I was in school (I graduated from high school in 1984), and the majority of us remembered it. You can't pack it all into a couple of years and expect most kids to remember it and apply it to their writing.

We're using the 1973 Dolciani Pre-algebra book this year, and I love it. It's the same pre-algebra book I used when I was in school. However, I have a bad mold allergy, and the old smell gets to me. Therefore, most likely I'll be using a newer Dolciani algebra book next year. I already own a 1981 Algebra: Structure and Method, Book One, Teacher's Edition, along with the Solutions Manual. I also have the 1983 Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 books (these have the same authors as the 1973 Pre-algebra book). I'll probably end up going with the 1983 Algebra 1 book, but I haven't decided for sure.

That particular one is the only one I know of with a readily available answer key; it was really intended for ninth grade. We're using the "first course" (1982 edition), but I don't have an answer key. Last year we used the "introductory course" (1988 edition), but I didn't have an answer key for it, either.

Awwwww. I'm so happy to read this!

I'll add another vote for Okaloosa Island.

Well, you heathener! ;) My aunt called my cousin, K, a heathen, and K was offended. Well, she looked up the word and figured out that it was actually quite accurate. LOL (Like me, K is actually atheist, and I think I'm the only one she has told.)