Didn't read the other replies, didn't look it up... I believe it means 'drink', and I think it's used ofthen to refer to alcoholic drinks, tho I'm not sure the actual defintion limits the usage to just alcoholic drinks. Off to look it up and read the rest of the replies...:tongue_smilie:

Thanks for the opinion, Sandy. I see, from reading this forum, that Singapore seems to be quite popular. But I've wondered about R&S as well. Problem is, I've never seen anything other than CLE in real life, and it's hard for me to really get a feel for things by looking at samples on the web. And I really hate the idea of ordering three different math curriculums, knowing that I'll most likely only use one. :glare: Is that what other people do? I mean, I guess I could resell the ones I don't use. But I'm afraid it may raise my dh's blood pressure. :) I'm hoping that, at the local used curriculum sale next month, I'll get to see a lot of new things in person, and get a better feel for what we like. Zee is even excited about going!

Quite helpful, thank you. :) I did read a review that said Singapore does not cover money, time, and something else that I forget at this moment. Is that your experience, or did the US edition cover those things? I think the CWP is something Zee would really enjoy, so thanks for the input on that, too. Sorry for all the questions; I LOVE math, as does Zee, so I just want to do the best for him.

:lurk5: I'm always asking Zee if he checked his work before I do. Then if I find something wrong, he always says 'Oh, yeah, I thought that might be wrong'. :glare:

Thanks Janice! I found the CWP books. But for the main curriculum, is it better to use Primary Mathmatics US Edition, or Primary Mathmatics Standard Edition?

I'm checking out that site right now. So, would 1A and 1B be the first and second semesters of first grade? Also, does each semester have a workbook and a textbook? And lastly, is the teacher's manual necessary?

I didn't know; thanks for posting! :)

Um, yeah. I kinda could've written your post. No advice, just know that there's others in the same boat. :grouphug:

Zee is about to finish up CLE math level 200; we're on the last lightunit. It's been working great for us, but there's lots of extra stuff in it that Zee just doesn't need. Math is his strongest subject, and pretty much the first time I explain a new concept to him, he 'gets' it. In fact, he's figured out a lot of stuff that I've never even taught him. He just understands math, kwim? Gets how it all works. Anyway, we've been doing 2 lessons a day of CLE, because I cross out about half of each lesson. It's a spiral approach, so there's lots of review. He's also supposed to do flash cards and a timed drill every day. I let him drop the timed drill; he just doesn't need the review. He was getting so bored with math when we did all of one lesson a day. Even moving twice as fast, he still has like a 95% grade average (from the tests and quizes). Not that I want him to do poorly. :) Just sayin' that it still seems like it's too easy and/or not moving as fast as he'd like. From what I understand, there's both 'spiral' and 'mastery' math curriculum. I believe I've read that Rod and Staff is 'mastery'. But I've also heard others complain about the amount of problems that are given for each new concept; that there is just too much. Is there anything between 'spiral' and 'mastery'? Or is that a stupid question, LOL! So is there something better that I could be using? I mean, we're happy with our new system, but it seems, I don't know; wasteful? I mean, I just think he'd like to be moving even faster. He LOVES learning new stuff in math, and I feel like the curriculum is holding him back a bit. Does this make any sense, LOL? Can anyone suggest anything? I've never even seen any other homeschool math curriculum IRL. I'm going to my first used homeschool book sale next month (I'm so excited!). Oh, and I don't necessarily need a Christian math curriculum. While it's nice, it's not one of the subjects where I think it really matters, you know?

Also wanted to add that I totally agree with this. I mean, I should be able to tell grandma all the neat stuff Zee is learning. I should be able to brag that he can add two digit numbers in his head, or that he knows what a verb is, or that he can define 'hypocrite'. But I can't, and that stinks. But I never discourage Zee from sharing with anyone. We just explain that he might know stuff that other kids his age don't, and other kids may know stuff that he doesn't. But that we never make fun of anyone for any of that. And you know what he says? :001_huh: Never even crossed his mind to do that. Now if only all the adults could be that loving...

JoAnn, I'm so sorry. :grouphug: I get similar comments; however, my comments are from my mil, passed through my dh. Recently, she said 'That's great that Bethany can make Zee smarter than the other kids. But he needs to go to public school so he can have friends'. :001_huh: Really? Ugh. This is the same mil, mind you, who has never ONCE asked ONE question about homeschool or what other ativities we're involved in. Not ONCE. And I make a POINT of never having Zee 'brag' about how smart he is; he has a cousin that is just one week older than him. This cousin is in Kindergarten, and does not read yet. Zee started reading at 3. Zee simply does not CARE, and neither do I. My nephew is a sweet kid, and I never want to make him feel 'compared' to Zee. But, alas, the rest of the family does. Again, UGH. I'm sorry other people don't understand that most homeschoolers just try to 'meet their children where they are', so to speak. Just know that there are plenty of moms here who DO understand. :grouphug:

Praying right now...

:grouphug: I'm sure we've all been there; I know I have. But that doesn't make it any easier, does it. :grouphug: I try to remind myself that my dh does not rank my appearance as the most important thing about me. Is it important to him? I'm sure it is. But not most important.

This sounds like what I'm looking for; where would I have him take a test like this? I don't even know where to start looking...

Mmmm Hmmm, I like that. It's so true for me. I've always felt that way. I'll check out that link; thanks Joanne.

Thank you. :blush:

So as I sit here typing this, I am wearing a pair of jeans that hasn't seen the light of day in YEARS. :party: I have lost 26 pounds since the first of the year. We got the kids a Wii Fit for Christmas, and that was the last straw. Seeing my Mii, all big and bloated; how sad. The Lord had been dealing with me for a while about my weight. I needed to get some self-control, and to set a good example for my boys. I made sure they eat healty, but for some reason, I didn't hold myself to the same standard. Anyway, it was just time, ykmiw? I'm tired of being fat. I want to be a good mom and wife, in all respects. And this was one area that I was not doing my best in. I've struggled with weight and eating habits since childhood; I eat for comfort. But the Lord is my Comforter now! I'm just so thrilled! So, I made a commitment to eating healthy, and being active. And it's been fantastic so far. I mean, it's hard work, but I feel great! My dh is so supportive. He never had a negative thing to say about my appearance, but he's enjoying the change, ya know? And I've been learning loads about how to eat healthy, which of course rubs off on dh and kids, since I do the cooking. It's just been great. I've got 19 more pounds to lose, then I'll be back to my weight that I was when I got pregnant with Zee. (Um, yeah, I realize that means I've been carrying baby weight for almost 6 years, but let's not talk about the past. :tongue_smilie:) I'm just so happy, and excited, and I feel great. And I KNOW that there are others on here going through the same thing. So please, share your story, tell us what you're doing...

Ok, first of all, I realize some people don't do standardized testing for their kids. And hey, that's great. I don't really want to debate that. I have decided that I'd like to have Zee tested. I'd like to know what 'grade' level he is at for each of the subjects. He will be six next week, and is generally doing second grade level work. But I'd just like to get a better picture of where he is, kwim? My question is, HOW do I do this? I'm fairly new to homeschooling, and don't have ANY irl homeschool friends. So I really feel at a loss sometimes. I recently got a Christian Liberty Press catalog, and they offer the California Achievement Test (1970 edition). Is this a good way to go? The price is only $25. It says that I would administer the test at home, then send it in and they would send results. Has anyone done this before? How helpful is it? I would prefer to administer the test to him myself; our state has no regulations regarding homeschooling, and I would just prefer to do it myself instead of taking him somewhere to be tested. If you have any other test to recommend, or advice, or things NOT to do, I'm all ears. But if I could ask, please tell me the name of the test and where to get it; all the abbreviations can be very confusing for a newbie. :blush:

Well, it just so happens that your timing couldn't be better. We just returned from grocery shopping for the next two weeks. :001_smile: PB&J string cheese crackers stawberries/bananas/apples/pears/cantaloupe/pineapple/oranges carrot and celery sticks pretzels teddy grahams (I know, I know. But moooooooom, they're on sale!:glare:) yogurt tuna on toast with romaine lettuce (my personal favorite) So where's the picnic? :auto:

Oh YAY! How exciting! Glad to hear it is going well. :001_smile:

I haven't seen the movie. But a two second google search told me that the move is rated R. If anyone showed any of my chilren any movie rated R, they would never be left in charge of my child again. Period.

I asked Zee, and he also said A is red. How interesting. He also gave colors for other letters. He said it's because that's what color they are on the Leapfrog Videos. I'm not sure if he's right, I haven't checked yet. But he also gave me colors for some numbers, and we don't have the Leapfrog Math video. It was so cute; when I asked him what color A is, he just said, all matter of fact, 'Red'. My dh was like, um, what in the world are you guys talking about? I don't have this color association, but somehow I just knew my ds5 would. Zee's got lots of 'quirks'. ETA: And Dawn, he says that J is purple. :)

Far as I can tell, it's totally harmless. My 12 year old step son plays the free version online; his friend from across the street introduced him to it. And we're very careful about entertainment we let our kids use. But, I'd love to know if anyone has anything 'negative' they've found about it; you never can be too safe... :bigear: