I don't understand why -- parallel timeline or not -- Desmond was on the plane! He wasn't on the plane in the first place. He was in the hatch, pushing the button. Many, many questions...but it made for interesting viewing! :lurk5:

Not snowing yet near Fredericksburg, Virginia, but we're under a winter storm warning. I don't think it's supposed to start until tomorrow morning.

My rising 6th grader will be using Lial's Basic College Math next year, which is a Pre-Algebra course. What I'm planning on doing is having him complete the course over 2 years. It's a very large book, and as another poster mentioned, a college level text, so he'll be doing Chapters 1-5 in 6th and Chapters 6-10 in 7th. That way, he'll move into Algebra I in 8th grade.

Manual labor is a great motivator in our house. :D Without an education, there are several jobs that you can look forward to when you grow up. One is maid service. I've had my kids spend several days making beds, vacuum floors, cleaning windows, dusting, etc. It doesn't take long before they realize that doing this all day is much worse than doing school! Waitressing is another. My oldest was our waitress for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for several days when she was around 12 before she realized that standing on her feet and topping off our water glasses and dishing up the food wasn't exactly her cup of tea.

Like I'd be able to say anything remotely coherent if I was on the phone with George Clooney! :drool5:

Definitely already planning! Here's our plan: 6th Grader: Oak Meadow 6th Grade Package (English, History, Science) Lial's Basic College Mathematics Homeschool Art Classes with co-op Swim Team 11th Grader: Oak Meadow American Literature Lial's Intermediate Algebra Oak Meadow US History Oak Meadow Chemistry Driver's Education with Dad (Fall Semester) Practical Accounting Fundamentals (Spring Semester) Homeschool Art Classes with co-op Swim Team

English / History / Science / Art -- Oak Meadow 6th Grade Package Math -- Teaching Textbooks Math 7

We pay our oldest if we're going out for "couple time"...out to dinner or to a movie or something of that nature. Then we'll pay her $20 for the night (on average). But she doesn't get paid if I'm just going to the grocery store or the dentist's office, etc.

Yikes!!!! What a drop! :grouphug: We built ours during the 2005 housing frenzy, too. There are 25 houses in our neighborhood near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Most of them were $400,000 to $500,000 when they were built. 4 or 5 of them are in foreclosure and they're not selling...even though they're priced in the $200,000 range. Some of them have been empty for well over a year. It's not pretty...and I don't see any signs of improvement anytime soon.

My oldest son will be 19. He has Asperger's and I'm taking the high school years slowly with him. He should be in 10th grade, but he's doing 9th grade work and, according to our homeschool records with the county, he's in 9th grade. He also needs that extra year maturity-wise. (My oldest daughter graduated at 18 and my youngest son will graduate at 17, as he has a late September birthday. My youngest has been held back in public school and is repeating 1st grade, even though she should be in 2nd grade - she autism, and is more affected by it than my oldest son, so she probably won't go to college, but who knows?)

I'm healthy - frugal - convenient. We have tons of food allergies in our family so health comes first and organic / allergen-free doesn't come cheap! But I try to save where I can on the things that we're not allergic to, like fruit, vegetables, and meat. Convenience...ha! Most convenience foods contain allergens, so they're not convenient for us as we can't eat them! ;)

F-O-O-T-B-A-L-L!!!! :party: We'll make fresh pizzas later. Right now, we're rooting for Auburn! War Eagle! :D

I think he'd appreciate it more if you wait until he's older. I think it's a great read for ages 10 and up. I read the series for the first time when I was around 12 and have been a Tolkien fan ever since.

We just finished a family Monopoly game - the 15yo was the winner. Now we're watching Virginia Tech in the Chick Fil A Bowl Game -- GO HOKIES!!! We'll see who stays awake until midnight (the youngest is already asleep!)

I would just let her wear pull-ups for now until she feels comfortable. My youngest will be 8 next month. She's autistic, while she will pee in the toilet, she won't poop in the toilet. She wears Goodnights (as the Pull-ups brand no longer fits her as well) at night and when we go out in public, because she has an aversion to unfamiliar bathrooms (it's a whole sensory thing for her). At school and at home, she wears underwear. When she needs to poop, she'll get a Goodnight and put it on and then bring me the wipes to be changed. I know she'll get there eventually. It's been a very long journey and we're *almost* there....just not quite!

My youngest is in public school. She has autism and, to be quite honest, she's a full-time job! Someone has to know where she is at all times because she wanders into trouble very easily. Because she's in school all day, I'm able to homeschool our two boys. I'm open to the idea of bringing her home at some point .. perhaps when she's older.

My pediatrician carries the Nordic Naturals, so I pick it up there. But I believe you can find it at Kirkman Lab. http://www.kirkmanlabs.com

My 7yo loves the lemon flavored cod liver oil liquid from Nordic Naturals. There's a peach one, too, but she prefers the lemon. I pour it into a little plastic medicine cup (the ones that come with liquid cold medicine) and add a little pear juice to fill it to the top and she drinks it down without a problem -- and this is a child who hates to take medicine!

I have four children and my youngest will be 8 next month. WE ARE DONE! :D

As far as I know, there isn't a TT Math 8. It goes straight from TT Math 7 to TT PreAlgebra

I would visit in person and just ask to speak to someone about dual enrollment. I would type up a simple transcript and bring it along with me. Our community college also has the "must be a Junior in high school" disclaimer, but that's predominantly meant for public schooled dual enrollment students. For homeschoolers, as long as they can pass the placement tests, they're in. They've had students as young as 10 and 12 take classes there. My oldest took her placement tests when she was 15 and took her first class at 16.

Not yet! Our family Christmas party is this afternoon. My kids usually receive great presents....my only issue is with my youngest. She has autism and her interests are still in the preschool arena (Dora the Explorer, Yo Gabba Gabba, Blue's Clues, etc.) even though she'll be 8 next month. So things like Barbie, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, and other things that interest the other 7 to 8 year old girls in our extended family aren't going to hold any interest at all for her. This year, I sent along a list of her favorite things and interest level when we were making the Christmas party arrangements via email....hopefully it will help this year! We'll see!

I got a diamond double-heart necklace. It's from Zales' eternity collection and a part of the proceeds benefits Autism Speaks. It's beautiful. :)

Legos are always a hit here with my 10yo son!! He got 3 building sets from the Pirates collection and has been putting them together all morning! Another favorite is Guitar Hero Van Halen. It was at the top of his Christmas list! :D

Merry Christmas! :D It's just after 6am here! I'm up...waiting for the kids to wake up. The calm before the frenzy! :lol: