No great advice, other than prayers for you and your family at this time. My mom had lung cancer, but she was a smoker. Find the best doctor you can, and as elegantlion and others have said, don't worry about school now. :grouphug: :grouphug:

Yes, I completely understand your perspective on this and why you would take this route. One of my good friends from high school is dyslexic, but was diagnosed rather late in life. Had she been diagnosed earlier, it might have spared her years of unnecessary struggle through college. Once she was diagnosed, she also discovered books on CDs and tapes and her GPA soared, and she learned alternative study skills to conquer the same material that other students tackled through traditional note taking. I am happy to say that she now has a PhD in chemistry!

I do think there is some truth to the following part of the article: According to the skeptics of the findings, there is one other notable change: Today’s students are working with more efficient tools when they do finally sit down to study. They don’t have to bang out a term paper on a typewriter; nor do they need to wander the stacks at the library for hours, tracking down some dusty tome. “A student doesn’t need to retype a paper three times before handing it in,” said Heather Rowan-Kenyon, an assistant professor of higher education at Boston College. “And a student today can sit on their bed and go to the library, instead of going to the library and going to the card catalog.” But, as most of us here can recognize and appreciate, students should learn how to use a card catalog, how to use the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, how to spend time on a microfiche (if there even is such a thing any more) to do research. I know that the papers my daughter wrote for high school stipulated how many internet resources were allowed, and how many books were required. Still, it's not the same---it's a different world altogether. Ditto to the thoughts on a typewriter. Although I wouldn't want to go back, I have many memories of getting up in the wee hours of the night to type and re-type papers on a used Olivetti typewriter. (I also sometimes wonder if handy tools like Spell Check haven't led to a deterioration in spelling skills among some, or the sheer laziness that arises from not bothering to look words up in a dictionary--the book, not the online sources.) I will say that my oldest has the best study skills of my three, followed by my middle daughter. My oldest easily spent 3-4 hours a night studying---often quite a bit more. I think she will be well-prepared for college. When I was in college, I tried to schedule my classes with two hours in between each class, so that I could use that time in-between to study. I brought books to work so that I could study during my breaks, and studied on my days off. Having good study skills can take an average or above-average student a long way in school. ETA: One other thought I've had regarding studying which is done today and studying which was done years ago is the lack of note-taking. In the courses I've been taking, Power-Point presentations seem to be the rule, rather than the exception. Now, I really do believe Power-Point adds a lot to many classes, but I also think it's a good idea for students to know how to take good notes--in their own notebooks. Perhaps this is just me, but the old-fashioned method of having to listen to the teacher, think about what he/she is saying, analyze/synthesize the important points, and write them down into some sort of logical fashion into a notebook, greatly benefits the student. The physical process of copying down notes, often repeating/reading them aloud to myself, always helped me while studying for a test.

As a family, we went to the VP Teachers' Training Conference in Lancaster, PA, in 2005. We made a trip out of it--went to Gettysburg, Philadelphia, etc. I enjoyed the time by myself for a few days, attending various lectures and browsing through books. At that time, VP also had their Latin-in-a-Week course, and I think the next year they started the Omnibus-in-a-Week courses. Lately I've been wanting to go to one of these, but I noticed that this year all of the VP conferences are online, including the teacher's training courses. Since I'm getting certified to teach English, I had thought that spending time each summer at the Omnibus courses would be ideal, not only to further acquaint myself with excellent literature, but also to network and meet other educators. Now, I'm not sure whether or not to attempt one of these online. I can see the pros and minuses immediately, the biggest benefit, of course, being that doing the entire course online is much more economical. I know that sessions will be recorded and available online later on, only for those who register. However, I think if I were actually away---really away---I could not only focus better, but have that time to meet other people. Obviously, that won't be an option anymore--at least, not at this time. Has anyone tried one of these classes online before? If so, was it worthwhile?

True, but I would imagine in the case of the OP, she is well aware of her duties to teach her children about sex. What other parents do or don't do is their business and responsibility (or lack thereof). Most homeschooling parents whom I have personally met take their parenting responsibilities very seriously, including those touching this subject.

I haven't read all the other posts. Honestly---find a different pediatrician, one who shares your values. It is up to you to teach your children about sex, not the doctor.

If I could send my kids anywhere for a summer foreign language immersion camp, it would be at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Yes, from what I've heard, it's easier to go from classical Latin to ecclesiastical and Church Latin. By the time of Augustine, classical Latin was starting to evolve into the various modern-day Romance languages. And, that's not to say that ecclesiastical Latin is inferior in any way to classical Latin. After all, most of the early saints of the Church wrote in ecclesiastical Latin, and many of the great early humanists and other Church authors, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, wrote in ecclesiastical Latin. I would imagine that reading Aquinas's Summa Theologica in the original would be quite a feat. The differences in pronunciation between classical Latin and ecclesiastical Latin can be managed with some study. ETA: It's not my practice to comment on things which I've not personally studied, so I may well be speaking out of turn here. No, I have not studied Church Latin, but I have only heard (i.e., through readings in Wheelock's) that classical Latin evolved over time into the various Romance languages, and that the syntax also changed over time. So---take my comments with that understanding in mind.

You're right! She did! Well, my point is that I believe that reviving spoken classical Latin will help increase fluency and (hopefully) decrease fears associated with learning Latin. My online courses were excellent, and served their purpose inasfar as they definitely provided the strong grammatical base. I think hearing and attempting to speak Latin, as well as lots of reading, would provide more of a context, which I lacked, to some degree. My hope this summer is to spend some time in Lingua Latina and gain more of a fluency with reading/hearing spoken Latin, as LL does have the CD, with Hans Oerberg doing the readings.

Well, I have to admit that I'm speaking rather theoretically :D since I've not studied Latin via the natural method, which I believe Lingua Latina is intended to be. From what I understand, however, from other Latin enthusiasts, Lingua Latina does provide plenty of grammar as well, only I think it is learned more inductively. I did Latin via the normal grammar and translation method, and while the paradigms are planted more or less firmly in my brain, it is still very difficult for me to wrap my brain around the idea of actually speaking Latin. That is one reason why Lingua Latina appeals to me, or the idea of visiting one of these spoken Latin conventicula. From what I gather on these forums and from other friends, the difficulty of mastering Latin grammar is so intense as to become almost mysterious to some of them. Personally, I like the idea of both methods: maintaining a firm grasp on grammar and translation (the analytical method), while spending more time on practicing what I learned with others. My Latin was taken online, through the University of Georgia. They have a highly rated classics department, and the professor, Richard LaFleur, was truly a master. However, although I did practice paradigms, sentences, and translations aloud, it was not quite the same as being in a classroom environment. There was a give and take: since I live in a small town, no Latin is available anywhere near me. Really. So, I had this opportunity to study Latin online with a master, and much time was spent on grammar, but practice was difficult with others. I think the idea of the natural method is not so much a focus on abandoning grammar, but removing some of the inherent fear many experience when trying to master a language with three genders, five declensions, five (or sometimes seven) noun cases, six verb tenses, and all the permutations of active/passive or indicative/imperative/subjunctive. And, studying via the natural method may indeed depend upon how it's handled. I know some who are learning via Lingua Latina and speak very highly of Oerberg's method, and that is intriguing to me. Anyway, this may give some further explanation into my own personal interest in learning about the natural method. :D

Yes, all this is understood, and my previous post alluded to that; in fact, I gave a couple of examples of phrases which one is highly unlikely to see in a revival of spoken Latin. A FULLY alive Latin today, in the cultural/contextual sense, may never again exist, and I was not making a case for that. As I stated, most Latin enthusiasts are not likely to try to find replacement Latinate words for things which exist only in a modern context. My point was not necessarily that Latin be fully revived to the spoken status of a modern foreign language, but that there indeed is a movement underway to restore many elements of its spoken status, and this movement is growing in some quarters. Part of the purpose for the spoken element is to help remove some of the mystery and fear surrounding what many perceive to be the great difficulty of tackling a language like Latin. Obviously, Latin will not go the same direction as modern spoken Hebrew. :)

Every summer, the University of Kentucky holds a Conversational Latin Seminar. From what I've learned, these are fairly well-attended. I also believe that some major universities are moving towards more spoken Latin in the classroom; among them, my own. Spoken Latin has never really been completely absent from the Catholic Church; some movements within the Church (Tridentine) emphasize the Latin mass, for example. A friend of our family, who is also Catholic, maintains that it was not that very long ago that the cardinals and bishops of Rome would gather, speaking Latin to one another. Spoken Latin was a unifying element of the Catholic Church. I'm fairly certain that the professor under whom I recently completed Latin could speak Latin fairly fluently. Also, I believe that increased fluency in Latin is one of the underlying principles of Lingua Latina, by Hans Oerberg. The purpose of reviving spoken Latin is not so much to invent a bunch of words or phrases which the Romans might never have used (i.e., "I need to get the oil changed on my car" or "I would really like to get my nails done") but to take away some of the mystery and difficulty surrounding Latin. We tend to approach Latin with such awe because it is so very different from English, as it has retained most of the inflections from Indo-European; however, learning to speak Latin, albeit slowly, helps to remove some of the mystery and fear surrounding this process. My Latin professor maintained that English is far more difficult, looking from the outside in.

We've always used the Real ACT Prep guide, but I find the layout and organization of the book extremely annoying. I used Princeton Review for my GRE prep., and I'm thinking about buying their copy for my middle daughter, who is going to take the ACT a week from Saturday.

Some aspects of my own high school education were great; for example, I had an advanced composition and research class as a senior which was far superior to what my oldest did at her private high school this past year. We read more, we wrote more, and the teacher taught us the step-by-step process of writing a research paper: summarizing material, making notecards, the bibliography, etc. This was in the days of typewriters, when footnotes were done by estimating the number of footnotes per page and counting from the bottom up. My science background was so-so (although I did manage to take more science in college than any language major would ever consider). My math teachers were very good, but I didn't pay attention in pre-calculus nearly as well as I should have; thus, I managed to get by with A-minuses and B-pluses without actually learning the material. I think sometimes teachers let things slide if you have reputation as a good student. Comparing my own education to the one my girls are now getting, I would say that, overall, theirs has been better. Although the advanced English course (dual enrollment) which my oldest just completed was not as strong, in my opinion, as what it could have been (btw, dd would concur with this; we did far more grammar, vocabulary, writing, and difficult reading while homeschooling), some things I just cannot compete with. One of the science teachers is second to none; both girls had her for science last year and trust me--they learned more in chemistry and A&P than I did in college; I had a full year of both courses while in college. Also, their math instruction was better than what I could have given them. I think my primary concern with both of them was with the homework load: I did feel at times that there was some unnecessary homework assigned which didn't seem to translate into real learning. I also think my oldest was somewhat driven to compete with the top kids in her class; I worried about her study habits at times, because she kept the most ungodly hours. For her, the effort seemed to have paid off, as she managed to tie for salutatorian.

Ditto to the thoughts of most who have stated that their undergraduate degree does not reflect their current thinking on politics and religion. That was definitely not the case for me as well. One thing to bear in mind is that we, as the users of this forum, are not privy to the innermost thoughts and motives as to why SWB (or anyone else, for that matter) chooses to go to a particular undergraduate institution. For some, a particular school may be his/her first choice for everything the school represents. For others, the school in question may be the choice or recommendation of that individual's parents. For others, monetary reasons may help make that choice. For others, the choice of school may have to do with its particular location. Or, the school might have a really good program in one particular field in which that individual is interested; such a choice does not mean that person embraces or espouses every single view held by an institution. Honestly, to me this seems so simple to understand: we really don't know everything about one another, so we should withhold judgment.

Middle Ages for me--definitely! In another life, I would have been a medievalist. I was strongly encouraged by one college professor to pursue a PhD in Middle High German. At the time, it sounded really odd to me; but now I could really see myself doing that.

Yes, I have struggled twice with post-partum depression. The first time was when our 2nd daughter was born. Everything seemed to be fine at first, but about six weeks after she was born (she was also born in May) it really hit--hard. I had insomnia almost every night and struggled with tremendous fears. I think in this situation, much of the contributing factor was that I was way overdoing things. I was still trying to do housework, laundry, grocery shopping, etc., like I had only one child when, in fact, my workload had doubled with two. At that time, a dear friend of mine spent hours visiting with me, helping me to talk things through, and helping me with some very practical tips as far as the huge lifestyle change I was going through. In retrospect, it also didn't help that we lived in a house with no central air conditioning. We had very inefficient room units, and the summer was blazing hot. (This Minnesota girl never thought of central air until moving to Missouri!) The second time I had PPD was again about six weeks after our 3rd daughter was born. However, this second time, I really think the contributing factors were some very difficult circumstances. First of all, my 3rd daughter was born in December of 1996. In February of 1997, my one and only brother had a major car accident which left him mostly paralyzed from the waist down. (He can still walk, but only with the help of a walker.) My husband had also just started his own law practice in 1995--with practically nothing--and although the first two years (1995/1996) were very difficult, for a number of reasons that third year was horrendous. We hadn't paid enough money in estimated taxes for 1996--not because we were trying to avoid paying taxes, but had simply miscalculated. (BTW, once we discovered this error, we hired an accountant immediately and have never regretted that decision.) We lived from week to week by barely making house payments, one car payment, etc. We had to strip everything to the bare bones. I had to fall back on the coping techniques I learned from my friend, who by that time had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It seemed that everything during that year of 1997 that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. My friend--whom I still consider to be one of my dearest friends--has since passed away. But, I did have someone to talk to, which helped tremendously. It sounds like you have had a very difficult year, and having a new baby on top of your current situation only exacerbates matters. Do you have a pastor at church whom you could talk to? Is a good counselor completely out of the question? If these aren't an option, I would recommend staying in touch here. You can send me a PM at any time. But, you are not alone in these feelings of being completely overwhelmed. I have been there, and I'm sure there are other moms on board who have also struggled with this. I have a few practical suggestions, of which you may already be aware: 1) Try to get outside for a walk or just time outside in a park or garden. Being closed in the house with a new baby can be difficult. 2) If you have any family members or friends who can watch your kids for you while you get some time by yourself, that would help. 3) Don't hestitate to call your own pastor, or if there's any church in the area, talk to that pastor. Ask if they have a counselor on staff--maybe even a female counselor who could understand more from a woman's perspective. 4) Try not to overwhelm yourself with housework. This was a big adjustment for me, personally. If you would like to send me a PM, feel free to do so, OK? :grouphug: Michelle ETA: I forgot to mention something very important! After our second daughter was born, when I first realized we were struggling, a friend of ours recommended that we hire the daughter of another friend for two weeks to come and help out. This couple had five children, and the oldest was a 13-year-old girl. They also homeschooled! :) Anyway, my husband was going out of town, and obviously my oldest daughter, who was just a toddler, wasn't much help. So, this young girl came to help us out for two weeks. She really helped a lot--she was very dependable and did any chore I asked her to, plus was just good company. After this experience, I became interested in homeschooling because of the good character which I saw in her.

According to her professional curriculum vita, her B.A. was from Liberty; her M.A. was from William and Mary, and her M.Div. was from Westminster, and her Ph.D. was again from William and Mary. I would say her scope is undoubtedly much wider than Liberty. It also appears as though she did not write this particular curriculum, which actually looks quite good. ETA: Just saw Laurie's post up above--a noteworthy point.

Yes, I remember reading this article a few years ago; it is excellent, isn't it? Thanks for the reminder!

I have quite a few homeschooling books, materials, curricula, etc., that I will be organizing and selling this summer. I plan on keeping many items still, but do need to clear out some things. I have a very basic PayPal account. I've only used it to send money--never to receive money. According to their website, there is also a Premier and a Business account available. I don't think I would need the Business account--although I'm not exactly sure, either. Do I need the Premier account? Also, isn't there some way I'm supposed to set up the account so that the PayPal fee (which I think is $.88) is charged to the customer? I'm completely new at this. Any help would be appreciated!

Mathematically--perhaps not, but I would check with someone more familiar with math than I am regarding the variations between the different editions. Personally, if you can find the most recent editions, I would use those. I would also recommend that you still call the customer support number at Pearson Learning and ask them if they've upgraded the DVTs. As I mentioned, the DVTs are OK for a brief lesson, but are not as complete as my experience with Chalkdust. Also, I would recommend, whatever program you use, that you keep up with the knowledge and skills with your child for each lessons. For example, Chalkdust is touted as a program in which your child will learn with the DVDs and Dana Moseley is the teacher. Now, granted, Mr. Moseley is an excellent teacher, but I would still keep up with the lessons. I found that I had to do so, anyway. I believe Dana Moseley tries to get back with your child right away via e-mail (perhaps even phone? though I'm not sure about that), but if there's a time lag, that can be frustrating. I usually sat and watched the lesson each morning, plus read through sections of the chapter or at least familiarized myself with its contents. I'll send off the pre-tests and answer keys to you in today's mail! Michelle

I may have found a better solution for you. I looked in both of my texts, and I still have an intact copy of the Diagnostic Pretest in each book. I thought my girls had written on the originals, but they had not. If you are interested, you could send me a PM with your address. I made a copy of each pretest--one for Basic College Math, and one for Introductory Algebra. Just let me know, OK?

I don't know if the website which shows a placement test. From what I can remember, there is a placement test at the beginning of each Lial's book--which doesn't help you very much if you don't own the text! Here is Lial's Basic College Math on Amazon. Amazon often shows sample pages, but in this case it does not. Here is the 8th edition of Introductory Algebra (Algebra I)--but again, the same situation--Amazon isn't showing any of the inside pages. Here is the link to the publisher of Lial's--Pearson textbooks. On the left-hand side of this webpage, it lists the Customer Support number: 1-800-848-9500. What I would recommend doing, if I were in your situation, is calling the publisher to see if perchance they might be able to help you with placement options; i.e., if they have any sample placement tests they can mail you, or online placement tests. One thing to note is that Lial's used to provide what they called DVTs--digital video tutors. These were CD-ROMs which played on the computer, only weren't quite as "smooth" as a regular DVD. They do provide a short lesson, which is helpful, but not as good, in my opinion, as Chalkdust's DVDs. For myself (a non-mathy type mom), I really liked the Lial's books, and I think kids gain great benefit by actually being able to read a math textbook (not always an easy thing to do), but because of my own lack of skills in the area, Chalkdust might have been a better fit for my family. I didn't care for the Chalkdust text series as much as Lial's, but my oldest did well with their geometry program. So, sometimes finding the right "fit" for your child with math depends upon your own skills and also upon the child. Best of luck to you!

IMO, your MIL violated your rules and good common sense. I think it's best to let your dh handle the situation--which he did. I would leave it with him, if at all possible, and it sounds like you are already doing that. You mentioned that only your oldest can swim, and that your younger children cannot. I would not leave them alone for a second, personally. It only takes a minute for a child to get in the water and start going under. The best to you in this situation; it's a difficult one. Handling in-laws can be very tricky, but safety issues are a priority over everything else.

Chris, that is wonderful news! Rejoicing with you! :hurray: