:drool5:

Maybe even make it a master thread. I am aware of Coursera, MIT Yale, Pod casts, and just discovered YoutubeU. (did I type the last one right?) I know many of you use these sites for whole classes and to supplement. Can you just throw some lists at me, and, if you feel so inclined, reviews of what you have tried? My oldest will be entering 9th grade next year and I would like to have a well prepared plan. Thanks

:hurray:

I know what you mean about much of what you say. The more involved you are, the more you see. Unfortunately, what you see isn't always good. Also, we were all new once and afraid we would do something very wrong. It sounds like you are getting the hang of it, though. You are already making your own tests, figuring out what works for you and your DDs, and noticing the differences in how your DDs behave, learn, and even resist. I see you mentioned that they do not enjoy reading, even though they love to be read to. It's great that they like to be read to. This means they enjoy liturature and spending time with you. Have you ever considered having them read aloud to you? Maybe you can begin reading, and then pass the books around. It can be a new tradition. Plus having them read aloud can help you to see if there are any words they are struggling with. It also helps our dc develop that skill. Some kids are avid readers, but have a hard time reading aloud and need to practice to gain fluidity. I remember another mother here that also tried another method to get her children to read on their own. I believe she would start a book as a read aloud, and once her dc were hooked, she would suddenly keep forgetting to get to it at read aloud time. Eventually her kids just picked it up off of the table and finished it independently. You may even assign reading duties. I see you have a y/o. Maybe they can "help you out" by reading to little sis every once in awhile. Any of these things may or may not work, but you never know. If your kids enjoy hands on, have you considered adding in some science experiments? There are some good recommendations in TWTM. You can even search the boards and google for ideas relating to what you are studying at the moment. You can even create projects to go along with History. Many of our board members have great blogs with great ideas/pics for things you can try. I believe I read that one of your girls was struggling with some basic facts? Math facts? You can address this in many ways. Memorization, drills, and flash cards for speed. This may not seem so exciting, but should only take a few minutes a day. There also math games that you can play. You may want to look up Right Start math games on youtube. Another one that many people like is times attack. This is a computer video game. I am sure others will chime in soon. HTH

Based on the canned chiles and two sauces, this will be too spicy for your dd. You can make enchiladas instead... For your dd just dip the tortilla into a canned tomato sauce before frying. This is pretty much how everyone gets the kids started here in Mexico. As they get older, moms will add one mild dry red chile without seeds, and continue increasing as time goes by. At this point my kids (8,11,13) will all eat enchiladas made with dried Ca. chiles (seeds removed), accept my 2.5 yr old. For the adults you can make a fresh sauce or use canned if you prefer. If you really want pasta, you can use a couple fresh Passilla Chiles, or Anaheim, maybe even a bell pepper. Deseed whichever type you choose, roast on stove top or in broiler, then toss in the blender with heavy cream. That is your sauce. heat and serve over the chicken and pasta.

Same here.

Has body been able to open this on a mac book?

I use this. Since it has AHA in it, it can seem drying at first. It is Ok to use it and then add another cream on top. In is not a heavy cream at all. The AHA makes gives it Exfoliation properties which really help to soften skin and bring forth newer brighter skin, so sunscreen is a must. If you find it irritating at all, using only every other day should help.

First of all, welcome to the boards. :seeya: If you haven't had the time, search the boards. There is a wealth of information that can really help you answer some of your questions as they pop up, and even address things you have yet to think of. Now, when you say that you are reading and enjoying :the book", do you mean The Well Trained Mind (TWTM)? If so, take it in slowly. There is so much information there. I have actually reread it a few times and always take away something new. If you like Saxon and it is working for you and your dc, then go ahead and stick with it. A great benefit of homeschooling is having the freedom to go with what works for you. For all the other subjects, there are many providers/publishers to choose from. For example, I use First Language lessons 1&2 for grammar, then move on to Rod & Staff. Others may not do grammar in the early years, or may use other curriculum. To name a few, Michael Clay Thompson, Analytical Grammar, and CLE. For Latin, things I have seen used are online providers (Lonepine, Potter School, etc), books (Cambridge Latin, Wheelock's, Orberg, Memoria Press) Again, you should search the boards, read about how different things have worked for different families. If possible, get your hands on the books you are interested in before you buy. Don't feel bad if you bought some stuff and now don't like it. We have all done that in the past. Also, to allow us all to further help you, maybe you can tell us some more about yourself and your dc. What are your reasons for home schooling? What are you looking for in curriculum. Open and go or lots of scripted hand holding? What are your dc's learning styles? Your teaching style? Just to name a few. Don't get overwhelmed.

T hat is what I thought, but I went to her page to start a new one and received a not authorized message. I just wouldn't want anyone to think I was intentionally ignoring their PMs

:laugh: LOL. I was so excited, because I though she had seen this thread. Glad to know it isn't just me.

Have you gotten my PM? I keep getting an error that says not authorized when I try to PM you. Your old PM's all say "you cannot reply PentecostalMom has left the conversation."

Yes. Amazon promptly resent what I ordered.

I had a BIL that lived with me and did the same thing. I was able to set something up with his school to help. He had to carry a form around with him that each of his teachers initialed every day, it let me know if he was tardy, had turned in assignments, and what the homework was. They would not sign it until he had it written down. A bit of micro-managing, but it was the only year he was able to get B's . The rest of the time he was an F student, and eventually dropped out after moving in with grandma and he not seeing a need for the form. If this isn't available, a school planner could work, but teacchers need to be willing to take those extra steps. Maybe they have something like that at your school. Don't expect him to be happy about it and teachers may resist the extra work at first. Your best bet is to talk to the teachers, be upfront and honest about your concerns, and see what options they offer. Maybe they will be willing to maintain email contact with you.

Maybe if you look through the book, you can find times when he can do two sections. Also you can try doing 1 and 1/2, before whittling it down to 1. Other options maybe adding in work on Saturday, and even working through the summer. Have you considered a tutor? I am not sure if that is an option for you, but it may help. If your ds doesn't need as much repetition, he maybe able to skip some of the problems. I know Saxon tend to have a lot of problems to help solidfy the lesson. Not all dc need that. KWIM I feel you, though. I have a dc that has fallen behind in math more than once. He simply would prefer to read.

He has tried, as have other friends. Young father gets irritated and simply says he doesn't want to hear about it or have to think about it. He seems content to put all the blame on the young mother. He once came to complain about it to us and ask advice about their dc and the relationship. After asking if he really wanted an honest answer, we told him he needed to be willing to look in the mirror. If he wanted her to make changes, he needed to be willing to make some as well. Less video games, waking before 1PM on weekends, having family time, eating meals together, and even date night to help work on the parent' relationship. He listened, and then said he wasn't willing to do that much work, and that she needed to change. Period. I think DH has grown a bit inpatient with this young man and has begun being more blunt with him. They have gotten in a few arguments about unrelated things, but it seems it is because the young man is upset that dh is making him face and think about serious issues. I think he know that DH is speaking the truth, but doesn't like to be told the truth. I guess we will see if it works. Thanks for the fast replies.

....... Ok, I have been sitting on this for awhile, but maybe I just need to say it "out loud". I know a nice young couple that have some toddlers. As I have watched this couple over the years, I have tried not to think critically about their parenting. It has been hard, because I see a lot of things that cause concern but thought I might be overly sensitive, being too critical, or simply misjudging. I think I need to admit to myself that they are woefully lacking as parents, and maybe even neglect their dc, but I also wantto think their is hope. This couple got pregnant very young 18/19, and are together as a result. When their first child was born I was concerned that mom did not seem to be bonding with baby. I tried to tell myself that she was just young, nervous, a bit unsure, and just trying to learn how to be a mom. Maybe I looked the same to other mothers when I had my first. Right? But it just kept rolling around in my head, and even dh noticed it. He actually tried to address it with the young man in question, because they are close and he was concerned it might be PPD. The young man's response was something along the lines of, "Too bad, she needs to figure it out. I stepped up and did what I had to do, she needs to do the same." Some time passed, with many issues. Among them, mom ignoring baby's cries, rolling her eyes when baby needed attention, or trying to keep stuffing a pacifier in baby's mouth to avoid having to make a bottle. Dad would get mad and say hey baby needs this, you need to ... fill in the blank. More time passed and they realized baby two was on the way. Baby two was born just before baby one's first birthday. Baby two had a couple small bumps in the road when born, and was separated from mom for the first day. She was very upset, and once she saw this baby she was very attached. She chose to breast feed baby 2 and seemed to have bonded well with baby but it seems she still ignored their older child. Meanwhile, dad stepped in an does things for the oldest, but not for smallest. There second baby can fall off the stairs in front of him, and he will call mom to take care of it while never turning off his game console. If baby 1 falls, he is dashing across the room to see what is the matter. I thought this was all. I figured we could help model and teach by example, because I know this mom really looks up to us. Then DH's job had us on the road for awhile, but now we are home for a few months. I am now watching these precious babies M-F for about about five hours. My kids remarked about how thin these babies are. One is 6 months older than my youngest and weighs a couple pounds less. I just reminded my dc that both parents are very thin, and all babies are different, but I am not so sure anymore. After a few weeks, I have noticed than the youngest never has a bowl movement on the first day here at our house. Every other day is like clock work but after not coming on the weekend no dirty diaper. Also, this child would cry every time it was time to eat. The older child would react in the opposite way. He runs to the dinner table and can't wait to eat. Now they both eat happily at the table, and are even excited to try new food. They have both gained some weight and seem to be thriving. I take them to the park every day at the same time. They are no longer scared of the sand or grass, and can't wait to go. They have learned to use the slide, run, and seem so much more confident. Unfortunately, the oldest cries everyday when it is time to go home. He has done so since day one, and it breaks my heart. I was actually in tears one day after they left. I don't want it to seem like their mother is a horrible person. She is not. In fact, I care very much about her and think she is a sweet person who could become a wonderful mother if she tried. After knowing her and her family I can guess that she has no idea of how to be a mom, and little confidence in her abilities to do so. When she comes home, I have encouraged her to hug both kids, and not just run to the youngest. I have told her about how much they enjoy the park. Now she comes home and hugs them both, talks to them both, and even took them to the park the other day for a whole hour. She knows what time I do things, and seems to be trying to do the same things at those times. Baby steps. But I think she is overwhelmed because dad is of little help. In fact, she has told me that she is frustrated because he doesn't do anything to help with their dc, other than to let her know when they need something. (even if she is cooking, showering, or eating) Am I being naive in thinking that her spending time with us, watching how we interact with her dc may help her? Am I right to be concerned that the issues with her children's father may just lead them to keep falling into a pattern of neglect? Am I seeing this all wrong? Am I seeing red flags where there are none? I have been a bit stressed over this. If you have read this far, thank you.

This is a nice feature. I have found myself realizing that I didn't get the OP's explanation more than once. ;)

:hurray: Thanks.

Math, reading, and writing. There needs to be some writing in there. Some Math curriculum that has worked for many: Singapore, Math Mammoth, and Lial's for middle school.

Just bumping in order to find this thread again later. I don't have the feature either, but I am sure it will turn up soon. Just one of those bugs.

:iagree: Audrey, as usual, makes some very good points. I had some concerns about the FB linking because I do not want people I know IRL knowing who I am here because this is a private refuge for me. At the same time, I realize this is not PHP's problem. It is my responsibility. I did some research, found plenty of info here about how things worked (calming some fears I had about reading other's posts), and went to work. I took down my picture here, made sure not to link the two accounts, and down loaded something to cut down on the tracking of my internet activity. Also, I am aware that this forum is very public, searchable on google, and also easy to link. As a result, I tend to avoid posting really personal things, bad mouthing anyone, or posting anything I would not want linked to me. I also avoid many of those hot button issues, both here and on FB. It is easy to say something you may regret in the heat of an argument/heated discussion. As SWB said, once it is out there on the internet, it is out there forever. As for other concerns people may have, maybe we should give PHP and their staff some time to get a feel for what is working and what is not. From what I have seen here, they are listening and trying very hard, so we should at least give them some time. It can't be easy trying to keep so many people happy. I for one am thankful for this site will continue using the forums.

Hmmm After reading around, it seems we are not alone. I did see a post by an administrator saying that the new PMs had not transferred over yet, and would soon. HTH Danielle

:svengo: :lol: ......... :smilielol5: ........ :rofl: