Thank you, everyone. I will look all these up! Really appreciate your input.

I had my 11 y/o read this book. It's probably too much for a 3rd grader to read alone, but you could read it out loud to him. It's conversational and not hard to understand, but it's just a lot of reading for a 3rd grader. http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=making+brothers+and+sisters+best+friends&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCQ&nav_search=1&cms=1 I see there's a DVD and a coloring book, so maybe there's a way of bringing it down to his level some more there.

I need suggestions for a botany book suitable for a 2nd grader. We're currently going through Apologia's Exploring Creation with Botany and I'd like to switch.

Not sure whether there's an anti-Catholic slant, but Memoria Press has an online academy with a lot of options: http://www.memoriapress.com/onlineschool/index.htm My son is taking the online First Form Latin class and we're very happy with it. He likes it, too!

If they were all the same age, I wouldn't worry about it. My boys encounter the same ups and downs with the kids they play with in the neighborhood, brush it off and go back out to play. However, because of the age gap, I'd like to know more about what's causing him to cry.

I'm a creative person. I like to sew, decorate, paint furniture, blah blah blah. But what you describe here would drive me nuts. I don't care if someone wants to turn education into a dog-and-pony show, but don't drag me (or my kids) into it.

I love that skit, too! I really loved David Tennant as Dr. Who. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch any of the Matt Smith episodes yet.

A month ago, one of my FB friends "casually" mentioned how excited she was to receive an order of Shaklee laundry and cleaning products. After she used them, she raved about them several times. Then ... *surprise surprise* ... she mentioned that she was working on her Shaklee webpage. Then she started taking the vitamins and OHMYGOSH they were so amazing, she felt SO energetic and she could TOTALLY tell when she missed a dose. Then she announces she's become a distributor and it's all giveaways, "check out my blog" and "like my Facebook page" and "listening to webinar right now" and "can't believe I'm getting paid to hang out online and blog about Shaklee." She even has another friend constantly post comments like "I tried the stuff I bought from you and it's amazing!" I've hidden her feed, but I can't stop checking it to see whether she's outdone herself. :ack2:

I enjoyed it, too, when I read it several years ago, although I recall wishing she'd wrap it up in the last 1/4 of the book. Like you, I had issues with certain parts/aspects, but enjoyed a number of her long-winded speeches about the virtues of capitalism. I know a lot of people roll their eyes at the mention of Ayn Rand, but not me! :)

Hey, if you don't want your DS occupied for hours, that's your call. :) From a housekeeping perspective, LEGOs are annoying, I agree. But my boys love them and the LEGOs are relegated to their bedroom and playroom. Every so often I have them do a deep clean and clean them all up. My suggestion is not to attempt to hyper-organize LEGOs, just keep them contained (unless they are special sets).

Is your son complaining? Would YOU like to be done sooner? Does your state have a minimum requirement of hours you need to fulfill? If he's not complaining and you're okay with it, I see no reason why you need to cut back. If anything, he's learning to adapt to a more rigorous approach to education. NOT a bad thing, although you could be seriously frustrated as he gets older and (maybe) starts to change his mind. My oldest son is in 6th grade and we work from 9-3:30, sometimes later, with a break for lunch and a few 10-15 minute breaks throughout the day. You can see what subjects we're doing in my signature. We have a state requirement of 875 hours. That breaks down to about 5 hours a day of school for 36 weeks, if I'm remembering correctly.

If your child is doing the workbooks you have with little to no trouble, I'd skip the 1/2 books. Not necessary, IMO.

My 2nd grader would be done by lunch, too, if we started an hour earlier and I didn't combine some subjects (like history) with older brother. I think you're fine.

I Googled it, but nothing similar came up. I also doubt it was a wrong number. Pretty sure doctors don't call patients/family members via answering services, especially during business hours.

Just got a call from a "Dr. Richard's" answering service. The woman said the doctor wanted to talk to me. She then came back on the line and said he was talking to a patient and to wait on the line. I asked what hospital he was from, she said she didn't know. I waited a minute, but no one ever came on the line and I hung up. Caller I.D. said Private Number, Tennessee. I don't know anyone in Tennessee or who is traveling in that area. What kind of scam could this have been?