The details of how it works certainly weren't discussed from the pulpit. And it wasn't regularly brought up, for sure. But mentioned once in awhile, sure. And, yes, I would always be a little tense wondering what my kids were hearing and what we might have to talk about before we were ready. It was never an issue but my oldest is only 8 and we haven't lived where this would happen in over four years. I don't really claim to know what the answers are with this. This is a non-negotiable church teaching that isn't taught most places. And, while that's true of plenty of church teachings, this is one that affects all married couples in a very serious way.

I couldn't really decide how to answer but said, "No" because it is never mentioned in homilies or in displayed literature at my current parish. Though I would say it is a conservative parish. It is small and we are close with the pastor so we definitely feel supported in our following of church teaching. Though I honestly don't know what we'd get from our pastor if we were in a crisis and were seeking counsel on whether to have more kids and how to go about planning that. He's not a boat-rocker. I have been in parishes in two different states where NFP was promoted both from the pulpit and in literature. But I'd say, even so, the average Catholic had about as much chance of understanding the ABC teaching as they did the Real Presence and it would be interesting to run a poll on how many Catholics know/hear about that.

We use SM and I did drop the workbooks when we started 2A because it was becoming increasingly obvious that she really didn't need any extra review. Almost all the work is done with manipulatives, on a white board or orally. At the end of each section I've been giving her a very small number of written problems (like five or six) to show me that she can handle the concept independently. She also does four problems from CWP a few times a week. But we are taking a vacation here soon so she'll get a break from our routine and from school which will be good on a lot of levels. I'll be less pulled in all directions for awhile (we'll be gone 3.5 weeks) so we can maybe just do lots of connecting on a more fun, relaxed level. Then we have a new curriculum waiting for us in August. And we added Miquon to our rotation a little big ago. I'm thinking of doing more with that because, while I think she's ready for BA, I think it will wear her out. So we may switch off days. She seems to like Miquon but it's so different that it's been hard to figure out where to start her. Maybe it's all too easy for her, too, and I need to look for something else. This is so much harder than having a linguistically-advanced kid! With my son, we just let him read. We have thousands of books in our house. We just keep handing him stuff. And he's a gifted artist so we keep him in sketchbooks. This math thing is just making my head spin.

No placentas, though I've had them a couple times. We gave the to friends to bury in their gardens just before a move. Whoever asked: if you give birth at home, you get to keep the placenta! They're great for rose bushes. Weirdest thing now is a toss up between pigs feet and a veal heart.

We like the Sears vaccination book. He comes down in the end as fairly moderate: skipping some, delaying some, recommending some. There are a few sample schedules as well. The Sears are sometimes seen as extremists with regard to Attachment Parenting, I've heard, but on other baby stuff they always seem super balanced and moderate to me.

I do because we had a huge mouse problem in one apartment several years ago. We bought a ton of glass jars at Ikea (sadly discontinued, I think) and still use them. I have mostly open shelving and I keep the few loose things in baskets. I also have a stairwell pantry shelf for cans.

Thanks for the tips. She does like the white board and our smallish one just fell apart. Maybe I'll up the size for next year and let her do more work there. I know what you mean about if I met your daughter. Same if you met mine. People never believe me if I mention some of these issues IRL. Part of it, too, is that she has never seemed like a gifted child. That probably sounds awful but she's always been just a very steady, incremental child in every other way. She's smart, sure. And dh and I were both in gifted programs in school (he was tested, I'm pretty sure I wasn't). But our older ds is the kind of kid where everyone who meets him thinks he's a little genius. His strengths have been obvious since he could talk (or even before as he was an extremely proficient signer before he could speak). Maybe we were more apt to pick up on his gifts since he is physically disabled. With dd, I expected her to be a strong student but I didn't expect to flip through SM 2A and 2B yesterday and realize that it offered zero challenge to my rising second grader. But I know a lot of you have been there--I know that being only a full year ahead in math isn't even that advanced to some of you! Thanks again.

Giving another little bump as I would love to hear from those of you who have been through the first four books as well. We are about to finish 3A with my oldest who will continue with BA as his main program next year. My math-accelerated dd will be starting 3A in August and I'm not sure what--if any at this point--other math to do with her. I am a huge BA fan so far and can't wait to order the next two (or three--if 4A is out soon) levels.

This is a concern I have as well. My oldest has special needs (he's in a wheelchair) and it's not clear yet whether he has any diagnosable learning disabilities. He's definitely a very quirky learner but, so far, we've been able to tweak things and work with him just fine. But I'd kind of like to give him some of these "standard normal-school" challenges because I know that, in many ways, that is the standard he will be judged by if he ends up going to school at some point and, certainly, for college.

This is kind of what I've been wondering--she obviously wants harder material. She melts down with too much review or too easy stuff, too, though it's of a slightly different character. And I think BA will push her hard but, yeah . . it is like, in some ways, she's just not up for it. I keep wondering what she'd be like in school. Is this the type of kid who learns to just tune out and read a book under her desk? She's not an ill-behaved child just very, very intense. Thanks for the BTDT, everyone.

You might want to call a bank and start the pre-approval process for a mortgage. It doesn't lock you into anything but it does give you two important things: 1) it lets you know what you can afford--no matter what you and your husband think about your budget, the bank is the one who decides if they want to give you money and 2) if you are approved for the amount you offer, you can let the seller know. This can really increase your negotiating power because the seller knows you are serious and the deal won't fall through once you talk to the bank. And I agree that something will break the moment you move in. Get a really good inspection, and do not buy without an emergency fund in place.

You posted this same question yesterday and got several responses. Generally, it works well around here to ask for clarifying questions on the same thread if that's what you need. Since this is a busy forum your first thread is on page two but it will get automatically bumped to the top if you add follow up questions to it. Hope that helps :)

She's moving plenty fast, it seems, in that she always does do the work. It's just such an emotional roller coaster for both of us. Reading the replies here and thinking through her abilities today and looking ahead at curriculum I have on hand I think this is a combination if her needing more challenge--her very fast pace notwithstanding--and her just having to get out this dramatic energy somewhere. I'll work on strategies for that with her and make sure I'm choosing good times of day for subjects that are important to her.

I use a cheese plane and don't press down too hard. I usually drag the plane rapidly across the block of cheese while holding it over the salad bowl.

These are all great ideas--and we already use all of them! We do selected problems, we move very quickly and almost never review because she doesn't need it. I always offer to scribe and she takes me up on it about half the time. And we skip her math a lot of days since she's so far ahead. She's super excited about BA so maybe she just needs more challenge. Or maybe this is just her personal drama outlet right now.

:) Thanks. Yes, he was born that way and, mostly, it is just totally normal to her. And she has always had a drama streak so maybe this is just her most recent way of getting that energy out.

I'm wondering if any of you might have some insight on me for my 6yo dd. She has always been a super-intense child. From birth. Cried a ton as a baby, tantrumed a lot as a toddler (though only at home she's shy and very well-behaved in public). She's my only girl and her older brother is paraplegic so, in many ways, she is the oldest child (ie. she is the most capable/responsible with chores). We just "finished" first grade (we school year-round but we're about to leave on a huge road trip and when we come back we'll be close to our promotion day). I'd say she's about grade level in most things: reads fluently but only just--doesn't quite have the stamina for longer chapter books, yet; handwriting is passable when she's trying; spelling is excellent when it's "spelling time"; loves to free write and gets lots of ideas down quickly but between her fast, sloppy writing and highly creative spelling, it's hard to read; narrates very well. That all seems normal to me. Maybe above average in a couple areas. But she loves math and she's just flying through the curriculum. She always happily proclaims it her favorite subject. She does mental math above what she's working on the in the textbook. She makes up problems on paper. She generally requires only one or two explanations before understanding something well. We're in Singapore 2A but I was flipping through 2A and 2B today and realized that other than the very last geometry chapter in 2B she already knows and can easily do everything in both volumes (she doesn't have the vocab for "division with a remainder" but she can do it). She's been begging to do Beast Academy (like her brother) and I finally decided to order it for her to start in August when we get home. The only thing on the placement test she needs a tiny bit of work with is place value with really big numbers. But here's the thing: math time is a crazy drama scene almost every day. Here's an example. I assigned her one of the practice sections from the SM textbook the other day. I copied the assigned problems into her math notebook for her and asked her to do them. I gave her five problems and this is a fairly normal routine for us. She has always been a fairly independent, self-motivated person when it comes to school. She started in on about thirty minutes of shrieking, hair-pulling, lingering in the doorway while I worked with her brother and barking half-sentences at me, dramatic proclamations of failure, etc. Once I was free I took a look at her notebook expecting to sit down and work through the problems with her. They were all done correctly. So what was all the drama about? When we're learning a new concept she is constantly interrupting my explanations but she doesn't generally figure out a new concept completely on her own (she can do subtraction with renaming as mental math but definitely had to be taught the algorithm with manipulatives). It's like math is physically painful for her or something. She just seems completely emotionally drained by it (I know I certainly am!). She likes being good at it and really doesn't like it on the rare occasions she makes a mistake but she isn't at all a perfectionist in other areas of school. I don't push her to go faster at all. We spend about thirty minutes a day on math if it's during school time. But she often has such a fit that we cut things short. She'll very frequently want to do math later in the day--like in the kitchen while I'm making dinner. Could it be the pressure of feeling watched? We've definitely always had a contentious relationship. I'm going to let her start BA in August but I don't think she's up for doing it independently. Her older brother doesn't do it independently, either, and that seems fine to me. But BA is going to be quite a bit more stretching and challenging in some areas than SM has been. I'd like to make some progress on figuring out what is up with dd. (She will likely surpass her brother in math before long--maybe that is getting to her? He has obvious amazing gifts in other areas and doesn't love math but, still . . .) I'm guessing many of you have similarly intense children. Any insight for me?

I try to exercise regularly (when it's not 153% humidity) because it makes me feel great. But I have never experienced any weight loss from exercise alone. About the only way they relate, in my experience, is that sometimes a regular exercise plan gives the motivation to eat better. My sister is a serious racer and does half marathons (and has done one full) and has been about 30 pounds overweight through it all unless she's on a strict diet. Ditto my husband who gets a ton of exercise in the course of his day but gets pudgy if he isn't eating well. Check out your diet.

Have you actually been inside the house? Did the owners show it? Do you have a sense for how eager they are to sell? That will be a useful piece of information. If they are selling FSBO they could be completely clueless as to the current state of the market. They could also be not really ready to sell yet. Or both. We tried buying a house from someone who was selling on his own. We did manage to talk him down from his dream-land asking price but once we agreed on a price, he stopped returning calls and wouldn't sign anything. He didn't really want to sell, in the end. That house is still on the market over two years later. But I will affirm what everyone else has said: county appraisal and market value bear no relation to one another. You want the former to be as low as possible (because taxes are tied to it) and the latter to be as high as possible. Zillow isn't always a good judge of current home values but, depending on how brisk the market is in your area, you may be able to find at least a few similar recently sold homes. That will at least give you a ballpark. But, also, a serious home seller is not going to expect someone to walk up and pay his full asking price. At least not in most markets right now. If he's planning to sell, he's planning to negotiate. Making an offer may be the only way to find out what the situation is. But if the seller isn't willing to pay an agent for either party (usually the seller pays BOTH agents out of the proceeds of the house) then you should really think about getting a lawyer or calling a realtor and negotiating a flat fee to help you through the contract. If this is your first time, you should be careful.

This is funny because I just said the same thing about Singapore to my husband last night and then I remembered that Singapore (and reading Liping Ma) was what made me love math. It was my most dreaded subject before I started home schooling and now it is my hands down favorite. I think someone who enjoys math and is good at it (as the OP sounds) is probably going to do well teaching elementary math with any curriculum and, for that reason, I might say to just stick with what you have. But I'm also a huge fan of SM and do think it is a top-notch program. It will prepare your kids well for whatever they want to do in later middle school/high school.

If she doesn't have a learning disability of some kind, then my guess would be that she missed some foundational conceptual ideas. Miquon is very strong in laying a good conceptual foundation and it is really different from other math programs I've worked with. We started it this year and I have all my kids doing it even my rising 4th grader who doesn't really need it but the concepts are presented differently enough that it is enriching his math understanding. We call it "Math Lab" which they love and I print them "lab sheets" from the pdf files of the books. My workbook-hating ds hasn't complained, yet. An older child, given the chance to attain full understanding, will probably progress very quickly. And, even if she does end up a year "behind" wouldn't you rather she not make it to Calculus in high school but WITH a really solid foundation in math? Also, I'm not sure how deep her lack of understanding is--you only specifically mentioned not having her facts memorized. My ds didn't going into third grade, either. Some kids don't easily memorize the facts. But I knew from working with him that his conceptual understanding was solid so we kept moving. Math had been maddening but once I started moving at his conceptual speed (and made a curriculum switch) he started to flourish. His math fact speed has improved dramatically in the last few months just from having to use them constantly. So I would try Miquon because it will be, probably, a very nice change. It's a solid program. And it can be really fun. Check out the educationunboxed,com videos if you are totally new to c-rods. Lots of good stuff there. But I would hold off on adding in another program, I think. At least for a little while.

I've been looking at this topic title for awhile wondering why anyone would start a thread on extra home school catalogs. Then I read it last night and I was cracking up. But I was still not prepared for the monstrosity that was sitting on my door stop when I answered the bell today. I don't know how I got on their list! My dd6 picked it up, flipped through it a minute and said, "Wow--is this a place we can go?" That girl is a curriculum junkie in the making.

I guess I'm not worried specifically about being retroactively punished should legislation be passed in the future, though I realize my initial post sounded that way. I guess . . . just more generally, should I get my kids used to testing? Because the state might require it before long or because they'll need to do SATs and whatnot down the road. And it sounds like most of you are saying, yes, there is value to a child learning how to do this. My oldest will be in 4th grade next year and I have vaguely thought for awhile that 4th grade might be a good time to try one. If I'm just doing it for practice, can we just get a practice test and score it ourselves?

I just ordered a couple of Coobie Bras. I was skeptical because I usually like more of an underwire for the support even though I seldom find them comfortable. I've had the Coobies maybe a month now and I really, really like them. I was at the very top of the range for the "one size" and it fits great. They now have a bigger size as well. I was super-skeptical but they were cheap enough to try and I'm really glad I did. Definitely the most comfortably bra I've ever owned and I feel actually supported. I found that ordering direct from Coobie was the cheapest. They are often having a special or you can google around for a coupon code.

We're expecting a baby and just found out it's a girl so dwelling on name choices has been fun. Dh-the-Professor got a grant for summer work. It was pretty small but just enough to really light a fire under him and he's having his most productive summer ever and really cranking out the scholarship. I love his field and it's really gratifying to see him "fulfill his potential" (said a bit tongue-in-cheek--not trying to be patronizing to dh!) We are getting ready for our annual Huge Road Trip and I'm excited because I have no one nursing and no one in diapers.