I would not have any reservations about renting that house. Your children are all older. The dog you may need to train a bit more when you get to your new surroundings. Jennie

I spend $120 per week or $560 per month for 6 people. This includes food and household items. Clothing, eating out, and pet food are a different line item in the budget. Here is a link to my blog entries about how I grocery shop. Jennie

Public schools break up grade levels among school buildings based on logistics. For college it would be the 4 years of 9-12th grade. Jennie

I have buckets from my grain, flour, oat and sugar storage. In addition, I have two large metal shelves for canned goods, baking products, etc. Here are some pictures. Pantry Pictures Jennie

9th grade in NY, too. It has been since I was in high school. Jennie

My friend, Crystal has a great article about beans on her web site. There are recipes there as well. What to Do with 25# of Beans? Jennie

You don't need to eat cooked vegetables to eat healthier. I started by changing my bread to whole wheat. Another easy way is to follow this though strategy for meal planning especially dinner. Fish, eggs, chicken, pork or beef Starchy vegetable or whole grain Green vegetable Another vegetable or fruit Something fermented, pickled or raw Start thinking two vegetables or one vegetable (non-starchy) and one fruit at dinner. Small changes equal lasting changes. Pick one thing and do it for a month. Then add something else the next month. It really is a process. Find one thing that you really feel you need to change now, and start with that. Jennie

Typically, they give the solutions in the answer key in the 4th grade material. Do you have the answer keys? I have not used higher than LU 602, but we have not had a problem yet. Jennie

There are 17 lessons per lightunit, but the 17th lightunit is a "Just for Fun" lesson. So, I just combine that with the test. I guess that means we actually do 16 lesson per lightunit or 160 lessons per year. Jennie

We tried two units of Expansions of Civilization this past fall, and we could not get it working for us. We did eventually switch to History Odyssey. Jennie

I just requested a copy from the library. Jennie

I didn't buy the multiplication and division cards. If you already have a set of them, you don't need these. However, if you don't have a set you could get them. The addition and subtraction flash cards are set up specifically to use with the curriculum, so those you would want to get. You do not need the answer keys if you are buying the teacher's guide. Be aware though that if you go on to 4th grade and up you will need the answer keys except for the 8th grade material. Best wishes, Jennie

My friend, Crystal, has many good articles on her website that might be helpful to you. The Family Homestead Kitchen It was during my time of transitioning from white flours and sugars that I came to Crystal's website. Jennie

We have always used HWT. I used it with four very different children with good results. Jennie

Yes, I have taught all the children penmanship with Handwriting Without Tears. Jennie

Don't forget that the last real outbreak was the Hong Kong Flu in 1968-1969. Jennie

I am still trying to work this out. 9th grade (which we are in right now): Ancients with History Odyssey 10th grade: Middle Ages with History Odyssey plus some Beautiful Feet 11th grade: American History (Notgrass, maybe?) 12th grade: American Government and Economics (not sure what curriculum) Jennie

Well, I think it depends on how healthy your diet is right now. Honestly, there are somethings I am willing to do and other things that I am just not. If you are eating out a lot, eating a lot of processed foods, white flour, white sugar etc. then I would suggest eating a more whole foods type diet. However, if you are eating mostly whole foods and would like to ramp it up from there, I am probably not the one to help. We do use sugar, honey, maple syrup and various flours in my house. I chose the ones that I believe are the best. I am not the only person in my house, so I have to make it work for all of us. So, where are you starting from? Jennie

Wordless Wednesday Enjoy! Jennie

I would suggest CLE. I have used both the 2nd and 3rd grade books. Let me know if you have any questions. Jennie

I was thinking that you would have overlap between GWG and PPL as well. Jennie

Yeah, the middle ages are rather violent. The picture of the doctor during the plague really bothered my son. The plague probably was the worst for my kids. Jennie

If we did the whole program as written it would have taken us all year to do the LL&C 7 this year. We only do the novels and use CLE reading for short stories and poems. As it is we did not do the James Harriot book. Jennie

You will know when and if you need to slow down. He will begin to struggle. I would continue at a comfortable pace not pushing too hard and not going too easy. Jennie

I have used both. Stick with AAS. Read through the threads on how people use AAS. We do not take a lot of time per day with it. I know when you are speeding through the first books it feels like a lot, but it won't be when the student slows down. I have not used AAS with my oldest, but I plan to do it because his spelling is not good. I used SS with him but there was no retention. I would encourage you to press on with AAS. If this is going to benefit your child then it is worth your time. Jennie