When ds was looking at colleges, they all told him to keep taking it. They superscored for admissions so it was helpful for him to do it. They took the highest composite for scholarships.

I saw EJ twice when I was in college (in the 70's) but never BJ. I would love to see them together. JFS--You are definitely NOT too old to go to concerts. I have gone to several in the last couple years and had a blast. Memories of college and early marriage good times. Lots of grey hairs attend since some of these rockers are in their 60's. I wanted to get dh tickets to Paul McCartney during his last tour. None of the dates worked out for us. You are not too old for that!!!! Ria -- HAVE FUN!!!

And spend time there playing with all the phones, holding them, asking questions, etc. They should have them all functioning and play with all the functions. Look at the screen, layout, etc. I didn't vote since I don't have Verizon but a couple weeks ago, I spent 2 hours in the phone store trying to decide on a new phone.

:party::cheers2::thumbup::D

One in particular really bugged me, it was not a mission trip either. I almost sent them a letter in return asking for help with ds's $27,000 tuition bill. :lol:

My ds was getting A's and B's all though elem. school and still did not know his math facts (counted on his fingers in 6th grade), the difference between a noun from a verb (let alone other parts of speech), how to outline, spell, and many more things. What is it about the math and english that you think is not a good foundation? Do you see problems in their work? Unless you are planning to apply for a magnet/elite/etc. high school, grades do not count until high school. An occasional low grade isn't going to make any difference unless it is because of a poor work ethic. That can lead to more dragging and THAT can impact them down the road in high school. As for punishment, ds1 had video games taken away, ds2 has his computer taken away but none of it until high school. Like I said, JMHO.

Ds took 2 classes all the way through. Honors Bio, Honors Chem, Physics, AP Chem, Pre-calc, AP Calc, some art and tech. Classes I could have taught but preferred not to. He did not want to do the dual enrollment at the local cc. He thought it was great. Made some great friends, many came to his grad party and he still hangs out with them when they are all home from college. I would stick to honors/AP classes when possible, those kids want to learn and there is less "slacking" or behavior problems. He was not allowed to participate in some things but was in others. He was allowed to attend dances, etc. as a student. He was able to get recs from teachers there. The classes were scheduled so he could take the bus and I would have to pick him up. Once he got his license, he drove himself. The counselor was great to work with. Go to the school's web site, find out who the counselor you would be working with and call. Just ask nicely, be polite, etc. You might have to go through the principal. You might want to check out the district's policies first on how it is to be done.

Music is the biggest reason ds2 is in ps. I cannot provide that at home (musically inept :tongue_smilie:) and there are not a lot of other options. He is thinking of music for a major or minor in college. You need to explore what options your area has and the music program at the ps. I have to say, in general, the band and orchestra kids are good kids. They are not the troublemakers or the "wrong" crowd. Many of the parents are very involved with their kids and the music programs so there is a lot of parental oversight. If you do put him in ps, try to get into as many honors classes as possible like JFS says. Kids in honors like learning and are more serious about school. Many of the band and orchestra kids are in honors classes too. JMHO.

Nope, no sense. Anywhere between 1-4 here for that size pan.

At ds's college when they start late, they have a shortened class schedule. It is posted on their website for the starting times and ending times for each.

:iagree: It is intended from 4th grade-adult. Ds started it in 7th (hsed) since he had no phonics in ps either but was a huge reader. Reading didn't make a difference in his spelling because he is not an auditory learner. Megawords really, really made a huge improvement in his spelling. Teachers don't push spelling much anymore - they say the computer's spellchecker is all they need. And if you believe that..............:glare:

DS2 has always been in school and I have always afterschooled him. He is in 10th grade now and as he gets more and more homework and more involved with clubs, I don't get in as much as I would like. But, I know whatever I do get in, it is a benefit to him. If she is in school all day and then has homework, she will never have time to just relax. Putting a time each day for each subject will drive you nuts if she has lots of homework one day and none the next. Add in some extracurricular activities and you will start to think you are getting behind or feeling stressed. I would wait to see what the school curriculum is for each subject. Logic - if this is done on the weekends only and she likes it, it could be a fun thing. I gotta tell you that there probably is no spelling, let alone a text. Around here you will be lucky to have a teacher correct spelling after 5th grade. Correct her spelling and maybe a little grammar, just see how she writes and go from there. I wouldn't spend time every day on either unless it really needs intervention. Math - Do you have an idea what level she will be placed at? Pre-algebra or basic math? Review the book, stay on top of what she is doing, supplement with drill if needed. History, Reading, Writing - Supplement with books for her to read on her own time based on whatever period they are doing at school. This is where I add in the great books. Have an endless supply ready so she can always read in the car, at a restaurant, etc. As soon as she finishes one, hand her another one. Believe me, my ds's history and english teachers have been very impressed with his reading list. Have her write different kinds of reports for those books to work on writing. She might not need a lot of work in the writing area. DS1 (hsed) did, DS2 did/does not. JMHO.

I love DDR for my workout. I just bought DDR2 but haven't had time to play it but I read the workout mode is supposed to be better than the first one. I bought wiifit the day it came out and like it too. I haven't tried the other fitness games. I usually rent things once before I buy just to see if I will like it.

I went to the at&t store and looked at all those fancy phones too. I have to put glasses on to read. I don't text for that reason. I don't need an mp3 player. Anyway, I talked with them a long time since my contract was up in May. He said I can keep my plan if I just buy a phone without a contract. The only thing a contract does is subsidize the cost of the phone. I can add things like another line or texting or whatever but still don't need a contract to do it. My phone had been dropped enough times that sometimes when I answered it, it would disconnect - like the top half and the bottom half lost connection. I went to Best Buy, the guy there told me to just buy a go phone and just like Cafelattee said, change out the SIM card and viola, a non-fancy phone without a plan.

Bought new in May 2002, replaced battery in Oct. 2008 - 83000 miles. It wasn't dead yet but getting harder to start. I decided I wanted it replaced before winter.

Absolutely change back to the original rims and get new tires. I can't believe the difference just new tires made on my suv in terms of noise. Check out http://www.tirerack.com/index_w.jsp for the correct tire size for the original rims and get the ones that are rated high for noise. The reason low profiles are bumpy is they have little sidewall thus less "give" when going over bumps. They might look cool but not practical. You may also see an improvement in gas mileage. The car/van/suv/truck is made based on the rims and tires the manufacturer designs. Changing the rims and tires changes that and can affect gas mileage, odometer reading, and speedometer readings.

:hurray::party::cheers2::thumbup:

high school gives the PSAT, Explore, and PLAN tests on the bleachers. Not saying it is a good way to do it, but that is how they have always done it.

I am so old that when I took the SAT and ACT, calculators cost $200 and all they did was add, subtract, multiply, and divide. I still have my slide rule from high school. :lol::lol::D:D:lol::lol:

Ds2 had EM through elem. school. Took Alg. 1 in 8th grade and the teacher always let them use a calculator. He is now in honors Alg. 2 in high school and PRAISE!!! the teacher does not let them use a calculator most of the time. Many of the kids struggle because they do not know how to do the basic algorithims. I am constantly reteaching him and he thinks it is because he is not good at math. I was a mean math mom when I hsed my oldest and did not let him use a calculator until the middle of Alg. 2. Keep in mind, if your child gets to AP Calculus there are sections on the test where calculators are not allowed. Also, in many Calculus classes in college, they are often not allowed to use a calculator or only a scientific one. He did have one teacher that did teach EM correctly (2nd grade) but that was the only one. Most of his teachers admitted they hated to teach math and EM was part of it, along with their lack of math skills.

Some nights, ds (10th grade) only has 30 minutes, some 3+ hours. He always has math (honors Alg. 2) homework but sometimes gets a lot done at school. He has had essays for history that have taken him an hour to do but that also includes discussion with me about the topic. If all his classes decide to assign homework on a particular day (not often but it happens), then it gets close to 3-4 hours. So, yes, I think 2-3 hours is normal especially if they include honors classes. She is tired since she in not into the routine yet. It will get better..........

They are probably wearing some kind of protection under those shorts. I think seeing that in a speedo would be eewwwwwww........

:iagree: My once terrible speller (a product of ps invented spelling) is now a decent speller. We started in 7th with Spelling Power but that didn't work. We switched to Megawords in 8th and it really clicked with him. We went at a pretty good pace and finsihed all 8 books in 2 years (some summer work too).

No, you won't lose the curl. I always wash my hair after a perm because it also gets cut and I can not stand those little hairs poking me. My hairdresser says not to wash or wet for 24 hours. Too bad. After a week or two, it will start to relax. Try using some gel and drying it using a brush to staighten some of the curl.

I have tried to track an ebay purchase for the last 2 days and all the USPS does is get hung up. Maybe it is a site problem.