And you never know, maybe one of us is one of your friends irl. :001_smile:

He found out last night that he won a student ticket in the lottery. He's thrilled.

We live in FAR western KY, and have a Bama freshman. We are being introduced to college football indeed! Roll Tide!:001_smile:

Our family is a HUGE Anne fan club. However, our read-aloud time is limited, and I really want to expose them to MANY different famous literary characters: Robinson Crusoe, James Herriot, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Narnia, etc. My goal is to INTRODUCE them to each one (first book of a series), and then let them read the sequel themselves if they are interested. :001_smile:

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I'm terrible at surprises too (either backfiring, or the "victim" imagining something BAD). I'd just make it a fun outing, where he KNOWS that you're going to look at a house.

The bright orange tip is the clue that it's a toy gun. Most people assume small cheap-looking rifles held by a child on Halloween are toys. However, just use a REAL water gun if you want to avoid scaring people on Halloween. Ha!

We used Weaver with our oldest (now 21yo) dd. It was a wonderful way to start homeschool Kindergarten (using the Interlock), which is a year long look at each day of Creation. (It is overtly Christian in world view.) K was our favorite year, and I did all the planning while in the hospital with this dd's emergency/ruptured appendectomy. It was easy to include her younger brother, and school was FUN and educational. We loved it so much that we did school on both Sat & Sun. We used Weaver for K to 3rd grade. I was getting to the end of the Weaver materials, and there had been a bit of repetition. My dh surprised me with the brand new WTM book. Long story short, it clicked & we wrapped up the Weaver & started a more detailed & chronological History/Science study. We needed more "meat" as the kids got older, but they now loved learning (because of the Weaver) so the transition was easy. What we now have done for the past 15 years or so is a compilation of what we liked best about the Weaver AND the WTM. We read living books and swing back & forth between History & Science every 2 weeks or so. Weaver has SOME hands-on, but I was happy to take her lesson plans and simplify/make them work for our family. Weaver basically taught me how to teach my kids using a Unit Study approach--but which also now includes the Classical approach AND Living books! Ha. Hope this helps! (I've enjoyed the walk down memory lane as our youngest is now 10yo, still all homeschooled.)

We use Saxon. We did Saxon Algebra I, then Jacob's Geometry, then Saxon Algebra 2, Saxon Adv Math and Saxon Calc. We really felt that the Saxon program did not include enough Geometry (from dh and my perspective) as Geometry teaches logic and reasoning. Therefore, we were happy when Saxon added a separate Geometry text. It's much easier to stay with the Saxon methodology. (Jacob's teaching method is completely different--one kid loved it, one kid hated it.) Algebra 2 includes about 10+ lessons of Geometry at the end, and Adv Math includes about 19 lessons of Geometry/Trig at the beginning. However, for our situation, it was just not enough. I believe Saxon without the year of Geometry is sufficient for the ACT/SAT, however.

I unknowingly pull them off in my sleep. :glare:

Chiming in. Love the customer service! They've helped with my lack of online banking experience. We like having our $$ spread out a bit, and I think you can even get free $50 in the account just for signing up. :001_smile: FDIC insured, great rates (compared to brick & mortar banks). I still like to have most of our money locally, but ING is a great alternative.

It was an EASY way to get my boys to watch this Hamlet version. :001_smile: (It also has Picard from Star Trek . . . so it was an easy sell!)

Did your family sell your home and store the stuff you didn't want to part with .. . or do you have a home base that you return to periodically? Do you plan your travels to see extended family, like your grandparents, periodically? Thank you for being so enthusiastic about answering our questions. I've read blogs written by Moms who travel like this, but it's great fun to read it from your perspective. :001_smile:

Our five kids got it on vacation last year. (Ages 10 to 20yo.) Thankfully, you can usually avoid taking them all to the pediatrician. We also took photos, to track their progress. Our 2nd oldest somehow escaped the initial infection, and was quite proud of his immune system. Then he came down with it a few days after that! I kept everyone OUT of the kitchen, tried to quarantine them, even if it was futile to stop the spread. And yes, we stayed away from everyone else outside the family! Best wishes as you ride out the rash!:001_smile:

Photo Gifts are my main stay. On-line Walgreens in an hour! :001_smile: You could even collage the great-grandchildren's photos or something.

Our local library's used book sale is $1 for hardbacks, 50 cents for paperbacks. If you have quite a few books worth over $10, I would suggest Amazon or Half.com. I'd also try to sell used homeschool curriculum thru your local hs group--you won't get much for it at a yard sale.

I'm old-fashioned. Love the handwritten aspect, and MAYBE that card with your NAME on the front will be a visual prompt to remember your name & hire you. :-) I guess if you're applying to be the CEO of Google, then use gmail! Ha.

I agree too. Especially because your boys are still young. Just concentrate on adjusting! (We test in January because it easier logistically.)

I would also suggest the 2nd (or even 3rd) language, esp. Spanish. Getting a useful skill like a 2 yr nursing degree. Try to live frugally. Developing relationships with friends she knows who are missionaries, or signing up to house missionaries who are traveling through your town, etc. Summer mission trips in which she is the only "American teen" (avoiding the youth group mission trips!), possibly living with another missionary family and being mentored (while she helps with the chores, etc.). Reading missionary biographies, and visiting headquarters of various mission boards (wide variety of philosophies and theology). But also HIGHLY recommend that she avoid student loan debt! Both of my brothers knew they wanted to be full-time missionaries. They got Math/Science 4 year degrees, which they do use in an auxillary way. They also "happened" to meet their future wives on unique summer mission trips which were not for the faint-of-heart . . . and they knew they could work well together in difficult situations ahead of time. :001_smile:

Gift Card for some off-campus food, Amazon, iTunes, or Target, or gas.

We just do it spontaneously. *Electoral College (and then filling in the outline map on Election Night)==you can look at the 2008 blue/red map as an example & talk about the battleground states (esp. if you are in one)! *Our local US Representative running for re-election *I made up a sheet of the 9 current local office holders, so the kids recognize them: US & State Representatives, Mayor, President, Vice President. *I'd try to go out to an actual political event, even if it is not a candidate you are interested in. Our local library hosted a reception for local candidates & our kids were the only kids there (I was helping host it) . . . but now they recognize the mayor, city commissioners, etc. I guess it depends on how old your children are, but it comes across very easily in our every day conversations about the various candidates. (They overheard a healthy, long discussion/conversation this afternoon between their dad and a friend!) :001_smile:

There's an entire St. Louis restaurant "Gooey Louie" dedicated to Gooey Butter Cake (which is a lot like chess pie). They sell peanut butter flavored, etc. It's an easy recipe for beginning cooks!

I'm already getting email reminders from http://www.organizedchristmas.com. (Which I do recommend, even if--like me--you intend to be a low-key Christmas celebrator.)

Opposite example of your request: Queen Elizabeth II ended up becoming queen (gaining prestige), due to the abdication of her uncle. However, it likely is something she wishes never happened to her. This is an interesting challenge! :bigear:

Ds is in the Honors program at U of Alabama. Highly recommend it for all the above reasons, but also: Option to live in the Honors Dorm (nicer, more studious environment) More options for Study Abroad, Research as an undergrad. Community Service option--he went a week early to school & helped paint an elem school. Got 1 hour of honors credit, but also easily met 100 other students with an interest to serve the community and excel academically. He loves his Honors Calc professor, and the smaller class size. He needs to accumulate 18 honors credits in order to graduate "with Honors". Basically, it is the way a state university provides a more "upper-tier" academic experience for the top 20% (or so) of the campus. I was skeptical at first, because of all the hoops he had to jump through. But it is DEFINITELY worth it!:001_smile: