I'm sitting in my dining room surrounded by the paintings I purchased in Charleston 20 years ago. I too LOVE Charleston--and South Carolina in general. I didn't live in Charleston, though. I lived north of Pawley's Island in Surfside Beach (south of Myrtle Beach). I even survived Hurricane Hugo! I'd love to get back there someday. The people there really were the nicest of any place I've lived. Glad you had a good trip! Jacklyn

Bananagrams and Apples to Apples. Bananagrams is great because it is so portable. We recently got together with several other homeschoolers, and there were six kids at a time playing. My son also likes playing solo. Every time he uses up all the letters, we take a picture of him posing with his anagram! Our whole family can play Apples to Apples--with dc from ages 13 to 7. We often make up our own rules, and we are almost always laughing like crazy at some point during this game. Jacklyn

when we have this problem around here, we reach for the A&D ointment--the original "greasy" kind--not the white kind. It has a brown and yellow label. Put it on at night, and it will be better in the morning. One day my son walked around Sea World in a wet bathing suit all day. He was RAW by the end of the day. The A&D always takes care of it. Just make sure it is NOT the white kind (zinc oxide or something?). I was also going to recommend powder as a preventative. Here in FL, we keep a big bottle of baby powder in the car. It's great for getting the sand off when you're leaving the beach--it dries out your clammy skin so the sand can fall off. So I think it would work fine for sweaty thighs too! Good luck! Jacklyn

is sometimes simpler is better. I, too, was frustrated at SL's choppiness. But the first year I tried SOTW I, I added in too many extra books and did too many activities. I found the "flow" of SOTW got lost in all my big intentions. My DC love SOTW, and I have used all four of the SOTW books. Here is how I do it now: I have my breakfast before I wake the children. Then, while they are eating, I sit at the table and read to them--first from whatever we are using for Bible time (usually a missionary story), then I read from a book related to the general time-frame of history we are studying (usually fiction, but sometimes non-fiction. Right now it's "Abraham Lincoln: A Photobiography"). BTW, I used to do our read-aloud book in the evening, but now I'm too tired at night! Next, I read from SOTW--just one section of the chapter (usually there's two). Because we are in book 4, and there are no coloring pages, my little one colors the map page while I read. The others fill out their outlines. Afterwards, they complete the map assignment. The following day, before I start reading the next section, I ask the questions in the Activity Guide. All my "morning" books, reproducible pages, and file folders holding the children's completed work are kept in a basket near the kitchen table. The other things we keep handy are pencils, colored pencils, and the globe. That's it. That's all we do for history. I do preview the Activity Guide for simple projects and activities, but I shy away from the longer ones that would hold us up. My children LOVE history, and they remember a lot of what I have read. And, at the age of your dc, I would focus more on enjoyment and exposure than anything else. HTH, Jacklyn

I used the TM once, but it wasn't really necessary. I think this is a well-laid out program, and my children all seemed to enjoy it. Jacklyn

my kids love Maps, Charts, and Graphs by Modern Curriculum Press. I buy a new one every year for their different grade levels. They are inexpensive, but they are in color, and the answers are in the back so no TE needed. My dc take the IOWA test every year, and I have found these books to be a big help. They fill an area that often gets overlooked in my eclectic homeschooling curriculum. Oh, and BTW, it's not all geography--it includes bar graphs and line graphs and circle charts in a wide range of topics. HTH, Jacklyn

during 2nd grade, and I really liked the Reading book by Houghton Mifflin. It had a good variety of stories--fiction, non-fiction, poems, biographies, etc. And the stories were real books like Thundercake, Officer Buckle and Gloria, etc. We didn't use Calvert again, but I saved those reading books for my other two children to use as well. HTH, Jacklyn

were those towels with the hood. Someone sewed a couple for my twins, and I must have kept them for 10 years! They were made out of the smaller, less expensive towels, and the hood was made with either a washcloth or small hand towel. My mom has made some of these for my kids now that they are older (using bigger towels, of course), and she has their names monogrammed on the hood. They are the ONLY towels my kids use. Instead of a towel rack in the bathroom, we use a rack with hooks--very easy to hang the towels. LOVE those hooded towels! Jacklyn

I recently saw it, and it was terrific. I wish I would have taken my 8th grade boys, because I think they would have liked it too, but I went on the last night it was being performed. Jacklyn

First of all, I would love to hear from those of you who have used Omnibus I. Is this a strong enough program to count as a high school World History credit? Secondly, I notice one of the optional books is Spielvogel's Western Civ. In your opinion, is it necessary? Finally, I've read some reviews about Spielvogel's World History: The Human Odyssey. I'm wondering if this could be used as a stand-alone World History program and where to get a study guide or teacher's guide for it. What is the difference between this book and the Western Civ book? Thanks for any help you can give! Jacklyn

I keep coming back to the Notgrass World History because it seems to meet most of the requirements we are looking for. I find the tests and discussion questions a bit shallow though. Did any of you do the Nations Project with your children? I kind of like the idea used in Sonlight 300 better--writing a summary for each decade. Again, I appreciate the encouragement for Notgrass. Now if I can just convince the co-op to spend the $. Jacklyn

so that makes using something like TOG difficult. Using an incremental approach would mean that the older students wouldn't get to finish the cycle. So I am looking for something that can be done in one year and accomodate any level of high school. Thanks for your input! Any others? I'm also looking at Sonlight Core 300 if anyone has experience with it. Jacklyn

that would be good for a co-op. Ideally, it would be Christian-based and not terribly expensive. I'm looking at Notgrass, so I would love to hear some reviews--good or bad. But I will consider others. Some in our co-op have mentioned Streams of Civilization. Any input on that one? Thanks so much! Jacklyn

I'm not sure if this has already been posted or not, but Disney is offering a great deal for military members and their families. The servicemember gets 5 free days to any Disney theme park and 5 free days at any Disney water park, Wide World of Sports, or Disney Quest (this if for DisneyWorld in Kissimmee). You can also purchase five additional tickets for $99 each. For an extra $25, you can add on the water park option, and for another $25 you can add on the park hopper option. The servicemember doesn't have to purchase this--dependents can get the tickets with their own ID. And Disney is also offering a free day on your birthday, so that is potentially a total of 11 days at Disney. That is what all of our kids are getting for their birthday this year--a day at the Disney park of their choosing with either Mom or Dad. Grandma's present is a little spending $ for a souvenir. Yesterday I went with my 7 year old son for his birthday. We had a great day together. He got to wear a birthday pin, and he got to do some special things like "steer" the boat for the Amazon River Cruise. I don't have a link, but you can google Disney's Salute to Veterans and find the details. I think Guard and Reserve members who meet certain conditions are also eligible. My husband retired 12 years ago, but it is nice that his service has not been forgotten and he still gets some perks now and then. Jacklyn

two things my family really liked were BOTH the 3-D movies. My dc ranged in age from 12 to 5 when we were there. The movies were about the moon and the space station--don't know if they have changed them by now or not. Anyway, they were excellent. We highly recommend them. Jackie

the teacher allowed the graduating seniors that she teaches (most are homeschooled) to say a few words to the audience. I loved what one of them had to say. Basically, her advice was when they are old enough to express an interest, that is a good time to start lessons. Also, the next advice--as much for the parents as the kids--was to stick with it once you start. I thought both those suggestions were great. I've never met anyone who stuck with an instrument and later regretted it. But I meet people all the time who started learning one and quit and now say they regret quitting. Have your children expressed their own interest in playing piano? How do they react when you suggest it? I think those are good cues to help you find your answer. Jacklyn

My oldest two (twin boys) turned 13 in December. They are very different, so fortunately only one of them for now is showing teenage "symptoms". It's good to know there is a support group here--I have a feeling that I will have many questions for all you moms who have survived these years! Jacklyn

it isn't likely. We live in a good neighborhood, but you just never know. These things seem to happen when you don't expect them. Just recently some neighbors across the street allowed their 20-something boys to move back in with them. The boys had a fight, one hit the other with a crow-bar, and the next thing you know he is high-tailing it across the street for our house. We ran and turned on the alarm--which up til then I had considered cancelling to save a little $ every month. In thinking about my kids being home alone, I know now I will not cancel my alarm service. It gives me a sense of peace when my children are home alone, and it is also tied into the fire alarm. I know that my children can open a window or a door or push the panic button. It still isn't fool-proof, but the peace of mind is worth $30 a month. Jacklyn

they are 13. One is an avid reader, the other is not. My reader also liked the Percy Jackson series, Mysterious Benedict Society, and most of the others mentioned above. His latest rave is The Ordinary Boy series. They both also read the books by Anthony Horowitz beginning with Storm Breaker. These are found in the Young Adult section of the library. They are more intense, but I have to say my non-reader was found buried in each and every book. It was a shock to find him in his bed READING when he is usually outside doing anything but reading. Jacklyn

and very narrow feet. It is hard for me to find good shoes, and my legs ache when I don't wear good shoes. I found a sneaker that I LOVE. It is by Brooks. I had never heard of them, but I was told they've been around a long time. I found them at a shoe store in our area that carries higher-end brands. They were about $100, but they are SO worth it. I just realized that my legs haven't ached at all since I bought these shoes about six months ago. Good luck! Jacklyn

http://www.pesdirect.com I have ordered the ITBS from them for several years, and I have been very pleased. You do have to have a bachelor's degree to administer the test. My kids actually enjoy their week of testing--which was why I started giving it to them. I wanted them to get used to taking tests but not be terribly stressed by it. Best wishes, Jacklyn

The Endless Steppe, which was mentioned earlier. I didn't want it to get "lost" in that wonderful list of books. I just finished reading it, and I can't wait for my 13 yo boys to read it. Even though it is about a girl, it is an engaging read. If your son is interested in WWII, he will like this book. Jacklyn

we have no history of heart problems in my family. But I haven't been to the doctor since my youngest was born (he's six now!). I do get my regular "female" check-ups every year but haven't had a physical. I finally changed doctors this month and plan to do so. Anyway, I have had the same "sensations" when I am sleeping. I wake up to feel/hear my heartbeat. Often I can change to sleep on my back or on my other side, and it will stop. I also have been attributing it to perimenopause because of some other minor symptoms I am having. I am 41. I agree with the other posters that *we* should get these symptoms checked just to be safe. My heartbeat thing comes and goes. Sometimes I will have it for a couple of nights and then nothing for a few months. Stress could very likely be part of the problem. My diet is good, but I do drink coffee in the morning. I just wanted you to not feel too concerned thinking it was very unusual. Something to be checked out, for sure, but don't stress about it too much in the mean-time. Blessings! Jacklyn

for being brave enough to post this, too. I have been tempted with the idea of putting my 7th grade boys into PS next year--not full-time, but for one or two classes. It's not where my heart is, I've just been feeling inadequate with our homeschooling. Your post was a good reminder for me about WHY I am homeschooling in the first place. Best wishes to you and your daughter. Jacklyn

Every year the calendar has new themes. Last year's themes were First Ladies, International Landmarks, Famous Artists, Holidays/Celebrations Around the World, etc. For every day of the year, there is an historical event featured, usually with a color picture. The only down-fall to this calendar is there is no room to write, so it is not good for keeping track of daily activities. I keep The Learning Calendar in our school-room, and every year I buy another calendar that showcases an artist. I keep that calendar in the kitchen to write our actvities on. That way the children are exposed to a new artist's work every year, and then we can cut out the pictures of art at the end of the year to add to our "collection" of works. Last year we did Van Gogh, this year it is Georgia O'Keeffe! Here is the link to the learning calendar: http://www.LearningCalendar.com HTH, Jacklyn