I thought it was dumb, my husband thought it was dumb, and all my children thought it was dumb. We were not amused.

Thank you! I'm not sure how I missed that.

Thank you both, for your replies. I am not familiar with the term progymnasmata so I'll need to look into that. The gentle approach is what I am looking for. I could probably find a relatively inexpensive drill book if I felt more was needed. This is what worries me. I am not a natural teacher but do very well when I have a little bit of a script or something to help me. Hmmmm... I'm finding it hard to find a fun writing curriculum with help for the teacher. I really wish I could get a hold of a copy to look at but I haven't looked for their website either, yet, only have looked at what RR had to look at online.

Has anyone used Paul Kortepeter's Writing & Rhetoric Book 1: Fables? You can see it here: http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/010221 This would be for next school year for a third grader. It looks geared towards a classroom setting, but I've read a review or two from homeschoolers that it is fun. I'm really trying to find a writing curriculum that isn't dry and boring and outdated. Thanks!

Congratulations!!

Does the Clickin Moms site focus solely on children as the subject? I'd love to learn to photograph landscapes so I wouldn't want to invest in a membership of CM if it isn't what I need.

I'm not trying to derail the topic, but just how *do* you change the beekeeper status? I've been trying to figure it out. I'm 100% sure it is super easy and is right in my face but my tired brain just cannot figure it out.

Ill check this out! Thanks for sharing about your course.

Knee still hurts, so no exercising again. Doctor appointment for two kids - done! School - Finish up turkey broth for dinner - Make 4 different appointments - done! Start monthly shopping list - Clutter pic up for cleaners - Finish up will -

So Friday my right knee started swelling. Not a lot of pain, just a LOT of swelling. It could either be RA or because I fell on that knee a few years ago or because of all of the plyometrics I've been doing. I did no exercising Saturday, Sunday, or today. Irritating. No, beyond irritating! No workout for me today.

I'm having a lot of knee swelling and pain, so no exercise for me this morning. :-( School - Turkey breast in crockpot - done Write - Attend YNAB webinars - Read - Put away laundry and fold any clothing that is left in baskets - Make appt for 4yo dd - Join weight watchers?? -

I've decided to drop the BJU. I saw the teacher's manual sitting on my desk this morning and felt my blood pressure rising. That's a pretty good sign that it isn't worth it.

Fitness Blender cardio workout. Pretty easy but I needed that after the last three workouts.

I'm finding this to be true, as well. Next year I'll need to budget for that because if I had done it for this year, it might not make it so painful to dump the BJU math. . . . :crying:

Yes, TGIF! Exercise - done Print daily assignments - done Wash master bath towels - started Make hair appointments for three of my girls - done Give oldest dd Saxon math placement test - School - Dinner (chili) - Re-do chore chart for kids - Have a great day.

I am feeling better that I am not the only one disappointed in something. Really. I am pretty close to moving on to a different math program (she liked Saxon; should have stayed with it) since it is so early in the game. I hate teaching saxon though. . . .

Here it is, only the 6th week of school for us and I'm already so very disappointed in one of the curriculum choices I made for my oldest. Against my better judgement, I bought BJU Fundamentals of Math. I thought it would be a good, rigorous but step-by-step approach to math. All I can say is that it is NOT easy for me to teach. We are looking at prime numbers today (3.3 for those who have the book) and what I think should be simple and straight forward is NOT explained that way. I can't even understand what they are telling her to do to figure things out. And why don't the skill checks offer step-by-step answers??? Ugh, so so so disappointed in this but it was not a cheap program. Does anyone else have a curriculum that they are disappointed in this early in the school year?

I just hung up all the new master bedroom curtains. It was a chore, but it's something else I can add to my list!

Hi Bluegoat! I'm not too sure what you mean by this? Are you asking why she has no problem forgoing meat but will drink milk and eat eggs? If yes, then *I* am aware of the way animals are treated for both dairy milk and eggs but *she* is not and frankly, she is not ready to know that. With her, she can only take sad news a bit at a time. She lost her sweet crested gecko in February/March and she is still grieving that and to educate her on what they do to calves and chickens in the process of providing our society with eggs and milk is not something I want to load her with right now. Next year, maybe. Or maybe the year after that when she has matured a bit. But, like I said, baby steps is how we are going to work here. Of course, I could be reading your comments completely wrong, as I have been known to do before. ;-) Please feel free to correct me and/or add more comments. I do appreciate them!

Thank you all for reassuring me. My main concern is iron as she enters puberty, but since her cycles haven't started yet, it isn't an immediate concern. I did put some books on hold at the library to look at. This is just going to have to be gradual and I told her that. She was okay with taking it slow and she is putting together questions to ask her doctor when we go. Someone mentioned upthread that eating vegetarian shouldn't mean eating heavily on grains/pastas/etc. That is exactly what I'm afraid of it becoming so I'll definitely have to continue to plan our menus so that I don't end up reaching for too many boxes of pasta. Now if I could only prepare for the lovely remarks I'm sure the grandparents will make. ;-)

52 minutes of Fitness Blender. It kicked my butt and I had to stop occasionally to catch my breath, but that is only because I really pushed it as far as I could.

So much didn't get done yesterday so I'll move it to today! Exercise - done! Print out daily assignments - done! Plan science for the next week - done! Finish holding books at the library - done! Hang up master bedroom curtains - done! Work on planning Seattle trip - Laundry (2 loads washed, dried, folded, put away) - Write! - Read - Plan busy bags to make and put together shopping list - Journal - Make appt for 4yo dd - Make hair appts -

I'm starting to feel old with all of the things I don't know that I have to google! lol No apologies! I should have figured with the word "pirate" in it. I'm so slow!

I do not remember ever seeing that. In fact, I rarely see anyone around here eating while shopping at the grocery store. I will bring a bottle of water to drink when I shop, but it is my personal water bottle from home. 99% of the time we eat before we shop so we aren't hungry and if we are, we pay for something at the register and then open it up when we get back to the car.

I do want to add that I will more than likely go vegetarian along with her so that she has support. She feels different from the rest of the family sometimes (she was the only blonde in our family until my youngest was born, she is the only one that loves animals/insects/etc) so this would be another way she would feel alienated. If she and I do it together it might alleviate that feeling. I was planning on trying a vegetarian diet at some point anyway.