My kids are still in elementary but for us, I used her last test from explore to booster her vocabulary. My dd1 is a voracious reader and sees reading in the same light as breathing. She reads classics, high vocabulary books but still scored lowest on the reading section of the explore. So this year, we have been working more on vocabulary and comprehension so that was the only surprise I got from testing.

Sometimes being cooped up in the house for so Lon can get on everyone. I like to plan outings in feb as it does help with the mood. Right now we have a lot to do so we can be done on time so we can't take too many breaks. Oh well

We like Caesar's English here

Nice

I am like someone from Sri Lanka. Cool info

I think his quote like most quotes will resonate with some people and will irritate others. There are kids that thrive on competition by themselves, there are kids that needs to be prodded and pushed to achieve their dreams and there are kids that nothing you say or do will move them. The issue is figuring out which camp your child belongs to and working towards that but like most things with parenting, it is not always easy.

I agree with pp. we are going through a second run of SOTW with dd1, dd2 is doing it for the first time so she doesn't do as much as dd2. I have also been surprised by some of the things she had forgotten so it is very good review. This time around we add docymentaries and encyclopedias and sometime she reads other stories to get better depth.

We have guests over so many times that if we do not do school, we will not be done for the year. Like others have said, it depends on Whois visiting and for how long, I am generally able to do school most days do let my kids know that while others might be on a break, we are not so my kids have to do school. Since the guests are other kids,I will do school but do lots of group activities, crafts etc that will be fun but not too heavy for all.

For us, if the kids are not in tippy top shape, they can curl up on the sofa and watch documentaries. I will only count it as half day though. Hope you all are able to rest and get better soon

I like Lady Mary and of course Mathew- they are just so cute together but the dowager takes the cake with me.

Since communication with her has not been great since living abroad, I will not be offended. If she had been communicating quite well and did not say anything abut it, I will be slightly put out but will get over it. People express themselves in different ways and I am learning to take people as they are. Hope you are able to congratulate her soon and rejoice with her.

Lol. I have an acquaintance in church who I am sure does not remember my name. I called her by her name and she answered " how are you doing friend". I felt like telling her my name as I don't care but I feel like she might get embarrassed. Oh well.

We have been able to find some at Marshall's but they are hit or miss. We got some at JCp during the thanksgiving sale.

While I understand the be in the moment thought, it is not all moments on a vacation that you want to be in. If you are flying for hours or driving for hours, you might as well use those times to catch up on reading. We always pack books when n vacation though we might not read everything. I have had to tell my dd1 a couple of times to stop reading and enjoy the moment when I feel she is not paying attention to what is going on. It's always a balancing act.

Cool. My dd's will love it. They really like the book. Do let us know how it is.

My very favorite book for kids 4th grade and up is a view from Saturday http://www.amazon.com/View-Saturday-L-Konigsburg/dp/0689817215 a really nice book. My dd1 has read - and of green gables, Tom Sawyer, where the mountain meets the moon, a single shard, Toothpaste millionaire etc

I have only homschooled k-4th but I think middle school might be the most challenging with all the puberty stuff and kids thinking they know more than they actually do. For us, behavior have been more challenging than the academics for now. I can't say what it will be in high school

Thank you

Sorry about the loss of your brother. I will not unfriend her on Fb as that might be the only way to know what is going on with your nephew. I can only hope that she is acting out of grief but it is very strange way to behave.

I haven't read the article but this is also not the first time I am hearing something like this. One of our local libraries have been cutting funding due to the economy. One of the moms in my homeschool group then suggested that we all pool our collective homeschool books together and let each other borrow from each other and not have to rely on govt funded library. While that sounds nice on the surface, she did not talk about how the books will be housed, who will be in charge, what will you do when people do not return borrowed items. Our local library does more than just lend out books, they organize summer reading for the kids, do chess club, astronomy clubs, computer learning for older adults, etc all with the intent of getting kids reading all through the year. We go to the library every week and check out between 30- 40 items most weeks. This is in addition to having a huge book collection at home. I can't even imagine homeschooling without the library. It is the only thing I can say the taxpayers are providing that I am making the most use of.

Nature study- I love the way it is presented in CM but we just don't do it. I a also not from this area originally and do not know a lot of the trees and wild life so that makes it hard. We try to go to the local nature parks every 3 months or so and walk around and learn something. I do wish we can do it more often.

I gave $1 for the first and 50 cents thereafter. Like someone mentioned up, he hard part is remembering. I have had many a disappointed dd that woke up and found nothing. They were told to go back and make sure after mom had snuck in to do the exchange. They don't believe in the tooth fairy but they like the money.

I agree with Alte Veste, it is more about the close friendships. One or more really close friends can make a difference in how a child perceives their social life.

AOPS pre algebra.

Congrats grandmama