8, do you know if it is possible to take A-level language exams here in the U.S.? I know that you can take, for example, the DELF/DALF through the Alliance Francaise here. I wonder what other exams may be taken Stateside to confirm languages (outside of the AP/SAT II context). Do you have plans for your DD and exams for Russian?

I wouldn't say that my DS loves copywork, but he gets it done without complaint. He much prefers creative writing.

Not sure I'd classify Biglaw as an amazing job. In fact, I know I wouldn't.

Woah, that did not format like it looked on my screen. Sorry! It is all 3 elementary books and 2 of the middle school books.

Cross-posting from the HS Board. The Killgallon books are currently 30% off! I compared with Amazon prices, and this is definitely a good deal. http://www.heinemann.com/authors/837.aspx After reading old threads, I have the following in my cart. Is this overkill, or should I strike while the iron is hot? Product Title List Price Discount Web Price Quantity Sentence Composing for Elementary School: A Worktext to Build Better Sentences -- E00223 $27.50 30.0% $19.25 Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence-Composing Approach--A Student Worktext -- E00956 $19.38 30.0% $13.56 Paragraphs for Middle School: A Sentence-Composing Approach -- E04268 $30.00 30.0% $21.00 Paragraphs for Elementary School: A Sentence-Composing Approach -- E04794 $26.88 30.0% $18.81 Story Grammar for Elementary School: A Sentence-Composing Approach: A Student Worktext -- E01246 $19.38 30.0% $13.56 Order Subtotal: $86.19

With my oldest DS, I just bought Montessori sandpaper letters and a tray, and we made a moving alphabet. After that, he got hooked on Reading Eggs (a video game) for awhile.

Absences of 6-12 months create a "reasonable presumption" of abandonment, which is why you have to take affirmative steps to overcome the presumption. In practice, USCIS may not catch you, but you risk being placed in exclusion proceedings (the first step to losing your Green Card). Since we didn't want to risk it, and my husband was eligible for citizenship anyway, we just went ahead and got him a U.S. Passport. (I am a [retired] attorney, but have only handled a few immigration matters for family and friends. I know this one simply because we just looked at the issue in 2013.)

If you are a Permanent Resident of the U.S., you actually risk "abandonment" if you are out of the country for more than 6 months. There are several affirmative steps you must take to retain your permanent U.S. residency. We spent a year living in Mexico. My husband was a Permanent Resident, but we got his U.S. citizenship before we left to ensure that he wasn't abandoning his permanent residence here in CA.

If Rosarito is your permanent residence, then you need to follow Mexican law re homeschooling. I would only file the R4 if you are temporarily in Mexico, but intend to return to San Diego in the near term.

Anyone can experience the life at other Claremont colleges by attending classes, visiting speaker series, and parties (of which there are many), but each college really does have a unique flavor to it. I originally went to visit Pomona, but quickly realized that it's very liberal atmosphere was not the place for me. I wandered onto CMC's campus, listened in on some lectures, did more research about the school, and just knew that it would be a good fit for me. And it was. I loved my CMC experience. Also, as I mentioned in my PM, when I was at USC, it did not have the reputation for academic rigor that it does today, which colored my analysis. CMC had/has incredible placement with law schools, and that was my primary focus. But, I am still a rabid USC football fan! The Claremont Colleges share a recruiting program (https://www.claremontmckenna.edu/csc/employers/recruiting_options.php), however, the colleges are each known for very different things, and IME, employers recruit accordingly. If you go to a school like USC, banks will come to campus, but they won't recruit from all majors. It will be very targeted to econ, math, etc. At a liberal arts college like CMC, it will often be very different. Banks and consulting firms recruited me even with a Russian major, though I did have a quant/econ background, in part because of CMC's broad gen ed requirements. I agree with the others that debt for undergrad should be kept to a minimum. IME at both schools, CMC and USC are very generous with aid.

Yes, this is correct. I majored in Russian at Pomona and Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) at CMC. All the major banks and consulting firms interview at CMC, as the school is known for its econ and government departments (25% of CMC grads enter law school -- the most in the nation -- which was one of the main reasons I transferred). I would be surprised that the students at Scripps have the same opportunities, to be honest.

I attended USC before transferring to Claremont McKenna for undergrad. I've also worked in investment banking in New York. If she would like to talk to someone about either school, or about the rigors of life in IB, I would be happy to speak with her. Feel free to PM.

I can name a song in just a couple of notes.

I graduated from law school 185k in debt (13 years ago -- you can imagine the cost today). My children are allowed to be anything but lawyers. :)

My oldest is getting excited about finishing Kindy. I'd like to do something fun to celebrate and would love to hear about your Last Day of School traditions. How do you celebrate the end of each school year?

I would love more modern historical fiction recs. I will have a young one for sotw4 as well.

I am a freshly minted refugee who is enjoying this discussion immensely. But, can I just say that the Donahue episode was fascinating. I can barely remember a time when people discussed substantive issues on television.

The concealed carry issue among Christians is one that I had not considered. I don't know a single Jew who has weapons in their home, yet alone on their person in their daily life. Among the Orthodox, who are generally the most politically conservative of Jews, you would not find people carrying weapons on their person, as it would be problematic during Shabbat and certain holidays. It's an interesting cultural difference.

My son is also a guesser/context/sight reader. He balked at doing OPGTR and Elizabeth's nonsense words. After we graduated from Progressive Phonics to the Nora Gaydos books (both excellent), we bought the AAR readers, which are sold separately. They are interesting stories, but have controlled phonics woven throughout. They have taken my son to a 4th grade+ reading level in one year. At night, I let him read whatever twaddle he wants. That combo has worked well for us. He still does guess off and on, but he loves to read. My solution, at this point, has simply been to buddy read parts of our regular read aloud (which are generally late elementary level) for reading practice. That way, I can monitor the guessing and reinforce the phonics that he knows.

What about more math games? http://www.amazon.com/Math-for-Love-Prime-Climb/dp/B00PG9590G Or some of the logic games by Think Fun?

Thank you, Anabel. Super helpful!

As a child, my family went to Catholic and Lutheran churches. I've also attended the churches of numerous other Christian denominations, and I do not recall ever seeing any sort of security guard/doors/glass/cameras, etc. in place. It always seemed to me that Catholic/Christian churches were wide open for visitors. Granted, this was several decades ago, so I understand that things may be different today. The first time I set foot on the grounds of a synagogue, the first thing that struck me was the conspicuous level of security. I converted to Judaism over a decade ago, and it now seems to me that tight security at a synagogue/temple is pretty much the norm in most places. I was thinking about it today because we have a homeschool PE class that is near the San Diego Islamic Center. Every mosque I have ever seen in the U.S. has the same tight security that we have at Jewish places of worship. So, I am curious... Does your place of worship have security?

Or classless onesies like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/223237625/all-daddy-wanted-was-a-blowjob-onesie?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_low-clothing-unisex_kids_clothing-bodysuits&utm_custom1=0a4882f6-28f8-b969-6314-00005279d28c&kpid=223237625&gclid=Cj0KEQjwxpipBRCap8PR2Om7vq4BEiQA6V7OVXBipd7IHgMZhNgcq8Qq064N1npihYdXoVnoI2SFX3UaAheq8P8HAQ (DH tried to buy it, but I exercised the matriarchal veto.)

Majestic Garlic Sprouted Hummus is 1000X better than Sabra. I am addicted to their chipotle flavor. https://www.majesticgarlic.com/product-category/sprouted-hummus/

If we decide to homeschool my youngest, I would probably start with Right Start and Singapore 1 IP, and then transition to Beast Academy in 2nd grade.