Is that the kind of thing you set up through the pediatrician?

I don't have a lot of advice, just want to reassure you. I am exactly this way as well. I try very hard not to be, but I struggle greatly with being flexible when things don't turn out as I envision them. For me, it's not just disappointment but often anxiety as well. I have tried to explain it to dh like this: My brain is like a filing cabinet. I function best when all the files are neatly tucked away in their respective folders (IOW, I know which actions I am going to take and which results they should achieve). I have to work really hard to keep all my mental files in their places. When something goes wrong, even if it's a seemingly small thing, it feels like someone has pushed my filing cabinet over and dumped out all my files. I have to spend time putting them all back and getting my head straight again. Eventually everything is right again, and I can regroup and move in a new direction, but when things go off course the next time, we start all over.

Ours was about three hours, start to finish. We had gallery passes for both the House and Senate chambers, so that adds time, depending on how long you sit and listen, if anything is happening at the moment, etc. We only visited the Senate gallery and didn't sit there for very long, as we were quite tired by then. You could always contact your Senator or representative's office and ask. Ours has a link on his website specifically for tour requests and his staff were super helpful and friendly.

DS5 has pretty nice handwriting when he holds his pencil in the position he's comfortable with. More importantly, he LOVES writing/coloring -- when allowed to do it his way. But "his way" is not really the "correct" way. I'm not sure what you call the "correct" way (does it have a name?), and I know there are some variations, so I'm not trying to be dogmatic about it but merely find a way to describe it. By "correct" I mean the usual recommended two- or three-finger grip. His way is not exactly using his whole fist, but it incorporates all of his fingers, except maybe the pinky. (Again, so hard to describe! Maybe I can take a pic and post it if that helps.) He makes an effort to use the "correct" grip when reminded, but grudgingly, and it clearly frustrates him that it's so much more difficult for him to maneuver the pencil that way. His preschool teacher had him use a rubber gripping device on his pencil, but honestly, I don't see that it helped in any way. I've tried various methods to help him. He doesn't struggle so much to hold the pencil correctly, but he struggles a lot to make it do what he wants it to do when he's holding it in the "correct" way. His hand muscles clearly aren't up to the task. I don't want him to get stuck in a habit that will be detrimental to him down the road. But I also don't want to make writing/coloring so difficult that he begins to really hate it. Do I let him go his own way and try to sort it out later when hopefully his fine motor skills have improved? Insist that he practice the "correct" grip every time he writes or colors? Something else?

I can swallow multiple pills at once, even larger ones, but I need a good gulp of water to do it. It took me a long time to learn. I remember having a severe case of strep throat and double ear infections when I was 12. The doctor tried to get me to take an antibiotic in pill form in the ER because it was stronger/quicker acting than the liquid. I could. not. do. it. I ended up begging for a shot instead. Of course, the strep made swallowing torture, and it scarred me for a very long time. I still have to make a concerted effort to "expand" my throat when I'm swallowing a pill. I can never just do it as if I were swallowing a drink or bite of food.

When I was in college (in Virginia), an acquaintance asked my roommate (from Indiana) if roommate would mind dropping acquaintance off on roommate's way home for break. Acquaintance lived in Nebraska. :glare:

Agree about the LOC. Even on the guided tour you only get about 30 seconds to look down into the actual library through the glass. Very disappointing. Our tour guide told us you must have prior permission to enter the library. Only those who can demonstrate that they need access for research purposes are allowed. And you have to tell them in advance which book it is that you need to see. So I wouldn't bank on getting in there. The tour itself was more about the building and the symbolism of the art, etc. than about the collections. Which is fine, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't what I expected. We enjoyed our tour of the Capitol, scheduled through our senator's office. But it was LONG (like, three hours or more -- it took most of our afternoon). General tours and/or other offices might not be that long. But you really don't have a way out once you're in; it's not like you can just slip out the back door. OTOH, getting to ride through the underground tunnel from the Senate offices to the Capitol was super cool! Other than those two, our short trip included: Natural History Museum (Hands down dd11's favorite) National Gallery of Art (meh) National Air & Space Museum (Recommended if you've never been there or are into space/planes, otherwise I'd skip) National Archives (One of my favorites, but dd was NOT impressed. "Look, honey, it's the Constitution! That's the REAL thing!" "Yeah, I see it." I'd still go, even if all you do is pop in to see the Constitution, Declaration, and Magna Carta.) Bureau of Engraving and Printing (This was actually super cool -- I would recommend if you have time. It's free but you do have to go in person to get a ticket on the day of your visit. When tickets are gone, they're gone. They had tons when we went but YMMV.) Tour the monuments (We just walked the length of the mall on our own, stopping at each, then back up and over to the White House on Penn, and around to Lafayette Park -- which was plenty for us. Nighttime would be cool though!) National Zoo (Fine, but I wouldn't rank it top on my list -- unless you really want to see the baby pandas!)

I had intended to keep the workbook clean so I could use it with two kids (as we did with WWE), but I quickly discovered that dd needed to write in the margins and underline/mark through/circle as instructed. It just made it easier for her to understand what the lesson was trying to convey. Other kids might be different, but for us it was worth the cost of the workbook to use it as instructed. I agree with the PP who said check into costs before you print it on your own. We also ordered from Peace Hill's "scratch and dent" stock and I don't think I would have ever guessed they were designated "damaged" had I not known.

I'm in the same boat -- dd loves science, I don't, and if it's not pretty easy to follow there's a good chance it won't get done. We have used Noeo in the past and been pleased with it, but they don't offer Earth Science. (We did, however, really enjoy their Physics III this year.) We're switching to Elemental Science Astronomy and Earth Science for the Logic Stage for next year. Another one I considered was Mr. Q. I honestly thought it would appeal more to dd, but she preferred Elemental.

Yep, that's what I do. I was a literature major, but I still find that I often have trouble coming up with good, open-ended questions. (And sometimes, frankly, I just haven't read the book -- or more likely, it's been YEARS -- so I need a cheat sheet.) There's an amazing number of free resources out there just floating around on the web. Many publishers put out literary guides for their books. I pick out the questions most likely to make the student think and chuck the rest. Those guides often also reference various literary devices the author employs, and I note them so I can point them out as we get to them. That's about the extent of our taking the book apart. The suggestion above that some high schools are down to THREE BOOKS per year astounds me!! DD (just finished 5th) reads 10-12 assigned novels per year. (That's on top of her history reading, which can be fiction or non-fiction but is tied to whatever era we're studying, and on top of her free reading, which I don't regulate at all.) We don't discuss everything she reads; half to two-thirds of her assigned reading is done purely for the pleasure of interacting with a good book. I agree with those who have said, just let them read!!

Ugh. I feel you. Seems like I can't get away from the diets and MLM nonsense. Everything's a sales pitch. We have a piece of property for sale that I recently posted on Facebook. Only a few minutes later, a woman I didn't know left a comment that she'd sent me a PM. Yay! She was just a realtor offering her services. Sigh. Yeah, I'm aware of real estate companies. I still obviously chose to list it for sale by owner.

We call it "Muffin Tin Tuesday" and I dump various bits and pieces into a 6-cup muffin tin for each kid. They think it's a hoot! I'll be honest: We spend about half what the OP does, and that includes paper products, detergent, and toiletries (we're cash-only, so when it's gone, it's gone). We eat out 1-2 times per month AT MOST. But, I only have two kids, and they are 5 and 11. My only hope is that by the time ds hits puberty, dd will be flying the nest, so maybe we'll be able to afford to feed him!

Homeschool Curriculum Marketplace on Facebook

Just a note: The Kingkiller Chronicles (of which The Name of the Wind is Book One) is a trilogy. The third one has not been released yet. But the fact that this is a three-part story is pretty integral to the plot. I wouldn't recommend giving her the first book but forbidding the sequel. It's just mean to leave her hanging like that! :) I do agree that The Wise Man's Fear probably breaks your rules, so pre-read, or just wait a year or two. By then maybe Rothfuss will finally have finished The Doors of Stone!

I think it would be weird in that scenario too. This group, however, was formed specifically so we *could* get to know one another personally. The ones who have joined did so for that purpose. Again, having to keep things vague, but it's more than just a hobby group.

Yes! Erin Hunter is the author. My dd11 (also an advanced and voracious and adventure-loving reader) ADORES them. Since the main characters are all animals, I think most of your hot-buttons would be avoided (but I haven't read them myself so can't say for sure). Plus, there are approximately 4 million books in that series, which is always a bonus for a big reader. :)

For privacy reasons, I have to keep this pretty vague, but I hope someone can give me some ideas! I am part of a group of people from around the world who have connected via the internet over a common interest. We have wanted to get to know each other more personally (the format through which we met doesn't really allow for this), so I volunteered to set up a private Facebook group. It's been six months, and things are working fine, there's been some interaction, but as the admin I'm looking to help facilitate things a bit. I thought perhaps I could post a getting-to-know-you-type question once or twice a week. Like those ice breaker games you play on corporate retreats -- but I'd like them to be engaging and not cheesy. Any suggestions? Or is this just weird? Maybe I should let things develop more organically?

For the past two years, we've used Noeo, Biology last year and just finished up Physics this year. Before that, we did a homegrown Chemistry based off WTM recommendations, but that didn't go so well for us. I need more direction for science. Noeo has been a good fit for us because it's all laid out for me but uses living books instead of textbooks, which dd and I both like. Bio Level II was a little on the easy side, so we bumped up to Level III for Physics, which was a great challenge for her. Unfortunately, she has asked to study Geology next year, and Noeo doesn't offer that. :( After some deliberation, I think we have decided on Elemental Science Earth and Space. We came very close to using Mr. Q, but Elemental uses the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia as its spine, and she has liked using the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, so that was a draw.

Zombie thread on the wrong board... :zombiechase:

Agreeing as well. We've just wrapped up HO Ancients level 2 with my advanced 5th grader, and it was a great fit. The reading selections could be quite challenging, and look to be even more so as we prep for Middle Ages next year. I am very pleased with the program overall, and dd seemed to enjoy it too. She certainly made some excellent connections between events across the time period, and she is learning to analyze historical events quite well. If you're interested in ramping it up just a bit more, consider doing some work with primary documents (if HO doesn't include them already in the later time periods; it didn't for Ancients). The early modern and modern time periods are great for this. We used Stanford University's free Reading Like a Historian lessons this year, and dd LOVED them. Really great stuff! I personally prefer to drop some of the historical fiction in favor of more primary sources, but that's partly to cater to dd's taste. She did not inherit her mother's love of historical fiction!

We have used R&S since we started homeschooling in 3rd, and dd has used it independently with no problems since that time (well, unless you count things like not reading directions, but those are habit-training issues, not problems with the curriculum). I think it is an excellent program, both in terms of its instruction and thoroughness, and in terms of its ability to be student-driven. DD was in public school before and had little to no formal grammar instruction. We do not do all the exercises in each lesson -- I assign them based on what dd needs to practice (at this point, usually just the new material, but the review exercises are excellent for students who need more practice) -- and we do none of the writing lessons since we cover those elsewhere. If your friend is nervous about teaching writing, I would recommend assigning those lessons; they are very solid and easy to follow. She can adjust the topics to coincide with things the students are studying in history or science if she likes. I like that R&S includes things like dictionary skills and using a Bible concordance and even how to properly answer the telephone, which I might neglect otherwise. Other programs may do the same, but I only have experience with R&S. I personally think that any 5th or 6th grader who reads on grade level should be able to do R&S fairly independently. The teacher's manual also gives good instructional information, board work, etc., if that helps your friend feel more comfortable assisting her children when they need help. I would agree that there's no harm in dropping back a grade level, although many of the topics in R&S are reviewed from year to year and don't assume previous exposure. We've just completed book 5, and the diagramming in that level was not overly cumbersome and was introduced slowly over the course of the year. (Again, lots of review from previous years.)

When my sister died, my parents covered the expenses. She was out of state and had to be brought home, so I assume there were additional costs associated with that. Of course, she was only 19, so barely an adult, and she had very little in the way of assets (maybe a checking account, but I doubt anything more than that). No life insurance that I know of. She was the victim of an auto accident, so there was a pretty hefty auto insurance payout, but that came much later, after the expenses were paid. I know that my other sister (who is single) currently has a life insurance policy through her job, but she has made my children the beneficiaries. I don't know if there is a percentage that goes to our parents as well. Might be worth asking. We carry small policies on our children as part of our own life insurance. God forbid we have to use them!

Just stumbled across it the other day -- I'd never heard of it! I really like the look of their Paedeia courses, so I'm holding on to those as possible outlets for dd10 in a couple of years. The Grammar School curriculum is free, so we signed up for that. I've had a little trouble navigating the site, and some of the curricula are not available right now -- but maybe that's because it's the end of their school year? I haven't had time to mess with it much. If you decide to enroll for any of the Upper School courses, I'd love to know what you think about them!

Move. If I'm lucky, only once.