Maybe I'm not crazy... because that's what I thought I'd heard too! I posted the question to the WTM Press Facebook page, and, unfortunately, the reply was that they have no plans to add to the curriculum at this time. :( We are only in WWS1, so fingers crossed that plans might change! WWS has had an INCREDIBLE impact on dd's writing!

Will there be a high school-level curriculum to follow Writing with Ease and Writing with Skill? I was thinking I'd read this somewhere but can't find it. Does anyone know if/when it will be released?

Y'all make me feel better. I hate grading math too (also grammar -- blech). Sometimes dd can complete a whole CLE LightUnit before I get around to looking at it. She rarely scores less than 90% on any of the lessons (and usually higher on quizzes and tests, where she's more likely to take her time) but she will get careless and sloppy if I let her go for too long. The good news is, I will start formally homeschooling ds in the fall, and I know he's going to require much more supervision for years to come than dd ever has, so hopefully I'll be better motivated to stay on top of her work too!

He is risen indeed!!!! Alleluia!!!!!

Seconding Compassion International. We've sponsored the same child through the organization since before we had children of our own. He is almost to graduate from their program and has grown tremendously. He writes frequently, we can write or email or send gifts as often as we like. Compassion even will arrange a visit to meet your child and their family if you'd like. Our child is not an orphan (he lives with both parents and a younger brother) but he and his family have all benefited from Compassion's ministry.

(((Rosie)))

...that worrying about something could actually change it. Because I would be awesome at that. :D

This is great! Thank you!

Oh my goodness... my dd would DIE! Both of my kids are terrified of automatic-flush toilets. I can't IMAGINE what kind of therapy they'd need if they got auto-cleaned out of a stall! Good thing we're not planning to travel internationally any time soon!

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I thought I'd share the list I've compiled (still a work in progress), in case someone else finds it useful. Feel free to help me add to it! ELECTIVES FOR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL Apologetics/Religion • Apologetics • Biblical Hermeneutics • Christian Dogmatics • Church History • Hymns • Worldview • World Religions Fine Arts • Art History/Appreciation • Calligraphy • Ceramics • Choir • Creative Writing • Dance • Dance History • Drama • Drawing • Fashion Design • Film History • Film Making • Humanities • Illustration • Interior Design • Music History/Appreciation • Musical Instrument • Painting • Photography • Poetry • Sculpture • Studio Art Business • Accounting • Advertising & Marketing • Business Management • Entrepreneurship • Investing Communication • Blogging • Communication Skills • Linguistics • Idioms & Sayings • Journalism • Public Speaking • Storytelling Computers & Technology • 3D Modeling • Audio Production • Computer Applications -- word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, desktop publishing • Computer Programming/Coding • Cyber Security • Graphic Design • Internet Literacy • Networking • Video Game Design • Web Design Crafts • Embroidery • Floral Design • Jewelry Design • Knitting • Quilting • Scrapbooking • Sewing Health • Babysitting • Child Development • Emergency Response • Personal Safety/First Aid/CPR • Nutrition • Survival Skills • Water Safety/Lifeguarding History & Government • American Civil War • American Revolution • Ancient Cultures • Current Events • Economics • Native American History • Regional History (China, Russia, etc.) • Southern History • The Thirteen Colonies • World War I • World War II • US Politics & Elections Life Skills • Auto Maintenance • Career Planning/Career Development • Cooking & Baking • Driver's Ed • Fashion & Style • Future Problem Solving • Homesteading • Master Gardener • Personal Finance Literature • Literature by Genre -- Folk tales, gothic novels, sci-fi, fantasy, etc. • Literature by Region -- British, American, Russian, Southern (US), etc. • Literature by Time Period -- Ancient, medieval, modern, etc. • Mythology Logic & Rhetoric • Critical Thinking • Debate • Ethics • Logic Puzzles • Philosophy Mathematics • Consumer Math • Mental Math • Number Theory • Patterns and Sequences • Probability • Statistics Science & Engineering • Aerospace • Architecture/Drafting • Astronomy • Botany • Dinosaurs/Extinction/Evolution • Ecology • Forensics • Geology • Horticulture • Human Anatomy • Meteorology • Oceanography • Robotics/Electronics Sports & Fitness • Basketball • Golf • Martial Arts • Physiology & Fitness • Running • Soccer • Sports Medicine • Swimming • Tennis • Volleyball Social Sciences • Anthropology • Archeology • Psychology • Sociology • World Cultures Trades • Appliance Repair • Auto Mechanics • Carpentry • Cosmetology • Electricity • Landscaping • Plumbing • Small Engine Repair Other • Foreign Language • Games -- chess, etc. • Homes and Houses • How We Get Our Food • Mapmaking and Geography • Orienteering • Sign Language • Textiles

We're going in a few weeks. Here's what's on our schedule: Walking tour of the Mall area (on our own): Washington Monument WWII Memorial Lincoln Memorial Vietnam Memorial White House American History Museum and/or Natural History Museum (depending on how much time we have and dd's interest) National Zoo (pandas!!) Guided tour of the US Capitol (booked through our senator's office) Library of Congress National Gallery of Art Bureau of Engraving and Printing (dd is looking forward to this the most) National Archives National Air & Space Museum All of these are free. You can request a tour of the White House through your senator's office as well, but we've never been able to get one. They say you need to ask about 6 months out to have any chance, but I always figure it never hurts just to submit the request. If we are lucky, we may get a tour of the Supreme Court, but that's being arranged through a friend of my sister's, who is a clerk there, so not really a public option. We might visit Mount Vernon on our way in or out; that will run us around $30. My sister lives in the city, so we're staying at her place. I'm no help on hotels, unfortunately.

I make something similar to this, and I always throw in some mandarin oranges too. Yummy!

What elective courses have your students enjoyed most? Particularly thinking about logic and rhetoric stages here. Just looking to generate some ideas for the future!

I made this Wild Rice & Mushroom Casserole, along with some other things, to take to our vegetarian friends when they lost their son in an accident. They LOVED it and even called to ask for the recipe later. I admit, it looked so yummy I wished I'd made two!

I'm guessing around $20-$30 per kid, but we avoid most candy (mostly because my kiddos are cursed with a mom who cannot control herself around sugar, whether it belongs to the kids or not). That also includes one item they need, usually a pair of shoes for spring, and a few tidbits -- sidewalk chalk, art supplies, seeds or little potted plants, etc. This year ds is getting an umbrella because he begs for one every time we go to the store, as well as "a tie like Daddy's" -- although that he'll get early because he'll wear it for school pictures next week.

I buy all my swimsuits from Lands' End. They tend to run large on me (I'm a 14 usually) so you might want to order down. They are well-known for their liberal return policy as well, and their water fitness suits are great at resisting chlorine. I used to swim 3-4 times/week, and a suit could last me a couple of years.

Aack! They came to our house today too!!! I hid in the kitchen and pretended not to hear the doorbell... :leaving:

Thanks... My friend already made her trip, and she was VERY moved by the basket we put together. I think it helped to make an otherwise terrible time a little more bearable for her.

A power strip if he has room -- that way he can charge multiple electronics with one adapter. For jet lag, have him set his phone or watch to local time when he leaves and stay on that schedule on the trip (i.e., try to sleep when it's time to sleep/stay awake when it's time to be awake). This makes the transition much easier.

Exactly. This has nothing to do with not being efficient enough, or wasting time on the Internet, for heaven's sake. This discussion makes me think of my sister and me. I am a perfectionist; she is a pragmatist. In college, I purposely limited my extracurricular activities so I could focus plenty of time on my schoolwork. She signed up for every possible activity -- social, academic, or otherwise. I designed my schedule with plenty of buffer time in case I needed to put in extra work on my assignments. She left virtually every assignment until the last possible second because she was so tied up elsewhere. I graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. She graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. The point is, my sister NEEDS lots of action. She works best under pressure. She thrives on it. OTOH, I completely shut down when I don't have a buffer to allow me to spend what *I* feel is the necessary amount of time on any given project. For my sister, an A was an A -- if it was good enough for the prof, it was sure good enough for her. For me, an A is only an A if *I* say it's an A. It has to meet my standard, or I can't let it go. I'm not saying this is a good thing, or a bad thing. It certainly has its drawbacks. And I am in no way implying that my sister's output (or anyone else's) didn't meet my standards -- she's brilliant, and obviously she was performing at a high level, just look at her grades. But for me, personally, I need the mental space to know that there is going to be time and I won't be rushed into letting go of a project before I'm ready to let it go. Otherwise I become very stressed, and that never ends well for anybody. A lot of things in my life would be easier if I wasn't this way -- but I am. And no amount of experience sucking it up and juggling all the spinning plates will change that. I am fortunate to have the option to choose not to live that way.

This. Liking wasn't enough.

I have to believe myself as well. Sometimes I look at the financial sacrifices we've had to make and think, "If I was like all those other people I could do it all." But I can't. I just can't. Not if I want to keep all the balls in the air and do anything as well as I think it should be done. I'm less of a woman, I suppose. Or else everybody else has figured out how to harness the power of time to get more hours out of a day.

Sometimes I do feel guilty being home while DH works, though. I LIKE organizing and planning, and I like it even better if I have unencumbered time to research whatever I'm organizing or planning. So I can spend hours on whatever project I'm working on. Which usually has benefits to our family. For instance, my to-do list for today includes: prepare the monthly budget, finish our menu plan for Spring (I meal plan on a quarterly basis), put together a mini-curriculum to get ds through until we start kindy in August, work out a budget for next year's schooling, make a schedule for our family devotions, and gather a list and budget of clothes that the kids will need for spring/summer. Obviously, those aren't all things you finish in a day. But I spent some time thinking about and/or working on all of them at some point today. That's on top of the usual home and school chores, shuttling the kids to and fro, volunteer work for the church, etc. It's a worthy list, and certainly one that benefits our family. But when I look at it, I wonder if I'm just trying to make myself indispensable. I was always unhappy when I worked, because I felt like these kinds of things got the short shrift. But plenty of families with two working adults manage to accomplish the day-to-day tasks without going to the lengths I go to. When I worked, we ate out more than we do now, and ate more convenience foods, but we still managed to put meals on the table without a quarterly meal plan, you know? We might have spent a little more, but our kids never went naked just because I didn't have a detailed list of what pieces of clothing they needed and how much I should spend on them. On the one hand, I have to be more detailed now because our income is lower than it would be. On the other, part of the reason I wound up leaving my job was because I was trying to do all these things while working and driving myself crazy. DH and I both agree that this arrangement is best for our family, but I think if I was able to accept a less rigid standard at home it wouldn't have to be.

I don't know any moms in my age group who stay at home exclusively after all their kids are school-aged. They might stay at home and homeschool, or stay at home but work part-time during school hours. I can't say for sure what I'd do if the kids went back to school, but honestly, our home runs so much more smoothly when I am here. I handle the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shuffling to and from activities and appointments, and all the long-range planning (finances, etc.). DH makes the money. I know MANY couples who divide up their household duties differently, but this is the arrangement that works far better for us than any other we've tried. I am terrible at going out every day and dealing with people; he is terrible at thinking and planning and anticipating all the million little things that we need to get done. This is the perfect scenario for us; hopefully it never has to change. I thought I would hate being a SAHM, but it turned out to be my calling. So, definitely still a valid choice, but definitely a less-chosen option these days.