Thanks for the update. If you think of the Einstein bio, let me know. DD read one over the summer (can't remember that title either, but it wasn't new). I think she might enjoy another one. She finds him fascinating. Is Ender's Shadow Orson Scott Card? I haven't read any of his stuff, but she might really like it. Is it a children's book? Seems like it was assigned in a sci-fi class I took in college. (Different groups got different books, so I didn't read it.)

I did find it -- but thanks! Love your blog, BTW! I am feeling much better about our direction now. I've made a few more tweaks this afternoon. :) I told dd about our new plans, and she seems quite excited. (Well, for her. This is a kid that doesn't get too worked up about much of anything, good or bad!) At least now my head doesn't feel like it's going to explode.

We are less hands-on, but I think we could still make something like this work. I need to think a little more about where we want to focus our attentions in history and science, too. I do think she could handle more than one major book at a time if there wasn't so much cross-over in content. Same goes for writing. Our spines are going to need some tweaking, but in the end this sounds like a better fit for us. Thank you for sharing! This will be our third year, and I'm still figuring out how to combine various subjects and curricula so we get the right balance. Is this a battle that's ever won? I'm starting to wonder... :) Can't multi-quote, but I will check out the books you suggested as well. Sounds like they might be right up her alley.

The more I think about it, the more I think that splitting up literature and history might work for us. That way we could still do some of the ancient lit but also work in some more classic children's lit. Could you tell me more about how your history and literature blocks work? Do you do them both every day? What else do you do in history at this stage?

Thanks for all the suggestions. I was feeling pretty good about this list, once upon a time, but now every time I look at it I like it less and less. I need to figure it out soon so I can get on with planning -- we start back in less than three weeks! I agree with whoever said it's kind of dry. I think that's what's bothering me. It smells like my grandmother's attic. I know some of these are more science-oriented, but I try not to have her working on more than one major read at a time, so that's why I lumped nonfiction in with literature. She prefers nonfiction in a lot of ways, so this gives her a break also. I have not been able to see the Hakim book in person yet, so we will have to see how it goes. Maybe we can at least do a few excerpts. I think it will really appeal to her -- but I've been wrong before. She does like to read a lot, actually. But she tends to get into one book or series and camp out there. For the last 6-8 months, it's been Harry Potter. She has read and re-read them I don't know how many times, and basically nothing else. Which is totally fine with me, for her free reading (I love HP too!). But for assigned reading I try to encourage her to branch out a bit. The one thing she really dislikes is historical fiction, which is one reason I've gravitated to pieces FROM the historical period we're in, as opposed to pieces ABOUT it, if that makes sense. She enjoys myths and legends, so I think she will like some of what I've planned, but maybe it's overkill. Fellowship of the Ring is her choice, so I'm going to let her give it a go. She has read The Hobbit. I don't mind giving her one or two that she has to work a little harder on. She enjoyed Treasure Island, even though it took her longer than I'd expected to get through it (but I don't want EVERY book to be that way). Plus, she really gets into the fantasy/trippy stuff. She has never had stereotypically "girl" taste in anything (hated dolls, loved TMNT, etc.). I like the idea of keeping a basic block of ancient stuff and adding in a couple more modern books. There were some good suggestions that she hasn't already read. If we stick to mostly fantasy-type stuff, maybe my OCD won't kick in and start screaming that we're not sticking strictly with the ancients!! She has already read most of the Egyptian and Greek myths, but not all of the epics (just the Mary Pope Osborne Odyssey). So maybe we'll start there. Thinking out loud... Gilgamesh the Hero -- Geraldine McCaughrean The Children's Homer (Odyssey/Iliad) -- Padraic Colum Archimedes and the Door of Science -- Jeanne Bendick The Aeneid for Boys and Girls -- Alfred Church (or maybe the Lively version? will check that out) The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way -- Joy Hakim (excerpts?) "The Lady or the Tiger" -- Frank Stockton (plus a few more short stories -- great list, Farrar!) The Fellowship of the Ring -- J.R.R. Tolkien Selections from the Bible (New International Version) Bridge to Terabithia Tuck Everlasting The Book of Three The Book of Dragons The Enchanted Castle I'll let her choose her favorites from among those last few, and we'll reserve the rest to plug in as we have time. Getting better?

For some reason, I struggle more when it comes to picking literature than with any other subject. I just can't seem to find the right balance between too hard/not hard enough. I am really, truly TERRIBLE at judging this. In theory, I like the WTM model of pinning literature to the historical period we're studying. But as we start the cycle over this year in 5th grade, I'm wondering if we aren't going backwards somewhat in our literature. Maybe the fact that we have to use more adaptations for ancient literature than we needed for modern lit makes it seem less challenging to me. DD will plow through whatever I give her. Some of the harder ones take her a very long time -- but she doesn't complain, and she does understand them, so I like to give her at least one or two real challenges. I do feel like last year we bounced around A LOT in terms of difficulty level. I don't know if that's bad or not. :huh: Would love some input as I finalize 5th grade plans. Are we going backwards? Last year (4th grade) dd read the following: Don Quixote -- Oxford Illustrated Classics adaptation The Whipping Boy -- Sid Fleischman Carry On, Mr. Bowditch -- Jean Lee Latham The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle -- Washington Irving Treasure Island -- Robert Louis Stevenson Alice in Wonderland -- Lewis Carroll The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -- Mark Twain (read along with audio book) American Tall Tales -- Adrien Stoutenburg The Phantom Tollbooth -- Norton Juster Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry -- Mildred Taylor The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -- C.S. Lewis Various poems by Longfellow and Robert Frost This year (5th), starting again with the ancients, we're using a lot of suggestions from History Odyssey, along with some things I've picked out. Since there doesn't seem to be a lot of middle ground between the "real McCoys" of ancient lit and the kiddie versions, I've supplemented with some biographies and fantasy (which dd really likes): Gilgamesh the Hero -- Geraldine McCaughrean Myths and Legends -- Anthony Horowitz The Children's Homer -- Padraic Colum Greek Myths -- Olivia Coolidge Archimedes and the Door of Science -- Jeanne Bendick The Aeneid for Boys and Girls -- Alfred Church The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way -- Joy Hakim Caesar's Gallic War -- Olivia Coolidge "The Lady or the Tiger" -- Frank Stockton The Fellowship of the Ring -- J.R.R. Tolkein Antigone -- Sophocles, middle grade adaptation by Albert Callum Selections from the Bible (New International Version) Thanks to anyone who muddled through this and is willing to help me wrap my head around it!

Totally out there, but my first thought was that song "Somewhere Out There" from the movie "An American Tail." :confused:

Always. We came back from vacation once to find our house completely flooded. A hose in the toilet broke and had been spraying water all over the bathroom for days. Because the house was on a concrete slab, the water had nowhere to go and spread throughout the entire house. We had to replace every inch of flooring and a good bit of the furniture, not to mention the whole process of drying out inside the walls, etc. The damage was upwards of $15,000. It could have been worse. We had a six-week-old baby (our first) and we came home three days early because our vacation sucked.

I haven't seen the video, so I'm not sure about the pace there, but what you're describing sounds more like what I do. For my hip, I was taught to work on one very small section at a time, moving across the area in increments. With practice, I've learned how to feel when it's time to move to the next section, but it might take a few minutes to get there.

Well, I only have one particular trouble spot (right hip), but when it is bothering me, yeah, it hurts pretty bad to roll it out. But it does feel MUCH better once I'm done. When I first started, I had to use the roller pretty much every day, but now I only need it on occasion. So, while it the pain level is still about the same during the session, I need considerably fewer sessions nowadays (once every few weeks) and they're usually shorter as well. Not sure if that's any consolation, but there's my two cents.

Rednecks are everywhere...

LOL... Reminds me of this:

When I was in sixth grade, all the girls would spend too long primping in the mirror at our after-lunch bathroom break, so my teacher started holding the door open and yelling, "Pee and get off the pot!" (It was the bathroom door, not the stall door, so no one could see anything.) We were all so mortified, we tried to go as fast as we could so we wouldn't be in there when she did it!

They are. I was very disappointed. I have worn their workout pants for quite awhile now without trouble. I wonder if it a new trend?

What a good program! We usually contribute to the local school supply drives (our church is hosting one now), and I try to pick out things that I know end up on most lists, at least at the elementary level. Pencils, glue sticks, crayons, etc. I suspect those are the things most people donate. It's stuff like tissues, antibacterial wipes, and dry-erase markers that probably get left out. Around here, Walmart and Target often have the lists for different grades at the various local schools, so if you were industrious, you could make your donation based on those. Most folks who are just dropping a few things in the box at the end of their shopping trip won't think to do that, though. I would love to sponsor a particular child, but I've never seen an opportunity to do so.

LOL, they were certainly dismal failures at pantsing. :lol: Yes, I probably should invest in better gear. Part of the reason I haven't is because I've been losing weight steadily for two years. I hate to spend a lot of money on something I'm going to "ungrow" in a few months. Good problem to have, I know. Thanks, guys. I really felt like I should be able to return them, but I needed confirmation.

I bought three identical new pairs of workout pants from Walmart's website. They are a brand and style I am familiar with, but the ones I had were getting too big, so I purchased the new ones in the next smallest size. These are the type of pants that are designed to fit snugly. I wore one of the new pairs to the gym this morning. When I first put them on, they were comfortable, although they didn't fit as tightly as I'd expected. I still figured I could get a few months' wear out of them before I would need a smaller size. I work out six days a week, so going through new gear every few months is not unusual for me. HOWEVER, once I got into my workout and starting moving around and sweating, the pants became unbearably baggy. They didn't hold their shape at all. I spent the second half of my workout readjusting my pants every couple of minutes. It was like they just kept growing! By the end, I had half a dozen folds of fabric on each thigh. Needless to say, the two unused pairs are going back. But should I return the used pair as well? My general rule of thumb with clothes is that if I wear them in public, they shouldn't be returned (never mind getting them all sweaty and gross -- although of course I would wash them first!). But I had no way of knowing they would become so shapeless once I started working out in them. So on the one hand, I feel like I'm just out of luck, but on the other, maybe it would be within my rights to get my money back? It's not like they were super expensive or anything, but around here every dollar counts.

Had all of mine cut out before they came in. I think I was a freshman in college. DH has all of his. My dad and sister have none; they never even showed up on the x-rays.

LOL -- I have a feeling that will be me, too. We certainly want to help our kids get on their feet, plan to assist with their educations, will probably buy them (beater!) cars at 16 (we live rural, so it will be as much to my benefit as theirs for them to be able to drive themselves around), etc. But they need to understand that it takes time to accrue all those *things* that they've become accustomed to taking for granted. As for my cousin, there are bigger issues there. His parents are actually adding on to their house so he and his new wife have more room. We snicker behind their backs and call it the "honeymoon suite." It is the most bizarre situation -- but like a pp said, in families where stuff like this is handed to kids, it often comes with strings. I will say, my parents and in-laws have always been willing to come to our aid when we've been in need -- but dh and I are also too proud to ask unless it's dire. It's always been a greater temptation to go into debt to afford what we want. We've fought against that our whole married life. The pressure to keep up with the Joneses can be intense.

DH and I have discussed this many, many times. It is such a trap that young people fall into these days, that (it doesn't seem to me, at least) our parents and generations before had: young adults thinking they should go straight from their parents' homes to living the sort of lifestyle their parents have taken decades to build. He and I went through the same thing when we were first married, straight out of college -- it seemed like we worked so hard and could afford so little! But we comforted ourselves with the fact that our parents, at our age, sat on large cushions because they couldn't afford furniture and ate canned soup because that's all they had. We at least had two cars (old), a nice little house (rented), and the money for dinner out (cheap!) once in awhile. I'm not sure what led us to the expectation that we should have the same lifestyle as our parents immediately upon leaving home... but I hope I can better prepare my own kids for reality. It takes time to build a life and home, even if you make decent money. And that's ok. On the other hand, I've known plenty of young adults whose parents did seem to set them up in a "parental" lifestyle right off the bat. Including my cousin, who, at 33, still lives at home, despite having a Master's degree and a thriving company of his own. He recently moved his new wife in as well. Hugs, OP. I would stand firm on not giving her the money just because she thinks she's entitled to it. She will value the things she earns for herself so much more in the long run.

The part I can't figure out is: Why the heck does he need time off? If the whole WORLD is going to end, surely that includes his workplace? Hugs, OP. Prayers that nothing bad happens when this idiot is disappointed.

My dad has built a thriving business running a handyman company that is dependable and customer-oriented. They do free estimates and often are able to complete the job while they are there for the estimate (if the customer agrees, of course). They pay careful attention to customer service and doing an excellent job, because my dad is a stickler for it. He's always believed that a good job is its own reward. He knew when he started the company that there was a market for a reliable service such as his, and his insistence on professional behavior has paid off tremendously. My hope is to teach my kids these same values; I do think in the long run it will set them apart from the vast majority of the crowd.

Oh, oops... you surely meant to type, "as long as it's ALWAYS strawberry." Right? :D

I'm 3/4 of the way through The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. It's the first thing of hers that I've read, but I think I'll look for more. Really enjoying this one. (ETA: Finished it tonight, and it was excellent.) Just finished The Secret History by Donna Tartt (guess I've got a thing about secrets). Pretty good. A little weird, but good writing. Also read the first two books in the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo in the past week. They weren't highbrow lit by any means, but fun easy reads, if you like fantasy and/or YA. I usually have one "heavy" book in the works while I'm reading others -- something that takes awhile because I have to read a little, then stop and digest. Right now, that's The Genius of Luther's Theology by Robert Kolb and Charles P. Arand. Very dense, but I HIGHLY recommend if you're into that kind of thing!

CLE is our primary curriculum. We also have supplemented with Borac's word problem books, but thinking this year of switching to Singapore's Process Skills in Problem Solving.