I'm not afraid of flying, but neither can I look out the window. I think I'm in denial about where I actually am while on the plane. I know this sounds silly, but oh well. My dh flew in from San Diego this week - the same day the plane crashed in Buffalo. I was a little nervous - just tried not to think about it and go on with my day.

I hope you hear from him soon. I would be worried as well, but I'm sure he is fine and will have stories to tell when he gets home. I will be thinking of you and waiting to hear he got to Poland!

I can't answer your question, as I only have the 1st Edition, but I'll be interested to hear the responses.

I do menus for every week. Usually I'll put a suggestion from one of the dc on the list. Other than that, I look at my week and see which days I need easy meals, meals I can put on to cook early in the day, etc. It really helps me to buy only what I need when I shop.

We went in September of this year and loved the free dining. My kids would have fussed about going back to the room to eat.

a lot of reading, writing, math :iagree:

We all take a few hours on the weekend (Saturday) and work together to get the house clean for the week. I also do laundry, bedding, and get school stuff put together for the next week. My husband usually takes my three little ones out for something fun while I work on school stuff. My children all do chores for about 20 minutes before school each morning and a pick-up before bed. I do laundry again on Wednesday, as it's the only day we do not have outside activities in the afternoon.

I combine a lot of things for my three youngest as they are all within 28 months of each other, but my 9th grader has to do his own thing at this point. He doesn't even like to be in the same room with them while doing schoolwork. He says they are too loud and distracting.

We used SSRW. I had to make myself sit through them sounding out the same words day after day in their phonics books. By dc #6, I wanted to scream. I remember this stage as being VERY hard. Just keep doing what your're doing and letting him progress. Buy some easy reader books and read them over and over to him. He will be able to memorize/read and eventually read these on his own. For my own dc, it just seemed to "click" one day (after the long, boring process you describe), and they were off.

My oldest knew he wanted to teach history in college at that age and is pursuing that goal still at 22. My second son knew he wanted to go into the military and then political science since he was younger than that. He is in the Marine Corp now. My 15yo wants to pursue his MBA and has known this for a couple of years. I think it is very possible that your dd knows what she wants to do. Encourage her, but make sure she knows she's not "locked in."

I make a list for each day with the things that absolutely have to get done at the top and work down in order of importance. I cross them off as they are done and transfer the rest to a list for the next day. If this doesn't work, I take a nap (escapism!) and usually feel better when I wake up. I am bad about not getting enough rest, and when I'm tired I feel overwhelmed. My advice, make a list, take a nap, and BREATHE!

When my kids were small, a pharmacist friend of ours told us to use diaper rash cream (Desitin sp?), and then a generous coat of Vaseline. It worked like a charm. I'm sorry for your little one. Hope this helps.

I try to find a book with the child's name in the title. I got the idea when our oldest son was born and a friend gave us Where the Wild Things Are and signed it, "To our own dear Max." My son loved hearing his name in a story when he was small. If there is no such book, then a book of classic fairy tales would be nice. If you sign it in the front, they will remember you each time they read.

Another vote for Pride and Prejudice. This is one I've read several times. I haven't read any on your list above.

I am so sorry for your loss. I would agree that you need to be there for them now and LATER. Remember to send them little things, have your kiddos write letters to them, and ask them to come and visit you when you can. My sil died when her children were 3 and 6 (20 and 23 now), and I think having them at my house in the summer, going to do fun things with them, etc. helped. Now that they are grown, they like to talk to me and my dh about their mother. They want to know what she was like, what kind of sense of humor she had, funny things she did, etc.

Check out this site. I am considering this next year for my 10th grader: http://www.thegreatbooks.com/

Some links I have found: For Human Anatomy: http://www.innerbody.com/ For Physics, but has other courses: http://www.hippocampus.org/ Yale University and MIT offers free courses: hthttp://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/hs/home/home/index.htm http://oyc.yale.edu/about

Okay - I'm now putting this on my wish list!

We are originally from the Florida panhandle. I would suggest Seaside. It is the quaintest area. There are bikes to rent and you can cycle all over the place. We love it! Also, St. Augustine is a great historic place to visit and also has the beaches.

Kari, I know what you're going through and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers - both you and your son.:grouphug:

This book has chapters on gardening, canning, making every dressing and condiment you can think of from scratch, and even caring for chickens, goats, etc. It also has great recipes. Lots of info in this book. TARR, YVONNE YOUNG The Wholesome Home Book of Recipes and Household Formulas

I have them talk to me each day about what they read in their book. At the end of the book I will have them do comprehension questions from various sources about half the time. If the book is listed on BookAdventure, I have them do this online.

Where are you and how far do you want to travel? Will you fly or drive?

We have been homeschooling since 1991, so I really woudn't have to buy anything except pencils, paper, etc. if I didn't want to. Of course, there's always things I want and think I need, so we will spend about 250-300 per child for next year. That doesn't include outside activities, which is probably about $800/month right now for gym (competitive team), dance (City Ballet and Jazz Companies), Tae Kwon Do. I had not really added this up before. This is really a scary amount.

We make a big deal out of birthdays here. I take everyone ahead of time to get a small gift, bake a cake, make their favorite meal, etc. At dinner we go around the table (usually more than once) and each person tells what they appreciate about the birthday boy/girl/mom/dad. I have to say, my husband is great about doing this with the kids when my birthday comes around. If he wasn't, I would just keep on with the traditions with my kids and hope it rubbed off on them. My 22yo son has a fiance, and he is so romantic and thoughtful with her it is sometimes nauseating.:) I guess it rubbed off.