Yep. I'm a lowly starred gal. Until a few weeks ago, I had no profile rating... and then duh duh duh... two stars. I had a hunch about where it came from, and then noticed that username as the last person to visit my profile. Strangely, it made my day. That's probably unhealthy. As for this thread... I love leisurely lamenting the lack of likes. ;) Stella

We have used it a year ahead, until this year... my son is now in 3rd grade and set to do 5/4. Whether a student places ahead, or you decide to just go with it like I did in kinder with Saxon 1, the eventuality is that 5/4 is a big leap for some third graders. My son was ready for Saxon 1 academically, but his writing fatigue really brought frustration -- and that didn't get better because each year the worksheets require more writing. I eventually learned to write for him, but not before confidence and spirit were compromised. I don't have regrets, necessarily, but I definitely see the trade off I made and wanted a better start for my son. We are taking a semester off of Saxon to explore math facts and problem solving fun. His writing is improving, and I can see us probably taking on 1/2 lessons of 5/4 this November. Hope that helps! Stella

We did AAS 1-3 and moved to spelling workout this year. I don't know if I'm in love with it yet. What I am in love with is that DS is doing spelling independently (mostly). The spelling lists do focus on a specific sound (for the most part), with oddball words throw in. I love that the first exercise is generally syllable based, which gets a kid started spelling a word the same way as AAS. The rest of the exercises I find just fun busy work to cement spellings. But they are fun for DS. We carry harder words over week to week while moving forward at a two lesson per week schedule, as we did with AAS. There's also built in review every 5 lessons. Stella

I left my 5 year old son with my mom, who isn't perfect, to go to Europe for two weeks with my husband. We were offered a free week in a beautiful location, which motivated the trip. We then decided to tack on another week to see some dream spots while we were there. It was hard. At first. I missed DS tremendously. I ached! But after a few days, I took comfort in the fact that Wifi and Skype made it easy to call home whenever I wanted to. We brought a fave batman figure with us, and Batman had his pic taken in many famous places. Those pics were emailed to our home printer and our DS collected daily pics of batman with mommy/Daddy at _______. Was it worth pushing through the worry? Was it worth being financially strapped for the next year while we recouped? 1000 times yes. That trip is still feeding me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. My marriage, too. We are currently in a stale spot, but remembering what a little free time together can do for a couple helps me maintain perspective and communicate that need for *time* to my DH. I think Japan would be a most interesting country to visit... The art, ceramics, and poetry of the Tokugawa period is an area I want to explore. The cuisine would be a challenge for me, I think... But as Chesterton said, "The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.†If this is an opportunity that won't come for many moons if passed up, I would encourage you to take it. If you see the opportunity to go easily in the next two - three years, I would consider waiting for the two year old's sake -- consider -- and then I'd probably go anyway. Seriously... This is an awesome opportunity.

Physical exertion is helpful for my boy, who has developed the difficult habit of moaning when something is asked of him. "Would you please pull the mayo from the fridge while I gather plates, dear son?" MOAN. "Would you please make your bed, dear son?" MOAN (eye roll). I utilize do-overs, but a plank position (extended push up position) for a minute or two, does wonders as well. And, he's developing his core. I tell him we'll know how much he complained this summer by seeing how ripped he is, which he laughs at. It's all good natured, not mean spirited. His dad did it with him the first few times, too. Stella

Do your kids study a history timeline? My son is in Classical Conversations, and I love the timeline for this very reason. The scope of history includes the major periods of art. So, for instance, the late 1700s are fascinating to me when I look at our timeline (we tape our seven timeline cards on the wall each week) -- the Enlightenment was stacked with wars and a rather brief classical period of art (as compared to other periods). I'm a music person, too, with substantial music history study -- but starting from the timeline and seeing art periods unfold in lock step with political movements, new ideas in science, wars, etc is really awesome. It gives context for deeper study of the individual periods and the composers/artists that went with them. Stella

Perhaps this doesn't apply... If it doesn't, ignore... Is it possible your son is a super duper empathizer who is experiencing social anxiety on behalf of this boy? Your son's sense of responsibility to this kid seems kind on the top layer of things, but for *empathizers,* like myself, the actions we take in those situations are usually to assuage our own anxiety. My kid is not an empathizer, like me. But if he told me he invited a neighbor kid to play because neighbor kid was "inside all the time," and he was worried about that, I'd be talking about not taking responsibility for the choices others make. It's not our place, and feeding the worry by thinking we can *do* something just gives you indigestion. If that's the case, one of the best gifts you can give an empathizer is the tools for how to hand over the responsibility... invite the neighbor boy, let him know the group dynamics, and then let HIM decided if he wants to come or not. ETA: I see you posted a resolution while I was posting. :hurray:

I don't know. :grouphug: Is it a possibility to follow up with the specialist who did his testing last year? Given that he's an existing patient with a diagnosis, I think it would be a good start to know how his ADHD/working memory are playing into this and what methods a teacher can employ to assist retention. The specialist also has his testing history and can look at things he was perhaps borderline for last year. Stella

Your son seems to be phonetically pegging 90 percent of the sounds present in those words, but the sequence flips mid word. In "imeduit," if we flipped the u and i, we'd have a solid phonetic spelling. Same thing in "riducills." If we flipped the i and the u, we'd have most of the phonetic groundwork laid (minus the -us sound). I don't have any credentials to lean on here, but that appears to be sequencing issue, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it, and the missed sounds, were connected to ADHD/working memory. And actually, those two words are both four syllables long -- the longest of the words offered. So, it appears he's flipping sequence on longer words, which are obviously going to require more focus and working memory. Stella

I agree with others who have honed in on pronunciation. Just this morning my sons spelling of magic, mageck -- his pronunciation. Also, when your son was spelling this word, did you pick up on frustration? When my son gets frustrated in spelling, he throws all kinds of letters into the mix -- the equivolent of "oh the heck with it -- I'll just try this oddball combo." Usually, in those situations my son is overwhelmed by the word, and he forgets to use the tools/ baby steps. So I have to remind him... Proper pronunciation? How many syllables? How do we spell the first syllable? The second? Of course, looking at the word immediate, the spell by syllable process is overwhelming to me! I would probably try to approach it from a root word direction, but that's a latin study and may push too far afield. So, I have no idea! But I feel you! Following... Stella

I'm glad to read that things are cleared up. The way the nickname evolved sounds very innocent, and I think you handled the mother's overreaction very well. On the general issue of nicknames, I'm not about to go nuts on anyone if they call my son by a nickname. In most cases, the intention is pure and good hearted. But, I do believe it is a clear boundary violation. As an adult, I'd be more than peeved to be called a name other than the one I offered. Even if I liked the nickname, it would be the boundary crossing/presumption that irked the crud out of me. There are so many boundary fuzzies for kids to wrestle with and a name is such a simple truth for them to be able to expect and politely insist upon. They are the ones who get to tell someone what they prefer to be called. End of story.

Well, I read it to my 7 year old and edited the N-word. He loved the story. I loved not worrying about when that word might pop out of his impulsive little body. I was hesitant about editing, concerned it would prevent good conversation -- but it didn't... the story elicited so many questions and conversations. I'll give it to him to read in another year or two. Stella

First, thank you for this thread. Your thoughts were beautifully expressed, as were many others! I cannot imagine adding more! Augustine called music "wordless jubilation." Also, "a secret philosophizing of the soul." It's clear to me that humans have long wrestled with this inanimate and inarticulatable nature of the arts, but especially music. Some thoughts... Music does have powerful practical side. However, I prefer to focus on the transcendent aspect, because it is my own belief that it is the part fueling everything else. Two reading suggestions for you... both put words to this poetry of the universe, and I think you'll find them helpful in summing up your own thoughts on not just music, but the arts in general. The first is Josef Pieper's Only the Lover Sings. In his contemplation, Pieper explores the modern tendency to exalt work and all things pragmatic, eschewing the "sight" one gains by way of leisure -- a quiet, but enthralling, act of truly perceiving and creating. My words will not suffice or do justice to this deep philosophical and metaphysical meditation. But you will not regret reading it. Pieper's essay introduced me to C.S. Lewis's An Experiment in Criticism. Admittedly, this essay explores literary criticism, but in true Lewis style he pulls in examples of his larger point from the larger field of artistic endeavor. I love the following quote as it points directly to Pieper's essay on "seeing:" Well, nevermind... Ive somehow hit the post button and my crew is starting to cook dinner on their own... my cue! I hope those suggestions are helpful to you! Stella

I can't say that an intentional look at what Saxon lacked motivated us, but we added in strategy puzzles (Perplexors by mindware), coding, chess, music, and number patterns to our regular course of study last year. This year, we're starting off with Beast Academy, and will dip into Saxon 5/4 eventually, which is a total shift from our Saxon faithfulness. We plan on continuing with Saxon, but in small chunks interspersed with these other activities that he enjoys. There should be something a kid can enjoy in their math studies, and I can't say that happened with Saxon alone. It made for a very unhappy school dynamic, unfortunately. Stella

Big hug. :grouphug:

I appreciate this thread. We don't have any diagnosed issues, but writing is so hard for DS (8). We were at an Apple camp today making an iBook, and I tried so hard to keep my expectations in check. I dictated for DS, but found myself looking at the other 8 year olds who were doing so well on their own. Hearing advice to keep on keeping on with narrating/dictating is a big encouragement. Now, off to finalize writing plans for this year with this in mind... ;) Stella

A post like mine? I'm sorry that in questioning the moral integrity of a company/individual, you didn't expect that your own would be relevant. It wasn't a personal attack, but a stated hesitation due to what I perceived as redirecting and inconsistency -- both of which do nothing for your credibility. There are several inconsistencies I find troubling in your posts. The least of which is that you will be putting your family back into CC to benefit from a business model you are so troubled by. Ill leave it at that... Peace, Stella

I'm not assuming anything. I made a statement contingent upon "if." I trust you if you say your hackles aren't up. I think "intellectually interesting" isn't enough for me to engage on a topic that can do real damage. You asked for practical advice, a piece of which I shared. (I get my hackles up on occasion and can stack soap boxes like nobody's business). What I find interesting is that this has gone from "how should I file?" to "Shouldn't a business honor the tradeoff... should be willing to pay for the privilege?" One asks an honest question that's worthy of a clear answer -- I can't help you there. The other works from an assumed point of guilt to justify filing a certain way. At least the way I'm seeing it... Stella

If you are at all hacked off by the circumstances that precipitated your resignation, I'd hit the pause button. Just thinking that's the only reason I'd be obsessing about taxes in July... You have time to settle emotionally and still address this. I would take it. Stella

Ahhhhh! Thank you for bumping. Been looking for this thread!!! Yay! Happy day!!!

My DH plays bartender at night. Okay, JK, a little. ;) DH is my support and offers perspective. When I'm wrung out, he listens. He backs me up when he sees the behavior issues that derail school pop up on weekends/ evenings. I never understood the wisdom of, "Ill call your father." I'm now a believer. DH shares the things he enjoys with DS, which is better than any extracurricular stuff I could plan or pay for. DS will get up early for the fun stuff his dad has him working on... They read episode 1 and followed the film at the same time, checking for inconsistencies and developing their go-to quotes. They did logic games and the Hour of Code (I am given much quiet time by Light Bot). DH taught the last 6 weeks of math because DS was wearing me down mentally and physically. According to DS, his dad was dry as rocks. DS is begging me to teach math this year. That's the beauty of team work, keeping the children guessing. This was the most involved year for my DH. Partly because of DS being older and more interesting. Partly because DS is older and getting under my ever loving skin on a more frequent basis. If DHs work schedule were hopping, which was the case 2 years ago, he would be less fun-dad and more support man. Stella

When DS was 4, we did 100 Easy Lessons. I never looked at OPG, so I can't tell you there. What I liked about 100 Easy Lessons is that it taught my spazzy 4 year old to read. He didn't get all the phonograms that year, but the flip side of that was that he experienced steady and easy successes in reading. Once he was reading that year, he was able to intuitively read words he had no phonogram knowledge of. When he was 5-1/2 we began phonics and spelling and he got all those phonograms, which did lead to sounding out more difficult words. But even now I think the exposure to books, lots of words (read alouds), etc has done more for his reading ability than phonics. Spelling, that's another story.

My issues off of estradiol and progesterone are: rage, general irritability, fatigue, anxiety with heart palpitations, insomnia, and of course the issues with physical intimacy. Because I was very young when all this began with no concerning medical history, hormone replacement was, and remains to be, the best thing (I'm in my thirties). When I was placed on bioidentical estradiol and progesterone, I was my old self again. It was wonderful and startling all at once. So yes, it was as simple as hormone replacement for me. I participated in an HRT study at NIH for early meno-ers at the same time the Womens Health Initiative study linked estrogen to breast cancer. My physician at NIH's take was that extending exposure to estrogen past the age of menopause isn't a good idea. But that age isn't a hard and fast number... the average age is 52 if I remember correctly. He suggested that I consider tapering my estrogen and progesterone around age 50. By age 55, I hope to be off completely. My goal is to live comfortably for as long as it's safe for me to do so. Age and medical history (cancer/stroke) are the biggies in determining if and how long you should consider hormone replacement.

I agree with getting rid of the timed element for now. Let her work the problems at her own speed. I gave my son the fact sheet, and gave him about 10 minutes to work on it before I moved on to the next school thing. If it was finished, he didn't have to come back to it. If it wasn't, he finished it up after other subjects were finished. Eventually, he was getting that sheet done in the 10-12 minutes so he wouldn't have to come back to it. From there, I did reintroduce the timer... but from the perspective of personal best. We kept a running list of times to beat. A lot less pressure since he was the one setting the bar. I did find it helpful to do an occasional drill in which I wrote the answers. I know my kid is a spazz that dislikes handwriting. But when I really just need to know if he knows his facts, I sit next to him (helps him focus) and remove the loathsome writing element. It generally never fails to give me surprisingly inspiring view of his real knowledge of the facts. Finally, those 100 fact drills you eventually get to -- I did as someone earlier suggested... I cut them into strips initially. And I eventually began dictating those sheets entirely. Too much for my guy at that age. Stella

I agree. Stella