That is so exciting! We have discussed how amazing it would be to live in Europe or Asia for a few years if dh could get a job there. Italy would actually be my first choice!

I tried to search the Sale and Swap board, but had no luck finding them. I'm wondering if this is something everyone just keeps or if I do not know how to search that board. I have not ever really used the S&S board before. If I post on the WTB section, is it likely that I would ever find one? Should I just buy it new? We have the book and AG, but I've decided the only way to make it through it this year is to buy the cd's and listen to them in the car. Thanks!

I've never flown on an airplane.

:iagree: At first I was really overwhelmed with the "differentness", and I pined for the familiarity and simplicity of the old boards. (Can you tell I have a difficult time with change?) But now I really love it. It's great to be able to see people's personalities expressed in their avatars or be able to really see what they look like in their photos. I like having access to information about how long someone has been a member and how many posts they have, and to be able to go back and review old posts easily if I desire. Having signature lines where we can list the ages of our kids is very helpful. I remember an incident quite a while ago on the old forums in which a long-time poster requested that people include their dc's ages or the number of years they had been hsing when they were replying with advice. Some people took offense to that request. I must admit at the time I did feel a slight indignance, being a first-year hser, but I also felt that it was a good suggestion. It is helpful to know from whence information and advice is coming. While I feel that even first-year hsers often have a lot to contribute (In fact, the best new idea I received last week came from the parent of a preschooler who isn't technically hsing yet), it is nice to know whether someone is at the same point as oneself and can commisserate and share what is currently working or if someone is speaking from much more experience and can offer more seasoned advice. Both are helpful, it's just nice to know. And despite much controversy surrounding it, I find the reputation system to be a positive addition. I love the ease with which we can send private messages or e-mails, also. Overall, I think the positive changes outweigh the negatives for me. But it took me a couple months to start feeling that way!

Okay, I'm so out of it. I don't watch television much. I know what show you're talking about, but I've never really watched it. I have wondered about your sig. line for quite some time now. Can you explain to me what it means? Thanks!

I know. :tongue_smilie: Dh loves Miracle Whip, but I buy real mayonaise for me. There just isn't any comparison.

This is what my dh would say!

We use it in combination with Singapore. I think they complement each other well. In K5 we could have used just Miquon, but in first grade I'm not sure it would have been enough. I love the discovery approach and it is fun for dd, but I also see the need for some drill to learn the facts. Additionally I really like that Singapore introduces word problems in first grade. I think using both keeps us balanced.

They really liked Charlotte's Web and loved The Trumpet of the Swan, but we all agreed that Stuart Little was... well, just a little odd.

I actually *did* make it downstairs to do my time on the elliptical machine; it just took a lot longer to get down there than it should have!

That is all.

We don't really have a consciously-chosen focus, but I think literature has just naturally permeated our days. I love, love, love to read with my children. From the time dd was an infant and her favorite books were Dinosaur Shapes and Ten Little Ladybugs, reading to her has been one of my favorite daily activities. I remember with great fondness the days when ds was a toddler, dd was a preschooler, and we all took an afternoon nap daily. We would grab a big stack of picture books from our library stash and head to a comfy bed. I'll always recall that Mr. Popper's Penguins was the first real children's novel I read to them, and laugh at the fact that in one year Little House on the Prairie books were magically transformed from the books I read aloud to them when I wanted them to be bored, wait I mean lulled, to sleep into dd's favorite books to read to me. Sharing literature with my dc, or discovering it for the first time together is exciting and rewarding for me. We usually have a few read-alouds going. Currently, we just finished listening to The Tale of Despereaux on audiobook, we are in the middle of Mary Poppins, and we just started The Hobbit. Dd is reading The Little House on the Prairie to me, The Mouse and the Motorcycle to herself and anything ds will sit through to her little brother. Last night I settled them into bed with a stack of picture books (mostly science or animal-related) for ds, and then dd read some poems to us before insisting on reading a few pages from an Usborne book about the human body that she is reading for science. She has recently found a few poetry books that have really sparked her interest. I love to see it, and hear her read it to me! Ds has started asking me to re-read books to him immediately upon finishing the first reading. At first it seems a little frustrating, but when I step back and realize how much he enjoys a good book, it delights me. When he was two, he discovered a book by Don and Audrey Wood about a little mouse who is about to eat a big, ripe strawberry, and is tricked into sharing it to avoid the potential of losing it to a "big, hungry bear". He loved that book so much. He woke up one night, apparently after dreaming about it, and couldn't go back to sleep until I retrieved it and read it to him. He counts Olivia as one of his favorite girl names because he fell in love with the picture book about a pig with that name. And he still makes references to his favorite novel so far, E.B. Whites The Trumpet of the Swan, which we read last summer. So, I guess if I had to pick one thing, I would say our education is literature driven.

Dd and I have worked through AAS Levels One and Two this year, and we are about to start Level Three. I highly recommend it. Dd is a natural speller who does have a great visual memory, so a lot of the words taught in levels one and two were words she already knew how to spell, but AAS has given her the understanding of *why* these words are spelled that way. This program is well-designed. The pre-printed index cards for phonograms, sounds, and spelling rules make it easy to do the review that is scheduled in each lesson. And because it teaches children the rules and principles behind phonics and spelling, they can generalize the information to other words and have the ability to spell many more than just the ten words on their spellling list for the week. I'm not looking forward to having to find another spelling program if we finish level three before level four is out!

I was just pondering what we do for school. (It's late, dh is still not home from work, and I was getting the kids to bed. As I lay in the dark, listening to their breathing to make sure they were really asleep before I tried to get up, my mind was wandering.) I realized that I really don't require dd to write very much. She does a sentence or two of copywork or dictation on most days for FLL2. She writes a few words and sentences daily for cursive handwriting practice. On days that we finish up a spelling lesson (once or twice a week?) she writes ten spelling words, six phrases, and six sentences. And once in a while she writes a letter to relatives. That's about it. Is this normal, or am I not requiring enough? Also, I was wondering if most people do anything for reading besides just reading. I don't require her to do narrations or answer comprehension questions. Sometimes we talk about a book we are reading, or she fills me in on a book she is reading independently, but mostly we just read. She is an excellent reader and has great comprehension and retention skills, so I just don't see the point in beating a dead horse. Do you think that a teacher evaluating her portfolio at the end of the school year will expect to see written work for reading? I have a huge list of books she has read for reading, and long lists for every month of books she has read for free reading. Do you think more will be expected?

I can't remember exactly when I first found these boards, but I know it was sometime after dd turned 4 and I discovered and read TWTM for the first time. It's hard to imagine what our hsing life would be like without these boards!

Entirely Miss Reverend Lady Terri the Innocent of Much Madness upon Avon I like Innocent, but Much Madness is probably the most accurate!

We count from kindergarten. I helped dd begin to read and do simple math before she would have been allowed to attend public school kindergarten, but we still count from the year she would have been old enough to attend school.

I thought about going earlier this year, but it just didn't fit well into our really crazy schedule right now. I definitely want to go next year.

Oh, I know how you feel. I really don't like it when dh has to travel for work. I always miss him terribly, and I find it hard to sleep at night, as well. And I, too, try to put on the brave Mama face because dd used to miss him so much that she would cry at night. She's really a daddy's girl. I try to keep us really busy with as many activities, errands, or outings as I can to keep our mind occupied. I hope the time passes quickly for you until he returns!

dishwashing liquid (the kind you use for handwashing dishes, not dishwasher detergent) such as Dawn. One time when dd was a toddler she spilled ketchup over a good portion of a brand new dress. I used Shout, which has been our usually successful standard course of action for stains, but it didn't get rid of all the stain. I then decided to call the Shout helpline. The helpful person who answered my call suggested that for stubborn food stains I should try rubbing the stain with some dishwashing soap, as they were specifically designed to break up food residue. I tried it and it worked for the ketchup. I hadn't put the dress through the drier yet, though,just the washer. HTH.

I know what you mean. If it remains true to the original story, I imagine it would be pretty depressing. And if it departs from the original story, I wouldn't feel right about it :001_huh:. But I guess many people might not care about the inventiveness of prequels. I think I'll just stick to the original movies with Megan Follows.

Dh and I spent several days at P.E.I. on our honeymoon (after visiting Niagara Falls and Quebec City). It was beautiful. We didn't choose it specifically because of all the Anne attractions, but more for the beauty of the island and the quiet atmosphere, but we did go see all the Anne attractions while we were there. Our favorite spots were a place we found on the rocky seashore with an old lighthouse nearby where we climbed on the rocks and picnicked by the sea, and the wooded trails connected to the Green Gable house property. They were so beautiful with the red paths in stark constrast to the greenery and wildflowers. And my manly man dh watched the Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea movies with me and actually liked them. I don't think he would mind my mentioning that to you since you're not male and we don't actually know you:).

If I don't have any other relevant information that might be helpful to other people reading the post, I just like to give rep. points and say my thank you in the comment section. If I've run out of rep. to share or I have repped a person too recently, I send a pm. :001_smile: I also find it helpful when people pm or rep me with thanks because I sometimes don't go back and check on every thread to which I have contributed.

Kelli, I'm so happy for you. I've noticed lately how important seemingly little things are to my two kiddoes, like getting off the computer to play Ring Around The Rosy with them. I didn't even know my 6.5yo would still want to play this kind of game! But they thought it was the greatest that Mommy was giving them her full attention and doing something fun. Your post has reminded me how important it is to give our kids attention and do something with them. Thanks. I really needed a reminder.

My dd is almost 7. She reads some books of her own choice to herself everyday for free reading. I don't schedule it or impose a time frame because she is really a self-starter and enjoys reading, but I would estimate that she probably reads for about 15 to 30 minutes. She reads a variety of different books, sometimes picture books (fiction and non-fiction), sometimes early reader books/first chapter books, sometimes longer chapter books (i.e. The Mouse and the Motorcycle). I also require her to read to/with me for school. We select the book together. Right now she is reading Little House on the Prairie. We try to read one chapter a day. Some days she wants to read the whole chapter herself, but often she enjoys reading a page or two and then letting me read a page or two. Right now she also enjoys reading the book we are using for science aloud to me. She loves reading picture books to her little brother, too. I try to have a read-aloud going with her all the time, but lately we haven't been doing as well as we used to. My goal is to read one chapter a day to her. I hope this helps.