When reading SOTW, I have found retention is best when my girls either color as I read or we walk as I read. That second one is challenging - and possibly slightly dangerous for me - but the physical action of walking while listening seems to cement the words into their brains.

Many listed, plus Family Man

Does your son want to learn modern Greek or Koine (Biblical) Greek? If he wants to learn Koine Greek, a good resource would be a Bible college grad who wants to keep up their skills and knowledge by teaching them. I got two years of Greek ed that way in HS.

Ugly fonts cause me anguish. :)

Costco had (has?) a 3-pk of Rubbermade Cereal Storage Containers we've been using. Love them! Pic: http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodStorage/bulk?productId=10025839

My favorite PNW uniform: socks with sandals, shorts, and a hoodie. My DD was about 5 and asked what an umbrella was. Proud moment for this PNW mama! ;)

Your son sounds a lot like my brother - now a 27 yr old with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering. We were reminiscing about homeschool co-op recently. He recounted how he HATED the art classes; he still feels a little frustrated when he thinks of them. Life gives perfectionists many opportunities to learn when excellence is required and when "good enough" needs to be sufficient. In my personal opinion, making little kids deal with this issue in pseudo-educational situations (paper bag puppets) is counter-productive. I guess I'm a rebel, but I probably would have told the teacher we'd be passing on this assignment...Oh, wait. I did that a few times. Now we're homeschooling. :)

My text would be "Bless your heart." 'Nuff said. Editing to add: What did you end up doing about your verbose brother?

If you use a PC, the simplest solution is probably MS Publisher.

I love Weebly.com. It is incredibly easy to use with a potentially excellent and polished finished product. I have used a variety of platforms, but weebly is definitely my favorite.

So many on this list! Must add: Shadowlands - When Jack and Douglas cry together, missing Joy Saving Private Ryan - "Earn this."

We've been homeschooling since February. In the public school, my third grader brought home one "close reading" assignment after the other with political overtones. Racism. Environmentalism. Gang violence. The gang violence assignment was over the top - the correct answer to one of the questions was that an elementary age girl stopped gang violence by making signs, essentially picketing the gangs at the nearby high school. It is my opinion that eight-year-olds do not need to be exposed to politically-charged and potentially emotionally stressful topics unless their parents feel it is appropriate to address the topic one-on-one.

Personally, childcare provided while I get a manicure, sip a mocha, and chat with other homeschooling moms sounds like the perfect way to be encouraged. :)

I was homeschooled 4th-12th grades. My husband was not - and has hellish memories of school. Two of my best friends graduated with me in 1995. All three of us are now homeschooling parents.

We found a book called "Homeschool Family Fitness" by Bruce Whitney that's proving useful. We also have made use of the plethora of YouTube videos.