Mail just came. Fury said there was something from Rainbow. I got soooo excited! Then I realized it was only their Christmas catalog. *sigh*

The last box came quick. This is a *much* bigger order. I might wait until Monday before I become a pest. And the two lines of the song are all I can remember and I've started to sing them out loud. Dragon is looking at me like I'm crazy. :lol:

Soooo, I finally put my order in to Rainbow on Wed. It's a big one! Waiting for boxes is like a kid waiting for Christmas!! Doesn't it just drive you nutzoid knowing there are boxes coming and having no way to track them? I'm about ready to explode!! Dragon is just uncontainable because he's so excited! Fury and dh are more subdued and Mr. Picky Pants is clueless. He'll be thrilled when he sees what's in the box for him, I'm sure. I have to keep from bouncing like a ball so I don't wake the youngest. And now the old Coca-Cola song is running through my head. "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company." (How's that for an earworm?)

You may be able to find them used. Last I checked, the website is *not* the publisher. I can find the number for you. The program brought Fury to tears. I may try it with Dragon as he is my LA kid. I don't know if this helps but we are going to try Applications of Grammar with Fury when he is done with CGE. It seems painless for the non-LA kid that he is.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ematic-EB105B-7-eBook-Reader-with-Kobo-eReading-Software-Assorted-Colors/19599271?findingMethod=rr That is one I'm looking at. Is it similar to your Kobo? It says it comes with the Kobo software.

Has anybody tried these? If so, which one and what was your experience with it?

I have the high skills lapboard from Rainbow Resource and am getting the primar and mid skills boards when they get here. It's made things sooo much easier for Fury as it flows better for writing out pre-algebra problems. Having a total of 3 boards means I won't have to erase facts for one to help the other boys. Eventually, I think a big wall one would be very nice.

Thank you!! Now I just have to keep my peepers peeled for a Black Friday deal. :D

Well, I think he's left-brained. He's the complete opposite of his brother. I am thinking of a gift card for Barnes and Noble as he likes to read and a Kindle/Nook is *not* in the budget and I don't see them coming down for Black Friday. Are there other e-readers out there that would be a good stop-gap? If not books then rockets. I just don't think the joy would last as long with those.

I'm thinking of getting an inexpensive mp3 player for Dragon. I'd like to load it with music and audio books of public domain books. Which is better? A.) Give it to him empty and load it after he opens it. Or B.) Open, load, and then give it to him? I want to set a good gifting example for the boys. Is there an ettiquette rule for this?

Mr. Picky was by far the earliest as he was born in August and had two front teeth by Christmas. He had almost his entire baby mouthful by 9 months!!

Thank you!

I haven't tried but I'm curious. :lurk5:

I had to share a revelation in the hopes that I'm not alone. I think I finally understand the saying: Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. I got to thinking about how easy anything involving the written word was for me all through school and how absolutely torturous math was for me. Fast forward to homeschooling. I have the easiest time explaining math (up to algebra) but haven't the foggiest idea how to explain grammar without a script or something close to it. Coming to this realization has helped to lessen my fears about teaching higher math. Has anybody else been in this spot with different subjects?

I'm wondering the same thing. Ours was given to us because someone upgraded. I don't want another puny one.

I like a rice cooker, too. It frees up a pan for me and it's safe for my oldest to use. I need to get a bigger rice cooker.

Yes. I am in need of a history suggestion. I was thinking of Story of Mankind but not sure how far that would carry us. I would like to *not* have to make trips to the library. I like to download the public domain books whenever possible. I am going to be ordering "Children's Homer" and "The Golden Fleece" from Rainbow Resource as part of the credit I have.

:lurk5: I'm curious, too.:bigear:

I'd like to engage in more self-education but how do you teach your dc, yourself, and get food on the table while remembering appointments and diapering the toddler instead of the proverbial watermelon?

Thank you! You've got me to thinking and most of the colleges around here require the Core 40 diploma for PS students but have far less rigorous requirements for homeschoolers. I will have to do more research.

This is probably going to sound very weird but here goes. We've been doing just math, grammar, and reading. I feel rotten as a teacher for having neglected everything else for the last year. It is my hope that we can play catchup this school year by doing a general overview of history and science. Next year would be more in-depth into various periods of history and areas of science before my oldest has to tackle his final four years that colleges will be looking at. I also have a toddler under foot and would prefer something as painless as possible. Does that make more sense?

I like teaching the three r's. I can live without teaching history and science. It stands to reason to opt for a more literary/CM-ish approach. I am going to do high detail coloring books for science, I think. I'm open to suggestions. I have US history picked out. I think we'll use A Patriot's History of the United States. The publisher's site offers suggestions for working with elementary. Geography will also be coloring books by Wynn Kapit with lots of detail. What I want for world history is something open and go and doesn't require outside books that could maybe be a coffee table kind of book when we're done.

Check pm.

I love Lion King 1 1/2. This is my favorite scene. Timon: "Hey Pumbaa!" Pumbaa: "Yes, Timon?" Timon: "What do you call a hyena with half a brain?" Pumbaa: "Gee. I don't know, Timon. What *do* you call a hyena with half a brain?" Timon: "Gifted!!" Of course, they end up running for their lives from the hyenas... Please share your favorites!!

I agree with Ellie. Ditch the science. Abeka is very gentle at that level. Another option is to just take a delight-directed approach and help her to pick books she can read or at least understand. I'm a big advocate of keeping K very, very simple. Teach her to read. OPGTR is my favorite. Get a good basic handwriting program like HWT for printing. Teach her about her numbers. Then let delight drive science and history. If she's into it, run with it. If not, then hakuna matata!! Hope this helps. Relax and breathe. Rinse and repeat.