I think if you drop down to one history and one science, that it is reasonable. That leaves her with 6 solid credits. Dance and Theater could be .5 credit each for a fine arts credit or they can stay as ECs. Her EC list is clearly following her own passions. I know plenty of kids in the local IB program who do 8 challenging credits, play multiple sports, and participate in theater and music. Some kids love being busy. Then again, some don't. Know yours and don't worry about any one else. Help her look at the hours/week she is committing and see if she really thinks she's up for it. I hope she has a great year!

I'm definitely in the 'feeling lost' camp. My oldest has multiple LDs and is not as independent in college as either one of us would probably like. However, he does live on campus and supporting him is certainly not a full time job. Dd will leave in August. So far, I've been doing some tutoring, mostly online and I really enjoy it. I'm averaging about 10 hours a week. We took in a new dog (stray) and he, along with the dog we already have are consuming a lot of my time. Right now, I'm satisfied with my level of busy-ness. I have time to work out, spend time with the dogs, walk, bike, read, visit the WTM boards, but not enough time to get bored. I'm not sure if what I am doing will be quite enough in the fall when both are gone though. Gratuitous dog picture attached.

From your title, I was going to come and ask if he has read Hatchet. :leaving:

This. I can't think if there is music playing. My kids chose their own music when they wanted to listen and used headphones. Dd listens to Christian rap and pop. Ds listens to J-Pop and some hard rock stuff. I usually have the radio on in the car and that was about the only time we shared music in our family (past preschool stuff). Both my kids did play multiple instruments and got exposure to a variety of musical styles, it just doesn't play in the house all the time.

I would point out that you want her to focus on the concept she is trying to learn, not her multiplication. So, if she is doing the area of a rectangle, the learning activity is the formula for the area of a rectangle, not how to multiply. If the activity is a multi-digit multiplication problem, the learning activity is the sequence of multiplying, lining up results and adding. Single digit multiplication is again - not what she is learning. Explain that she needs to work on the concept being taught and the multiplication table will help her do that. It would only be cheating if you were trying to teach the concept of single digit multiplication, she didn't understand the concept and used the table instead of gaining understanding. Understanding and memorizing are not the same thing. If she understands, but can't memorize, then you use a memory aid so your memory doesn't hold you back. My ds with disabilities has never and still does not accept that accommodations for LD's are the same thing as glasses for someone who can't see. I get that, but he absolutely does/will not. However, he can accept that the physical act of writing isn't the point of an exercise, therefor using a computer and typing is perfectly acceptable in place of hand writing an essay.

Thinkwell's regular biology is COLLEGE level, not high school. It includes MORE than the AP Biology. The only thing left out are the practice quizes for the AP Exam. Miller-Levine and Thinkwell do not cover the same information. Dd did both and found Thinkwell challenging after M/L.

BJU Algebra is a standard on-level course. If he is getting math ok with their explanations, there is nothing wrong with that choice. Having used several years of BJU science, I wouldn't take him there. It is thorough, biased, and focused on nitpicking details. :) You can get much more friendly options for very little money. I do recommend BJU for families who emphatically desire Christian based science courses and do have STEM students. Sorry, I can't personally recommend an Environmental Science text, but there have been some discussions here. Oak Meadow uses Holt Environmental Science. There is a study guide you can pickup to go with that as well. There was also this suggestion.

If they come out smelling like bleach, you have nothing to worry about. Germs are not going to survive that. I use paper towels for anything really nasty, but wash everything else together. If I have something so nasty I don't want it in with my regular clothes, I'll separate it, but that doesn't happen a lot. I have very few little white laundry and don't use bleach though. If I was using bleach, I'd throw it in together without hesitation.

My first card was through my parents credit union as well. The first one I got myself was a Discover. I haven't gotten either of my kids credit cards. They both use a debit card and they both have a Discover on my account for emergencies or approved purchases which they almost never use.

I've been using my Pampered Chef stones for almost 20 year with no breaks. I normally cook pizza at 425 or 450 depending on the crust. I have considered getting a BGE stone because I wouldn't trust my Pampered Chef Stone on the grill where heat is more difficult to control and could get too high.

I wouldn't use BJU Physical Science for a child who is going to be doing Algebra across 2 years (unless it was the second or third year). However, Apologia Physical science does not require Algebra. Biology never requires math - at all. Regentrude is right, an intro level college text is cheap. Also, Miller/Levine Biology is available on the iPad for $14.99 and is a great option for on-level biology at a great price. Another choice is Environmental science. This has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. Many colleges offer an introductory course as a Gen Ed option, so it translates well to college prep. Again, no math required. Again, a used college Intro book can give an inexpensive option. I would consider doing these two for the first two years, then do a high school level Physical Science that does use algebra for the third science. This will give him a foundation in case he needs some chemistry or physics background in college (even if it is just for Biology).

i'll throw in there, that it isn't that bad. Apologia with a decent teacher will be just fine. It is just an introduction to the topic. Getting through a high school level text and learning some concepts is fine. I would supplement Apologia with a real introduction to evolution and classification. You could use the $15 iPad version of M/L and just read those chapters. The newer M/L covers newer classification. I think that was the only big change between the versions, but you really want that information.

I'd go with DIVE for independence and it is much less dense and less expensive than BJU. Dd used it with Miller Levine which I like better than BJU. I agree that DIVE is boring though.

Our local homeschool group sponsors English Contra dances. Everyone brings a snack and they provide big coolers of ice water. That takes care of the food and drinks. I won't touch copyright issues. Our group pays a caller who has the music licenses covered.

I have some very similar to these, but they don't have the elastic at the ankle. I'm tall and the elastic ankles highlights the fact that all women's exercise pants are too short for me.

I hated PE in high school too, but played a few sports and swam obsessively. Like a pp I messed up a knee (running cross country) and had to stop all the sports except swimming. When I got to college, swimming was too inconvenient and I stopped that too. It took me until my mid 30s to find an activity I liked again. I did that for several years, then had to give it up for other reasons. Then a few years ago I took up biking and that has kept me active (in good weather) for 3 or 4 years now. I also walk the dogs 3-4 times/day. That isn't exactly cardio, but it isn't sitting either. We walk 1-2 miles each time, so I typically end up with 5-8 miles of walking/day.

I would have the realtor reach out and let them know if there is not guaranteed internet, you will drop the contract.

Ds found there was more creative writing in some of his college classes than he expected. Oh, it isn't necessarily supposed to be creative writing, but there was a personal essay and an essay about a community service project for example. This type of writing uses skills learned in creative writing such as story telling and use of descriptive detail. OP, the list you gave is pretty much what we covered in high school.

I have to admit to thinking about it. When dd looked at schools that were very skewed I cringed a little. Both my kids ended up in schools with a very slight skew. For ds, that is a good thing. Dd, well, I'm not worried about her. I might be concerned if it were a bigger skew though. I met dh in college and almost all my friends met their spouses in college. I know it isn't the only way, but it is a good place to meet someone and I do hope both of my kids find a life partner.

Time. Time and hugs. That is all there is for now. Watching your kids hurt is the worst. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Can you go back to his first choice and tell them he'd really like to come but they'd have to sweeten the deal? It depends on the college, but some will respond to that. If that doesn't work, how about a follow up visit to the other two? Maybe he'll see something that changes his mind and makes one of them suddenly change to being perfect. :) One thing that changed things for dd was looking at courses for fall. One school had huge class sizes (in spite of an average class size of 25) and another had some strange class times that will make an awkward schedule. Seeing what his schedule might actually be in the fall at each school could change how he looks at them.

My first thought was Bravewriter too. They have some short classes over the summer. Maybe it would help.

I kept all the chemicals I used between kids (and still have left overs). There were only one or two things that moisture had destroyed. Everything else still looked right and reacted as expected. Replacing just a few, and adding a few because we used different programs, was still much cheaper than buying a kit each year.

It's been years ago, but both our next door neighbor's wifi and our wifi were open networks (we live in the country, no one else is close enough to get on without being parked on our private gravel road). Anyway, they were our backup and we were theirs. We were both ok with that and had different internet providers (neither cable or dsl was available here then). We hotspot our phones all the time. Long drives = cell phone hotspot so kids can use laptops instead of just playing on their phones. That is our current internet backup, but it isn't fast enough for dh, who works at home. Any significant outage requires a trip to the library or other public wifi access point to work. Panera anyone?

Another 38. I'm 48.