They're all hilarious but I think my favorite is #5.

My kids love his poems, too. They are fun to read aloud - the words move off your tongue so well!

Wowee! I had no idea they were going for that much! I have Volume 1 read by Barbara Allen Johnson and I know I have volume 2 but I'm not sure who reads it. Guess I should go check. :) Gosh, would someone actually pay that much?!

I love so many of the books mentioned here but had to add a new one we recently found. My younger set of kids (4, 8, and 10) and I recently listened to the BEST audiobook - The City Under the Back Steps by Evelyn Sibley Lampman. It is about two cousins (Craig and Jill) who are shrunk down to ant size and must learn to live with an ant colony. Very entertaining, informative, and so much fun! Most of the info on ants is true, too. http://www.chinaberry.com/family/city-back-steps.shtml I bought our copy from Chinaberry and it was worth every penny!

We used Easy Grammar 4 with the corresponding Daily Grams and learned a lot. It was easy for me to use and explain to my dc. We started using Abeka English 7 (on dvd) after finishing the Easy Grammar book. Now and then the Abeka teacher will be explaining grammar usage and my kids will be scratching their heads, so I find myself explaining it using the Easy Grammar terms and then the lightbulb goes on-aha! My kids haven't had any problem with the diagramming they have come across in their English class. I really like the program and plan to go back to Easy Grammar when we are done with the Abeka course.

I love hearing about homeschooling from someone with your perspective! I often wonder how my dc will be as homeschooling parents, if they choose to go down this road.

We've had our Fiestaware for 6 years now and don't have chips, either. We've broken a few pieces but just like the other posters said, it's kinda hard to chip. Sandy and Michelle - thanks for posting those links!

So, Kim, did your family decide where to go? This is such a wonderful idea!

Great suggestion!

Please get him checked for type 1 diabetes. My 4yo dd was just diagnosed last week. That was one of her symptoms and I wish I would have realized it at the time instead of waiting until she was really sick.

Our family does this, too! And yes, it is amazing how tv commercials just gets worse and worse.

We used Science K with our then 5 and 7yo dds and enjoyed it. Yes, it did jump around a bit but I think Karen is correct - check the new version of their science, they probably did fix that problem. Overall, my girls learned a lot and still talk about the different experiments we did together. It was fun!

We recently listened to the "Spooky Tales" cd and everyone loved it. It truly is "spooky, not scary"!

We have used Abeka on and off through the years. I wouldn't use them with a young child - it IS boring and slow and a total turn-off (ask my poor then-third-grader how we know this). However, we have used and enjoyed parts of 7th grade (world history-Mr. Duby is great; English) and the 9th grade health class is excellent, imo. My kids learned alot and totally loved the teacher, Mrs. Hicks. We liked the 4th grade language arts teacher - she was great, too. I think with some things you just have to try it and see what appeals to you and your kids.

Everyone is loving their Rowenta, but WHICH ONE? they come in several different versions/price ranges. Please tell!!! :)

:lol:

I haven't received one and I ordered from them last year, too!

I read The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich a year or so ago to my then-7yo & 9yo dds. We all loved it! I even cried a few times. If Mom cries that makes it a keeper! :) http://www.amazon.com/Birchbark-House-Louise-Erdrich/dp/0786814543/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238544661&sr=8-1 There are several parts where the author really gets into the spiritual beliefs of the tribe but we just talked about it and why we believe what WE believe and my girls were okay with it. I think I even skipped over a couple parts, too.

We are planning on using TT4 if it EVER comes out! :) My dd has been waiting since January for it!

I used SL 3 science with a 9, 11, and 12yo a couple years ago and I recommend that you get the new '09 version. The old version was okay, but my kids would get restless with the Intro to Biology book and would tune out. They did enjoy the Mysteries and Marvels of Creation book. I don't have my new catalog yet (grrr!) but from the books you listed, it looks like this new version is much more user-friendly. HTH!

I second the acyclovir! A couple of my kids were getting cold sores a LOT. We tried Abreva (worked okay), lysine, vit C, etc. I finally took them in to the doc and got a prescription for Acyclovir. Wow - the sores they had went away within a few days and now they very rarely get cold sores.

I totallly agree! I really enjoy raising chickens. We have New Hampshire Reds right now and are loving them. Enjoy your chickens!!

Sounds good! I love Sid Fleischman and Mark Twain is always a lot of fun!

Thanks for the recommendation! I always like finding out about new books!

I am using SL science 5 right now with my 10yo, 11yo, 13yo, and 14yo. We are really liking it! We haven't studied the human body before so everyone is learning alot. I like the worksheets and the experiments are very simple to do (if you choose to do them - we do about half of the time). I think my kids are really learning and are finding it interesting. I'm very glad we decided to use it! I found that the Bill Nye the Science Guy dvds line up with almost half of the topics for the year. So at the end of each week we watch a Bill Nye dvd that goes right along with what we studied that week. To quote Bill Nye,"Way cool!"