Thank you everyone for your input! It really does help! I like the idea of the colums for spines and other books/activities. Sometimes it really helps to see how someone else has done something to help you get started! OhElizabeth, just a side note. I did find the BJU history for my other son and was able to get the complete set for $31! Now just waiting on payday to order the DK book to work along with the Abeka for outlining.

Can someone please give me some simple steps on how to pull together a history curriculum? LOL I have a spine (Abeka history 4th grade) and while not perfect it is what I currently have on hand. It does cover what I want to cover but how to flesh it out??? Will someone please just give me a few steps to follow on how to pull things together for it? :bigear: Something like this. 1. pick spine 2. divid spine into lessons 3. Pick how much time on each lesson. 4. ....... Get the point?? I want outlining to be a part of it and extra reading on important people and events. Summaries, charts to compare and contrast, essays on famous people and events. It is just that when I try to start...I get caught up in the big picture and then just stare at it without making that first step. KWIM?? LOL Not sure why this is being so difficult but any help on how to get it started would be most appreciated. A big goal for me is to use it to improve my sons writing and note taking skills while taking advantage of his love of reading and some hands on things. Maybe tie in georaphy???:confused: Thanks! I know it is not that difficult but I think that I have to many ideas in my head and no one to really bounce them off of.... So they just go round and round and nothing gets done!

My family back home has 2 wonderful Pit Bulls! They are good dogs and maybe this mom, dispite what you may think at this point, can provide what this breed needs. I fail to understand why everyone blames this breed for what people do to it. Coco and Simba are the best dogs that I have ever seen and were breed to be gentle. Sadly, Coco has gotten out of her yard (someone left the gate open) and a neighbor (that knew who she belonged to) shot her in her back...if she had been any other breed she would not have been hurt so thoughtlessly. She made it but after much money to heal her and still suffers to this day with problems with her hips. :confused: We never hear of all the Pits that live happy and uneventful lives and that are valued and loved members of a family....just the tragedy. This is NOT to minimize those horrible events so please do not take it that way. I just think that to many people have a fear of this breed without getting to know it. I have meet ones that I am afraid of but that is due to the stupid owners...not the dog.

Odd as this may seem, this question/thread popped into my mind during church this morning and it occured to me that the only proof, one way or another, is going to only come with my death. Either God is waiting for me or I am just dead. At that point, there will be no chance for questions as all answers are before me.

My boys loved the Time Warp Trio! Along the same lines at MTH but they are a little more on the boy side. Wait...I just realized that I have no clue if they are on CD! Anyway, "See ya later Gladiator" was my favorite!

I just looked it over online and I think that I do like it! It looked easy to outline and still leaves me some areas to let them just read books and some hands on stuff. Also, on CBD there is a work book that goes with it as well for just $21! :D I just picked up some BJU science stuff at the thrift store the other day and I did see some history items but did not pay it much attention...now Thursday (the day they are open ) can not get here fast enough!:auto: I will also check out that site you mentioned! :)

OhElizabeth, I will go and look at the BJU history right now. It never occured to me to look at the BJU history book as a spine! :confused: Thank you for the suggestions!

Pam, What age student did you use it with? Is it easy to outline if I wanted to add that? I would not use the writing aspect of it at all so it would just be a history and some lit. Looking at the DK book VERY closely!

OhElizabeth, Thank you for your response! I would like to follow the outlining from TWTM so the DK book might be an option. This could be one of my problems with AAH. I want the boys to do the outlining but find that the text is difficult for them to sort out for the main points. Neither Ty nor Ry have ever done outlining or written summaries before so they are lacking in those skills. It does not help that one has some reading difficulties and the other is NVLD. So one is overwhelmed by the way the text is set up and the other just finds it hard to read. Anyway, I do like the DK as a jumping off point for the YDS. He loves to read so that book plus some interesting books on history just might do it for him. As for the HoUS, my library (overseas military family) does not have the complete set so that is not really an option. I have looked at the VP cards but once again, money and access to the needed books was a hinderance.

Currently, we are using R&S Math 4 with him and he is doing okay with it. I purchased it on purpose for how slow it introduces the material and how much it repeats. Hopefully that will help out with the material sticking. I have also been using some of the Saxon mental math tricks with him such as the "doubles plus one" and imaging the numbers in 10's. Example: 19+9 think 20+9 then subtract 1. He seems to like those but there are not as many in RS as there is in Saxon. Now that would be perfect!! :) Maybe I could rotate the 2...do Saxon 5/4 one day and R&S the next! :lol: Thinking that he might just lose it if I did that!:001_smile:

I really wanted to like this program! Sadly, the boys are not interested in it at all and are not learning much from it. So the search is on once again for the perfect history spine. Here are my current options. 1. Notgrass American History (will have to purchase and that is NOT going to make hubby happy) I wonder if anyone has used Notgrass with an 8th grader?? Could it be used as a spine for a 5th grader?? 2. Use "Freedom, the Story of US" as a spine and pull stuff together from that. I know about the website and I am still looking around it. 3. For the YDS, just use SOTW 3 and have him to read "The Story of US" along with it so he gets his American history. For the YDS, my concerns are that he is only home for one year and this is the year that they do American history. Opinions?? Thoughts??:bigear:

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

My YDS had Aspie tendencies but could not break the DX barrier. He was referred to a neuropsyc over the summer and they found NonVerbal Learning Disorder. It is on the spectrum so it fits him to a T almost..:) Here is a link to see if you think it fits her. http://www.spinabifidasupport.com/nvldsyndrome.htm http://www.ldonline.org/article/6114 This one has more info and you can search on this site using the terms NVLD or nonverbal learning disorder and pull up more information. HTH, K

Does anyone here have a child with NVLD?? If so, are they struggling with math?? YDS does not test as having an LD but math is so hard for him. He is in 5th grade but we are having to start all over with simply doing addition and subtraction with carrying and today I figured out that he did not know how to write the number out if I said it to him. (larger numbers):confused: I just feel so sad for him! Since he is not able to handle being pushed or rushed I really fear that he will not be ready for 6th grade when his dad wants him back in PS. (He was in PS last year and we had so many issues with him and no firm DX that we pulled him this year to get him where he needs to be.) On the good side, he is loving R&S LA! :) Now to get him started on MC 4+!! :) So some progress:001_smile:

I will second this one!! My youngest is NVLD and the speech pattern, the dislike of math, the varying obsessions, the crying issue as a baby, the hugging now, the lack of impulse control, the anxiety...I could go on and on..:) I was never so happy in my life to receive a label! :) It took some neuropsyc appointments to finally pin down the DX and we went from Aspie to PDD to "we are not sure what is going on" to emotionally disturbed! Here are some links on NVLD http://www.ldonline.org/article/6114 http://www.spinabifidasupport.com/nvldsyndrome.htm

Warrior Boys Academy Mascot- Mustang (I think this has something to do with the DoDD school that they went to when we first got to Germany.) Warrior - somebody who takes part in a struggle or conflict Silly and not all that creative but the boys picked it out. They liked the definition for warrior. Maybe it has something to do with what their dad does but I ended up liking it due to the part on struggle and conflict. Ty has an LD that he has struggled through and Ry is NVLD so in our day to day lives it does fit. :) Plus I like to think that the boys are being raised to be warriors in a sense and not just in a physical fighting sense.

I would like to thank everyone that took time to share thoughts and such with me on this situation. Happy to say that after he volunteered, he was turned down on the off chance that he gets tasked in June. It seems that since he is NCOIC that they can not live without him for a year! I find it amusing, and told him so, that they can not live without him and here I am telling him that I can do it! :):tongue_smilie: AF rotations are based on what they call a "bucket". Each member is assigned a time frame of when they are considered hot for a deployment. This bucket comes around once a year and his opens up in June. They can volunteer to go out of cycle if a tasking comes down that they want. If they get and they are back before the normal bucket time comes around, they can still get hit for a tasking. Of course this is a very simplified explanation but it covers the main points. Really not much like the Army or Marines at all. Our deployments are shorter in length and we do not usually go as a group unless it is a self sustaining unit.

:lol: Not to make light of your situation BUT we had the exact opposite problem in our house! Ty is ADHD/Inattentive and we were so used to his symptoms that we missed our other boys ADHD/Impulsive subtype! LOL We just kept thinking that we he was full of piss and vinager!! His symptoms were like a foreign language for us!! Boy did we feel stupid when the doc pointed it out.:001_huh: :lol: DUH...that explains the climbing on the roof, the running off, climbing over the fences, and other daredevil antics..(this all before age 5!!)

No, no need at this point. Just desire. I see what you are saying and no worries, it does not hurt my feelings or open a can of worms for me. :) I asked for thoughts on this matter and welcome them all. It does make sense about them being home but at times they are not really there. I get it. To tell you the truth, it did not hurt my feelings when he asked simply because I know why he does it and I know without a doubt that he loves us and loves to be with us. I like what you said about "maybe that is one reason we love them"! I do love him for his honor and his desire to serve. I love that he stands up for something that he believes in and that he provides for us in such a wonderful way. I love that this life has given so much to our kids. They have learned some hard lessons about lose but some wonderful ones about the cost of freedom and what it is like in other countries. They have learned about giving to others before self and worked in the Fisher House helping families of wounded soldiers. I love this man for all he has given us. We have been blessed! :)

Yep, they are usually only 4-6 months which I honestly think is a bit unfair. Honestly, he is in Combat Comm. and they get what they get...he could get a short one or a long one. It just depends on what the need is at that point. A few 12 month ones have passed through lately. Yes, we have been seperated before. He went to Korea when Ry was a year old and was gone for a year. Couple times to Saudi and to Iraq then all the short ones here and there. :) So I guess you could say that we are kind of old hands at this point.

No, he will not get to come home early if he gets this tasking. He will go on this one then come home to get ready for another tasking. :D

Hubby just emailed me and wanted to know if I was okay with him volunteering for a deployment that is out of his scheduled cycle. He is scheduled to become available for a deployment in June so if he takes this one he could be gone for a year. I told him to go for it because he did not join the military to sit behind a desk but to be a part of something bigger than himself. ( he did not join for the college benefits and he is 3rd generation military) If this was asked of you, what would you do? Just curious...

Ahhh...the memories!:lol: Guilty as charged! It was a tradition to TP your friend's house on Halloween and before or after the big Auburn/Alabama game. (War Eagle!) What made it even better was you could get blue and orange or red TP for the game one! As for cleaning it up, sometimes it was the TPer and sometimes it was the TPed. I do not recall ever TPing someone that I did not know as it was never intended to be harmful in anyway. I am sure that I would not have an issue with my kids TPing someone as long as it was a good friend and they volunteered to help or do the cleaning up. Depending on the family, I might just help to TP! :D That all being said, I would not go for egging a home or anything that can cause permenant damage to any property in any form or anything that would cost the owner any money. Doing that has never made sense to me.:glare:

WIC food is ridiculous all around. It boggles my mind that you get coupons for cr*ppy cheese and peanut butter and not one cent for vegetables. We were on WIC in PA while hubby was in Korea and we were given coupons to use at the produce markets in the farming areas. Maybe it depends on the state?? I was able to get fresh fruits and vegs. depending on what was in season. In fact, I think a lot of our problem with weight comes from our drinks. There are over 200 calories per can of soda. 120 calories per cup of apple juice. :iagree: As for the juice thing, I used it but always did a mix of 1 part juice and 2 parts water so they did not have full juice at all. Mostly I gave them the milk though and to this day they go through milk like crazy! My SIL during this time was on WIC as well and she drove me up the wall with the full juice thing and putting soda in the her son's bottle/sippy cup!! Since we all lived in the same house at the time, it was a constant battle because then my kids wanted the soda and then if I explained to them why they could not have it I was accused of talking bad about SIL's parenting! :confused::banghead: (it was my fault that she felt bad because my kids ran to me at the end to the day and hers did not??? arrgghhh)

We tend to check out the library during "Banned Book Week" but I have the boys look at books that I would consider more of a classic than at current books which I do not think will stand the test of time. So they read "Rumble Fish", "Tom Sawyer", and "Huck Finn". These are books that I have read myself and feel that I can answer most questions about them that the boys may have. So honestly, I have never heard of those books except the Tango one. Chances are that I will not let them read them just due to what I think is okay for a 13 and 10 year old to read and how it approaches realationships between boys and girls or relationships period. Let me point out that I have not read them but from what others are saying I do not think that my boys will be reading them anytime soon or until I have actually read them. :) I do think that most books should not be banned based on politics or religion as that is a dangerous road to go down but I do think that there should be an age limit on some books just as for movies..:) I have read some YA (young adult) books and I blushed and I am NO stranger to mature themes!! :tongue_smilie: K