Some of those B&N books seem to be just reprints off of Gutenberg. Annoying.

I don't think the Explore will open up opportunities that will be very useful for math. Explore scores let me know that I can push my son a bit more and gave me permission to go a bit faster with some material. From what I've read, the CTY and CTD math classes at the elementary level aren't going to be any better than what you can do on your own. We moved from Singapore Standards 5 to algebra without any difficulty. AoPS is designed to be done by the kids from the book alone, so you could start with the Prealgebra book and move quickly through it - or just start with Algebra and see how that goes. I'd probably not start with an online course. They sound like they move really quickly.

I like the Intensive Practice books with Singapore. Some of the challenge problems have been great for my son. I love that some problems have taken him a couple of days to do. He gets the experience of struggling with a problem, making progress, getting stuck, putting it away, then taking it back out again. He gets challenge. We used Singapore, Standards edition (I preferred the extra topics and regular review), workbook, IP, CWP, and iExcel (now replaced by Process Skills). After getting through level 5, my son is doing fine with the beginning algebra class I teach at the cc.

Have you been pondering how you'll spend your newfound wealth?

It's actually CVS brand... http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/CVS-Childrens-Allergy-Tablets-Grape-Flavored?skuId=483095 We carry them with the Epi Pens and we're in SC so also have a lot of humidity and heat. They've held up for us.

I miss Drixoral for a decongestant. Weebles for toys. My sister had the sub and we had the RV. Also Ivory shampoo and conditioner.

We carry chewable tablets. Works great.

Read some of her stories while in college. Good for her!

Hang on...from when you were three?!? Pfft...young 'uns. Happy birthday & get off my lawn! ;)

If you've got the money and time and won't be disappointed if it isn't great, then go for it! I've attended far too many classes and seminars that I feel waste my time, so I'd need to be REALLY sure it was something I WANTED. But if you want it, go and have fun....and report back on any really cool things you learn :)

Congratulations! I was sick my whole pregnancy. Threw up regularly. I love not being pregnant! :) Hope yours goes well.

Because latex is one of the biggies for anaphylaxis, this does sound like a progression. Get to allergist ASAP...and you may want a second opinion as well. Hope you get some answers. Allergies are so scary.

My son's anaphylaxis (cashews) was immediate although we only saw hives 5 hours later. The only immediate symptom was itchy throat and then vomiting. When he's had cooked milk, he has had a delayed reaction...hives after 4 hours. A boy in his kindergarten class had multiple allergies and his would typically be 5-8 hours later, so it was really hard for them to identify triggers. Keeping a diary of foods, activities, locations may help with finding commonalities here....

:grouphug: I don't know that I'll be able to be of any help. My son's anaphylaxis was from his food allergies. I find good information at FARE. They've got a page on anaphylaxis that may have some info. Latex would be my biggest bet for a trigger for your daughter, but allergies are strange. The link is also to a webinar Dr Wood is doing soon on anaphylaxis. It may be useful. I'd have a really hard time letting my son go on the hiking trip. How far would they be from a hospital? If she had an episode, could she get to a hospital in time? Reactions can get more severe and an epi-pen only gives you about 20 min. When my son had his anaphylaxis, he was admitted to the hospital, but when he got out, we saw his allergist within the next few days. I'd be calling your daughter's allergist and getting in before the trip - and get his suggestions about whether the trip is a good idea as well. :grouphug: I'm sorry you're all dealing with this.

If you go with BFSU, they've got a pretty active yahoo group for book 1 and 2 and Dr Nebel posts often as well.

This. If I had the money and was interested, I would take the course. However, I'd be more likely to buy more books on "how to" rather than attend a session. For $50, I think I'd have gone, but not for $250. I really LOVE the bar models and they were far from intuitive to me when I started using Singapore. It's been amazing to me how really nicely the bar models lead into algebra and how some problems are significantly easier to solve with bar models than with algebra. The Process Skills books (used to be iExcel) are well worth the money though. They also made a huge difference in being able to do the word problems with bar models in CWP and IP.

You can also put a block on your credit so you have to call or write in advance to unfreeze credit. That would make getting cards even harder. Probably counseling would also help to get to reasons why you feel incapable of control in this area.

I firmly believe my MiL died from breast cancer earlier than she would have if she'd had insurance earlier. Dh has had a lot of problems going to the doctor because of cost and his history growing up when his parents couldn't afford much medical care. He ended admitted to the hospital for days when returning home from college because of uncontrolled asthma. A close friend was diagnosed with colon cancer at 26. She died at 32. Having medical insurance helped her get care that enabled her to live long enough that her daughter will have memories of her mother. Here is the blog of a woman who watched her husband die young from a brain tumor. http://washandtashi.blogspot.com/ They gambled that because they were young and the odds were in their favor, it made more sense to not carry insurance. She speaks eloquently of their experiences including the additional stress on her as a care giver and fighting to get medical care to keep her husband alive a bit longer. I am not thrilled with the ACA. I want universal care like most other first world countries. I want a social support net. I have insurance that is fairly decent. We have still been able to deduct medical expenses on our taxes when itemizing on two different years. Due to my friend's death, I had a colonoscopy at 38 due to some symptoms. I had polyps and have had 3 colonoscopies now. With insurance, we've been tight in those months to pay for our out of pocket in past years. Without insurance, I might have to stretch years between exams. And that's exactly what I know my MIL did. And yes, anecdotes aren't data, but we are talking about real people. I've worried about preexisting conditions excluding my son from getting insurance as an adult or a cap on expenditures hitting my husband. I love that that's not an issue as long as ACA isn't repealed. I've really enjoyed not having to pay for a mammogram this year (breast cancer killed a couple of my great aunts).

It may be a bit extreme, but the general idea is also very common when reading on gifted boards. It's partially why I push my son the way I do. I want him to get used to expending effort. I LOVE it when I've been able to see him struggle with a math problem over a couple of days before finally getting it. I know I could have gotten more out of my undergrad degree if I'd learned how to study better and how to struggle more. I can definitely relate to jennynd, although I only made it to a masters and didn't have the PhD experience.

I'll probably have ds do the PSAT in sophomore year as well - mainly to be sure that I'm comfortable with the school administering the test correctly for a homeschooler!!

My son and I were having major clashes last year. I didn't feel I could put him in a traditional school because of his allergies, but he wasn't listening to me and I was getting angrier and angrier with him. I went on strike and stopped teaching him. I was going to put him in a virtual charter, but dh stepped up and chose to teach instead. So for about 3 or so months, dh would come home from work and teach our son. I don't think it have worked if it hadn't been dh's choice. He got to see where some of my frustration was and ds's attitude improved over time. :grouphug: it's a tough place to be.

annoying double post due to site... grumble....

Seeing the trailer and casting and reading any discussion about the movie in publications like EW and other sites does give enough info to make some convincing arguments that it can't be true to the book in a number of ways. It's also enough for there to be serious concern that it isn't going to be good. Ender is 6 and a young and small 6 when he goes off to battle school. Look at the stills in publicity photos of Ford and the actor for Ender. He's a teenager...not even preteen. I think that's a significant enough change ... And that's without the battle school vs fight issue mentioned earlier.

Ender is 6 in the book. I'm very disappointed in casting and won't be seeing the movie...even if Card's open and strong support against homosexual unions hadn't soured me on his writing in recent years. There's a lot of dislike for the movie on gamers sites I read.

Quark - AWESOME!!!! And if it's their Book 1: Logic, that's exactly my undergrad math logic course, so I would say it matches as a university level course. Glad it was a success! (and let me know if this is more detail than you'd like & I'll happily edit anything)