Tammy or anyone who knows--- Where can I look at Cuisinart SS? Can anyone post a link for it? I'm asking because I have a set of Farberware SS that's 20 years old. They cook great but the screws in the cheap plastic handles are constantly coming unscrewed. I'm about ready to spring for another set of pots but........... which ones to buy? I don't want cast iron and can't afford the waterless cookware so those are out. Can anyone recommend 2-3 of the best sets on the market? And no more plastic handles, please.

Same with my oldest dd. I wasn't surprised last year when she declared Political Science as her major.

My dh is a computer tech trainer in his company. They like to train techs their own way. Your best bet is to have your ds talk to several computer repair companies in your area. Ask them what training/education they look for in tech applicants. FYI-- Most of the higher ups at dh's job are college drop-outs, including the owner of the company and the president. Not that a college degree would hurt but I thought I would mention that.

In most cases I don't believe that it's necessary for kids to graduate with a huge debt load but you have to be creative. My dh and I believe in helping our kids get through school in any way we can but we expect them to do all that they are able to do to achieve their education. We don't believe in handing it to them and we can't afford to anyway. Dd#1 is completing her second year at a private college in our neighborhood so she lives home. She was offered full scholarship at a state school across town but with dorm fees and transportation, it would have cost her more out of pocket than going with a private school. She chose the private school on our suggestion. They've given her a 3/4 academic scholarship and she works part-time at the school's library. Her job enables her to pay her portion of tuition and pay for all her books. She did have to take out a student loan of $15,000 to cover all four years, which I believe is a relatively small amount for a student to owe at graduation. Dd#2 is LD and starting her second year at community college. She's working towards an Assoc Degree and then will begin at univ as a 3rd year college student as the univ will accept her entire degree. She works summers and part-time during school semesters. She has no scholarships to date but so far, she's been making enough money to pay for all her tuition and books. Basically, dh and I give them free room and board and pay for their insurance and medical. If they have a need for clothing items, we buy it for them on an "as needed" basis. They pay for all other spending, which is very little since all their earnings go to tuition and books. And that's my story; I'm sticking to it! ;)

Your plan would work fine. What good would it to to push your dd into the R level when she's not ready for it? It would only frustrate her and you because she'd be floundering around in work that's way over her head. Not everyone agrees with this but the first couple years of college are spent introducing students to R level work. Even if your dd only does R level in gr 12 or in grades 11 and 12 it will still help prepare her for college. It's not about their grade level. It's more about the academic level they are working in NOW. Work with her at her current level. I've heard Marcia and other TOG authors say this very same thing.

Here's one that hasn't been mentioned: Lilies of the Field (Sidney Poitier) I believe it's from the 60's but a fun movie to watch.

It's a nice diagramming resource but imo, it doesn't diagram very complex sentences. R&S 8th gr text or Warrier's 3rd Course English & Grammar Comp would be better choices.

Speaking from a Christian perspective--- We've always been open with our kids about death, probably since they were toddlers. We've taught them that everyone dies.... that it's sad when loved ones die because we miss them... but that death is as natural as a child being born. My dh and I both attended wakes and funerals when we were growing up so it taught us that death was not to be feared. Through the years we've brought our kids to wakes and funerals. When my mom died at home, we were all around her bed and watched her breathe her last breath. My kids wanted to be with their grandma until the end. They're both in college now and have no fear of death. I would never want to teach kids that death is horrible, scary and unnatural. Why would a parent teach that? So their children will be afraid of death? My kids have lost grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. Sure it was a sad time for them with each death but it IS natural to be sad when you lose a loved one. Grief is a natural process we all experience in life. On the other hand, most of the friends I've known who grew up shielded from death, became adults who were still afraid of it. That's rather sad because none of us can go through life avoiding the loss of a loved one.

If the college won't offer further help, your dd may be able to make up the difference with a part-time campus job and/or a small student loan. My dd was offered a decent, 3/4's scholarship to Hillsdale but they refused to pay for room and board. Unfortunately for us, her portion of tuition and R&B was more than she could make with part-time work and we didn't want her to take out a large student loan so she had to turn down the scholarship. Instead she ended up at another private school (her second choice) that's 10 minutes from home so no R&B expense. She still had to do a small loan of $15,000 total for the 4 years and she works part-time on campus. Between the loan and her job, she's able to pay her own portion of tuition.

Since your child is already in 11th grade, I'd choose Write for College.

Both my kids preferred Format Writing over Book 1 of PTIW . They found PTIW to be a bit too dull but it could be because the author spends a lot of time covering basic sentence structure/grammar and my kids were past that stage. I know some homeschoolers love PTIW so it really depends on how you like to teach and learn. My understanding is that Book 1 and 2 of PTIW are each designed as a 1-year course. BTW-- Both my kids are in college now and I have a gently used copy of PTIW Book 1 and the answer key if anyone is interested but wants to save some bucks.

No!

I wouldn't give up a master bedroom/private bath for my kids... no way, no how! I'd put the 12 and 10yo in the same room. Then I'd either have the 6 and 5yo share a room or give them their own rooms... whichever works best.

Although that would be an ideal situation, in most cases it is not very realistic to expect incoming college students to already have a chosen degree program or to know what type of work they want to do after college. My oldest is currently finishing her second year of college. She is a serious student, not one to spend her college time playing and partying. Even if she wanted to party her schedule wouldn't allow it. She has strict academic requirements to remain in Honors Program and to keep her scholarship and she works part-time on campus. In spite of her serious nature, she was not able to declare a major until she began her second year. She's a poli-sci major and didn't know she wanted to pursue this degree program until AFTER taking a couple of poli-sci classes during her first year. Rather than to expect all incoming students to already have a career chosen, I think it would be more helpful for them to enter this phase of their life with a purposeful determination to be the best student they can possibly be. You can't do that if you view college life as "party-hardy" time. A serious student will be able to declare a major before the end of their second year and stick with it. Those who are there to party are too occupied with having fun. And it's not that college can't be fun; it should be. I'm mainly referring to immature college students who see no wrong in neglecting their studies so they can play. Parents whose students are not mature enough to buckle down and make the grades in college, should seriously consider having their kids take 1-2 years after high school to allow them a bit more growing up time. Why waste time and money in college when your heart's not into it? This would be a useful goal to aim for in grades 11 and 12--- to train our kids in how to take their education and even life in general very seriously because success in college is no joking matter. Oh yeah-- I view college as a way to further expand in wisdom and knowledge. No matter what job you end up doing afterwards, you can always draw from what you learned in college as it makes you a more well-rounded person.

I wouldn't buy any other grammar programs. The three that you have will be more than sufficient.

I'd go with your Warriner's or R&S for 11th grade. EGPlus is much easier than both of them.

WOW, I see we have quite a few WTM knitters:D. Thank you for all your comments. The general consensus seems to be in favor of learning on DPN and then maybe later on, try circular. Sounds like a good plan. I have 2 sock knitting books and I'm hoping that they'll be easy to follow. Anyone familiar with these? Getting Started Knitting Socks, by Ann Budd Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles, by Cat Bordhi And how come it's so hard to find instructional DVDs for knitting socks? I do have one DVD from Hobby Lobby which shows how to do many of the knitting stitches. Do the knitting shops carry DVDs at all? (I haven't been to one in a while.)

I've never made socks but want to learn. Which method do you recommend for beginners-- using 2 circular needles or using double pointed needles? Please briefly explain the reasons for your choice. Thanks..

That has got to be one of the most ignorant comments a person can make to a couple struggling with infertility. As a mom whose college kids are both adopted, I can't tell you how many times we were told that very thing. Grrrrrrr..... :cursing::banghead:

We've used Norton anthologies and whole books. I have Norton's World Lit 6-vol set. Each vol is small enough to comfortably handle so size is not an issue. Having both has been a good mix for us. For the shorter excerpts which we've really liked in Norton... we often went out and purchased the paperback version; otherwise, we didn't. My reason for enjoying Norton anthologies---- I love having a taste of everything all under one roof!;) Also, I have the 2-vol teacher manuals for this set, which contain excellent study questions and essay topics for each work in the anthologies.

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This is a very good article about confession in the Orthodox Church.

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