DD10 has allergies to who knows what. It's much worse in the spring but she has nasal symptoms year round. We give her a daily Clariten (off-brand) pill which helps some but she's far from symptom-free. We did talk to her pediatrician about her allergies and he prescribed one of the nasal sprays (Nasonex) to use in addition to the Clariten. Well, she used it for about a week and complained about having dizzy spells. We stopped the Nasonex and the dizzy spells went away. She says she'd rather have the runny nose than the dizzy spells and I agree. DH has recently brought up the possibility of seeking allergy testing and shot treatments. How successful are these treatments for common nasal allergies? I really don't think DD will go for this as she strongly dislikes shots. Besides buying stock in Kleenex, do you have any other ideas? Thanks, Pegasus

:grouphug: I have no answers for you but as a mother of a DD13 and DD10 I just had to let you know that I'm sorry your DD is suffering so! Pegasus

I don't understand. Sometimes I buy fruit such as peaches or plums, leave them on my counter for a day or two and they ripen and are yummy. Other times, I do the same thing, checking them daily for ripeness and they go straight from hard/unripe to rotten. I've even had them start to get soft, cut them up, and they are a hideous combination of tart crispness (not ripe enough) and yucky overripe/mush. Am I doing something wrong or is the fruit just bad? Can I tell before I buy it if it will ripen or rot? I want my own fruit trees! Pegasus

We've used section 1 so far and DD really really did not like it. Too bad, she did it anyway and did very well. I did let her do only half of the exercises and did even fewer of the diagramming. However, she did all of the tests and scored high (A's and above). I do think it is overpriced but that's just my frugal side showing. Pegasus

We used LL7 and are currently using LL8. I just buy the student and teacher book from LL. I usually have a few of the books already on my shelves and hit the local used book store for most of the rest. I only had to buy 1 book new for LL8. Pegasus

HollyDay - Thank you so much for your response. DD works best with formal instruction so we may follow your path and do Jensen's first. Alternating between the two may work as well. Decisions, decisions! Pegasus

I know there is some overlap between these 2 programs but I don't think that will be a bad thing as the repetition may be helpful. If there any reason to use one or the other first? Thanks! Pegasus

It's best to review a bit of Algebra I as the student works through Geometry. Our program has a little review of Algebra I built into their Geometry course but I plan to add a bit more using a Lial's text. Plus, I think most Algebra II courses will start with a review of Algebra I. If the students stays up to speed, this could be skipped or run through quickly. Pegasus

Thanks, everyone. These are great ideas. Pegasus

I've been debating whether to post this or not as I see it as reassuring but can see how it may also cause someone to stress MORE. I attended a large state university and took calculus I the first quarter and did well. When I started the next calculus class the second quarter under a different professor, I soon discovered that I was NOT prepared for it. I, along with several other students who had attended class with me the first quarter, were soon flunking this second course. When we approached the professor, he explained that the professor we had the first quarter did not typically teach calculus. He said that it was not fair but that we were on our own to catch up, learn what we SHOULD have learned the first quarter, and keep up in class the best we could. It wasn't easy but I finished the quarter with a B. So, I guess how I see it is that even if we teach our students perfectly with no gaps :lol::lol::lol: there is no guarantee that they won't later have gaps and have to overcome them on their own. It's not the end of the world and can even end up a good learning lesson. Pegasus

Thanks, Lara. I like that idea. I don't use Downy, but like you said, I'm sure I know someone who does. Pegasus

Edited to delete! Wrong board. sorry

We buy the biggest boxes since they are typically the best value but the box is so heavy that I end up dumping more detergent than necessary into the dishwasher. I have problems with my wrists (carpal tunnel) so I can't hold and pour with one hand while holding a measuring spoon in the other. If I had that kind of control, I think I could do a better job with the direct dump method. :D For a while, I poured some of the detergent into a kids plastic cup, taped the lid on, and then cut a hole in the lid. However, it didn't hold much at all and I had to un-do and re-do the tape every time I needed to add more detergent to the cup. I figured someone here would have a brilliant solution: "What you need is one of these - [insert cool link here]." Thanks in advance! Pegasus

We school 3 months on and 1 month off: Sept-Oct-Nov school with December off Jan-Feb-Mar school with April off May-June-July school with August off We LOVE having the entire month of December off for holiday planning, baking, travel, etc. Spring is in full swing here by April and a perfect chance to spend some quality time in the yard, getting our garden growing, etc. August is fun to take off because everyone we know is just going back to school. :lol: 3 months on works out to be about 13 weeks, or 65 school days, for a total of 195 days. Pegasus

:D Well, in case you are interested. Here is a typical day from January last year when DD was in 6th grade. Math 30 minutes (Math U See Algebra I, she'd complete 1 sheet per day) Freewriting 10 minutes Writing program 20 minutes (Jump In assignment) Spelling 5-10 minutes (Sequential Spelling) Vocab 2 minutes (Vocab Cartoons, one page per day) Literature 30 min (Lightning Literature) History or Geography 30 min (alternated reading History of US and Don't Know Much about Geography) Typing 15 min Science 30 min (Powerhouse experiments) We made good progress in everything. So, just how does one spend 6 hours? :confused: Pegasus ETA - This are just estimated average times. Sometimes a subject took a little longer but sometimes it was finished quicker.

When I helped lead a Girl Scout troop that met right after school, we did have a snack. At first, we rotated the snack responsibility among the girls but some forgot on their turn and too many others would bring a bag of candy. That wasn't really what we had in mind so the leaders started providing the snack at every meeting. Pegasus

Wow! Are ya'll reporting "on task" time?!? I can't imagine 5, 6, or 7 hours each and every day for this age. We school year-round so maybe that makes a difference but we can complete everything in 3 hours of on task time. Pegasus

I'm so sorry your DD wasn't given more consideration and I don't blame you at all for going off on the clerk. Your story reminded me of when DD was scheduled for surgery mid-afternoon and, of course, had to fast since the night before. I called asking for a morning appointment to minimize the time she needed to fast and was told the surgeon only had surgery privileges in the afternoon. DD was much unhappier about needing to fast than she was about facing surgery! Pegasus

I do like binders better than other binding methods. I pull a section/season of the AG student book and put it in a smaller binder for DD to use. When she's finished with each lesson, she pulls the worksheets out and places them in the back. They are still available, just in case, but they don't get in the way as she pages through the notes. When she's completely done, I do plan to take just the note pages and have them spiral bound so that she has a reference to keep. Pegasus

We'll do 6 credits during the year and another credit during the summer term. Pegasus

I appreciate all the input so far. DD does not like sports bras. I encouraged them at first because I thought she would like how soft they are. However, she doesn't like that they essentially squeeze her. We are definitely not shoppers so find the searching and trying on to be quite a chore. thanks again, Pegasus

Need to find some new ones for DD and she's not thrilled with the choices at Walmart. :confused: Pegasus

This thread is very enlightening. I never realized some folks see movies when they read. I hear the words in my head but no pictures. If I'm reading a book that was a movie, I hear the actors voices in my head. Also, when I read Babyhood by Paul Reiser, I heard HIS voice through the whole book! I asked my DC and my eldest hears the words in her head similar to I do but also sometimes sees still pictures (not moving ones). I never see anything. Pegasus

Around here, 8 credits per year is possible at the public high schools because of block scheduling. The classes are 90 minutes a day for a semester. If the student takes 4 courses each semester, they get 8 credits for the year. I hate block scheduling with a passion so we won't be doing it that way. Pegasus

IMHO, you are better off at this point in saving OUTSIDE of the market for college expenses. Four years will fly by before you know it and that length of time is not really what stocks or mutual funds are best for. If it were me with a 9th grader, I'd save in money market funds, online savings accounts, and/or shorter term bank CD's and not inside a 529 plan at all. Best of luck to you. My oldest is an 8th grader and I'm researching lower cost options for college. Currently planning on dual enrollment while in high school, community college with an articulation agreement with the local university, and finishing at the local university so that living at home to save money is still an option. Unless, of course, she wins a full ride scholarship to the school of her choice. :D:D Pegasus