Your children saw you stand up for yourself and for them. No one is going to change the mind of that woman, but your children will remember that you called her on her bad behaviour. They'll know that you are not ashamed of your beliefs or your history.

I had to schedule it out (even math) to be certain we get through the curriculum. The weeks DD is with her dad (my mother will provide childcare while he works) I want to only send minimal school work. I needed to be certain we could still get through things with that plan. For example, I was able see that 3 math lessons a week will allow us to spread a lesson over 2 days when needed and still yet through 1/2 the program by Christmas break.

I have everything ready and scheduled for the first semester. This is our first year homeschooling, so I want some roomm to adust a bit after Christmas. My preference would have been preparing for the entire year, though. I haven't purchased all the extra supplies because we are moving over the summer, but I did as much as I could. The first week is already in a binder ready to go at the beginning of August. Everything is together in a plastic tub ready for the move.

The first chapter of MM 3A is addition and subtraction and it's really long. If he's very comfortable with this from 2A and 2B, you might be able to just pick a few problems and move through that quickly. The 2nd chapter is multiplication and the 3rd chapter is multiplication tables. The usual money and time chapters are in there somewhere along with geometry and an intro to division.

Also remember not everyone who works at the library is a librarian. :) I'm glad you've found a few smiling ones. If it makes you feel better, I had a hard time during the picture book phase, too. Those things are heavy and slippery.

DD(7) once brought home a school library book titled "Are Haunted Houses Real?" I wasn't thrilled since we have nightmare issues, but DD picked the book out herself. Around here they use AR for leveled reading. They have random books in the class divided by AR book level. The library books are also color coded by AR book level range. I kept track of DD's book level and provided her with age appropriate books in her range. I assume you can do the same with whatever system they are using at your school. Then, if your DD brings home a book you find unacceptable, you can provide her with other choices that would fit with the school's reading program. I don't censor DD's reading, but I do express my opionion. I won't purchase just any book for her. She can make her own selections at the library, however.

I'm guessing this is similar to what you've been using. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000UZ0P7I/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1433968003&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&keywords=handy+cart&dpPl=1&dpID=41epOSCOhoL&ref=plSrch

Before buying something really large check with your library about restrictions. We didn't allow suitcases or other large bags. We had a few patrons who did bring carry-on sized suitcases because of the number of itemss they regularly checked out and returned. Even they would occasionally run into difficulty with a new guard. I was in a large downtown library. Your library may not have an issue with this sort of thing.

I've made copies because DD will spend every 4th week with her father in another state. If something gets lost or destroyed I want to have a backup. I will also limit the subjects covered for that 4th week to avoid the need for traveling reference books. I have the digital copies of most of my curriculum for this reason, but I have no problem taking books apart to copy work pages at home.

I've been a working single mom with elderly parents and no other community support. I never asked for free childcare from a neighbor, but I'm sympathetic to those sorts of situations. If the neighbor is occasionally (random school holiday and trust me they can feel really random) asking for help because she doesn't have family support, I'd be inclined to help without asking for compensation. I have an only child, so the playmate would be compensation enough for me. You can always so no, if your aren't feeling up to it or have other plans. If she approaches you about keeping the child weekly or for several days at a time, you can say something like, "In the past I've charge $25 a day for regular childcare for this age. Is that something you are comfortable with?" It's a separate sort of request than the previous day here or there. If she just starts asking for more frequent help one day at a time, you can tell her you need to plan things in advance and ask for several weeks notice. Then you can either say no to the number of days or bring up the compensation for regular child care.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is set in WWII. We will be covering it for 3rd grade next year as part of MBtP. You could use their unit or find another. I'm certain there are plenty to choose from.

I'd read them in order. DD lost interest after a while, so we didn't make it very far into the series. The same thing happened with Junie B books, although I do have a favorite of those. I actually read a lot of easy books to DD in addition to the more traditional read-alouds. As she became more confident she'd ask to read a sentence or paragraph or even a page. Sometimes she'd even want to practice reading the page I'd just read. We eventually alternated chapters. We still do that from time to time because her reading level far exceeds her reading stamina.

Final??? My nearly 8 year old still requests this one for bedtime or reads it to herself on car trips. It's a copy I received as a gift in my 20's. No one is too old for Pooh.

My library wanted to know the upcoming grade level. The inforation was only data collection used in the report for the Library Board. We had teen programs separate from kids, but the reading program was the same.

Third grade next year will be our first attempt at homeschooling. I've purchased everything and done lesson plans for the first semester. During Christmas break we'll adust based on what worked and what didn't. MATH: Math Mammoth 3rd grade LANGUAGE ARTS: MBtP 8-10 (and Spectrum Language Arts 3rd grade workbook for my reassurance we aren't missing anything) SOCIAL STUDIES: MBtP 8-10 HISTORY: History Odyssey Early Modern SCIENCE: RSO (DD is starved for science so we plan to do Life the first 1/2 of the year and Earth & Space the second 1/2) HANDWRITING: HWOT Cursive SPANISH: Rosetta Stone homeschool edition (DH's primary language is Spanish and family events with in-laws are always done in a mix of Spanish and Spanglish. DD and I both need to learn enough to communicate.) ART: Artistic Pursuits MUSIC: brief composer study covering the early modern time frame and guitar lessons We'll also use Etiquette Factory to pick up some missing skills. I'm hoping Girl Scouts will give her a chance to practice them outside our immediate family. This, math, and language arts are my core for the year.

I layer tanks under shirts for this reason. You can puchase Tall shirts as well. I used to order from Eddie Bauer, Lands End, and JCPenney. Gap and Old Navy have Talls online now as well.

PS was not good for my DD socially. She doesn't quite get the complexity of girls her age. She ended up being taken advantage of (unfair trades) and bullied (threats to harm is she didn't sit with our play with a girl who was unkind). She played well with the boys, but that's not socially acceptable in PS at her age. At this point she hasn't had a healthy friendship and doesn't know what that would be like. The kids in a class may not be good friend choices for your individual child. The teachers aren't necessarily able to help the kids develop friendships and you aren't there to facilitate. Kids can get experience with groups elsewhere.

I bought the Spectrum Language Arts workbook from the bookstore just to be sure we didn't miss anything with MBtP next year. It's short and to the point but also comprehensive. In the 3rd grade book each lesson is 1 page front and back with 71 lessons total.

I looked at the Army requirements. Apparently GED isn't an automatic no. Applicants with a GED need a higher ASVAB score. I also saw that 15 credit hours (a semester) of college will put a GED applicant on par with HS diploma applicants. Other branches of the military are more restrictive, but still allow some exceptions. Is it possible he feels isolated? Homeschool, sick mom, and puberty might be zapping any school motivation. When I homeschooled 11th grade I had to take my work to the public library. There's no way I could have sat at home and accomplished anything. I was lonely. You seem to think he's a hard worker. Maybe it's not school work, but sitting at home doing it alone that's the problem. Just a thought.

I love q-snap frames as well. I only use a hoop if I need something really small.

The blog looks like a great resource. I'll certainly be spending some time there.

What about Mouse and the Motorcycle? I don't remember death. I know there isn't romance.

An energy drink that contains taurine like Monster or Rock Star gets rid of mine. Caffeine alone does not work. I've not tried taurine alone. I started getting them when I was pregnant. I had a prescription back then that worked well.

Depending on the cruise line it's likely formal doesn't require a formal. A dress or nice dress pants will likely be fine. Add some jewelry if you need to dress it up a bit. Kids can either go to their own activities or be with family members. That's part of the benefit of traveling with extended family. With a bunch of extroverts, you should be able to sneak off from time to time. Claim a stomach upset and go to the cabin a bit or go read in the library. The deck chairs away from the pool empty out at night if you need an evening escape. There are plenty of places to be alone. Put your ear buds in and sunglasses on and be alone even in the crowd. Anti-anxiety meds and motion sickness meds my make you sleepy anyway.

Next year will be my first time homeschooling. I've thought about doing something like this though. I've planned until the end of the year doing every subject every week. The second semester I might try sticking with history for a stretch and then science. I feel that at least a little math has to be done every day. I feel the same about reading, but I suppose focused language arts could also be done this way. If we get on a role with a subject I'd like to be able to stick with it if that works best for DD. Flexibility is one of the reasons I'm homeschooling after all.