Wow, I can't wait to give one of these a try! :001_smile: Thanks for the tip.

I didn't get a chance to post last week so this update is for 2 weeks. First, I finished The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom: "Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin. Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk." This book was good, yet tragic. The front cover had a blurb comparing it to The Help, but I didn't really see the similarities. Second, I finished Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman. She is the wife of Christian recording artist, Steven Curtis Chapman. They lost one of their adopted children in a tragic accident. The first half of the book discussed how they came to adoption, events surrounding each of their 3 adoptions, and general life leading up to the tragedy. After that, it switched gears and was made up entirely of journal entries and blog posts by Mary Beth. The book lost its appeal to me at that point, but I did finish. Finally, I finished listening to Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz. I found the brain information presented in the book fascinating. There was also a lot of good information given to identifying and accomodating people with dyslexia, however I believe the author comes across as anti-homeschooling. In no way should a parent attempt to teach a child to read; this should be left up to professionals. Those statements were made over and over again and clouded my opinion of the book a bit. This week I started Great Expecations with my high schooler. I may be camped out here for while! I'm also listening to The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and we should finish Moccasin Trail as a read aloud sometime this week. Books so far this year: 1. The Missing by Chris Mooney 2. Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar 3. Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton 4. Getting Things Done by David Allen 5. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo 6. Reinventing Yourself by Steve Chandler 7. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson 8. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom 9. Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman 10. Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz

We currently use TOG and have used WP in the past. I loved the AH we did with WP, but we lost interest with CATW. It began to feel as if you kept doing the same thing over and over again, just in a different country. Now, this could be because we didn't do a celebration (I can't remember if this is what WP calls it) at the end of each week. We did a few but some didn't interest our family and other times I didn't feel like making a certain meal to commemorate that country. Two of my kids started moaning and groaning consistently when it was time to do CATW and the other was indifferent. At that point we switched to TOG. That was about 3 years and we've been much happier ever since. But as a teacher, I also was dissatisfied with CATW. So, as you're looking over the programs, really look over the teacher part. Which one speaks to you as a teacher? I've found if I love a program and it speaks to me I can do a much better job bringing it alive to my kids. One thing to remember when looking at TOG is that there are a TON of options available for lesson planning. You can pick and choose what you are going to do. With kids as young as some of yours, I'd really look at the fine arts and activities section, because that seems to be what younger kids love to do. Are there projects there that you as a mom would enjoy doing with your kids that would bring the history to life? Look at some of the literature selections. Do you think the books listed are ones your children would enjoy? If you're not sure, order them from the library and glance through them. It will also help you decide what level fits your oldest child best for literature. Then you can do the same thing with WP. Look over the projects they suggest. What about the books? Which program has more of what you hope to accomplish next year with your children in a way that YOU will enjoy teaching it? Each family is different and I've learned over the years that the program that works best for me is the one that I enjoy along with my children. Hope this helps in some way. :)

One of my sons has a July birthday and it became clear to me as we continued to homeschool that it would have been better for him to have started at 6 rather than 5. His world didn't really change because we just continued from where were were, as far as academics went, which is what you'll do too. There was no "repeating" of prior curriculums. I was also concerned with the quoted above. When we talked to him about it, I was honest with him. I told him that schools have to choose a cut-off date for the grade whether you're ready or not, some kids start who are almost 6 and other have just turned 5. As a parent you have to decide whether or not to start at 5 and we did. Then I named some kids we knew who started at 5 and others who started at 6 to show him that it truly is a parental decision. I told him I had made a mistake which put the ownership on me rather than him. We talked about areas that were a struggle for him and he agreed that it would be better having a little more time in those areas rather than being pushed forward. I believe this helped him feel better about the decision. One thing I will mention FWIW, while it was a good decision for him based on his maturity, it did not help the reading challenges he was experiencing. We will be having him evaluated in about 6 weeks to identify what is going on. I mention this only because I wish we had dealt with this aspect sooner rather than hoping it would fix itself.

I finished The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. The book discusses how it's the little things we do, day in and day out, that bring us success. It's an interesting idea and he talks about how the theory not only applies to your finances and career, but to your health and relationships as well. It was fun to see how some of his comments would bring to mind ideas presented in both Getting Things Done and Reinventing Yourself, two books whose subjects really have nothing to do with each other. This week I'm reading The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom and continuing to listen to Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz. Oh, and we're doing The Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw as a read aloud. Books so far this year: 1. The Missing by Chris Mooney 2. Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar 3. Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton 4. Getting Things Done by David Allen 5. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo 6. Reinventing Yourself by Steve Chandler 7. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

Five days a week I have eggs, usually with a piece of toast. The other 2 days I have a Jimmy D'light breakfast sandwich.

I use Clorox or Lysol wipes on the keyboard and mouse. I also use them on our remote controls.

:iagree: I have not viewed the videos but my 12yo took an IEW class at co-op last year and I sat through almost every one, so I had a good idea of what was taught. This year I am using the Following Narnia theme program with him. Even though I already understood the key word outlines and openers, there have been times where I've felt I would have given better/more clear instruction if I had been able to watch the video. I seem to struggle with story/sequence assignments the most. So yes, I think it is "doable" but you'll be missing out on some aspects/benefits of the program. At least, I feel I am. If we continue with IEW next year, I will either have my son take the next class at co-op, or I will purchase the videos. I'm still undecided.

Possibly. I'm not familiar with either of those terms but after Googling them, there could be some similaritites. One site I went to had this tip for developing internal locus of control: "Phase out phrases like, ‘ I have no choice’ , and, ‘I can’t …†You can replace them with, ‘I choose not to,’ or, ‘I don’t like my choices, but I will…’ Realizing and acknowledging that you always have choice (even if the choices aren’t ideal) can help you to change your situation, or accept it more easily if it really is the best of all available options." That tip would be in agreement with things Chandler discussed in the book. He talked a lot about emotions being to tied to words. So from the above tip someone might be thinking they have a problem, and because the word problem has negative connotations, they may use internal dialogue similar to the bolded. Or they may start a dialogue about how this is just another problem in a long list of problems in their life, go through and review those past problems, and come to the conclusion that life is just one big problem. This would be what he would call "victim" thinking. However, problems have solutions (if not, they're a fact of life in his opinion) and if you think of them more in that fashion, you can often come up with one or more solutions. He attributes this to the fact that your brain is like a computer and that it likes to search for answers/solutions. This would be what he calls "owner" thinking. I'm probably over-simplifying some of his points but that's the idea.

I finished listening to Reinventing Yourself by Steve Chandler. This was the perfect book for me after being disappointed in Becoming Fearless. A lot of it discussed the self-talk that goes on in our heads. The author's premise is that you portray yourself as "a victim" or "an owner" depending on your thought life, and the impact this has on your daily life. The book is encouraging and the author has a sense of humor, so it surprised me that the reader they chose for the audio version sounded like a hypnotist trying to put you to sleep! Despite that, I enjoyed it. Next I'll be listening to Overcoming Dyslexia by Dr. Sally Shaywitz.

The last 2 times I've bought mine at Costco. The price was competitive and they included extra items like a headset and car charger. One thing you might check is the operating system on the phone offered on Amazon vs. Verizon. When I was looking at phones I saw a big discrepancy like that and it was due to one of the phones having an older operating system. I believe the newest system for Android is Android 4.1, also called Jelly Bean. Android 4.0, also called Ice Cream Sandwich, is on many newer phones and can be updated to 4.1. When I saw the price discrepancies it was due to the cheaper phone using Android 2.3 which is an older system. You may not care which OS your phone is running but that could be the reason for the price difference. If you do care, you can look the systems up online to find out what changes were made with the newer releases.

I finished Getting Things Done which I enjoyed. I also finished listening to Heaven is for Real, blech. I did not like this book. This week, I'm reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson and I'm listening to Reinventing Yourself by Steve Chandler. I've enjoyed adding the audiobook component to my reading but the narrators have left a bit to be desired. :tongue_smilie: My books so far: 1. The Missing by Chris Mooney 2. Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar 3. Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton 4. Getting Things Done by David Allen 5. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

I'm sorry, Joanne. :grouphug: :grouphug:

I loved this book too. It got me started reading more non-fiction than I used to. I finished my third book, Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton. I was so hoping to give this book 5 stars because when it started out, I could hardly put it down. Then, about 200 pages later, the author introduced an element to the plot that was just not believable, IMO, and that disappointed me a bit. The story is a plot-driven mystery, so you won't necessarily fall in love with the characters. I felt in the dark a lot of the time which makes a great mystery to me, and was surprised by the ending, so overall I enjoyed it. My books so far: 1. The Missing by Chris Mooney 2. Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar 3. Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton

I finished Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar. She was the season 6 winner of The Biggest Loser. On the front flap Michelle is quoted as saying, "I began to realize how much of my past had been spent...allowing my fears to immobilize me instead of choosing to jump." The back cover says this book, "is an encouragement to 'feel the fear' when facing any obstacle in life without being paralyzed by it." These quotes were what drew me to the book. I had been reflecting on ways I have let fear hold me back or leave me feeling like I wish I would have ... This year I decided I wanted to make some changes, and I thought this book might give me some tips on things that she did to overcome her fears and find her voice. The book didn't really do that so I was slightly disappointed in it for that reason. If I had read it simply because I wanted to hear her story, rather than looking for principles I could apply to my life, I may have liked it better. Because of that I thought the book was just ok. After finishing Fearless I changed gears and started Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton, a mystery involving a present day Jack the Ripper copycat. It's been hard to put down! I'm also finishing up Getting Things Done by Allen and listening to the audiobook Heaven is Real by Todd Burpo.

It's a whopping 18 F here.

Julie, I just saw this info on my home page and thought of you. I don't know if it's reasonable or not but thought I'd throw it out there. Copied and pasted from the web site: 1. Executive Pastry Chef (90th Percentile Pay: $102,000; Median Pay: $45,100) Talk about the sweet life. Executive pastry chefs work at exotic resorts, on cruise ships and for luxury hotels. They're also found in fine restaurants, specialty patisseries, and the homes of the famous and powerful (including the White House) -- anyplace where there's a need to create delicious, beautiful baked goods on a large scale. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), formal training for chefs can take place at a community college, technical school or culinary school, and two-year degrees are common. Pastry chefs with little formal education can still advance through the ranks to lead a staff. A growing number of chefs participate in training and/or certification programs sponsored by independent cooking schools and organizations; many large hotel and restaurant chains operate their own training programs as well.

I finished The Missing by Chris Mooney. The front cover says, "'Scary story. Scary talent. I love this book,' Lee Child." My dh loves Lee Child, especially his Jack Reacher books, so I thought this would be a great read. It turned out just okay. About 2/3 of the way through it starts to read a bit like a horror movie, where your heart is pounding and you just know something bad is about to happen so you're reading as fast as you possibly can. It still wasn't enough to redeem the slower parts of the book for me. Bummer. This week I'm continuing to work my way through Getting Things Done and am also reading Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar.

:grouphug: :grouphug: I'm thinking of and praying for you and your family.

WOW, how exciting! I can't even imagine. Congratulations!

Our dishwasher is similar to the one you're trying to avoid. It is quiet but does not wash well if the dishes have anything on them. So I wanted to recommend that you do not get an Electrolux.

I'm also reading Getting Things Done thanks to the disorganized thread.

Whis is probably right next to my Teaching Textbooks 7 CDs. :tongue_smilie:

No way!!! :D We're supposed to start Wednesday, but now I'm leaning toward Thursday. I'd like to have an extra day after hubby goes back to work.

Cool! Thanks for sharing.