Old Navy has "plus" pants. That one was hard for me to swallow, but I realized this year we could either go up to a 12 and hem the miles too long (and my dd is quite tall) or just stick with a 10 plus and they are just right. We still synch in the waist with the elastic somewhat, but they are roomier in the thigh and butt. We think they are a great fit. Dark denim, lighter denim, black, etc. About $10 right now. I also found lots of yoga type pants, fleecy sweat pants that would be super warm, and regular sweats all for about $8-10.

We used Bigger last year and Preparing this year, and will use CTC next year. I'm also using LHTH for my preK son. I'm a big fan of this program, but I do feel like God led me directly to HoD and I have not used any other program, nor do I have the desire to look for anything else, so ymmv. I think, as with any program, prayer and placement are key. My dd placed in Bigger when I pulled her from 3rd grade and it was a solid year of learning Am History from a biographical perspective. There are also TONS of other books if you look at the book packs that tie in to the readings from the Eggleston books. I didn't think it was too easy at all. We read about Thomas Edison, and various American Indian stories, pilgrims and early settlers, the Wright Brothers, George Washington, you get the idea. We made a timeline too, which is so important in putting it all into perspective. There is also art incorporated into the history study which was neat for me because I am not creative in that way. We made a wampum belt out of dyed rice, and sculpted a teepee, and wove and indian rug, etc. But I guess your question is whether or not it's too easy. I think a lot of the moms on the HoD board call it "a breath of fresh air" because everything is tied in and woven together so beautifully. The bible links back to the history and makes connections about the character of the people we are studing. When we studied the discovery of the new world and the the exploration of the east coast, in science we studied about the seashore and what they might have encountered there. I think it's so simple in the way it's all tied together so thoughtfully and we as moms are not stuck trying to make the connections and come up with the "key ideas" ourselves. What sold it for me was meeting a mom at my homeschool park day and looking through the material in person. Can you do that? I think you said convention, so that would be good too. Carrie, the author, and her sister Julie, are very active on the HoD boards and will offer help and encouragement as much as you need. HTH!

We're in CLE 4 and already had my own cursive program, so we do the penmanship but I also use what we already were using. Just a little per day. As for writing, in lelve 4 I haven't seen any, but keep in mind we are only just now finishing the 401 book. Maybe it's later. I would probably supplement with something fun like Just Write if it were not for the fact that my curriculum provides plenty of opportunity for writing and we are doing poetry a lot this year. Next year for 5th grade I will pick up Write with the Best. All that to say, I think CLE is very complete, but it's not a writing program in and of itself and would need supplementation. Personally I don't think it's necessary to have a formal writing program in 1st grade, but that's just me.

:hurray: We can't wait until next year! Doing Preparing now and loving it so much too.

Wendy, there are knock-off's of those things everywhere! I have seen them just this last week at Target, Payless Shoes, Kohl's, Burlington Coat Factory, Ross, etc. You just have to look around. But, I wouldn't doubt that the quality might suffer a bit, not sure. I can't wear this kind of shoe, so I don't know.

I'm reading The Book of Splendor by Frances Sherwood and up next is Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice.

:iagree:

We are loving it too!!! SM just wasn't the right fit for my dd. She's in 4th grade and started in 300 because I was very concerned that she had some gaps coming from ps into Singapore and now to CLE. We are kind of jamming through, doing 2 lessons a day because she is willing, and should be in 400 by Jan/Feb. But, if she needs to slow down I am more than willing. The cherry: The other day I was telling her that she can break up her math by doing some, then maybe cursive, then more math, etc. And she said "Oh no, math is the most fun. I'd rather do it all now." :001_huh::D

Another Moon Sand hater here. And Polly Pockets. Maybe we got them too young, but those teensy rubber pieces were everywhere and eventually all vacuumed up. Never again, and I will never curse my friends by getting them either. My dd has received several electronic locking diaries that never worked either. You know the kind that as a magic wand you wave or some kind of secret word you speak into a microphone. Total crap. Last year for Christmas she also got some kind of spa-maker kit. You know, the kind that comes with the little packets to make lotion or lip gloss. Crappola. I personally hate the Easy Bake oven too because I never want to buy the packets!!!! I'd rather we make real cookies for the whole family!!:D

We'd like to put our house on the market too, but it's just too overwhelming. I don't know how I am supposed to go room by room cleaning and organizing, all by myself since dh is a work, and expect that it will stay reasonably clean. I am immobilized by it. The last time we sold a house we had much smaller sq footage to manage and just one small kid who didn't make big messes. My son just walks in to a room and it falls apart. I don't know how he does it.:confused: Good luck in your endeavors!

:iagree:Isn't it illegal to withhold your own medical records from you?

My husband is an artist and he always said that yes, it's a gift that some people have and some don't, but you still have to train it. Get her into some classes if she's old enough. Go gentle at first and see if this is not just a passing fancy. If she's old enough to be seriously thinking about future career direction (like high school) then I would get her some books about making a career in the art field. Not to sound cynical, but I think only teachers are paid less. It's a tough business. If she winds up majoring in art in college, as my dh did, she will have to work with ALL mediums - watercolor, oil, pencil, charcoal, 3-D modeling, nude figure drawing, the works. Better to get her used to working in different mediums now as you never know how it will pan out. There are a hundred different ways you can turn art into a career if you know what's out there and can be prepared to face the job market!

You guys are scaring me, although it does seem we have dodged this bullet with my dd. Her teeth are coming in very nicely so far - nice and straight and seemingly enough room. She might need a retainer to pull them back a little. My ds is a different story. Even his baby teeth don't fit, so we are in for it with him. :001_huh: I also had 4 extracted (not incl wisdom teeth) to make room. I doubt it could have been done any other way. It was a huge sacrifice for my parents but I wouldn't trade my beautiful smile for anything!:D

Happy by Clinique. :) In my house I use candles that are either apples (mostly in Fall) or clean linen smell, so I sometimes think I smell like those things since I use them often in my home.

sorry, i have no caps due to a mishap with a cup of coffee and my keyboard - hmmm.. just about everything donna loved about mfw i love about hod. the biblical worldview is awesome, the booklists are top notch and i trust them implicity, and everything weaves together seamlessly. i have not used mfw. i do not have a combining issue as my dd was in 3rd last year, and my son in pre-k. i was pulling her from school mid-year and so wanted to really focus on getting her up and running. i was scared and unsure and needed a pulled together curriculum with a charlotte mason style and lots and lots of reading. i chose bigger and we loved it. each day we started with bible - scripture memory and great story and character building. then we read history and did projects and even tied the bible time into the character of who we were studying - as bigger uses a biographical approach to studying american history. then poetry, science, geography, vocabulary, all was tied with the history/bible - and the author gives you the key idea so you aren't scrambling to figure out how to make the connections. i also like that i am able to chose what i want to use for lang arts and math, although i initially went with the hod recommendations. i have since found my own fits for those two things that are better for my particular kid, but i feel like i can trust everything that carrie recommends because of her heart for god and her thorough research. the book lists have been outstanding - we use dithor too. we moved on to preparing this year and into little hands for my son - pre-k again this year. i love it and have no desire to look elsewhere. it might really boil down for you on combining kids and how large the span is. it sounds like maybe mfw does this easier - not sure. i know a lot of moms use hod to combine i just can't speak to that. good luck in your search. visit the hod boards too - some really wonderful ladies there and carrie-the author, and her sister julie-editor are there everyday answering questions.

My dd is very shy and painfully modest about this stuff, so I have to force her to talk about it. She's very tall for her age, but also has some meat on her, not overweight tho, but not rail thin. And I can see some signs of development. :001_huh: She's nine. But I can't say she's obsessed with it because of her shyness. I get the impression she'd like to skip over it all and just be 16.:rolleyes:

Collin :001_wub: Hugh :drool: Matthew Macfadyen in the Keira Knightley version (and Little Dorrit) :drool::001_wub::svengo: *sigh*

We're in the process of finding a new church and leaving our old one. Our old church is a mega church, and after being there 7 or 8 years, we've never even met the pastor. We told our small group and they were disappointed, but it seems like we weren't that close anyways. I will accept the blame for not getting to know lots and lots of people by remaining sometime uninvolved, but it's just such a huge church that it's really hard to notice when you go several weeks without seeing even your closest friends. The kind of place where you hesitate to greet visitors because they might not be! It's one of the reasons we wanted to leave, but not the only one, just the gentlest reason that won't offend. All that to say we haven't been there since mid-summer and no one has really even noticed. :confused: So we haven't bothered to set up a meeting with the pastor. If it was a small church, I would certainly do that.

i was shocked to find that my library didn't carry these.:glare: i will have to search them out at half price books because they sound wonderful. i did wish for them on pbs but it will be a while, if ever, because they're popular.

Our costumes are working hard too. We are going to go to a friends and have dinner and play games so the kids can dress up - but not trick or treat. DD is a Renaissance girl or Juliet as she likes to say, and DS as a Knight. The week before Halloween we are going to the Renaissance Festival close by, and a couple of weeks after our library is doing a Fable Fest celebrating medieval lit, so our costumes will do triple duty!!

i was just wondering this. my son has had bloodwork done and tested low so they have him on poly-vi-sol to get him 800 iu a day. but my daughter has never been tested and i don't really want to have her get bloodwork done. hoping that a regular multi is adding enough of what she is insufficient in. oh, and sorry for no caps. i spilled a cup of coffee on my keyboard today and now my shift key doesn't work.:tongue_smilie:

Yeah, not to mention a great way to welcome visitors!:confused: This church only has 14 members (according to the news report I saw) so it's not like they have tons of support. One can only hope their local community is just as outraged and lets them know!

No get together in Texas is complete without GUACAMOLE!! :tongue_smilie:

We picked up the first book in the $.99 bin at Half Price Books a year ago and tried it. I think it was a little over dd's head at the time, or maybe she wasn't sure she was into fantasy...not sure. But I am hanging on to it to try again later in 4th grade, or maybe 5th grade, and have since found out our library carries them. I really liked it myself!

That struck me as funny. Legitimate, but funny.:D Rebecca I am so glad you keep asking these questions! Perry, my son has allergy-induced asthma, so he is only on his breather when it acts up, and not at all right now. I think I've decided we will get the vax, but not sure mist or shot. Sounds like since we have a son with asthma, and have close contact with severely immunocompromised grandparents (diabetes, arthritis, and more) that the shot is best for us? No?