Ditto. I also don't want my kids to think they need to eat/drink whenever they watch a movie. DH feels like he HAS to have popcorn at the theater, which of course means a drink, which of course leads to a $50 concession charge if we all go. Usually, I make everyone skip the whole thing. If it's a special night we'll go out to eat afterwards. I don't pay full price for a movie either. Laura

Wow, thanks so much I didn't think to check the Common Sense site. I only think of that for new movies. Hmm, I might have to watch it myself. The amputation scene might be too disturbing as well as Scarlett fighting off Rhett. Laura

Anything inappropriate in the movie for 12 year olds. DD8 might be watching as well. I know in the book, it's not G-rated, but I can't remember the movie. Thanks, Laura

Thanks so much. We'll definitely go. Laura

About how long does it last? Thanks. Laura

I am thinking of taking my dds to one tonight. Do you think this would be appropriate for my 8 year old? Thanks. Laura

CEO of tech company he started. It was recently sold, and he might 'retire' b4 he starts up another company. He's also a major in the reserves. BA in English and Political Science, MA in Econ, History. I write, but it's certainly not for the money. I've had 3 books published, but the royalties are minimal. Laura

Another bookshelf reader. Good eye. Laura

I need to join as well. I'm doing a major, major spring cleaning--first decluttering and then if I'm lucky actually clean. We're having a first communion party at the end of the month, and my MIL, who is a total neat freak will be here. She hasn't been to my house in many years. Our church has a semi-annual donation to an Appalachian, poverty stricken community. All that I have to do is load up my van (I've taken up to 7 trips) and they deliver it all to be sold in a local thrift store. First I'm going to clean the garage so I have a place to store all the boxes/bags I'm donating. Then I'm going to town w/the rest of the house. I'm tired of things ruling my life. I might need an intervention to get me to part with some things. Laura

AG can be done independently w/o the dvds (except for the grading). I like the dvds b/c it helps my ds to hear/see the info being taught as well as reading it. My dd 12 doesn't use the dvds b/c she feels they slow her down. BTW, dd12 absolutely loves AG. It's the first thing she wants to do every day. Laura

Another vote for Art Reed, although we also use Saxon Teacher mostly when I don't have the time or ability to answer specific questions. I sit down w/my kids to watch Mr. Reed, and it helps me know what they're doing each day and to possibly help them. It's usually no more than 10 minutes. Laura

When my kids were young, we were home a lot more in the evenings, and it was relaxing as the kids played w/the neighbor kids. Now, everyone, my kids included, is involved in more organized activities. I let me kids participate in several activities each. I've decided to justify this by concluding this is just who we are. My kids love everything they do. We do have to make decisions to limit the #, but for the most part they are the most active kids I know--sports, clubs, piano, acting, etc. It used to bother me that we weren't the rigorous homeschoolers of my dreams, but then I realized how much they get out of all of our field trips/activities. Just a different path. Since I'm often taking at least one kid somewhere, I mostly focus on cleaning my kitchen. Meals are simple. My dh is exactly like yours. He doesn't help much, and he knows if he's not going to be part of the solution he better not say anything. Plus, he prefers to hire out as much help as possible. We do have a cleaning service, which helps a bit and a lawn service. A lot of mornings are spent cleaning up our second dinner of the night (my kids come home ravenous from their sports) and anything else I have time for. Planning is sort of on the fly as is any other housework. My kids are all old enough to bathe themselves, so that chore (thank goodness) is gone. Laura

Thanks for the explanation. I wasn't sure if one of the towers had more updated rooms. I remember reading some poor reviews a couple of years on one of the travel sites about the Millennium, but experienced clean, but small, plain rooms. I, too, could stay about 45 mins. away at my mom's house, (she's in Wilmington--any where near you GM?), but the convenience factor when the day starts early and ends late is huge. Laura

Decisions, decisions.

I stay at the Millennium for the same reasons as Gardening Momma. The rooms are tight (we're in it very little), there's no pool (who has the time?), and it does cost more. However, I go to the convention by myself w/the kids and the convenience aspect is worth every penny. Last year, I could send my dc back to the hotel room to pick something up, or I left them there for a bit during the WTM hook-up. I could never do that if they were even an iota further away. My dh convinced me the first year we stayed there that even if the rooms were a bit on the shabby side, that for safety/convenience reasons it was well worth it. Gardening Momma, when you made your reservation did you specifically request the south side and why? Laura

:lol:

I guess it's ok to brag...dh has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He was a Rhodes Scholar. I was seriously impressed when I met him. Laura

We're doing All American History here in 1 year w/o the workbooks. Laura

So glad you were able to pop in. We love everything you've written, so I hope your writing sabbatical isn't too long. And best of luck on the novel. Laura

I was going to say almost the exact same thing about Alte Veste's story. Laura

My son went through a phase where he only wanted to read non-fiction. He never got lost in a book. A librarian told me that there was nothing wrong in this as the vocabulary and subject matter in non-fiction was especially helpful on standardized tests. He eventually found some series he liked--usually humor was a common denominator. He laughed throughout Jon Sciezka's (sp?) books--esp. his autobiography. He eventually got pulled into others such as 39 Clues, Roman Mysteries, etc. He now routinely reads fiction on his own. One of the keys to getting him to read was to allow him to stay up later at night than he was supposed to. He felt like he was getting away with something. We also listened to a ton of audio books in the car. Laura

For a little bit older, the Roman Mysteries stories. The first one is a bit brutal. I'm going to skip it w/my youngest, but my ds learned a lot about Roman history from them. He also really enjoyed the Time Warp Trio series. Laura

Looks great. I have something a little similar, but I love the idea of the white board. Thanks for sharing. Laura

Wow, thanks for the list. I knew it wasn't comprehensive, and I knew it would be impossible to be w/its length. However, I agree that some very important major events are entirely omitted or sorely underrepresented. WWI was a one word sentence. Laura

Not comprehensive, but my ds quotes this all the time! BTW, what's not true on A:Story of Us? I walk in and out when it's on and haven't caught anything. I do agree that it is a bit dramatic and graphic, but my oldest dd is watching it now and learning a lot in a short time. My ds liked it a lot. Laura