Fantastic idea! That's very similar to my suggestion about going to an outlet mall if you have one nearby. Also, if you have a good resale consignment shop in your community, things like this will often appear for amazingly low prices. (i.e. I've purchased Clark's brand shoes that were like brand, spankin' new at a local consignment shop. They cost me $18 per pair <I bought 2!!> The exact same shoes were $90 retail online.) Blessings, Lucinda

Ha! Others feel this way too!! Well, I should either feel good to know it's not just me - OR- we're just all hyper sensitive. :D Lucinda

:thumbup: Thank you! I feel so validated!!! Lucinda

On a related note, don't you feel irritated when you take the time to add a comment and put some thought and care into it, but then no one even responds to you at all and keeps conversing with others, acting as though you're not even there? Clearly, thread etiquette is not the same as personal conversations, yet I still find it irritating at times. (Not here on this thread....just sayin'.) Lucinda

We've adopted a rescued dog and also raised a dog from puppyhood. Both have pros and cons from our experience, but either choice can be a wonderful experiences. You just need to be careful, and if possible spend some time with the dog and get to know them before making a firm decision. The reason I say this is that some dogs that are rescued come with issues related to abandonment and/or abuse. We currently have a dog that is a perfect companion for dd, but the downside is that she's a very needy dog. She is the most emotional dog I've ever met - not that it's bad, but it's extremely obvious that the dog has issues. Dd loves her to death though, and has enough patience to deal with it. Another thing is that the dog cowers around my tall dh and will only come near him if he's sitting down. She ducks when he comes too close to her, as if she's afraid he's going to beat her. We think that she must have been abused by a big man and will never recover from it. If a man comes to the door or in the house, her hackles rise along her spine and she is clearly upset. She doesn't mind females at all, but men seem to always be a threat to her. When I think about the two dogs we've had in the family during the past 18 years of marriage, I would have to say that the better behaved pet was the one we got as a puppy from the dog shelter and raised. But of the two, the one that has been the most devoted and loving to us would be the rescued dog. This could be more related to the dogs' inborn character, but still worthy of consideration. Blessings, Lucinda

On the west coast we have Columbia Sportswear, which offers boots almost identical to the ones you saw with Cabela's. I'm only commenting here because I went to a local outlet mall and bought a pair of Columbia Sportswear boots for dd for about half the price of regular retail. Do you happen to have an outlet mall nearby? I was also going to note that I've had friends that purchased men's or boy's hiking boots and have been completely satisfied. This seems to work since you're not going so much for fashion in this case. I mean, really, hiking boots are pretty much the same style for both sexes. The boots are sturdy, quite often a much lower cost, and if you're careful and take time to get the right size conversion, they fit well too. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm fascinated by everyone's different approach to this. So many options! I'm glad I brought this up because I haven't even considered being this creative with our schedule before. You guys are awesome. Blessings, Lucinda

Any of those responses gives me a free bump! When I see these, I just think: :bigear: = I have nothing to say, but I'm interested in what others have to say. :lurk5: = I'm listening, but not talking. See, sort of interested, but in a non-committal kind of way. Oh, yeah....forgot this is lurking. :D :lol: = You're nuts! or This drives me nuts too! :iagree: = What she/he said and I'm just too busy/lazy/tired to say anything else. :001_smile: = Your post makes me soooooo happy! (Hey, that's gotta count for something don't you think?) All joking aside, I'm kinda sensitive too when there have been 103 viewers and no one responds. It really HURTS. MY. FEELINGS. :svengo: ~ Lucinda

Anyone else want to chime in? Lucinda

☛ Here are some things that I'd like to share: 1. -- Explorer's Bible Study Answer Key that goes with the Discovery version of "God's Perfect Plan". I also have the Discovery version of the "Early History of Israel" Answer Key from the same series. Both are in great shape and would save a few bucks for anyone that uses this really great Bible study curriculum. 2. -- For the calligraphy artist or beginner, I have a beautiful book/calligraphy kit published by Reader's Digest that I'd love to give away. It's a bit large, but please note that along with a beautiful, full-color instruction book, there is a kit that includes pen, nibs, ink, watercolor, etc. to help you get started. -- CLAIMED, Mailed out recently & received -- 3. -- Does someone need plain white pre-paid postcards? I have a stack of about 100, all with postage of .28 pre-printed on them. -- CLAIMED, Mailed out recently & received -- 4. -- I'd like to give away one of my favorite little books about a subject I'm very passionate about. The book is called Art and the Bible by Francis A. Schaeffer. Brand new condition. -- CLAIMED, Mailed out recently & received -- 5. -- Here is a bit of joyful inspiration to pass on to someone who needs it. The book is brand new and suitable for gift giving. The tile is Laughter and Latté and it is published by Women of Faith. 6. -- I would like to share a PDF file (with only one person) that is useful for creating an Apologia General Science notebook and mini notebook section for module summaries. -- CLAIMED, shipping soon -- ☛ Here are some things I could really use for next school year: 1. -- A fairly large wall map of the United States that would be useful for an 8th grader's U.S. History study. It will need to be a political map, but a combo political/physical would be even better. 2. -- A decent desk lamp. (My desk has an angled wall above it, making most lamps with regular shade awkward at best.) Please send me a PM if you are interested in anything still listed here. If possible, helping with postage on bigger items would be helpful since dh is currently unemployed, but if that is an issue I'll be glad to send anyway. BTW - This thread is a really great idea. Thanks so much for the op who thought of it. Blessings, Lucinda

We've used the DIVE videos, not Saxon Teacher. We've also used TT. I think it all depends on your student's learning style. As you know, Saxon is taught spirally, whereas TT is not. We loved TT, but learned after a couple of years that dd does much better with retention when using the spiral approach. So we went back to Saxon and it is working well. When making your decision, I'd strongly recommend you consider which style is best for your student. It could make a huge difference for them. DIVE is a really good option for teaching Saxon, as is the Art Reed videos. I don't remember how either of those compare in cost to Saxon Teacher, but do check it out. Also, there have been a lot of conversations on the boards about which video instruction is better. We happen to like DIVE and will stick with them because dd likes working with Dr. Shormann (along with her daddy, the math expert in our family). Best to you as you consider and weigh out the options. Blessings, Lucinda

That sounds like a good plan. I've been thinking about doing maybe two of these during eighth grade studies next year. I read a review that said that the only criticism of these guides was that they are stretched out over such a long time. I was thinking that if we did that two times during the school year, but kept up with other reading too that it might work. I don't want to get too bogged down in one book because my dd is somewhat of a voracious reader. I'd love to hear how it goes for you if you do use any of the Progeny Press guides. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm curious to know what you find out from their customer service. Please be sure to post the results of your inquiry whenever you get the chance. Blessings, Lucinda

MeghanL, that's an awesome idea! I'll have to give that some consideration as well. Blessings, Lucinda

You are so right! Thanks for correcting my math. :D Point well taken on having a totally different schedule that others in school or hs'd. As far as teaching and breaking the way I've described, I wouldn't mind it at all. There are people at home while I'm gone and dd would not get lonely. We would keep her busy with other things non-school related. When the school where I teach is on break, I would truly enjoy having more focused time with my dd and would take advantage of that. I'm a little unique in that I love being involved in both hs'ing and private schooling. I have one foot in each world and somehow manage it well. This is very similar to what I am envisioning for us, but we'd maybe take the full month of December off instead of a Thanksgiving break and then a Christmas break. Well, I'm glad to see that some others are using this method successfully. I'm still not absolutely sure we'll do this, but I think it's a good option to consider. Blessings, Lucinda

I have been considering a new schedule for the upcoming school year and thought I'd come here to get some input. Because I teach at a private school part time, it's been pretty easy for us to follow a traditional academic schedule. But lately I've been considering taking a shorter summer break (6 weeks in June and July) and then fitting in several vacation breaks during the whole year. Out of a 52 week year we normally use 36 weeks (2 semesters) for dedicated school time. That means 16 weeks of the year are open for grabs, right? So if a family takes 6 of those weeks off for a summer break and another month off during December/January, that should leave about 9 more weeks of vacation time to use with discretion throughout the year. I keep looking at my calendar trying to decide how I'd break up those 9 weeks. I wonder if it would be a refreshing break for us to take a week of here and there, or if it would just get us out of sync. I'm thinking a more year round school would: (1) keep dd from being away from studies for so long in the summer, which causes her difficulty in retaining what she's learned -- especially in math. (2) allow us to really enjoy the Christmas season. (3) break up the doldrums that are so typical between January - March. (4) give us a chance to incorporate more events and special projects throughout the year, and also more time for relaxation during otherwise stressful times. During the majority of those breaks I will have to continue to work my part time job as a teacher, but it would still be nice to be getting a break from our studies at home. I'd love to hear from others on how this may or may not work so well based on your own experience. What type of yearly schedule do you keep? I'd especially love to hear from hs moms that also work part time like I do, and I'm certainly open to suggestions. Thanks! Blessings, Lucinda

Have you considered Biblioplan? It is taught in four year cycles, and from what I've heard is a great option for Classically based history study. We have considered this ourselves, and there are a number of people here on the boards that recommend it. Blessings, Lucinda P.S. I'm editing to add this since I forgot to clarify earlier. Biblioplan covers the following subjects: Ancient History Medieval History World History Bible Studies Church History Missionary Studies Geography Social Studies U.S. History Literature Art Creative Writing

I have never ordered any of the Progeny Press literature study guides, but it may be worth checking them out. They do offer hard copy books in addition to electronic file versions. Here is a link to Anne of Green Gables. I don't see a sample, but they might be able to provide one for you if you ask. Progeny uses a Christian worldview, just so you know. Blessings, Lucinda

Sorry Donna. No offense intended. I just wanted to pull the discussion back before it went too far in pointing out the theological differences and distracting from the original topic. This is such an age old subject and can easily turn into a debate. To be quite honest, I think that the people that would most likely have the answers being sought would probably be people that have the same or similar beliefs and wouldn't need a definition. I'm so thankful for this board and the diversity that's here. I've sure learned a lot over the years! Blessings, Lucinda P.S. I love what you just said, Hunter. I agree!

The ceiling looks wonderful! Do you hire out? LOL! Blessings, Lucinda

Oh my word!! This certainly looks worth checking out. Thank you so very, very much. :hurray::hurray::hurray: Blessings, Lucinda

Least favorite of late: "Shut U-u-uP!" Tolerating, on the verge of adding to this list: "Epic" Least favorite of all: "OMG!!" (Makes me just want to slap them!) There. I feel better now that I've confessed my little pet peeves. :D Blessings, Lucinda

I use Prime and feel it has paid for itself over and over because we do buy online frequently. As a homeschool family we order a lot of books for one thing, but Amazon has so many things. It isn't just about books anymore. I rarely use the video part of Prime, but feel that Prime is worth it to us. Whenever I need to purchase things I go to Amazon and search there first. And I always use the filter so that only Prime shipped items will come up in the results. Unless you decide to cancel, maybe you'll find things on Amazon that will save you money, time and the cost of gas to go shopping. Blessings, Lucinda

:bigear:

With all sincerity, how about let's not debate theology on this thread and stay on topic? The op was interested in finding Christian curriculum that fits in with her family's Arminian beliefs. I think that this poses a very interesting question about which denominations are more "into" homeschooling, or at least producing homeschool curriculum. Wouldn't you agree? I also believe that we all as Christians need to watch out for labels that end up pulling away from unity within the church, but the intent of this thread is still very reasonable. I've already been encouraged a great deal by suggestions made. It makes me want to explore more before we finally get to high school level. Blessings, Lucinda