I'd love to see a sample of your spreadsheet if you have one to share. Blessings, Lucinda

For those of you that are getting copies made from PDF's, what is the cost running? And cost of the spiral binding? Just weighing out my options here. I haven't ordered the student book yet because we are still using the sample for dd, but I did order the TM in PDF format. Planning to buy the student book next month, but I honestly can't decide which one to get. Blessings, Lucinda

Along with what you'll find on DonnaYoung.org, here are some free templates available on the Homeschool Classifieds website. Here is a link to the page. Blessings, Lucinda

Ooooh! This looks very good. I just put it on my Amazon wish list! Thanks for the recommendation. Happy reading! Blessings, Lucinda

There are a number of really nice choices on Etsy. Here's a link to a search I did for "envelope system" this evening. As you can see, there are some really pretty ones, and they don't cost a fortune. Blessings, Lucinda

I have not read the whole thread as of yet, but I will do that later and come back for more input. As a short answer after having my elderly, widowed mother living in our home for 8 years now, I HIGHLY recommend finding a larger home that has separate quarters for your loved ones if at all possible. This would be the best of both worlds, they have some space of their own where their preferences can dictate and yet they are close to you so you can care for them and watch over conveniently. Sharing the whole home is extremely challenging and could easily turn in to a disaster for many people. I must admit that my mom and I had a much closer relationship when we had separate residences than we do now. It hasn't been a total wreck, but if I could go back in time I would opt for the house with a MIL apartment instead of the larger home with extra bedroom and bath for her. We both would have been much happier. Just sharing a kitchen with my mother alone has been a great deal of grief for both of us. More than anything, if you have them in a house combined with your family it should be agreed at the get-go who's house it is. It is very hard to do this, but if you don't you will regret it very much and feelings will be hurt more than they will with being honest, loving yet firm at the beginning and setting boundaries. Blessings, Lucinda

Absolutely! So much damage has been done, that reunification, itself, would not be an instant fix to bring the whole nation together again. But my point is that there is a deep, deep, emotionally felt desire of people on both sides of the DMZ that long, pray and plead with others to join with them in prayer for the reunification of north and south. That is truly where people's hearts are. The problem that persists is what type of government the reunified nation would have. Blessings, Lucinda

Trust me, reunification of both nations under a free government is what the vast majority of the people of both nations want. Blessings, Lucinda

Our church is having a service for the whole family on Christmas Day, thankfully. There was talk of no service and I was disappointed. After all, this is one of the most holy of Christian celebrations. Dh and I have a tradition of going to Christmas Eve candle light service, but we're having a hard time anymore finding one. Our current church doesn't do it, and there are very few to be found around town. It seems that the Christian community is making Christmas more secular all the time. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that there is anything wrong with having a strong focus on family during this time, but the church events help us focus on the reason we celebrate. To me, it is much more meaningful to have services at church at this time of year. Blessings, Lucinda

Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il's father, founded an ideology called “Juche,” which centers on the worship of the country’s leaders. Please keep in mind that there is no choice in worshiping these men as gods, they either do it or face torture or death. I doubt there will be many who genuinely grieve this event except for those close to the dictator and his government that live lavishly at the complete expense of the nation, most of whom are poor peasants. Blessings, Lucinda

I, too, have spent time in S. Korea and will never forget the passionate pleas from people I met there to pray for the poor and suffering in N. Korea and for the reunification of the two countries. There is such a longing, both north and south, for the reunification of the nation and for the church as well. Christians in N. Korea are the most persecuted in the entire world. While there, my friend and I toured the DMZ and were touched forever by sights of soldiers with guns and barbed wire that few Americans can relate to whatsoever. While in the DMZ we hiked down one of the long, deep tunnels that the N. Koreans made in their indefatigable efforts to enter and take over S. Korea. Physically walking through and seeing first-hand the tunnels profoundly demonstrated to us the communist's efforts to take over the southern nation, and was living proof of their determination. It should be understood that Kim Jong Il and his communist regime have poisoned the minds of many with their corrupt ideologies and this will not die with their leader. Kim Jong Il was hand picked by his father, and ended up being significantly more evil as a ruler. There is no guarantee that any of Kim Jong Il's sons will be a relief from the former iron-fisted, demon possessed ruler and his administration. As Americans, we cannot imagine the type of fear and desperation the people of S. Korea live under, and the immense suffering of the N. Koreans. This is an incredibly sensitive moment for the people of both nations, and they are truly in need of our prayers. Blessings, Lucinda

You should never break a fast with rich foods and/or solid meats! Drinking juices, eating soups with maybe a little rice and small bits of chicken or poultry, and small amounts of fruits and veggies are the best foods to start with. Gradually add in nuts, legumes and small amounts of bread or crackers. On a related note, this would be a perfect time to gradually add in food groups to check for sensitivity or allergies. For example, after a couple of days of slow introduction to solids, add wheat to the diet, but no dairy. See how you feel. If there are no issues, slowly add in dairy products. Again, see how you feel. Your body may or may not respond to eating those food groups after having been off of them for a time. If not, then you will know your body has no intolerance to them. Best to you and to good nutrition, Lucinda

Since PHP suggests Creative Writer as a supplement to WWS, I am wondering how others might be doing it. Anyone? Blessings, Lucinda

My not-so-math-girl actually likes Saxon much better than other math programs she's used. She recently told me NOT to ever change math curriculum again. Go figure! I guess that she realizes she needs the repetition. More than anything I believe it all depends on personality types and learning styles. Blessings, Lucinda

For those of you planning to use WWS and TCW together, how will you implement both? Are there suggestions with the intro, or are you coming up with your own schedule/syllabus? Blessings, Lucinda

I'm going to be in the same place, and I've been advised to go with actual grade level. So that is what I will be doing. Blessings, Lucinda

I'll be the devil's advocate here....it very well could be that she just doesn't enjoy working with numbers. Period. I was that kid, and it wouldn't have mattered to me if we used another curriculum or not. The subject just was not fascinating to me in the least. This was not my fault, and it wasn't a weakness. It was just my personality and preferences. I was bright, but I would have rather been reading, writing, making art, singing or doing drama back in those days. It would take a number of years and life experience for me to really "get it" that math is as important as it is. So all that to say, you can try to change things up a bit, but don't be surprised if your dd has her own unique personality and would rather be doing other things than calculating numbers. Whatever the case, celebrate her strengths and try to be gentle yet encouraging rather than trying to fit her into a different mold. She will be ready for college because you've given her a great foundation, and the rest will be up to her. Blessings, Lucinda

I like this idea a LOT!! Thank you so much! And, yes, the Saturday and summer lessons would have to be the way we go if dd wants to go to school for high school. Dr. Shormann with the DIVE into Math videos has students double up on Mondays exactly like you have described, Deniseibase. I had not thought of doing it more than once per week though. What a great idea! Yes! These are the types of suggestions that I was hoping to get! I knew that some of you moms out there that have used Saxon a lot more than me would have some great ideas to share. Some of you have lots of practice and I am so thankful to draw upon your experience. I am hopeful, really hopeful that we can get daughter caught up soon. You're all giving me the encouragement I need. Blessings, Lucinda

I work at a local private Classical Christian school teaching art. My degree in Fine Arts (Concentration: Painting) qualified me, and because it is a private school I can teach without certification. I teach 1.5 days per week in the classroom, plus I have an after school art program at the school for students, beginner adults and homeschoolers. This all works well for me, as I can still teach my logic stage dd full time. I also love it that our hs schedule can be planned to coincide with the schedule of our school, allowing us to have the same time off together for holidays, at Christmas break, spring break and during the summer months. And I am able to work in my chosen field, teaching a subject that I'm very passionate about. Because I have so many students (107 total), it can get really busy at certain times of the year, but over all it is a perfect fit for our family and for me. Dd does independent work at home while I'm gone (we have a grandma at home with us), and we have our schedule planned out so that my time with her is on the 3 1/2 days I'm at home, during the evenings or on a Saturday if need be. Do you have an area of expertise that you could offer as a teacher? If so, you might check around with private schools, or you could get set up to offer a class or two to homeschool families that need enrichment courses, or you could do tutoring. Blessings, Lucinda

I really do need some help with this, dear friends. Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Blessings, Lucinda

That's a really good idea, Regentrude. I will keep that in mind for sure, but I do have a question. If we did skip over the geometry and then it turned out we had to continue hs'ing, how would we backtrack while staying with Saxon math for high school? Hmmmmmm. I need to be ready for either option. Blessings, Lucinda

She is currently in the middle of 7/6. My typo!

Dd did really great grade-wise with a different math program than we are using now, but when I tested her last summer prior to ordering new curriculum I discovered that her retention of concepts was considerably lower than it should be. It occurred to me that she might do better going back to the spiral method that she hated back in the primary grades, so I tested her for Saxon and placed her in 7/6 for 7th grade math. This year she is doing much, much better in math and says that Saxon is perfect for her needs. She is enjoying math for the first time EVER! Although she is not a mathy person, and I would be surprised if she headed into a career in a technical field, I still want to see her move on up to advanced math and do well. I, too, am not a mathy person, but I believe that if someone had worked more closely with me I would have done much better in the subject than I did. Because of my own struggles, I am very sensitive to her needs - and as you might guess - I'm not a good math teacher. Dd and I are both words and pictures kind of people that are above average in intelligence - just not naturally analytical with numbers. After much thought and prayer, we've decided that our goal for school is to prepare for dd to attend the classical school where I teach part time. She would love to go there for high school, and dh and I are totally supportive of that if we can possibly find a way to pay tuition. Unfortunately, she is a year behind in math, and would need to have completed Algebra 1 by the time she enters 9th grade. She is a mature 7th grader and is doing extremely well in all other subjects -- it's just the math that is the concern. We need to find a way to help her accelerate up to where she can enter high school with more confidence in that subject. I'm going to finish up the Saxon 7/6 with her (we are halfway through right now), then go straight into 8/7 as soon as she's done. We will have to continue math year round with short breaks here and there rather than totally breaking over the summers. We will have to start Algebra 1 as soon as she's done with 8/7 and hopefully finish that prior to the fall of 2013, which is 1 1/2 years from now. I am also willing to hire a tutor for her at some point, but not sure where would be the best point to do that. Does this seem realistic to do, or am I pushing dd too much? Are there other options that might be considered? What would you do if you were me? Thanks in advance for your input. Blessings, Lucinda

I have more than one: 1. Same here, exactly! Just recently dd told me that she is finally learning to like math again. She begged me to keep her with Saxon. My goodness, these are comments I NEVER thought I'd hear from this girl. And yes, her scores are improving! 2. Apologia General Science Wonderful choice for dd! She loves science and is really getting a lot out of it. 3. Doing Bible study together instead of just handing her a book. 4. Using PHP curriculum for LA! Dd is having a great year with composition and grammar both. She thinks SWB rocks! Blessings, Lucinda

Have you considered using DIVE into Math videos with your Saxon? We are doing that this year and it helps so much. We aren't in Algebra yet, but Dr. Shormann's videos go all the way up into high school level. Just a thought.... Blessings, Lucinda