That's great to know. Thank you! Now what about the first question? When is the best time to buy? Is there anything other than HS Buyer's Co-op that I should pay attention to? Blessings, Lucinda

We are looking ahead to buying dd her first laptop in the coming months. Dh and I are sold on Macs, love them and use them, but cannot afford to buy one for dd just yet. We need to save money, especially since she is still preteen and has never had her own computer yet. What would you recommend for a girl's first laptop? Here's the criteria: We need a good deal, a really good deal Wireless It needs to be compatible with Apple's iTunes (No Vista! We've encountered bad problems with Vista with iTunes in the past on a desktop PC we own) Dd loves graphics and needs plenty of room for her picture albums and files In a perfect world it would come bundled with Microsoft Word, but not mandatory Not set on monitor size - it is, after all, her first laptop Pretty girly color would be a plus Thanks folks. I am anxious to read the recommendations. Blessings, Lucinda

I've been back and forth on this whole foreign language thing for next year, and I have finally come to the conclusion that RS is the best fit for our family and the computers we own. Dd wants to become fluent in French, and I would like to learn with her. Before we can buy I have a couple of considerations that I'd like to run by those of you here on the boards. When is the best time to buy RS? I need to save as much money as possible and will need to watch for sales. Also, where is the best resource for making this purchase? When you purchase the software, can it be installed on more than one computer in the house? I would like to have it on my laptop and also on dd's computer. Will that work or is the license limited to one? Thanks for your input. Blessings, Lucinda

Sorry, I meant to say TELL Me More French, not Teach. Ooops! Anyways, the more I check into this technical issue plus read the foreign language reviews -- suddenly I'm leaning towards RS again. I think it very well may be worth the price in the long run, and they cater to Mac platforms as well as Windows. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm sorry, but a 20th year wedding anniversary is a milestone event doggone it. I can't imagine any good parent not wanting to have their adult child celebrate such an important anniversary with their spouse. I say put your marriage first and don't feel guilty about it. Talk to your dad like others have suggested, and gently remind him about your anniversary and you've had plans made in advance. If he isn't able or wiling to change his plans, then be gracious and send a thoughtful, generous gift and take them out for a really nice dinner when you get back. Blessings, Lucinda

Congratulations for making a great choice for your big family. This is one of the main reasons TOG was designed, and it should work really well for you. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm there with you taffnus!! We picked up TOG last year and I am just amazed at how much my dd (and I) have learned. TOG has literally changed our lives, and we are so thankful. So worth it, so very worth it! And after you get the hang of it, it becomes less time consuming. I agree with you also that I would have loved an education like this when I was a kid. And I have adult children that were not homeschooled....what I would give to go back and raise them with TOG. That will always be a huge regret for me. :iagree: I teach part-time at a private classical Christian school, and I have to say that TOG is top notch, very, very close in comparison to what students are being given at the school. If a family is going to homeschool and desires a solid classical Christian curriculum, TOG is a wonderful way to go. Blessings, Lucinda

BTW, I took a roll call similar to this a year ago and had close to 100! It will be interesting to see how many you count up this year. You may have to bump it a few times -- just keep it going! Blessings, Lucinda

Just curious to know if you saw the pans I posted. Hope you find what you need. Blessings, Lucinda

It took us at least two years to find the right combination of curriculum, even when I researched carefully and relied on recommendations of the pros. Once I knew we finally had the right fit, I made up my mind to stay there. Some things will change with time and advancement, but I hated changing curriculum and felt it was a real waste of time and money in a couple of situations so we won't change again any more than is necessary. Sometimes it just can't be helped though, especially when you are new to hs'ing and lack experience. Blessings, Lucinda

We have used TT6 and TT7, and I have to say that my dd has made a phenomenal turn-around. We tried Saxon and MUS before landing on TT, and it is here that we will stay. The only supplement we use is LOF once per week just for fun and variety. It isn't needed particularly, I'm just hoping to add even more fun to the weekly math schedule, per TWTM recommendation. Blessings, Lucinda

Teach Me More French. It is an immersion method, very similar to Rosetta Stone but much less expensive. Blessings, Lucinda

I have one child at home. We did YR-1 Units 1-3 last year for 5th grade (UG). This year we picked up with the Romans and for 6th grade Unit 4 and I introduced some of the D level literature. We are currently doing YR-2 Unit 1 all at D level, and plan to get through the end of Unit 2 before we take summer break. We often take two weeks to complete a one week plan, so fitting in three units per school year works best for us. Blessings, Lucinda

After searching and searching for a number of months for the best foreign language program for dd's 7th grade studies, I just read the fine print and found out it is only available for a Windows platform -- they don't have a Mac version yet. I can't believe we've encountered this glitch! I am totally bummed. Does anyone have a work-around for using a Windows only application on their OSX Snow Leopard Mac? If not, I guess I'm going to have to get dd a Windows laptop earlier than planned. (Not good right now, not good...) Blessings, Lucinda

King Arthur Flour has a 10" x 5" for $16.95, and they are made exceptionally well. I have a few pans made by the same manufacturer and absolutely LOVE them! Here is the link. :001_smile: Blessings, Lucinda P.S. If you've never used King Arthur Flour for baking, you've gotta try it out! Unless I grind my own flour from grain, I only use KA or Bob's Red Mill. It makes all the difference in the world.

There is an amazing Christian ministry here in in Oregon that, among other things, has a two-year equestrian certificate program for people that want to run a horse camp, manage show grounds/facilities and generally use horses in Christian ministry. It is evangelical protestant based, so not sure if the op is interested, but maybe someone reading this thread would be. The name of the organization is Canyonview Equestrian College, and they say they are there to "...train dedicated Christians to conduct safe, efficient, and effective horsemanship programs as a tool of positive Christian ministry". We have sent our dd to camps there and have been really impressed. Blessings, Lucinda

After searching and searching for a number of months for the best foreign language program for dd's 7th grade studies, I just read the fine print and found out it is only available for a Windows platform -- they don't have a Mac version yet. I can't believe we've encountered this glitch! I am totally bummed. Does anyone have a work-around for using a Windows only application on their OSX Snow Leopard Mac? Blessings, Lucinda

Have you considered Apologia's 7th Grade General Science? The first module (30 pages) is about the history of science, the second module is about scientific inquiry (14 pages) and the third module is about analyzing and interpreting experiments (15 pages). Of course, there are 12 additional modules for the entire course, but it starts out with that strong foundation. Maybe you could buy the textbook used and just use the first three modules??? This course evidently has a lot of text, so a visual learner would need to have supplements to add interest, but that is what we usually do anyway -- add videos, Internet and picture books to whatever we do in science. We plan to use the course for 7th grade next year. Actually, it was the first module about the history of science that drew me to it in the first place. Blessings, Lucinda

Are you willing to consider another perspective? Your little one will work through this issue much more successfully if you are patient and willing to respond to what very well may be communicated to you as a need. My youngest, our dd, was a co-sleeper and I did all the research. Dh and I finally came to the conclusion that she needed to be close and that we should allow it. Some children just need the extra security and bonding, and contrary to what many say and think -- there is no harm in this. I read about how we Americans are one of the few nations in the world that do not share a family bed. I know, I know...some will never agree with this idea, but here's the truth: children DO outgrow the need to be close to parents at night. They really DO. One article I read stressed that American teenagers find it hard to open up to parents partly because they are forced at an early age to detach from them by sleeping alone before they are ready. This was one of the clinchers for dh and I, plus the fact that our dd had issues related to her adoption. Children by birth may need added security for one reason or another too. Our dd finally found total, all night comfort in her own bed by the time she was preschool - kindergarten age, but it came in increments over time. We used music piped into her room and then finally adopted a dog that still sleeps with her. She is a very well adjusted child, and we have no regrets. As a mother of adult children and grandchildren, please believe me when I say that they grow up all too fast and you cannot go back and redo things like this. I'm sure it seems like time goes on forever now, but this is not the case. Your child is at a critical stage of developing confidence and security for life, so do consider the big picture. Blessings, Lucinda

:bigear: I could've written your post myself! Well, except for the fact that I have one child and I also work outside the home. Blessings, Lucinda

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: I'm with the others here 1000%. C.S. Lewis would roll over in his grave if he knew there might be a secular study guide to this very Christian work! Blessings, Lucinda

This is where I am too, and like you -- I can't wait for WWS! As for this year, I just ordered WS7 to add to this semester's work. We did WS last year in combination with some other writing, and dd liked it. After reading through the other posts and wondering what would be good as a one semester option, I came to the idea of implementing more of the WS program. Since she has used it before I think adding it to what she's currently doing in R&S English 5 will get her more up to speed this year. Then I'd like to do WWS next year for 7th grade. {Too bad we start school in August and it is scheduled to be available in October though.) I have sure been enjoying reading all of the posts on this thread. Seems like there's a broad range of approaches to writing among us for this grade level. Blessings, Lucinda

Thanks for the replies. This is all very interesting and helpful to me, so keep it coming in please! Could someone please tell me about WWS? I've never heard of it before. Blessings, Lucinda

How much writing does your 6th grader do each day and over a period of a week? How often do you do reports, essays, dictation, and handwriting practice at this level? I am curious about this because I have a feeling I may not be pushing dd with writing enough this year. If so, then I will have to step it up a notch during our second semester. Thanks in advance for your input! Blessings, Lucinda

I agree with Chris on these suggestions, plus you might take a look at Kuipers, The Church in History. The author's viewpoint is sometimes slanted, but otherwise it is a good read aloud with questions at the end of each chapter. Blessings, Lucinda