I will be a dissenter. My 9 yr old is using Bookshark 6 History (Core G equivalent) and it is totally fine. He is a strong reader & has done plenty of history (listened to SOTW 1-4 in 1st grade, read CHOW in 2nd grade, read tons of Who Was/What Was books - he is a history lover!) but I don't think the interest level or appropriateness is too high for an average 4th grader. Their grade 5/Core F might have been a different story. But 6 & 7 use SOTW (which is definitely geared for the younger grades), and the readers & read alouds are not that intense or mature. Maybe the extra books that Sonlight includes are a different level?

Our days are varied, but usually go from about 9-3. We often do two lessons in history, science, math, and/or writing, if the lessons are short and we've got momentum. We started history & science late this year due to a move and a big vacation, and we are catching up. Plus the science is light, and I'm trying to finish up a year's worth of material in a semester. We're doing light literature & grammar this year because we hit them heavy last year. He reads plenty on his own and listens to tons of audiobooks, so I'm spending school time elsewhere. DS 9 did today: 30 minutes of history (Bookshark 6 - I read a chapter of SOTW1, he read the encyclopedia, we read poetry, he did the chapter test. We already finished the scheduled read-aloud, and normally that adds another half hour or so.) 20 minutes of literature (Bookshark reader) 5 minutes of math review (Math Minute) 5 minutes of gammar (Grammar Minute) 90 minutes math (Math in Focus - he always spends 1-2 hours on a math, which apparently is a lot more than most kids, but he doesn't complain. He usually does 1 lesson a day, and most are designed to take 2 days) lunch (often a Lego/audiobook break follows for 20 minutes, but not today) 20 minutes of writing (180 days of writing - this varies from 10-45 minutes per day) 45 minutes of science (Mr. Q Physical Science - we did two lessons/chapters, and we watched 2 Eureka videos and a Bill Nye episode. Usually we do about half that in a day.) 20 minutes of French (First Step en Français -watch the video, practice w/ apps on the iPad)

Wait, you can keep opened jam in the pantry??? Does anyone else do that? It seems like one of those things on the "definitely refrigerate" list.

Yep - I'm logged in and an active member. When I clicked on individual titles, there was no additional discount. That's why I asked for a list - maybe I was clicking on the wrong ones.

I'm only seeing the regular prices. Which ones did you find for $3.47?

Maybe this is a good challenge for me. I might just shift what we really use to the mini fridge and see how that goes. I am sure our giant fridge uses an enormous amount of electricity. But if we got rid of the big fridge, that would get rid of the freezer (no freezer in the kitchen). Honestly we could live without a freezer too; it's just convenient to have frozen meat. ETA: I moved most things over. There are a few things I can throw away & use up this week, and then we can unplug the fridge/freezer. It will be an interesting experiment to see if we like having the smaller space.

I didn't know people refrigerated bananas, avocados, garlic, or onions! I wouldn't refrigerate the pears or lemons either, but I can see why others do. But don't the bananas turn brown??? My refrigerator(s) have: 6 1/2 liter bottles of tap water that I refill as we drink them - but we go through several a day and I like them cold. Almond milk (1L) milk (1L) cream (0.5 L) for a recipe twelve bottles of condiments - we use them on sandwiches & fries regularly, but could pare down lemon juice 2 salsas 3 salad dressings 2 jams yogurts (probably a 2-week supply) lunchmeat & sliced cheese carrots celery grapes bell peppers hummus gnocchi for soup this week cream cheese shredded cheese tortillas leftover refried beans & green chiles for lunch burritos beer bottled iced tea

I will check in during (my) day today. I hope the hospital can give you a paper keyboard so your daughter can more easily spell things out to you. Or can she write with pen & paper? I know how hard it is to feel helpless when your kid is hurting. Thinking of you.

It's morning where I am. I'm sorry your daughter is ill. It sounds very scary and stressful. I hope you feel good about the care she is getting.

We are in Belgium, and our house came with a little fridge but no freezer. We acquired an American size fridge and use that for most of our food. I honestly never thought about not refrigerating condiments. I do not have the desire to shop 5 days a week, and I'm not organized enough to plan my meals and only buy what I need. I like to make big dinners 3-4 nights and then eat the leftovers for lunches. I have an embarrassingly large quantity of pantry food, so I have plenty of staples on hand and just need to buy meat once a week or so. Hubby often brings fresh bread home in the evenings.

It was in the section for seasonal items. Brand name is Vitalis. In French it is called Sirop de Sureau. I went to the pharmacy today and they recommend thyme tablets. The other ingredients are eucalyptus and vitamin C. It tastes like toothpaste, orange juice, and chicken seasoning! The elderberry syrup is much yummier.

No, but we use 180 Days of Math and Math Minutes. I prefer Math Minutes, but there are only 100, so I stretch it out. I agree that the mixed practice is a really useful addition.

The Singapore method of using bar models does this. We use Math in Focus (newer version of SM) and this is how all operations are illustrated this way. To find 1/6 of 20, you would split the bar into 6 equal pieces. To find 1/3 of 1/4, you would split the bar into fourths, and then split each fourth into thirds, then count one of each third.

I just bought 7 more bottles of elderberry syrup at Aldi in Belgium for 2€ each! I'm saving the bottles and will make a batch when I've used this up. I've been taking it daily for a week, since I started to have a sore throat. I obviously don't have a control to compare it to, but this sore throats has stayed mostly mild. I'm sure it's an adenovirus. Today is day 8, so I can't claim it has shortened my illness, but I have been mostly functional.

You can use cuisenaire rods or base-ten blocks to show it.

I heartily recommend an inexpensive workbook called 180 Days of Writing that fits your requirements perfectly. We are using the 5th grade workbook, and every other week there is a writing prompt (the alternate weeks the student works on grammar and editing sample pieces). Each day is just one page. Day 1 might be sorting out facts & opinions from a list, or narrowing down which statements are part of a given topic, or brainstorming pros & cons. Day 2 is a rough paragraph, basically using the information from day 1. Days 3 & 4 work on some writing skill - maybe combining sentences, choosing stronger verbs, or using quotation marks. The student is to look at their rough draft and make those kinds of changes in their writing. Then on day 5 the final paragraph is written. Then the next week there is more grammar/editing work and less composition. All types of writing are covered, and it is really painless. https://www.amazon.com/Days-Writing-Fifth-Grade-Practice/dp/1425815286 RR has more sample pages: http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/031848

Have you been tested for Lynch syndrome? It runs in my family, and even though I am negative, I still have to do it every couple of years.

My 9 yr old is using SOTW1 right now with Bookshark 6, but it goes at a good clip (3-4 chapters a week). So in addition to SOTW, he reads from the encyclopedia, listens to a read aloud and has his own reader, plus we read the poetry. I have him do the tests, and I have the Oxford University Press books (The Ancient ____ World) which he sometimes reads out of. He is welcome to look up more info on anything that catches his interest.

It has been very easy for us to complete a level of MIF in less than a year. Sometimes I just move on, other times we work on Hands On Equations or Beast Academy. According to the TMs, the average lesson takes 2 days to complete, plus one day for each chapter opener, and then chapter reviews, etc. Most lesson take us one day, and I often combine the chapter opener with the first lesson. So for you to do two grade levels in 1.5 years seems very do-able to me. If you have to start algebra in the fall of 8th grade, I would guess you'd be fine even if you didn't finish MIF 8. But .... if you are homeschooling algebra, you could start late, because so much of it will be review that you could condense the first chapters. I am in the exact same spot - not wanting to miss out on Singapore's great conceptual teaching. Although today a lesson on converting fractions, decimals, and percents in MIF 6, ch. 6 has me thinking that they are making things too complicated ;). I looked in other prealgebra books for more practice problems and none had hard questions like "write 41 2/3% as a fraction in simplest terms." Most of the time I love how they teach topics though.

There is a lot of data to support that hormonal changes can cause heart palpitations. While I never felt an irregular heartbeat, I always felt like mine was pounding - like I had a constant surge of adrenaline that was making my heart thump strongly and loudly, and I could both hear it and feel it, especially at night when I was still and quiet. Then that sensation would give me some anxiety, which would make it worse! This lasted for several months before I started getting really worried and saw the doc. The doctors I saw all called that "palpitations" even though my heartbeat was regular. My pulse wasn't really fast (80s) and my blood pressure was a little higher than normal, but still within normal limits. So it seemed like a mystery to me why I could feel it so strongly. Anyway, within a week of starting the pill, it went back to normal. That might not be what you are describing at all, though.

I'm sorry this is all so puzzling. I went through a spell of being able to hear and feel my pulse - which was really disturbing. I would be fine all day until I laid down at night trying to sleep and the thump-thump-thump would make me unable to think about anything else. I did have a whole cardiac workup (chest x-ray, ekg, echo, exercise stress test, holter monitor) plus had my thyroid and potassium checked (well, lots of blood work but that's what I remember). My pulse rate and blood pressure were fine, but the whole thing was giving me anxiety. I even tried anxiety meds and they didn't help. What fixed it was going on the pill. I am apparently lucky enough to go through early perimenopause, and the low progestorone was causing that symptom. Just something to consider.

I am so glad that K is sleeping. Of course I hope it helps K, but I am also glad that you get a little respite. So much love to you. You are doing your best at an impossible job.

Ellen, so many hugs to you!!! I have been in a milder version of this situation, and the helpless feeling is the worst. I will say though, that if you feel K is a danger to herself (or others) then you really should call for help. I would hope there are specialists who could help K get into an inpatient treatment facility without too much trauma - but the hope would be that even if K was livid in the moment, when she was stable again, she would be able to look back and see that you did what was necessary to keep her safe. I'm so sorry. I know you can't rationalize with someone who isn''t rational. Does K have a history of going though an episode like this and coming out of it on her own? Do you feel that is even possible here?

I just sent the email to the property manager offering six days rental credit ($329) and a request that they file a claim through their renter's insurance. Hopefully this will settle it - knock on wood!!

. I totally understand this perspective ... but they have 9 months left in their lease and I'm afraid of setting a precedent of paying whenever they complain. I will ask the property mgr if he can find out their deductible. That may be the best way to buy them off without getting walked all over.