Oops, sorry, see it was already posted!

I put a tiny hole in each egg (thumbtack) asnd add some vinegar to the water. It doesn't affect the taste of the egg. This guys blow them out. I have no idea if it would work. Course you couldn't do it if you were giving the eggs to someone else - who wants their eggs blown on. But if it were me eating it.... I might would give it a whirl http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/07/02/how-to-peel-hard-boiled-eggs-without-peeling/

It does say that a bit further down: Among college students between 20% and 25% of women reported experiencing completed or attempted rape. However, I am glad to hear of some studies that show the actual number might be more like 1 in 14. Still far too common for sure. I think the biggest factors in keeping her safe are 1. always walk home in the evening with a friend (preferably non male) 2. stay away from the party scene (this one is huge) 3. be mindful of who she dates.... She really needs to work through her anxiety. I'd be worried that all the talks when she gets to the dorm and all the signage would make her even more stressed.

Rape isn't that uncommon. In fact, I remember seeing the signs everywhere at UNC-CH when I was in school. Scary signs stating the statistics and citing to call an escort. Here is a link to the stats: http://www.unc.edu/cwc/safe/index.php?page=myths According to them, 20 to 25% of all college women experience rape or attempted rape. That is not a low number. Her anxiety is rooted in a real threat - one to all women (and men). The fact that she can pass out can understandably be a source of concern. That said, I think she needs to feel empowered rather than anxious and some steps need to be taken in order for her to feel so. Have escorts on speed dial - I too hated to ask anyone but it is better to swallow the pride. An IUD sounds like a good idea to me. Avoid the party scene (this is a HUGE one). If she is going with good friends, make sure they are completely aware of her condition and know how to respond. I wish your daughter the best.

We have these which have all been a hit for that age: http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Electric-Field-Trip/dp/0590446835/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308182855&sr=1-7 http://www.amazon.com/Faraday-Pioneer-Electricity-Explosion-Zone/dp/0764125923/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308182950&sr=1-2 http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-SC-100-Snap-Circuits-Jr/dp/B00008BFZH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308183001&sr=8-1

Another vote for using Sonlight 4/5 for Kindergarten

We have 3 sets of bunk beds and have never had much of an issue. Though I think they are valid concerns. I have boys who do stupid stuff but no major incidents (yet). I love these triple bunks that take up the same height as a regular set. Brilliant design I thought. I've been trying to get my husband to build them for years. I would think the top bunk would be so much easier to change the sheets on b/c you could stand on the middle. http://www.lungster.com/l/woodwork/triplebunk/triplebunk.shtml Changing the sheets is definitely the worst parts of having bunk beds. I typically put on 3-4 fitted sheets at once. Then I have them peel off one each week. My solution to the headache :tongue_smilie:

Thank you. That was very helpful.

My daughter is doing Kinetic Books Pre-Algebra. She enjoys it, mostly. Her homework scores for the year so far average 92%. Great! However, her test scores are 70ish and some are even worse. I'm a bit perplexed by the huge difference. Anyone else had a similar issue? She thinks the problems are harder. I wonder if it is maybe a lack of review and she is forgetting how to do some problem. Maybe more studying is in order? I've never thought of her as one to freak out on tests. In fact, she has always done well so I think it is unlikely to be test anxiety but I suppose anything is possible. We go over the problems that she misses. Quite a few of them are careless errors. Say the problem asked for a % and she gives the answer in decimal form rather than remembering to convert it to a percentage. Still, why isn't she making more of these types of errors in the homework. I admit that while I sit with her for all problems missed and we review and do others like it, I'm fairly hands off otherwise. Maybe I need to change that? Any words of insight or wisdom are appreciated. Thanks!

Interesting that you mention shoe size. My daughter's hands are very small. Both my husband and I have huge hands. By anyone's standards *blush* My daughter's hands are bigger than a child's using a kid glove as a guide but not quite adult sized... adult gloves kinda swim on her. I've never told her but they look slightly odd. Not in a huge glaring way but it IS noticeable. I'd bet money that it has to do with the pp.

My daughter had signs at 4 and was treated at Duke. She made it to 9 before starting her period which was the goal. The main issue with premature puberty is the sealing of growth plates. This happens at the end of puberty and basically stops your growth. Hitting puberty early on makes for a much taller/bigger than normal child but a very short adult. My daughter is now 13 and has not grown in height in 1 1/2 years. She is 5'3'' which is an acceptable adult height. However, given that I was 5'9'' (somewhat shorter now due to my spine bending) and my husband is 6'3'', I think she is on the short side. Her 10 year old brother is nearly her height :001_huh: (((hugs))) It is difficult to deal with the hormones when they are so young.

Salt :)

must be going around. She stopped to ask if she could buy the cement picnic table in the front yard. When I said no, she got fairly indignant and said she rides by here all the time and never sees anyone using it. I replied, we did in fact use it as we homeschool and the children like to do their school outside. She asked again for us to sell it. Though I should have quit talking then and shut the door, I told her that even IF we didn't use it, we can't sell it as we only rent the house and it is part of the house. She then asked for the address of the couple we rent from. Um, no. I got a bit testy at that point and said "No, I'm not going to give you the address of our landlords so you can try and buy an item that we are USING" She stomped off and said she would look in public records. Weird and I'm pretty sure she qualifies as a class one nutcase too.

I think most people either cut the binding off and put the workbook in page protectors. Or they use transparency sheets. Here are some blog posts on the methods: http://thehappyhousewife.com/homeschool/reuse-workbooks/ & http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/2010/04/using-page-protectors-to-reuse.html

Love this idea!

From the FAQ on their website:

Ok, I'm intrigued. Beyond the can't drop the HUGE binder and all the pages fall out and you lose the next decade of your life trying to put them back in order....:lol: What benefits are there from scanning the IG?

It probably IS the crazy coupon folks which is sad. Newspaper guy in our area just got fired for stealing the inserts for his crazy coupon wife. Too many others coupon crazed people went half mad when their inserts were missing and called the paper office - they launched an investigation which resulted in the lost job. Extreme Couponing showed a lady stealing the papers from foreclosed homes. I thought that was wrong. (Full disclaimer: I am a coupon nut myself :lol:)

One more thing for consideration. TT has solutions to all the problems and Kinetic books does not. So.... on top of being a bit more difficult, you will need to be comfortable wading through the problems ;)

Kinetic Books is much more challenging than Teaching Textbooks. The jump from TT7 to Kinetic Book Pre-Algebra might be a fairly large one. When I was deciding on which math program to use, I looked at both the Teaching Textbook Pre-Algebra and the Kinetic Book Pre-Algebra. I felt as if my daughter already knew the majority of what was in TT Pre-Algebra so I chose Kinetic Books (she has just completed CLE 6 math). With that said, this year has not been a walk in the park. Kinetic Books has been fairly challenging for her and she is a good problem solver. I do want to mention that I'm not anti TT. I have two other children currently using the program. I do use the books. I have my kids watch the lecture and I glance over that days lesson. Then before they can do the problems, they have to come narrate what the lesson was about. I use the book as my guide and question them. I can usually tell then if I need to sit with them and review or not ;) I supplement with some Math Mammoth Mastery workbooks if needed for a particular area. We also use Hands On Equations from time to time. I love TT for the "get it done" aspect - it is very easy to get behind in math with 6 children on all different levels. TT keeps me from doing that. However, I'm very hands on with the program. I keep daily tabs. We also complete Singapore's challenging word problems albeit 2 levels behind (so TT4 = Singpore challenging word problems 2) If I did not supplement with math programs which I feel demand more problem solving ability, I would likely want to do TT Pre-Algebra and then Kinetic books Pre-Algebra in order for the transition to be fairly painless. Ok, so that was a bunch of rambly and some of it completely off topic :lol: Sorry! I just wanted to say that YES I do think that Kinetic Books is much more rigorous. If your son hasn't done much outside of TT7, I would have him work some word problems this summer before jumping into Kinetic Books.

My kids start to read LOF when they get through long division. I am using Singapore's Challenging Word Problems 3 with my TT5 kiddo (word problem are not his thing). I am using Singapore's Challenging Word Problems 2 with my TT4 kiddo.

I totally agree with the PP - comments about how my kids look, comments about our family size, AND comments about why they aren't in school.... I've been known to not respond with grace :blush5: I've gotten many of the comments that I've read on this thread. My husband is black and I'm white. 3 of our children are nearly the same complexion as my husband and 3 are very fair. Evidently, it is unfathomable to most that a family would WANT six children. And since they look different from one another, then we must be "stuck" with six because we are some sort of blended family (aka not all the kids have the same father). I get sick of the comments. I try to respond kindly but if I'm having one of those days..... The worst I've responded was when asked if my kids have the same father (by someone who KNEW I was married during the entire time). I replied: "Well, it is possible. I've applied to the Maury show so they can help me pay for all the paternity tests - don't get me wrong... there are only 4 or 5 candidates so it isn't like they will have to test a gazillion folks. I'll be so glad if I get on" Needless to say, said person was speechless. I simply looked at her and said "yes, both children are my husband's. I am married and faithful but thanks for questioning my vows" Not my best moment by far. I think that was the rudest I've ever been in my life. Definitely needed a :chillpill: that day!

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all that. It was extremely helpful as I deal with the time factor, independent learner issues, and overkill in general too. I had not heard that about GP - the literature analysis I mean. Now, I'm super intrigued as that is something that I've been on the hunt for.... I've wanted it included in an LA program but in a secular manner and that has been hard to find. I'm especially thankful to hear your thoughts on how parent intensive the PLL and ILL are. I might need to rethink these as well.