Very helpful chart. thank you for posting it

Biology Algebra World Geography World Religion English I (World Literature, Warriner's, Word within a Word) French Art (1/2 credit) Poetry (1/2 credit) 7 credits Extra Curricular: 4-H, Violin, Swimming, Volunteer Work

This was in my inbox today and I wanted to share in case someone could use it. I'd love to but I think it is out of my price range right now: http://musicatourhouse.com/?page_id=243

If you have thought about 50 shades then I assume you aren't opposed to extremely graphic scenes since 50 shades is erotica. I found it poorly written with an unbelievable plot. That said, I read the entire trilogy. :tongue_smilie: If you would like to read something in that vein that is not poorly written, check out Anne Rice's Beauty series. Originally published quite a few years back; I think I read them at least 15 years ago. They have recently been republished. I do want to caution you or anyone else interested that these are not for the faint of heart. They are extremely graphic erotica (with a bent toward violence) and not a "love story". In case you are interested, here is the first of the series: http://www.amazon.com/Claiming-Sleeping-Beauty-Anne-Rice/dp/0452281423/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345418382&sr (notice the two extremes in rating - you can either stomach it or you can't)

I have no idea if they are back "in" or not. But I haven't thought about one of those in years!

Science or History Videos Audio Books Computer Programs (Esp those that practice math facts) Chores ;)

I used it and we are secular homeschoolers. I will say that I did find some of the passages to be of a more conservative bent. Wasn't a bad thing since they were demonstrating concepts and not trying to sway anyone. Just something that I noticed. (On occasion, we did have to talk about the topic a bit more in depth)

Depends on her personality - if she is generally a compliant child then I would skip the crib. If she is a spitfire then I would go with the pack and play or buy new screws option. The biggest issue I see is getting them to stay in the bed. I have some that I could say "go to bed" and they would. And then.... there are the others..... Putting them in a bed at a year was a disaster. Mostly it was their personalities though. Some just couldn't resist the "option" of getting up. We co-sleep too (well, 4 out of the 6 did. Two of ours hated it). I typically move my babies to their own beds between 1 yr - 18 months too ;)

Yes, she needs her thyroid checked. I have a friend that was like your sister and her thyroid was fine. She had to make herself eat more. It was tough for her but if her weight dropped under 100 lbs then her milk supply began to suffer. She drank high calorie drinks and ate a bowl of ice-cream every night ;)

Our science this year: Netflix documentaries at bedtime Private Eye (shooting for once a week) Science Readers - Horrible Science for my 4th grader

I think I'm just overwhelmed from the sheer amount of stuff. I mean we own 7 couches! How did that happen???? We had exactly 2 when we moved in. You don't even notice that there are 7 in this house. But there is only room for 2 in the new house. So I've got to get rid of 5 couches.... And it is like that with most things. We have 12 beds (though to be fair, there are 3 sets of bunk beds). I'm probably conjuring up hoarding pictures but it isn't like that at all. My house is neat, just every room is completely furnished and it is a huge house. *sigh*

Not far away - 30ish minutes. But it is only my husband and I moving everything (including huge outside play equipment and the trampoline....) and all six of our kids (including the wild 2 year old) will be with us. I've started purging. That is overwhelming by itself. I'm in a very rural area so not even sure what to do with the stuff. I know my mom has thrift stores that will send out trucks if you have enough stuff... I don't think we have anything like that here. We have a couple of thrift stores that are operated by churches so I'll look into it. Trying to think of cheap and creative ways to cover the carpet while we tramp in and out. Some sort of color coding system for the boxes.... Getting free boxes from the local stores. Picked up a load from the ABC store tonight.

I am moving in less than a month. Our current house is 5200 square feet + a 3 car garage and a ton of closets - all FULL! How I managed to acquire so much stuff is baffling..... Our new house is 2100 square feet, one-level. The second floor is an attic that runs the entire length of the house and is floored. I'll have plenty of space to store items. Which is good because at some point we would like to build our dream house which would be larger (though probably not 5200). Ok, so give me your tips! What do you do that makes moving a lot easier? I've moved before but somehow this one is making me nervous!

Good for you! I hope it takes off. I've used Sonlight secularly for years and always felt there was a need for a secular lit-based program. :)

Thank you for the continued advice. On the tangent above - I've read The Amulet of Samarkand and enjoyed it ;)

We are moving next month and will be taking the entire month of September off. Rather than start the next level of math now, I rather find a good supplement to fill the next two weeks and start the new level in October. Any recommendations? I'd prefer something online b/c I don't have time to order anything. A file I need to print is fine. Oh, my son is 6th grade. Average math ability

Thank you to everyone. I'm still debating. I did buy Writer's Jungle and read it in a day ;) I hate that it is electronic though. I want to print it and go through it again.

Thank you again to all. We did end up going with Derek Owens and are 3 weeks in. He has graded our materials so far but we are only getting a grade... not which ones she missed. Maybe I'm missing something???? If he doesn't provide that information, then I think I'll contact him about grading it all myself. I need that information in order to know which problems are tripping her up. (I did look at Kinetic books but prefer having some part of the math on paper. We actually used Kinetic books pre-algebra but I didn't feel it was successful enough to move onto Algebra. We redid pre-algebra this year using AoPS (but with me teaching/leading rather than just on her own). That was successful but I need something else this year b/c we have a lot of personal issues to tackle within the 12 months. Trying not to overfill my plate....

Thank you very much for the Horrible Science suggestion. I ordered him a box of 20 and he loves them. Perfect!

Other - I kept both my maiden and adopted his. I never used my first name that I was given at birth. I was always called my middle name. So I dropped my first name, made my maiden name my new middle and then adopted his as my new last name. So if I had been Betty Sue Smith marrying John Doe, my current name is Sue Smith Doe. :)

I am teaching 5 children this year with a 2 year old running around. Grades: K, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 9th. I'm trying to select a writing program for my 4th and 6th graders. Neither are natural writers. I'm absolutely positive that they both need incremental programs that show every single step. Unlike my 9th grader, they do not do well with more open-ended assignments. Here are my top three choices but I'm open to suggestions: 1. IEW 2. Winning With Writing 3. Excellence in Writing I am drawn to IEW b/c I could teach both boys at once and there is no grade level but it is expensive. WwW has a great pricetag and appears to be less teacher intensive but worries me that it might be busyworkish. Excellence in Writing looks more engaging that WwW and I love that I could reuse the levels with later kids but the grammar throws me off a bit. My 4th grader is focused, systematic and generally way above grade level in thought processes but absolutely h.a.t.e.s. the actually physical process of writing. If I were to take dictation he would give me a sentence like: The enormous tree was blocking my view and only pieces of the sky poked through. But if he were to write it: A big tree blocked the sky. A "fun" element helps him write much more on his own. My 6th grader is completely unorganized and a "rambler". He will write for days on his own with little to no organization. Despite having completed multiple books on outlining, he struggles. Graphic organizers work better for him by far. So two very different kids. Better to combine or not? Any gut feels on which program I should use?

Clothespin holder (free, made from gallon milk jug). I have a ton of laundry so I tend to want multiple holders. I like these ones the best out of all that I have tried. My grandmother lined hers with fabric and hot glue and has had them for a LONG time. http://thehappyhousewife.com/home-management/diy-clothes-pin-holder/

Yep, the patriotic stuff: Pledge of Allegiance National Anthem Calendar skills to the degree that I had them - I think it evens out by middle school but my elementary school kids lack a bit of savvy with the calendar and the clock to a degree. Packing up - I could pack up all my stuff in 2 seconds. My kids struggle with the concept of not strewing their books all over. There is no huge "stress" of leaving a book at school and not having it for homework.

The dinosaur book is only used for 1-2 weeks. I use Sonlight in a secular manner. I just grabbed another book that suited our purposes.

I'm with you! Here is the high school that my daughter would have to attend: SchoolDigger Ranks Southeast Halifax High 573rd of 597 North Carolina public high schools. EOC Students tested % met standard Test Year Grade School District State School District State Algebra I 2006 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 49.8 56.9 82.6 Algebra I 2007 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 28 42 66.7 Algebra I 2008 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 20.4 39 69 Algebra I 2009 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 13.9 30.2 67.7 Algebra I 2010 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 20.7 34.2 77.8 Algebra I 2011 End of Course n/a n/a n/a 6.3 26.1 76.7 :001_huh: 6.3% met the standard. That is dismal. Absolutely dismal.