I'm watching it, but I missed that sketch. I wouldn't have gotten it anyway though, I don't watch Oprah so I would've been lost. Weekend Update is on now, I miss Tina Fey. :(

I am thinking about starting a homeschool blog. You know, because I don't have *enough* to keep up with. So I would like suggestions and opinions on where to get this blog. I would like to be able to post pictures, video, writings, schoolwork, etc etc...the usual stuff. Something I can point relatives to and say "this is what we are doing now." So, if anyone is willing to tell me where they blog, and what they like and don't like about the place, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

I have 3 main areas of chores that I alternate the 3 kids on. There's Kitchen, which means whoever has kitchen duty has to wash, or rinse while I wash, the dishes depending on their age, they also have to set the supper table. There's Laundry, which means that whoever has laundry duty has to sort and fold each load done that day, which is usally 2 or 3. There's Floors, which means that whoever has floor duty has to dust mop the wood floors in the morning and vacuum a room after lunch. We also have a list posted on the fridge of various chores any one of them can do voluntarily to earn extra money. If I see a chore on the list that needs done and require one of them to do it, they don't get the money. They also have personal things they are required to do daily, such as help clear the lunch table, scrape their own plates and clear their own places at the table, pick up the livingroom before daddy gets home, pick up their own rooms before bed (if it gets really messy, we pick up their rooms earlier as well), put their clothes in the hamper, put away their clean clothes (except hangups, i do that as they can't reach the bar), and they are required to pick up and clean up their own messes.

These are great. Thanks for taking the time. A lot of them I am familiar with. Actually, the Asimov book and Carl Sagan are books on my shelf now. They were books on my dad's shelf when I was growing up. Its great having all of these in one list, I have copied and pasted the entire thing into a word document. Whether we use them to supplement or if I end up devising an astronomy plan of my own, this will be a great resource for years to come. Thank you so much!

Another one you may want to look into is R.E.A.L. Science from Pandia Press. We used their biology book this year. They also have an earth and space book. Almost every lesson in the biology book is a lab or a hands on activity. If you would like to know more about our personal experiences with R.E.A.L. Science you are welcome to pm me. And thank you for sharing the Nebel book. I looked into it, and decided it looked so good that I just bought it off Amazon even though it doesn't exactly fit into the WTM science cycle. So thank you!

For us: Switching from GWG to FLL WWE (assuming it works for us) Spelling Workout B into C Assigned reading at his reading level (4th grade) Family read alouds of the classics and from Ambleside's lists

I've used homeschool science adventure kits before, I use them over the summer. Microscopic Adventures one year, birds this summer, astronomy I've planned for next summer. They're fun aren't they? Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate them and I'll be looking into them. Thanks!

Not only will my ds not eat rice, but he won't eat bread either. Grains are a thing of contention at my house.

I was also going to suggest Math U See. I am borderline add inattentive, and so may possibly be my daughter though she has never been assessed by a doctor. Though I'm sure that neither of us face the organizational problems that your dd does. But, my thoughts, for what they are worth, you may want to look into Math U See. Its very slow moving, providing plenty of time for mastery. It stays on the same math topic for an extended time, so she will have plenty of time to practice one single skill and mastering it before moving on to the next. It comes with a video to help you teach her. I don't know what level of math your daughter is at, Math U See I think goes up to around a 7th grade level and then moves into algebra. You can place her at whatever level she is ready for. Another computer-centered schooling option is time4learning.com. They claim they have had success schooling children with add and other learning disabilities. Good luck, and I know she's going to do great now that she's home with you.

My son, when he was 2 or 3, decided one evening he was going to go to granny's house. It wasn't running away, exactly, it was just something he decided to do. He had talked about it during the day. I was curious about how far he would take it, as obviously there wasn't a chance it would happen. I decided not to tell him no, I wanted him to figure that one out himself. We got his coat on, he talked about how he was going to take the truck, he went out the door, I followed him, he was pretty matter of fact about his plans, then he noticed it was getting dusky and by the time he got to the end of the deck he had apparently reconsidered and decided maybe he didn't really want to see granny after all. :laugh: I have no idea what posessed him, but to this day I get a giggle thinking about it. And, I did actually run away when I was 17, a friend and I. We were going to take a bus to Colorado Springs. Luckily, we were found by the police on the 3rd day, before we managed to actually make it anywhere. My friend was running away because she truly had a rough situation at home, my home life was fine. I went with her to help her, and because I thought it would be a great adventure. I was fortunate not to find out otherwise.

I'm looking for suggestions for teaching astronomy/earth study next fall. I don't want anything that is purely workbook style. I'm looking for reading, hands on, labs, activities, lots of actual stargazing, and some actual physics,etc. Something with a little meat. And it has to be secular, I don't want any creationism entering into the picture. I don't want it to be too simple, we already have read and learned a lot about earth and space, so I'm willing to consider ideas geared towards children older than mine. I'm currently considering R.E.A.L. Science Earth and Space though I have reservations about it so I would like to hear other ideas. Any suggestion is welcome. TIA.

I've got both CHOW and SOTW vol. 2 here with me now, as a matter of fact. After perusing them, CHOW seems more overtly christian. They both are definitely from a christian view point even if they aren't preachy about it. For example, they both mention the birth of jesus as if it is an indisputable fact. Which for me personally is not particularly palatable. I'm looking for something *very* secular. They both have some good qualities though, and other than the religion, they would be wonderful books, so I'm still reading through them both to see if I can perhaps use them with some censoring, haven't decided yet. I wish there were more choices for grammar stage secular history. Just my $ .02.

Oh and I forgot, there were government and corporate particpants in Earth Hour.

We also use compact flourescent lights, recycle everything our local recycling centers take, keep our therm. at 65 in the winter, don't turn on air until it begins hitting over 100 degrees, use environmentally friendly cleaning products such as 7th Generation and Bio-Kleen, pick up trash in the neighborhood park, grow much of our fruits and vegetables, install energy star appliances as we replace them, use voc paint and as much environmentally friendly products such as bamboo that we can as we go through and remodel our house, when we get to replacing our roof, rainbarrels and rain chains will be part of it.... I also just happen to think that part of being as environmentally responsible as one can be, at this point includes showing support for going green and demonstrating that it is possible and acceptable. It is only recently that enough progress has been made politically and socially that being green is desirable and commendable. For me, turning out the lights, etc. is my way of standing up for what I believe in, in a "visible" way. But then, I've always been one for a revolution. :001_smile: Just my thoughts.

Well I wasn't here much yesterday, so if I missed an earlier discussion than so be it. As for blackle, it actually only saves energy if you are using a crt monitor. If not, then it doesn't make any difference, this according to Google themselves. So, for my own benefit, I'm going to have to read about it a little more. Crissy, I guess I was surprised no one had posted their participation because I think this board is full of enlightened (in this case, endarkened? :001_smile:) people. Anyway, glad to hear some of you are participating. Environmental awareness has come a long way recently :hurray:.

I am *blown away* that apparently no one is observing this. Wow. :smash:

Its my understanding that most women who are under the impression that they don't produce enough milk actually DO produce enough milk they are just either not sticking with breastfeeding/pumping long enough before giving up, or in some cases they have physical obstacles such as inverted nipples, etc. From everything I have read and from my childrens' doctor, very very few mothers have low milk production. Mostly its a matter of preserverance, because at first, you are barely going to get ANYTHING in one sitting, maybe not even enough to cover the bottom of the bottle. This is NORMAL. It will a few days, maybe even a week or so before you feel like you are actually getting anything.

MST3K? Mystery Science Theater 3000? Funny funny funny funny stuff.

I found this site http://www.blackle.com/ It's neat, read the About Blackle at the bottom of the page for more info. I'm going to begin using it. We're also going to be participating in Earth Hour tonight, anyone else??

My DH does ALL the grocery shopping. My responsibility pretty much ends at the list. And he's great at it too, he enjoys it, and we usually agree on a set amount to spend and he rarely goes above that. He likes to cook too. No, I will not trade him. :001_wub: And this is my 50th post!! How exciting is THAT!!

I will have a 2nd grader and a K this fall too. Also a pre3. For 2nd grade we are doing Right Start Math History Odyssey Middle Ages level one literature about this time period Spelling Workout B into C ZB Handwriting 2C Writing With Ease (excited!!) R.E.A.L. Science Earth and Space level one Lively Latin Growing With Grammar 1/2 into 3 Map Skills 3 Trail Guide to World Geography Mindbenders or something similar and I may require him to choose a handcraft of some kind to learn For K we are doing OPGTTR, we are currently on lesson 50 Primary Phonics continuing Happy Phonics Right Start Math ZB Handwriting K FLL when we are ready and maybe even Spelling Workout A, she may be ready for it some time next year and she and the pre3 often participate in the history and science too All together we are doing a family read aloud of a classic or from Ambleside's list Art Adventures at Home Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus a nature walk several days a week, accompanied by a nature journal Classical Kids cds and read biographies of the composers

I rented a Medela for baby #1, ended up spending more renting it for a year than I would've if I'd have just bought it. It was a GREAT pump. I needed it because I worked evenings at the time and my DH needed a couple bottles per day. Purchased an Ameda and used it on babies #2 and 3, loved it too. I was no longer working but occasionally liked to either a. leave nursing baby with my mother while DH and I did something...or b. let DH get up at night and feed baby. So, I was pumping quite a bit per day, not only because I needed some, but because by giraffe that stuff is like GOLD and I sort of became a miser about it! :lol: I would never ever ever waste my money on a hand pump. Get the best electric pump you can afford to get. Because you are going to develope quite a close relationship with your pump.

Favorite chick flick: Terms of Endearment Favorite romance? I avoid these Horror? I love horror!! Horror as in creepy, scary, NOT as in bloody gory. And Blair Witch Project is the ONLY movie I've seen as an adult that completely creeped me out. Jeepers Creepers is pretty good too. Also Silence of the Lambs, and The Hellraisers used to be my favorite back in the day, but when viewed now...they're kind of cheesy. Pinhead is still cool though. And the RING was EXCELLENT! Also An American Haunting, And somebody mentioned American Psycho....that one had its moments, it WAS a little twisted, I liked it. Action/Adventure? Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pulp Fiction, Pi, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Lost Highway, Little Big Man, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Jacob's Ladder, Donnie Darko...do any of those actually qualify as action/adventure? Kid movie? The Incredibles and Watership Down Horse movie? The Black Stallion. Fantasy? Labyrinth and the Harry Potters, K Pax, Galaxy Quest, Men in Black Favorite quotable movie? Monty Python Holy Grail hands down. Most hated movie? A History of Violence, I thought it was goingto be way more psychological than it was. It turned out to be a bunch of gratuitious violence. Also Eragon sucked and I'm the only person in America who didn't like LOTR. Favorite Jane Austen movie? Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson favorite comedy? How to Get Ahead in Advertising...hilarious and socially relevant, great british humor....."boil..." Also like Office Space, Stranger Than Fiction, Garden State, Saved!, Heathers, Clerks, Whats Eating Gilbert Grape, Rocky Horror, Little Miss Sunshine, Liar Liar, Napolean Dynamite, Bruce Almighty, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (miniseries was better, books the best), Big Lebowski, Running With Scissors, again anything Monty Python, ...so many others And hey...what about SCI FI???????? I LOVE SCI FI, of which some of my favorites are of course the original Star Wars movies, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Bladerunner, and Stargate with James Spader, and Contact with Jodi Foster, the Planet of the Apes movies, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and now back to real life.............

I think tats are supposed to be kept out of the sun while healing. I covered mine up for awhile. I have a Grateful Dead dancing bear on my ankle. When I got it, and showed it to my mom, she was like "oh Sheralyn, thats not real" and then she reached out and JABBED it. She almost died that day. :tongue_smilie: That was in my 20s when I got that one, I've got ideas and places for more, but there are so many things to spend money on, I haven't gotten around to getting another. I do, though, have a belly button piercing and 7 ear piercings. Want my nose pierced too, but like someone else said...not to sure of the attractiveness of my nose enough to draw sparkly attention to it. And besides, I don't know how obvious the hole would be if I decided to not wear it for awhile.

Hey Tanya, we're in Kansas too AND I have a ds who will be in second grade next year. We're almost neighbors! As for your question, you will probably get varying answers. Does he seem to be naturally good at spelling or does he struggle with it? If he is not struggling with it, my opinion would be not to worry too much about spelling right now, if you are time constricted. He will pick up a lot of spelling while doing other schoolwork and reading. You can also correct as you go and sort of give an impromptu spelling lesson. If he does struggle, and you think he NEEDS spelling but you're time is limited maybe you could do something like keep a running list of words he mispells in his other school work and work on those. Quiz him orally while doing, say, the dishes or riding in the car. And, by 2nd grade, he may be ready to do some work independently. Maybe if you wanted to you could find a curriculum he could do on his own (for the most part) x minutes per day. We do spelling, even though my son is a natural speller. I imagine, when it comes to the point where I want to add something and need to cut some time, spelling will go. Just my thoughts. Good luck!