Paleontology

We've used several of them. It works for us. My main goal was really just some Bible reading every day and some kind of response. My dd is an artist. She didn't get elaborate in her drawings for the Draw to Learn, but I think it fit the bill for my goals.

Lots of people don't understand geometry that well. I would finish that up as quickly as possible. Then move on to Algebra 2.

I used 3D shapes and geoboard in Geometry and Algebra 2. It helps when discussing conic sections to actually have a cone, and some conic sections (I actually bought wooden conic sections during high school). We also kept most fraction manipulatives because sometimes it helps to see it when you're showing something.

In Texas, termites are common and not that big a deal. If it hasn't been done before, they will tent the house and treat. Then I guess if much is damaged, you would just replace it (but it might not be a huge amount of damage). Then you have the termite people come out once a year for an annual inspection. I think tenting is around $1000, and you could probably make the seller pay for it. The annual inspection is around $100. YMMV

I believe in correcting spelling, and I don't believe in second grader's having much in the way of writing assignments, unless it's handwriting practice. That said, you have to go with what works for your kid. My kid is a natural speller, and very visual, so if she sees a word spelled wrong, she might remember it that way, and we don't want that. Also, she hates composition, and I don't think it's developmentally appropriate for a second grader.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why not keep him in the private online school? You said it has been wonderful. Continue the wonderful.

Story of the U.S.A. by Escher? cbd.com carries them. I think there's also Story of Western Civilization.

History 3 for Young Catholics looks pretty cute. It's a story and a workbook all in one. It's at Seton Books. It's got a little color but not too much.

This isn't so much a travel tip as a beach safety trip. Respect the ocean. We lose one out-of-towner (at least) every year because they go out in water that any local knows is too choppy to be going in. If it's gray and cloudy and really windy, stay out of the water. Or go in ankles deep at most. Also, learn about riptides. They will drown even the most experienced swimmer if you don't handle them right.

Separate grammar book and a separate vocab program?

Oh, and for the appointment, you just go in, ask the doctor to look at any concerning moles. If they are concerned or you want it gone, they will remove it. They have a little room with a dentist-style chair and they can remove it right away, super quick and easy. Then they send it off to the lab. Easy peasy.

Any time my dermatologist removes a mole, she sends it to the lab. Even if it's just cosmetic removal (I am a moley person. Thanks, genes!)

I have not, but I have used Apologia Advanced Biology DVD (Anatomy), and it is very good. However, I also own the Apologia Physics DVD, and it is not. So I would say to try and find samples online before buying.

The ability to do tedious tasks. And compliance. :)

Is King James old enough? If you don't mind Christian context, Abeka has a Primary Bible Reader that has excerpts from the King James Bible and some illustrations. Here's a link: http://www.abeka.com/ABekaOnline/BookDescription.aspx?sbn=182788

I don't know how your paychecks work, but here, my husband gets 26 paychecks a year, but we budget for 2 paychecks to cover one month of expenditures. That's 24 paychecks. So we basically get an extra paycheck twice a year (usually one in summer and one near Christmas). If you can re-structure your budget, it's not a huge difference each month, but those extra paychecks are nice and you could save them up.

((hugs)) You are not a failure of a mother. You are a wonderful person. Your life is just really, really, really hard. I am praying for you.

No. But my dd has a surgically fused spine. :)

We covered order of operations in Horizons Pre-Algebra.

We always do the CAT test with Christian Liberty online. Their website is shopchristianliberty.com

Well, you could get some of the Poetry for Young People books on poets of the time: American Poets in the 19th Century William Bryant (1794 - 1878 ) Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) Henry Wordsworth Longfellow (1807 -1882) Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862) Walt Whitman(1819 – 1892) Robert Frost (1874-1963 British Poets in the 19th Century Emily Bronte(1818 – 1848) Elizabeth Browning (1806 – 1861) Robert Browning(1812-1889) John Clare (1793 – 1864) Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834) John Keats (1795 -1821) Rudyard Kipling. Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 – 1889)

Okay, my dh has been told he is borderline diabetic. I am overweight, so I probably am, too. I know we eat like crap. I don't know what to do about it, because all the info seems so conflicting. Tell me what diet to do. Paleo? Whole something? Atkins? Low fat? Low carb? Bonus points if there's a book I can buy. Note: We like meat and do not want to give it up completely, although we are open to eating better and less meat if need be. Help!

When my dd got a ton of respiratory infections as a little one, she was diagnosed with asthma and allergies. Has she seen an allergist? Sorry, I don't know anything about the antibody deficiency. I just wanted to mention asthma. It was life-changing to get that diagnosis, because then she actually got better and stayed better.

Paleontology and Astronomy have been favorites here.