((hugs)) We had planned on doing school last week and this week, but we keep getting sick. I'm right there with ya, though. If we weren't sick, we would be all over school.

Christmas Eve dinner will be Whataburger. Christmas day dinner will be ham, crescent rolls, and some other sides. Normal breakfast and lunch, although occasionally we make streusel coffee cake for breakfast on Christmas.

Oh, yes. This year's stomach bug was nasty and lingering in that way. For about a week. ((hugs))

We really enjoyed the Ready to Write Prompt Box from Lakeshore Learning Center. Not sure if it's exactly what you want, but it does have different types of writing and includes encouraging creativity. Might be a good starting point for you. http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp?productItemID=1%2C689%2C949%2C371%2C929%2C098&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181113&bmUID=1482344961241

When I took Art History in college, we had to be able to match paintings to their painters. That was huge. Then we needed to know some of the vocabulary, like chiaroscuro and such. And maybe be able to discuss a significant detail in a painting occasionally, like oh this is in a pyramid shape. It's really not too bad. Do what you're comfortable with.

((hugs)) No, it doesn't get easy or enjoyable.

It looks like you have 4 boys and one girl. (I understand that the baby is with you at the moment, but that will change soon enough.) What about putting all the boys in the largest bedroom (I assume the master)? Then you and hubby and baby take the next biggest room. Then dd gets the other room. She's 11. She needs to not be sharing a room with a brother. Playroom could be guest room (assuming you haven't made it a bedroom because it's one of the larger rooms.)

Sounds like you have a plan! In high school, it's really more about content then number of days, anyway. The algebra book takes as long as it takes. So does the biology book (or what you have decided is necessary to cover in the biology book). Etc. Award credit as things are finished (or half-finished or quarter-finished) and keep on keeping on.

With my visual learner, we would see the play first. Then read the book.

My dd has a coloring book of Bob's Burgers that's really cool. Would she like something like that? https://www.amazon.com/Official-Bobs-Burgers-Coloring-Book/dp/0789328755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480814746&sr=8-1&keywords=bob%27s+burgers+coloring+book

Honestly, usually I drop that person as a friend. It does take me awhile to figure it out, though. I hear ya.

My 16yo dd wants Jim Shore figurines, blank funcos to paint, a Tina Belcher key chain, and fun socks. She also wants boots and pajama pants. Plus a big box of gel pens. Oh, and the new Ghostbusters dvd. She also really wants to go clothes shopping at Papaya.

Those stuffed animals by Ty with the huge eyes are still popular at that age range.

A chart helped my dd a lot. Also, finishing the faster tasks first, so I made sure to put them in that order on the chart. And then some nagging, "Do your chart. Do your chart." No other tips. I like to think of my dd as a "stop and smell the roses" type of person, so that helped me re-frame my thinking. She still takes forever to eat. That's okay. Better for the digestion, I imagine, and keeping a healthy weight. Random thought... when my cousins were little, my aunt had them get dressed for school the night before, and they just slept in their clothes. She had a lot of kids. It worked.

I just discovered Crash Course Government on Youtube. It's 50 videos, each around 8 minutes long. We're using it to finish up a stalled government course. They have an Economics Crash Course, too, that is 35 videos long. They're pretty enjoyable.

I guess the solution is to set up a work space for her in the area where everyone is. Headphones should take care of the noise issue, so no one has to be quiet for her. Allow her to be with everyone, but only in the space you have created for her. No dangerous cords as tripping hazards.

I pick and choose from Abeka. I loved their Phonics and used it from 1st through 3rd grade. We didn't use their grammar until this year (10th grade). I have used their health books a lot through the years, although mostly just reading them. I have used their Spelling and Vocabulary books quite a lot through the years also, as my daughter is a natural speller but needs vocabulary help. I love their Songs We Enjoy CDs for grades 1 through 6. Wonderful! I think the trick with Abeka is being comfortable to do your own thing with it. I use what I like and don't necessarily stick to their schedule or lesson plans. We are currently using Abeka Government. I have Abeka English Lit (volume A) for next semester, Abeka Economics for next year, and I plan to use Abeka United States History within a year or two also. Oh, and my husband will be teaching my dd Abeka Chemistry next year.

Mathusee Algebra has been a wonderful choice for us. We hadn't used Mathusee since Beta or Gamma. It's not a problem at all. My dd is a math-hater, however, so our Mathusee Algebra is in fact our Algebra. We're also using Mathusee Geometry (since we ended up taking two years for Algebra because I had been using Horizons Algebra and switched) and plan to continue on with Mathusee through PreCalc.

Oh, okay. Well, then I guess my caution would be perhaps to pick one elective to do now, either the Science Fiction in Movies class or the Personal Finance class, and do the other one next year. It really is quite nice to be done with school at an early hour compared to "regular" school kids. The extra time is appreciated and possibly even necessary, unless you just have a kid who adores his school work. (I started my 10th grader's school year with two social studies classes and had to drop one because it was too much. Plus I had too many components for English. So that's where I'm coming from. I know ambitious plans, but they quickly can become cumbersome. Just be alert for that and be flexible.)

Maybe Figuratively Speaking (this has writing prompts in it, too) http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/028214 and I Laid an Egg on Aunt Ruth's Head (with accompanying printed worksheets) (grammar and punctuation) http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/049268 http://www.rainbowresource.com/proddtl.php?id=049266

My dd hated the Steck Vaughn government book. YMMV. We ended up going with Abeka. Won't the British Lit course include writing? Seems like you have three English classes when you only need one. Although I am not familiar with those companies, so forgive me if I'm wrong.

If you are really nonconfrontational and also don't want to call the cops, then you can only do what you can do. Get better windows. Get sound proofing curtains. Get a white noise machine. Make your guest bedroom your master. These are all within your control. ((hugs))

Vinegar is my go-to for cat urine. Works great.

Oriental Trading has tons of stickers specifically for decorating pumpkins, so no carving. I've been into those the last couple of years. They had Snoopy ones this year! I was going to post a link, but it looks like the snoopy ones are sold out. But, yes, nine pumpkins is a lot. Maybe you could half that and have each kid decorate one side of the pumpkin, like front or back?

www.orientaltrading.com has tons of craft supplies. I puffy heart love them. And you can usually find coupon codes online for free shipping. Do you do weekly themes? That could be fun. You could get themed craft supplies and kits from otc. Oh, if I had a five year old again...