If you LOVE Center for Lit, you should go with that. No telling if you will love WTM as much. I wouldn't double up on the science. If he likes Physics best, go with the Physics class and do Bio a different year.

Good will usually has a very nice selection of flowy black skirts. That's where I got one for my dd for a music recital. We had a white shirt from Hanna Andersson. If you really hate to shop, I vote for online shopping. Lands End has long black pleated skirts in their uniform section, usually. Edited to add: I just noticed the ages of your kids. Goodwill's skirts are in the women's section usually, so that won't work. Check Lands End for skirts and pants and dress shirts for boys. Hanna Andersson for a nice cute white shirt for girls. Here is a link for a white, somewhat dressy shirt for girls: http://www.hannaandersson.com/pdp.aspx?from=SC&pcid=26&styleid=35611&simg=35611_001 It's t-shirt material and very comfy, but dressy enough looking. Plus your dd could wear it with regular clothes. Here is a black skirt below the knee: (pleated): http://www.landsend.com/products/girls-solid-pleated-skirt-below-the-knee/id_253765?sku_0=::BLA (a-line): http://www.landsend.com/products/solid-a-line-skirt-below-the-knee/id_253768?sku_0=::BLA

Leggings are still trendy for the tween and teen crowd. We just bought several from the JCPenney Juniors section. Wear them with whatever shirt you want. My dd likes leggings and t-shirts. This is acceptable fashion among the girls she knows. Black yoga capris (fit like leggings) are also completely acceptable fashion for her age (15). Walmart carries some.

Well, actually, we're using it now. I have my 9th grader (a visual learner) outline and read the pertinent sections of ancients before we read our regular ancient history book. It's got a lot of good visuals plus a pretty concise big picture view of each topic on the page (she's a big picture thinker, too). So 9th grade, as a supplement.

Just say "No, I will not be finding a replacement." I have found that when you apologize and offer up excuses, people don't accept the no as no. So don't apologize about it. You're not really sorry anyway, technically. You're doing what needs to be done to fulfill your first God-given ministry, your family. And don't give reasons. I don't understand it, but people think if you list reasons, you are in some way implying that it's not a firm "no." Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. You're doing great, and I applaud you for your years of effort. Also, I personally have found that when I am greatly stressed or troubled by a specific job I am doing at church, that is God's way of telling me to get out of that job. There is much peace when I stop. So it's not just you wanting to stop. It's God wanting you to stop. You don't have to apologize for that. ((hugs))

I love all the Usborne Beginners books. I also love the Illustrated Shakespeare, Illustrated Dickens, Illustrated Arabian Nights. We also use the Usborne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World quite a bit during our ancients year.

My gyn put me on Lo Loestrin fe. It's a low dose bcp. It's fantastic. Regulates my moods (and other things) really well. I can stay on it until I'm 55. Woo hoo!

I'll be the dissenter. If I were friendly with the dad, I'd say something.

I am sure you will get more tactful advice from others posters, but I just wanted to say that you are much nicer than I am. I would have dropped her already. She sounds kind of creepy. I'm sure she's very nice, but still creepy. ((hugs))

Could she just watch documentaries on science-related topics of interest? I assume you're trying to complete a physical science credit, which is fairly all encompassing. If either of you feels she needs to produce some output, maybe she could write a short summary or response paragraph on each? Or draw something related to the documentary? It is homeschool, after all. You get to pick output. Netflix has a whole bunch of Science and Nature docs. Really fun ones, like Brain Games, too.

While this may be the reality in the high stakes area that you live, I disagree that this is factual in many other regions of our very large country. OP, you will not ruin your child's ability to get into college if Algebra happens in 9th grade, I promise.

My dd likes Rosetti brand purses from Kohls. In the $20s price range, and typically crossbody.

My dd does not particularly enjoy school. She does it compliantly, but it is not her happy, fun time. She is very good with little kids and she also loves to draw. Our current plan is an Associates in Early Childhood Education from the local community college (extremely employable plus she really wants to do it) and then if she wants, finish up her 4 year degree (probably Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Early Childhood Education) at the local university. While this is the current plan, I don't want to close any doors for her, plus I want her academically prepared to homeschool her own kids some day if she chooses. Therefore, we are sticking with 4 history/social studies, 4 laboratory sciences, 4 math, 4 english, 4 foreign language. Plus a couple others to fulfill some requirements, like health, government, and economics. I will happily pay for decent art classes if I can ever find some (not a lot in our area), so for the moment, I get her expensive art supplies for her to use at her leisure. She also volunteers extensively at our church, working with the kids. She is currently teaching a kinder bible class once a week, and she is a puppeteer who performs weekly at Children's Church and twice a year in large puppet productions. I honestly would love to just let her drop math (her most hated and difficult subject) but she at least needs College Algebra for the ECE major, so we're hoping to study to CLEP out of that at the end of her senior year of high school. I'm keeping the 4 years of foreign language so she can teach it to her kids some day, even though the state only asks for 2 years. The state wants 4 lab sciences, and her dad likes science, so he is handling that. She loves English and History, so we're good there.

We are doing Algebra in 9th. I switched textbooks at the semester, too, so we'll probably be doing Algebra all summer and maybe into next school year. We'll start Geometry in 10th no matter what, and if there's some Algebra overlap, well, so what?

We had a failed piercing at Walmart. We decided the next time to go to Piercing Pagoda in the mall, where it's their specialty :) We bought the expensive gold hoops (hoops make for easier cleaning) and my dd religiously used the Aftercare ear solution they provided. No problems. She only is allowed to wear sterling silver or gold earrings though. But there are plenty of those. Hope this helps.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, hands down, all time favorite Louisa May Alcott

Horizons Algebra has more white space than some, but you still end up needing to write in your own notebook. It is also very weak on explanation of concepts. For what it's worth, we did Horizons Algebra for a semester and then switched to Mathusee. It's much much much better on concepts, which my visual spatial learner, big picture thinker, really needs.

Good job, Pink!

Oh, sweetie. He insults you, your husband, and your kids. Stay away. Let go of the "shoulds." He will never be the parent or grandparent you wish. ((hugs))

I love Crazy and Creative Bible Stories for Preteens by Steven James. http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Stories-Preteens-Storytelling-Library/dp/0784716315 It has great talking points, plus madlibs and skit or reader's theater scripts for the Bible stories. It's so fun, and solid, too.

I don't know where you live, but our Academy Sporting Goods stores carries wet suits, and you can try them on before buying. So if you have a sporting goods store, that might get you a fitting wet suit first try.

Thanks, everyone! Off to research...

I heard it recommended that a book on the Medieval book list should be Song of Niebelungs. Can anyone recommend a good children's version of this? I found a silent movie by Fritz Lang that we might get. Then I found a graphic novel called Ring of Nibelung, but it seems to be more about an opera based on Song of Niebelung so I'm afraid the story is different? Also it's over 400 pages, and that's just a bit much. Anybody able to recommend anything? It is for my high schooler, but she is a visual spatial learner and at level, not super advanced, so I'm not sure just a translation of the original poem would work. I'm more about understanding the story rather than reading the original work. Children's books work really well to convey plot for us. Thoughts?

My husband loosely uses Quarks and Quirks, but only the Hoagland book not Campbell. He makes up tests based on the review questions at the end of each chapter. He did not do a test for Chapter 1 as it didn't have a ton of test-worthy information.

One of the very wise boardies told me that it's because we've been conditioned since birth to cater to her (our narcissistic mothers), and that's why it's so hard. This is absolutely true. When we put our needs before her wants, it feels wrong, even though it's not. Hugs. I would stop communicating with her completely. She is a grown woman and will need to figure it out herself. She made her bed and now must lie in it.