The past few Saturdays dd and I have gone shopping for her summer wardrobe. That is no easy task because she is 15 and outgrowing size 16 and not yet fitting into Misses. If we do find something that fits, it’s usually too skimpy or to boring. We finally found a cute bathing suit that fits!

We also found a few cute blouses. We revisited a cheaper store and found the cute pants/knickers to go with the blouses.  What are those called?Total spent on store clothes:$90 for 3 blouses and 1 bathing suit.

In despair, we’ve succumbed to the pattern catalogs the last 3 weeks. There is no other choice but for me to sew…in all my free time. We hit pattern sales each weekend for different companies, and we have a new stash of cute things for us. And we’ve collected fabrics at various fabric shops the last few weeks, using sales and coupons. Total spent, $70 for 5 blouses, 1 capris pants, and 1 skirt and blouse set.

All this shopping and we get hungry! We’ve had time to sit and enjoy and chat. This is a milestone for her. She’s usually quiet. She usually prefers having the entire family together. But apparently the two of us have gone out shopping for the day enough times, that she is feeling in her comfort zone.

We have talked about next school year. She will be a ninth grader. I have much to plan out for next year. The big question I have had has been, dialectic or rhetoric level in TOG? My decision will be easier when my TOG Year 3 arrives in the mail (any week now)! However, I am interested in her perspective as well. After all, she will be the one doing the work.

She suggested she could still do the D history but start the R literature. There is much validity to that thought and it’s even what I’ve considered. The D history books tend to be engaging, yet are more comprehensive than any textbook I have ever read. She has already learned far more history than I ever learned in high school or college. The D literature would be about the same for her now. But a move to R literature would be a major jump. Whereas D literature tends to be children’s chapter books about the era of history studied, R literature are classics written during that era of history. The teaching notes are quite deep in TOG for R level. However, I was reassured by something Marcia Somerville (TOG author) posted on the forum. She said that Year 3 (1800’s) is a good year (as well as year 4-1900’s to present) to start R. Years 3 and 4 classics have more contemporary language that will be easier for the student to comprehend. Dd and I have been looking at some of the suggested R books. After looking at the first page, dd is convinced she can read these…the language is much simpler than some of the Year 1 and 2 stuff. Since she really wants to try reading some of the R books, like Pride and Prejudice and poetry, (as a friend put it) how could I deny her that?

I explained that government is required of graduating seniors. Most curriculums/schools offer a one time text book. With TOG, the R student does readings throughout 4 years current with the era being studied. She thought that was doable.

I told her philosophy is a course offering in the TOG R studies. We had started a book 2 years ago, that we quickly decided (and TOG staff decided) would be saved for R. That she wasn’t so sure about. I also told her about their wonderful skits, only a couple of pages long each week, between Simplicio and a major historical figure of the week. She thought that would be great.

I may need to simplify some of the books/assignments for her as she becomes familiar with the skills of the R level. However, she seems to learn best with a challenge. She has had an immense amount of growth in the last two years with D. Four years left with R. Already I’ve bought one IEW product, The Elegant Essay, which we will use next year. I am also considering another book by the same author, about studying classic literature. I think it will help us ease into TOG R literature work.

Dd and I went into Barnes and Noble and looked at SAT preparation guides. I flipped through the tome with her and explained some of the basics. She tried one of the vocabulary questions and got it correct! We already have an IEW product, Fix It! that prepares students for the SAT, by using similar format. We’ll start that in the fall. Marcia Somerville advises starting a vocabulary study program in prep for the SAT about this age. Since dd is already doing Latin (which builds vocabulary), we looked for something she can use when Latin III is finished next spring. We found a fun puzzle book that has flash cards in the back and study pages before each puzzle.

We came home Sat and showed dh everything we got. Quite frankly I despairingly begged for help! I have lessons to prepare, next year to plan and purchase for, the house to clean, gardening to do, preparing for the unit celebration in 3 weeks, and now sewing a wardrobe for dd. DH, who loves perfection and feels I can handle all things well on my own, is behind me! He will make time in his schedule to pick up any chores I ask him to help me with! Yesterday I finished dd’s costume for the unit celebration. DD helps me as much as she can with dinner. DS helped me by watering some new plants in our heat. This morning I did get the bathroom clean and I planted some more flowers. Tonight I’ll just let the family know what I couldn’t get to and they’ll help. Right now I am wiped out from gardening, but think I can muster enough energy to lay out my pattern for the next costume.