Homeschooling woes

It's been about a year and a half since I started the homeschool thing with Lady M. At first I was so gung-ho, but was terribly uneducated about what I'm supposed to do, or what the laws were, blah blah blah. I did get enough info to dodge visits from truancy officers and went thru the proper channels to get everything legal and set up the proper way.

Now is the time of year that I can't STAND. First of all, Lady M is so SICK of school (just like any other red blooded American kid, and if you read this and your kid is still loving school, pinch yourself and make SURE you aren't dreaming). Today she complained and complained, so I told her "Fine, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. It doesn't matter to me if you're fifty five years old and still in second grade." That did set a little fire under her to take her work more seriously. She can't stand the thought of her friend passing her up!

I have to start looking into standardized tests for her. Last year we used the CAT test just like I took when I was her age, but I can't seem to get any info to make sure that it still recognized in NC. Oh well, I'm probably gonna order it anyway...

And lastly, it's time to start preparing for next "school year". We used ABeka curriculum this year, and while it may work well for some people, it's just not fast enough for Lady M. She is such a fast learner, and some of the things are so repetitive. I need something that she can do a little more hands-on, but that can be accelerated for someone like her. Also, she does better if she can learn it on her own (since she thinks she knows everything anyway)... she performs better if I'm not looking over her shoulder. I have asked so many people about curriculums, etc, but I am usually told to go read such and such book, to learn about her learning style. I really wish there was a place that I could go to actually physically look through the books instead of relying on the samples they paste on their websites or in their catalogs. Also, I want something that will teach Lady M more of a Biblical worldview instead of elementary sunday school lessons about noah's ark and jonah and the whale. She's known those a long time, and while they can still speak to her, I want her to be taught how to study the Bible in a life applicable way. We've done devotion books many times before, and sometimes these are great, but I'm running out of new things to do!!

Oh well--- if anyone happens to read this who has a suggestion, BRING IT ON!! Thanks!!