I know when my supplies are not organized, I feel super stressed. We do have a room just for school stuff, but we have book cases throughout the house because there are so many. I tend to group my items that go together on shelves or racks. I have all the writing utensils and paper together, educational games and manipulatives together in a bin, etc. Here is an article I wrote on how I organize my stuff with pictures. Organizing your homeschool

It really depends on the child. My 2nd grader could not read those on her own. I read those types of books aloud to her and when we have our quiet time after lunch, they are required to read. She chooses easy reader type books. Depends on the reading level of your child. Only one of my 7 children could read longer chapter books in 2nd grade. Maybe a reading gene missing :bored: , but by 3rd or 4th grade, they all really caught up.

I love Bravewriter! I have taken several of the classes for parents: copywork/dictation, freewriting, nature study. I have had two children take the Kid's write basic class. I was impressed, and they like it as well. They are a bit pricey, though.

No. I rarely have much money to spend on myself. I think it is so important for moms (and dads too) to spend time and money on themselves so they don't burn out. I have learned the hard way. Homeschooling is my job, but I no longer want it to be my hobby as well. For me that means not spending "my" money on hs stuff and not reading hs books, articles, blogs, etc. for fun.

I have homeschooled for 17 years, and I am so spent. Not so much due to homeschooling but other life situations that won't change. I did put all 5 of my children in school a year ago (4 only stayed for 1 semester--my high schooler is still in school), and it was an agonizing decision. But it was the best decision for our family. I researched both public and private school and put them in a Catholic school. I thought I couldn't afford it before I did some checking, but they had 2 different scholarships which we qualified for since I don't work, and they had a mult-child discount. Plus, I was able to get most of the uniforms for free that people donate to the school. So, what might look like an out-of-reach option, may be doable. I would investigate. Also, not all public schools are the same. I would go visit, talk to people whose children go there, look on Great schools which has reviews of both public and private schools. I know for me, it hurt my pride to put my children in school. I felt like I was failing my kids, that there would be backlash from homeschooling friends, etc. But just as I first decided to keep them home because I wanted to do what was best for our family, you have to evaluate whether that is still the case.

We use Latina Christiana starting in 4th grade (taking 2 years) and then move onto LC II in 6th and 7th. I follow that with Henle for high school. I have used the DVD's, and I learned Latin right along with my first batch of kids. I have created some Latin gamesto spice up the curriculum, and they can be used with any Latin program. Here is a great Latin program comparison.

I have used brave writer for several years, and we have done several of their online classes. It is best to check out the philosophy of it on the website so you get a feel for it. There is a lot of information there. http://www.bravewriter.com

Our favorites were All about spelling, Teaching Textbooks, and Brave writer.