ME! My dh knows how I feel but giving gifts is his #1 love language so I just have to let him and work on my sincere thanks when he spends $$$ on things I don't need that will never be used :glare: what's more important? dh or $? (not meaning to sound snippy, just saying, that's how I have to think about it)

Mine don't do much school but here are some suggestions anyway: write down all the individual things each child CAN do and have them do those things while you work with the others. have special things two of them can do together while you work with the other. some things mine can do on their own - roomtime (1 hr/day), Starfall.com, Spanish website w/games, etc., crafts, Math facts, Math wksht/homework, spelling work, and my oldest & youngest play special games for 30 min while I work w/the middle one during afternoon rest time, work w/one while others rest - if this doesn't work b/c you need your rest as well make sure you only work 30 min or so w/each so you and they will still get some rest in home some of that helps! I am ULTRA organized and try to fit in school anywhere I can during the day so it seems to the kids as though we don't do very much even though we get it all in.

My 4yo was commenting a week ago at how everyone was ready for Christmas but us...I asked her why and she talked about all the wreaths, trees, lights, etc. It was a great opportunity to talk about what Christmas is about and what it is NOT about. We decided it is NOT about Santa, lights, wreaths, trees, and it IS about JESUS' birth. So we have books about Christmas and a manger scene in our house (nothing on the outside). This means that others judge but I think it's more important that our kids understand what Christmas is and isn't about. Congrats on not focusing on outward appearances!

5-6 mo here My kids are all HUGE when they're babies (like off the charts) - I have good milk, I guess. I wish they would wait longer but they're so big, there's not much I can do about it...

oops! sorry! I'm the other accidentally - I was thinking what we ARE, not what we'd prefer :tongue_smilie: I'm med build w/LG books - hence the other - I'd prefer med everything but not much I can do about it! :)

is she one of those who wants to wear her hair down all the time? Mine is one of those :glare: which does NOT help with the tangles! I leave it up to her whether she wears it up or down but I do frequently remind her that if she wears it up, it will not have as many knots! I also offer to do her hair many different ways, thinking this would make her want to wear it up more instead of down, rat's nest-style, but to no avail... I agree w/others on solutions but am mainly just saying...I'm there!!!

curricula: Reading - we went w/OPGTR and LOVE it - can't imagine doing anything else (cheap and GREAT for non-writers - mine read before they learned to write) Math - been more of a struggle for us - try to figure out how your dc learns math...mine excels in reading but needs more time and practice w/math so we decided to go with Saxon. Others who have children who excel in math and do not need much repetition, enjoy Singapore. Then there are plenty of threads about using multiple math curricula, which is a popular idea. I'll only comment on those two since those are the most important to me for younger grades. homeschooling w/youngers: there are a couple of things I do - 1. have younger children have roomtime (play alone w/special toys in their room for 1 hr) while older child does difficult/teacher-intensive subject(s) with you; 2. special 'school' toys for one while you work w/the other 3. one does independent work while I work with the other one 4. school while other takes nap (only for a little while) I don't regret it AT ALL (mine are all young but I'm just saying...) :)

I read a book recently (suggested by those in the hive, actually) 'Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes in you and your kids'. Long and bad title (imo) but a GREAT book about building honor in the home. Check it out! One thing (among MANY) that I have gleaned from it is when my child is having a bad attitude, they are to sit away from everyone else (on the stairs, on their bed, wherever) until they can come talk to you with the right attitude. It is not a punishment - just a way for them to learn to control themselves. For example, my 4yo will say 'yes ma'am' and obey when I tell her to do something but she says it like she is about to DIE! We have started the whole, go sit on the steps until you can come talk to me w/a good attitude (sometimes it takes a long time, sometimes not so long). She needs to learn to speak to me in an honoring tone (as I do to her) - that is one suggestion for your daughter. It's not time out (not a punishment b/c they did not disobey) - just a time for them to regroup until they can honor the family with a happy disposition...I'm sure I'm not explaining this well - go check out the book - it's GREAT! ps, CANNOT imagine having triplets! wow! I'm sure you're a great mom!

we love classic starts! my dd is many years from being ready for unabridged classics so I choose these over magic tree house books and other watered down books.

:iagree:us too :)

I fought the blending w/dd and was NOT understanding why she was not getting it! That is not something you can force. It took me awhile to learn that w/her (poor guinea pig). We just kept at the same lesson until she did get it... However, w/dd2, I just taught the lesson, she said 'a' 't', and if she couldn't blend, I told her what it said, she repeated, and we moved on. She eventually got it. Start the 'two review and one new' early. I am NOT a fan of stopping and coming back to it - just not my personality, I guess. However, if they REALLY aren't getting it after awhile, I would continue w/reading lessons, just make it review (nothing new until they start to get it).

I am TOTALLY against it for modesty reasons - unless you are my dh or a Dr, you are NOT seeing me naked! I don't even let bra people measure me! My dh says he's fine with it for him but NO WAY for our children - hello pedophiles!!!

Two suggestions: 1. Have him read read-alouds...I looked at ambleside online, veritas press, and sonlight for suggestions. One author I found VERY challenging was Kipling but you can find Kipling books with pictures so it makes it more enjoyable for them. 2. Work on chapter books together! He may not want to do it for pleasure reading right now but with practice... For now, use it where you used to teach OPG...my dd tackled Ramona Quimby and is now working on Laura Ingalls Wilder books...it takes a number of weeks but she is really starting to enjoy it now (she finished OPG about 6mo ago)

oooh! there's an idea!

4th child but I guess right now i'll take either since we are so at a loss :)

The only one I could come up with was Henry VIII's 4th child was Edward IV...I thought it would be HILARIOUS if we named him Edward IV! :)

Can you name historical families who had a boy 4th? My husband has TONS of girls names but NO boy names he likes so with our last son, he just thought about boys who were 3rd in their families and we ended up naming our 3rd child Seth (Adam & Eve's 3rd son). He wants to do the same thing with our next child (due in a month - our 4th child - a boy). If it was a girl, her name would be Anastasia (since she was the 4th child) but alas, it's a boy ;) So, any suggestions? The more the better! TIA!

:lurk5:

ours does that and is a price phister (sp?). they have a lifetime guarantee - now to just get on that... look up what kind of warranty your brand has.

Do you mean 'done thoroughly' for the day (like a lesson is understood completely before moving on) or for the year and then do the other for the last part of the year? I ask b/c Saxon is working SOOO well for us right now but I love MEP (how it teaches, etc.). I don't want to quit Saxon but I think she will finish in Feb or March (dep. on what happens w/the new baby) and I was planning on doing MEP after Saxon, since it is more advanced anyway...does that sound good to you? It makes me nervous when I think of doing them at the same time :tongue_smilie:

From a thinking perspective? Read Michael Pollen. I feel as though he is a great resource and NOT extreme (like you can't live up to his expectations, as some other food authors expect you to). One thing he suggests is, even more than eating organic, eat LOCALLY! Look into it! The food is better for you (not sprayed, or not sprayed as much as grocery store food), it tastes WAY better (same reasons + less shelf life), and it's the same amt. or cheaper (if you go to the farmer's market enough and especially if you get to know your local farmers). Another book I liked for suggestions/recipes/etc. was Eat Clean (don't remember author). Good luck w/your family. :grouphug: that you have to live w/that judgment. Try to get past it and find new and fun ways that you can get your whole family involved in what you eat (and maybe even why) :)

Well, we did the cheese ones and the plain ones today (maybe the graham cracker ones tonight and DEF. the chocolate graham cracker ones some time - no cocoa powder on hand). We used a pampered chef stone & parchment paper (to roll out). I did not use a food processor - my hands work better (better even than a mixer)...just wanted to let you know specifically how the results correlated w/the process & equipment. The cheese ones were a little stiff & hard to roll out but they tasted just like cheese-its! yum! The regular ones were good - similar to wheat thins. I think if maybe when I took them out of the oven, I placed them on the drying rack upside down & salted them again on the other side they would be even better. You can tell they are healthy as you can taste the wheat (and I could taste the honey, though I always seem to think there is too much honey in everything I make - I normally put less than the recipe calls for) but they are still good! I am VERY pleased. Not something we will do a lot (not until I get more stones, that is) but it was fun and easy and they taste great! Thanks for the recipes!

We do this as a church. However, for my kids (b/c they are so young), we are working on whatever is relevant in their lives. I have a memorization notebook with verses to practice daily, odd & even days, and specific school days of the week (got the idea from here :)). Verses get moved down as they are memorized. My 1st grader also copies her verse for the week as part of writing to help her memorize. My 1st grader memorizes 1/week. My 3yo memorizes 1 or 2/month. As far as what is relevant? Ephesians 6:1; Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 10:19; James 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 119:11; Philippians 2:14...the list goes on and on. The Lord tends to lead me to great verses during my quiet time for what my kids are struggling with. hth!

yay yay yay! SOO excited! We have to make bread tomorrow but don't have much going on Saturday so I have a feeling we'll be doing all three of these then!

Never been to that part of NC but we LOVE LOVE LOVE the outerbanks - you're right, it looks great!