When your son questioned his cousin, that was okay. When he questioned him repeatedly, he probably put the child in an uncomfortable situation...do I stick up for my mom's rules (the respectful thing to do) or agree with my friend/cousin/peer? (I was not there but...)The mom probably thought she was being challenged by her son (14yo) and reacted in kind...the rule probably changed b/c someone got hurt and maybe she reacted quickly because it has been discussed and even challenged before. This is all speculation of course. I was taught to ALWAYS speak my mind and it really made me wise in my own eyes and got me in trouble...A LOT! I mean, all the way through hs, college, the workforce, and in my marriage! There is something to be said about respecting authority and NOT always speaking your mind (as long as your morals are not being challenged). It is not a bad thing to not always have the last word...just be careful that your son does not think himself wiser than he is (speaking as one who has gone through that and still struggles with having the last word) - I think it is (and will be) doing him a disservice.

look in you library for board books like "Baby's First Signs" and things like that. There are some nursery rhymes and basic signs that mine love to read!

8.5 mo? sign language! I didn't start sit down, concentrating homeschooling until they dropped their morning naps (20mo).

I asked this question in another thread and this is what I was told. So, we are doing K12 history this year and maybe (we'll see) SOTW 1 next year. I did not want/did not know how to buy just K12 history so I looked up their scope and sequence and am just doing it by myself (googled Australia + children's books then checked them out for our unit on Australia, etc). I hope this helps!

totally spitballing here... can you put something (like a petition or something) on a bulletin board for parents to sign to change the situation however you (and they) deem appropriate? TELL EVERYONE...word of mouth does wonders. Everyone having a problem with it will definitely put on the pressure. Is there anyone over the manager? talk to them. Get someone that is more forceful to talk to the manager (I would get my dad - he is very forceful and always seems to get what he wants)

I am not sure what you mean by "focus" but if you mean sitting still or attention span, here are some things we do: If I am brought a book, they *must* sit still and listen to the whole book (not get up in the middle if they get bored). After lunch, we have started learning how to get "self control". They sit on the floor with their hands in their laps. No talking or moving until the timer goes off. We are up to 4 minutes :D It doesn't matter how long it takes to get to your goal (mine is 30 min) in my opinion. Other than that, I am big on finishing what you start. They may not quit in the middle of doing a puzzle, reading a book, listening to a book on tape, etc. That has helped them with those "focus" issues. Oh, also, normally my oldest dd finishes her supper in record time and she learned patience from an early age because she was not able to get up until mommy and/or daddy was finished. Hope some of these help :)

I am starting differently with my 1.5 yo than I did w/my 3 yo. I love learning new and better things but I feel badly for my guinea pig (oldest). I started doing abc & #s puzzles with my 3yo until she knew her letters and sounds and how to count to 30 and her colors. Then, I did OPG and Abeka K Math. I am doing it differently this time. Google Tools for Tots...I am using MOST of their ideas for both of my dds. They love it! I still do formal/sit down time approx. 3 days/week with my 1.5 yo to do the abc & #s puzzle but she is learning more things (variety) slowly (rather than 2 things quickly like dd #1) by having trays/stations/what-have-you. Everyone says "make it fun" and I agree but I also think it is important to learn to sit still and pay attn. (hence the "formal/sit down time" 3x/week)

I could not swallow a pill until I was 16 when I had no choice so I had to figure out something. So, I practiced with a banana...put a piece in my mouth, chew some of the outer parts and swallow (that's basically what you do when eating a banana anyway). Then, when it was time to take the pill (which was HUGE, by the way), I put it in the piece of banana, chewed some of the outer parts, and swallowed, banana & pill. It took a while but I can now swallow w/o help...except for those pre-natal vitamins...man those make me gag! :tongue_smilie:

I normally just try to be a good neighbor and talk to them as much as they want. Many times they'll present a scripture to me and I have just done a study on it so I will share what I just learned from it. When they invite me to their church I say I will ask my husband (he always says no).

BIG difference...we are in the 20-50K range but I would feel RICH, RICH, RICH if we had 30K/year let me tell you! We totally could get food stamps and such but my dh was brought up to fully trust on the Lord...I'm all about getting free stuff (anything to help out) but my parents (ULTRA REPUBLICANS) would have a fit! This is part of the reason why I love WTM...I will not have to buy many things for subsequent children. Consumables are so expensive when you have lots! But by using the library (who would have thought) and non-consumable texts, we are making out like bandits in my opinion!

Constipation: I have had MANY people say that as soon as they started eating home-made bread, it cured their constipation...even pregnant women. I don't know if it is the flaxseed in it or just the freshly-milled grain, but it seems to work. Potty-training: With my girls, I would sit with them and read for what seemed like forever 2-3x/day while they sat on the potty when we were starting out. I think it was this reason that they were poop-trained first. I know you are not just starting out but this one-on-one reading time is always coveted in my house and what does it matter if it is on the couch or in the bathroom :D

I think it depends on the age and each individual child (although I am a newbie too). When we began OPG, I did 1 lesson/day. Sometimes the lessons are difficult though and I felt as though I was forcing it (sometimes with tears in her eyes of frustration)... Same thing happened with math, so now (with Math), I will do 30 min of math and stop, whether we are finished with the lesson or not. However, if we finish the lesson in 20-25 min, I will not go on to another lesson...does that make sense?

B, C, & D.) 1st, I see what meat and fruit is on sale and put that on my list. Then, I plan my menu around what meat we have in the house and what veggies we have in the garden. I also try to only go shopping 1x/week.

For those of you who do not have inbred children, just be thankful you don't get the double whammy! (let me explain) My fil is from Ecuador and my mil is from nc. So, not only did she get comments on how many children she had but she got, "what's he?" She would just say "part cocker-spaniel..." why would you ask that? How rude! No one has asked me that but I do get looks (some of mine are white as a ghost like me and some are EXTREMELY tan) and I'm sure I'll get comments when they are older since I have tan, brown-headed babies and white, blonde-headed ones...oh well.

It seems like our church is a cult when it comes to children...everyone has 4! I am not kidding. There are about 6 families with 4 children (all came about this differently)! I am a little worried of what they will say if God blesses us with more than 4...we'll be the odd ones out! :D Oh, and our church only has about 60 members so those families make the most of it :) As long as my children are behaving, I try to let it roll off my back. No, 3 is not a lot but they are all close in age so I get 'those' comments and looks. About the colds...my dh is the oldest of 5 (really spread out too) so once a cold has gone through all of them, it would just start over! Yuk!

Oh my goodness! Talk about being tired of repeating oneself! Just look in my past threads and MANY others...we've been saying again and again - it is not about the #, it is about the heart (the Lord leading your family). I understand you feel attacked and I am sorry; I tried to respond to your points, not attack you personally. However, I feel like your feeling attacked has kept you from seeing what has been said about QF...what it is meant to be, not how people have used it to abuse.

This was said to me today:"God is sovereign over/in spite of our choices but He does give us the right to choose. Because I choose to sin, does that mean God is not sovereign over the outcome? No. Does it mean that it was what I was supposed to do/what God's desire is? No!" What we were talking about had NOTHING to do with this post but I think it applies, don't you?

Point taken...I was actually thinking of my friends in hs who took the pill to regulate their cycles...not to prevent conception...(when I was writing that) but if I wrote everything I was thinking...WATCH OUT!:D Maybe it was just my doctor but I had to search out *anyone* who could help me understand what exactly the pill does...my mom didn't know, my pastor's wife didn't know...they just took it blindly...I told my friends as soon as I found out. I think it is important for people to be informed and I was (and am) upset that I was not from my doctor (who I completely trust).

I am sure I will get attacked for this but I *do* think that those who take bc pills (in particular) are not trusting in the Lord *in regards to children*. Why else would you take bc pills unless you did *not* want to get pg? And I *do* think they (bc pill users) are not doing what they should because bc pills kill unborn babies. This said, I also believe MANY (if not the majority) who take bc pills have NO IDEA what it does - they just know that it prevents them from having a baby (supposedly) and that it is "completely safe" because that is what our doctors say, sadly enough. Point B) I'm not sure how you could be abused by being encouraged to let the Lord rule your family...however, I can see your point if you are speaking of people telling women that they must have large families (NOT WHAT QF IS, THOUGH).

This is on the front page of the quiverfull website: We exalt Jesus Christ as Lord, and acknowledge His headship in all areas of our lives, including fertility. We exist to serve those believers who trust the Lord for family size, and to answer the questions of those seeking truth in this critical area of marriage. Whether your quiver is large or small, you are welcome. So again I say, being QF is NOT having many children (it says whether your quiver is large or small...NOT full or not). It is about "acknowledg[ing] His headship in all areas of our lives, including fertility". Really, who can argue with acknowledging that the Lord is the leader of your family???

After the first couple of pages, it is confirmed that QF is NOT having as many children as you can, but being joyful about whatever God decides (how many children you have). I know of many children that were conceived *in spite* of efforts to not...QF to me is acknowledging God's control (not trying to fight God). I fully believe that my dc would have been born regardless of what I was doing (bc, etc) because God is Sovereign. But I think it is MOST important to live WITHIN God's Will, not against it. Just to reiterate...I am not intimate with my dh on a schedule...because the point of being intimate is not to populate the Earth...that is NOT the point of QF! I know I am not making sense but I tried...one of those days already:tongue_smilie:

At first I was thinking LightBrite! but then I read the rest of the sentence...don't know what they're called but I used to LOVE doing those! Anyway, LightBrite is an idea;)

we WORKED UP to 30 min. Now (around lesson 120) we do 20-30 min regularly. It got kinda hairy around lessons 90+ for awhile and instead of finishing a lesson, I would just do 30 min...nothing more, no matter if we finished or not. I just paid attention to what dd could handle and tried to plan accordingly. oh, part of that 30 min. was reading a bob book...now that we are past that, we'll just use the rest of the 30 min to do writing or practice math facts (she reads to me 15 min later in the day)

I envy you and long for Phase 4...I myself am still in phase 2:willy_nilly:

I have a doug&melissa puzzle that someone gave me. Since puzzles are still a challenge, she goes slowly enough that I can talk while she is figuring out how to put the pieces in. First, I had to say, "find the doggie" "good! there's the doggie! D says "d", like "d,d,doggie". Now, I say "that's a D. D says "d" like "d,d,doggie". Soon, as I did for my first dd, I will say, where is D? Or what letter is that? and move on from there. She will see a D in a book with large print and say "d,d,doggie"...they pick it up pretty quickly!