I totally use facebook for my needs! I LOVE this forum and recommend it to everyone, especially new homeschoolers and folks looking for free curriculum. I am always linking to that thread. I don't really visit forums other than this one anymore.

I'm interested to see how folks have done with this! I purchased the book used on ThriftBooks.com for a steal and just got it today. I was planning on using it with my older kids next year (they will be 5th and 7th) as a spine and supplementing with "easier" books, videos, etc. This is going to save me some time. :)

I'm bummed, too.

Oh, goodness, no. If I make one meal a day, everyone's in for a treat. ;) I have been trying to cut down on us eating out, but we do rely on quick and easy foods, as well as some convenience foods. I am about at the point that I'm going to be giving some serious cooking lessons to my bigger kids so they can treat ME once in a while. The problem, also, in my house is that I'm responsible for the cooking AND the cleaning.... because I know they will scratch up my pans if assigned that task. SIGH. SO, I'm never all that motivated to cook. ;) In time, I'm sure this will change.

I'm pregnant with my 5th. Announcing #3 and #4 had me worried, but with this one, I went into it much braver. lol People can be jerks if they want. I'm thankful for a sweet baby on the way and don't ask for anything from anyone else...so....what's it to them?

Chiggers burrow under your skin and have to be smothered to death to stop the itch.

I like to make it with BBQ sauce on top. Easy. http://jennsraq.com/2012/09/1-2-3-bbq-chicken-recipe-easy-and-healthy.html I also like it with salsa on top, done in the crockpot all day. The leftovers of that are great mixed up a bit by shredding the leftover salsa chicken and adding a bunch of chicken stock/broth and maybe some cheese for a great southwestern soup. You could always garnish that with tortilla strips. You could also add in corn, green chiles, etc.

Teaching Textbooks All About Spelling Aha!Science (from learning.com, $15/year for 3-5th graders) Veritas Press Self-Paced History The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading Math Mammoth Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool

Mine have been into it around age 4/5 as well.

My husband doesn't usually get home that late, but if he's going to be home later than 7, we just eat without him. All of us are hungry between 3:30-4:30 every day, so we actually end up snacking (I try to keep it healthy - fruit, cheese, yogurt, nuts, or something like that) then and then a late dinner isn't so bad. Does he have access to a microwave at work? Maybe he could have his hot meal while he's working. If no microwave, maybe using a Thermos - or heck, even using the thermos for dinners to keep it warm and ready for him. I know a lot of people that use them for non-soup items even like lasagna servings and that kind of thing. I don't know from personal experience how that works out, though. I also agree with the breakfast suggestion - would he be able to be there for a hot breakfast so the whole family can enjoy it together? My husband and I almost did that since he was getting home late for several weeks in a row at one point, but I selfishly couldn't wake up early enough (or cheerfully enough) to actually follow through with that plan.

Girl, I am in the same boat!! Some days, I feel like running away from home would be better for all of us (and then I remember that my husband only knows how to make ramen noodles and scrambled eggs...). I have made many things "easier" on myself. We've gone back to eating preservative-laden boxed foods and premade mixes sometimes. We are using paper plates and plastic cups for about half of our meals (half of the dishes to do!) - I do recycle what I can because it still drives me crazy. I have started making my kids do even more chores around the house. I potty trained my 2 year old so I don't have to change his gross diapers anymore (although now I get the pleasure of remembering that every time I have to go to the bathroom, he probably has to as well....and he is SO SLOW!). I'm taking breaks as I need to, which usually just means driving to the grocery store by myself. At least it's alone time, I guess. I've decluttered our kids' toys a LOT over the past few weeks. This makes less junk to clean after. We are trying to cut back on playdates, except when we really need to get out of the house. I bribe my kids to keep an eye on their younger siblings. I'm doing more time outs for bad attitudes because I find that their attitudes make me want to blow my top more frequently. I've asked for help a little more than usual from my husband, particularly with bedtime routines. I made our homeschool curriculum WAY less teacher intensive this year so that I don't have to constantly watch every little thing the big kids are doing. I've scheduled their lessons in an online planner (Homeschool Sked Track) so they can check off what they've done and also see what they have left to do. I've taken away a lot of their screen time so their attitudes are generally better. Ugh, I don't know. These things have all helped, but it's still a lot. I feel like, more than ever, I am constantly moving. I'm constantly needed. I dread hearing, "Mom....." because I know that I'm about to get sucked into even more duties. That said, based on how my other kids have been, I'm assuming that the new baby will be "easy" until he is mobile. Luckily, that will happen RIGHT about the time summer rolls around and maybe, just maybe, I will let my big kids run free and wild for a few months and have a real summer while I adjust to having to chase after yet another little one!

Math Teaching Textbooks 3 (independently) We were going to continue with CTC Math, but I changed my mind. We do enjoy that program, and he continues to choose it as one of his educational websites he visits when he’s done with schoolwork and still wants computer time. Language Arts Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool Language Arts 2 and Reading 2 (mostly independently) All About Spelling 1 (with me) I’m also requiring him to read independently for 20 minutes and then write in a spiral about what he read. He can give a summary, tell me his favorite part, predict what will happen next, or whatever he wants. The only requirements I have for this assignment at this point are that he writes 2-3 sentences, dates it, tells me the title of the book, uses capital letters, and uses proper punctuation at the end of his sentences. I’m not making myself the grammar or spelling police or anything like that. History & Science Brainpop Jr. (independently) - I’m asking him to watch a video and take one quiz. Typing Typing Pal (independently) – This is 3 times a week, one lesson each time. Electives Easy Peasy Art – Modern (with his sister/independently) Karate – He’ll be doing this once a week for an hour with a homeschool group we are a part of. His instructor is awesome and has recently been inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. How cool is that?

I have kiddos in 2nd and 4th, plus a 4 year old, 2 year old, and a baby due in November.... SO, we have less teacher intensive stuff this year. In fact, I'm having them keep track of most of their own stuff! They're doing that on Http://homeschoolskedtrack.com My 2nd grader is doing: Teaching Textbooks 3 (independently) We were going to do CTC Math, but I changed my mind. That was also independent. Easy Peasy Language Arts and Reading (mostly independently) Brainpop Jr. for history and science (I'm asking him to watch a video and take one quiz - independently) Typing Pal a few times a week (independently) AAS (with me) Easy Peasy art (with his sister/independently) and I'm also requiring him to read for 20 minutes and then write 2-3 sentences in a spiral about what he read. My 4th grader is doing: Teaching Textbooks 4 (independently) Monarch Language Arts (independently - I only have to grade a few things) Veritas Press history (self-paced so also independent) Aha!Science (super cheap through Learning.com and only a few experiments - you can control how many, if any, that you want them to be assigned) Typing Pal (independently) Homeschool Piano (independently) Art (with her brother/independently) AAS (with me) She is also doing the 20 minutes of reading and then 2-3 sentence response journal. I'm not requiring every subject every day. In fact, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are pretty light because we have homeschool PE (gymnastics and dance for DD, karate for 2 of my DSs) one day, and a Bible study Wednesday mornings. So far, so good - and it's a LOT less stress on me. I also feel good knowing that they are covering all the subjects thoroughly without my constant supervision.

My kids LOVE the math (and other) games at http://sheppardsoftware.com/

Scholastic has a lot and of "magazines" and offer different, but affordable pricing for single pricing. Just give them a call http://classroommagazines.scholastic.com

VERY cool! I'm pinning it to save for later. I am always looking for science for my 4th grader.

My 4th grader likes it pretty well! I got it from Homeschool Buyer's Co-Op with my Smart Points. The lessons are quick, and she likes seeing that she can type a little faster and with fewer mistakes than the target. :)

My daughter is doing Typing Pal, which I got free with points over at the Homeschool Buyer's Co-Op. She likes it well enough. Keyboarding Without Tears looks good, but we mainly work off of Chromebooks, so we can't download software to run and use for curriculum...

Whew, there are a lot of us getting on with the show today! :) Our day went pretty well. There was some griping (This was mainly about math, from my DD. She told me if she had one wish, she would wish she didn't have to do Math Mammoth. *eyeroll*), but mostly, they did what they needed to do and finished up. I hope they keep it up! I like the half day idea!

It's our first day of school for the 2014-2015 school year. Is anyone else getting started today? I'd love to hear your plans! Since I'm due in late October/early November, I wanted to make sure we got into a good routine well before his arrival so it'll be a little less stress. Also, by finishing in mid to late May, we'll be finishing up right around the time this baby is mobile. That's when I have the worst time homeschooling, anyway! The early baby stuff is usually a piece of cake in comparison to a mobile baby. I have all of our lessons scheduled in Homeschool SchedTrak and each of my two big kids will have their own login info to access their lessons for each day. I've lightened the load on Tuesdays since we do extra-curricular items. We also usually have an all-morning Bible study on Wednesdays, so I took off a few things on that day, but they'll just have to be tired on Wednesdays because I don't want to swing a 3 day week. My 4 year old (he'll be 5 at the end of September) really wants me to schedule activities for him so he can log in to the system to get his assignments, but I don't see that happening. He's technically pre-k this year and will continue with a once a week speech class through our local ISD for an hour a week. He's super smart, but I don't want to get all formal on him for another year or two. Maybe I'll "schedule" Teachyourmonstertoread.com and starfall.com or some BrainpopJr. :)

I keep looking at this and trying to decide if it is worth it... It looks like it would be great for my 2nd and 4th graders. We're currently using Typing Pal for the 4th grader and Dance Mat Typing for my 2nd grader.

I love Dollar Tree, too! I usually can't leave without spending at least $25 or so.

We've been using it with our family for the past several weeks and really love it as a good, basic core.

North Dallas area here, soon to move to North Fort Worth! :)

My 5 year old son is on Lesson 39 of OPGTR. He sounds out each letter and then tells me the word... he has no flow to the sounding of it. Is this still okay and should we forge on? Or should I stop and work on blending before we continue on? He loves reading and I don't want to discourage him!