Thank you guys! I really am thankful for your tips. I will check out prodigy too.

They are 8 and 10. I like the idea of asking two easy, two hard questions, then jump ahead. I feel like its such a waste of time to do a lesson if they know it. Then impossible to get ahead.

I have been lax on homeschooling. We push reading, reading comprehension and spelling. I feel like when we go to do a math lesson or a language lesson (Shiller math, language from Susan Wise) the kids already know it. How do I find where to start my lessons? Do I take sectional tests in math and glance over what they got incorrect? How do I find what language lessons book to get? The first one was way too easy. Thanks for any advice.

I actually was not refering to JW. I have however had them come to the house and stopped me when I was out doing yard work on Good Friday. The JW were actually very nice. I listened to them and actually had a few questions. They asked me what I believed and we had a great back and forth. I lived very near a church and had people coming over All the time. It can get very tiring.

Bug spray: 15 drops Lavendar Oil (i use the combo with hopps in it) 3 to 4 tablespoons vanilla 1/4 cup lemmon juice put in a 16 oz bottle. add water to top of bottle. You need to apply this more often than store sprays, but is nice n cheap and smells great. You could also add Peppermint oil. I found this really works well. I do not get ticks on me at all when I wear it. I can tell when it needs sprayed again because of the insects biting me. It does not attact flys.

Cloves is nice for pests like fleas.

I get that. However, here if you were to say, "No thank you". They keep talking and do not give up. you basically need to close the door as they are talking. So, I guess that it just depends on where you are and what church. I had a person come with her daughter (maybe 9 years old). I answered the door. Heard them out and said, "No thank you". she continued. I said that I was not interested. I went to close the door. She stepped in front of it. I looked at the little girl and said, " I am an agnostic. Do you know what that means?" The lady rushed off of the porch fast. I guess that I do not have an issue with people telling their beliefs, but how would it work if another group came door to door. Let's say Muslim. People would be outraged.

Thank you all very much! This is exactly what I was needing. Thank you for taking time to help.

Is there a nice free EReader that I could get? I would like a free reader that I can get several free books on for the children. All of the apps that I see costs. Does Nook offer free childrens books?

Wow. Call me crazy, but I had no idea that the invites had a dress code listed. I do not believe that I have ever seen that! I would say if I did have one that said dressy/casual I would think that any thing could be worn, as well as jeans. Why not have the people invited wear what they wish?

Not sure about in your area, but I rented a cabin. I love to camp, but with young children it is hard to pack and haul everything. I found a cabin that rents out for $350.00 per week. The items that you pack are towels, soap, clothes and food. It comes with pots, pans, blankets, pillows... most everything. This allowed all of us to enjoy our vacation. We turned the vacation into a wildlife tour to help with their schooling.

I have downsized on a ton of things. I have become more of a minimalist. I have 4 plates, 4 cups, 4 bowls, etc. I have decided to not have a lot of kitchen appliances. I do however make everything at home for dinners. I do not buy boxed or premade items very often. This leads to a ton of dishes. I now want a dish washer! Doing dishes 3 to 4 times a day with a baby and two other children is not cutting it. I feel as if all of my extra time is spent washing dishes, when I should be doing more school or simply playing with my children. I have tried to have them wash the dishes for me, but they never do it well enough yet. It was to the point where they would have to wash the same dishes 3 times before they were clean enough. This lead to a backlog of dirty dishes. We have decided to add a washer when we have the money.