Private school. If it were public school we probably would not have even started this year, definitely would not have made it to Christmas but we payed for the whole year LAST FEB so we are trying to make it work (she does really enjoy school). Wow thank you for all the recommendations! Can you tell me what some of those abbreviations are? Also, being a private school I don't think they even do testing there?? I should have listened to my gut! Multiple teachers/administrators have assured me that it is not uncommon for students to still struggle with reversals at her age and she is progressing fine but I help in her Sunday school class so I see what the other kids her age are reading and writing and she is significantly behind. I think they didn't want me to feel like something was wrong with her but if she needs help I want to know ASAP! We do have an eye appointment scheduled for next week so I will mention her trouble reading and reversals. Thank you!

I am overwhelmed at the choices! I see a lot of negative comments in regards to memorizing sight words and kids trying to guess words. So what is a good program for teaching reading? I know the kids need to learn to sound out words but there are a lot of words that break the rules! I am primarily looking for something for my son who will be in K next year but my daughter will be in 2nd (currently in school) and she is behind in reading so she may need some re-training when we homeschool next year.

Thank you, everyone, for your insightful comments! I really have no experience in this department and appreciate you sharing your wisdom!

True True. I love being alone but I also don't get much time alone haha! She is in her mid 90s and has no family. She walks very slowly around the neighborhood every day and likes to stop to talk to the kids if we are out.

I am curious what is involved in becoming a caretaker for a disabled adult in your community. We are getting licensed as foster parents but hubby has a lot of hesitations about fostering. I am wondering if providing part-time care for a higher-functioning adult might be compatible with homeschooling. He/she could join us for some of our studies and activities and also choose their own interests to pursue. I haven't really fleshed out this idea, but just wondering if it is a possibility and where to begin. OR another thought... I have an aging neighbor that is usually home alone and I am wondering if there is something we can do with her to bring joy and purpose to her days without overwhelming her (kids are 6, 4 and 2)

HAHA!! OMG they will love that!! Thank you!

Crafty....um... I sew but am otherwise not really inclined to do crafts. DD LOVES crafts! The messier the better! haha Christian or secular is fine

Thank you! I am glad it isn't just me. I have no idea how the rest of the class is doing with it but for my DD it is way too much. She was so overwhelmed that just writing out the words 2x (assigned homework each weekend) was taking 1-2 hours and that really pushed me over the edge to decide to homeschool. I will check out All About Spelling. That sounds like about the right speed!

DD is in first grade and we will be homeschooling next year. Spelling has been a nightmare. She has 20 words and a lot of times it is tricky (-ite vs -ight words one week, -ir vs -er vs -ur words another week). She is still dealing with letter and number reversals so she just isn't ready. Her teacher generously offered to give her a shorter list for the rest of the year so that has helped her attitude and performance greatly. My question is if we should even do spelling next year (2nd) or take a break or start below grade level? I don't know much about elementary ed but to me it seems like she would pick up on -ite vs -ight words as she reads. She is behind grade level for reading so maybe she just needs spelling words that are at her reading level. Or maybe just practice spelling words that relate to other subjects we are studying? Words from our science or history lessons?

My kids are not going to be disappointed they are not going back to school next year. We haven't decided when to break the news but probably not until the end of school or perhaps even over the summer. Anyway, I am hoping to start homeschooling this summer but ease into with fun stuff. I am a science person and they love experiments so we will do that anyway. But can anyone recommend a curriculum or resource for other subjects that would be a fun way to ease into a homeschool schedule?

So it's not just me. May is a GREAT time to have a baby 🙂

We got pregnant the first month with all 3 but I know that is no guarantee it will happen again. My cycle has been wacky for about a year so I am concerned it might not come so easily. Nevertheless here I am trying to plan!

Oh no, I am not going to try without him being on board! Our birth control method is under his control anyway 🙂

My husband has not committed to #4 yet but I am a planner so here I go! I am wondering if winter is really that bad or if my experience is skewed. We live in NH so winter is pretty long. My first was born in Feb and I did have some PPD which maybe would not have occurred in the summer. Two yrs later my 2nd was born in Feb and those first couple months were rough being stuck inside with a very busy/mischievous 2yo. My third was born in May, 2 yrs 3 months later. It was amazing. We were outside all the time and I could sit and nurse while the kids played. We could go on long outings to the beach or hiking and the baby was young enough to sleep anywhere. I took the baby out for walks in the evening during the witching hour so it was fairly painless. With my first it was awful and I was stuck pacing the house. If I got pregnant right now the baby would be born in November with a 3.5 yr gap. I have always thought having a baby in the late fall would be difficult but this time the kids would be old enough to play in the yard with me just watching out the window. Now, of course, it is still a lot of work to get everyone dressed to go outside, it is unlikely they would stay out for as long, and some days are super cold with no snow which isn't fun. I would love to hear your thoughts on the best time of year to have a baby!

Oh that is interesting. The only soy I eat is in my butter spread but usually I buy the soy-free one.

Yes, I still notice changes in cervical mucus but I think the short part is after ovulation.

I don't think my stress is different than normal. I had amenorrhea when I had an eating disorder but that was extreme and I've been healthy for many years. I am actually about 5 lbs heavier than normal, I guess I haven't adjusted to eating just or 1 🙂

I don't think so.

I am 32, have 3 kids and stopped nursing my 2 yo over the summer. I got my period back when he was 7 months old and honestly didn't track it for a while but for the past year my cycle has been short, usually 23 days. Before kids it was normal 28 days and briefly between babies it was normal even while nursing. I am wondering if this is something I should be concerned about. And sorry TMI but it is different than before... starts with brown spotting like it's old blood and I don't get cramps. Am I still fertile? Please!

Hi, Do you require your kids to do rest time in the afternoon? What does it look like? My kids are 6, 4 and 2. The oldest is in school this year so she isn't home and my youngest naps so it's just my middle child but I am fairly loose about it because he is good about entertaining himself. Next year when they are all home and youngest might be dropping his nap it will have to be pretty structured. I am hoping no one will bother me for 1.5 hrs. 🙂 Please tell me this is possible!

I constantly get colds. Granted, I have young kids and one is currently in school and the other two regularly go to the childcare at our gym and are exposed to lots of other kids. But still.... We eat well, I am very strict with myself about sleep. I have maintained very high intensity workouts since high school sports but when I feel something coming on I do take a couple days off or just do something light like yoga or walking. I eat well. I take a women's multi, fish oil, and vitamin D. I tried probiotics sporadically but every time I took them I got an upset stomach. I make an elderberry and rosehip syrup that I take whenever I feel something coming on but should probably just take all the time. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

Oh so is each subject separate? I haven't bought the curriculum yet and it sounded like the subjects were integrated so I wasn't sure if it was even possible to pick and choose.

That sounds so cool! Is this advertised as an immersion class or did you happen to find a class in Spanish and sneak in your English speaking children? 🙂

I am looking at My Father's World for K and 2nd grade. Can anyone give me an idea as to how the day is set up? Are certain subjects taught together? Which subjects could be separated out to do later in the day? Thank you!

Can someone recommend a good Spanish curriculum for me to teach if I have no Spanish experience? So I need great CD/DVDs. I am drawn to Spanish because it is the foreign language my kids will most likely encounter in the US and because it should be easy to find other families to practice with and Spanish activities. Alternatively, we could do French as I took it in high school so at least I know a little. We also have my Dad and brother as resources. My Dad's first language as a child was French and my brother is fluent. He was adopted from Africa as a teen 3 years ago, I'm not sure if the African version of French is a little different. Thoughts on which to choose? My heart says French, my deceased grandmother would be so happy and practicing with uncle or Papa would be special, but my head says Spanish.