:iagree:

My DS7 learned to read with Abeka in Kindergarten, when he attended private school. I was pretty happy with it, but I have no hands-on experience with teaching or administering the program. This year (first grade), we have been using BJU Distance Learning DVDs. The phonics program is as follows: composition, phonics, handwriting, reading. It is long and it is tedious. However, they use a theme throughout, and it all seems to flow well and help DS7 retain the information. I don't teach him from a TM because the teacher on the DVD teaches him what he needs to know. I help him (which is rarely) with his worksheets. So far, the program is really solid. He understands the material with no problem, and even looks forward to some of the topics they cover (we just finished with the 'cowboy' theme). He really enjoys the extra activities we do with the lessons too (like making 'Hardtack' during cowboy week). As far as using the phonics without doing their reading, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do that. One is not dependent on the other. ETA: I also have DS7 read every day for 15 minutes from a book of his choice (not BJU) to make sure he's not just 'memorizing' words, and to make sure he gets to read something of interest to him (right now it's Tom Sawyer). Abeka was our second choice, so I don't think there's anything "wrong" with Abeka either. Both do the job, as far as I'm concerned. Like any program, you get out of it, what you put into it. Of course, I may be biased because I enjoy the program so much, but we have been very happy with the results we've received from the BJU program. I hope that helps you a little. :)

That's AWESOME! :hurray:

This is similar to what we do. We start out with Heritage Studies together, then they each go into their own routine. Their routines are: Bible, Language Arts/Reading, Math. Then DS7 has Spelling. This week we are working on our Winter Olympics lapbook together, and that gets done at the end of our school day.

A couple of my good friends are Christian rock artists. Trust me when I tell you that they are NOT getting rich (financially) for what they do. People automatically assume that because the band/singer is famous that they are wealthy and can afford to not make money off an album or two. Unfortunately, it's never just one or two albums being burned/copied. :( And I'll tell you something else about the Christian rock community, they truly care about their fans. My friends each have wives and young children to support. All of the wives work outside of the home to help make ends meet. The reason I tell you this is to put a 'face' to the crime. Many people buy into the label and forget that there are 'real' people who get hurt when you steal music. Your DS's SS teacher should be ashamed. I can't believe ANY church would put someone like that in charge of the youth.

My children have been told from the beginning that they will be responsible for their college costs. My DD is graduating first in her class this year. She has received over $20k in scholarship offers from several different schools. In addition to that, she qualifies for Florida's Bright Futures scholarships. In addition to THAT, if she maintains her class ranking (#1) she automatically will be offered a full-ride, 4-year scholarship to the local University (not community college). I truly believe that if my DD had been depending on ME to pay her way through college, she may not have taken her classes so seriously. That's not to say she's lazy, but rather, she's been very motivated. We will not be saving or paying for our boys' college either.

I'm a redhead, my Dh is a redhead, and my boys are redheads. I'm partial to redheads. ;) I love Shaun's hair, but more importantly, I love how he's making red-headed boys "cool". :D

I love Charlie and Lola. :) There was one episode where Charlie and Lola were going to the Zoo. They were taking "pocket money" to spend. The story was really cute. At the time, DS7 was about 4 or 5 y/o, and because of the accent, he thought they were saying "bucket money". So we get ready to visit OUR local zoo, and DS keeps asking about "bucket money". I have no idea what he's talking about. Then he says, "you know...like Charlie and Lola had when they went to the zoo!" Ever since then, we refer to 'pocket money' as 'bucket money'. ;) What I really like about Charlie and Lola is the way they interact with each other. They treat each other kindly and with respect (as opposed to Max & Ruby). WRT the OP: My boys are into National Geographic & Discovery Channel shows that focus on weather situations (tornados, hurricanes, lightning) and space/planets. Unfortunately, most of those shows come on after their bedtime, so we PVR them. They also really enjoy watching episodes online of: WordGirl, Aurthur, and Lego videos (a new obsession LOL).

We are very 'middle class'. We have sacrificed (and will continue to do so) so that our boys can play ice hockey. My boys, while they are a year apart, wear the same size skates and equipment; so no savings there. It's $300/per child/per season to play. That includes a jersey, 1-hour practice/per week, and weekly games for 12 weeks. That's just for 'Rec League'. Our rink is owned by the city we live in, so they will give grants to those who can't afford the fees, and sometimes they run 2-for-1 specials. The travel leagues have many fund-raisers to help with the financing of their players. I should also mention that we're in South Florida...no natural ice or snow down here. If you want your children playing a winter sport here, you have to find a rink. My boys are 5 (soon to be 6) & 7 years old (as of last week!). My 7 y/o is very talented, both in skating ability and in stick/puck handling. He was asked to join the travel team back in September, but we couldn't justify the costs (starting costs were $1600, and he was only 6 years old!). As my boys get a little older, we'll reconsider allowing them to play on the traveling team. We were told that the opportunity for the 7 y/o to join the traveling team is an 'open invitation'...so, we feel we have time before DS7 is pushed to the next level. DS7 is a highly motivated, very meticulous, "A" type personality. DS5 is not as good of a skater, and rarely touches the puck. He's out there for fun. And that's fine with us. :) He's more of a 'roll-with-the-punches' type of kid. Very laid back personality. While I have no preconceived notions of either one of my boys making it to the NHL level, thus the Olympic level, we will continue to support (sacrifice, and save) for them to at least have the opportunity to take it to the next level. On the flip side, we did the same thing for DD when she was younger. She tried everything (gymnastics, ice hockey, cheerleading, etc) and found none of them appealing. She finally decided to play softball for her school team, and has enjoyed that sport the most. So sometimes it pays off (all of those fees) and sometimes it doesn't. ;)

I use regular chocolate syrup. You could try the sugar-free, if you're watching calories, but it doesn't taste the same. HTH.

Dh gave me a Mr Coffee espresso machine for Christmas. I love it. My addiction used to be Starbucks, then it was McDonald's Iced Mochas. Now, I make my own. I use the Starbucks brand Espresso blend from Walmart ($8 a bag). My recipe tastes just like one from Starbucks: Double shot espresso 1/2 cup skim milk 2 TBS. chocolate syrup Whipped cream (optional) Pour espresso/milk over ice. Add chocolate. Stir. Add whipped cream as needed.

With a toddler in your household, you might want to consider an older lab. Lab puppies are really hyper. They don't mean to hurt anyone, but they don't understand that jumping, nipping, and running over obstacles (little people) actually might hurt someone. Oh, and make sure any shoes that you absolutely LOVE are put up on a top shelf for a couple of years. Holly ate ONE shoe of each pair I owned when she was a puppy. If she wasn't so adorable I would have put her out then. LOL

I second this. Check shelters as well. There are tons of purebred labs in shelters. The main thing you need to realize is that for the first two years, a lab is very, very energetic. This is also the reason so many end up in shelters. They shed worse than any dog I've ever owned. So if you are 'antsy' about having dog hair everywhere, a lab isn't the dog for you. Labs are prone to hip dysplasia, obesity, and fatty tumors. So be prepared for heavy vet bills. They are also prone to bloat - which is life-threatening and very expensive to treat. Educate yourself on bloat thoroughly so that you will know the symptoms should they ever present themselves. Our lab is over 10 years old. She is the absolute best dog I've ever owned. She is wonderful with all people, but especially sweet, patient, and gentle with children. She loves to chase the little lizards on our patio, and I believe she would die before she ever let any harm come to one of her family members. Have fun picking out your new 'baby'. :) ETA: Here's my lab (Holly) a couple of days ago. My DS7 (the one in the front) adores her to pieces.

:iagree: Not because I feel my younger DS is entitled to an invite, but because my boys are a year apart in age. They run with the same group of kids. If one was invited and the other wasn't, none of us would go to the party. On the flip side, I always send the invitation with the expectation that younger sibs will be attending as well. That's just how we roll. :)

:iagree:

I found desks on eBay (with chairs) for $30 total. That included shipping. They aren't the prettiest looking desks (or chairs), but they are perfect for the boys when they are doing worksheets. We also opted for a plain old counter top (sold at Lowes/Home Depot) for their computer desk. Dh cut holes on each end so the cords could go underneath the 'desk'. We bought cheap desk chairs from Target, and placed the counter top on the wall based on how tall the boys are. You can see pics of our classroom from earlier this year here. I've changed some things up a bit, but the basic layout is still the same.

Our scenario: Children were told up-front by 6th grade that they had two choices in life after they finished high school: 1. College 2. Military Said children were also told that education isn't free, and that if they wanted to go to college that they would have to study hard and get someone else to pay for it. Children were informed that both mom and dad had to pay their own way through college (for dh it was the military), and that meant working full time and going to school full time. Children were informed that an education they earned for themselves would be better than an education paid for by their parents. Oldest child is currently, as of February 3rd, ranked FIRST in her graduating class. If she maintains her 4.0 GPA (4.3 weighted GPA), she will receive a full-ride, four-year scholarship to one of our state universities. She will also receive $3k per semester for "living expenses" (which happens to be the same amount for living in the dorms). However. Oldest child is determined to go to a smaller college that caters more toward her goal: veterinary medicine. We still haven't heard what smaller college is willing to dish out for her to attend there. She will go to whichever school with pay the most. That's just how she rolls. The veterinarian she volunteers for twice a week has offered to help her out as well. We'll see how it goes. :) ETA: I should also mention that she's had a job since she was 15 years old. She tithes, pays her own bills (car insurance, gas, cell phone), and saves.

:iagree: I was sick to my stomach for Renee last night. :( I also get annoyed when they give Jack a love interest. Despite this season being a little 'off', I'll still watch.

This looks fantastic! Thanks for the link. I'm going to look into this one for my boys. :)

This week I decided to teach DS7 reading myself (instead of having him watch the DVD lesson). We are also skipping handwriting a couple days of the week because honestly, his handwriting is fine and he writes enough in the other subjects. I added the Greek Alphabet Code Cracker last week, and both of my boys LOVE it. We do the Heritage Studies 1 together, and I add the enrichment activities to make it more enjoyable. So far, it's working out. The video lesson by itself is incredibly boring.

Both my Kindy-kid and my First Grader do the BJU Grade Kits. For Kindergarten it's: -Beginnings (english, phonics, reading, history) -Math -Bible In addition to those we do: Greek Alphabet Code Cracker (which they LOVE), Heritage Studies 1 (they both do together and we add the enrichment activities), and unit studies. Our unit studies can be anything from studying holidays and traditions to random subjects of interest.

I haven't read all of the replies, so bear with me if this has already been suggested. What you describe sounds exactly like my mother. Has she ever been evaluated for bi-polar disorder? I only ask because my mother was (incorrectly) diagnosed as bipolar. She met with a different doctor a couple of years ago, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her doctor thinks she may have been schizophrenic her entire adult life, and it was just never caught until she got older. BUT, the symptoms of bi-polar disorder are very close to what she's dealing with now. She's 59 years old. Once they were able to determine the correct medicine cocktail for her, she became productive for the first time in her life. She was able to hold a steady job, keep an apartment, and pay her bills. Just a thought. I'm not saying that is the case with your mother, but that's how it is with mine. I resented my mother for many years due to her behavior and poor choices.

Our family drinks 1%, and believe me, it was a huge struggle to get Dh to agree to this. He prefers whole milk. I prefer skim. 1% was our compromise. However, now that I've read this thread, I'm thinking I should buy whole milk for DS7. He is thin as a rail and getting him to eat anything is a battle every single day. He is currently surviving on whole wheat and peanut butter sandwiches, along with fruit (usually applesauce, bananas, oranges, or grapes). He loves to drink milk, and I've been adding Ovaltine to his milk just for the calories. DS weighs 50lbs. The thing is, DS7 is generally a very healthy, active boy. BUT, whenever there is a flu or stomach bug going around, he always gets it the worst of all of us. I really think if he would just eat more (gain a little more weight) he wouldn't get AS sick.

Contact HSLDA and ask them how to proceed.

:iagree: I bought the same one. I use it a lot and it never fails me.