In reading your post I see alot of myself several years ago. On my bad days these things and concerns are still very real. I can only give you ideas of things that worked for me, ultimately you need to make the choices about sending dc off to school. I think the pp that suggested sending dd that fights with you off to ps had a good point but I know how it would play itself out in or house. Dd would have felt slighted and hurt for being different. If it frees you up to do more work with your other more willing kids then great. (Between you and me I think you can just read to your Ker, do phonics with alphebet books and start handwriting in January when you feel more in control.) We choose to keep dd at home. Like your daughter our Dd is a determined one and gets offended when I ask something of her. Recently, I realized that she needs to know the whole picture and then rise to the quanity of work. Previously, I had been *dragging* her through it one day at a time. If she had a good day it would ask her to do one more page and she would lose it. This past year, I stated that she only need to do one page of MUS each day and then she was done for the day in math. That cleared things up. My word was my word and I would honor it. A suggestion to you would be to sit down yourself and set a plan for the year. Decide what you expect from her and write it out in a colorful positive way. Think visuals here and do it up good. Then sit down with her and start...plodding one day at a time. It seems obvious to some but for it me it was life changing to realize that my expectations each and everyday had to be the same. No days off but also no mad rush to catch up and no feeling of being behind and getting frustrated and impatient. After writing this I thought of something else that might help with your dd. When I stopped focusing on her (read pushing school) and started spending that extra time with another dc where she could be included, she began to realize that school was a way of life. Apparently, this had bever occured to her. The ages for my kids fit his solution better than your but it might help anyway. As far as organizing your life. This is really essential as you move up the years. Try Flylady she has some answers. Managers of their Homes is good too. Get the kids involved one chore at a time. It is a great life skill and also helps you out alot. Is there one area it seem to be in control that you could spring board from? Look at that and find skills there then transfer them. A simple menu on the fridge for the week is a start. Shop once a week to fill it then stay home to do school. Start one load of laundry every morning and get it done or set one day a week where everyone helps till it's finished. It can be done but you have to plod! The writing suggestion I have is Institue for Excellence in Writing (IEW). If your oldest likes to write you have won half the battle. IEW would help refine what he does already. HTH a little. Sorry it got so long. Hugs to you. I looks like you have quite a few issues to work through and I hope you find a solution for you kids that honors you all. It can be done but it will require some offort on your part and lots of persistence. Forgive the spelling - I'm off to make breakfast!

Wonderful. I love seeing other peoples school rooms. I would post mine but I do not have a digital camera....and mine is not as neat as yours.;)

I'm not sure about his one. I want to think I come across as a lot more flaky here (mostly due to my spelling and grammar). I also feel very unsure and questioning here. IRL I think I'm a little more opinionated. Usually with ideas and information I get here. :tongue_smilie: I also have a hard time implementing things that I think will be good and fun for dc. It would not come across here as you really do not know what I actually get done!!! So it is a mixed bag.

:lol: Very cute!

I am sorry I had to smile about this. Thankfully my dc do not talk in the middle of the night when they wake up. If they did I'm sure I'd be very unhappy about it. It sounds like your dd is very cute and loves you very much. You must be a great momma to last a half an hour. I'd cut mine off waaay before that. :tongue_smilie: But then again I would have missed the great memory too! :grouphug: to you. Put your feet up and read a book about hippos today. ;)

You are all right. Maybe a walk and then a change in routine. We have been doing the same thing almost all summer. It will get done right!?! One day at a time the school year will fly by. I'm glad I'm not alone.

Just a thought, could you afford a payment agreement of say $5 per month. If you sign the agreement you could get medical care for her (which I think you would be wise in seeking) but not pay the full amount. The emergency room maybe an extra expense that you cannot afford on top of all this extra stuff but if you think she is in danger - seek out help. I am sorry you are going throught all this. :grouphug: to you.

just thought I'd come here for some suggestions. What so you do when you just cannot find the entusiasm to start the work for the day? Dc are dressed and feed and grummbly. We school all year on and off and have just started in earnest this last two weeks. I start with a slow upswing so they do not notice much of a difference. Today I just want to go back to bed!!! :bigear:

Congratulations! Enjoy him. They only stay young for a very short time! Great story for his memory book.

:):001_smile::):001_smile::):001_smile::):001_smile: We are all smileing today too! Congratulations to ya'll!

Prayers from here too! I cannot even imagine how frightening that would be! Hoping they have peace and safety!

Great thread! It is one I will return to in about four months when I get down and can't seem to remember why I started this crazy journey. 1) We are Canadians living in the US and originally we started believing that we would one day return to Canada. For the sake of continuity we wanted dc to learn French and Canadian history and geography. 2) I truly do not think *forced* early acedemics work well. My dd was not one sit still and do as told. She is a strong minded girl and God made her that way. She will need it someday so why train it out of her. 3) Freedom of learning speeds. 4) Freedom to learn what is most interesting to each dc. Now, I cannot imagine giving it up for the ps lifestyle. I really love the flexibility and freedom and so do my dc. Welcome to the diversity that is homeschooling! I hope your first year is a great one!

It's not a site but have you tried the Saving Dinner series. It breaks it down fairly well. :grouphug: to you. I know it can be tough on a person when supper is late and not well received. I hope you find something that works.

Here goes for the sake of transparency. 1) I was addicted to Farmer Wants a Wife when it was showing. 2) I love to sit on my swing and be lazy lazy lazy while my dh is working in the garden. :001_huh: 3) I like the oldfashioned Zesty Cheese Nacho chip by Doritos. They took them off the market.....I'm afraid I consumed alot of them in my younger days. Yummm.

Praying here too! I hope you hear good news soon and can rest peacefully. :grouphug::grouphug:

That's a good one. Thank-you. Perhaps I will use it with this copywork. http://www.happyscribecopybooks.com/MW-info.htm I'm posting this so anyone that follows me will have it!

....that I saw several months ago on this board. Anyone remember where it was? It had all the presidents and maybe some copywork underneath of qoutes or facts. I thought it was a download but it might have been an e-book. Anyone got a clue?

Just thought I'd give my suggestions. Dehydration brings on early labor and seems to be a common result of some of the other strategies like biking and walking long distances. If you are inclined to drink lots of fluids then maybe you can cut back. I wouldn't suggest going without for the day but maybe just not gulping it back. Fresh pineapple is suppose to be good if you have a not so confident start on labor. Perhaps you could pick some up on your way home from the mall! Red raspberry leaf tea will bring on Brackston Hicks that can lead to labor. It is tasty too. I hope you get that baby born soon. How exciting for you. Almost there! (or here as the case maybe!)

Congratulations! I am glad you have the little one in your arms. I'll pray that all goes well and everyone else avoids the whooping cough. Keep us posted if anything changes!

Could you take a picture of the park that you all worked at and frame it for them? Maybe a sunset if you want it to be symbolic? Cheesy in the short run but very meaningful in the long run, especially if they are facing a long winter indoors. :eek:

LisaK I'm sorry your are going through this. I did the same long haul with my oldest. I lost 15 lbs the first trimester and was back to pre pregnacy weight after her birth. It was a scarry time but she is health and happy now. :001_smile: I had a friend forward this link to me awhile back and I have read it. It may seem a little off the wall at first but at the time I thought it was a relatively harmless solution. Beans are always a healthy addition to anyones diet. If you really want to avoid meds and have no other options then this might be the last ditch effort you are looking for. http://www.karenhurd.com/morningsickness.html HTH!

Here are some thoughts that may be helpful. Although they all take some planning and time to implement. Slowly weaning can include things like..... - moving to a different location, like sitting up right in a chair, until she drifts off to sleep (still holding her of course) - setting a glass of water beside the bed for her to drink before she nurses for a few weeks. (heck get her a glass of warmed milk if you want:)) - tell her she needs to stop nursing after a song is sung and make it gradually shorter and shorter each time - take her off sooner and sooner so that she learns to go to sleep beside you instead of nursing to sleep or even ask her to wait a few minutes. (Go to the bathroom, get a glass of milk etc. then nurse her) - if she is nursing during the day the just let her know that *they* need their sleep too and offer quickly in the morning. - another might be to get dad to find a way to get her to sleep when she is OK with that and sequey into night duty for dad sometimes until she knows she's done. At least it opens up your options when you are feeling over whelmed. - giving her lots of sensory input during the day that involves her mouth - gum, jello, straws, crunchy foods and smooth foods, hot and cold, she may be holding onto long term nursing because of sensory issues and she *needs* the input more than the nursing itself. Although these things work better if you have done some of them during day weaning, at three you might just get some co-operation if you talk to her during a time of peace and daylight. Let her know she is loved and that someday she will not be nursing...point to grown dc and let her know you still love them and they do not nurse anymore. Bring it up during a causal conversation and do not expect her to agree with you. Just say it as you are doing other things. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Smile. Smile. Smile. Eventually it will start sinking in. I do understand your reluctance to go public with this question. I have nursed toddlers and some people will be fairly judgmental. Don't worry she will wean and you will not harm her by just saying no sometimes. The transition to *fully* weaned can be a long haul for some kids and moms. If you are just done and get the heby jebies when you nurse you might want to just say no. (I say this knowing how difficult this can be in the middle of the night). Blessings to you. It can be tough for some kids. You've done well by her to last this long and she can be ready for the next step with a little planning and care. As always - Take what works and leave the rest! :001_smile: PM - me if you want. BTDT!

So we collected the data from a random sample :D but lost about 10 points due to inablilty to place on our chart. We received about 128 usable data points so we had enough for reliability. Here are the results! 30 people that were born early in the day were considered to be morning people. 30 people that were born early in the day were considered to be night owls. 25 people that were born late in the day were considered to be morning people. 43 people that were born late in the day were considered to be night owls. Being born in the morning (midnight through to noon) does not seem to have any effect. However, if you were born after 12 noon but before midnight, you are more likely to be a night owl. These results may or may not represent real life and may or may not be significant (satistically);). We were just having fun with the scientific process in an unschooling type way! Thanks to all that provided data. We had a great time with the process!

Sarah my family loves that one too. Here is a pickled bean recipe if you feel the need to store those babies away. It always gets rave reviews. I feels and tastes a little like salt and vinegar chips but no fat. 2 lbs green or purple beans (the purple ones lose their color) 1/4 cups plus 1 Tbls spoon Kosher salt 2 3/4 cups vinegar 2 1/4 cups water 2 jalapeno peppers 4 large cloves garlic 4 large sprigs of dill Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large pot and boil. Add dill, pepper and garlic in a sterilized wide mouthed jar evenly around 4 pint sized jars (give or take). Pack beans in tightly, very tightly! Ladel boiling vinegar mixture over beans leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Tighten on two pieces lids and place in a boiling water bath for 10 mins. Remove and let cool - listen for the pop. Leave for two weeks to let the flavor develop. They are great with candied almonds. HTH!

We are getting ready to close our data collection. Anyone else interested? Dh came home and he is showing us how to crunch the numbers! We will post results ASAP. (Hopfully not after the weekend!)