Sadly, I think lead is a concern. A relative passed down some beautiful Wedgwood dishes to me and told me they had been putting them in the dishwasher. We started using them as everyday dishes (inspired by the Madame Chic book), and I absolutely loved it. Simple meals felt so elegant. However, after researching the lead concern I decided to have them XRF tested....and they had high levels of lead, as did all my other inherited china. So, I stopped using them, and put a few on display. Now, I don’t really know enough about it to know how much lead they actually leach, but I wasn’t comfortable having my family eat off them after that.

We didn’t have a microwave in our kitchen for years. We used our toaster oven frequently to reheat food. Popcorn was made either on the stove or in an air popper. When we first decided to get rid of our microwave we stored it in the basement. We brought it upstairs only once when company wanted to use it. We eventually got rid of it and didn’t miss it at all. Having said all that, we later moved to a house with a microwave above the stove, and use it frequently.

Agreeing with the others who suggested bloodwork. My daughter pretty much stopped growing around that age and it turned out to be her thyroid. I wish we had caught it sooner, as she was experiencing other symptoms as well which maybe would have been avoided if she was treated sooner. Hope it turns out to be nothing of concern.

So sorry for your loss.

Praying for you.

I think Clearplay does work with Disney. We have a Clearplay DVD player we use. There is an online Chrome extension that can be used instead, but it has limited movies. I think it does movies through Amazon, Netflix, and some Disney Plus. (This is what my husband is telling me).

Praying for it to be something minor, for you to feel better soon, and for your family to stay healthy. Agreeing with the others that it seems very unlikely you could have caught it with how careful you’ve been. You are wise to take precautions, and to keep monitoring yourself. Sounds like you’re doing all the right things.

We watch most PG and up movies through Vid Angel or Clearplay, which edits whatever you want out of movies (language, violence, physical affection, etc). Here is a list of movies that seem family appropriate- though, since we use filters, there could be some problematic things we missed. Meet the Robinsons A Little Princess The Willoughby’s Sarah Plain and Tall Ernest and Celestine Up Kendrick Brother films (Flywheel, Overcomer, War Room) The Secret Garden Pick of the Litter (documentary) The Call of the Wild Pete’s Dragon (newer version) Secretariat (2010) The Jungle Book (2016) Charlotte’s Web Dolphin Tale & sequel The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Prince Caspian Monster’s Inc. Prince of Egypt Joseph Veggie Tales Full Length Movies The Tale of Despereaux (sorry for double spacing, don’t know how to fix)

Easy Grammar. It does not include diagramming, and is very easy to use.

Thank you so much, everyone, for all the responses! I really appreciate you all taking the time to share your experiences and insights- this has been very helpful!

@monalisa Thank you so much for these links! That is very helpful. I think I’m going to try Nicole the Math Lady. My 8th grader prefers to work independently, and then work with me on anything she’s unsure of. We also go over problems that she gets wrong, and will review the concept and practice with similar problems. My 6th grader and I prefer to do her math lessons together, but she will often start without me if I’m still working with one of the other kids and she wants to knock math out. (I’ve been going youngest to oldest for math and LA). I need to change this and make sure we always do it together. I just haven’t figured out how to make it click. Concepts she gets one day are sometimes forgotten the next day- or sometimes even the same day. Thanks too for the info on skipping some math problems. Most of the people I know in real life do have their kids skip problems with Saxon, but I know the text itself says to do all the problems. This seems like a nicely balanced method that would be good for my 8th grader.

@square_25 Yes, I do have the time/commitment to work with them on math. Reflecting on it more, it’s really just the 6th grader who isn’t strong on the fundamentals. The 8th grader gets it, just seems to take a long time to get through lessons. There are also some health issues at play, which is why we did Teaching Textbooks for a season. So lack of energy could be part of it...however there are no issues with other subjects (all of which are mostly enjoyed by the student) taking a long time. I’m going to use a timer this week and see how that goes.

Thank you both for the replies, and the encouragement to stick with Saxon. I think I am always looking for some magical curriculum to make math click- but really I just need to be consistent. @Ellie Great idea on the timer- I think you are right and that might motivate the 8th grader to finish sooner. Good to know too that we really do need to do every problem with Saxon. @Lori D. I think you’re right and I should keep the 8th and 4th graders with Saxon. The only reason I’m using Horizons with the 2nd grader is because I already had bought the books for another kid and never used them. Maybe I should switch him to Saxon now so they are all on the same program, and I’m more familiar with it? The 6th grader has not used Horizons before (only the 8th grader has been through all those programs I mentioned). The 6th grader has only done Saxon and Teaching Textbooks. Perhaps I could keep her with Saxon, but slow the pace and use the Math U See as a supplement to help build a stronger foundation? Thank you for this- it is just what I needed to hear. (As a side note- I have learned much from your posts on here, and love your book lists).

Reading eggs Also, maybe listening to audiobooks through audible or hoopla

Oh, how delightful!! I agree with others that I’d be tempted to get beautifully bound classics. The Chronicles of Narnia are a favorite here for kids those ages. I am trying to be more minimalist too, but for books I make an exception. I keep books in most every room of the house, in hopes they will catch someone’s eye, and they usually do. In addition to good literature, perhaps biographies or books filled with artwork. Poetry.

I seem to have serious issues with sticking to a math program. We’ve used Abeka, Singapore, Saxon, Teaching Textbooks and Horizons over the years. I am about to order Math U See for everyone- or maybe just some of the kids and would really appreciate any advice. The year that went the smoothest was when we used Teaching Textbooks, but I didn’t continue with it as I felt like it may have been too easy, and I prefer paper and pencil to the computer. We have otherwise mostly used Saxon. Here’s how we started school this year: 8th grader- Saxon 8/7- is taking a looong time to do each lesson. Planning to do Algebra 1 next year. 6th grader- Saxon 6/5- needs a lot of help- often forgets what was previously taught. 4th grader- Saxon 5/4- does well with math. 2nd grader- Horizons 2- going well I feel like the MUS approach would help strengthen my older two kids’ understanding of math and wish I had been using it all along (which is why I plan to switch my youngest to Beta). I regret switching curriculum so much and am hoping to find something we’ll stick with through high school. I think my 6th grader really should go back to Delta with MUS, but I don’t want her to get behind to where she isn’t able to do pre-algebra in 8th grade. (Or does that not really matter?) My hope is she would be able to do 1/2 of the next level this year also? What about my 4th grader? I could see her wanting to do something with math/science later on, would MUS prepare her well for that? And the 8th grader? Switch to MUS pre-algebra? Stick with Saxon but not do every single problem? Any thoughts on MUS in high school?

I don't use FB either. I had it years ago, but decided our family would be better off without it. As others mentioned, I read these forums often to get homeschooling advice.

Maybe Spelling You See for ds10. We switched to this after I noticed my kids could do great on spelling tests, but would misspell words frequently when doing any other writing. This program has helped their spelling improve in general. Writing With Ease and First Language Lessons for ds7. We use and really like these.

I hesitate to post, as I haven't read all the books I'm about to recommend, but wanted to give you some additional suggestions. I also have a sensitive reader around that age, and an older kid who will tell me if books will be appropriate for that dc or not...here are some that might fit what you are looking for: All-of-a-Kind Family By the Great Horn Spoon (I'm told it does have some "bad guys", but is a comical book) The Fledgling Grandma's Attic series Understood Betsy (my sensitive one really loved this book, as the main character is a sensitive girl herself) Pippi Longstocking Homer Price Little House on the Prairie Series

Thanks for bringing this up. I often get probiotics off Amazon...I'll switch to the grocery store for these during hotter months.

Thank you so much, everyone, for the replies! I feel much better now that I see you all are in agreement!

Thanks for the reply! The food I'm probably most concerned about is the "better than bouillon" chicken and beef base...since they have meat in them. I'm feeling much better after reading these comments though!

Ever since the pandemic began, I’ve been in the habit of leaving new groceries in the garage for a while before bringing them inside to avoid bringing in the virus with them. (Other than things requiring refrigeration). I hadn’t given much thought to temperature changes, until I noticed my coconut oil completely melted.... We bought a bunch of groceries several days ago, and it’s been in the 80’s/90’s outside- though cooler in the garage. Is my food ruined? I had things like shelf stable almond milk, vitamins, oils, jars/cans of food out there. I won’t store food there in the future, but am not sure what to do with this current batch of food. I feel sick at the thought of tossing new groceries, but also do not want the family to eat unsafe food. Anyone have any advice or experience? Do you store food in a garage during the summer? Does google have me overly worried, and the food is really fine? Or could it very well have gone bad in the heat? Sorry for the lengthy post...any input welcome.

praying

We are transitioning from Teaching Textbooks to Saxon for 8th grade. From what I’ve read, it sounds like students need either 8/7 or Algebra 1/2, not both? We want to be on track to do Algebra in 9th grade. From what I’ve read online it sounds like 8/7 would be a better fit...am I correct in thinking we can go from 8/7 to Algebra 1, and skip 1/2, or should we be doing 1/2 in 8th? Thanks in advance!