I am not reformed, but I plan on following VP curriculum suggestions closely in the future (w/the exception of SWR and possibly correlating VP history w/SOTW). I'm just curious... for those of you who are also not reformed, but follow VP or plan on following VP... what made you decide to use VP instead of say TOG or something else? What are your likes and/or dislikes with their curriculum choices? What variations have you made that work better for your dc? I hope someone will reply to this thread as I am very interest in getting feedback. Many thanks, Melissa

:lol: How funny... I never thought I would one to blog either, but krazzymomma is the one who inspired me to do it too! After getting passed the security/privacy issues... I decided to start a blog to keep family and friends updated/informed on what we're going to be doing w/HS... and I like to be able to see what/how other HSers are doing as well. So, I'd like to think that maybe mine can be helpful to other HSers some day too. BTW, I don't think I ever said... thanks Monica! ;) Melissa

I had a natural, unmedicated birth and although I didn't think that I was vocal - just really focused on breathing, I just asked my dh and he said differently - really vocal. LOL! OK, well I tried not to be vocal because as I recall you don't want to push until you're fully dilated and when you're vocal it puts pressure where you don't want it just yet, KWIM. Then when it's time to push you need to focus on breathing and pushing... keeping your face relaxed as possible... the more vocal you are the less effective your pushing is. Anyways, that is what I recall in a nutshell. I would have loved to have a home birth with a midwife, but we were renting at the time (not a place I'd want to have those special memories) and I'm a redhead who tends to bleed alot, therefore, thought it safer to be in the hospital. Turned out I was right... I had to spend two extra days in the hospital and was ever so close to having a blood transfusion. However, there were no other major complications and my blessed ds was born a happy and healthy baby. Oh... BTW, he came out pretty vocal too! LOL! Well, it is four years later and I'm so glad I refused the transfusion, but it was tough for awhile... especially when you're nursing (for 18 months)! My favorite scripture that I clung to when preparing for birthing my one and only ds... and tried to remember while in labor was... A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come, but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ~ John 16:21 ~ Elizabeth, Jesus loves you and your baby too! Congratulations and I hope all goes well for you and your family. God Bless, Melissa

I'm a natural redhead, married to wonderful dh w/sandy blond hair and natural red highlights in his goatee (well when he had it), so I believe it was inevitable that my blessed ds inherited red hair as well. BTW, I'm also located in Idaho. Melissa,

:iagree: Here's an example from our experience already. I plan on using SWR with my one and only ds (just turned 4 in July). When my SWR materials arrived in April I started learning the phonograms for myself. I would turn on the CD w/the flash cards and go. My ds was always in the same room with me and would just chime in from time to time. Sometimes I involved him w/the flash cards as well. I signed up to attend an SWR basic seminar in mid-July and I decided to hold off on teaching him anything formally until after that. However, a week or two before the seminar I decided that I should at least begin the phonograms with him. So I got out the flash cards and CD... and come to find out he already knew most of them and said them before the speaker did. Needless to say (but I will anyways), I was in absolute shock... blown away in fact! That was a proud mommy moment. It confirmed for me that it wasn't too soon... he can do it. That same night when his daddy got home from work, I decided to try to have him sound out a simple word. My husband is a police officer so the very first word we had him sound out was /c/ /o/ /p/. After a few moments and without any help, he blew me away again as well as his daddy. That was a proud mommy and daddy moment. We continued with /d/ /o/ /g/, /c/ /a/ /t/, /h/ /a/ /t/ and a few more... then stopped for the night. That was just what my ds learned from me teaching myself... I can only imagine what your little one will pick up while paying attention with her sister. I wished I would have started sooner. I wouldn't discourage anyone from teaching their dc, formally or not. Only, you know what your dc can do and it sounds like your doing great! Have fun! Melissa

Yes, I added the pdfs as jpgs files. I'm new to this, but let's see if I can help you. Go to the Layout tab... On the side, I clicked on "Add a Page Element" then add a "Link List" to blog for each section. On the bottom, click on "Add a Page Element" then add a "Picture" to blog for each picture. Have fun, Melissa

I'm new to blogging, so it's just a start... but I did it! :hurray: I'll be posting more to it within the next few days. I'm just really excited about it, so I had to share. We were concerned about security/privacy issues but we'll just keep it simple and I don't think it'll be an issue anymore. ;) Melissa

I'm contemplating creating a blog. So I'm very interested... why do you blog or choose not to blog? If you blog, what do you use and what do you post on it? Melissa

After I saw this thread yesterday, I thought this is exactly what I need to do... and so I did! I used everyone's tips with Jessica's and Jennefer's examples as outlines. Once I started I just couldn't stop until it was done... well, almost anyways and now I just want to shout it to the world! LOL! I'm so happy with it and feel even more organized than I already was! :party: I'm so glad this thread was started because it's been helpful for me too. Thanks everyone for sharing! BTW, even though I have only one dc and we have a really simple schedule... this is how I planned for our homeschool journey this year. 1. Course of Study - Make a list of each subject being covered - Under each subject, list curriculum and/or materials to be used 2. Curriculum/Materials Inventory - Make a list of each subject being covered - Under each subject, list curriculum and/or materials you have 3. NTB Curriculum - Make a list of each subject being covered - Under each subject, list curriculum and/or materials you still need to get 4. Year-at-a-Glance Spreadsheet - Subjects listed across the top, weeks listed down the side - Each subject broken down by what needs to be covered weekly for 40 weeks (37 weeks of lessons + 3 weeks of break time) 5. Week-at-a-Glance Spreadsheet - Days listed across the top (M,T,W,Th for us), time/subject down the side (I will keep one week ahead of our current week). - Each subject broken down by what will be covered daily for each week I'm unable to attach or link these to this post, but I hope this info may be of use to someone. Happy planning, Melissa

- cotton balls - paper plates - plastic cups - straws - paper bags brown/white - cupcake liners - glitter - pipe cleaners - paper clips - paper fasteners - yarn - tissue paper - sandpaper - masking tape - staples - envelopes anything else?

I have some basics... scissors construction paper elmer's glue / glue sticks crayons markers colored pencils play-doh moon sand roll of paper for the easel finger paints water colors smock but I want to get a bit more creative and keep a craft area/bin. I'm looking at some of the things we're going to do for art this year and it looks like I need to stock up on simple things I hadn't really even thought of... like, paper plates, straws, plastic cups, cotton balls, yarn, etc, in addition to heading to the art/craft store. What do you keep on hand and/or use in addition to these items? Also, where do get your supplies... WalMart, Michael's, etc? I need all the help I can get in this department. Thank you, Melissa

Thank you, thank you! That makes me feel better. As you suggested, I pm'd latinteach and hope to get a response soon. BTW, I deleted that bookmark now knowing that it's bunk. :) Thanks again, Melissa

Well, I'm trying to work on our morning schedule so that I'm up earlier. Although I PREFER to get up earlier, it's not necessarily the norm around here, KWIM? I shower at night before bed (hair and all) so when I wake in the morning I just brush teeth, wash face and go - getting dressed is usually later unless we have to go somewhere that day. One of my problems about staying in my pjs is that I like to eat breakfast and get the house picked up and vacuumed before I change my clothes, but if we start lessons at 8am that means I will have to push the chores to the afternoon or get up much earlier. I have a german shepherd who sheds all year around... so, ummm, I am a compulsive vacuumer (is that a word). I suppose in the end it will all work itself out, right? That is to say, getting dressed... I just need to do it! Wake up, brush teeth, wash face, breakfast, GET DRESSED, lessons, lunch, chores and errands, daddy gets home from work, dinner, dessert and family time, showers, PAJAMAS, read, and finally lights out? I think I can, I think I can, I think I can! :tongue_smilie: Melissa

finally get out of your pjs? I'm just curious if I'm the only one who likes to linger in her pajamas for a little longer than she should. Although I love getting up early, I'm not a morning person, so this is something I going to have to work on with only a few weeks left before we officially start our homeschool schedule. Melissa

not to doubt you Plaid Dad, but at present I know absolutely nothing about Latin. So, I thought I'd just use that website and see how translated from Latin into English and this is what I got... Knowledge , to understand sapientiamque to seek upon lamp Dei. Now I don't know what to do... any suggestions? I think I may just stick with the English version for now unless someone can definitely confirm the translation. Anyone? Many thanks, Melissa

If I remember correctly, my ds wanted to revert back to diapers after the newness of the underwear wore off too... but that was because he got upset if he had an accident and had to change his clothes again. In our case, I didn't let him... once he was put in underwear there was no turning back. Of course we potty trained him different from most I guess. When my ds was 2 yrs and 1 wk old I started potty training him. I found Potty Training Made Simple by Johanne Cesar and followed her method. It was awesome and worked! Well worth the money. Just to give a brief summary: Get a timer, set aside 3 days to stay at home, and for those three days you potty train. Set the timer for 20 minutes and at every 20 min. interval you put your ds on the potty whether he has to go or not... you are potty training. It may sound insane, but it works I tell ya! If he goes then you can give him a sticker or treat or something. (Although when I tried to praise my ds with a sticker, he would have me put it on his potty chart so that he could just pick it off later... so, we stopped with the rewards right away because mommy praise was all he needed.) It became a game for us. When the timer would go off, everyone in the house would shout POTTY TIME! and race to the bathroom. Potty training is definitely better in the summer when you can be outside for the most part and not worry about accidents in the house. (My ds has a July birthday.) The first day we did it I thought... oh my, is this really going to work? The second day I had even less confidence and thought... there is no way he is going to be potty trained in just 3 days, they are insane and I wasted my money... but, I stuck with it anyways because of all the positive and encouraging feedback that was given about doing it this way. The third day I was in absolute shock... I couldn't believe it actually worked! And the angels sang... Alelluia! :Angel_anim: He would've been completely potty trained by the end of the first week, but #2 took a little longer. I would say that he was successfully potty trained with no accidents within less than a month. BTW, I had diapers on him at night for the first week, but soon realized that it wasn't necessary anymore either. I just made sure he took a trip right before bed and as soon as he woke. Anyways, that's how we did it. I hope my little story about our experience helps you in someway. Have fun potty training! Melissa

Uh-oh, I do hope to put this on t-shirts and such... well, eventually. Ok, I gather that website isn't the most reliable source. Thank you Plaid Dad for the translation. Sorry to ask, but are you confident that it's correctly translated or can someone else possibly confirm? Many thanks, Melissa

My father-in-law wanted it to be... The Git-R-Done school. I wonder how to translate that one... Git R - Perfectus schola. Sorry grandpa, it ain't gonna work. LOL! Melissa

Wow, thank you! I bookmarked that one! Melissa

Our new motto, but I'd like to see it in Latin... Seeking knowledge, understanding and wisdom in God's light. Thank you, Melissa

I haven't used Drawing with Children yet either, but I plan to in the future. I know I bookmarked this somewhere along the line and maybe it can be a little help as well. I just bookmarked the other one posted above for future reference. Awesome! Drawing with Children: Nature Journal Style Melissa

Children's DVD pack by AiG - A is for Adam - D is for Dinosaur - Dinosaurs, Genesis & the Gospel - Six Short Days, One Big Adventure - A Jurassic Ark Mystery Here are some informational workbooks. God Created series by Earl & Bonita Snellenberger You could try these from Evan-Moore. ScienceWorks for Kids series K-1 or Science and the Bible or God's Design for Science by AiG I hope that gives you some more ideas. Melissa

Congratulations... It's great to read that you had a fun and successful first day. I've been doing SWR w/my ds a little here and there, but we won't officially start our first day of lessons until September 1st. Right now I'm working on our morning routine and implementing Choreganizers. Did you start with Lesson 1 in Saxon K today? I've planned 30 min. for each lesson, but it seems that it probably won't take that long. I hope our first day goes as well as yours. Melissa

I hope these links may help you! :001_smile: Melissa

I've only just begun SWR with my ds and highly recommend it already. I travelled 4+ hours (one way) to attend a 2 day basic seminar in mid-July and believe that it is well worth the money. I'm sure that you could use it w/o the seminar, but if you are able to attend a seminar in your area, then I definitely encourage it. I know that you can usually purchase materials at the seminar, but I suggest purchasing the basic bundle, if you haven't already, and looking through the material prior to attending. BTW, if for some reason you choose that SWR is not for you after attending the seminar, then reselling the materials will most likely not be a problem. Melissa