We tend to find things in the laundry baskets - definitely check thoroughly before you put clothes in the washer! One time we lost a kid shoe and it was inside a diaper box that was on a low shelf.

How absolutely heartbreaking. We had the same thing occur with our first baby. She would be 8 years old. Personally, as someone who did not want anyone touching my baby's things, I would wait to see if they ask for help with this. It is very very personal and even if I had wanted that kind of help I would probably be very selective as to who I wanted. Most grieving parents I talked to at the time wanted to deal with the baby things themselves. Help with food, chores, errands etc... is always good. I think one of the most touching things that someone did for me at the time was when my uncle (they were keeping him for a few days) gave my dog a bath. I did use a couple of online support groups, sometimes just for reading and not participating. MISS Foundation is a really good one. Most of the bigger pregnancy/parenting message boards have loss groups, but those can be harder to visit for some people.

When I have looked at the diaper services here, they have always been nearly DOUBLE the cost of disposables. It might be comparable if you are only buying small packages of full price diapers at the grocery store, but not to Costco/Amazon boxes. (or serious couponing, but that is also harder to do as you have more kids in my experience)

No big deal! I have usually used cloth, but my kids have potty trained at older ages and I always moved them over to disposables by age 3. And I've always used them for nighttime.

We are actually really liking WWE. It is one of DD's favorites. Interestingly, I was mentioning this tonight to my mom (who has taught 1st grade) and she thought that the beginning of 1st grade was really early to teach nouns? And here I was thinking that week after week after week of nouns ;) was a little unnecessary.

THANK YOU for this thread! DD and I are both ready to :smash: FLL1 We have started skipping over some of the lessons. I remember the day I asked her to name all of her aunts and uncles and she looked at me like "are you kidding me?" LOL

What about popcorn?

Thanks everyone! I've considered it, but am looking at other options too. She does great with fluency and working independently for a short time.

I'm just thinking ahead a bit. ;) Next year I would like my oldest to be more independent for grammar. We are currently using FLL1, which is quite easy and a touch boring for her. Any suggestions?

There is also The Lego Idea Book that is really nice. Check your library first - ours has at least 10 copies.

I bought a used carseat, but it was from a trusted friend who is probably more knowledgable about carseat safety than I am. Otherwise I would buy new.

Thank you!

I hear a lot of negatives but would love to hear from people with good experiences.

I went with the Blendtec because it is smaller and I have a fairly small kitchen. I found "Vitamix vs Blendtec" videos on Youtube to be helpful when I was shopping.

I've always thought 5+ seems big. My SIL has 6 and she said her family didn't feel big until she had 4 kids eating bigger portions.

I remember reading that Crosswalk article back in the day and being horrified. I couldn't imagine feeling that pressured into marriage, nor could I imagine going public with those feelings about my husband!

We are using it as a supplement and I did not get the teachers guide. DD likes it. I do skip some pages.

It is a lot of money, but I would criticize material purchases like jewelry, extravagant homes etc....... long before I would criticize someone for investing in what they believe is the best education for their child.

So high profile families are just supposed to sit around and hope for the safety of the public schools to improve? How much has the overall quality of public schools improved lately? That reminds me of the "civic duty" argument that we shouldn't pull our kids out to hs them because we should all we investing in the public school system.

I prefer to buy the Singapore workbooks. For younger children I think using a pencil is better for handwriting habits. Plus my oldest is left-handed and dry erase markers are hard for her to use. I also really try to buy with multiple siblings in mind. I will only need to rebuy handwriting, phonics and Singapore workbooks for my younger kids. I think it's a good deal.

That's awful for your son. That said, I wouldn't have made that comment on her FB.

:grouphug:

No kidding, Land's End is pretty exciting for me!

I think her other site, homeschoolmath.net, is a great free alternative to the Blue series.

Great idea! (and I suggest their Lady Grey tea - it's divine!)