I enjoyed reading that! And I love your vivid chalk! What brand is that? :D

What about baking/cooking projects?

Our K4 list is in my signature. We do have a loose daily schedule/plan as follows.... M - OPGTR, HWT workbook, HWT review w/ manipulatives T - McGuffey's, math workbook, fine motor activity W - OPGTR, HWT workbook, Math Card Games R - McGuffey's, math workbook, fine motor activity F - OPGTR, HWT workbook, baking activity with Mom :) This usually takes 30 minutes or less each day. Plus we do read alouds, art etc... at various times.

That is awesome!

Cucumbers are hugely popular with my youngest. I get the 3 pack of English cucumbers (they are big) at Sams/Costco for a little over $3. Have you tried cutting baby carrots into quarters? That makes them much more manageable for little teeth. Grape tomatoes Frozen peas Also grated veggies can go in stuff like quesadillas.

I had a different book spiral bound a Staples a couple of years ago. It was LHTH, which is slightly thicker than OPG. They cut the binding, added a clear protective cover to the front + back, and added the spiral binding. It was $6 and change if I remember right.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I found them in the back of the book. I will check out Youtube tonight to watch the games.

I purchased the Math Card Games from someone on another board a few months ago and set it aside until last night. Now I am wondering if my kit is incomplete. I don't have "dot strips" or "pattern cards" that some of the first games call for. These could be made easily enough though it would take a little time. But when I looked at the kit on the RS website they don't show these items either. I'm confused. Is there something totally obvious that I am missing here? I also have the Activities for Abacus book that I got with this purchase. I looked through that last night also and just feel totally overwhelmed. Not much of it is making sense to me, especially in the Abacus book, and I am a fairly "mathy" person. How much of a learning curve am I looking at here? Maybe RS is just not suited to my teaching style? I will obviously give it more of a chance than just one evening of browsing the books, but I am feeling really discouraged. On the plus side, I only spent $25 trying this out and not $100+ on a whole package.

I think I might take my 4.5 yr old for her first theater experience. (and because I heart Ramona ;) )

Sigh..... I want to have the option for placing holds online! *pouting* We can only do that for books that are already checked out, not stuff that is on the shelf.

Pattern blocks, counting bears and Lauri Fit-a-space are probably the most popular in our house.

I can't wait to see the younger kids book!

We're doing a "K4" year since DD is 4.5 and loves reading and math. - continue OPGTR, also McGuffey Readers - HWT K - SL P 4/5 plus other read aloud books - R+S Going on Eagerly, Singapore EM B, RS Math Games kit - outdoor time, art etc..... maybe gymnastics too

I always tell people to buy several different diapers to try out first, rather than investing in a whole set of one brand. Then you can see which kind fits your baby the best and which type you prefer using. If you do this I would try to get a mix of snap vs. velcro too, as most people end up with a definite preference. (personally I like snaps)

What I do is call my ob/midwife's office the day I get a positive test and simply request a progesterone test. Then they contact me with the results. *I've never had a progesterone issue, but my first OB recommended the test for all newly pregnant women because it is one of the few first trimester issues that you can actually do something towards fixing. I thought that was wise.

Thanks! I know there are plenty of ps teachers who are supportive of hs - my Dh, SIL, BIL are 3 of them. But I am her only child and I know she will take this very personally. When my cousin, who lives in the same town as my mother, was deciding whether to send her children to private school or public (the school where my mom teaches) I heard about it CONSTANTLY. I learned from that experience that we would not be discussing any schooling topics with her unless it was announcing a decision. We don't live there, so at least that won't be an issue.

How did your decision to homeschool go over with her? We have not told my mom yet (another year before our oldest is K age) and I am anxious. *Edited to add that I know she is only lukewarm about hs-ing in general based on previous conversations through the years.

Oatmeal pancakes, I make a huge batch each month and freeze. Whole wheat toast with almond butter. Homemade granola. Dry cereal. Fruit. I keep forgetting about baked oatmeal. They both like it and we call it "breakfast cake".

I haven't read any replies, but my immediate thought is yes they should absolutely be paid. I cannot imagine not supporting my pastor and his family.

:seeya: Manipulatives we have used a lot include..... - counting bears/cups - pattern blocks (we have wooden, but I think magnetic would also be nice) - tangrams - HWT Stamp + See screen - Melissa + Doug magnetic alphabet - Lauri foam puzzles/toys have not used as much..... - cuisenare rods - HWT wooden letter pieces Recently I have bought the RS Math Games Kit and Activities for Abacus, but we haven't started using them yet. PMing you.......

We have just been using the book so far. In fact, the one time I wrote out the lesson for her on big paper instead (after reading the suggestion here) it was a total flop! If we do opt for manipulatives later, we have the Melissa + Doug magnetic alphabet that I really like. They are solid magnet on the back. Those little magnets on many of the plastic letters can fall out - not something I want to worry about with younger siblings. You can also play with them on magnadoodle boards.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! Now to just get everything organized..... I need another milk crate for the SL books. Eventually I would like some sort of hutch/wardrobe/cabinet for our school supplies - just waiting for the right piece on craigslist. I don't currently blog, but have been contemplating starting one to record our school adventures. The idea really overwhelms me, especially keeping it updated. I will add it to my signature if we do decide to blog.

Happy Anniversary!!! Our 8th is tomorrow....

We have loved our b+w laser printer. FIL surprised DH with it for is birthday right after we got married and it has been an awesome printer. It is an HP. We buy 1 cartridge a year and that is it. The cartridge is a little costly but there are no surprises with it running out early. I keep telling myself that I can go to Staples/Kinkos when I want to print something in color for the kids, but I haven't found anything I "needed" that badly. lol That said, you will likely have options for printing your school work at your college computer lab.

IMHO unless there is a supply/calorie issue, a nursing baby doesn't need anything made by a formula company. But wouldn't that be great for their profits! :rolleyes: I would do whatever you feel most comfortable doing.