We had been window shopping for a new-to-us vehicle for some time when we came across the vehicle we ended up buying. We knew it was a good deal, since we had been looking so long. But we needed Dh's bonus money to be able to pay cash for it. The bonus had already been earned and we knew it was coming, but it wasn't coming for another few weeks. My sister happened to be visiting when we saw the vehicle, and she suggested asking Dad to loan us the money. Dh and I were reluctant, but we did end up calling Dad. I told him about the vehicle and that we didn't have enough to buy it without the bonus. Before I even finished, he said, "Let me get my checkbook." He was prepared to write a check for what was in the account and also said that he could sell some cattle or grain. I don't remember which. He transferred the money we needed, we bought the vehicle that week, and I transferred his money back to him about two weeks later. It probably saved us about $5000. I think life works best if people do what they can for themselves and also if they help each other. I expect my kids will take care of their business. I also, if something doesn't happen to Dh, think I will work after homeschooling and use that money (and probably a chunk of Dh's income) to give generously to them at various times. And the kids will always know that they will have a roof over their heads and food to eat as long as I do. My parents are still my backup plan if something happens to Dh. I can move in with them and make enough money to provide the other things for my kids. I have been out of the workforce too long to support us well if I have to pay for housing. And should my parents ever need anything from us kids, they'll have it. They won't want to ask anymore that we wanted to ask them for a loan, but any help we can give will be freely given. I ended up rambling, but our family basically believes that each person is responsible for himself generally speaking, but we are also each other's first support system and that support is given generously and with love.

Expense. I'm not sure why that would be hard to understand. When I babysat, it was $1/kid/hour. It is a lot more than that now. I have only paid a babysitter twice since Dd16 was born. And also, trust. I have to know someone pretty well before I will leave my kids with them. OP, I would fee the kids beforehand and leave them home. When I was starting to leave my kids home about those ages, I figured that of all the unlikely possible emergencies choking would be the most likely. So, they weren't allowed to eat anything or open the door to anyone while I was gone. If you feed them before you go and give them permission to watch a show or play video games, what emergencies would actually have a chance of happening in the hour you are gone?

I have sorted through the preschool toys - my youngest is five. I just don't need the toddler things anymore. I have also purged shoes and outerwear. Next will be the little girls' room.

I do a lot of combining, but it has its drawbacks. My two oldest are doing the same lit/history/Bible. Discussions are arguably better with two kids than one, but my daughter is out of the house so often for work and other commitments that we are behind for the year. The same with the subjects my boys are together - Ds13 does three band classes at the local school and often is pressed for time when Ds15 is free. Ds15 is pretty good about getting all of his independent stuff done, but he can't make his siblings be available when he needs them to progress in combined classes. We are going to have to spend more time in the evenings and weeks to finish the stuff with Dd before she is gone for 7 weeks this spring/summer. The boys can work into June if they have to. If the kids were all doing separate things, I could do the things when it worked for each kid. That wouldn't be a magic bullet either, though, because I only have so much time in my day, too.

I am so glad. It would have been so hard if something had gone wrong with him, but it would have been especially hard since your daughter is so close in age. I hope they have lots of cousins fun as they are growing up.

I'm so sorry. I hope the cure they are talking about in the UK actually works and gets through the trials quickly.

No, I had a lot of respect for my parents. I also never wanted to do something they didn't want me doing. My kids haven't given me any reason to think they might either. I say yes to everything I can, and they seem to respect when I say no to something.

Two of my kids started it, and both of them stopped at this point of their own accord.

My daughter is going to be traveling a bit this spring and will also be working at a camp for 4 weeks this summer. It would be nice to have a couple of things she could rewear for several days. Do the clothes really not stink after being worn multiple days?

My older two have done Foerster's Algebra II after Geometry. They sometimes just read the text and sometimes watch the Math Without Borders videos.

Scanning my shelves for ideas, I realize I haven't read many of the books my kids have. I cannot guarantee they meet your criteria. Some of the best books my kids read in 5th grade definitely don't - Where the Red Fern Grows, for example. My Side of the Mountain. I read the Penderwicks aloud to the kids. The mother has died, but the book is fun. I also immediately thought of Anne of Green Gables, but she is an orphan. Dd10 will be in 5th next year. She'll read The Secret Garden, but, again, orphan. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? Maybe Red Sails to Capri? The Moffits? My kids love The Hobbit, but that may not be what you are looking for? I haven't read Wonder, but my older kids have liked it. Others I haven't read: A Wrinkle in Time, The City of Ember, Fablehaven, The Goose Girl, The Neverending Story, Swallows and Amazons, and The Phantom Tollbooth.

My 13 year old is in 7th. We start our day with read alouds most mornings. That is 1 - 1.5 hours most mornings, but the kids also eat breakfast while I eat and sometimes do some straightening up or laundry. Depending on the public school schedule he has 0, 1, or 2 band classes on a given day. He does more than 5 hours of math per week, but not necessarily more than an hour each day. He racks up more time on heavy story problem days. He does less than an hour of science most days, but does spend more time on study guide days. Language arts are a struggle for him. We still do spelling. Spelling, writing, and English probably take 3 hours per week. We should be spending more time on writing, but it is very frustrating for him. Latin: We are slowly working through Henle. Maybe 2-3 hours per week. History: About 2-3 hours per week. Logic: About 1 hour per week. Literature: 5+ hours per week. We read a lot. Bible: About 3 hours per week. It adds up to 5 or 6 hours per day, not including band. We don't stick to schedule all of the time, though. We had a chance to have his friends over yesterday afternoon, and we took it. Not all of his school work got done. We'll try to finish for the year, but some things won't be don't as completely as they would if we didn't take time off.

I thought I had responded the first time someone mentioned Miley Cyrus, but I guess not. If she had been performing, we wouldn't have even attempted watching it. I appreciated the cultural influences in Shakira's performance. With all this talk about the performers, I have learned that she speaks 4 languages and is a philanthropist. I admire that so much. There were parts of the show that I strongly disliked, but it had nothing to do with who the performers were. The first (of two) person who posted something negative about the show on my Facebook wall was Latina. The other had the same objections as I did, and they didn't seem to be racially motivated (nor would I expect that from her). I'm not saying race wasn't a factor for some people, but I didn't see it among any of my acquaintances.

I only quoted to give another perspective. The first thing we spent money on was a weekly gymnastics class for our oldest. It was $42 per month and it felt expensive. We wouldn't have felt comfortable financially signing more than one kid up. The money we spend on TKD now is a lot more, but it is probably easier for us to do than the $42 was for us back then. For many families, coming up with $500 per year per kid would be huge. It isn't going to pay for the upper level commitments to most things, but it would be a significant line item in many budgets. Even if it wouldn't be a burden to spend $500/kid, it would seem like a lot if you weren't used to paying for activities.

You're fine! I know many families who spend very little, either due to budget restrictions or personal inclination. If someone had told me 7 years ago that we would be spending this much on activities, I wouldn't have believed them. For one thing, we wouldn't have been able to afford it. For another, it would have been so far from our normal as to be incredible. Things tend to grow. Since you looked some stuff up, I assume the $400 would cover what you are looking at for now. You might check what the activities would cost if the kids went all in. That would help you plan for the future or maybe cause you to consider a different activity. LOL