We do school except for fevers and puking, but this year we had a lot of both and that really threw us off. Especially my two in the same grade--I didn't want the well one to get too far ahead of the sick one. I never did come up with a great solution, so I'll be watching with interest. :lurk5:

We have both. And both are used by all the kids at different times of the day. They like to color and draw at the desks in their rooms, and will take school work there if they need some quiet. They seem to prefer to do most of their work at their school room desks--more action, I guess. We have a two hour rest period every day from 2-4 pm, and that's when the desks in their rooms get the most use. At some point I hope to turn one of the bedrooms into a "study room," and I will move the desks from their rooms into that room.

I buy clothes out of season, as they go on clearance, with the intention of using them the next year. School supplies (do you mean pencils, etc.?) I buy mostly at Target--with any luck, I hit the 90% off sale--and Staples. In fact, at Staples this week my dh and I both got 30 free folders. Anyone could get 10 for free, but teachers (hs and regular) could get 30. If you have a Staples nearby, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the ads for the "loss leaders" and stock up. As for curriculum, I plan for the coming year in Spring, and do my buying mostly in August.

I just bought one last week. :001_smile: Will it become a repository for broken crayons and old worksheets? I don't know yet. But it IS big--VERY big, so I wouldn't be surprised if things get lost in there. I looked it over carefully before I decided to buy, so I knew in advance that it was huge. Fortunately, our schoolroom table (really four desks pushed together to form a giant workspace) accommodates the size just fine. School doesn't start for us until September, but this is what I have in it now: 4 clipboards (the kind that have a storage area) 4 dry erase boards pencils Math Shark game The large center section is still empty, but I plan on using it for some of my teacher's manuals.

No perfect solution, but lots of prayers and hugs! It must be sooooo awkward and uncomfortable, and not what you need when you're getting ready to deliver a baby. In the end, it's obvious that you're going to have to tell them, and no matter what it's going to hurt. The only real questions are how and when you're going to do it. Again, prayers for discernment and hugs for all! :grouphug:

I didn't know you could make concrete look like that--it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL! :hurray:

Great job! I loved your "Date Night" post. :hurray:

It IS the Beautiful Feet Guide she's asking about. :001_smile: I have it, and it looks great, but I can't give a firm "go for it!" because I haven't actually implemented it yet. The books it utilizes are top notch, and I like my other Beautiful Feet Guides, so I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with this one. If you're looking for a basic geography course, I don't know if this would be your cup of tea because, in the end, it's a literature study and not straight geography.

My dh is a ps teacher. We decided to homeschool shortly after he started his career. His day-to-day experiences have EVERYTHING to do with it. I could tell you stories that would keep you up nights...

I love these Staples back-to-school sales! I send my dh and four of the children to stock up on the best bargains. Yesterday they each bought 3, 25 cent staplers. :hurray:

I can't believe I got through 6 pages of posts without seeing this: Or this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S13fuTcLasU&feature=related Or especially this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n6chxpEINs

Congratulations! :hurray::grouphug:

This link might help: http://www.phschool.com/

I stocked up on the 25 cent flexible cover plastic binders that they had at Staples last week. Honestly, I LOVE 'em! We're going to use ours for notebooking. OT, but it's sort of funny how I managed to get so many--they had a limit of four per person per trip, so I sent my dh down with the kids and they each bought four for a total of 20, and dh and I went out to dinner and stopped by and bought 8 more, and then I stopped by and bought 4 more, and so on. I have about 40 in all, but don't worry--there were plenty left for everyone else! :001_smile: Sadly, I think they're back up to 99 cents, but this is the week for the 25 cent mini staplers and the 20 cent plastic report covers if that's on your "buy" list.

I don't can fruit, but for peaches I like to slice them up and then freeze them on a cookie sheet. I double bag and then have peaches for my personal favorite--cobbler--all year.

I don't know if it's been mentioned before, but I didn't have it--thank you!:001_smile:

So once you scan your books, does it make them easier to organize/find? I pretty much know what I have, but with so many books and bookshelves sometimes it's hard to locate a particular book. I'm trying to figure out a way to "group" my books by subject, but again--it's overwhelming because I have soooo many. Do you think these programs would help with that?

I'd try Amazon or Rainbow Resource. They usually have about the same discount.

Yet another amazing link from Dawn--thank you! :hurray:

It looks like you put a ton of work into this--thanks so much for sharing! I'll be adding your blog to my favorites. :grouphug:

Congratulations on "not ruining" your homeschooled child!!!:lol: I was thinking the same thing about the back pack on wheels. They have some really good ones at Lands End that would probably last through the end of high school.

My kids are given the week's schedule, but it's broken down by the day. They must complete each day's assignments. So far, only my oldest has been interested in "working ahead." I wish I had some advice for making your own--have you looked into homeschool tracker? I think it's free--always a plus!

I have three boys and two girls. My two hsing boys definitely have less control when it comes to fine motor skills, which leads to sloppier handwriting. I don't make a huge issue of it, because I can see that they are doing the best they can. My 6yob is young in terms of maturity, and is constantly moving his body. I make allowances for that as well, because honestly--that's just how God made him. He's been that way since infancy, and I can either accept it and work with it, or fight what I assume would be a losing battle. I recommend that you take each child--male or female--as they are (not that you aren't--just in general). For me, one of the beauties of homeschooling is that I can adjust for my child's strengths and weaknesses. Right now, I have two that are accelerated learners, one that is at grade level, and one that is below grade level. I require them to do their best, whatever that is FOR THEM. HTH someone! :001_smile:

Not minor at all! I think that most, if not all, of the homeschool planning computer software allows you to change the schedule as needed. For example, I use Homeschool Easy Records. If we miss a day due to illness or another reason, I update the calendar and then it moves everything forward automatically. I can adjust it for all of the children, some of the children, or just one of the children (I'm hsing 4 right now). I just finished planning my lessons for our 6th grade study of ancients, and it was A LOT of work. Another thing I love about planning on the computer is that I'll be able to use the lessons again for each child, tweaking as needed, but still way simpler than having to plan all over again. HTH :001_smile:

I would say that in Kindy you want to have lots of art supplies and math manipulatives. I'd really stock up when they start clearing out the crayons and markers at Target/Walmart. You can always use beans or whatever you have around the house for counters, but my kids love to use the counting bears or counting kids. Other stuff I would wait for, because you never know what you will need later on and you don't want to blow your budget too early. Have fun shopping!