Leading little ones to God is one I have used. This year I am going to try Apologia's new Bible curriculum...can't remember the name:confused: if you are interested I can get it for you (it is in my Rainbow Resource wish list.

I vote for...dump it! You do not need the stress. I went to the local teacher store and found my perfect planner. Now I am happily filling it up.

You could be in charge of the downloads by not telling him the iTunes password. My kids have downloaded apps for the iPad but they understand (at least so far) what is appropriate and what is not. Free apps have not caused us grief. Just let him know that you are to be asked permission before anything is downloaded or agreed to.

I almost did the same thing a few years ago. Luckily I caught my mistake before buying. Now my dc are older and it is MOH time! If it were me, I would go with the library plan, esp if money is an issue. We used the library last year to do country studies and had a lot of fun. Do not feel pressure to buy prepared curriculum for every subject when your son is in 1st grade. If money is not an issue you would probably like Sonlight.

Not sure if I am ready for another school year...but I do love the sales!

Would more socialization help? Maybe taking walks through a park? Perhaps if she gets use to strangers and children she'll calm down.

Only four here but the comment that raises my hackles is how disappointed I must be that I have no girls...as if I kept having babies just to have a daughter. Oh yes, this is usually said in front of my boys!

What is your most used/favorite cookbook? Let's just say my culinary repretoire is stuck on auto pilot.

One lesson a day, five days a week. Some lessons take longer, some (esp quiz days) are shorter. Of course there are days when we take off for various reasons. Btw, my son is a middle-schooler. What works well for us is for him to head to the computer right after breakfast to do his lesson. I begin work with my other dc and check on him periodically.

Oh..I was kind of wondering about all of the excitement:). I think I was a 15 yr old when I watched the cheesy one. Now my interest is peaked.

Is that the movie with Patrick Swayze? I remember years ago watching it and yes, there was a swoon or two. Being the only female in my house, I do not get to watch many movies like that....thanks for the memories:001_smile:

Not sure about a couple of them. I have gone to focus on the family before to get movie reviews. You could do an Internet search for other review sites. If they watch all of these, your daughter will certainly be bugged-eyed when she gets done.

:iagree:

You learn something new everyday!

"can you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men?". We just listened to the Les Miserables cd. Can't get it out of my head!

Hooray! :hurray::hurray:

You did not mention having an eat in kitchen so I assume you have one. Could you make your dining room the tv hang out area? The current owners of the home we just moved into did this. You could call it the family room or den. We have a school room and I really like having a place to stash our mess.

I think October Sky concerns the space race. It is based on a book about a true story. Netflix also has this one. I have not seen it but my husband has used it in his teaching. Now I feel inspired to watch it!:001_smile:

We have a boxer/golden ret. mix. She is great with us but way too protective. Frankly, she makes me nervous. It may get to the point that we will have to put her down. My friend had a neighbor's boxer ( full bred) attack her daughter. This girl was in her own yard minding her own business. Just my two cents. Good luck!

:iagree:

You've already received tons of great ideas but I'd like to throw one more at you. We bought each of our boys reading lights that attach to their headboards. The rule is: you can stay awake as long as you want if you are reading. This is an enormous incentive. Usually we require an ability appropriate book, but sometimes allow comic books for reward. The boys usually turn their lights off and go to sleep within 30 or 40 minutes of crawling into bed. Often they hit an exciting part of the story and stay up longer. Reading aloud exciting, well-written stories will also get the reluctant reader "into books".

My husband is a professional educator, in fact he has a Phd in the field, and he does not test our children. Those tests have their place in education but are highly overrated. Use them only as one piece of the academic puzzle and you are okay. Use them as the whole puzzle and you begin 'teaching to the test'. Hope this makes sense. I do not feel fully awake yet. Need more coffee!:tongue_smilie:

Sailormom, I want to thank your husband and you for your sacrifice.

After our large "puppy" broke my finger, my husband researched the best way to control this dog. He chose the collar. It is great. Ours has a function that allows me to give him a warning beep (the dog, not the husband:)), and that is really all he needs now. We only use it in situations where extra control may be needed like the park for a run. This is our 3rd dog and the other two were much easier to train.

IMHO 30 minutes a day for each subject with a 5 year old is a lot. With so many little ones I'd cut way back. Do school only 4 days a week. It will get easier as your dc get older ( they become very helpful with chores) but for awhile just concentrate on the mommy thing. Hopefully you are not feeling pressure to be the "perfect" homeschooling mom.