I need to read the article and replies after dinner. I only had 2 kids and I did it all: BF and FF and EP. My quick reply to OP's last paragraph: I concur.

I am sorry @saraha! DH did one oil change. $32. I made an appt for another. $61. Then the third will need to be done end of month. So over my $100 budget bc the second is a high mile synthetic and I forgot about that upcharge.

MasterBooks God's Design for Life is about $30 for the student text. I like the series as a jumping-off point for science for elementary and middle. Next year, we are using the Heaven and Earth text and bulking it with videos and other books. There are not a ton of experiments in God's Design, is that matters to you at all.

There is a noticeable step up in writing in book 6, as well. And yes, the pronouns! They occasionally tripped me up, while prepositions are my student's sticky spot. Even so, he is averaging a 92 on the tests now and better on the daily work, even working a level above his age grade. So there is much to be said for the continual building through the levels.

My older boy has really like Master Books' Applied Engineering this year. Biomimicry and design modeling. It's not heavy but it has been incredibly interesting to him.

So as of tomorrow, grade 8 reading/guides will also be free? I was considering the Lincoln book for my 6th grader next year.

Thanks. Yours, too @hjffkj. One has scarlett fever and the other, an eye and ear infection. They are never ever sick at the same time. In fact, one hasn't been sick in over 4 years. So it's very odd they are both down, and with different things. The one with scarletina has had summer strep 3-4 times in his life now. This time there were zero symptoms until the rash broke out suddenly.

We are rolling into June with 2 sick kids. Already $120 in copays and unknown bill from Peds ER. All cars need oil changes, so that's easily $100. I have put off a haircut for months, knowing that after surgery I would just want a pony or bun so it would be out of the way. $40 there. Father's Day will be frugal. No June birthdays. My sister is due to deliver any day so we will travel to see baby some time in June. The good news is that I am working again at about 75-80% my normal rate so we are starting to bounce back rather than hobble along.

I earned my degrees in 2007 and took exactly one online class at my CC. It was creative writing, so "collaboration" wouldn't have made any sense. The world wasn't as digitally-connected then, so cheating would have been more in-person. I agree with the above comments on CC student profiles. In my program, I was an atypical student as a kid fresh out of high school. There were 2 guys within 3 years of my age, and our class average age was 38. Women to men, it was 4:1, and more than half of the women had kids and another job.

I just read a book about a woman who trained to dance in The Nutcracker to fulfill her dream in midlife.

You definitely don't have to start below level 4. Level 2 would be far too basic. We have used 2-6 and 5 doesn't stand out to me in particular, but it would likely be a good starting point as suggested. They do build incrementally. Much can be done orally, and the very end of the book tends to be how to use a dictionary or answer a phone. We skip much of the end each year.

If you feel you must, $20 for the first and $30 for the second.

2 of 2 kids sick. Gas and appointments and meds, oh my.

Go!

Has he tried I Survived or Who Was series? Fewer pictures, some similar content, reading level isn't too high. Mine would read 20-25 pages a day at 8. Now if he rereads a title from either series, he is done in 20 minutes.

I agree rehearsal dinners have evolved greatly in the age of social media. We did go to an elaborate one 15ish years ago, and it rivaled the wedding dinner celebration, BUT it was destination, the families were very wealthy, and there were like 5 pre-ceremony celebrations that weekend.

I ordered the new TGTB safety unit I wanted to do this summer. Shipping is $9! I was pretty surprised. I have a few CTC books and a Progeny Press guide to buy later to be totally done buying curriculum for next year. I am contemplating doing a stock up in July of consumables I know I plan for the youngest to use over the next few years of elementary. I have most of the nonconsumable parts. The ones I need are mostly inexpensive items but everything keeps going up and I know we will use them. Has anyone done something similar?

I am trying to line up as many appts for the year as I can since I hit my max OOP. Derm is scheduled, need to find an allergist. Chicken feed is up even more. The lower cost feeds were decimated. Pine shavings are up 20%. I'm planning to get a few more birds next month.

Mine is not one to read for pleasure, particularly not fiction. He agreed to the first Hardy Boys book and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for summer reading. He'll read daily, but any other titles will be his own choosing.

I agree that the standouts are Mind Benders and Balance Benders. We also like Balance Math & More for variety. You can sign up for a free weekly puzzle to be emailed to you. They always say what book they come from so you get a feel for each book.

I had the older kid inventory the freezer and pantry and we have enough complete dinners for 8 days without shopping. Plus 3 breakfast options and sandwiches, sardines, or fried rice for lunches. Just enough fruit to get us through a week, so no buying anything until we eat all that up. He has a loaf of honey wheat in the oven, and I have rice cooling to fry another day. Components for lentil stew tomorrow are pulled, and dinner is under way. A friend wants to treat me to dinner tonight for a "long time no see" date. The guys will have grilled chicken, pasta salad, and Bush's tuscan garbanzo beans that they love.

Fried rice recipes... It's not something we make but the kids would like it. I keep seeing different orders for the rice/veggies/eggs. What order actually works best, if it makes a difference at all?

Nah, I tried a cup pretty late after kids, too. Never loved it, used it rarely. Now it's $30 wasted.

Did you try Dollar General for OB? I have always had horrendous cycles, so I stocked tons of product. Since my hysterectomy last month, I have given my sisters and nieces about $130 in pads and tampons I had stacked in the closet, in each car, in every purse or suitcase... they just keep appearing.

All 3 guys have UV tops and suits. We wear hats a lot. I really need to find myself a top, though. I am busty with a long torso and probably need to just start wearing a log sleeve Columbia sun shirt over a regular swim top. I usually buy a tankini and spray the rest. We joke that one kid is Cherokee and the other is Scottish because of which genes appear prominently. One requires far more protection to keep from frying.