Well, she started with Abeka phonics in Kindergarten and is now doing Abeka 1st grade phonics. We never pushed early reading, and she has really blossomed. I just don't know if my son with these issues would benefit from more phonics training or if memorization is better for him---but that certainly didn't work in the public school for him. 2nd grade Abeka covers phonics again, but more as a review and at a quicker pace. The Teach Your Child to Read is something I've heard about. Maybe I will look into that? I hate the thought of going so far backwards, but I am worried about next year. Thank you so much!

Thank you all for the clarification. I am just so frustrated because everything seems complicated. I do have two tests here and ordered my 4 free ones, but the decision to get more is because my sister-in-law is in town to help my mother-in-law (who lives nextdoor to us) recover from her whipple pancreatic cancer surgery. Get this. She got the call her daughter was exposed at dance and told NOBODY on her way here. Kept it to herself. The next day, we did go over because it was my son's birthday. I felt weird about it, but people think I am nuts, so I decided to live a little. Last night she tells us the daughter is positive, and now the son is. I'm not sure why anyone would show up knowing they were exposed. MIL is a cancer patient. Anyway, if I give SIL our tests, we have none. Tomorrow will have been 3 days since I was in her presence. I won't have any tests until maybe mid next week if I give her ours. Maybe she can go find a place to get a test done.

I just purchased four tests. My health insurance company says they must be purchased from "preferred" pharmacies. Two are listed: Rite-Aid (we do not have those anywhere nearby) or Wal-Mart (always out of stock). No CVS... No Walgreens... This seems absurd to me. So I guess I won't be reimbursed my $40 I just spent. I did send for free tests, but I am hoping to have some sooner due to possible exposure.

My second born is a younger 3rd grader. He turned 8 in July. He was last in public school in 1st grade, and that was the year everything shut down due to Covid. We began homeschooling him using Abeka last school year for 2nd grade. Prior to Kindergarten, he had been released from his IEP. Some development and speech issues had been addressed. He was lead poisoned in utero, and his teachers swore he was "quirky" and didn't have autism. We've never had a formal evaluation or diagnosis beyond what was provided by the special education system. He was not taught phonics in public school, so his first taste of it was last year in 2nd grade. It was a faster pace, and it assumed the child had studied phonics beginning in Kindergarten. Fast forward, and he still struggles decoding words. He can have okay handwriting I can decipher in print/cursive, but he struggles to copy words neatly, and they are unreadable a lot of the time. I suspected dysgraphia perhaps, but I am not sure. He does spelling lessons and can do very well on spelling tests. Reading is just so difficult for him, we think that he never really knows what he has even read. I rarely send him to read on his own. I read a lot to him, but for his literature studies, we take turns reading. Even if he is listening, his comprehension is not very good. One thing is very good at is memorization. Math isn't too bad for him, either. My husband asked what would happen if we started over, using the slow phonics approach I have used from the start with my now 1st grader. But that seems daunting to go that far back, and I am not even sure it's the best approach for him. Any thoughts? He will be 9 in July, so he is still very young. Thanks!

I got that same vibe. I am going to look into the TOPS! Thank you. )

Thank you all for some suggestions I'd not heard about or discovered! I have started to look at some of them. I am definitely intrigued by Unit Studies and diving deeper into a few topics vs. studying one all year or studying many throughout the year. As for TGTB, I did not think it looked like a mess at all, but I also hadn't actually implemented it into our homeschool. But I read comments from those who had used it, and unfortunately, I still fall into the trap that I let other people's experiences influence my decisions. This super charged science in particular interests me. It looks like it has single subjects, and I wonder if we could do 2-3 a year?

This year, my 3rd and 4th graders are using Memoria Press Astronomy for their science. It's alright, and I 100% understand MP's elementary approach to science. Before I made that choice, I'd purchased a few units from TGTB The Good and the Beautiful. I thought they looked wonderful, but some described them as a "hot mess." I ended up selling the physical products. MP's Astronomy is going okay, but I think we'd really enjoy a colorful curriculum. I am considering using TGTB after all. I have looked a bit at Apologia, but it says to use a book for the entire year-- When I see something wordy and lacking illustrations, it doesn't interest me for science at this level. I consider it an "other" class at this age. I'm simply looking for elementary/middle school options.

I know how you feel. We’ve had so much happen in our lives on top of the pandemic. Sometimes it just all feels so unfair. Maybe even though your husband can’t take this on, he’ll at least be supportive. And maybe things might be different in the next several months. I sure hope so!

Ahh, thank you! I see the difference. I’m really just exploring. I will probably rule out the method, perhaps not this curriculum.

Thank you all! Well, I’ll have to re-read Cathy Duffy’s overviews. I found a pro/con list, and I don’t think I could go all in on it. But perhaps aspects intrigue me.

I'm trying to understand what the Waldorf method is exactly. I've learned a little bit about traditional and Charlotte Mason, and we are currently using a Classical curriculum, of course. I found a curriculum called Oak Meadow, and I guess nothing screams "unique" about it when I look at course books and student books. My oldest will be in 5th grade next year, though of course as a homeschooler, his curriculum ranges from minimal 4th grade to 6th grade level work, depending on the subject.

Thank you so much for sharing! Is that Charlotte Mason inspired? I tried to implement some of this in the fall, and my son wondered why we were reading so many books. I was going off a list from Mater Amabilis, a free Catholic CM curriculum (though only my husband is Catholic). Going off that curriculum also made me feel a little crazy. Some of the books are thick and intended for the entire year.

I don't have too much to add. My nephew is about to turn 18, and despite all of his potential, there is always someone...better. At this point, he is trying to find a college that will just let him play on their team. It means giving up the type of program he originally wanted to do in physics. He is so very smart, but there is little chance he'd ever play beyond a small private college. Now Dad seems to be trying for the next in line to do the same. They play baseball all year round. I'd heard of spring. I'd even heard of fall ball. Now it's all year, on actual teams and not just off-season training. My daughter showed promise in another sport as a soloist, but she is very young. It is not local, which made things difficult. Then Covid hit. She still takes private lessons here and there an hour away (which is closer than the 2-2.5 hour one way trip I used to make), but rarely does she practice. It does break my heart. I signed her up for a dance class, and she enjoys it. Sometimes she says she likes the other thing better, but I figured she'd practice if that were true. I stopped pushing her to practice and got a little bit burned out myself. I knew she had potential, but I am sure others are now catching up and surpassing her. Also, having four kids in our family, it gets really complicated---add on my husband's career when he is just unavailable certain times of the year. If Covid gets better, maybe her just taking lessons here and there, will help her get back at it someday. I don't know. I'm sadder than she is, and I never wanted her to resent me for not giving her the opportunities. Oh I want to add in my family's case... Homeschooling has made everything harder. I have less time during the day to do my work/chores, and then I just get too tired. 😞 We have yet to reach the "flexibility" phase, and I am not sure I can do this long-term. I do believe for a child to be successful in most activities/sports, there is going to have to be a very involved parent. It isn't just the child making a commitment. A parent is making the commitment, and you do have to push and train hard to be competitive in ANYTHING these days. It is just how it is. (I don't always like that. It makes me feel crazy, but I have that kind of personality, too, to get stressed.) If your child has the goal, and your family has the means, then I would probably be willing to go that route. Is your husband able to take on a lot of that responsibility? Are there other kids in the family who you can help with their interests? If it is feasible, it might be worth pursuing. The worst thing that can possibly happen is your family backs off after trying.

"survival" lol That's me! If I really want coffee, I will drink just about any kind of it! ha ha

Oh no problem! I didn't think those specific courses were Christian, but I'd have to look closer. I hope you find what you are looking for. 🙂

I am a coffee drinker. Living next to my in-laws, he will serve me coffee as part of an after-dinner thing. Otherwise, I wouldn't expect it anyplace else. I think you could keep Folgers singles handy and possibly powdered creamer, though milk would probably do. That is, if you would like to have these items on hand.

This reminds me of something offered by Logos Press, but it might not be the exact same curriculum. There is a series called Imitation in Writing. English - Logos Press (logospressonline.com)

That is a good question. But I had a hard time with the viral vector vaccine and then had hardly a reaction to the mRNA vaccine. My hopeful answer is we will do better with the virus. I also remember being told the viral load you get would make a difference. I am not sure how that rings true anymore with omicron.

Thank you all so much for weighing in. I've never thought about searching for "output." I think our struggle with MP is it's the same type of output for each class, and of course, I bought ALL the things, thinking it was all necessary. My son said that he held back from reading ahead in his last novel because he knew he'd have to answer the comprehension questions for his winter intensive class. He has phenomenal recall of details. I really don't think he needs that type of curriculum for literature. I think we just need to mix it up, but I need help with having a pre-planned curriculum. I am just trying to brainstorm for next year. I am still trying to figure out the MCT books, lol.

I'm in the US and haven't paid super close attention to the story. Obviously, the people who think the pandemic is a "plandemic" support him. The little coverage I watched made me think he hadn't dotted his I's and crossed his T's, and I assume now more than ever, one would quadruple check compliance with the rules. Honestly, with the pandemic, I am a big fan of closed borders, but I guess that's not realistic. Tennis can't be played over zoom, lol.

The sad thing is his "followers," who include my husband, believe it to be truth for all scenarios. And for his one story, I can recall reading studies about mask efficacy and anecdotal success stories. But yeah, my husband will support this guy's truth over what I have read. Thank you for sharing! I would like to, but I also agree with the above response that it shouldn't even be dignified with a response! I understand each "precaution" isn't 100% and that the careful are testing positive, but I still don't believe we should try nothing. I guess I still hold onto hope that viral load can still play a roll, even in the face of Omicron. Maybe I cannot stop myself from getting Covid, but I'm certainly not going to throw caution to the wind right now.

Dirty N95 mask = ineffective against Covid? So one of my husband’s forum pals posted a picture of an n95 mask he wore (claims tightly, pinched around nose) while blowing off dusty farm machinery. Because his inside mask is filthy, he claims they cannot work against Covid, which my husband has adopted as “truth.” Of course, I wonder if his movement affected his mask wearing, if his face was dirty, etc.

oops sorry for that last post.... My husband and I had a brief exchange. Basically, he is not going to wear a mask in a meeting taking place the 31st. He said after two years, most adults are not wearing "face dipes." Then he told me, "life goes on." Of course, this is to spite me and is just being mean at this point. Any decent loving husband would have said something along the lines of wearing a mask to make his wife feel at ease. I basically need medication to get through this marriage anymore. He's just a mean person who respects his forum buddies more than the feelings of his wife. For over a decade I have been going on his family trip with his side of the family, which I hate. He hasn't figured out all the reasons why it is unbearable for me. Of all the little meals out last time (last summer, summer is our risky time), he sat by me once! At one restaurant, he sat by his parents and others, and a waiter missed our kids' drink order. My husband made it my fault by asking why I didn't interject, and I really couldn't. I'm just over it. Always last.

I haven't been seen in a long time, either. 😞 I'll have to find out if there is a safe way to do this.

I have private student loan debt with Naviebt. My loans were originally with SallieMae, then Discover. Navient took them over. I worked in nonprofit. I’m almost 41 and this is my last one. Graduated at age 23 from grad school, always paid… do I need to do anything? The others got paid off, but never could get this one down it feels. ETA: I read an article that said the relief may be for students who took out loans to go to for profit schools, which I did not. So, I am guessing I will not qualify for any forgiveness. Oh well. Oh and you have to have been in default, so they're just writing off those loans. If you have faithfully paid, you still get to deal with the one loan that never seems to go away. 😞