Am I the only one that doesn't find Disney to be all that fun? Granted, the kids love it. But, for a fun, relaxing vacation.....ummmm, no. The crowds, the lines, the rushing around,the kids complaining about walking all day.....ugh! It's definitely something dh and I endure solely for the kids:). We have been a ridiculous number if times and it is more like work for me and dh than a vacation! I prefer something like a cruise or all-inclusive resort for a relaxing, enjoyable get away! But, obviously I am in the minority....haha:)

I think a parent has the right to educate their child in whichever way they feel best suited for their family.....whether it be unschooling, public school, online schooling, etc. However, I think that failing to provide any sort of education is infringing on the child's right to an education.

My 3 year old Is busy during the school day with the following: Preschool activity bags ABC home preschool dry erase workbook TONS of read alouds Painting, coloring, cutting...lots of art Dry erase ABC and number workbooks We have LHTH, but rarely use it Sequencing cards She has her own little shelf in the schoolroom and stays pretty busy. I think the activity bags are the biggest hit. She loves all the little art projects, matching games, etc. Good luck. Last year seemed so chaotic, but I think we finally have a good routine in place!!

Well, i'm about 5'4" and weigh about 115 (just lost a few...was 128). I never eat low fat. I focus more on portion control and recording my daily calorie intake. I use an app on my ipod called Lose It! and enter in my foods there. It helps me to see what I am eating without lying to myself:) I also try to limit processed food.

I personally know of only one family. They do not unschool or school or anything close. The mom is constantly committing to things and not showing up and the girls always tell me they haven't started school yet (it's been three years). But, they are an extreme. All of the other families I know seem to be dedicated to their childs education whether they are using a classical approach, boxed curriculum, unschool etc.

Yup, this is my dh. The only way he contributes is by being our IT guy:)

Haha....love the note from the "CIA". It's good to know they are monitoring your transaction:lol:

This is what we do as well ( with the reading list and Sequential Spelling).

Gander publishing has a few books/series with topics for older kids, but at a lower reading level.

We attend a co-op that also uses Apologia science. I guess it depends on what they send home for you to complete. Between the reading and notebooking assignments, there is no way I would add anything. So, I would just see what they send home and supplement as needed.

Most all of what has been listed. But, I never understood half of the questionable content until I watched it again when I was older. An abortion in Dirty Dancing....yeah, way over my head and I had no clue. Rizzo thinking she's pregnant in Grease? Totally missed that one too:). So, I don't stress about it too much with my kids. They have seen Goonies, Gremlins, Grease, etc.

I just finished making dd 3 some preschool activities in a bag. I did buy the book ($12 or so), but I also made up a few of my own. Most of them are independent activities like matching and sorting. I didn't have to buy many supplies. I have a laminator, but you could just use page protectors if you don't. Anyway, she loves pulling them out on her own to use. I had a ton of them last year. Until dh thought they were garbage and threw them all away:glare: We also use a lot of puzzles and dry erase workbooks.

I think I figured it out around seven years old. Instead of being mad my patents "lied", I remember feeling sorry for them!! I would see their excited faces in the morning when we would get our stockings. They were always so anxious to see what Santa brought. So I played along. For years:tongue_smilie:

My dd does a tutorial (drop off) one day a week which includes history, science, Latin, and math games. Here's why we love it: -he gets to do all the messy experiments that are put in the backburner at home -he has homework and deadlines to meet -a solid group of friends he sees on a regular basis -holiday parties, back to school parties, field day -he gets a taste of a classroom setting -we've met many great hs families I could go on and on!! He loves it:). We are also joining a Thursday co- op where dd and both dd's will attend. I will be there to help teach as it is a true co-op. Haven't started yet, but think we will love it. We love getting together with other families. I don't really have any issues with hs styles, etc. as I sometimes see mentioned here. I actually couldn't tell you the hs styles of the other families!!!

:iagree: They had them on clearance at Target as well. I bought the pink princess castle bucket for $7.00!!!

Chuck...was forced by dh to watch it and am now an addict!!! Others I like: Grey's, Medium, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Community..

We used it for a while. We just supplemented with it though. I wouldn't have used it for our core math curriculum. It was a while ago now, so I can't give any specific reasons. Just didn't feel it was thorough enough.

Hi!!!:thumbup:

Training5: I hope things work out for you!! For the first time EVER, my son asked if we were having school tomorrow. I told him no as it's Saturday. His response....."Aw man, it has been fun lately!!!:). Streamlining our LA has given us the opportunity to play some fun educational games this week. I have gone from being scared of this new format to really excited about it!! Time for some workbook burning!!! Okay, no....more like selling. But burning would be more fun.

Thank you...just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. I don't think the CLE was more difficult, but it definitely took longer to get through! I guess that's why this route seems "easier"....like it's too good to be true:) Stepping outside of the workbook style is a challenge for me. But the kids have seemed so much happier without having a ton of workbooks thrown at them!!

Maybe not my favorite sounding words, but my two favorite words (that somehow make their way into most of my sentences) are: random and seriously.

Okay, so after only one week of school I decided to do a major overhaul. Our "school" too closely resembled a ps in that we were doing workbooks all.day.long. We did the same thing last year and our year was just, well, lacking in fun. With all the workbooks we had to get though, there was no time for educational games or anything! It felt like we were just going through the motions and getting school out of the way rather than enjoying learning and being together. I really want this year to be different. SOOOO....I have decided to throw out my beloved CLE LA. For the past few days we have been using FLL 2, WWE, (along with cursive, reading, spelling, and read a louds---debating about adding in phonics)). My problem is that it seems TOO easy. We get through LA so much quicker. The kids are loving it, of course. The public schooled child in me is having a near breakdown though! All of this oral work is so foreign to me. I am a box checking, worksheet completing and filing freak. So, does this LA program sound like it's enough (this is for a second grader and a 13 yr. old with special needs that works at about a second grade level). I don't know why it feels like I am over looking something. Hope this makes sense....my 3 yr. old is sitting here telling me the story of how she had an accident on the couch last night:lol:

Well, we have a school room.... But it's nowhere near as awesome as the one you envision!! It is a small room with barely enough space for our desks, computer, and bookshelves. Now I am drooling over your idea of a school room as well! And if it makes you feel any better, the kids would prefer to NOT be stuck in a room all day:)

I'm still debating on the fall one....I can only digest so much at once:). I just really needed the pick me up.

Wow.....that songnever gets old! It's funny....that 4th guy has such a babyface, but then he just belts it out. Love it! Can they come and sing me to sleep at night?!?!