Wow....great pictures and info.!! Amazing how those kids go from being slimy and, well, not so cute, to adorable little balls of fur in such a short period..haha:)

Anyone:)

I'm about to order CLE LA 2 and am debating on buying the teacher's guide. We used LA 1 this past year and I didn't use the teachers guide at all. We use a different spelling program and it seemed that in LA 1 you only really needed the teacher's guide for spelling. Is this true for LA 2 as well? I just hate to waste $32 again:) Thanks!!!!

I started off the year using workboxes for my kids, neither of whom are independent yet. The shelves have now become just a storage place for all of our books. They can't just grab the next box because they have to wait for me to help them. I love the idea of them and will try to implement them again at some point.

We have only done one, but we liked it enough that we have one planned for Monday:) For most classes you just need speakers, no webcam. The teacher comes up on a little webcam and the kids are able to type and chat with her (some courses do use mics). The class we did was presented like a powerpoint/lecture (elementary level). The kids were able to see the teacher the whole time in a small box in the corner, while the rest of the screen was the presentation. My son did NOT want to do this, but after 5 minutes was up on his knees and glued to the screen:) It was a great change of pace and a lot of fun. We were also sent a file of additional activities to complete after. The one we are doing Monday is on Wild Weather....I think they will enjoy it. These short classes are only about 5 dollars, so it's worth trying it out. I know they have some extended live classes that meet weekly, which are a little pricier. I have considered one of the literature classes/clubs for the fall.

I LOVE mine! Although, I don't use it for homeschooling. Unless secretly checking my email while the kids work counts:) I did use an awesome app called Lose It, which is basically a super easy calorie tracker. I followed it's guidelines and lost 15 pounds:) There are SO many great apps! The Kindle app is another great one. However, I agree that the screen is small.....which is why I am also keeping my fingers crossed for an IPad. When this computer goes that will be what we get! If my husband wasn't in IT, maybe I could secretly "break" this one and move the process along.

I put my ds in a Christian pre-school three days a week when he was four and dd will be going when she turns four. He absolutely LOVED it. He really enjoyed the teachers and the other kids. I think dd will love it as well. She does not seem satisfied with the pre-school bags or crafts I set up. She wants to PLAY:) If she does do a craft, she wants other people right there so she can show them every little thing she does. And the girl is a talker.....this alone makes it hard to do school with the older two. It's impossible to read anything for more than two minutes without her interjecting:) DS had a similar personality and really thrived at pre-school.

You DO have a great blog:) Looks like you and your family are always on the go!

Yup....I need to tackle our laundry as well. I was sick last week and the whole house quickly became a disaster. I told dh it just goes to show how much I really do around here. Soooo...I will join in the laundry quest!!!

I loved public school. I had a great experience both socially and academically. I really have nothing negative to say about it. However, times have changed. I also know that my experience was rare. DH hated school and many, many people I talk to felt the same way. My kids started out in public school and, after a few years, I realized that their experience was nothing like mine. There were no great music programs like I had, limited field trips (if any), a lot of bullying (which was NOT dealt with appropriately, IMO), and the teachers seemed so restricted by budgets and testing. We moved to an area with a prominent homeschooling community and I realized that they would be better off. Two years into it and I know I was right. The opportunities available to them because we homeschool just aren't possible in the public schools.

Touch dot math!! To this day I can't do simple addition without visualizing those stupid dots in my head. It definitely hindered my speed in later years. Worst way to teach math...ever!

Ahahaha:) You poor thing!!!! If it makes you feel any better, we have all had days like that!

I wouldn't be comfortable at all. DD has nut allergies and no one in the house gets anything that might cause a reaction! It's bad enough worrying when you are out....home should be where anxiety is relieved!!! I'd call the allergist and discuss your concerns.

Well, I understand, I guess. Personally, I wouldn't have called the police. I TP'd so many houses in my day. It was always done as a joke to friends of ours (usually boys) and I had it done back to me. Not saying I think now, as an adult, it is funny or a great joke to play, just recognizing that I did the same juvenile things when I was young and I was far from a troubled teen!! It's so easy for us to forget what kids think is funny. ETA: I think it is a far bigger deal that her dd snuck out of the house and was driving with someone illegally. That would definitely result in some punishment....

So, the homewowner called the sheriff because their house was being TP'd by some teenage girls?!?! Geez...talk about extreme! I think you have handled it well. As PP's have said, I wouldn't continue to pile on the punishments. No sleepovers, grounded, along with the trauma of being caught...i'll bet she learned her lesson!!! I think it's a rare teenager you will find that didn't do something similar. I know I did...many, many times:)

Last year I replaced the sugar that dh uses for coffee in the AM with salt. Unfortunately I was still sleeping when he made his coffee and took his sip. He told me he forgot it was April Fools and thought I had done it because we had argued over something the night before:lol:

Just like most others...coffee!!

Well, I have only used CLE out of those you mentioned...but i'm still going to vote for it:) We switched from AOP Lifepacs (blech) and I have been thrilled with CLE. He has really taken off since we made the switch. The speed drills and flashcards are really improving his memory of the basic facts as well!

Same experience for my ds as for many previous posters....totally fine the next day. We had to force him to take it easy for the next day or so:)

Oh, haha...I love this thread:) Yes, I know the "right" and "loving" thing to do is to listen to their ramblings......but seriously, sometimes you just want to scream!! My oldest is high functioning Autistic and gets VERY obsessed with things. Right now she is obsessed with a movie and the dolls that go along with it. So, I get to hear ALL about the dolls, what they do, what they "say"...it goes on and on and on. Because of her disabilities she talks about them like they are real. I love her to pieces, but sometimes I just want to pull my hair out when she won't stop. With her, however, I do have to set boundaries. Like a PP said, I don't want her to think it's okay to talk to other kids obsessively about what she is into.....that will drive them away!! Anyway, I know it's a little different because my dd has disabilities....just wanted to say to OP, I can relate and, yup, it can be maddening:lol:

I LOVE Patricia Cornwell books (especially the Scarpetta series). I wouldn't consider them gory, but they are detailed....the main character is a medical examiner.

So helpful...so glad she is doing this:)

Well, since my son already "married" our neighbor girls back when they were 5 or so, I find little girls wanting to dress up like this totally normal. My youngest (almost 3) is constantly in some type of dress up costume and would probably love to dress up in this as well.

We'll be continuing with CLE....i've been VERY happy with it!! We don't use their spelling though...we use Sequential Spelling. Also continuing with FLL and possibly adding in WWE. I need to look through the samples of CLE 200 and see what all the LU's entail before deciding what we definitely add:)

I think some of it has to do with plain old ignorance about what homeschooling entails. A lot of my non-hs friends don't seem to realize we have teacher's manuals like the schools day and, thus, wonder how I could possibly know how to teach every subject. I also agree that many just don't think they have the patience and don't want to deal with the kids all day. Soooo many times I see friends of mine bummed where there is a snow day and their kids have to stay home from school. I never can understand their excitement, either, at summers end when all the kids are going back to school.