Hey! I was talking to another mom the other night and she told me about the "Flat Stanley" project. Here's a website that tells about it: Flat Stanley Project I'm not sure this is what you're looking for, but as she described it you shouldn't need to spend much more than printing and stamps on it. HTH! Mama Anna

Yeast - just keep the opened package in the fridge as you use it. Chocolate chips :) The little flourescent lightbulbs Most of the other stuff we buy is perishable. HTH! Mama Anna

Welcome to KC! We live on the Missouri side. The local homeschool conference is put on by MPE if you want to investigate it. My oldest is 8 now and we haven't gotten too many questions from people when she's out during school hours - Homeschooling seems pretty well normalized. Mama Anna

Dorothy Lyons is a writer from the mid-20th century who wrote awesome girl/horse books. (IMNSHO!:)) You can find her stuff used on Amazon. There's some guy-girl interaction but nothing even close to sexual in them. Of course, she might be interested in Walter Farley's Black Stallion series. My Friend Flicka might be too much for her if she's sensitive. Stephen Holt is an older author who wrote stories set in Western Canada - his are about boys and horses. HTH! Mama Anna ETA: For cats, there's Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. The old version of the video (by the same name) is really cool for a movie night, too. (Note: I'm not speaking of Homeward Bound by Disney)

So, who all has the the extremely talkative/extroverted kids? Wanna vent, share stories, or just know that you're not alone? I nearly burst out laughing when I was driving dd8 and dd4 home from somewhere about a year ago and dd8 was chattering non-stop. I mean, non. stop! Dd4 kept trying to add her 2 cents, but couldn't get more than half a word out during dd8's pauses for breath. This continued for quite awhile until dd4 became frustrated and just broke forth to share her thoughts. Dd8 immediately rounded on her for interrupting. What other choice did she have?!?!? And the intense curiosity and pin-you-to-the-wall questions! I value an inquisitive mind. But I've been trying to train dd8 that if someone doesn't give you full information on the first or second question it probably means they really don't want to share it all with you. And YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW EVERYTHING!!! Honest! Is this just normal for a talkative 8-year-old? Mama Anna

It depends: how important to our relationship is it that one or the other of us has a chance to win? Him: Scrabble, Monopoly Me: Rummikub or Pinochle (although that's a card game) Games like Trouble or Aggravation tend to be a free-for-all; either of us might conquer. We play cards often, though, as well as Yahtzee. Does that help? Mama Anna

You are not alone. In theory, I love being with my children. Which means, I like know what's going on in their lives, what influences they're dealing with, etc. In practice, I often count the hours (and then minutes) until afternoon Rest Time. And the girls know that only emergencies are good reasons for interacting with Mama during Rest Time. (The term is always capitalized. Always!) Dd8 is an extrovert. I remember making arrangements with dh one afternoon so that I could escape the apartment and actually go to the store alone. (We're an all-errands-done-one-day-a-week family, so this was unusual.) I was so looking forward to getting out by myself, even for 20 minutes, when dd8 happened to come out of Rest Time. Since it was really time for her to be up, I didn't feel I could send her back to her room. That is, until she asked me, "Mama, can I go, too? I wouldn't want you to be lonely." :001_huh: :glare: <sigh> So sweet, right? I took her. But I soooooo get what you mean. I'm not as much of an introvert as dh is so I often have to function as the extrovert of the family - but I'm not! Really, I'm not! Mama Anna

It's too long, I'm sure, but my dad always something of the sort: "There are two people you never tick off. The cook and your accompanist." :) Mama Anna

In our house, the rule is, "You don't have to like it. You just have to eat it. Or not. But it will show up for your next meal and on and on until you do!" Caveats: If it's inedible to adults, they don't have to eat it. Also, if we know beforehand that a dd doesn't like something in particular, we try to only serve her a little of it and have something else in the meal she does like. Calories cost. Money is limited. Be happy with what you have. Note: Complaining is heavily discouraged and, if not stopped after after a warning, will result in being asked to leave the table. Since other food will not be available, you have to be willing to go hungry until the next meal. Happily, we don't have any food allergies or incredibly picky eaters to deal with in this house - I've often been thankful for that because I know it's not to be taken for granted. Mama Anna

:iagree: We have to keep very tight track of our budget so we use receipts. We use plastic for just about everything so we'll have those tell-tale little slips of paper. Of course, dh is well-trained to give them to me - that's something that has to be learned. Anyway, once each week I sit down with all receipts and enter them into the check register. I write checks for bills at the same time. (Back when we had a credit card as well as our debit card, I used a separate check register for the credit card receipts from each card.) Then, I notate (in the check register) where in the budget the money is coming from: "Groc" or "Fuel," etc. I go over to the budget sheet that has all the categories we spend money in on it and add each amount to its category. That way I know by the 15th how much grocery money we have left by the end of the month, etc. I like this system because: - I know where the money has gone and can follow the trail: each category in the budget has a sum that is made up of amounts (carefully labeled) in the registers, which correspond to receipts that I keep in low-tech envelopes until I can use them to reconcile the account statement. Therefore I can usually find my mistakes when I make them. - When I use the credit card, I know I am taking money out of my budget this month because I enter the receipts in the credit card register and then in the budget - if I don't have money in the budget, I can't spend it with my credit card. - After you track your spending like this, you can set up loan categories in your budget in order to stay on top of debt payments and keep them separate (at least in your budget and mind) from your present pay-as-you-go use of a credit card. If you can manage that. I'm a detailed-oriented person, so this system can be (in the good months) almost like a game to me instead of being a head-ache. However, even when I'm dreading doing the final budget of the month and seeing the numbers I still don't feel utterly overwhelmed because I at least know why things are going to be so bad - unexpected expense, several days off work without pay, etc. The knowledge is empowering. But you must know where the money is going. HTH! Mama Anna

One that I haven't seen mentioned here is The Railway Children. (The earlier version with Dinah Sheridan.) Love it! (Oh, and I second Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. If only the musical score had a bit more variety!) Mama Anna

You all have such great ideas! Great - now how do I choose between them? I love the nature journal idea, the famous scientist studies, and the labs (if we could afford them, that is!) You know, it's amazing: I hit a problem like this, can't quite figure it out (so I'm a bit scared of it), bring it to the Hive, and end up really excited about all the possible solutions. You guys are great! Thanks! Mama Anna

Dd8 is doing WTM science and she's going into the fourth year of it because she began early. We've had a great time using the WTM suggestions thus far. My concern is next year. I'm thinking she'll likely be a bit young for the Logic stage recs, although I could be wrong. If she is too young, what should we do? She excels at Language Arts (which is why we began most stuff early). She's not a specifically "science-y" kid, though she enjoys it well enough. Her top loves are art and reading. WWYD? Thanks! Mama Anna

We'll start in two weeks. I've had it for a year but didn't want to do it last year because dd7 still seemed too young. I was a bit unsure about how much it would add to our day, but as I was planning it out a few weeks ago it seemed pretty simplistic - less than 30 minutes a day. I'm eager to start! Mama Anna

Ooooh, I love planning! Okay, I know I'm really strange about that. :) My answer would be that it depends on a couple of things. #1 What kind of records do you need to keep for the state? (Do you even need to keep records for the K year?) #2 How intensive will your K year be? Is it complicated enough to need complicated planning? #3 Are you likely to need to remember what you're doing this year for when another dc starts K? Here's what I did with dd-now-7 and plan to do with dd-soon-to-be-5: I chose a couple books to work through (Phonics, Math, etc.) but didn't spend lots of time planning weeks, etc., ahead of time. I would plan a week at a time, taking changing schedules into account, and write down the week's plan on a piece of notebook paper which I filed in a 3-ring binder for later reference. (I need to go find those as this next year begins!) We don't have to keep track of anything for the state until a child hits age 7, so it was purely for my own information. Each day I would have a solid plan, yet it was flexible enough to not make me feel claustrophobic. Now that dd7 is older with more subjects and doing more work that I come up with on my own (Memory work, dictation, etc.), I've taken to planning a a full year in pretty solid detail, including cushions for when we need extra time. It's way more complicated, but it has to be. Kindergarten is a great time for practicing to see what works for you. If you find what you're doing doesn't work, change it. It'll work out and you'll be fine. For me the most important thing was to keep myself accountable enough to make sure school was happening. HTH! Mama Anna

Moser Roth Milk Chocolate from Aldi's Pistachios Pudding. You know, each box really is only one serving. Honest! Cookies. Expecially something rather plain like shortbread. Candy corn, tootsie rolls, or circus peanuts. (Dh really doesn't understand that last one!) There are so many things I mustn't touch when alone in the house!! Mama Anna

My MIL is great! I always figured it was her experience - she'd been a MIL for probably over 20 years when I married dh and already had 5 other sons- or daughters-in-law. (Dh is the weeeee little baby of the family.) She loves her son and accepts me (and loves me, I think, though she's one who rarely puts such a thing in words) because she knows I do, too. She knows when to keep her mouth shut and doesn't offer advice unless she's asked. I end up asking her more often than I thought I would (I was initially rather scared of both my FIL and my MIL, but that's a different story) at which point she gives good, solid advice. It helps that while our world-views are not exactly the same they overlap at least 85 - 90%. Our ideas of "well-behaved children" are similar, etc. I try my best to be a good dil, making sure the girls know her and she gets some kind of communication from/about them (we live 11 hours apart and finances keep visits at about 1 per year). She's a great grandmother, which is important to me - I only really knew one of my grandparents and that was during/after Parkinson's, so I'm really happy that my girls have 4 (more or less) solid, healthy gps to enjoy. Yes, I know we're very blessed. If it makes you feel any better, not all family members are so solid. :tongue_smilie: Mama Anna

:iagree: I enjoy reading certain Christian Romance authors. I don't dwell in them ceaselessly - I save that for Austen novels, usually. :D I've tried broadening my horizons and picking up books by other, more prolific authors of the genre and tend to end up being disappointed. The characters seem rather . . . foolish to me in how they handle situations, I often find myself disagreeing with the theology expressed, and the formula becomes waaaay too boring by the second or third book by the same author. Some of the historical-genre stuff I've read is simply outrageous in respect to cultural norms, societal expectations, etc, of the time as best as I can tell. So why do I still read them from time to time? It's sort of like research. As far as I can tell, these authors are trying to sell their work by appealing to what they think I want to read. It's interesting to read about what type of man I'm supposed to find fascinating. (So often I'm reeeeeaaaally glad mine isn't like that!) It's interesting to try and uncover the themes and "hidden agendas" of the author - the things she (usually, at least) is trying to get me to automatically agree with by the end of the story. What problems do they assume I need to know how to fix? It's all very interesting in an analytical sort of way. I do have to watch it, though, because I know I tend to pick up the thought patterns of the characters I read about and I have to make sure I don't do that with books like these. The Christian Romance genre books I do like are the ones that take a theological or moral dilemma and try their best to work it out biblically. Oh, and there happens to be romance involved. :D Even if I don't completely agree with the author in those, I still really appreciate the serious approach to "real" difficulties. Regarding the link in the OP, I'm assuming he's talking about the same novels that I'm not too fond of. I wouldn't warn a friend off of them, but I don't really disagree with him with regards to my own reading. Mama Anna

Oooooh, I feel your pain!! My dd4 switches on in the morning and off well after bedtime. (I can hear the whispering and her sister shushing her all the way down the hall.) And the things she has to explain/describe to adult visitors - whoa! A good school morning here is when dd7 only says twice, "Sister, stop it!" Which, of course, brings up the discussion; "What?" "I said stop!" "What?" etc. ad nauseum until I step in. Aaaaaaaaaah! My solutions have been: 1 1/2 hours of Rest time in the afternoon while dd7 and I do Science, History, or Art. It's not as if dd4 is actually quiet. Her singing (soooo tuneless! <cringe>) often has to be toned down so it doesn't wake dd20mo. in the next room. But it gets the noise down the hall. No singing or humming at meals. That doesn't stop the talking, but at least she's not supposed to talk with her mouth full. Chewing and humming are perfectly compatible, you know? Sometimes I just have to tell dd7 to get over it. "If you were in public school, you'd have all sorts of distractions. Now, read the math problem quietly aloud and focus on it." And I do try to keep dd4 out of the schoolroom (kitchen) when we're doing dictation or running a spelling test or something requiring "timed" focus. I am encouraged that all this will sometime end because dd7 was much the same at that age. What shuts her up now is the fact that she can read to herself. Dd7+good (long) book=blessed silence. If only dd4 can become somewhat fluent before dd20mo. takes up the talking baton . . . ! Mama Anna

:grouphug: I've been in a similar situation with dd-now-7. I just keep reminding myself that no child of average physical abilities wears diaper when he or she is 18. In fact, few do when they're 7 or 8 years old. Somewhere in those years it will resolve. Surely! Right? Mama Anna

Great job!! Any chance the teacher can get a raise after her year-end performance review? ;) :D Anyway, WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! :party::party::party: Mama Anna

I've hsed mine from the beginning (you may be pulling yours out), but I know the "What do I think I'm doing?!?!?" that comes at the odd moments. Especially when you add in moving, a new baby, or dh's extra-busy schedule for a semester, etc. But for me the following have helped: Because I'm starting at the beginning, I have no idea how I'm going to do Middle School or High School. But that's okay because by the time dd7 gets there, I will. I don't have to know it all or how they will all turn out. Just take the next step. If it helps, look at standards for your local school district, the State of California, or in the Core Knowledge Series for your student. I find some of the terminology overwhelming, but still - I can see where my dc are ahead, where they're a little behind because of differing scope and sequence in curricula (like Math-U-See), and feel better able to defend things to myself. The Well-Trained Mind is good for figuring if you're doing enough writing, etc., if you happen to be following a more classical approach. Realize that your cold feet won't completely go away by the time you begin schooling. I second what the pp said about writing down your reasons for hsing. Then you have something to refer to when you need to re-convince yourself. For me, planning works wonders. I love that part and know from experience that if it isn't written down somewhere it's not likely to happen. I plan more than I expect to accomplish so I can leave some out without feeling like I'm failing. Remember it's a learning process for you, too. You'll be a much better teacher in three years, probably, than you are now. But that's great - professional development, right? In the end, never underestimate the therapeutic effect of chocolate, ice cream, or whatever works for you. :D HTH! Mama Anna

Made me chuckle, too! Mama Anna

My dd7.5 or so makes me want to scream sometimes! She gets very focused on things that are (to me) very small (ie, "What if I can't find my ball, Mama?") and can't let them go. She will well up with tears at odd times but especially around school stuff that she doesn't understand completely. (And seeing how school is supposed to get you familiar with new stuff, that's unfortunately often!) She can be very thoughtless - not too surprising but still annoying - around dd4 even though she is at heart a very loving person. She is very quick to take offense with friends and feel hurt and have to come inside. Her self-focus is not a selfish, greedy thing - more like an analytical total lack of confidence - but it's extreme sometimes. I've also wondered if she's already in her pre-teen stage because of the mood swings. Example: Last fall our plans for a Sunday afternoon changed. I was in the kitchen prepping something when I told her she couldn't go play on the nearby playground. She dissolved into tears and the whining voice that goes with them and began lamenting her fate before I had a chance to finish my sentence. When I got her attention again, I stated that this was because we were going to take a picnic dinner to the neighborhood park and eat it near the lake. Instantaneously she began to jump up and down and exclaim in a high squeaky voice, "The park? The lake? Oh, I love going to the lake . . ." <whew> Whiplash mood-swings! And why does it all have to be so high-pitched? :glare: The funniest part of this is that I took the girls to the local Convention's curriculum fair and we passed a booth for a homeschool theatre organization. I found a brochure, handed it to dd7 and said, "Here, look at this." She said, "What is it, Mama?" I responded, "It's drama. You get up on stage and act out plays and such." She looked at the brochure doubtfully and softly (so as not to offend the boy in the booth) confided, "I don't think I like drama, Mama." I was speechless. :lol::lol::lol: I hope things smooth out for all of us!!! Mama Anna

Hmmm . . . I wonder if this will work? I'll tell one on myself. :D I sang in the choir in college. Required dress was a long, flowing black dress with lots of ruffles. :glare: I lived at home (rural area) and spent a lot of time commuting back and forth to school. One late fall night I was driving home after a concert when I came to a curve and found a shapeless black thing in the road in front of me. It moved a bit (a little freakily), so I edged over and passed by it in the other lane. As I passed, I saw it was a black trash bag rippling in the breeze. Feeling all full of performance glow and helpfulness to my fellowmen, I decided it would be dangerous to leave it there. I pulled off the road (leaving the car running with its lights on) and walked back to pick it up. When I turned around, I saw the car cheerfully bumping its way across the plowed field toward the creek bed a couple hundred yards away. I'd forgotten to put it in park! All my professionalism left me pronto and I tore out across the plowed field in my high heels hollering, "Hey! Come back here, you!" I caught it before it went more than 20 yards or so (Thank the Lord it wasn't muddy that night) and managed to get back onto the road, but I always thought that would have made a great video . . . Did it work? Mama Anna