My older two were sick the flu when DD2 started hers too. Hers just lasted so much longer!! Out of the blue she'd cry about her tummy, then had diarrhea. Poor thing. I'm glad she's so much better now. It was a good week of sickness though. Just make sure your little one is getting lots of fluids. Even if it gets thrown back up again. I was glad my DD2 kept asking to nurse... at least she was getting something good, even though she had no appetite for food. You're right, kids can really scare you sometimes. It's no fun when they're sick. Don't you just wish you could take if for them?

I switched from A Beka math (we only did up to grade one) to MUS. I was REALLY NERVOUS to switch!! I didn't know anyone who was using it. It was so new to me. Best homeschool decision I made. It's a great fit for our family. If anything, it's given ME the proper words to use to teach her. I always knew how to do math in my head, but how to explain to a child is something different. I teach with confidence, no frustrations, everyone is happy. Dependent on blocks? Definitely not. The kids always try to get away with not using the blocks. I have to make them use them... he encourages us to use them as MUCH as possible. But I can't see that they'd ever become dependent on the blocks. Hope that helps.

Thanks, that's good to know!

For DS, I plan to use: Math U See Rod and Staff Pathway Readers A Beka flashcards for blends/special sounds review Copywork Still trying to decide what to do for History and Science. I'll be teaching my dd (who will be in grade 3) History through Dear Canada books. Maybe he'll join in the fun.

Good for you! Hubby and I have been talking about doing the envelope system for years! I'm jealous!

Wow! Good for you!!!

I think it's just a flu bug. My DD2 had the exact thing all week last week. She vomited about 4 times the first night. Then she only threw up in the night a few nights. She'd by fine for two days/nights in a row, then throw up in the night again. I was SHOCKED... thinking she was better, not being prepared for it, vomit all over the bed. Happy one day, clingy the next :001_huh:. It was bizarre but she's better now. I don't think you need to worry.

I'd look into Before Five in a Row. I'd build my library with nicely illustrated books like Treasuries of Robert Louis Stevenson, Mother Goose (every child should know them by heart!) and Beatrix Potter... and Aesop's Fables (for when they're older). Happy shopping!

Very cool! You should do a unit study on meteors with the kids:)

Just noticed that you posted at dinner time.... hmmm.... I think I'd toss if it was out that long too. Ours was just overnight.

I did the exact same thing last week!! We made chicken and left it out until morning. DH and I didn't want to waste it, so we ate it and didn't give to the kids, just in case. We didn't get sick:)

How exciting! What a blessing that is:)

Apparently Goodstart was a little easier to digest... we opted to use that for our adopted daughter. I breastfeed otherwise. It's true that it depends on the baby though.

No diagnosed cases of it here... who knows though, we had symptoms of it. We chose no vaccinations. I think the whole H1N1 was blown a little out of proportion.

MUS and English for the Thoughtful Child:)

Listen to your daughter's signs. When she wants to learn, give her lots of opportunity. I like what the other moms have said... read lots, play lots! But when she's not interested in learning, let her go play! I regret pushing my little daughter too hard. She was in kindergarten and I thought we had to follow a schedule. Wish I would've just had more fun with her!

Ha- I do the same thing. Long for freedom but miss them when I get a break. Can you imagine being an empty nester? I don't even want to think about it!

I'm new here- to this board and to the city of Kitchener, ON :)

:grouphug:

The way I see it, there are a gazillion blogs with that many real names on them. What are the chances that a predator will zero in on yours? My hubby feels differently though.

I just let my ds stop wearing pull ups. He's almost 5. DD was 6 and still wetting about once a week. It's good to make them use potty just before bed and limit water, like you said, but I wouldn't disturb their sleep and wake them in the night to go to potty. I know it's frustrating but it's totally natural and it does stop eventually! I promise:)

My dd and ds had separate rooms before we moved recently. It's fun just for the reason of decorating alone. The girl's room was so princess-y and pink... now they share and it's hard to combine the decorations!

Looks great to me! It's fun planning, isn't it? Do you have a weekly schedule? Setting up a weekly schedule really helps me stick to my plan. I have math, Bible, reading etc on all five days of course but on certain days I have Science, Music, character study, etc. My DD7 loves to check off every subject we've completed, she loves knowing exactly how much more we have to do in the day. I break up the heavier subjects with lighter subjects between. For instance, we start with Bible, then math, then journal which is more of a free time, then back into a speed drill or something. Blessings!

We've done a couple of unit studies. When I choose a book we're going to read, I just google the name of the book + unit study and a ton of ideas are there for us. I can't imagine homeschooling without the internet! What an amazing resource we have. I've done this for "Charlotte's Web" - we learned lots about spiders, and now for "A Little Princess"- we're learning about 19th century England. Lots of fun!

I have to admit, I'm quite new to the CM style myself- but we're heading full force into her methods! The more I try something with the CM method, the more I find positive results with my DD7. It's a good fit for us. For copywork, it's best to find something really meaningful for them to copy, like a beautiful poem, quote or scripture. They will naturally learn the spelling and vocab by doing it. Remember to keep it short and work on perfecting it- quality, not quantity! As far as narration, I guess it depends on your dd's age. My dd7 isn't really doing much handwriting yet. We're still trying to get reading fluently. We do lots of picture narrations. She draws/colours everything she remembers from what she read. She jots a few words beside her pictures. There are some nice narration ideas here: http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/narration/ hope that helps!