Why is 42 not an option?! I voted for 9, because it really is my favorite number. :laugh:

We own that Fall Out Boys CD and have I personally have listened to it in the car repeatedly. I even commented on that song to my kids: "This song makes no sense -- I can work a miracle, SHE wants to dance like Uma Thurman, and I can't get YOU out of my head??" I had NO idea of that next line. NONE. I just looked at the Centuries lyrics (because I do like the way that song sounds)...there are a few lines in there that I don't care for either (Come on, come on and let me in/The bruises on your thighs like my fingerprints). Bah. I have no recommendations. I think we are going back to lyric-less classical music, which was even considered risque in its own time...

I'm interested as well. Every once in awhile my kids go through a manga phase and I look into Japanese -- here is my Pinterest board for it. My dh recently said if TWO of the children actually learn it (he studied it in college), he will take the family to Japan.

I will be back in Arizona in a few weeks, after 5 years in the swamps of Virginia! Okay, we're coming out of swamp season now -- I'm going to miss the autumn weather with the leaves changing colors and the magical walks in the woods during the winter snowfalls! BUT I'm excited about returning to the East Valley. While I consider myself a classical educator, I'm actually contemplating BookShark 5 this coming year for my 10 & 13yo...

Power Hour from a blog post on Forever, For Always This coming fall I'll have 10th, 7th, 5th, and K -- school together time is just hard. But after reading this post and thinking about the title Power Hour, I'm feeling inspired!

Years and years ago I had a homeschooling friend who was mentored by Carole Joy Seid (via phone I think, although maybe they met in person also). I remember CJS recommended a math curriculum that was domino based and lots & lots of good books.

I picked it up at the library after seeing this thread, because no one can have too many books on minimalism checked out at one time...right? In the intro she says: Voluntary simplicity is the act of embracing minimalism. Note the word "voluntary." Yes, you have a choice. Do you want to live with clutter, with things you don't need or use? In light of reading the Marie Kondo book (which I had to return to the library), this struck me. I really DO have a choice about how I live. Right now my house is spotless (staged & on the market) and living is easy, in a sense. There isn't much to put away...except library books! And I wonder just what is in those boxes in the basement that I packed up because I knew I wanted to move them! A quote from chapter one: Beautiful things should be used and seen. If something is far too precious to be used for its intended purpose, what is the point of owning it? Food for thought. We recently inherited some china from dh's aunt. I put it into our glass front hutch as part of the staging. Looks great there. But then I was thinking about it. I don't want to look into the hutch and see it forever. I want to see the giant glass mug filled with marbles and glass stones that the kids play with. We don't do "holidays" with fancy dishes. And I don't want burden my children with a box of fancy china that they feel they need to store for...what? Anyway, I mentioned eating off the china to dh and he thought it was a great idea -- his aunt kept the pieces she actually uses (and eats off daily!) and gave the rest to us. So it isn't even a complete set. Anyway, that is as far as I got -- but I'm enjoying it. I haven't gotten to the practical part yet though! A side note (not from the book): I read recently that instead of saying "We can't afford it." to the kids, say "How can we afford it?" I like that -- it puts the emphasis on what you are spending money on and are you willing to change or not to get the desired item. I think this book walks on same path -- changing the way you approach your cluttered-feeling life. So, have you read it??

I hope you got a great start on your projects, and that your kids had a great first day! :laugh:

I started it with my dd5 -- she did pretty well with memorizing the phonograms until we got to OU (I think) -- she really couldn't read the spelling words though (although she began memorizing them). I put it away, along with ALL the school books, until after we move. I do plan to use it again though! It was like Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri, which I used to teach spelling to my 3 older ones...but without the need for teacher training!

I downloaded it too -- I :wub: geography. Thanks to for d-map link, pinned that to my geography board!

I've been wondering about this myself. Jennifer, you wouldn't recommend just buying the Reading Roadmap w/o having gone through Teaching the Classics?

I haven't had a toddler in a few years now, but I remember each one of them going through the phase!! Occasionally I was organized enough to have specific special toys that toddler only got to use with a specific sibling -- so while you're doing AAS w/ Big Sib #1, toddler gets to do playdoh with Big Sib #2...then you switch (or later in the day) and toddler gets to play action figures with Big Sib #1 while you do AAS with Big Sib #2, then you all do a quick School Song Latin review (no writing -- just singing, actions, flashcards, possibly bingo with cheerieos as tokens, etc). And as Amy said, you are accomplishing a lot already! Now I must go read some on The Planted Trees... :laugh:

I'm not actually in DC but am also leaving the metro area, so I can relate! I hate the traffic, and the license plates like I HT RT28 and H8 U 66 don't even make me laugh anymore. Okay, they still do...a little. I'm also hating this humid weather. Standing in front of an open oven and Desert Strawberry's unrelentingly hot are accurate statements about Arizona weather -- but I'd rather have that then this humidity!!

Jean and Pawz4me make a good point about not fostering or training a therapy dog. It might still be a good workable idea though, if the DD was accountable to someone else for the dog's care -- the institution who was responsible for the dog...that way mom wouldn't end up doing the work.

How many of you have actually gotten to the sentimental part -- photos/scrapbook/paper trip mementos? My house is decluttered and staged. I got rid of SO MUCH by asking "Do I want to unpack this?" before I read the book. Now I'm bored and contemplating opening my 3 unorganized plastic bins that all contain photos/scrapbook/paper trip mementos. When we were cleaning & decluttering, I just said I'll deal with those after we move. But now I seem to have time (nothing to clean, no school going on) in large chunks between getting everyone and the dog out of the house for a showing. I could start on those bins. In a controlled way! But I'm afraid nothing will spark joy and yet I'll just keep it...because it is a physical photo. I don't have any new physical photos since...oh, I don't know 7-8 years?? And the years since then are on 2 defunct Apple computers that we haven't attempted to get the photos off of yet. Just thinking out loud here...

Donate any of the clothes that don't bring you joy! Or you can't part with any that way (baby clothes can fall into that sentimental category!!) by some other criteria -- if I was shopping for a new baby would I buy this particular piece?

Thank you for sharing this -- I have one interested in such things!

I was going to suggest something like this. Or perhaps raising/training a therapy dog -- since it is only for a few years? We got a dog (an awesome dog!) because dh wanted one for the kids. But guess who does 99% of the walking (no fenced yard) and cleaning up? MOM. Now I understand why my mother just laughed when my sibs and I would ask for another pet, promising to "do all the work" -- HA! :001_rolleyes:

I will hopefully be moving back to Arizona soon (sell, house, sell!). If we were not going back for dh's job, we would not move to the Phoenix area because it is HOT and quite a bit more expensive than when we originally moved there about 15 years ago. But alas, back to the East Valley we go. As Jenne said, homeschooling is easy – register w/ the county once and you’re done! Here is a state organization with lots of details: AFHE When I was there most homeschoolers did not dual enroll – they just started taking community college classes around age 14-15. I just looked at the Chandler-Gilbert CC website and found a couple pages that might be useful (to me as well, as I have a 15yo): Can I take college classes before I finish highschool? http://www.cgc.maricopa.edu/Students/Admissions/Pages/FAQ.aspx 12-15yo class policy http://www.cgc.maricopa.edu/Students/Admissions/Pages/Underage.aspx Mesa CC looks a little different and I’ll have to look at it more closely because I might end up near there – Qualifications to become a student https://www.mesacc.edu/admissions-records/become-student-mcc Anyway, if you’re not looking at the Phoenix area, then the above info is isn’t helpful at all. AFHE’s website has a list of support groups by county if you’re considering other areas: http://afhe.org/resources_support_groups.html I have no experience to give you for autism – did you check on the Special Needs board yet? I have loved living in Virginia. LOVED the seasons and the forests and the creeks. But I will not miss the TRAFFIC or the cost of living here.

Here are some links I've collected via Pinterest: 30 Playful Ways to Teach Your Kids about Rocks What is the Rock Cycle? (lesson plan w/ video) Mini Me Geology (store) Homemade Treasure Rocks (for fun!)

The Great Latin Adventure might be the perfect fit -- I used it with two of mine when they were about 12 and 9. The older one had done (or was doing) CLE 6 English, and she did both levels of GLA in one year. My son took 2 years to do the program and I did it with him. I wish I had not recycled the student pages now -- I just did it as part of my great homeschool clean out (and these two particular kids are now 18 and 15!) -- so I could more accurately describe the grammar and layout. I don't remember it being Lesson 1, Lesson 2 like CLE but there was definitely a solid followable structure that I appreciated. My 18 went on to do MODG Henle program (both years) and GLE gave her the foundation she needed to do Henle on her own. My 15 did Memoria Press First and Second Form with a coop, and then jumped into an online Latin 2 class with the 2nd half of Wheelock's. They both had a solid foundation of Latin from GLE. We had started with Latin for Children, tried to get through it twice and gave up. I did like the LfC ending chants (probably because I learned them first) but GLE was the first Latin program we actually got through!

Not sure about the State (I'm guessing no, although perhaps if they qualify for aid?) but snagajob.com is good for hourly jobs (both my teens used it in VA) and will probably use it when we get to AZ.

My husband wouldn't let me buy the book either -- he said I would just declutter it when I was done reading it. And he's right. But I'm so glad I borrowed it from the library!

:iagree: And now that I am 42, I realize that I am the answer to life, the universe, and everything. :001_rolleyes:

Awesome joy sparking! I gave away my shelf-worthy matching Philo and Josephus books last week. They looked fabulous on the shelf in my previous house, but hadn't been unboxed in 5 years. I did not miss them. And if I put them out and someone came over & DID ask if I'd read them...I'd have to say no and feel guilty. So, off to new homes they went!