What does it mean when someone refers to their child as a "rising x-grader?" Thanks.

Wow! I hope you get the reaction you deserve after all of that!

I'm using the Sonlight P 3/4 book list, OPGTR, Cuisenaire Rods (Alphabet book & K-4 Idea Book from LR), 3-bear family manipulatives with activity cards and books, Rod and Staff/CLE Kindergarten A-G series, Pianimals, and various cutting/pasting/coloring/handwriting/letters/numbers workbooks. She also listens in on SOTW, does the coloring sheets and maps, and often participates in the history activities as well as our science experiments. I like to have a variety of things for her because she loves the idea of school and I want it to be continue to be fun for her. This pieced together curriculum covers math, language, reading, bible, science, history, music, and art for her.

This.

We are an "other." I leave for the gym around 5:30 a.m. DSS has to be out the door for the bus by 7:15 a.m. DD4 usually is awake by the time I get home (around 7:30 a.m.) but I'm not sure when she actually gets up. DS8 wakes up when I drag him out of bed at 8:00 a.m.

Wow, I feel really fortunate. Our library system includes about 30 libraries. Our ILLs are free, we can have 25 items on hold and 50 items checked out and for 3 wks at a time for a total of 9 wks before having to take the items in for "inspection" before checking them back out if no one else has put a hold on the items. They just started charging overdue fines last June and it's only 15 cents/day per item. When you hit $5 you have to pay it down to under $5 (it can be $4.99, but not $5) in order to check something else out. I don't know what I would do for history or science were it not for ILL.

DSS18 knows that once he graduates he has "room and board" covered here with us but anything beyond his basic necessities are his responsibility. He has only turned in 2 applications as of yet and seems to think he can just wait for a dream job to fall in his lap. It's terribly frustrating and reading about all of these kids who are trying so hard and still having trouble finding employment stresses me out even more.

We use books on CD during car rides (even short ones). Generally I try to have the actual book as well as the audio version so DS can follow along. He tends to retain more if he can see the words while he's hearing them. We use his AWANAS book and CD as well as things like Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, and classic books (Jack London and Rudyard Kipling as his favorites).

But of course! :001_smile:

I too cannot imagine teaching a large number of kids at different stages with different personalities. Honestly, some days it pushes me to the brink just to act as the referee between my 8 and 4 yos. Other days it is a complete joy to be around them. I am one of those people who never wanted to be a SAHM, let alone a HS mom, but here I am. I am doing what needs to be done for the family, just as some parents do by working or putting their kids in PS or sending them off to military school. I have WOH, WAH, SAH, worked part-time, worked overtime, been self-employed, and every variation in between over the last 15 years since I graduated from college. I will honestly say that as an individual I am personally and selfishly happier and more fulfilled when I WOH in my chosen career. However, that is not what is best for our family as a whole right now. So I am home, often banging my head off the wall, often wishing I was anywhere but here trying to explain yet again why many things in the English language aren't spelled like they sound and you just have to deal with it. Some day it may go back to being about what I want, but for now it's about what the family needs. OK, I'm going to duck now.

Yup. Let's see what might give it away. A huge library-style book shelf behind the kitchen table loaded with curriculum and books, learning games, art supplies, and science projects, another book shelf with "fun" books for DD tucked under the kitchen counter/island, two more huge bookshelves in the living room, another in each of the kids rooms and one in our bedroom as well... A solar system mobile drying on the kitchen counter... An "aquarium" swarming with triops... Educational videos out on the entertainment system... Or maybe it's the stack of homeschool catalogs and books next to my chair.

I just ordered the SC-750 with student guide off Amazon. I was told by the hive to order the biggest set that I could afford because whatever set you buy won't be "enough" once the kids get their hands on them! I wanted the guides for ease of use as part of our science program. I stalked it for months until the price went down a bit (usually it's about $135 and it was down to $120 last week). I also ordered the AC adapter based on a recommendation from here. We already have enough things that eat batteries! I was told that you can always "upgrade" if you buy a smaller kit. I guess you can contact the company and trade your smaller set for a bigger one. I'm not sure how that works but if you go to the Elenco site there is a section about upgrading. I'm so excited to get ours. I will be stalking our mail carrier this week!

I have one who is PS so this year I scheduled around the PS schedule. It is too distracting (and somewhat unfair) for the youngers to have school while the elder lounges about. Depending on what he does this next year (work? military? community college? who knows?), I will work out a schedule that works for our family but will most likely take a week or two at Christmas and summer off. I love my summer.

right here in Olympia, WA. Blech!

We backpack camp with our 4 and 8 yo's... You could totally do it now. Since you enjoy that sort of thing... :001_smile:

http://www.oja-sda.com/Files/1TouchPointMath.pdf It's what the PS here still uses.

I just ordered the SC-750 with student guides. I haven't received it yet but I'm so excited. Anyone have some favorite projects they care to share? I want my son to be as excited as I am!

I'm so sorry.

LOL! I lived on a farm as did about 90% of my classmates. Umm... We farmed! I wonder if the teacher really read all of those essays about picking rock, milking cows, and mowing hay.

He would come home with these math problems with dots and/or double dots on each number. Then he would commence to counting the dots to add or subtract. Horrible. Even after 6 mos of homeschooling and knowing that he knows the answers, he still taps the numbers.

No vacation as far as I'm concerned. We (and by "we" I mean DH and DSS) are "remote campers" meaning we don't camp in campgrounds and generally we have to trudge several miles with backpacks before we can pitch a tent and find a tree to pee on. That may be fine when it's people who can carry their own stuff and can readily identify poison ivy, but small children do not fit that bill. Camping is all the B.S. of home with none of the conveniences. I hate it. Guess where I'm going next weekend. Grrrr....

We are taking it year by year.

I had wondered the same.

No. We visit family, but we tend to schedule a "vacation" around the visit. Let me explain. For example, we are flying to WI to visit my family this summer. We are flying into Chicago to spend a couple of days there. Then we are driving up to Wisconsin Dells for a few days of water parks, rollercoasters, and boat rides before we head to the family farm for about a week. The "vacation" is Chicago and the Dells. The "visit" is with family.

We do $1 per year. DS18 has more responsilities and does more activities that require money.