Hmm.... With cooking, use the recipe the first time I try something new and then adjust it until I get it 'right.' I cook really well but I don't like to do it. Yup, sounds about right.

Well, I like the sound of that better. Still leaves my house at 20% though. :(

I've actually started using CLE's Penmanship workbook instead of WWE. The first part of the book goes through formation of letters, letter combinations, etc... and the second part has a paragraph to read (about an animal that begins with the letter for the page) and a sentence to copy. He seems to do much better with this than with WWE.

Within my own house there is one person (DSS), two (DH) if you go by the 30 lb definition, that would be considered obese. So within my own house the rate is 40%. Additionally, my inlaws are both obese by either definition. My side of the family is slim and I hope my 2 kids got my genes.

I just started HS'ing my 2nd grader this year because he was not being challenged academically and was starting to hate school (as in I had to physically drag him out of bed every morning, fight with him to get ready, push him out the door, field phone calls 3-5 days/wk because he was either complaining he was sick and needed to go home or in some sort of trouble for acting out, and deal with him crying for 1-2 hrs each night while we did his homework). Our district doesn't start it's gifted program until 3rd grade so I was given the options to leave him stagnate in the 2nd grade, push him into 3rd grade, or go to school and do enrichment myself (but pay for a sitter since DD would not be allowed in the school). I chose none of the above and pulled him home. DSS should graduate from PS this Spring. Should. It's been a rough few years there and this one so far has been no picnic. DD was in daycare for about a year but no formal schooling yet.

Our doctor told us that 50lbs overweight OR BMI greater than 30 was considered obese. I'd say that the 25% estimate for Americans is on the low side.

My boys have this competitve bent, and I see it in their friends as well. My daughter could care less. I wonder if some of it is the development of the masculine survival instinct... Better/stronger/faster = survival. That said, I tend to approach it with the "Yes, you are getting better. You must really be practicing and working hard. That's great!" type statements. I also remind them that the others are improving as well and we want to encourage others to succeed, not bring them down.

I find myself in a similar funk. Between school and chores and my job and Scouts.... all I want to do is run away into the woods.

I wonder if it's just their core in general: http://www.timberdoodle.com/Complete_Homeschool_Curriculum_Preschool_p/999-0000.htm

My DSS joined the Boy Scouts in Late Winter/Early Spring of 2008 and is on track to make his Eagle by his 18th birthday (the official deadline) this year. He will have progressed through all the ranks, held the appropriate time in rank, earned all his merit badges, participated in numerous service projects and trainings, held the needed leadership positions, and completed his Eagle project in about 2 years. It hasn't been pleasant but it is doable. Personally I wouldn't recommend it unless you have extenuating circumstances that limit your total time available.

5:30-7:30-- Gym for mom. Must have my gym time to start my day right. 7:30-8:00-- Coffee for mom, make sure DSS17 leaves for school 8:00-9:00-- Wake DH, showers, breakfast 9:00-- Start school. I don't do things in a specific order but we do Math, Language Arts (grammar, spelling, writing), Penmanship, Reading, and PE daily. History, Science, Social Studies, Geography and piano are 2-3 days/wk. Art usually falls in with history or science. DD4 generally does her workbooks sporadically (ABC's, numbers, matching, mazes) as she chooses, plays with puzzles, colors, and plays in her room but she does listen to the readalouds most days as well as history. 12:00-12:45- Lunch 2:00-- the latest we finish school (usually more like 1:30) Laundry gets thrown in and folded during school time while DS is working independently on math or workbook pages. Cleaning of the kitchen is done as soon as the mess is made by whomever made it. DSS is responsible for the bathroom and living room. I work from home so school is frequently interupted by phone calls, emails, clients, and such. I also steal 10-15 minute periods of time while DS works independently in order to enter bills, send invoices, and do other paperwork for the business. I also tend to devote about 1 hr/evening catching up on the day's work. On Mondays we go to the library after school. On Tuesdays we frequently go to our local Hands On Childrens' Museums from about 1-3 p.m. since it is Homeschoolers' Day. Tuesday night is Boy Scouts for DSS. On Wednesday evenings DS has AWANAS. Thursday night is Venture Crew. Friday night is Cub Scouts.

My husband was medically retired after 13yrs of service due to injuries sustained while serving. If the VA had not retrained him, we would most likely be struggling. He was in the 82nd Airborne and his specific training was light infantry mortarman. He was enlisted, not an officer. Not many jobs that call for people to jump out of airplanes and blow things up in the civilian sector.

My dad passed away in 2008 but I have a feeling he wouldn't have said anything one way or another, even back when he had it all together. He was a man of few words and rarely said anything negative to anyone, even if he thought it wholeheartedly. My mom... has raised 2 public school teachers, 1 college professor, 1 librarian, and 2 healthcare professionals.... and she thinks (or thought) all PS's are on the same level as the one we grew up in. Mind you, I didn't learn one new thing in my 1st two years at the University because I had learned it all in high school so I'd say our PS education was phenomenal. That said, she understands why HS'ing was the only viable option for DS THIS YEAR.... Now if I continue to HS next year, that will probably be a different story. My MIL is a private school teacher and in the current economy she has seen many of their families pull their kids to HS rather than send them to our PS's... I don't think she likes it. I get the feeling she attributes every negative behavior DS exhibits to HS'ing. However, she knows me well enough to stay out of our business. My FIL is disgusted with the state of public education in the country and I believe he understands why DS is home.

:iagree:

The requirement is Physical Education, not Gym... My understanding is that you can use topics such as Health, the Human Body, and Nutrition along with actual physical activity such as swimming, basketball, YMCA PE, bike riding, hiking, backyard obstacle courses, frisbee, golf, tennis, rollerskating, park days with organized games such as kickball, kick-the-can, and so on...

Hmm... What about the pagans? ;)

The last time I was at Barnes and Noble I noticed they had little non-fiction DK "See How they Grow" picture books by the Easter stuff... bunnies, butterflies, sheep.... Maybe your library has those. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=see+how+they+grow

My DD4 is a handful during DS8's school time. I bought wipe off workbooks from Target (mazes, ABC's, numbers), wipe-off world map and penmanship placemats, a white board, and some dry erase markers that she uses during math and LA's. I run off a copy of the SOTW AG coloring sheets and maps and she colors next to her brother while I read from SOTW. She usually listens when we do I read-you read or readalouds... Otherwise it's pretty much mayhem. I let her play with her school toys (puzzles, peg board, colorforms, coloring books, beads, and pattern boards) in the room with us. She can watch a video in another room (I try to get Magic School Bus or some other somewhat educational show). She can play in her room. During his breaks I try to play with her.

I started hs'ing DS at Christmas. My state (WA) requires testing each school year. Does anyone have a standardized test they prefer and why? Thanks in advance!

My kids get earn money by doing chores. The chores are age appropriate and the pay goes along with what they do. If they need gentle reminding or help, they still get paid because they did their part to contribute to the house/family. If they willfully choose to forego their chores or they only do them after much badgering, they don't get paid (we pro-rate based on work over the course of a week). Many people consider the allowance a weekly given. We consider paying for Scout activites, swim lessons, agym membership (for DSS), and so on a given. Spending cash needs to be earned.

"Coincidentally I was in the market for this today and picked a used copy of this book off Amazon: World of Plants: Internet-Linked (Library of Science) " Usborne books are usually pretty good. I'll be interested to hear what you think of this one.

Nope. I touch on the 11 state-required topics but I don't gear my curriculum toward testing.

Yup.

I do a mix of WTM Science and CLE. For example, we follow SWB's suggestions for topics to study (i.e. animals, human body, etc. with SOW1) and check out several books from the library but then I also used CLE 200 (primarily animals) and 300 level (just those that applied to the body) books that corresponded. Next year I'll probably do the same but I'm also interested in getting into some more experiments vs. primarily observation.