My girls wear dresses all the time, at least every other day. They always have leggings or shorts under so we just push them up. They don't wear anything with crushy type fabric. I know a lot of little ones wear recital costumes in car seats fine, but if it is something I think would be uncomfortable for me, then I just change them into it.

I also hate the Pigeon Forge area, it is way too tousitry, Gatlinburg is too honestly. Next trip we are staying on the North Caroline side by Fontana Damn or will drive up to Hot Springs NC... I hate the tourist trap crap with mountains at the base. It's like a crazy carnival and they've ruined natures best :(

No nature hikes, what?? The Appalachian trail runs through GSMNP!! Why wouldn't you take advantage of that? Honestly we go and hike the whole time... of course I intend to hike the entire AT so I'm a bit different ;) The pancake pantry in Gatlinburg is the best breakfast spot, arrive real early- it fills up fast! We also loves Mama's farmhouse, you can get the menu online. We are a family of 6 so this was a great deal for us. We took a lot of food because they have a grocery store so I'd pick up things I didn't bring from home. I'd do a crock pot every evening and we'd pack lunch for the day to have a picnic. We took some blankets and picniced in Cades Cove (just pulled off and walked out into the field). That was a great spot. If it's warm enough picnic near one of the many streams and let the kids play (I'd drive into the mtns.) The best putt putt place is in Gatlinburg and is called Hillbilly Golf, way better than the Ripley's courses and is independently owned. Highlight of our trip the first time. The aquarium was blah and not worth the amount they charge. I avoid anything Ripley's in that area honestly.

I'm an ABC tutor as well, it's hard with that age group. But snack time makes them hold out and they LOVE presentations! We also move around a ton so that helps them. I also within the time let them structrue it a bit. If we run through science statement 7 times and they want to do another thing I let them help with ideas. We also talk to each other a lot durring fine arts. It was hard with tin whistle, but the others it was easy and they loved talking. We also take turns doing the experiements so they get hands on, not just me demonstrating. We make our time just fine and don't rush. I always have a fun review game and never keep points. At that age it's just to make recalling it fun, not about who is memorizing more. We help each other and say it together. One week I brought in a big puzzle and we answered questions for pieces and then put it together while singing timeline. We did nerf gun review and they loved it! We do all sorts of games that make it fun. They look foreward to it and don't whine at all. I spend very little time prepping honestly. I also just make up motions, voices, and songs on a whim. I really don't even use CCconnected.

This is my first year in CC after participating in our local coop for years. It's so much better. I cringe when I look through all the pre they've been posting about for the local coop. Where shall I begin? First, CC is way more structured and the tutors are being paid so they put in a lot of effort- where at the other coops they aren't. A few will put in the work, but most of the classes are thrown together and do not have any accountability. You know exactly what you are getting in CC, no changes. So far this semester I have seen a few classes changed or dropped, and just a lack of what the class will be about. With the other coop It was disapointing to go week after week and the teachers have NOTHING prepared. Very upseting. My 2nd grade son was in a PE class where they rotated between dodgeball, tag, what time is it Mr. Fox, and duck duck goose... I have enough kids at home to do this. The second class was an art class where they made one thing the whole year and otherwise they colored or drew. My kids do this for fun on their own time. ANd the other class is what they call boy/girl play time. Uh, ok his best friend was in the girl class and he was so heartbroken they couldn't play. Very gender specific as well (makes me mad) and they played with blocks and legos for an hour. COMPLETE waste of our day. This year they had better offerings and I almost joined so they could see some friends. The best class was canceled and replaced with boy/girl play time- this is for 3/4th grade kids!!! I mean make a play date and do that, don't charge a coop fee for it! And the other class is a show and tell class- funny because it was never offered until we started our CC and the presentation time was drawing members, haha. So this show and tell class has no direction or guidelines, but they want the kids to write out 3 paragraphs and read from them in class for show and tell. The moms in the group are flipping out over it (kinda funny to see unfold). It's insanity. CC has clear rules and what is/ is no acceptable. Other coop is a free for all the makes me leave with a headache. CC has more community, other coop is a very clickish group with no community feel at all. CC we all eat lunch together and have fellowship, other coop as soon as they clean their area they bolt to their groups lunch date area without inviting others. I don't understand why they have to always go to a fast food restraunt? Well we don't and so people like us have to find each other or go home. Anyways, I could go on and on. I really hate our local coop, love many of the moms, but hate the coop. I've volunteered to teach a knitting class and was told a $5 fee to buy needles, yarn, and make copies was too much. So a year later another mom volunteers a crochet class and they let her teach. Yes, I was very upset. I volunteered to do a gardening class (I'm a master gardener) and I was told it was too much for the group (what???) so the next year they have someone teach one like it and it was HORRIBLE, like wanted to poke my own eyes out. I told them I would teach a class on the book backyard ballistics and just collect recycables. They thought that was great, but I had to find another comparable class for the girls, because this was a boys only class (?????) and the girls wouldn't need to do that. WHAT??? I could go on and on. So basically if you want to teach a crappy "art" class, or watch the kids play with unstructered guidelines you are fine to teach... if it is something worthwhile find a group of friends... which is what I do.

Thanks! My uncle has bought all of his DSLR cameras and lenses off ebay, and he's done well. I just worry too much. Good point on waiting, I'm just not sure how to research it well enough I guess and I know you can file a case with pp, but it is not a guarentee ever.

So has anyone bought one off ebay? I'm thinking around $300 range. I would like it to last through High school. I also want it for us to use of the farm. Wanting to collect fecal samples to ID parasites rather than paying $90 at the vet and use it to examine semen that we collect from the livestock for AIing. I want it to do oil immersion and at least go to 1000x I have this one bookmarked: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/home-1000x-led-microscope/p/MI-4100LXL/ or I have been looking on ebay and can get a lot more of a microscope for the same price... but for some reason I'm leary of Ebay even the US company that has 5 year warranty.

My first grade son was doing TT3 just fine because my other son hated it. Part of the reason my older son hated it was that he couldn't fix something and wasn't the best on the keyboard. He would bump something and it was frustrating him. or it was taking him longer to find what he was needing to type in. He also hated that he couldn't go back and correct what he missed so he would ask me to erase so he could redo it until he had a 100%, even if he missed 2... it became quite the hang up for the perfectionist. He usually never misses more than 2-3 problems and he always has to fix them.

We are a family of 6 in a touch over 2,000 sq ft. We gave up more inside room because we have barns, land, and livestock. Worth the trade off because I have 2 boys and 2 girls so they can share a room. They will never have a tv in the bedroom so I don't see why having a big one is really needed. I think having a smaller house keeps us closer together :) I have a lot of friends that have smaller houses than us, they are adorable homes and they always welcome more visitors.

If you have a degree in education many of the testing companies (the ones that actually write the tests) always need people to write new test questions. You submit so many in a subject area and then they either approve or send back for editing. You can also edit them. You get paid so much for each question. I know that a lot of the major compaines that write books (like HM) have testing companies. I can get specific names from my husaband's cousin. I am so against testing that I never took up her offer, lol.

Fluids just aren't taken in form of liquids, they are also excreated from anything that has been consumed. The body isn't properly filtering and flushing them out of the body. This can be contributed to many different reasons. How big is the person that is gaining 20lbs?

I know many Eagle Scouts that really didn't retain much... I'm not sure it's the greatest thing ever. Honestly if he's interested in the military he will be just fine witout it. I wasn't an Eagle Scout and I really don't think it would have helped me. I still went in as an E3, you only go in as an E1 if you've made Eagle. I know that a lot of my friends that were going to school to be Conservation Officers either had to have Eagle Scout or military service, but other than that I've never heard it making a big difference. I know it would look good on a resume, but so will miiliarty service. In all honsty if my children want to go the military route I would never push Scouts if they didn't want to. On the other hand I would find them a good college and enroll them in ROTC to pay for school, and they would be way better off.

I knit for sale for a few years and actually did quite well, it would be hard now with 4 in school. So now I am a trunk keeper for Matilda Jane Clothing. It's hard to get into, but sooo worth it for my family. I can't not express how much I LOVE and enjoy what I do. It keeps me going and sane, honestly. lol

I am a lot further than this now. I'm crocheting a granny square blanket. I've always knitted so this was a change :) Just taught myself how to do it too, I have all kinds of ideas now, lol. So much yarn, so little time ;)

Thanks guys, this has turned into a great thread :) I hadn't heard of any of these!

I didn't like winter promise at all, felt very thrown together and not very meaty at all. I also found most of the links to not work :( Sonlight is great if you like reading a lot, but honestly IMO it's better to just look at the book list and do them as read a louds together. You will find that MFW adventures has many of the SL readalouds listed in the book basket. MFW adventures didn't hold our interest either. I think my son just isn't very good Charolette Mason learner. He is a very classical learner so we had to shift. I think finding that out helped me immensly. I wanted him to love CM so much, but I do have it all for my daughters (my 2nd son is very classical too).

Wo is Classical Astronomy by? Seems interesting, do they have more books? Yes this does help, I figured it was too dry to use alone.

Has anyone used it? What is it like? Do you think it would be easy to use with Apologia's Astronomy? I planned on doing it with the youngers and adding in the MP for my older son that really wants to be able to identify constellations.

Yeah the food thing made me mad. It was a design flaw. I know a lot of my friends have called. After I cut my dd out of the one graco we had to throw it away because they didn't replace what I cut. She had the nerve to tells I should have cut the other part. It was too hard with ER chubby legs! After I complained she did send me a replacement middle buckle for the other graco seat. But after that is expired I'm never buying another graco! Customer service was even bad. And I wasn't mad, I was upset and crying.

Mostly just some wording changes. You can download cards (on Pinterest) that have current wording. I didn't buy a new guide and I'm a tutor.

My son will kinda be 3rd? Oh the joys of homeschooling lol CC foundations & Essentials CLE math Continue cursive begin typing program Together as a family: Apologia anatomy/chem (with another family) School song Latin Homeschool in woods hands on Lots of US history read alouds & SOTW art (undecided) composer study extras: Tumbling Wrestling 4-h

Not sure if it's been posted, but I wanted to share. I was one of the moms that had to CUT my daughter out of her seat this past summer on a day that was over 100 degrees outside. I couldn't get her out and had it latched in. After she was getting to hot and I had everyone in the family try, I had to cut the strap. They were horrible about the whole situation, a friend that knew the story just sent this to me. If you have one please replace it asap! I can't imagine if this had happened when we were in a bad car accident! http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/02/11/graco-recall/5396939/

Thank you this is good to know, we will not be switching then!

Can someone tell me what the difference is besides that CLE is broken into smaller workbooks? Both seem very similar. We are using CLE right now and my son loves it. I'm looking at using Memoria press next year for him and it seems like it would be easier to not sub out the math and they seem a lot a alike so it wouldn't be a huge switch. TIA!

You can always talk to a farm store and see if anyone has any aged manure to mix in. We do this and we have more Clay like soil. It helps a lot! I would go to the library and check out some books or talk to your local extension agent :) Gardening is the best!