Enjoy it!

Go for a walk or hang out online for a bit. Watch a movie. Read.

LOL! I needed that. Thanks! (Glad my mind isn't the only one to think along these lines... and that someone else admitted it first.)

We love our magnetic pattern blocks. The kids will each grab a baking sheet, some pattern blocks and some Patternables pages and sit on the sofa or floor for ages. It's nice because they can hold the tray at a bit of an angle or bump the try and the blocks stay put. I think I got mine at Rainbow Resource, but I'm not positive.

When my 7yods came in from playing bearing daffodils for me and his sisters (in great big football stadium cups full of water).

I pretty much leave it where you do. However, when I sense the other person getting defensive, I will often respond with, "I am glad that you found an educational situation that works well for your family." For some reason, many fell judged because they aren't homeschooling, so some reassurance that it's okay not to seems to help.

Congratulations to you all! What a blessing!

When I have been feeling unfeminine or unspecial I will go for an extended period wearing only skirts and dresses. I actually prefer long skirts with leggings underneath in the fall and winter. It feels much warmer to me. Somehow wearing skirts gives me the motivation and energy for more domestic tasks. Not sure why. Maybe it was all those hours of Little House on the Prairie. LOL. On those days when I wear my long skirts at home, I seem to get much more done in the way of housework and yard work. I say that if you'd like to, go for it.

Welcome! And you've already made the most important discovery in the homeschooling journey that will make homeschooling much less stressful (I hope)... there is no "magic" curriculum/ philosophy/ schedule that works for everyone. Enjoy the journey. Looking forward to "seeing" you around.

My dh will be happy to know he's not the only one who gets in trouble for his dream-side alter ego's missteps. LOL! There are times I have been short with him during the day, and he's had to say to me, "Wait until you're asleep and yell at dream me. Awake me loves you and caused you no offense." LOL!

Also, are classes not an option because they aren't available or because they are too expensive? If it is the former, I would try to find some sort of natural childbirth class in addition to the Bradley books. If it is the later, you might want to ask if a local Bradley teacher accepts bartering. I did. It was wonderful. One couple brought my family dinner when they came for class (in my home), and we would enjoy it the next day. If I hadn't have stopped teaching, I would have bartered chiropractic care for my dh in exchange for classes for them. I think a bartering system is wonderful, but many don't advertise it, so you'd have to ask.

These two books are excellent. I think the first is more helpful without a class to accompany it. I taught Bradley classes up until last year. Feel free to email me if you have any questions and can't get a hold of your SIL. (apollosacademy at gmail dot com)Have you checked to see if there are any other naturally-based childbirth classes in your area so that you can benefit from the pros of two methods and have a flesh-and-blood person to talk to and receive encouragement from? As with all methods of childbirth, the number one "rule" is to find a doctor/ midwife who you respect and trust and who respects and trusts you in return. This is key if complications arise since you know you will be treated with respect when options of care need to be discussed and that if there is an emergency you know that your MD or midwife is being straightforward with you and telling you the best path to chose for your health and your baby's health and that those suggestions and decisions are being made while honoring your desire for a natural birth as much as they can in the situation at hand. Blessings to you and congratulations!

I've had these dreams, too. My dh has had them as well. The best part about them is the snuggling reassurance we give each other when we wake up and talk about the nightmare. You are by no means crazy. (Or maybe we're just both crazy. LOL)

Movies: The Story of Us Wit House of Sand and Fog Magnolia Thirteen Conversations About One Thing Life is Beautiful Pan's Labyrinth No Country for Old Men Schindler's List Books: To Kill a Mockingbird A Tree Grows in Brooklyn The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon And the short story The Scarlet Ibis (just thinking about it makes me tear up)

I was planning on having him read, read, read, read, read, but I was also planning on starting him in spelling and he is already doing grammar and handwriting with other programs. I was just hoping that maybe I could find a single program that would allow me to cover all of those subjects with less prep on my part since he's my third, and there are other things I'd like to plan but don't have the time for. I stumbled across LLATL and thought maybe it would fit the bill but didn't know anything about it. I think I am going to just go with what we've been doing, and I'll try to see if I can streamline the prep some more. Thanks for all of your help.

The one attributed to Hemingway makes me want to cry. Love Plaid Dad's and PariSarah's too. This is fun. I'll be thinking of more over the next few days.

My 7yo went from struggling reader to voracious reader in about 3 months, so I am looking for a language arts program that involves a lot of reading but is all inclusive to cut-down on prep for me. LLATL appealed to me since it includes reading, grammar, vocab, spelling and writing in one program, but I know very little about it. If you've used it, could you let me know what you think? TIA Oh, and his handwriting is still very rocky, so is it a program that would provide handwriting practice while allowing me to adapt it to verbal answers if he gets overwhelmed with the writing?

I worked "inside the beltway" for awhile, so I've met a few politico-types: Letitia Baldridge Secretary Lloyd Bensten Tim Russert I also received a very nice note from President and Mrs. Regan when I was a kid. I had asked for an autographed photo of both of them and received the standard Pres. photo. I wrote and told them that was not what I had requested (how snotty was that?!) and in return received a photo signed by both of them plus a note written by the President and signed by both of them. My dh has met more famous people than I have. He interviewed Sam Donaldson for a news article. (He was supposed to speak with Mr. Donaldson's press agent, but Mr. Donaldson got so upset about the topic my dh was calling about... he was about the millionth reporter to call... that he got on the phone himself to give my dh a piece of his mind. The interview ended on nice terms, though.) My dh was also in a service frat with Carson Kressley in college and went to high school with Dylan Bruno (from Numb3ers) and Jay Lender (co-creator of Spongebob Squarepants and son of the "Lender's Bagels" guy). Small schools so everyone "knew" everyone, but they were just acquaintances. He also has a friend from his master's degree program who is an actor, as is his wife, and they still chat regularly. I'm not sure why but because they are friends I don't feel right saying who without dh's blessing, and he's in class right now, so I can't ask him. It must be genetic for my dh 'cause my FIL has a knack for meeting famous people. He's actually writing his autobiography because he has had such an interesting life and met such fascinating people. (Plus it keeps him out of my MIL's hair. LOL)

My ds is 7 and just finally "got" reading. His two older sisters were reading when they were 4, so I was nervous at first when he didn't read early, but he had a mild speech impediment. Once he was over that and we began HOP, his reading took off... three months ago. Now he's a voracious reader. He still struggles periodically, but he's progressing quite well. He just finished HOP, and we are just reading for now. He loves it.

This would be a wonderful opportunity to teach them to serve. A couple teenagers could teach a Bible study to the children then have a structured play time. There may need to be a willing adult to hold the teens' hands for a bit early, but what better discipling opportunity could you ask for? As to the Heelies, could you designate a Heelie zone where the kids could skate to their hearts content while not causing much of a disruption? My dd have Heelies and there aren't too many places where she can use them (a lesson in buying something you have no adequate place to use them), so she will ask if she can use them in our Fellowship Hall if it is not crowded. She is allowed to, but knows that she may be asked to stop if it becomes too crowded. HTH

Oh, how wonderful. We have dear friends who are missionaries there and have adopted three of their children there. We hope to adopt from there, as well. Blessings to you. Prayers will be going up here.

I would love to hear Ron Paul speak, and I bet your son did a wonderful job! Good mama! :) My tip: When you bring kids to hear the President speak (we went to hear President Bush speak during his re-election campaign), plan extra time... especially if you have to bring a doctor's note explaining that your son will probably set off the metal detectors because he swallowed a quarter a couple days before and hadn't yet passed it. Trust me, that note is gonna get passed down the ENTIRE line of Secret Service agents... a couple times. :D

Totally counts, and my ds (age 7) will be so excited. He bought a sheet of those stamps (they are still in his treasure box, I think) 'cause he loves super heroes.

I've used both of these as well and prefer Blogger. I have liked it and found it easy to just jump in and use and, once I learned some HTML, I was able to adapt it some and personalize it.

Very neat! Enjoy it!