just request group membership too..3 kids here...yikes great idea thank you

thank you so much, I haven't homeschooled in a while, and am back at it...lol I came here today, in search of something just like this! again WTM comes to the rescue!

oh what a good recommendation...off to buy! I loved MOH, it helped me a ton!! I read it a few times and then passed it to a new homeschooler! I think it is a grand help!

We got SOS 8th grade history to give a whirl this year. My oldest did one month and then GED and is off to college, so he just faded away... my next son, has been on it since August, and here is the dumb part. HE is totally failing it. I would ask, how is it going, fine, love it. I got on today to put his sisters on, and I admit I am totally overwhelmed by this program...I struggled even setting it up, and obviously did something wrong, as I am just getting this. does anyone have any helpful hints before I just cry and cry? thank you

Appointments all on same day! If we are going out, we are ALL going! lol

no to an all nighter cleaning, but the title of this post did give me motivation to clean the table by my computer and grade all the science papers! lol!!

I have 4(boys 16 and 14) and twin girls 13, and I absolutely love it! They are a blast most times. The wavering between wanting to be mature and immature are a bit annoying, but we have found humor in it with them, and temper their moods with good communication. They have their moments....longer than the terrible twos it seems at the time, but for the most part they are so independent that life is a breeze... now my other 3? egads 4 year olds are plain exhausting!

I'm not a veg, but I do eat a ton of fruits and vegis! I have lost 75 pounds over the last 10 months, by eating good and walking/running 5K a day. I do in 45-50 minutes. I have hit a major plateau. I talked to a trainer and she said...ugh...that my body was going to need more burning of calories to push the plateau! So I am maintaining til after the holidays and then I will add more to my workout. I am going to add a step aerobics or body pump class 3-4x a week to push the next 30 pounds off!

Two bags of chips and a hug! bring some brownies here and there and enjoy yourself! What a lovely neighbor, I bet they would rather have you come relaxed than pondering what to bring.

lol in a heartbeat! if you do facebook, I am Anne Ofalamo there, or PM here or email at yahoo.com anneofalamo (cause my memory is just the first thing that went) lol

having a place in your house that is clean(and not your puter area...lol) helps me. When I clean my living room and I can sit in it and regroup and press on, that helps me. I am a big believer in less is easier, and the conveniences of this time can be a hinderance. Just nuke dinner (microwave), gives all that time to "relax" The busier I am, the more I get done. I clean the house in a routine, and let the other places wait. flitting from one room to the other for perfection will drive you and the rest of your family crazy...trust me, I have heaped this in the past on my family. I am done with that! I want to enjoy my kids, hubby and life. Part of that enjoyment to me, is a home that is clean.

you can blame my mom, she is visiting Ellsworth! She usually is in the Bay Area of California :lol:

Big big breath here....deep in, and exhale! We have adopted thru foster 3 times. Correction, we are in our third foster to adopt situation with 3 young boys. First adoption, a 4 year old boy, emotional roller coaster for me, the insane and wow I didn't realize how selfish I was! He did great, and connected very fast, especially with my husband. By the time he was legally adopted we had all bonded and life was good. Three years later, we decided to add to our family again. This time a sibling group: twin girls 4years old (had just turned) and their brother (11months older) and still 4. They had been thru the wringer, brother was the adult and twins were almost comatose in reacting. It was beyond insane trying to keep our oldest (now 7) from going off the deep end with sharing toys and his parents time. It took a long time to get balance and for them to bond as siblings. But it did happen, but oh boy, it is not like adding a baby to the mix, it is adding a whole gang of walking talking people! So......8 years later. My 4 kids understand the system, we are moving and grooving and doing life just great. One of the twins mentions, could we adopt more mom? My heart skips and forgets the growling part, but remembers the joyful parts. I talk to hubby, he is all for it. We talk as a family and agree, but really feel a sibling group is what we can do and would work for us. Enter 3 raw and hurting boys, 3, 5 and 7. We are 6 months into this, and it has been rough on our family. We are very close, and have good communication. In this, I have two boys going thru major puberty and growing emotionally, my girls are entering the insane 13 age (although with more grace than I had). So emotions can be the main hindrance. Our boys are normal to the eye, yet the pain in their hearts is way deeper than any of the other 4. We are now seeing a bit of bonding, but we went thru a major resentment period that my olders were fighting. They would come to us, so apologetic, but mom, I don't like them, I don't like them here, but I don't want them to go. It was beyond painful to hear, and feel the same in my own heart. My main word to you, is the burden on your heart is real, and it is not all rainbows and happy. But there is joy to be found and I would do it all over again!

I have found the classics (old b&w) are a good choice for family movies. We love them! The original cheaper by the dozen, Harvey (anything with Jimmy Stewart! )The robe, Quiet Man for an example. The old winners of Oscars, in 40s and 50s is a good starting place. After that, egads, Hollywood and I separate! ♥♥♥ Time with hubby, that is why our kids go to bed early! 1. Seriously, I will put the littles to bed with a hug and kiss, the bigs go to their room with books to read, and hubby drives to get milkshake or we have yogurt and just snuggle on couch, with nice music on and babble! WE listened to Brian Regan, or other Comedians (clean) and laugh. Sometimes we listen to Bill O'Reily's commentary. We don't have a TV, so we listen on Hubby's laptop. It is great conversation starters too. 2. We also have started getting up at 5:15am to walk 3 miles together in the morning before ANYONE is up! These two things make me smile thinking of them, and have so strengthened our marriage! ♥♥♥

this made me smile so big...as a mom (thru foster to adopt) who always wanted a big family, I did the same for years and years and just kinda dawned on me, holey moley, I am one now...lol:D