We do have the low water use toilets, but our septic system is only ten years old so perhaps it is doing well or is a good model or something...I don't really know. It has never clogged up in any way, though we do have three times a year checks by a professional on it. It's funny because we have four toilets and three are just fine but one always gets clogged. I have told the kids not to use that one for solid waste. :D

My answer would be similar to this. Dh has had some very bad habits with eating and has ignored some potentially serious health issues so I became a big nagger about those. I didn't like it, but the stakes seemed too high to ignore it. He actually thanked me for helping him to change his eating habits.:001_smile:

Forgot to say that we have been on a septic system for about ten years and have never had Charmin clog up our system.

I like Charmin but will buy Cottonelle or Angelsoft, too. Really, any two ply soft brand will work for me. I refuse to use rough, one ply tp.:D Scott is one ply and is horrible. I refuse to buy it. I look for sales at the grocery store or CVS and get some good deals this way.

We had a year of adjustment here with ds9 who attended a private Christian school for K and 1st. Mostly, he is much happier, but there was a definite adjustment. I think we have made it and moved on to other issues. :D

I have a ds9 who is similar. He cries if I "help" him when he doesn't answer an oral quiz correctly or gets something incorrect on his FLL3. He cannot ever be "wrong"...it upsets him. I try to be gentle and approach it different ways, but sometimes he will just be wrong. Part of my goals for him consist of helping him to accept instruction from me, accept that he is not always right (an overall issue not related just to homeschooling) and to be gracious with himself and others when mistakes are made. This is a long-term process. Ds7 is more accepting of instruction and less upset when corrected, though he sometimes has issues with it, as well. I think that is part of maturing and, with some work on everyone's part will improve. I don't know if I helped any, but do know that you are not alone.:grouphug:

I would eat it, but I am not skeered of much. :)

How wonderful for you! I pray that all went well. :)

I use Sequential Spelling with both of my boys (ages 7 and 9). They are both natural spellers. It is recommended with the Core 3 SL program, which is the curriculum we use. Although it is geared toward the 9 year old, I gave it a try with the 7 year old and it has worked for him. It is a very different approach so check it out. My boys were bored and upset by the SL spelling words (copy them and test them). They didn't like to get a word "wrong". It discouraged them. With SS, they do their test on a small dry erase board and self correct as they go. It is scripted and has really worked well. My boys are both great spellers and they love the program. I find it very easy to do so it is a win-win. :)

Thanks so much!

This has been such a good learning discussion for me...and, I hope, others. Being a newbie, I had not considered many of these points. I feel a little silly right now because some of them seem quite obvious...but better to feel silly now than regretful later. :) I have the workbook 3A and have ordered the textbook 3A (both US edition)...so which HIG would be best to use? I use SL and thus get a discount and free shipping through their site, but I will find whatever I need. All of this good discussion has convinced me to overhaul my approach to how we do math. Thanks for any help...I do know that I must sound very ignorant, but I appreciate the information and am always open to learning. :)

Where would I find these materials? I am not familiar with this program but am very interested in multiplication strategies. Thanks in advance. :)

Maybe I am dense or slow (truly a possibility :tongue_smilie:), but I truly didn't consider that the textbooks would teach a method in a significantly different manner than I would. I found the early level workbooks self-explanatory. Still do...but we are only in levels 2A and 2B AND both of my boys are very math-minded. My youngest was doing mental adidtion of up to 10 numbers at the age of 5. He could probably teach me a thing or two. :tongue_smilie: If my kids had struggled with the basics, I would have probably looked to the textbooks sooner. Now, I am a newbie at this with young kids who are still in very elementary levels of all subjects - and I took math up to pre calculus and statistics in college - so I kind of thought that I could handle the explanations for the lower levels. I did just order the textbook for 3A, which my oldest son will be starting in a couple of weeks, as he is almost done with the 2B. :001_smile: And this is why I asked the question...I truly want to know what others do, the pros and cons of different approaches, etc. Since I am new, stay tuned for many more silly questions from me!:D

My oldest son is moving to 3A soon and I will order the tb for that one. Once I have it, it can be used for the next two kids so it will be well worth it. I hadn't thought of it as "learning it the SM way", which is a valid point since we plan on continuing with SM as long as it works for us. I might be teaching in a way that is somewhat different...maybe that is okay and maybe not down the road, but it would be good to know...and I need the tb for that. FYI, teaching from a math textbook sounds like it will be in the "no fun" category for me personally. Just noting my resistance.:D

I think that we have "gotten away with it" so far because my guys are so math-y and much of what we have worked on has been easy for them. I am not, but I can teach carrying or borrowing concepts to my youngest because he is such a quick learner. My oldest son was in kindy and first grade in a private school and received math instruction there. I appreciate the feedback and will check out the tb and hig for the future.:001_smile:

My 7 yo is in 2A and my 9 yo is in 2B. I bought the textbooks last year when we started SM but found that my boys (both very math-y) didn't need them...so I didn't buy them again. They seem to be progressing well with just the workbooks - what they don't understand, I can teach pretty easily. I have never used a HIG, either. Anyone else have this experience? I wonder if I am missing something.:001_smile:

I use SL for the history, read alouds and readers, and I am pretty dependent on the instructor's guide. We do the four day a week program, leaving Friday as a catch up day when we need it. We do a lot of extracurricular activities (sports, piano, co op classes and game days with Papa) so we have two "heavy" days and two lighter ones to accomodate our extracurriculars. My goal for the boys is to do math, handwriting, Bible and spelling most days. I am fine if we hit three out of four. I do read alouds and language arts every day, but if we run out of time, I just double up the next day to catch up on the history read alouds. I don't know if that is helpful to you since we are using the SL instructor's guide, but it is a system that works well for us and has a fairly predictable rhythm to it, which works for all of us. At the same time, it is flexible enough for the weeks when we need that.

I used the Singapore placement tests before beginning the program, but we have not taken a test since. When my boys finish one book, we move on to the next one. They are very math-y so I don't worry that they haven't grasped the material.

I rearrange a lot, too. We are in our dining room on a long table with two folding chairs for the boys and a large bookshelf. I never have enough room for all of our books!

:grouphug:I was forever changed by the death of my mother and watching the slow, horrific process. She, too, was abused by a nursing home placement and came home to live with my dad after that. Time helps some, but I am a different person now than I was before she suffered and died. I miss her. Always will. That won't change. What my kids and I have lost through her death is permanent. The aftermath of her death when I was deeply grieving and surrounded by people who, out of ignorance, cause more damage and pain to me was horrible, as well. I withdrew from people during that time for two reasons - I felt that no one understood or accepted me or my pain during that time and I didn't want to be further hurt. I felt like an alien. My trust in people was at an all time low, too. I am an extrovert and returned to being one in time...but it has been over three years since my mom passed away. Most people don't understand that "recovery" takes years...and you go to a new normal. I don't think we are supposed to be the same after devastating losses.:grouphug:

I agree with Jean, too. I have two homeschooled sons in Upward bball - this is their fourth and second years, though. My 7 year old will still display a lot of affection towards me in public, but my 9 year old is past doing that. I wouldn't mind it if he did, but he has just moved past. I think that your son probably doesn't know that he shouldn't talk to the coach about unrelated things during the game due to this being his first year.

I think this is what I am finding, Zookeeper. Thanks for the feedback. :)

Oldest ds started at the beginning of third grade - he was almost 9. It went quickly and easily for him. Ds 2 will probably start next year, in second grade, at not quite 8...if he wants. I don't know - I can't decide. :lol

Thank you all for the helpful replies. I do love SL for the history/read alouds/reading approach, but the LA just never worked for me or my kids. Although I am mostly about doing what works for us, I am one of those people who likes to catagorize things where possible...and I want to be able to describe what type of homeschooler I am. I have read TWTM and appreciate that approach very much. I borrowed a copy from a friend and read and read and then gave it back...but I want my own copy, as it is more of a reference book than a single read one. It sounds like I am a literature based somewhat classical homeschooler...I will have to do more research on the methods and people mentioned in this thread to see which grabs me. I do appreciate the compare and contrast of SL to a classical approach. Please feel free to keep the info coming. I really love the discussion and am so new on this journey which I hope will last until my youngest child "graduates"...I have a lot to learn. Yay! I love to learn!:D

I am a newbie so don't laugh at me. :D We are using SL's history, read alouds and assigned books for reading. We didn't like the LA of SL so use FLL (levels 1 and 3 for my two ds's) and love it. We use Singapore math, A Reason for Handwriting and add in whatever interesting read alouds that interest us (Civil Rights movement, Little House on the Prairie, SOTW or "What your third grader needs to know" here and there). No official science or language at the current time. We do read "science-y" books which strike our fancy. My boys take interesting classes at a homeschool co op which are for fun but also end up teaching something. So how classical are we (I have a first and third grader)? Just curious.:001_smile: BTW, I have loved lurking and learning. The collective wisdom here regarding homeschooling curriculums, approaches and methods could explode the entire world, I think.:D