DH and I have a contract on a house and it needs new carpet. We prefer this since we want to install hardwood instead of carpet in most of the rooms. Of course, the price reflects that the house needs new flooring. Mendy

I'm sorry, I've got to get the kids to preschool and don't have time to read the other posts. I do want to say I was debating between the Frontier and the Regent. I went with the Regent and that price you quoted is excellent. I believe if you go on the Britax site and look at the seated height (seated fanny to shoulders) requirement for the 5 pts harness, you get an extra 1" or 1 1/2" from the Regent over the Frontier. However, the Regent doesn't allow you to transition to a regular booster after that and the Frontier will. I decided to deal with a different booster when the time came and just keep them in 5 pt harness as long as possible. Hope this helps, Mendy

I've just settled on our K program for next year. I have twins and one is more advanced than the other so I may have to move forward faster for one and stay on track with the other. Here's my plan: -Currently using OPGTTR and will use ETC for K -RightStart A and will supplement if necessary (probably will Singapore) -HWT for Handwriting Lots of reading!!!! Will be covering some history and science as we go along (fun stuff). Also, may start a foreign language (Rosetta Stone). I'm also scheduling in PE to burn some energy :-). I will also likely start FLL for my advanced learner. Mendy

You are pretty much describing one of my twins (4.5 years old) to the letter, except he loves to be out and about at new places. While he was out and about though, he did use to hate to take his coat off at places, hated getting his hair cut, etc. He is so much better now. I have had him evaluated by several drs. and therapist and no one has identified any problems with him. I pushed for him to have OT because of the research I've done on sensory processing disorder. You might want to research that if you haven't already. His OT didn't fully diagnose him, but he does have minor sensory issues (very sensitive to smell, sunlight, and noise -- he would hear an airplane and cover his ears before anyone else heard or saw it). I can say now, that we think he is gifted (he is extremely, extremely bright) and from the reading I've been doing on gifted children, he seems to fit the bill behavior wise. He has a huge sense of what he thinks is fair and sometimes has issues with authority figures. He has the sweetest little soul and loves to be hugged and cuddled, but he is the one in the family that just throws everything into turmoil quite a bit. Here is one article I was reading http://www.sengifted.org/articles_counseling/Webb_MisdiagnosisAndDualDiagnosisOfGiftedChildren.shtml . Anyway, I don't know if this will help or not. Just something to consider. I do know he is very sensory and OT helped me find ways to calm him down and work with his behaviors. He is also the reason I'm going to homeschool the twins next school year for K. Mendy

I'll be hsing K next year also (with twin boys). They will be doing fall and spring soccer (one day of practice a week and games on Sats) and maybe indoor swim lessons. Have fun! Mendy

My twins (4.5) are in the Britax Regent with the 5-pt harness and I don't plan on changing anytime soon. I guess because my boys don't know any different (have never been out of the harness) they don't give me any trouble. Mendy

Thanks for the info on the teacher's manual. Yes, I am getting 2 slates -- not worth the fighting -- LOL! Mendy

Hi all! I'm getting ready to order HWT for K (along with the slates and chalk) for my 4.5 year old twins. I have one twin that is a lefty (I'm a righty :001_unsure:) and one that seems to have some fine motor issues when writing. I'm planning to order the workbooks and teacher manual for K. Will I also need to buy the teacher manual for 1st grade when I get to that point or can I get by with just the K manual (or 1st grade manual for that matter)? Thanks much! Mendy

No worries :-). I thought I saw the same title (Chicken Soup) in a different post the other day. I will check it out! Thanks much!

Where can I find the Chicken Soup series? I've heard of this more than once and every time I do a search, I get the Chicken Soup for the Soul series :001_unsure: Thanks, Mendy

One of my twins walked at 11 months, didn't talk until 31 months and started reading at 33 months. We were shocked. His twin didn't walk until 15 months and started talking pretty well at 19 months. Mendy

I'm going to do the states with my boys next school year. I found this http://www.kidzone.ws/geography/usa/index.htm for free. I'm going to join Enchanted Learning also, but I haven't looked at their state stuff yet. Mendy

I'm sorry I didn't read all the response, but I have 4.5 year old twin boys (my only children). All I can say that 3 was a TOUGH, TOUGH, TOUGH age!!! I didn't think I'd survive the year, but I did and things are getting better. Mine are in preschool 3 days, a week which is a welcome break, but I'll be homeschooling K next year. My in-laws live 2 miles from me and give me breaks and my dad comes over 2 times a week for 6 hours each to keep them busy while I do chores. My husband works long hours, but tries to give me a break when he gets home and we give each other breaks on the weekend. Why not have your mom take the twins one week and your 5 year old the next week. Even though it is good for your 5 year old, you need a break to and it might be easier (or more relaxing) to just hang out with your 5 year old instead of the twins. Or can she take them overnight to give you time to regroup every so often? Can you do a preschool? My boys aren't learning a thing in preschool but they love the teacher and kids and I love my time. I'm always excited to drop them off and even more excited to pick them up :-). I am being totally honest when I say I almost went insane last year. I really wanted children and went through a lot (fertility treatments) to get them. I was so hard on myself because I was not enjoying this time with them when I wanted them so badly. I love them dearly, but they were making me nuts! We still have competition and arguements, times when they don't listen and test me to the limits, but it REALLY IS BETTER at 4! :grouphug: to you. Hang in there and try to get a break anyway you can!!! I'm in VA and we are getting a blizzard too! Mendy

Where can you get the student pages in pdf format? Thanks, Mendy

Hi all! I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with the Enchanted Learning website http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html . If so, is it worth the $20 a year to join? I have 4.5 year old twins I'm going homeschool next year. Thanks, Mendy

Hi all! I am planning to use ETC along with the OPGTTR with my twins. Has anyone found that they needed the 1/2 books or were the main level books enough? Thanks, Mendy

Hi all! I'm new here and have 4.5 year old twin boys. They are currently in private preschool, but I'm keeping them home for K and 1st (thats what DH and I have committed to for now). One of my boys is more advanced than the kids in his class, but not that far ahead. His brother is a different story. I gave him the Singapore Math Assessement Test 1A and he flew through that. He adds and subtracts 3 digit numbers in his head, counted backward from 189 to 0 with no mistakes at 3.5, can do simple multiplcations, and so on. He also taught himself to read at age 3 (didn't start talking until 31 months) and I did a reading assessment test on him from a site someone posted on this site -- can't find the post at the moment -- and his reading level was over 4th grade. Anyway, I'm not going to hold him back on reading and spelling, but I am going to make him do a formal phonics program to make sure we cover all the bases. My question is for math. We talk about math alot (he loves it), but we haven't really sat down and "learned" math. Should I take him through the same K program I'm going to use for his brother (I haven't decided on which program yet) to make sure all the bases are covered, but let him work at his pace (meaning he can go faster if he knows the stuff) or should I just put him in 1st or 2nd grade math? Thanks much! This is all so overwhelming and he's the main reason we are skipping ps or private school for home school at the moment. Look forward to hearing from you all! I'm am so excited I found this board and you guys are a wealth of information :-)!!! Mendy

Hi all. I'm new here and have 4.5 year old twins (boys) that are currently enrolled in private pre-school. I am planning to homeschool K next year. I've been lurking for a little while and am excited to finally join and get rolling with my plans and schedule for August (when one of my boys wants to officially start home school). Anyway, I am looking for a phonics program. I have the OPGTR and like how the lessons are laid out. Can anyone tell me if the ETC program follows the order of the OPGTR so I can reinforce what they are learning as we go? One of my boys is a natural reader (self-taught himself at age 3) and his brother is just starting to read. They know their letter sounds, etc. but we haven't worked on a formal phonics program. I don't want them to miss something so I'm going to cover all the basics. Also, would you recommend the ETC workbooks or on-line program? They love workbooks, but are not the best writers at the moment. Thanks so much for your help! Mendy