Can we maybe start a sticky or something for this and share recipes? I would love to do this as well!

Where do you get your grains from? I would love to get huge amounts of flour and stuff. What about the detergent?

Go to slickdeals.net-forums-drugstore/B&M deals & discussion there are threads for individual stores all over the US.

Are there any that i should link up with?

Slickdeals.net has all the stuff that GG has and it free! Plus they have the ads more than 1 week in advance. I used to pay for GG and got annoyed that it was Tuesday before she got the stuff up.

I got DS one of those little inhaler steamer things to out his face over and it seemed to help.

I don't have the dairy allergy but we have nut allergies here. If you clip coupons then brownie mix can be all but free. I don't like packaged cookie mixes except the Peanut butter and even then only half of us can eat them so I avoid that except once in awhile. Go to the websites for the organic brands that you like and there are often coupons that you can print or they will send you. I can easily feed a family of 8 for $700 per month without all the extras in terms of prepackaged snacks, soda, junk stuff. I stock up on meat and chicken when it is on sale so that I am not forced to buy when it is more $$. You can go to slickdeals.net and find your grocery store under drug/B&M stores in the forums. They will list ads with coupons to get stuff for free or at a profit easily.

PP fees are what-5%? Not bad for the convenience of being able to generate a label and ship from your house IMHO. What kills me are the shipping rates!! Not so much for media but Priority has gotten just STUPID!

For snow cream we just use sugar, vanilla, milk. A little cocoa powder is good too!

Is there anything to that theory? My youngest seems to be the only child that hasn't had at least a 10-20 word vocab at the age of 15 months but he also walked at 9 months. Is it b/c he didn't really ever crawl? This kid literally went from sitting there to standing up and walking! Couldn't the 6th one just have been a little easier for me!!??

Waiting patiently for the snow. I will be making a last minute run to the store to grab some extra fruit and was sure to stock up on sugar and milk for making snow cream! Need to hit the PO too!

You know that is a good question. We always assumed our kids would be bright since we are both...well smart. But for some it was obvious. DS #1 knew all of his colors, numbers, shapes at 15 months and could talk. Taught himself to ride a bike at age 4.....Now DS #2 didn't talk early and seemed to be...well a bit flat until 2ng grade. Then BAM he turned math maniac and could read 5th grade books. We were like WHAT? He is our "sleeper" child. DD#1 seems to be average but has the performance bug in her. She is on a competition dance team and thinks nothing of going on stage before hundreds of people. DD#2 is shy a bit but her reading is taking off(turning 6 this month) and she is on small chapter books. Her math skills seem to be innate also. DS#4 well he is just a little genius with large motor and could ride a skateboard at age 2 and knows how to make microwave popcorn and scrambled eggs!! He will be a challenge to wrestle into schoolwork I think. DS#4 well he is just a little puzzle. He won't talk at 15 months but has been up on 2 feet since 9 months! Like I needed that! He has a knack for figuring things out though, and despite his small stature he is EVERYWHERE!! He's a thinker I can tell.

All of you ladies blow my mind! There is so much to homeschooling! I taught public and this is so much bigger than that! I can do "here's a book-teach" I can make cleaning the floors fun when I need to in order to get a student to learn. Having a completely open realm of possibilities is making me nuts!! Being totally ADD I am unable to reign in what I want to do with DS for the last 5 months of school and where to start next year with my DDs!! I ordered a bunch of stuff and am now buying more b/c I am afraid I got the wrong stuff. I have yet to receive any of it and that is what makes it all the more funny to me!! I am not sleeping at night stressed over teaching curriculum that I dont even have in my hands! I did get WTM to read while snowed in as well as a few other HS books. I really need someone to just tell me what to use! Here are the stats on DS:(will be HSed for the rest of 5th then goes to middle school) 11 yrs old-excellent in math and science, a real sponge who learns everything you throw at him, little interest in reading, amazing speller, not great handwriting, not a strong writer, very good in history DD-will be 10 in July-(will finish 4th grade public and then home for 5th and maybe more....) good in math but has wavers at new things, struggles a bit in reading comp and speed of reading, likes to write but needs to work on spelling and grammar, likes science and history DD-will be 6 soon-(will finish K in public then home until....? who knows but at least until middle school) loves to read and is very strong already with phonics and sight words-loves to write and has great handwriting and spelling seems to be strong-likes books-

I have the KA Professional I got from Kohls a few years ago. It is super powerful and I have a few attachments including the meat grinder. In the colder months it sits on the counter b/c of the frequency I make banana bread, cookies, mashed potatoes......winter stuff. I got a ridiculous deal on it but haven't seen it that price since. LOVE IT!!!

Oh I am so done looking at the predictions. I just saw 20-30 inches for the band that covers my county, over DC, Baltimore, and straight up through Philly!! I already ran to Safeway with everyone else in town and will be hitting the PO tomorrow to get some packages out.

I plan to use this now with DS to finish up US history before he goes off to middle school. What can I use to supplement this in terms of novels, another series that goes more in depth? Any suggestions?

my 2 oldest boys have them. I make them have them when they go places with friends and they load music on them. Oldest DS texts but not really all that much.

We weren't poor but definately didn't have extras. One car, black and white TV with an antennae, PB&J at the end of the month, one vacation per year..... I didn't feel deprived until I grew up and my parents had another baby at 40 and she got TONS of stuff we never got. All I ever wanted to do was be a girl scout and couldn't b/c of the car issue. I know they did their best and now my dad makes a lot more money so they will retire comfortably. My goal was to give my kids everything we didn't get and fortunately we are able to. We have built up A LOT of debt that we are working on getting rid of.

:lurk5:

I feel your pain and am underway pulling my kids. DS this year and DDs next year. Welcome! Try not to get too overwhelmed!! The women on here are amazingly informed and knowledgeable.

What I like is the band of snow that channel 7 has labeled as "crippling"! It goes right over Fauquier county. I am so sick of this!!! We haven't had school this week yet and I doubt they will go tomorrow. It figures that the week I plan to start homeschool with DS #2 I can't get the chance to do it!

I would say that the fact that you homeschool relieves you of that "school year" stress, no? Things will calm down and you can slowly regain lost ground I'm sure.:grouphug:

I picked Saints only b/c I feel like New Orleans could use the boost and they haven't won yet. I like the underdog.

thanks ladies! I think I will write these down on my arm like a QB playbook!

I have no idea but I had discussed with DH that if the younger 3 never went to any public that perhaps a strong basis at the local CC would be enough to then transfer to a regular 4 year. DH is in the technology field and said that he looks less for college and more for experience b/c colleges don't really teach what he needs to hire! Microsoft training and certifications mean more to him.