Thanks for this post. It was very helpful!!!

I have had issues with chronic bronchitis my whole life until I became an herbalist and started using holistic treaments for it. Whenever I feel a cold coming on I being taking Echinachea & Astragalus plus lots of garlic (added to food) and drinking lots of OJ & grape juice. If I happen to still get bronchitis (which I did this winter thanks to moving & all the stress of losing our home) I also drank thyme tea (1 tsp steeped for 10 minutes in a near boiling cup of water) with raw honey 2-3 times per day plus I took Mullein which works wonders on healing lungs. You can also use the thyme EO mixed with a carrier oil such as Almond or Jojoba oil as a chest rub. I also apply this to the base of my feet but it is very strong so a little goes a long way and should never be used by itself on skin. While doing this I was able to knock out the cough in about a week while before it took months to recover. Blessings, Hope

We have just moved to Milton from Tennessee and are really having trouble locating anyone who homeschools in the area. If you do or know of anyone who does or has a group in Milton please let me know. Blessings, Hope

I make our own laundry soap using plain goats milk soap I also make and our clothes are not greying. To whiten the whites I use lemon juice. I soak the whites overnight in warm water with about a 1/2 of lemon juice added to a medium load. I then line dry. Hope this helps! Blessings, Hope

We have been using mapaids with TOG but I am looking for something more in depth for georgraphy that has very little prep time (very busy already!). Something along the same lines of Teaching Textbooks would be ideal but as I am pretty sure that doesn't exist I am open to ideas. Dialect students will be using whatever I find. Thanks!

My family loves green beans (or yellow, purple etc.) with bacon, shallots (or onions) and garlic. I start by cooking the bacon till crisp, remove and then add the shallots/onions and a pat of butter. I saute this till the onions are soft and then add the prepared beans (ends cut off and snapped). When the beans are soft I add crushed garlic and crumbled bacon. You can also do the same recipe with just about any veg including squash, tomatoes, okra and kale or any other green. I have also added some of our raw goat milk cream, parm cheese and fettucine to make it a complete meal. This is the only recipe I know that gets my husband to eat squash and it is also a fav with the kiddos. Blessings Hope

Used Calvert in a Florida Virtual School and it was very tedious with tons of workbook work. The math program for K and 1st was adequate and my children liked it. However the social studies and science are obviously secular and heavily humanistic. We pulled out of the Virtual School very quickly after we began to notice that. Blessings, Hope

Chick tips: (frugal to boot!) Here is what we do for chicks: For a brooder we use a large rubbermaid container as a brooder with a frame top we made by cutting out the center of the lid and replacing it with chicken wire stapled in with a staple gun. Inside we place pine shavings, a small chick waterer which we elevate to keep it clean by placing it on top of an upturned terra cotta saucer then as they get bigger we switch this to a brick. We also add a tiny bit of organic apple cider vinegar to this as well, it helps keep the water fresh and is just plain good for them! I use about 1/2 tsp. For the brooder we use a lamp from the TSC and have the red heat lamp. We use this at first and then switch it to a regular 100 watt bulb as they get older and don't need to be so warm anymore. For feed we use non medicated chick feed and offer shredded carrots (helps to prevent coccidiosis) as well as grass and whatever bugs the kids catch to feed to them ;). Once they are fully feathered we move them out of the brooders (we use two large rubbermaid containers for 26 chicks) and into the coop. Keep the litter fresh (we usually add shavings every day and clean the entire box out once or twice per week depending on how dirty it has gotten, the older they get the more we clean the box out) and the water fresh as well. Hope this helps! And don't be nervous, chicks are one of the easiest farm animals to care for and also the cutest! Enjoy those chickies! Blessings, Hope

Thanks for the info on Writeshop. I will look into that. We do need more "how to" info around here :). I have seen Writeshop but have never investigated it as I had planned to use something else but then found it was too dry for my children (and me!) and also way too expensive for our budget! I still don't know about the mapaids though,still confused on if that will work for us or not. Anyone else use something besides Mapaids?

We are purchasing YR 2 to begin our TOG journey but I am not sure if I want to use the mapaids or the writing program they offer. We will be doing the UG and D levels and have really never done either mapping or a writing program before. We do writing but have not done a formal program. So, just wanted to see what all of you TOG folks are using! Blessings, Hope

:iagree: Have your read this book? I Kissed Dating Goodbye, A New Attitude Toward Romance and Relationships Joshua Harris Group situations with supervision at all times until marriage is our plan. This means keeping them at home until then, but my children have all stated they want to do that anyway :). Blessings, Hope

We moved to a rural area 4 yrs ago and now have lots of animals which spice things up quite nicley. Having a large garden also adds some fun as well as baking and acting out Shakespeare for kids. My children enjoy it all! Blessings, Hope

We use copywork books from Sandy Queen @ www.queenhomeschool.com Blessings, Hope