yeah it seems a lot of people get printing done at places like staples. I bought a cheaper printer to allow me to print my self and have a comb and thermal binder (Lidl £12). I think either works but have found printing places are few and far between round here and really expensive as they are geared towards businesses.

You print the Lesson Plans and Practice book. The lesson plans are important. Then you can either print the posters or look at them on screen. There are also copymasters which were for classroom teachers I guess but we have used those as worksheets too as it is handy to have a bigger version to work on. There are also some shape cards and other things you need to print.

We are about 3 weeks off finishing SOTW1. Its been one of the best parts of our last year. Its not at all dry or dull. Because it is stories its very accessible and because you are studying different cultures every few weeks it keep the interest alive. We have mixed activities from the activity guide and projects from other places.

I have a yoghurt maker that makes a litre of yoghurt at a time it this one. It is just like a tiny slow cooker so I can imagine that would work very well if the temperature went low enough. I only use the about 2 tsp of starter yoghurt saved from the previous batch or from a small pot of bought yoghurt. I don't use UHT as I find it hard to find organic full fat. I actually think its not for sale in the UK any more. I basically bring organic homogenised milk to 85 degrees C then let it cool. Then put that in the yogurt maker with the starter and turn it on for 8 hrs. I then leave it alone in the fridge over night as it gets milder. I have tried un homogenized milk but it comes out very lumpy. More like cottage cheese. I really like the yoghurt maker but If I had a slow cooker I would try that.

This looks perfect for a friend of mine. I will pass it on. Thanks for posting. I am going to take a look myself. You may have created a community.

We home educate year round. I try and make sure we do and an hour or two of our curriculum based work monday to friday. We often do things on saturdays too. We tend to just plod on and then take off any days we fancy. We seem to be getting things done but we have no requirements to fulfil. Often we will take off a whole week if we have had a very busy few weeks or have colds. I think we probably get through more in the winter because the weather keeps us inside and my dh is away a lot, maybe only home 1 weekend a month. I think its a gentler pace of life continuing all year. We go to a home ed group once a fortnight (which I organise) and do art groups and various other social things. Planning to start swimming lessons again soon. When the weather is good we tend to spend the afternoons outside. I don't really schedule that tightly, I just have a rough idea in my head what we want to get done this month.

Thought of some more La cenerentola which is cinderella Turandot Hansel & Gretel

The cunning little vixen - Janáček My dh suggested this, it is sold as a family show normally. Depends how sensitive your dd is. A plot synopsis is here but its basically a circle of life type story. Also if she already knows greek myths you could try some of the operas of those. Such as Orpheus and the underworld/Orphee and Eridyce Hope that helps.

I have managed to use SOTW in a secular way, I think. Just slightly re worded things as I have read them and balanced the supporting books we have read and documentaries we have watched to give mixed views. We are just finishing SOTW1 though it may be more of an issue later I don't know. I have added lot of 'XYZ believed he was told' as opposed to 'XYZ was told'. And lots of conversations about different religions and belief systems, and how what people believe drives them to do things and shapes their idea of what is normal and right. I have been looking at History odyssey though for next time round.

I will ask my dh about this. We have both worked in Opera but him considerably more than me so he might know. I agree a lot of them are a bit intense in their story. There is this link which your dd might like its the education department of the Royal Opera house in London. A couple of the sites include show plots http://www.roh.org.uk/discover/opera/index.aspx also http://www.glyndebourne.com/education/beginners_guides/rough_guide_to_opera/ and http://www.eno.org/explore/explore.php My dh worked at ROH, glyndebourne and a few other smaller opera companies in stage management for a few years.

Hi I think you could probably do yr 1 of MEP after Alpha and Beta in MUS. Then keep the MEP a bit behind. This is what we plan to do. in a year or so. We have been doing MEP for about 6 months, up to lesson 80 with my dd (6 a few weeks ago) and she doesn't seem to be understanding how to do the actual maths other than the extreme basics like +0 +1 +2 with a struggle, but understands concepts like more than, less than, and can extract the information from word problems so I think MEP will be useful again when she has sorted out some of the basics, which I think MUS will do, hopefully.

Tales from the Greek Legends & More Tales from the Greek Legends by Edward Ferrie. Read by Benjamin Soames. Naxos Junior Classics

My 6 yr old has been listening to the audiobook of 5 children and it for a year approx, and all its sequels. She loves them. So maybe from 5.

Hyde park and Holland park are really nice to escape to. Bring warm clothes too, its really cold here this year. I have 3 jumpers on today. Cold but sunny.

I can't offer any advice on money but there are loads of great things in london. British Museum and Natural History Museum would be my top two to go to. You can also get the number 11 bus (I think) and it does a pretty good tour of sights without the expense of tourist type tour bus. As for the cotswolds, I used to live in cheltenham. That area is pretty, twee country side. Depends what you like really. I know Bourton on the water is a popular destination for tourists. Wells is really lovely too. I would recommend visiting Bath. It pretty and you can visit the Roman baths and soak up the architecture, not far from Longleat safari park either if you can drive there. I live in Devon on the Devon/Cornwall border and its beautiful here, you could visit the beautiful westcountry for a cream tea and a day at the beach or a hike on the moor.

I really like janome or singer. I have a singer confidence- can't remember which model it was about £300, its fantastic. I prefer models with top loading bobbins they seem much less problematic. All the ones I have had with front loading bobbins have had issues in this area. I don't think cheap machines are that great.

I hate egg yolks though do use whole eggs in baking. My sister had an egg intolerence when growing up ( also couldn't eat meat fats or full fat dairy or butter) so it was really rare for any of us to eat eggs other than in cakes. As a result I just can't get to grips with the taste of yolk, its so raw and icky. I would usually just give my yolk to someone else in the family but I know cats like them too.

A couple of freinds of mine use belladonna homeopathic remedy for those brain exploding type headaches. I have cut and posted this from a Homeopathy website , you might find it useful. Arnica / Headaches resulting from head trauma. Belladona / Right-sided headaches and migraine. Associated symptoms include throbbing pain, reddened or hot skin, cold feet and hands. Bryonia alba / Remedy for pulsating throbbing centralized near or into the left eye. Symptoms include early morning headaches and dry mouth, disturbed by noise and movement. China / Headaches resulting from dehydration, weakness or anemia. Cimicifuga / Migraine and throbbing headache. Symptoms include headache associated with the menstrual period, stiff neck pain, and feelings of gloom or despair. Cocculus indicus / Headaches or Migraine resulting from worrisome behavior or insomnia. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Cyclamen / Migraine associated with dizziness, blurred or dimmed vision, or eye spasm. Symptoms include earache, dry mouth or thirst, and weakness. Sensitivity to cold or open air. Emotional upsets. Gelsemium / Symptoms include headache associated with blurred vision, sensation of tight band or vise clamped around skull, frequent urination, and difficulty holding head straight or opening eyes. Ignatia amara / Ice pick headaches and stress headaches. Symptoms include back or muscle spasms and feelings of grief, disappointment, or sadness. Iris versicolor / Treats headaches or migraine that typically comes during the weekend or during rest periods. Remedy for Migraine with aura. Lachesis / Left-sided Migraine. Symptoms include congestion, hot flashes, flushed or blotchy skin, and heat intolerance. Natrium muriaticum / Treats pounding headache pain. Relieves stress-headaches related to eyestrain, too much sun, grief, disappointment, or sadness. Nux vomica / Treats tension headaches, hangovers, toxic headaches from noise or scents. Ranunculus bulbosis / Treats headaches triggered by weather change (specifically before storm occurs). Sanguinaria canadensis / Remedy for headaches that are centralized into the right eye. Symptoms include eyestrain, vomiting, and sharp or splitting head pain. Sepia / Treats headache centralized in left forehead or above left eye. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting. Spigelia / Left-sided headaches. Symptoms include heart palpitations or other heart issues, stiff neck and shoulders.

yep its an odd one that i can't quite my head around. Its hard to know whether to keep plodding or change, but since my dd is struggling with basic (well seems basic to me) stuff I think I need to do something.

We are pretty much at the point of giving up MEP, for the time being anyway. My dd is around yr 1 lesson 82, she was 6 a couple of weeks ago. The thing I am finding is she understands the word problems and can extract the information from them and is understanding all the more than/less than stuff, but is finding really basic concepts like addition and subtraction just beyond her without me telling her every move. She doesn't seem to be really gaining an understanding of basic maths or how to solve the problems. I can talk things through with her and get her to find answers but if I ask her if she understands what we just did she is clueless. I think Reception is too basic for her though as we did something similar a while ago when she was 4 & 5 and she found it fairly easy going. It rather surprised me when she didn't fly with MEP. I know she doesn't see the patterns in numbers but as we are pretty certain she is mildly dyspraxic it may have something to do with that. We use a number line and lots of manipulatives and number cards. I am thinking of trying Math u see as it seems like she would be able to get to grips with simple things like addition with out jumping all over the place. Maybe returning to MEP in a year or so as it would be an easier program for us to be on as she can work to GCSE level without a change in curriculum.

Sounds like my 2 yr old. He was awake 18 hours in one go one day last week. He woke up at 2am and went to sleep at 10pm. Not sure what to do to change it I think that some people just aren't sleepers. I am just thankful though that he is better than my brother who only slept 5 hrs a night, night in night out (he is still a limited sleeper as an adult). My only hope is that he will level out like my dd6. She was a dreadful sleeper up to age 4 when she sorted herself out and now sleeps about 11 hours a night. I think that kids that don't sleep much are just different and no amount of sleep training helps them.

Piercing ears and earrings totally freak me out. I would say my dd will have to be 18 and make that decision as an adult. I don't have my ears pierced and never would. Its not common here to see girls with earring before about 13. Very very rare to see babies with pierced ears. However I doubt my dd will ask for a very long time, she is so hypersensitive to any level of touch that even brushing her hair or cutting her nails is extremely stressful, I think the whole idea would be off putting to her and she hasn't mentioned it so far.

I live in the UK and automatic cars aren't that common really. Mostly just on cars for the disabled and I have it on noticed on MPVs and Mini buses recently. There is a separate licence if you only want to learn automatic so you can't drive manual unless you retake your test. My friend has just realised how limited she is as she only has an automatic licence and will imminently be car less when she looses use of her nearly ex-husbands automatic car. Cheap second hand automatic cars just don't exist so its going to be a while until she can get something or afford to take her test again. I think its worth learning to drive manual even if you only use it for emergencies and holiday rentals. I must admit I find diesel manuals easier to drive than petrol ones but don't know enough about cars to know why that is. They just chug along regardless of how bad a driver I am, or how un-coordinated I am that day.

yes it was elopement I guess but in the midst of having a wedding day and venue booked somewhere else so kind of didn't feel so spur of the moment as it could have done, we had been planning a wedding of some sort for ages, just not quite that one. But such a wonderful experience and the relief at not having to please everyone else was great. Jukkasjarvi is an incredible place to get married.

My dh and I had a destination wedding. We got married in northern Sweden at the ice hotel. The actual wedding was planned in a weird whirlwind after having spent the previous 6 months trying to plan a wedding to suit everyone and just not being able to financially manage it without so much debt it would have crippled us. We also had the added stress of having quite socially awkward families. Overall it worked very well. We suddenly came across an option of getting married abroad and it so happened that there was an opening about 4 wks later. We were away about 5 days and got married about day 3. No one knew we had gone and it was very exciting to come home and tell every one. 6 months later we had a blessing and a huge relaxed party/BBQ for our family and friends and it was just the best day. So relaxed and fun. My mum was ever so slightly miffed at not being let in on the secret but later said it had all worked out for the best. Over all the cost was massively cheaper for the foreign wedding, blessing and party vs the full formal family wedding. About a 1/5th of the price and we were able to afford to pay for a few people to come to the party who would have found it hard to attend else. The only time I think a destination wedding is a bad idea if you expect other people to come. Unless you are wealthy enough to pay for everyone or you know they would definitely able to afford it is a bit weird.