Both of my kids started off their early reading with the pre-reader and 1st grade books and are still reading them today (through 2nd and 4th grade so far). They love the stories, and I do, too----funny, touching, wholesome, without being "preachy". My 7ds has just finished the 2nd grad reader "Climbing Higher" in less than a week! I couldn't recommend them highly enough!

It's like being a kid going to a toy store for me. I love to look at all the products out there and flip through books that I wouldn't normally have a chance to see. I don't necessarily buy a lot, but I do pick up a few games and other extras that I probably wouldn't order online somewhere. I do enjoy hearing some of the speakers when there is something different to hear that I haven't already attended.

My dh and I met at a local country dance club back in the early '90s when country music and line dancing were really popular. I'm a sucker for cowboys (or at least cowboy wannabes), and he fit the role perfectly. I REALLY knew I was going to like him when, after we had talked for a while and I was getting ready to go home, he gave me HIS telephone number instead of asking for mine. He asked me to call him later when I got home, and I did. He's a really sweet, considerate, very generous guy, but very strong and protective, too. That combination in a cowboy hat was too much to resist!

Our king has been nice while are kids are young, because they seem to crawl in with us at least once a week. For those nights when they aren't sleeping with us, it does seem like a huge amount of space between us at times. As long as my bedroom is large enough, I like having the king, but if I had a small bedroom, I would downsize so the bed wouldn't be overpowering. Good luck with your shopping.

Unless it's a huge, ugly thing, I just leave it alone and listen to my 16yo freak out.

I love quilting, and I'm finally having a little bit of time to get more into it. I'm starting back on projects that I started 9-10 years ago before my children were born!

I have a Master's degree in Education, but only taught for 1 year before leaving and finding work in computer software training and development for 11 years. It was a great life! I traveled all over the country to wonderful large cities and small quaint towns and even had a client in St. John Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. From the time my first child was born, I've been a stay-at-home mom, then a homeschooling mom. I have always loved being home with my kids, but I look at myself now and I miss the "ME" that I used to be---in shape, well-dressed, current in business trends and political news, articulate and interesting, etc. I wish my kids could see me the way I used to be and not just frumpy mom!

Are the cabinets laminated over particle board? If so, you can peel off the laminate, sand and prime the particle board, then paint with good quality kitchen paint and have great looking cabinet that no longer look "cheap". We did this with our cheap kitchen cabinets, and they looks great now. HTH!

I've been homeschooling for 6 years now (Wow---hard to believe!), ever since my daughter was 3 years old and I discovered the Letter of the Week curriculum online. That is still one of my favorite years of schooling! Since then I've also added her younger brother into our schooling, and we've had a lot of fun exploring the woods and trails and animals around our homes. (We've moved 4 times in the last 3 years.) They are now 9 and 7 and growing up way too fast. I'm a former teacher myself (although only 1 year in the public school system before I got out of Dodge) and have always loved teaching---still do! I'm enjoying learning a lot right alongside my kids. It's a great life, and the kind I hope we have throughout high school. I started out when dd was 4-5 reading TWTM and kept looking forward to the years when we could really start with the history and science cycles. We did 1st and 2nd grade pretty much "by the book", but now I'm starting to loosen up a bit and am actually leaning more toward Charlotte Mason philosphy. Although my personality lends itself well to very rigorous academic studies, I'm finding that my children really need more time to enjoy playing outdoors, exploring and discovering things instead of me always having the "teach" them. So, this year has been one of revisiting my thoughts on what homeschooling should be and trying a lot of new things. I'm looking forward to next year going off the SOTW track and starting WinterPromise American Story 1, AND I'm going to follow the instructor guide instead of always developing my own schedule or tweaking an existing curriculum. We've had a rough couple of years with our moving away from the city to the country, then back to the city TWICE now, and we're still not sure we are in the right place. I truly do love the quiet life in the country and am a bit saddened and disappointed to be back in the suburbs again. We're hoping to be in the position to move to Montana (or somewhere out west) soon and buy a ranch/farm and live that quiet life we so much want. A lot of that will depend upon dh's new IT consulting business that he's recently started. I love visiting these message boards, and I've learned so much here. Although I don't often engage in a lot of discussions myself, I always like to glean from other's wisdom and discussions. Blessings to all!

1) File a declaration of intent every year by September for any student between 6-16 years of age. 2) Provide 4-1/2 hours of instruction per day of "a basic academic educational program" for 180 days per year. 3) Submit attendance records to the county each month. 4) Write an annual evalution each year---not required to send it in. 5) Take national standardized tests for 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th grades---not required to send scores in. 6) Parents must have at least a high school diploma or GED.

I read the first volume a few weeks ago and was eager to get started on this one. This has been a good way to get a fast review of American History before my kids and I begin studying it in the fall.

Not me.

,

.

Do use use the corresponding grade levels for each? Would you use Singapore 2A and 2B for Horizons 2? Thanks!

Have you considered Total Language Plus or Learning Language Arts through Literature? I'm actually considering TLP for my 4th grader next year, because I want to cut down on the number of workbooks for her to use. We tried TLP for 2nd grade as a supplement to our regular mix of language arts programs, but it was too much to do it all. I really liked the book we chose for that year---The Whipping Boy. We were studying Middle Ages (SOTW) at that time, so it fit right in with our history studies. Here's a link where you can view online samples: http://www.totallanguageplus.com/ Click on the 3rd tab at the top of the page "Online Catalogue" then click on the box on the left "Novel Groupings". You can see the different guides available by age group. Hope this helps!

I'm in the process of painting our exterior shutters, a basement bedroom, then I'm moving on to our master bedroom and bathroom that has (gasp!) purple and lavender as its color scheme. I'm also trying to de-clutter a lot of the STUFF we have around----toys, tools, clothes, books, decorative items, keepsakes, furniture, etc---for a neighborhood garage sale in 2 weeks.

Lisa

but I wouldn't do it again. We enjoyed the study, but I would have rather started with world geography or a "lighter" study the first year or two. I had 4yo with my 6yo, and I realized too late that he was always going to be "riding along", and this would be even more problematic with the last 2 volumes of SOTW. We are taking a break this year (and next) to do WinterPromise American Story 1 and 2. When we start back with SOTW, they will be 4th and 6th. Blessings, Lisa

TWICE in the past 3 years we have purposefully moved OUT to the country for a simpler, quieter life. It was wonderful, but I thought I missed the conveniences of living in a suburban area. So, we've moved TWICE now back to the same surburban area we left, and I so dislike it! I truly am a homebody. I don't "need" to be around people. Being around my family is enough companionship for me. I so fondly recall when my little ones were 4 and 6 and we would spend so much time outside in the woods exploring, walking, playing with our cats, picnicking, reading---everything I every wanted life to be. Now we are gone 4-5 nights a week with dance lessons, ball practice/games, church activities, orchestra events, etc. Granted, these are activities that we have chosen to allow our kids to do, but it is hard not to do these things when you're in an environment where it's the norm. I still long for the quiet life, and I would go back to either of our former homes in a heartbeat, if possible. I truly think our family thrives more in the quieter, country life. We just have to figure out a way to get back to it. Hang in there! I hope you can find a way to recapture some of the quiet joy you once had. I know I'm trying to do the same. Blessings, Lisa

http://rainforestmaths.com/ My 7ds loves this, and we use it often for our math drills. Hope someone else likes it, too! Lisa

since we are doing American Story 1. I like the idea of having language arts tied in to our history study, and it already planned out for me. Most of their resources are new to me, but I figure that 2nd grade is a good time to try out something new. Lisa

I've floated back and forth with maintaining a schedule and "rolling with the flow" of what happens on any given day, and I realize that I work better when we stick to a schedule, and I think my kids really need one. My main problem with maintaining a schedule is having everything ready and planned and ready to go on cue. I've struggled for the past couple of years trying to pull different resources together (ala TWTM) and have decided next year to go with a more structured curriculum---WinterPromise American Story 1 and possibly even their language arts. If I have everything planned out in advance, my "checklist" mentality urges me to keep on track with my schedule for the day. Lisa

nt

It's a great workout without all the silly dance stuff, and very easy to modify for low-impact (which I need). He also has a Tae-Bo for kids that my kids like to do, and I actually get a pretty good workout from it as well. Lisa