We are also using MFW Exp-1850, For me the deciding factor is that I can teach all my kids together with just a few modifications. We did MFW ECC a few years ago and changed to something else for a few years, but honestly, the years we did with MFW are the ones my kids remember the most and had the most impact on them. So we are going back to MFW and I am excited for this next year!

I don't like my kids to wear the peace sign because to me it is a symbol of the hippie movement. There is pretty much nothing about the hippie movement that I agree with and I don't want my kids to promote that. Even if it is not associated with that today, I still feel that it is not appropriate. I had never heard of the broken cross thing and we are conservative Christians.

So, if she sent her kids to school and posted the picture with something like "If these are the back to school specials, I am a little nervous sending my kids to school on Monday!". Then it would be fine and sure not to offend? Double standard much?

My second DS is like that. He inherited shoes from my oldest that were in perfect condition and destroys them without even trying. And these are good quality shoes, Nike, Sketcher, etc. He blows out the toes and scuffs up the sides. Even the stitching comes out! I don't know what he does to them, but my third DS gets lots of new things because DS2 destroys everything to the point that it can't be handed down! :laugh: I have found that the best thing to do is buy shoes on clearance ahead of time. I have great luck at Kohls. Then when his toes start showing through his month old shoes, I am not so frustrated because I only paid $10 for them. I also get shoes at Once Upon A Child. They are cheap and choosy so I can get good deals that way.

Ah-lee, boy's name. If it were a girl's name, I would expect it to be a (as in apple) lee, and spelled Alli or Ally.

We did ECC with a 4th grader and a 2nd grader and my 2nd grader did great! I had to adjust a few things for her, but she got a lot out of it and I don't regret doing it. We did the Complete Book of Animals, and I let her copy things from the whiteboard instead of just reading it and her taking notes. I also would dial back the dictation of the memory verse unless your kids are used to dictation. That was a source of frustration for her. Don't skip the missionary read alouds. They were probably the best thing about the whole year!

My kids have some friends that live behind us and they want to come over all the time. I am usually ok with it because my DD1 doesn't have a lot of friends. But, I usually make them play outside in nice weather. If they are inside, they are making tons of noise and running through the house (I have a fairly small house). So the fact that the other parents have the kids play outside is not a big deal to me. I do understand being annoyed that they don't reciprocate, but maybe they just don't think about it. Some people are just clueless. You could just make the kids always play outside at your house. Then when she says something about it, you could say "Well, I noticed that you never have DS play inside at your house, so I thought maybe you would be more comfortable if the kids played outside where you could see them." I like what a pp said about making sure the friends help clean up. Knowing that things will be set to right when it is all over would make me feel better about letting them play inside my house.

I do love Christian fiction. I tend towards historical fiction (I love Gilbert Morris) and suspense/mystery. I used to read more secular fiction, but I got tired of the graphic violence and explicit sex. There are some authors who have predictable plot lines, but there are many who are great authors with wonderful stories!

I agree with this. I also think that he simply doesn't understand the reality of fibromyalgia. My mother has this, and people who don't have it or have never lived with someone who has it just don't get it. They really have no clue. I don't think he is trying to be a jerk, he just doesn't understand. I also think that if I had 2 kids who were the ages of your kids, the activities that he planned seem like a lot of fun. My kids would be begging to go to these things, and I would personally be grateful for these opportunities for my kids, especially since I homeschool and they aren't around other kids every day. (But that is just my opinion. If this is not your thing, that is obviously, totally fine!) I remember how much fun similar activities were when I was in youth group. I don't think his plans are out of line. I do think his pressuring you to be there is out of line. He needs to learn to take no for an answer. I would be using strong wording to make him leave me alone. When I was growing up we lived about 25-30 minutes away from our church. We had a very active youth group and we always wanted to go to the activities. We also had a lot of lock ins (over-nighters) with other churches. Many times my parents said that we could go to the events if we could get a ride, so we did a lot of bumming of rides. But, it was worth it to us because we wanted to go. My mom had fibromyalgia and couldn't always take us, and my dad worked long hours. So, if we wanted to go, we got a ride until my sister got her license. Do your kids want to go to these things? Is there any one who lives near you that could give your kids a ride? Is there an adult who would be responsible for them that you trust so you don't have to go yourself? Just some options. But, he really needs to back off!

If you are drawn to the Cavashon, you might just look at the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. My DH had 2 growing up and they loved them. They were great dogs! Always happy, well behaved, and easy to train. Good luck with your search! Your dd will be so happy!

:iagree: He is certainly old enough to understand the value of money. Maybe losing some of his own will directly affect him enough to cause him some remorse and remind him to be more careful in the meantime. Besides, buying groceries for the family DOES directly benefit him. He wants to eat, right? So you were using the certificate to buy something for him.

We did MFW ECC last year and didn't care for it. It did move kind of slow, and I felt that I could have done a quick geography lesson over the summer and gotten the same results. I really struggled with whether to stay with MFW or use something else, but in the end I chose to continue on to CtG. I am told it has a different feel than ECC and I really hope that is true. I am excited to study the OT and ancient culture next year and think the kids will really like it. I learned to tweak some of the things they wanted us to do (like copywork and dictation) to fit my kids' specific skill level. This makes a big difference for us. Another poster recommended buying the Parent/Teacher supplement and just playing the geography game, and I think that is a good idea. I hope you find what you are looking for. It's a hard decision! :grouphug:

Yay! Congrats!:hurray::hurray:

I wondered about this. I will call them today. One of our friends from church works there, actually in the stitching room, and he said the guy who did it was the best they had! I don't know how that makes me feel about it. :confused:

I want to thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice with me. I will do the Mederma, sunscreen, hat thing and pray that it is minimal. I am not so worried about a line as a scar, more about the fact that it didn't heal together and there will be an indent. Again, thank you all! :001_smile: