I agree. I also think it happens to writers when they have to use a title often in their articles. They switch it up for variety. I'm not sure I would read that much into it. I remember it happening to Bush too. Jo

Well, I'm not much of a help, but here is my 2 cents. We avoid the nursery. My husband is at sea half the year, and the other half we want to sit together. The nursery was always a sure fire way to be home the second half of the week with thermometers and barf buckets. :glare:Yeah. Nursery is just not our thing. And we have had a baby and toddler in waves for 10 years. We walk the kids in the back of the church or go to the nursing mom room. Having said that, when I did serve in the nursery, I always enjoyed being able to at least hear the sermon, or hear the music. Our nursing mom room has a TV set up to watch the sermon. I would rather use this room than use the nursery. I wish the older women of the church would step up and relieve the younger moms- that just makes sense to me. As long as enough signed up so that the full burden wouldn't fall on a few. Why not Dads? The sabbath should refresh and renew. I'm rambling with many interruptions to thought, so forgive me for this disjointed post.:tongue_smilie: Jo It is a tough job staffing the nursery.

Yep, your old stomping ground- but without your gorgeous view. I'd be smack in the middle. The street that makes me think of a male bovine, with Hawaiian spelling (:D thought you'd enjoy). We accepted the house this morning. My husband left for an Eastern Pacific deployment soon after the signing. :glare: Thankfully it is a local move and the neighborhood is full of friendlies. It wouldn't be as much of a challenge if I had a husband to help. :D I'll be giving up sunsets over the Wainaes..... Jo

You're right. 2000 sq feet was spacious a few kids ago. It has become progressively smaller with the kids inexplicably growing ;) and more joining the family. I shouldn't have used the term "itty bitty." Perhaps "bursting at the seams" would be more accurate. No nausea, except the pressure to make a decision. I wish my gut would tell me something. Tonight we make the final decision. Then we will accept our choice, hopefully with grace and thankfulness. Eventually.:tongue_smilie:

Unfortunately, in this situation, there isn't a "wait for something better" option. This is our shot at getting a 5 bedroom in military housing. If we turn it down, we go to the bottom of a very long list. I have tried every idea I can think of to make our current home more homeschool friendly. I have, at times, gotten very creative where I put the preschoolers to play when I have big kid work to do. :D I can't squeeze out any more room. And we aren't allowed to build on to these structures. Phooey. You guys have been great. You are echoing many of my feelings and emotions over this situation. At least I don't feel so guilty anymore. Jo

We have the potential of living in this house for 5 years. That would mean my kids would be 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, and 6 by the time we would leave. Our current house is 2000 sq ft with very small bedrooms, and one big open kitchen/DR/Family room on the main floor. All open. All of it. Did I mention that we are all in the same room at the same time during the day? all of us. :tongue_smilie: I love, love, love my view. But I'm wondering how selfish I am for making the kids crazy to keep it. The new house has no view, but we are only a short distance from seeing it all. I just won't be able to go to my rocking chair and take it all in during the normal school day. The lay out is *much* more reasonable for multiple ages. Ugh. My head hurts. I just walked through the potential house (the current occupants were nice enough to let us walk through before they move out). I like the space. That is it. [sigh] You guys aren't helping...or maybe you are. I need spend to go do some serious thinking and praying. Jo

Because we've been offered a bigger house (really needed), but I can't imagine leaving my view. :confused: I would leave my itty bitty house on a hill overlooking a plateau, hemmed in on both sides by two mountain ranges, to a bigger home with a better schooling lay out, but with no view. Actually, it is even worse. There is a house behind this one that would be looking down into ours. I think I may suffer from clausterphobia (sp). I may cry. Trust....trust....trust..... Jo

It is working out to around $5000 for us. A small portion is paid by our dental plan...very small. Our payments are running $160/mo with no interest.

I actually love the work that our church does. They give more money away than they spend on salary, mortgage, etc. They have built churches and orphanages in Uganda, they run the food bank distribution for the region, and they are starting ESL classes in the fall. No navel gazing. They do good things. But we also feel called to give to a school in Haiti, and contribute to the Ultrasound program through Focus on the Family. We give joyfully, and we feel honored to participate in these programs. I do agree with Strider that the 10% tithe we all assume as settled, isn't as settled as it may seem. I just wonder how people look at their charitble giving in terms of the actual word "tithe." Can you tell I'm working on the family budget this week? :D Thanks, everyone, for all the great input. Jo

Yes.

para-church giving? Just curious. Jo

The housekeeper came every other week. I really just needed them to do the deep cleaning in the bathrooms and floors. I also liked having all the dusting and vacuuming done on one day. It just made me feel good. :D Actually my husband would like for us to keep them, but I couldn't justify the expense. We did a deep clean over this past weekend and when I realized what we were spending in proportion to what they were actually doing I called and canceled service. :sad: I'm doing my schedule now as well. I just want to make sure I'm keeping up. Having the housekeeper forced me to get all the surfaces sorted and cleared every two weeks. The paperwork pile couldn't back up, and the incidentals had to find there rightful place. I think I'll shoot for an hour a day- Downstairs one day, then upstairs, bathrooms, paperwork/business day, then I'll reserve Saturday mornings for the big projects. I can't make Saturday my main cleaning day- I would blow it off too often to go play at the beach. I need to get in the habit of wiping down the sink everyday, and spraying the showers with alcohol or bleach once a week. I just need to get in a rhythm. I don't do well with checklists for this sort of thing. I just need to find the schedule that works and make it habit. Right now I'm just thinking in type. Thanks for making me write some of this out. :tongue_smilie: The fall season is starting to take shape as I decide on outside commitments. Pretty soon I'll be able to see the whole week plan and see what would work best. Congrats on the upcoming blessing, btw. Jo

bumping for more input....:tongue_smilie:

Oh Shenan. ;) I absolutely have to have a clean house. I couldn't operate otherwise. I don't need sparkling baseboards, but the basic dusting, bathrooms, and floors are mandatory for me. I *like* to be visitor ready. That doesn't mean I won't have blocks all over the floor and food out on the counter. It means the floors under the blocks and the counter under the food need to be clean. I have enough uncontrollable factors in life. My house can't be one of them. :D Jo

I always love to hear how others get it done. I used to do a zone a day, on each day of the week, but then I had housekeeping help during the deployment and got used to having it all done on one day. Ahhhhh. There is nothing like it. It was also ridiculously expensive for something that is going to be uncleaned in 24hrs, soooooooo, I'm back to figuring my own way in the world of housecleaning. How do you get it done? Everyone has their own way, their own family size, their own house size. This isn't a right or wrong way post. I just need inspiration. :D Thanks. Jo

I am buying SWI-B for my rising 5th and 8th graders. I'm also getting the TWSS for me, and I'm hoping to have it all watched before the school year begins.

We do History readings on Mon, Literature readings on Tues, Worldview/civics on Wednesday, and discussion time on Thursday. I am about to begin IEW (DVD lessons) and I'm wondering on what day I should schedule it. Should we watch it on Monday so that we can use the skills for narrations after each days readings? Or should I schedule it for Thursday and then assign a writing "project" that would apply to the previous days work? We usually outline on Mondays using a section of the history reading. I haven't actually received my IEW yet, so I'm a little at a lost for how to implement the program. Can you help? Thanks. JO

Yeeeeeeeesssss! I have the smoking turd....or steaming pickle....:lol:

I forgot about guides. Oh yeah. Tree, plant, animal tracks, and insect guides- yep, I need those too. :D 6 pack lasts weeks? Hmmm. You've moved on to Sake, right? Jo

I'm curious. I have been very frugal lately. We have stopped eating out, I fired my housekeeping help (it was long overdue since I was only using them during my husband's deployment...which ended in January:D), and I have started a list for things I want/need to prevent any impulse buying. In other words, I'm being careful. And yet.... I go to Queens Homeschool to get one thing and I can. not. resist. her cursive writing books. They are just pretty. :D The fact is, I will at any time throw out the "it is cheaper than private school" line if I need it. I'm not a curriculum junkie. For the core subjects I like what I like and make it work, but all these edifying extras are a weakness. What *HOMESCHOOL* stuff must you have, regardless of price? Jo

I am planning for next year and when I came to the forum to search a particular topic, I realized my answer would be here on the High School Board. :ohmy::scared::svengo::blink: Um....I'm not ready for High School. Just thought I'd introduce myself.......:lol: Jo

Just finished a MIL 10-dayer here too. I experienced some post-traumatic stress after they left. It took me three full days to recover. :grouphug: Jo

Cool!

Word people invited to answer...:D Wouldn't planet be the noun, and earth the proper noun? I'm sure I'm missing something obvious. Thanks for learnin' me. ;) Jo

We are in the market. Our phones are ancient. Everyone we know has an iphone- we're just not sure we need that much stuff on our phone. I get it, really. They are fun, fun, fun. But do I really need to Crazy 8 or pop bubbles when I'm out and about? :D So my big decision is whether to get a "data" phone (online capability, right?) or just a plain ol' calling phone. I think having a GPS would be cool. And being able to look up something online would be helpful at times, but I'm not sure I need it. It would be great to send an email while waiting at the doctor's office. But I am generally annoyed with people who are constantly looking down at their phones, oblivious to those around them, including their children, and I don't want to become like that. I don't do my planning on a PDA, but I've seen some cool reminder options on these new phones. The fact is, I think it is the way of the future. I don't want to be anti-technology. Thanks for your input. Jo