You could try CKE Earth and Space. I have not looked at it thoroughly yet, so I can't say if it is old Earth or new Earth or if it even gets into that.

Duct tape worked well at our house. :lol: Okay, just kidding. Seriously, my dd2 always wants in on the action. As soon as we announce school, she is at the table w/ a sheet of paper and pencil, "writing" her schoolwork. Lauri toys are also a favorite. I had a list at home of some great ideas that I got from some website or maybe even from the old board. When I get home, I'll look for it. It had some neat PreK/toddler ideas.

I agree w/ the other posters about redoing sloppy work. I've done this in the past and although met w/ major tears and complaints (temper tantrums at times), it worked. Work was much neater next time. My kids frequently rush through chores, doing them "halfway" or incompletely. Somebody here suggested making them not only redo that chore until it met inspection but giving extra chores as a sort of "training". When chores are done incompletely or sloppily it is obvious the dc needs more practice in doing things well. Around here we are adopting the biblical mandate of doing all things as to the Lord. I, myself, need some help in that area b/c I've been known to complain through a job or "play the martyr" by grumbling about how I have to do everything. While that is partly true :glare: it is not 100% accurate. So, we all need help in this area. Around here, school work that isn't completed on time (w/in the given time period) will result in the loss of screen time, video game time, phone time, etc. We don't take away things like sports practices or games or family outings. You were right about that...it just interferes w/ too many other people. Taking away screen time and video game time until school work is complete usually lights a fire under the dawdlers bottom! Honestly, we are in the same boat, though. My kids still grumble and complain but I'm learning it's all a process. They will eventually get better w/ consistent consequences on my part.

I agree to get started and then see what you need. School supplies are often significantly discounted after school starts and there is a ton of stuff usually left. You could pick up a box of crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, pencils, pens, eraser, ruler, scissors for each child. I overbought crayons last year (5 cents was a good deal!) so I have about 10 boxes left over. :001_huh: We won't need those for a while. Teehee... When you find coupons to places like JoAnns or Michaels...stock up on modeling clay (if you use it). I always place one big Rainbow order in August to get our construction paper and other supplies and get free shipping. As far as notebooks, figure out first how you want to "house" all the dc work. Math could be done in a spiral as could spelling. You could get one of those 3 subject spirals for those type of subjects...even dictations and copywork could be done in those. I just bought a 1 1/2" binder for each child at Target. It was $3.99 and came with 5 dividers, a thin plastic ruler and something else. Nice quality, not perfect but good. I love shopping for supplies...

I know that birth center! I went there up until my 36th wk with my 2nd child. Then I found a midwife that would deliver me at home and so I left that birth center. I would drive by Pimlico to get there each month, too! How funny. Small world.

Oh, don't worry. We chat even when I don't feel like it. And, it does sort of reconnect us in some way. But, all chatting and no, um *chatting* :lol: does not a marriage make, KWIM? Don't you just love the lingo on this board? :lol: Anyway, you all have some great suggestions. Love the yard work suggestion. My kids would surely make themselves scarce for that. As for the size of our home...cozy is a word that comes to mind. No way we could do a date night in. Now, I do have a wonderful neigbor who loves for my kids to come over and visit. So, there are times when we could sneak some time while they are visiting her. She will also babysit whenever we want (and she says she doesn't want money). But, her financial situation is not any better than ours and I feel obligated to pay her *something* for watching all my kids, KWIM? Her time is worth something.

Unfortunately, my dh is up at the crack of dawn (5:30am and leave by 6:30am). With 2am and 4am feedings w/ my infant...I simply cannot be awake enough at that time to actually converse. Good idea, though! Keep 'em coming...great ideas so far!

My 2 1/2 mos. old bf baby was 13 pounds at 2 mos. He was 8lbs 8oz. at birth. He is probably about 14 lbs. now. I think you can overfeed them, but usually they "tell" you by rejecting the breast of bottle as a prev. poster said. I wouldn't worry "too" much. Does this baby use a pacifier? That might help as long as it doesn't reverse the situation, KWIM?

I do, I do! Do you have money for me to spend, too? :D You wanna know why *I* love IKEA so much? FREE babysitting for a whole hour! I drop my kids off in the kids room and dh and I go walk around and get a bite to eat. Of course that was back before gas cost us do darned much! Our IKEA is only a 45 min. drive. BUT, the gas cost so much we hardly ever go anymore. Hmmmm...I might have just answered my "how to connect w/ dh" questions! Go to IKEA! :D Love their Swedish Meatballs w/ ligonberry sauce!

Target. It's the store of doom for me. Go in to get diapers, end up spending $100. Pretty expensive diapers, huh? :lol:

Do you have montly or weekly date nights? Do you put the kids to bed early so you can have some time alone with him/her? I'm feeling a severe "disconnect" btwn my dh and I. We have some issues going on, but one of them is I just don't feel like we've really connected lately as a couple. We can't afford to go out AND hire a sitter. He is a morning person so evenings he is sort of just "done" by 9pm. We can't have serious conversations then b/c he's too tired. So how do you all do it? Any ideas for cheap dates? I loved the idea of going out for dessert instead of dinner (eating dinner at home and going out for coffee/dessert) that was posted on the mega dessert thread. Lately I just feel like we are 2 ships passing in the night and I need a real emotional connection before any "other" types of connection if you get my meaning. :D

Sounds like my ds7. He has Aspergers and probably a ton of other undiagnosed issues. We've debated sending him to ps b/c of the amount of time an energy it zaps from me each day. But, I'm so afraid of alienating him from the family even further than his issues already do. I can't offer any advice except to try that GFCF diet. That is so hard for my ds7 b/c carbs is all he will eat w/ the exception of a few fruits and vegetable (carrots and corn). My ds7 has good days and bad days (really, really bad days) but those are fewer and farther btwn. Maybe he's maturing? :grouphug: b/c I know how hard it is. Good luck making a decision that is best for your family.

Never heard of that before. I do know that unless you are buying raw milk from a reputable source it is best to stay away. We know the family from whom we buy. People have been drinking raw milk since after the fall w/out problems. It's all in how it is handled, I think. I'll have to check into undulant fever...

We buy our milk from an Amish farm around the corner. They don't advertise organic, but do state they they don't use RBGH on their cows. THat's good enough for me. Plus, I think the cows are grass fed. It's cheaper than grocery store organic milk, too. I'd ask them directly if they use RBGH on their cows. As for the shows, I wouldn't think they would be able to enter "drugged" cows. How not fair is that! Sort of like drugged athletes, KWIM?

My dh sounds so much like yours. When I get stressed out and threaten sending all of them back to school, he agrees w/ me! See, my dh is supportive of "me", too, and that is a good thing. But, I'm with you...where is my homeschooling cheerleader when I need it. Your dh sounds like a very supportive and loving dh. I agree w/ the other posters...men like to fix things. My dh likes to fix things and gets all flustered when he can't fix it. I like to premise my "vent sessions" by saying something like this: "I don't want you to fix this, I just need to vent!". Then dh gets out of "fix it mode" and into "listen mode". It hurt me the other night when dh told me maybe we should send them back to school b/c I wasn't handling it too well (meaning I was stressed out). But, I have to realize that dh doesn't understand what it is to be a homeschooling mom. If I want a cheerleader, I usually come here.

Perfect! Thanks! We need fire safety each year. This will work well.

I just read about this. I'm so sad, too. I loved her character on Golden Girls!

Um, no. Dh's job is a cakewalk compared to mine. No, it's a cakewalk period. No, definitely do NOT feel guilty. No poolside excursions for us, no "living the life" while dh slaves away at a job he hates...nope nothing like that. More like...stuck home all day b/c we can't afford the gas to get anywhere fun, doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping w/ 7 kids, dealing w/ dc attitudes all day. Wow, better stop before I go and get bitter again. :glare:

I will be using MFW K w/ ds5 next year, along w/ ETC Primers and some math workbooks so he can learn his numbers really well. For my PreKer (3yo) I am trying LHTH. It's simple and since she already knows her letters and sounds, etc. it will be a fun program for her. I'm really undecided about it, though, b/c I already have a full plate teaching 5 dc and keeping after the 3yo and the new baby. I don't want to set myself up for burnout in October! I might just do some FIAR stuff with ds7, ds5 and dd3 to keep it simple and keep them all together. Ds7 will probably NOT be interested in doing much MFW ECC with the older kids. So...FIAR might work well. Not sure. And I don't have much time left to decide. :001_huh:

I would agree with the poster who warned not to do 2 programs your first year homeschooling. It can get very overwhelming. I'm doing MFW K and MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures next year and am already feeling overwhelmed. That being said, I think Adventures would be a great program to do with all your dc. The Ker and PreKer could come along for the ride, so to speak, listening in on any read-alouds, etc. With the Ker and PreKer, they could do some Explode the Code Primers, use Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching REAding or some other reading book, some simple everyday math, learning numbers, etc. Another program that would be good for ALL your dc (dear children) would be Five In A Row. But, first year homeschooling, my vote would be MFW Adventures w/ the Ker and Preker along for the ride. Welcome to the board! You'll love it here. :D

Well, ya'll are makin' me afraid now! I *thought* I just had a few...now I have several more. I am terrified of fires. We live in a town where folks burn their trash in burn barrels and I can barely drive past a house if there is a burn barrel all aflame. I'm terrified my home will catch fire someday. My bigtime irrational fear is that somehow, someway, one of my kids will fall over the balcony like in a mall on the second floor or hotel or wherever. Staying at a hotel once for a family reunion, we were on like the 20th floor of something ridiculous like that. The hotel was in a "round" and opened to a mall on the 1st floor down below. Crazy, I know. Well, my then 4yo go out of our room and was climbing the railing outside. He was halfway over the railing when I opened the door and grabbed him. Talk about heart attack. My kids had their championship swim meet Saturday and parents had to watch the kids swim from the upper bleachers. I had the baby with me and could barely make it into a seat b/c I was terrified that somehow the baby would fall over the balcony. I had visions of him falling and everything...I'll spare you details.

Praying for that whole family. How terrible. :grouphug:

I would take momof7's advice over mine, but...I'll share my opinion anyway! I purchased AAS for my ds10 who can't spell to save his life. He's getting better, but it is still pretty bad. After reading the reviews of AAS, I was hooked and so I purchased it (used for a really good price). I got Level 1 and 2 and plan to start my 3 oldest ds's (ds10, ds8, ds7) on it as soon as I get myself organized. I've looked through both levels and I like what I see. My ds10 will benefit from starting in Level 1. He'll likely fly through the basic, CVC words (duh!). But, there are some rules in the latter half of level 1 that I know he has trouble with. For most older students...AAS would be a waster. But, for my ds...this is what he needs. I'm checking into How to Teach Spelling for my dd11, per momof7's recommendation, though. HTH a bit. FWIW...I think AAS does move slowly, but you can always speed through what your dc already knows and move at your own pace. I'm hoping my ds10 will get to Level 3 by the end of the year and possibly level 4. Once that "foundation" is rebuilt...he will likely just fly through it.

That sounds like me lately! :001_huh: But, for me, it is not an on-going thing. Usually, I'm very "up" and very optimistic. If they bring you down, limit your time w/ them if you can. Try your best to just be "up" when you are with them and counter all their negativity w/ extrememe positivity. They say the cup is half empty...point out that it is really half full...that sort of thing. KWIM? It can be difficult to be around people like that. Are they just negative or perhaps depressed? If it is depression, they might not be able to help it. I try my best to suppress all my negative feelings when around other people b/c I don't want to bring them down. Sorry I'm not much help...people who are negative all.the.time are very draining.

Well, I can't afford the gas to get to the pool store. :glare: Otherwise, great suggestion!:D Said pool, is one of those 13' by 30" Easy Set pools. I never knew it would be so difficult to maintain otherwise I wouldn't have wasted my money. We changed the filter, added some ph increaser stuff b/c ph was low. My folks have had a pool (big in-ground) since before I was born. They only had algae problems once. Of course, they have that neat pool store w/in 5 miles of their house. Us? We live out in the boonies...no pool store w/in 30 miles. I'm going to try some Shock stuff to see what it does. If it doesn't work, I'm dumping out the water and putting the evil pool away...for good.