I don't know about homework but I figured a snack at the very least. I will need to drive or have my older kids walk to the bus stop to meet them. My older kids already walk there each day to meet their ps friends. After a full day of homeschooling, I doubt I'll be responsible for helping with hw!

Does anyone know what would be fair to charge a friend for getting her 3 kids off the bus each afternoon (around 3:45) and watching them until 6 each night? I don't know what to charge her! The kids are all elem. age.

Dh and I aren't on the same page about much of anything these days...but that is not an issue for this forum. :tongue_smilie: I will check into the vision therapy...we do have insurance but the last time I checked VT wasn't covered. Only routine eye exams and we did have that checked...vision was fine. As to vision tracking...we won't know until or unless we have him evaluated. Thank you for the suggestions, again. I just sold PR b/c we needed the money desperately. I think I will use the list of suggestions for reading practice during the day and go from there. I had planned to purchase new ETC and back up to the beginning. He enjoys computer time so Headsprout would be a good reinforcement for him. Getting dh on the same page is near impossible right now. But at least I have until September. Even dh doesn't want to put him in ps mid-year. Thanks!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I hesitate to even pass them along to my dh b/c he is adament about sending him to school. According to him, it is MY fault that he cannot read yet. Forget the other children that I have successfully taught to read. :glare: It's obvious that I am not a good teacher. The school will do a much better job b/c there will be so much more 1 on 1 time and teachers who really care about my son's progress. :glare: My dh's philosophy is: If this isn't working we have to fix it. I'm ready to throw in the towel and let dh "win". But that means that my son will "lose". I'll take a look at the Dancing Bears, etc. Even dh hesitates to put him in school midway through the year. So, I "might" have until September to "prove" my point. Vision therapy is beyond our financial means right now. Even if that WERE an issue...and it very well may be...we couldn't afford it. And I know the school won't recommend it. It's not like we live in a very well-to-do area.

We are plodding through The Reading Lesson, using some phonics readers I have left over from our K12 years, doing some ETC, etc. He seems to be able to spell better than read (encoding vs. decoding?). He is an easily frustrated child. So, if he can't pick it up like "that", he will often just give up. I've tried explaining to my husband that he just isn't ready. Dh wants him in PS asap. He said he is just looking out for his best interest b/c he doesn't want him to feel "stupid" anymore bc he can't read. Like somehow sending him to a classroom full of 30+ children where he won't get ANY 1 on 1 attention is going to be the magic pill. Right. My dh works for the ps system. He is brainwashed. When our oldest 3 went back to ps, he wasn't happy with what was being taught, but since it was the ps system it was obviously better than what they were learning at home. :confused: I have half a year to PROVE to him that ds8 CAN learn to read when he is good and ready. Nice. I'm not sure I'm up to that. I don't want to force him. And at ps they WILL force him or label him "behind". Any suggestions for something else to try? We've tried PR and it wasn't a good "fit" for him. Have also tried and not liked OPG. I've heard of Reading Rescue and almost ordered it on Amazon.

He is making tremendous progress, but still is far, far behind his peers. He is in 3rd grade but reading on a first grade level. He is losing confidence and motivation. His 6yo sister reads rings around him and he knows it. We don't compare and don't teach them together. We just work with him consistently, every day. His issues are mostly memory/retention (he doesn't remember words that he JUST read). He can sound out words just fine but he doesn't RETAIN the words. Does that makes sense? He could sound out a new word and then see the same word on the next line and NOT remember it AT ALL. Dh thinks it is my fault...that I just can't teach him to read...and wants to send him to public school where "they can teach him better". I say that he is simply not ready to read yet. But who am I? Is there any hope that this child will someday read well? He will be 9 in a month.

As some PPs have said, the "boardwalk" area of OC is more the party area. Teen hangout, parties, etc. The closer you get to the end of the boardwalk (down where the rides and arcades are) the louder it gets. LOL. You can find hotels on the boardwalk up near 15th street and beyond that will be far enough away from party central, but close enough to walk the boardwalk, kwim? There is one place on 15th street that I remember being a very classy hotel. Can't think of the name of it right now. Most of the condos/houses for rent are, as a PP said, up near 100th street and beyond OR more bayside than oceanside. We haven't been to OC in ages, but friends of ours go almost monthly :)

All hits! Fave gifts: Tickets for my 4 older kids to see TobyMac in concert in January, a framed Troy Polamalu poster and Steelers bean bag chair (FREE from a generous soul advertising it on Craigslist!) for ds12, 3 horseback riding lessons for dd6 (great deal found last minute on Groupon for a place only 10 minutes from us!), Ripstick for ds8, lots of Batman and Baltimore Raven stuff for ds10. Hard to surprise the teens, but the TobyMac tickets were certainly a surprise!

I about made myself crazy this year running 3 guides. Bigger, Beyond and RtR. :001_huh: I know other ladies do it without any problems whatsoever, but I was going nuts. Tonight I sat down and had to really think about whether we would continue with HOD. I decided to continue but to "tweak". I already combined the Storytime box from Beyond and Bigger. My RtR boys were mostly independent anyway. I'm also going to combine Bible. I am not fond of HOD science in the younger guides so I might use our CKE Earth and Space 3 days a week. I have to change something b/c I can't do it all. Some can...I can't. My RtR boys do NOT like crafts and so we skip most of them unless one appeals to them. We also ditched DITHOR...mostly b/c I needed to sell curriculum to pay some bills and that was one we hardly used. We just read and discuss. I have to remind myself it is a guide...not a Bible as a pp said. :)

I'm torn. Being Pentecostal, "altar calls" were very prevalent in my church. I remember sitting there thinking, "so, if I don't get up and go down there to the altar I won't be saved? Really?". LOL. It isn't Biblical. But I think some people need to hear that Jesus IS extending an invitation...an invitation to accept Him and be saved. Especially newcomers...people who haven't been "churched" if you kwim. I am a private person. I don't like to make a spectacle of myself. I wouldn't walk down the aisle with all eyes on me if you paid me! But thank God I don't have to in order to be saved. I also have a tough time with altar calls when a pastor calls people out who are dealing with "x, y or z" issue to be prayed for. That, in itself, is awesome. However, can God NOT bless me or heal me in my seat if He so chooses? I'm grateful that in our church our altar is open. People can come if they want, pray, cry, repent, be prayed for, etc. And we do have the occasional salvation call...but we always make clear that salvation is more than a "prayer" you repeat. It's a change of heart.

We are very close with our pastor and his wife and family. I love hanging out with them so we invite them over frequently! I can't say the same for our previous pastor. To me, it doesn't matter that they are our pastor/in ministry...they are friends. We enjoy one another's company. If we didn't, I wouldn't invite and they probably wouldn't accept if I did! LOL. Don't take it personally...people are sometimes fearful of being less than perfect or making a "mistake" in front of their pastors. :grouphug:

If you go to the FIAR website, I think they have a list of the book titles for each volume. I was able to find 'most' of the books for Vol. 1 and you might find some of the OOP books here at the WTM. Lots of members use FIAR. Also join the FIAR board. I'm sure you could find some OOP books from those members...many would even let you "borrow" I'm sure. :D I keep coming back to FIAR b/c I LOVE the approach. I use HOD now and like that, too. BUT...my brain just keeps going back to FIAR. I just can't get past the whole doubt thing...what will my kids miss if we don't do chronological history or follow a science curriculum, etc.? I just need to stop with all the doubts and just do it. LOL. Good luck...I think you will find FIAR very enjoyable. And I, like you, find lots of "rabbit trails" to follow when reading books to me kids.

Honestly, just b/c X is your daughters friend and you both happen to know about said FB page doesn't mean you must get involved. 2. If it all happens to come out that you/dd knew about fb page and parents get angry, this might open up a very healthy conversation about the parenting style of said parents. (ex/ do you realize that your authoritative parenting style and sheltering of your dd might lead to the exact rebellious behavior that you are trying to prevent?). We know parents like this and their "good" kids are often "forced" to rebel. Example: mother DEMANDS all As (100%) on tests/quizzes, etc. on all homeschool work. Children are bright, but they are human. They are so fearful of getting anything less than 100% that they will often resort to cheating in order to avoid the SIGNIFICANT (unrealistic) consequences that come when they are anything less than perfect. Breaks my heart. Anyway, my 2 cents on this dreary Wednesday morning sin coffee. :D

I didn't read your entire post yet but the phrase "seeker sensitive" just jumped out at me b/c our pastor JUST preached on this today! We are a very NON seeker sensitive church. My pastor is a very "tell it like it is" sort of preacher. Preaches the Word...no matter who it offends. Will go back now and read your whole post :)

Yes! WHat many of you said: 1. public school was a nightmare when I sent my 3 oldest back 2 years ago. 2. I am NOT a morning person and honestly the early ams would KILL me (this is not being lazy...you have to be a non-morning person to understand). 3. The homework fights were akin to the homeschool fights but they came at a time of day when I was already WIPED OUT! 4. I will still be homeschooling my littles even if I DID send the olders back! AND doing both is something I promised myself I would NEVER do again. 5. Homeschooling gives me a reason to get up in the am. Without it, I don't know that I would some days. 6. I honestly love being around my kids most days. Even with the attitudes and the fights. There is more, but it is so comforting to know I am not alone. My pastor's wife had me thinking I was insane FOR homeschooling and that I was going to ruin my kids. I think I just have to have a "plan" written down for my depressive days. Something anyone could follow..even the 14yo. Educational DVD, narration based on DVD, read-aloud, art projects led by d14, baking, ed apps on the iPod, etc. Thanks everyone.

:grouphug: I have been there (I know that doesn't make it easier for you). My last child (#7) was conceived after 3 misses in a row. 2 very early and one at about 12 wks...just when I thought things were going to be ok. I was with you...wanted another baby but didn't want to go through multiples misses. A dr. reassured me that there wasn't anything "wrong" with my body. I wish I had words to make the hurt go away. I really do. I will pray. And offer you many :grouphug: and pray that you get lots of real life :grouphug:.

:lol: Imp, you crack me up! :lol:

Andrea, this is so true and something I struggle with every.day. I'm sorry that you have had to deal with this beast called depression, too. It is real and can be devastating. :grouphug:

My med cleanse was only so that I/my psych could see where my functionality/mood was OFF meds...meds that were not working anymore anyway. I still had bouts of dark depression. I am under dr's care AND regularly (weekly sometimes more) see a therapist. I am very proactive about my condition. I do NOT just blindly follow the advice of a dr. w/out researching myself (I'm stubborn that way). And my faith plays a crucial role in my healing. I have an Rx in hand for Lamictal...a med that I asked my last psych to prescribe to no avail. She refused to diagnose me with bi-polar or even entertain the possibility that I could even be suffering from something other than clinical depression. :glare: My new psych prescribed Lamictal right away! I took the Rx and have been researching side effects, benefits, etc. And I have been praying about resuming meds or not. I have to do what is best for my family...not just me. My husband is very supportive (any other man would have left me years ago bc of this stupid disease). But I can't live like this anymore (up sometimes, down sometimes, raging sometimes). You see, I lived like this growing up! I walked on eggshells around my father as did the rest of our family and I internalized all of the junk that went along with it. My therapist tells me that living with that is much like living with an addict or an alcoholic. I don't want that for my kids. Not.at.all. Thanks for the advice everyone. Someone asked about PA and if the kids were working at grade level or progressing, etc. Most of my kids are. My 10yo has special needs and while he works at grade level in MOST subjects, writing continues to be our challenge. My 8yo is much the same way except it is reading for him. He is having a rough time with it but is progressing. And then I have a very precocious and advanced 6yo who works at least 2 grade levels ahead in ALL subjects. I just love how God gave me 7 completely unique children. :D:lol: It would have been too easy to make them all alike. 2 of my children function independent from me (my dd14, ds11) while I have to stay on top of ds13 and completely guide the rest of the kids. I just loved SWB's audios about the different levels of assistance our children need from us. Imp, I am like you..stubborn. I REFUSE to let this disease rob me and my children from what I and my husband feel is the best educational choice for them.

Tanya, 10yo ds is on medication for "mood disorder - nos"...psychs hesitate to Dx bi-polar in children under a certain age. Dd14 is just being, well, 14! She is melting down over algebra, writing, etc. Anything that causes her to use her brain more than normal, if you ask me.

I know there are many of you here on the board that suffer daily with some sort of chronic illness...and yet you still manage to homeschool. I've prayed for many of you and have hesitated to post about my own "chronic" illness b/c it just seems so "trivial" in comparison. Many of you know I've suffered with depression for many, many years (in reality I've lived over 25 of my 39 years with this disease). I have come to terms with it in the sense that it will always be a part of my daily life. Some days are good. Some days are bad and some days are impossible. I believe I suffer from a form of bi-polar (as do all my other siblings and my father :(). I've taken medication for depression for years now. Most will work for a while and then lose their effectiveness. Some have side effects worse than the disease itself. I'm not on meds anymore. I needed to cleanse my body of all the chemicals just to "remember" what I was like without them. Does that make sense? What I am finding: My "mania", as I suspected, manifests itself in extreme irritability/rage, short temper, frustration, anger, etc. My depressions can become very dark. I have a lot on my plate besides dealing with this (I've been reminded of this by several people). My children are not easy to teach. Out of my 7, I think I have 3 that are compliant and don't give me much "flak" about schoolwork. My 14yo dd has become impossible to deal with. Her tantrums and meltdowns are daily now. She isn't getting anything done as far as I can see. My 10yo continues to be difficult and my 8yo's reading difficulties and fatalistic personality drive me to tears. If you've read this far, God bless you. There is a question here. HOW do you homeschool your children without feeling like you are doing them a disservice? I called my pastor's wife (a good friend) to "vent" about my daughter's meltdown and my 10yo's defiance. She immediately told me to put them all in school asap and just admit defeat (in a nutshell). :confused: In no other area of life do people just tell you to "give up" after a few rough days! But with homeschooling, it seems to be the default..."just put them in school and focus on yourself". I don't want to be stubborn. I pray about this every day but I still feel "called" to homeschool! Public school is not a good fit for dd14 and I don't want to "label" my 10yo and 8yo as "behind". How do you do it? We use HOD...very simple (except I have to teach 3 different guides...but that isn't too difficult once you work out the schedule). My pastor's wife made me feel like I was ruining my kids by keeping them here. The atmosphere around my home is TENSE most days...how can it not be? My house is not spotless. In fact it gets to looking like a PIT by Friday! My dh travels a LOT! Am I just being stubborn? Am I just afraid to admit that I can't do this or shouldn't do this? Or? I just need some perspective. Non-homeschoolers tell me to "just put them in school" like that is an easy/quick fix that will solve all my problems. Homeschoolers tell me to cut back or just do the basics...but I feel like I'm failing them. Any advice, comments, constructive criticism, hugs, prayers, etc. are welcome. Thanks for listening.

Chris, I PMed you. I am now in tears. Thank you. Thank you so much.

I simply cannot teach my 14yo dd anymore! Her attitude constantly gets in the way. Algebra is going to be the death of me (or her!). I CAN (as in I am able/capable) teach Algebra but I cannot teach this child Algebra! She refuses to listen. She refuses to try. All I get is "I can't. I don't understand." This is after I have worked the problems with her...many, many problems. She is doing Saxon Alg. 1 (should be in Alg. 2 but I refused to pass her b/c she wasn't "getting" it". I'm at my wits end! We both end up in tears after just 15 minutes! Problems that she has seen and done perfectly just a day before she looks at like she's never seen it before! I don't know what to do! We do NOT have the money to switch to another curriculum. I can't even afford the DIVE CD for this or another video teacher. We have looked at Khan academy. Her eyes glaze over. The issues, as I see them are this: ATTITUDE PROBLEMS (the child has put up a mental block when it comes to Algebra). She is capable b/c I have SEEN her do the problems. I cannot steer a parked car and that is what she is. How do I get this child to understand that this is HER future, not mine? I'm about to put her back in public school...which means she will have to start at the beginning (gr. 9) b/c PA will not accept homeschool credits). Neither one of us really want that. Please help?

Praying! If you would like to share more, please pm me. I will be praying and would love to pray more specifically. :grouphug:

Or his father! :lol: I have heard that cursive is easier for kids like him and that is why I have been pushing it. His cursive WAS neater than his manuscript. I think he's just forgotten how and is frustrated. Perhaps I shall try the RFH Transition book that I have for my ds8. Hmmm...