My 10yo son has horrible manuscript handwriting. Horrible. Illegible, sloppy, capitals mixed with lower case (even though I make him redo each sentence if I find capital letters b/c he knows better...I've explained ad nauseam). If he takes his time (and by that I mean 10 minutes for one silly sentence), it might come out legible and readable. I have to constantly remind him about spaces between words. It is so frustrating. He did HWT cursive last year and did well. But he cannot write anything in cursive on his own. He must use a model and even then it is like pulling teeth to get him to even do that this year. So, should I force the cursive issue? Or, should I just let him write in manuscript and practice that? Or...??? I'm at such a loss and so tired of the fights.

Around here we have lots and lots of spiders. I hate spiders. No, I LOATHE spiders. But, I have one other fear that tops them all and that is fire. So, my children will be playing downstairs and one of them will call out "SPIDER" at the top of their lungs, which from upstairs where I am, sounds suspiciously like FIRE! So, I freak. And I mean freak. Like, panic attack, hyperventilate, the works. The kids look at me like I am CRAZY and say, "Mom, spider. Not fire. SPIDer". :glare:

You might try backing up a guide and putting him in Bigger. I placed my 10yo in Preparing LAST year and it was way too much writing for him and he couldn't keep up. If I had been smart, I would have purchased Bigger last year and did that with him. So, I purchased Bigger for him for THIS year and it is a much better fit. He will use the extentions. And this will put him in the right guide for each subsequent year. If you have the finances, purchase Bigger...I think I saw one on the board for sale...the right placement makes all the difference. Why frustrate yourself and him? :grouphug:

I really do like SYRWTL Spanish (Galore Park). My dd is using level 2 and it is quite challenging, but not too much so. The audio CDs add a lot to the program. There is a good amount of all components of a good (IMO) Spanish program...reading, writing, listening and speaking. If you know Spanish, that is a BIG help as you can converse with your son. I was a Spanish minor and spent time in Spain so I, too, know a bit of Spanish. If you know a native speaker, that is also helpful. We also use Tell Me More Spanish (Auralog) for the speaking component. It is a good reinforcement. Another good and interesting resource I happened upon is Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish, found on Amazon for about $8 or so. My husband picked up the book one evening and did several chapters on his own and said it was really a good book for learning Spanish! We use it as supplement b/c I want a program strong in grammar as well as using the spoken language. KWIM? HTH a bit.

LHFHG is a precious program! I hope you enjoy it! We did LHFHG last year after doing MFW K with my dd. My dd was 5 and fairly advance so we beefed up the academic portion and omitted some of the more "babyish" activities (like in the math and rhymes section). Other than that, we loved it! HOD has made my homeschooling so much easier! I am running 4 guides now and it is like organized chaos at times, but I'm finding a good rhythm.

Having used AHL and having felt almost exactly as you did those first few weeks, I can honestly say that it DOES get better. You will learn the "ropes" and get to know the guide and where the answer keys are and such. Spend some time looking over the curriculum and the books yourself to get a "feel" for what is being taught. And as others said, PRAY! And call MFW if you need support. I will be praying for you as well and feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. Hang in there! You CAN do this! :grouphug:

Dd14 used AHL last year and is now in WHL. I must say that last year was not a great year. She started out well but by February or March...fizzled out...and so did I. Our "meetings" happened haphazardly and I fear that I have ruined her math progression by NOT checking her work DAILY. She was getting Cs on tests (some lower) and I had to stop and rewind mid-year which put her wayyyy behind. We didn't finish Alg. I (not even close) and she is starting Alg. 2 this year. I'm so fearful about how THAT will go. This is my child who used to be able to do math in her sleep! Anyway, I am much more strict with her this year. We are on Week 2 and she is already in TEARS b/c of my "new" expectations (work done NEATLY, on time, completed, to the BEST of her ability...meaning 100% effort and not 50%, etc.). We have DAILY meetings about her work and will continue that until I see an improvement in her attitude and work ethic. We had the discussion today about this being HER life and HER transcript. Her effort NOW will determine where she goes to college and her career path after. She isn't too concerned about that right now and I am trying hard to get her to understand that this is SERIOUS stuff now! Her grades last year were so-so. I expect better this year. I would urge you to have daily meeting the first month or so until your dc gets into the swing of things and proves herself/himself. I gave my dd too much rope last year and she just about hung herself. :glare:

We did school at home today. But, our favorite away-from-home place to do school is Chuck E. Cheese. :) During the day, we are usually the only ones there (with the exception of really young kids). I can let my littles run and play while working with my oldest. And when the work is done, they can play, too! I will typically use the tokens as rewards/incentives for a job well done and no attitude. Works like a charm...but we don't always have the $ to do it. :tongue_smilie:

We have tried so many math curriculums for this child over the years. He did well up until the more advanced concepts in fractions, dec. and percents. He seems to be "stuck". Taking a break over the summer didn't help either. :glare: He has "forgotten" how to add fractions, mixed numbers and doesn't "get" decimals at all really. He is way behind where he should be math-wise. A bit of his history: He has used K12 math, Saxon, Singpapore, MUS and then back to Saxon and now he is using Life of Fred Dec/Perc. He likes LoF but I don't think it gives him enough review. I have Key to Decimals and Fractions that I could use for reinforcement but I wonder if that is enough or if I should try a new program altogether? I can't afford TT, he doesn't want to go back to MUS and so I am just stumped. He wants to attend brick and mortar school for high school and my fear is that he will not be where he needs to be for even placement in Alg. 1. :confused: Any help would be so appreciated. Thanks.

8? Try 14! y 14yo can play "doggies" with her little sibs all day. It annoys me. The "barking" gets on my nerves. I tell them if I had wanted dogs I would have gotten dogs and not had 7 children. :D

Dd6...Littlest Pet Shop. She LOVES playing with all her little animals. Also likes these building things called, "Connectogons". Little colorful octogon shaped wooden pieces that fit together to make different structures. Very cool toy. And her dollhouse.

I would rather use the HOAC lapbooks that are available for some of the FIAR books. We have used Ping and Mike Mulligan and enjoyed those. :D

We have 7 biological children. And I have grown numb to the constant barrage of comments from strangers about our family size. It is akin to the busybodies you have endured asking about your only. It is none of their business. I know several women who have choses (yes, chosen) NOT to have ANY children and live perfectly happy, productive and joyful lives. It is inconceivable to me why a woman (married woman) would choose not to have any children period but who am I to judge that? KWIM? As to adopting more and more...sometimes I think it is more b/c there are children who need homes rather than the adopter wanting more and more children? Does that make sense? We, at one point, had the possibility of adopting 4 more children (all girls) at the very same time (2 were my godkids whose mother died of an overdose and 2 were cousins in foster care). I wasn't seeking to adopt but here they were...in need of a home. It turned out that all 4 found homes elsewhere and I do believe it was God's plan. I would LOVE to adopt a child or 2 or 3 or...simply b/c I think that a loving HOME as part of a loving family (regardless of how many children are already there) is 100x better than a crowded orphanage. I can't afford international adoption so if it were meant to be, it would have to be God. And I won't deal with the "System" here in the states anymore. And then, of course, there are just some women/men who I believe are CALLED to be parents of many (the Duggars for instance) and who do it well and easily (well, sort of :tongue_smilie:). And then there are some who have lots of kids but no intent to really raise or take care of them (the case of the mother of my 2 cousins). I am sorry you have to deal with such insensitive people. If I were ill, I do not think I would have 7 children. I already struggle with depression and that makes it hard enough. :grouphug:

Holy cow! I hadn't even checked into that yet and dd14 is doing bio this year. I think I am going to order Digital Frog through HSBC for dissection. Virtual. No yuck. :D

Well, I have an almost 9yo who is still struggling with the very basics of reading, a 10yo who couldn't write a paragraph if his life depended on it and a 13yo who desperately wants to go to ps next year but would probably not even place into PRE Algebra let alone Alg. 1. So, that being said, I totally get the frustration and the sadness at times. I also have 4 other children who are right on target or ahead. My 6yo would very likely be bored to tears in a normal first grade classroom b/c she is very advance. But the thing is I haven't schooled any of these children any differently than the others. KWIM? They've all received the same attention and education. But God has also created each of them with unique gifts and talents. I used to think that I had failed my strugglers (and I'm sure that I have on some level) but now I just rest in the assurance that I and they are doing the best we can.

Finished our 2nd day using Beyond, Bigger and RtR. Very successful and we are all loving it! :D I'm guardedly optimistic about the rest of the year. I will be adding LHTH for my 3yo after Labor Day as he is anxious to "do school" like the rest of his siblings. I just wish HOD had a high school program for my 10th grader!

Since you are already familiar with MFW, I would go with MFW 1st. There IS quite a jump from the material in K to the material in 1st. I found that it went VERY fast (too fast for my struggling reader) and provided little reinforcement/review. Honestly, I didn't care for the reading instruction and eventually ditched it in favor of The Reading Lesson and Phonics Road. Then, I bored of the program altogether and switched to HOD. :tongue_smilie: That being said, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE HOD! It is perfect for this "box-checking" Mom. I got dizzy flipping back and forth in the MFW guide so it was so refreshing having everything right there with HOD. Instructions, supplies, lesson, etc....all in this neat, organized boxy layout. :D It is very CM. My suggestion would be for you to check out the placement chart at the HOD website. At 6.5 and reading CVC words, your son might place into Beyond Little Hearts. Having done LHFHG with an advanced 5yo and struggling 7yo, I (we) found it to be a bit babyish. We are LOVING Beyond so far. There is a schedule for emerging readers but you can also use The Reading Lesson if you want. All of my kids except my 10th grader are using HOD. Breath of fresh air into our homeschool (even though we still have our attitudes and complaints from time to time). HTH and good luck with whatever you decide.

I love raw honey from the Really Raw Honey Company (based in Baltimore). I think you can get a pretty good deal on Amazon. We buy local but I have priced it online just to see the difference.

So far, here in SouthCentral, PA, it is raining. Just raining. My relatives in the Baltimore area are experiencing much the same. We prepared ahead of time stocking up on water (filling empty milk gallons with filtered water from our Brita pitchers), filling the tub (water to flush toilets), husband got lots of junk food (he calls it comfort food :glare:) from the store, took out candles, flashlights, etc. So far, we have power. Praying for those closer to the coastlines.

:grouphug: Tina, we are in the same situation with my ds13. After a year back at ps in 6th grade, he was "addicted" to the social aspect of it. He was miserable at home last year for 7th and is super-angry that we are not sending him back to ps for 8th. We did join a co-op and I am hoping it will be good for him. He is also taking a homeschool martial arts class with his best church friend who is also homeschooled. We have promised him he could go back to ps in high school if he wants. But I am sooooo not happy about that. Dh thinks it will be best for him and honestly...I sort of do, too. I am just having a hard time not thinking of myself as a failure b/c of it. Make sense? If our ps was "horrid" like yours, that would be a different story. He would be staying home. Our ps is "bad" but not "horrid". Anyway, I will pray for you and your dd. And fwiw, I think you handled it fine.

Instead of gutters, if you have an IKEA near you...get the spice racks for $4. They work just like the gutters so you can put the books facing out but are a bit more pleasing to the eye. You can paint them any color you want.

:grouphug: Praying for you, Lisa.

Congrats! My "surprise" is lying next to me right now and turns 6 tomorrow (actually...today!). She's the joy of my life (with my other 6 of course!). Her little brother, also a little of a surprise, gets along with everybody (except when he gets into their stuff!). Enjoy...I'm trying not to be jealous as I "thought" I was pregnant this month. Aunt Flo was just a bit tardy this month. :glare: