My almost 3yo has severe decay in his front 2 teeth...that we JUST noticed about a month ago. Talk about mommy guilt. He was breastfed until about a year and nursed at night. No cavities. It wasn't until he started having juice in a sippy cup that he got them. None of my other breastfed children got cavities. My 5yo dd was night-nursing until she was almost 4. No cavities. I have heard that some kids teeth are just "softer" than others. So sorry your little one is going through this. You are not to blame!

Hi Katrina. This is our first year using HOD so take this all with a grain of salt. :) I have 7 children. My oldest dd (9th gr) is mostly independent. My 2 oldest boys (7th and 5th) are using Preparing 90% independently. We do read-alouds and Bible together and History reading. Since it is a 4 day program, we save projects until Friday. My 9yo boy is using Preparing but needs much more hand-holding so I work with him quite a bit. My ds8 and dd5 are using LHFHG and of course, both need quite a bit of assistance. The guides were quite doable and didn't take us all day at all. However, we saved LHFHG storytime until evening. My dh also did the Preparing read alouds before bed. You might want to post this on the HOD board and take a look at the sticky about scheduling. Many ladies have shared their schedules for doing multiple guides. Very helpful.

My immediate thought was HOD as well. Your kiddos are young, right? So perhaps FIAR? Not too difficult to plan and very enjoyable.

God bless you for what you are doing! I was in a similar situation many years ago with my 2 godchildren and their mother. She was slipping back into her life of drugs and alcohol after making such tremendous strides forward. The girls (3 and 8 mos.) were dirty, sad, neglected, abused (I feared) by the live-in boyfriend, etc. One night mom called me and asked me to take the girls for the weekend. She sounded high or intoxicated. I immediately picked up the girls, baby was soaked through her diaper, older girl was in a pullup, no clothes, etc. I called the girls' grandmother and we devised a plan to intervene in which I would take the baby and grandmother would take the 3yo until the mom got help...again. Sadly, this wasn't necessary, as my friend overdosed that night and died the next morning. :crying: Anyway, I am rambling. I'm sorry...the situation just brought back memories. So, God bless you and your sister. Praying for you all.

So, the Pre-Alg on up is a complete program? Hmmm....any other thoughts? :D

That was my gut feeling, too. It just didn't seem complete. Now where to go? He hates Saxon. He will be in 8th grade next year and is planning to go to ps for high school. Here, Algebra 1 for 9th is standard in the high school. So, I don't see any reason to push him into Algebra 1 in 8th. Any suggestions for something to "round out" the LOF series? And, should I get the Pre-Algebra books for him for next year? Thanks for any advice anyone has!

Such a tough situation. I have been extremely jaded to all matters regarding CPS and would hesitate to get them involved unless as a LAST resort. I agree that this baby seems neglected and that the mom seems like she is suffering from PPD. Talk to her first and be REAL with her. "Hey, I'm very concerned about you and your baby. Seems like you are very depressed. How can I help you?" Please do what you can first before involving CPS. It is likely they won't do anything in this situation anyway but if they do and they take her child away...she likely will not get her back. Just my opinion and I will be praying for this situation. Seems to me there must be somebody, a family member, friend, etc. (besides you) who could step in and help. Urge her to see a counselor asap. and a psychiatrist. Meds might be necessary for her at this point so that she can function again. KWIM? Blech...so difficult. Praying for wisdom.

My ds12 is using Fractions, Decimals and Percents. He switched to this from Saxon 8/7 b/c Saxon brought him to tears. LOF doesn't seem as "complete" as Saxon and I wondered if I might have to start supplementing? If so, with what? And, where does he go after Dec/Percents? Thanks!

http://www.guesthollow.com has a great free curriculum.

We are using Preparing this year. The Bible portion focuses on the Psalms. The "Lead Me to the Rock" CD is used to help with the memorization of the verses. During the week, students read the verses and discuss, focus on memorizing and on Day 3 have a Quiet Time of prayer. On Day 4 they copy the verses in their Common Place Book. Of course Bible is weaved into almost all of the other subjects as well. HTH I don't have any experience with the other upper levels yet.

For MFW K, no other math is necessary other than what is included in the manual. If your dd likes math and wants more, you could add Singapore or Miquon. If she is hands-on...Miquon would be great. In fact, if you are using MFW K you probably already have the Cuisenaire Rods and Alphabet Book so all you need are the Miquon books!

If one were a Christian (young Earth/creationist), would RSO still be okay to use? I checked out the samples and the FAQ section and saw the curriculum was secular but that the Elem levels did not mention evolution or anything "controversial". Is this true? Thanks.

Thanks...anybody else?

My dd5 (who is a lefty) writes many of her numbers backwards or "mirror imaged". I correct her when I see it but she still does it. Is this normal? FWIW, she doesn't do this with letters that I can see. Does it have something to do with her being left-handed? I am a tad concerned and was just curious if this was normal. Thanks.

I love these! Where can I get a pair? This thread is dangerous for me. Shoes are my weakness. I love shoes! I wear sandals in the spring/summer/fall...until it gets unbearably cold. My current favorite sandal is brown (sort of the look/feel of Birkenstocks but not). In the winter, I have a pair of croc-like shoes that I wear. I also have a new favorite pair of black heeled boots that I wear to church or for dressy occasions. I hate socks. If I must wear them (like in winter) I will typically wear a pair of thick, wool blend socks.

Can anyone review these for me? We love ARF Handwriting. I have often toyed with the idea of using the other subjects and am particularly interested in the Science and Spelling. I am using PR with my younger kids but simple do not have the time to take my older boys on a speed-tour of PR and get them up to level, kwim? We use HOD and that has dictation but I wonder if it is enough? As for Science, my ds12 needs something more than HOD provides and we are not liking Rainbow Science very much. I thought about Apologia General for him but he is NOT a reader like my dd is and don't think it would work well for him. He needs LOTS of hands-on. I don't think Apol. General has enough hands-on for him. Anyway, any thoughts/reviews will certainly be appreciated!

Can you put your finger on what it is exactly that you don't like about Apologia? Format, content, philosophy, etc.? That might help in directing you elsewhere, kwim? :D

:grouphug: Imp. I am so sorry you are going through this. You are NOT being selfish or anything close to it. You are enduring more than many and I am so inspired by your strength and determination. You cry all you want. I wish I could be there to hold you. I am praying for you. I pray that God comforts you and holds you and that ultimately He HEALS you from this horrible disease. I want you to know that you are beautiful. You are beautiful with hair and without hair. You are beautiful b/c you are fearfully and wonderfully made by God, in HIS image. I agree that there should be a time when enough is enough. When, in my own mind, I cannot reconcile my enough with God's enough...I simply have to rely on my trust that God is in control, knows what is best, will never leave me or forsake me and loves me. When I can't trust His hand...I trust His heart. Hang in there, Imp. We love you and are praying for you. :grouphug:

A few ladies on this board recommended The Heart of Anger to me when I described this EXACT behavior in my ds12. Your post is almost a carbon-copy of mine. :grouphug: It is soooo hard when our once sweet, easy going, boys turn into angry, combative preteen/teens. My ds12 is exactly like this. He is rebellious (but thankfully not in a dangerous/destructive way), combative, angry, sullen, moody, etc. He HATES being homeschooled and desperately wants to go back to ps. We told him he could go back for high school if he still wanted. I've started reading The Heart of Anger and I am hooked. Excellent book that is already changing the way I deal with/discipline my children. The author is a Christian counselor and addressed the root issues our children (and we) are dealing with that CAUSE the anger. If you are a Christian, I highly recommend this book. If you are not, I still highly recommend this book! :D Good luck and hang in there. As a pp said, please try not to internalize this, feel guilty, take it personally, etc. It is hard, but when I distance myself it does help. Don't misunderstand...don't distance yourself from your son...just from his anger and attitude. I also agree with the exercise, sleep and having something to DO that is constructive and helpful and will give him a real sense of accomplishment. Boys these days just don't have the opportunities for real "work" like they used to (unless living on a farm). KWIM? At least mine doesn't anyway.

I don't know anything about CLE (except what is discussed on the forum :D) but I absolutely adore HOD! Like you, I love how it is all laid out for me in one easy 2-page spread. It is complete! Just add phonics and math. You could still use CLE for math and reading if you want. HOD has its own recommendations but you are free to use whatever you want, obviously. We use The Reading Lesson for reading (one of HOD's suggestions) and my ds8 and dd5 are having great success with it. We also use Phonics Road (it is pricey) and could ditch The Reading Lesson b/c PR is reading/spelling and later grammar and literature and comp. etc. but my dc really LOVE The Reading Lesson. Go figure. Anyway, take a look at the placement chart over at the HOD website and see where your dd would fit. I'm guessing Beyond Little Hearts. My dd5 is using LHFHG this year and so much of it is "babyish" to her and to ds8. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with your decision and welcome to the Hive!

Such good news! I have been praying for you! God is so good. Congratulations.

Thank you for the resource! You have just made my ds12's day (and mine). I just purchased the Woodworking 101 book (should have probably gotten the download but oh well) and I can't wait to get it!

Do you like Nutella? I found a simply delicious recipe for Nutella Cheesecake brownies. Here is the link: http://www.kitchenmonki.com/recipe/Nutella_Cheesecake_Brownies

My first pregnancy was a m/c. Then I had dd. My next preg. was a m/c. Then I had my 4 boys (not all at once!) and my dd. After dd I had 3 miscarriages in a row. I was terrified. I went to a specialist who told me there wasn't anything wrong with me...it was just a "fluke". I then conceived ds and had a healthy pregnancy. We are now trying for one more and I haven't been able to conceive. Good luck to you.

:grouphug: You are not alone. I have been dealing with regret over past decisions for a while now. For me, it is a day by day choice to surrender those choices to God and let Him redeem them how He sees fit. I have repented and asked forgiveness (for those choices that were sin) and that is that. It is still painful when the memories come up and I begin to think, "I should have done x or should not have done y or I wish somebody would have warned me about z...". What is done is done. Praying that you can find some relief from all the regret you are dealing with.