If you suspect any type of abuse (verbal or physical) you should report it. If this is an everyday occurence and not simply just the guy letting off some steam after a bad day...I would report him. If not that, then perhaps have your dh confront this man and tell him that you don't appreciate his cursing so loudly b/c your children can hear him. Just my 2 cents...if it were me? I would probably opt for #1 if it is as bad as you say and you are really worried.

That is so funny you should ask that question b/c I was going to ask the same thing! I purchased the subscription last year and I hardly used it. BUT, last year was a rough year for me. We didn't get a ton of "extras" accomplished. I was just checking out the site today to see if I should renew or not. I will say that there are a TON of great printables for EVERY subject imaginable. But, there are also lots of free sites out there with great printables too. I know that I'm being a big help here, aren't I? :D Hope somebody else responds. :lurk5:

Must agree that Nights in Rodanthe had me depressed for days afterward. City of Angels much the same. Love a good romantic "chick flic" but not one that ends on a sad note. Prince of Tides, Bridges of Madison County (although I had already read the book and new how it ended...still depressed me). I'll make sure not to see The Time Travelers Wife. :)

We put our 3 oldest in ps this year. Dd12 has been psed from K - 3rd and homeschooled from 4th through 7th. Ds11 was psed for K and 1st and homeschooled 2nd-5th. Ds9 had only been in a private PreK and is now at ps for 4th. The boys are loving it...soaking up the time away from their volatile younger brother (ds6) and meeting new friends (good kids, thank God). Dd12 is in 8th, doesn't like it as much as she thought and wants to come home. I'm having a tough time deciding what to do. I want her to come home, but don't want her to give up too soon. I'm having a tough time with them being in ps b/c I loathe most aspects of ps. But, we had to do what we had to do. My only fear is that once things calm down around here...they won't ever want to come home to be hsed again.

Oh Brandy, praise GOD you are all safe! He was certainly looking out for you.

You will get an email shortly welcoming you to the group (I think that's how it works). Shouldn't be long. Welcome to the boards! Lots of us are over there, too. :D

Just tell her to join us here! She'll get an earful of advice from all the wisdom on this board. This board, and reading the WTM, has been the singlemost source of homeschool wisdom, advice, support, etc. for me. Sometimes it gets overwhelming and I have to take a break from the curriculum board (I can get rather crazy!), but I can always find answers to my questions here. Have her read the WTM, Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks. If she has a young child, Five In A Row is a terrific curriculum (I'm finding) and they have a wonderful support forum as well at http://www.fiveinarow.com. But, my advice would be to not overwhelm her by throwing to much at her at once. Give her a few places to visit (here, FIAR, perhaps ambleside or another Charlotte Mason type site) some curriculum recommendations (not a lot!) and then give her time to think it all through! Just my 2 cents...from someone who overwhelmed herself by reading and visiting TONS of books and websites in the first few weeks before homeschooling and wanted to give up before I even started!

Just to give you more to look at, I'll add another suggestion. The Phonics Road to Reading and Spelling has been discussed on the board and after looking at several different programs, decided on this one b/c it is handwriting, phonics, spelling, reading, and then language arts later on and then moves into the Latin Road to English. It is quite expensive for all the materials, but it seems like you have a 5yo who could use this as well! For your older child, you could let him use his own paper instead of the student materials in level one b/c he would likely move quickly through. This is what I am doing with my ds8 who reads well, but needs remedial with spelling and handwriting. http://www.thephonicsroad.com has a demo video clip.

I second joining the FIAR forums...awesome bunch of ladies there. Great ideas, wonderful support. And homeschoolshare has a wealth of great ideas for each book. Just don't get bogged down with all the "extras" b/c the manual has a lot to do already, kwim? You'll find yourself getting burned out before you even start. Start simple and then build up. Choose the activities from the manual you really find interesting and go from there. Happy rowing...we are starting with Mike Mulligan b/c ds loves that book!

:grouphug: We are going through almost the same hassles. Dd12 was tested the DAY BEFORE school started and put in the WRONG math class even though I told them she needed to be in Alg. 1. They didn't even have testing in place for incoming students...until we enrolled dd b/c my husband gave them a lecture on the importance of testing students this age to make sure they are placed in the correct classes b/c 8th grade is the year before high school and the entire course layout for hs is at stake. They just shrugged. :001_huh: Welcome to the world of public school...for both of us.

Here I am! :D However, I cannot say which I like better, b/c both have their strengths! My dc have used both. Some like HWOT best b/c of the simple 2-line format. Others liked the ZB style b/c it was more "normal". For cursive, I prefer ZB b/c it is "prettier" than HWOT. But, my ds8 has problems with writing and so I'm trying him on HWOT cursive. You could try both? How's that for enabling? :D

Have you tried Jump In!? I have heard good things about this program and would try it with my dd12 who is a reluctant writer...if she weren't in ps this year. :glare: I still might add it in depending on how much writing she has this year.

Well, dd has started reading the book in class and after much thought and prayer, I have decided to just let her read it. She is mature and I don't think this book will turn her into a druggie, alcoholic, street runner. Someone said that once we put them into ps we lose a certain amount (if not all) control...and it is sad, but true. Until the time I bring her home (if that happens) I suppose just being diligent in keeping up with what she is learning and picking my battles will be my game plan. Thanks everyone.

Nancy, I just posted a reply to your question over at the FIAR board, but I'll answer here, too! We did CKE Bio 2 years ago and really enjoyed it. Bite-size lessons were a real plus for my younger elem. kids. I had a 2nd grader doing it at the time. We just didn't do ALL of the activities and I didn't make him do a ton of writing. We have Earth and Space right now and I was excited to start...until we decided to put the older 3 back in ps. :glare: I have a 3rd grader, 1st and Preker to teach but I am going to hold off on the E&S b/c I really just need an easier year. FIAR science, combined with the simple, fun experiments in MFW K will do just fine for us this year. If you feel you need more science and would like to take a year to study one topic more in depth...I give CKE a thumbs up...especially b/c it is written from a Creationist view.

Just saw this posted over at the FIAR boards. For those of us who already like the Olivia Children's book series...here's Olivia: The Essential Latin Edition! http://www.amazon.com/Olivia-Essential-Latin-Ian-Falconer/dp/1416942181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252045182&sr=1-1# How cool is that? :D

Copywork is simply copying a short sentence in her own handwriting. As she gets older, the sentences become longer and she will copy paragraphs eventually. As for a complete curriculum, I agree that an expensive one isn't necessary. Handwriting, phonics, math, reading, reading, reading together, etc. is all that is really necessary. However, I have both MFW K and 1st and I really LOVE MFW K. Complete, fun, easy to teach, lots of good books to read, Bible, little bit of science, art, music, social studies, etc. but all in nice little bite-size pieces. But, I also don't beat myself up when we don't get to everything. If we do phonics, math, some reading and handwriting but no science or art or whatever...it's okay! I also like FIAR for that age...just starting that with my dd4, ds6 and ds8. Literature based unit studies using really awesome children's books.

Thanks everyone. Dd12 is studying Spanish in school. Latin would be after school...so no worries of studying them one right after the other. Now, if dd comes home...I'll make sure to do one in the am and one in the pm. Thanks! I'm excited to learn Latin, too. I sang in Latin and so I "know" many Latin words (esp. Christian words) but really want to "learn" Latin.

Imp, I think you are a pretty awesome, inspiring, compassionate, intelligent, hard-working, funny, determined, strong, passionate, and an all around great person...a person any of your children would be lucky to be like. They are lucky to have you as a role-model. I am with you, however, that I do not want my children growing up with the scars I have, the financial struggle, low self-esteem, pressures, etc. Your statement just made me sad...b/c I think you are a terrific person. :) Praying that God reveals to you exactly how special you are. :)

Is anyone here teaching Latin and Spanish at the same time? Do your dc get confused? Do you think it is too much? I would like to teach my dd12 Latin while she is learning Spanish at school. I have Latina Christiana I (I know it is more for the elementary set) and would love to use it. Doable? Should I just wait a year and have her start with another more age-appropriate Latin next year? Any thoughts/advice greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Please pray for his parents, Rick and Nicole, and their other children as they go through the hardest trial of their life...the loss of a child. I didn't think it possible to feel such grief for a family I have never met...but my heart is just aching and the tears won't stop falling. The mother in me is torn apart with grief for Nicole. Please pray for the comfort only God can give them right now. Thank you.

I want all those academic things for my kids, too. B/c I just don't know what God's plan is for them and I want them to be prepared....and they are all very bright and can handle it. I guess I was just wondering if I was focusing too much on academics lately...pushing too hard...instead of focusing on rekindling a real LOVE for learning that will stick with them all their life. KWIM? I guess one could do both...I just haven't figured it out yet. Great answers y'all! And I want the cheesecake, too...and chocolate. :D

PMd you, Chris. Praying for you. :grouphug:

That just burns my you know what! I got much the same patronism from the ps people when I registered my dc this year. Grrrr......is all I can say!

I got to thinking tonight as I sit here unable to sleep. My heart is heavy with grief for a family that I don't even know irl and I am trying to divert my thoughts to something more productive. Enter the Title question. What do I want my children to learn? Do I want them to learn a bunch of facts about History and Science? Do I want them to get as far as they can in math...just b/c I did (b/c it pleased my father :glare:)? Do I want them to impress people, teachers, relatives with their knowledge of "stuff"? How about being able to speak 3 different languages...just b/c? What is it that I really want them to learn? I'm not knocking any of the aformentioned things...not at all. Please don't misunderstand. It's all good. But, ultimately, what is it that YOU want your children to have learned by the time they enter adulthood? Some of my thoughts: I want my children to learn how to learn. That is, I want them to be able to find information on whatever topic that sparks their interest. That means, they must be able to read...well. I want them to learn life skills, necessary for running a household (whether they be boys or girls) successfully (i never learned that until I was forced to). I want my children to LOVE learning new things. I don't want them to feel like learning is a chore. Something they HAVE to do b/c they are children. I want them to be able to express their thoughts in writing b/c I think it is an important life skill...not just for those who are college-bound. I want them to grow up to be adults with good character...honesty, compassion, love, grace, kindness, mercy, loyalty, discipline, responsibility, etc. I want them to have good "boundaries" b/c I am learning now how so many of our problems can be boiled down to a lack of clear boundaries. Anyway, what do you want your dc to learn? It is a question that we should all ask ourselves.

Yep, yep, yep! Count me in, too! :)