I totally understand what y'all are saying and DD will spend quite a bit of time outside throwing rocks and digging in the dirt (we'll finally have a yard and thus, a garden). What I'm looking for is a program to structure our reading with perhaps some learning along the way. If I don't do something new, we will just continue to read randomly and I do much better with some structure. The "Mudpies to Magnets" book would just be for fun and games. If she doesn't like it, I'd stop. I'm talking about an hour a day, at most. If I don't find a program, I'm afraid we'll just fuss about for way too long in the day and then she really won't get out and play. I'm not a creative person and need some framework to guide me along. Seriously - I used to be a CPA. I need rules!! Or to put it another way, I need permission to do just "this" much and no more, but have "this" be enough at the same time.

Well, shoot - I'd asked on another thread what would be better - B4FIAR or Sonlight P3/4. If they're both reading lists, then I'm really stuck. I was hoping Sonlight P3/4 was more directed/guided learning. If it's not, then I guess it's six of one, half dozen of another. Double Ugh. Edited to add - what is OM? I can't find it in the abbreviation list and I'm new...

Bump...:lurk5:

I'm trying to find a way to stimulate and occupy DD (almost 3yo) this summer and possibly next year. We are in the process of moving and I'm not sure that we'll be able to get her in preschool next year as we might have missed the deadlines for enrollment in our new town. DH and I disagree about homeschooling, though he strongly supports afterschooling. I think outside preschool would be good for her regardless. I have B4FIAR and was planning on starting it with her after a regular half day preschool (laying the foundation of afterschooling from the start). However, I'm looking at the boards here and am now wondering if maybe I should do Sonlight 3/4 Core with her, especially if I can't get her into preschool in Texas. She is learning her letters, LOVES me reading to her, "reads" to her dolls and stuffed animals. She also memorizes very quickly - I had gotten the "Bob" books for when she was ready for reading. She found them and has already memorized the first book just from playing with them and convincing me to read it to her just once. Ugh. They're in hiding for now. I'd like to do science/math with her "for fun" but didn't have plans for doing much beyond perhaps playing with experiments from "Mudpies to Magnets". What say the hive?

I was born in the South and raised by Southerners, but grew up all over the USA thanks to the US Navy. Here's what I say - 1 syllable: Boil Oil Soil Foil Coil Coin Joint Point 2 Syllable: Royal In grades 3/4 I was taught phonics and for some reason I am remembering that there's a rule about "'oy' in the middle of the word". I can't quite pull it up out of the cobwebs, though. "Her first nurse works early" I will NEVER forget! Even though I'm born Southern and raised by Southerners, we do NOT say "boil" in any way that rhymes with "bowl". I rarely hear that pronunciation. Maybe I just edit for the accent automatically?

I will also recommend the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. It's a little bit aquarium, little bit nature preserve. Little ones really like it as it's not too big, not too small. It's just right! We go there just to hang out on lazy afternoons. There's lots of hands-on activities, including a touch tank, and you can go on the nature walk and see all sorts of critters if they're awake. It has reciprocity agreements with many other science & nature museums - if you have a membership locally and "locally" is more than 90 miles from VLM, you'll get admission for free (some conditions may apply). Check out this link for a complete listing of participating museums: http://www.astc.org/members/pdf/PassPub0510.pdf

Caught a lucky break in a Google search. This is the webpage that originated the dish. DH plays around with the recipe (leaves out the ginger, usually), but basically this is what he does: http://akshayapaatram.blogspot.com/2006/07/sodhi-cabbage-cooked-in-coconut-milk.html. I have no idea what the "puris" is that she recommends serving with this dish. (Forgive me, I don't know how to do that cool thing where you just put in a word like "this" and it magically links to the webpage you're referencing.) :confused:

Working on it. We're moving so everything's in boxes and in transit. But I WILL find it!

I used to scrapbook fanatically, before I married and had DD. Now I have about 4 years to catch up on. The funny thing is, it's DH pushing me to get going and do it already! He wants OUR lives preserved in scrapbooks, not just my life before him and DD. :blink: So now that we're moving and our new place is larger, I'm planning on carving out a corner for scrapbooking, catching up, and then staying on top of things. DH is an avid photographer, so I have lots of material to work with! And no, I don't do the ultra fancy pages - mine are fairly simple, accenting the picture and journaling, not the art. I love looking at others' pages that are like that, but it's not my style. Maybe DD will finally get a baby book!! :D

Thank you! I've been wondering too!:confused:

Rosetta Stone is great, but expensive. I've not tried them yet, but the Foreign Service Institute's language courses are free and online: http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php Don't know about Costco's program.

I'm so glad y'all have such a great sense of humor! I needed a good laugh this afternoon - thanks! :lol:

DH makes a sauteed/stewed cabbage dish with coconut milk, mustard seed, and other spices. It's really good - but it's his specialty, not mine. If you're interested, I'll ask him for the recipe (he's out of town at the moment so I can't just now!).

:lol::lol::lol:

Va. Beach is not the closest beach, just the most well known and touristy. If you drive down I-64 and don't cross the James River but stay on the Peninsula, you'll find Buckroe Beach - more a "locals" kind of beach but we're a fairly friendly group of people. Just not a lot of hotels, souvenirs, restaurants, or boardwalk like in Va. Beach. "Freedom Fort" is Fort Monroe, which is an active military base until sometime in 2011. I've never been, but there's a Casemate Museum which may be interesting. Just know that it is an active military base so everyone will need ID to get on base (at least, all the adults). This thread is making me embarrassed. So much around here I've never seen! The curse of being a local, I guess. HTH!

Is his job in Williamsburg or near Williamsburg? If you go south of Williamsburg it will be more expensive, but I think if you head west or north-ish it might be cheaper. How far away are you willing to live - how long a commute will he tolerate? You know SWB lives not too far away - she teaches at the College of William & Mary! Where are you now?

Y'all are depressing me. I had just started turning DD (2yo) loose in the children's section of our library and say "pick anything - we'll read it." So far she has picked mostly good books - ok, "This Is The Van That Dad Cleaned" was just fluff, but it was still fun. She also picked "The Complete Works of Madeline" and "Lentil". Is this really what I have to look forward to as she gets older and learns to read independently?!?! I better start building our library NOW!

Kristine reminds me of a good point - WHEN are planning on going/coming? Summer traffic can be a real bear trying to get from Williamsburg to Va. Beach, but it's not so bad in spring and fall. And they are further apart than people realize - about a hour's drive. Reread your post - there are lots of open grassy areas in Colonial Williamsburg where kids can run and play.

Contact Colonial Williamsburg - they have all sorts of admission options and there are (I'm told) ways to rent costumes for the girls to wear so they're all dressed up like colonial girls in the historic area. Mine's still too little for that. We live nearby so we just go and walk up and down Duke of Gloucester (DOG) Street and enjoy the sheep, horses, carriages, character actors, and outside of the houses. There are lots of outdoor things to see that don't cost a thing, but if you're coming here from out of town, I'd recommend going for at least one day's admission to see the inside of the buildings and the presentations on life in colonial times. DD loved going to one of the taverns for dinner with friends - she was absolutely enthralled with the live music and other entertainment (she was just 26 months at the time but still loved it). Go to http://www.history.org and poke around. You'll find lots of info. FYI - It is HOT here in summer. I mean HOT! And there's not a lot of A/C in the historic area of Colonial Williamsburg. Bring water, be prepared to buy plenty of lemonade from the outdoor stands. Busch Gardens is nearby, but that's not inexpensive. They did just open up a Sesame Street section that I'd love to take DD to if we weren't moving. We live in Yorktown but I've never been to the historic district. How sad is that?! I've been told it's interesting, but I'm not sure how interesting it would be for 3 and 5 yo girls. Same with Jamestown. I'm here for another week, so if there's something you want me to look into, holler and I'll see what I can find out amongst my friends with kids.

I have a great spinach lasagna recipe if you're interested....

Thanks! I was Googling and found info as well. Interesting! And here I was trying to recreate the wheel. Does anyone use anything else?

:bigear: After roughly four years, DH and I are finally getting everything out of storage and merging our library collections along with everything else (we eloped and didn't come back to town for two years, so everything got put into storage and languished). I have enough books to start a small library all by myself and DH doesn't know what he's in for when the moving truck gets unloaded. What's a Library Thing? CueCat? Is it related to Dewey, the Library Cat? :tongue_smilie: I desperately needed organization before adding DH's books. Now I'm getting nervous...

:bigear::bigear::bigear:

We're a family of three, so you'd think it would be easy for us, right? DH and DD are sweaters. DH can change shirts two or three times a day, not counting pajamas. DD can change a couple times too. Between that and changing sheets at least once a week, sometimes more, I'm doing lots of laundry. Oh, and DH takes at least two showers a day, with a fresh towel each time. Can't break him of it. So I have a hamper in DD's room and 2 in my room. Every morning I sort towels, lights, and darks and run approx. 2 loads a day except weekends, where DH hates the sound of the machine (we have a small condo). Mondays I do 4 loads. If I don't have a lot of clothes, I do sheets that day. Wash, dry (I use the dryer here, when we move I might have space for a clothesline), fold, put away. DD (2yo) likes to help.

There is a huge sign in my parents' town that advertises supplies for "partys". I cringe every single time I see it.