They'll be learning to play Jingle Bells and We Wish You A Merry Christmas on piano. I'll play other carols while they learn the lyrics and sing along. We're also going to do A Christmas Carol and The Story of the Nutcracker for read alouds. I may choose another holiday related book.

Those crochet hooks are cool. :) I've done tunisian crochet a couple times and it is neat to do something different and make a totally different fabric than regular crochet.

Forgot to say I use the Denise circular needles for straight knitting when I need to do that as well. You can knit back and forth on one circular or there are little buttons you click on the ends to make them just like a straight needle. I have a bunch of aluminum straight needles, some my dh bought super cheap at a yard sale, some my mom gave me because she gave up on knitting. I really should give them away because I don't see myself ever using a straight needle like that again!

I actually LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my acrylic needles. I never thought I'd say that! :) I have the Denise interchangeable circular needle set. They are made in the USA and guaranteed for life! They do not get cold in the winter like metal needles. I despise cold needles, they hurt my hands. They knit quickly and I love the way the needle joins the cable. It clicks right in place easy peasy. The metal interchangeable circulars I have need a tool to help you screw the needles on tightly. No big deal, though one time one did begin to unscrew and kept ripping my yarn. Took three rips before I realized what was happening. I thought it was the yarn! I prefer to knit everything in the round on two circular needles if at all possible. I do use DPN's sometimes. I have bamboo, which I like as well. I've never used other DPN's to compare with though. I like that they aren't slick nor cold. I got the bamboo DPN's on amazon super cheap for a whole large set of sizes, sorry don't know what brand. I'm able to knit quickly on them as well. ETA: I forgot another good thing about the acrylic needles is that they are quiet. Metal needles are noisy! :)

I have oily/combination skin and tend to get very dry skin in the winter. I've finally figured out how to keep my pores clear and moisturize. It has made a huge difference in my skin and I don't get all the breakouts anymore. I only use cold water to wash my face, warm or hot dry out my skin. I wash with a very gentle cleanser- Kiss My Face foaming hand soap, once in the morning, once at night. I tone with Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel once after the night wash. I moisturize with Jason's Aloe Vera unscented lotion after both washes. The lotion I use a small amount and pat it on. It is not too thick and soaks right in. Since I started this routine my face isn't even oily/combination anymore. It is actually normal for once.

I'm currently working on making our Spelling lessons for the next year. I don't want to buy one right now and don't want to use what we have. I wasn't really finding *exactly* what I wanted. I've spent far too much money on curriculum that I felt the need to tweak already. I'm using this really old free google e book and a book from the library called Spelling Made Simple. The information I'm using from the e book starts on page 38 with Word Building. I'm using index cards, rewriting the lessons in easy language, incorporating info from Spelling Made Simple where relevant, and carefully checking for outdated word spellings because they are in there. I really like the way the lessons are presented and how the child needs to manipulate the words. I'm also putting in review cards with a list of words from the exercises once or twice a week. These I will say the word aloud and watch as the students spell them on paper, correcting any mistakes right away and noting any words missed for further review. I'm also throwing in cards with homophones, info on word origins, spelling patterns, info on word parts (morphemes, suffixes, affixes, prefixes), and meanings of prefixes and suffixes. In the end I think I'll be pleased I put the time into doing this. I'm just learning the rules myself though, so I don't have much confidence yet and I'm triple checking everything as I go. I don't want to teach them anything wrong. I've definitely caught a couple mistakes already. I wish I had someone who could look it over for me when I'm done!

You might also consider shortening the copywork and handwriting for your 2nd grader by half. It is okay to shorten the work and doing so might even help her progress more quickly in her skills. Quality over quantity. Help her really focus on half the amount of work. This will help you feel more able to keep her on task as it will shorten the time you need to do so.

OP- First and second graders are very young and imo 2 hours of school each is plenty. It is *very* challenging to school multiple children and run a household as well. I think the key to shortening your day will be to combine the kids for some subjects, rearrange your schedule, and perhaps to consider different materials for some things. Here's my suggestions- 1. Oral grammar together, I suggest Simply Grammar which is short, easy, and can be done completely orally. I used this with my two and they enjoyed making silly sentences aloud. Maximum time-15 minutes as you literally stop there and pick up where you left of the next day. You can choose to only do this 2-3 days a week. This is plenty of grammar for a 1st and 2nd grader. This is meant to be fun and it is perfectly okay for them to laugh and distract each other a bit. You'd be surprised how much they retain because they are actually using the grammar they are learning to create their own sentences. 2. Schedule your Chemistry to be done together on 2 days a week you are not doing grammar together. 3. Schedule your History to be done together on the 2-3 days a week you are doing grammar together. 4. If they can not do Math together at all, do their Math separately after you get the together work done. Have one child work on anything else they can independently while you work with the other. I'm not clear from your post if the older child's reading and CW is done independently? It sounds like you have to be right there keeping her on task and she can't work while you are teaching the other as it is distracting? If she can't do these things while you are doing Math with the younger then perhaps have her getting something else important done, like her bath for the day, or chores. 5. Consider doing the reading portion at bedtime instead of during the day. This way you can get to household responsibilities or the preschooler quicker, and still get the reading done. 6. I don't think the CW and Thinking Skills needs done everyday, consider only doing these 3 days a week. Then you can free up time to add in Art 1-2 days a week. We are currently only doing Art 1 day a week, though we've done it 2 days a week in the past. You can only fit in what you can fit in, but once a week is better than none. Also I would totally combine them for Art. It is okay if they are being silly or distracting each other a little. Art is fun. :) 7. Consider working with your preschooler on the weekends. They are perfectly happy with short activities and adding this to your days when you have school off wouldn't take up much time. This will help you feel as though the preschooler is still getting time with you and not getting left out of the learning. You could schedule 15-20 once or twice a day for Saturday, or Sunday, or Saturday and Sunday-whichever works for you.

I avoid foods with hydrogenated oils. I do believe they are bad for you. We still do eat some foods with it, but it is so easy *not* to use margarine and peanut butter with hydrogenated oils, so that's where I cut it out of our diets. Not sure what you'd find reputable, but here's a link to Mayo clinic about trans fats and hydrogenated oils. It doesn't say margarine is evil. :)

Dd said Hermione Granger, ds said Squidward. :)

I agree with not trying to sync the programs. A large part of the beauty of using several programs would be lost with doing so. Using three resources you can do one, two, or all three at the same time as it makes sense for the student. One Math with cover the same topic in a different manner at a different time and this will either serve as review or even help the student get the concept in a way they didn't before. If they are really rocking in one curriculum you can step back from the others for awhile and let them fly through part of the one.

When I used to be able to eat potatoes I'd leave skins on all but mashed and in soup potatoes. Yum, yum baked potato skin and home made fries with skin.

Sometimes I will leave butter out all day, so I'm not opposed to doing that. I used to do it fairly often. Here lately I've been mostly leaving it in the fridge because I've been buying a butter/olive oil blend that spreads easily straight from the fridge.

Butter. I try not to use anything with hydrogenated oil in it, including margarine. I believe it is BAD for you. Besides, butter is better. :)

Other Dd 11 was enrolled in a virtual public school for K and part of 1st. I still considered myself a homeschooler because she was home, I was schooling her. We didn't use the bulk of the curriculum they sent as we were allowed to tweak and supplement. Not far into 1st grade I realized there was no value for us in continuing her enrollment and was happy to be on my own. Ds 10 has always been homeschooled and has never been enrolled in a public school.

Math Mammoth is having a 25% off sale if you order through the kagi download link. The code is THANKSGIVING. :) I'm gonna order a few I don't have yet from the Blue Series.

My skin struggles with pimples, but I've finally found a routine that works for me and it is sooooo much better now. Basically a very gentle cleanser, moisturize, acne treatment, and regular exfoliation. I use Kiss My Face *hand* soap (yes, the foaming hand soap-very gentle!) twice a day, in the morning followed by Jason Aloe Vera lotion, at night followed by Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel (this is the only 'acne treatment' I use), then Jason Aloe Vera lotion. I always wash in cold water as warm/hot water dries my skin out, then it produces more oil. Once a week I exfoliate gently with baking soda and water paste, then use a green clay mask, followed by Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel and Jason lotion. Once a week (a few days apart from the green clay) I wash with Alba Pineapple Enzyme Facial Scrub, then a rhassoul clay mask mixed with Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel, followed by Jason lotion. If I don't exfoliate twice a week my pores get clogged enough to visibly see before I start to break out. I never noticed this before I started the routine, probably because they were always clogged and I was usually fairly broken out with pimples. I haven't been taking good care of my face at all because of business and only exfoliated twice in the whole month. Now I have a good sized pimple with a white head. Hadn't had one of those in a while! Also, as far as makeup, I rarely wear it but when I do I use Pink Quartz Minerals from etsy.com. Her mineral foundation is truly pure minerals and is very amazing stuff.

If you want makeup that is *really* purely minerals and very good for your skin try Pink Quartz Minerals at etsy.com I rarely wear makeup, but this is the only kind I will wear. It is beautiful and delicious. :) My skin struggles with pimples, but I've finally found a routine that works for me and it is sooooo much better now. I use Kiss My Face *hand* soap (yes, the foaming hand soap-very gentle!) twice a day, in the morning followed by Jason Aloe Vera lotion, at night followed by Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel, then Jason Aloe Vera lotion. I always wash in cold water as warm/hot water dries my skin out, then it produces more oil. Once a week I exfoliate gently with baking soda and water paste, then use a green clay mask, followed by Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel and Jason lotion. Once a week (a few days apart from the green clay) I wash with Alba Pineapple Enzyme Facial Scrub, then a rhassoul clay mask mixed with Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel, followed by Jason lotion.

When they were younger I let them stay up for an hour past bedtime if they were reading quietly in their rooms. They both still love to read at night, though these days I don't limit them to an hour. Maybe tmi, but I always encouraged ds to read in the bathroom. If your not opposed, put a basket or small shelf with some high interest reading materials by the toilet. Also you might try comics. My ds got hooked on reading Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes books. Once the love of reading is there they will branch out and read chapter books.

Not sure why but I always need to stop and think before typing necessary. I want to put two c's even though I *know* it isn't right from spellcheck correcting me one too many times.

I do have the fraction circles, but I'm not sure how to make them useful?

I like this :)

They have done long division, but we are just starting MM division to review. I do have LOF Fractions (they're on ch 3) and MM fractions. So maybe I should have them do MM division and then MM fractions and LOF Fractions, or MM division and MM fractions simultaneously, the LOF Fractions? I'll see if my library has Kitchen Table Math.

I'll look into those. :)

I'd like some suggestions for resources for having a good understanding of fractions. My dd does really well with pictorial examples and hands on when it comes to really grasping a concept. I'm having a hard time explaining the whys of fractions. They are finding it easy to solve the problems, but having a hard time understanding why it works. For example 1/2 of 8 = 1 x 8 over 2 = 4. They can get the correct answer no problem, but can't understand why that works.