http://digifree.blogspot.com/ Here's as good a place as any to start. Enjoy!

I voted for 2 - forever & situational. I wanted to homeschool before I wanted to have children. :) I'm trying to always keep the needs of my kids as the deciding factor. I can envision a future where a public school experience of some kind would be good for them. Hopefully not for a long while, though.

This is me, only there is no maybe about it. :) Same reason I love reading my dead Russians.

On my nightstand there are 7 books. The 2 I'm actively reading are Don Quixote (Trans: Edith Grossman) and A History of the Ancient World. Recently finished: Dune (for the umpteenth time) Current read aloud: The Hobbit

Lemonade! Worked wonders for me. Hope you are feeling better soon.

6.87 That was fun. I'm copping out on my 'dumb hand'. Left hander in a righty mouse world. :)

I have a six year old, too & I'm seeing the same type of behavior from her. It's not everyday, though. Mondays are hard and days when she's tired or interested in something else. I find that if I stay calm & matter of fact it passes more quickly. I don't drop the planned schoolwork. I have dropped fun activities that are planned for after lessons when things are rough. I don't know what brings her around - just like you mentioned, though a switch is flipped & she's ready to go. I have also been capitalizing on her agreeable times to get more done (using that loop theory I read about here:) ) My daughters outbursts are almost always set off by the need to write something. My question to the hive is: How much writing is appropriate for a 6 yo at about a 2nd grade level? She can do so well when she's in the mood, but other times a single word is too much.

You could check out the Trixie Belden books. The main character is 13. My 6 yo is reading them & the material is pretty 'safe' yet interesting. They might be a little to young for a 12 year old, but it depends on the kid I guess. I think they are out of print but I've found them online.

I think they could easily deduce that my given name was far too common for my tastes! Motherhood has been a great journey (Odessa), the ultimate experience (Maximus) and a joy to proclaim for all to hear (Horatio).

DD6 - science DS4 - also reports science DS5mo. - nursing! Me - history

I'm an open office user, too. Might I also recommend The Gimp? Open source graphics program found here - http://www.gimp.org/ :) oops, need to reload beforee posting. *blush*

Yes, I do feel like that! I can't fit it all in a day. I'm an avid list-maker & it's disheartening to move items to the new to do list each day. So far school is getting done faster than I though it would -but I run out of energy before the housework is caught up. I'm going to chalk it up to having a 4 month old. It's good to have more things to do all the time, but right now I'm looking for more time to do all the things!

This has kept me thinking today - the first one comes easy - It's always been a goal for us. 1. Ambition. Ambition to try things without being afraid. To pursue the big dreams as well as the little things. Ambition to master something, follow what calls them, create what they envision. 2. Observation. Remember to watch and think. Use the information that is all around us. Make connections. Understand a deeper thread throughout existence. 3. Philosophy. Develop a personal moral code that jibes with their hearts as well as the world around them - and the hard part - living by it. 4. Joy. Finding the things that give it all meaning. The things that (to quote a friend) make the stars shine a little brighter & the air smell a little sweeter. 5. For number five I'll throw in academics. That is why we need school, right? ;)

Funny you mention it - I'm timing contractions right now. They have been every 4 minutes for the last 26 hours. I was due on the 6th. This will be our 3rd & last. Also the tiebreaker - can't wait to see which gender!

I've been through this one - My best recommendation is Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal & I second the other high fiber foods & fruits mentioned. Getting my dd to drink enough is a challenge, too. I wish I had an answer for that part! Hang in there!

We aren't religious people. I've wanted to homeschool longer that I have wanted to have children. I think it's an amazing experience & can't imagine my kids being away from home so much of the day at this age. (almost 6 & almost 4 + one due in 11 days :)) I do have strong moral convictions that I hope to pass on, but I consider that more a part of parenting than of our educational plan - though it is nice to have those 2 aspects in parallel.

Oh, this one brought tears to my eyes.. "Turpentine...but I do not use it anymore. I use the eco-friendly orange smelling stuff now, but I miss the smell of turps. Painting is not quite same (although safer) without it." here's my top 5 1. Sandalwood 2. soil/springtime 3. yeast - just recently identified this beyond 'pizza dough' 4. babies (25 days -or less- to go!) 5. old books

I've never been fired. True greatness!

I feel obligated to reply to this one because I don't own a TV. :) - but it wasn't a parenting choice. When I moved out on my own, around age 20, I just kinda lost interest in watching TV -from there the less I saw the more the little I did see bothered me. I just couldn't stand the advertising and the trite, simplistic, emptiness of most programming. Back then I had no plans to ever have kids. When my hubby & I began living together he made the same transition quickly. I don't think TV is a bad thing, it's just not for us. These days I do worry a little about my kids being exposed to some of the things that TV brings into the lives of most kids. The cultural identity most people find in it is somewhat lost on me, but I don't want to limit the kids to just my sphere. They see an average household amount of TV when they visit the grandparents & it doesn't seem to strike them as a foreign world. They know some kids TV characters from the net. noggin.com etc. DH & I enjoy tracking down things for them to watch on the computer or from netflix.

Congratulations to you and your family! He's just beautiful! :)

This has been a topic for me this week - well more how old I feel rather than how old I look. I turned 39 this week. I'm also expecting & due in May. I'm getting worn out very easily & not able to keep up anything close to my usual pace, so I've been wondering how much I'll bounce back after baby arrives. As for looks - I would say I'm looking 35 now. I tink I look a lot better in the summer w/ a little color in my face & not all bundled up. Winter drains me & makes me lusterless. :)

No, that's not me, but I did take the photo. You can find a slug in my yard almost every day - though I'm not going out to check under all that snow. :)

Sending many labor vibes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :)