we LOVE Spell to Write and Read here. It's amazing!

:grouphug: i have no words of advice. Just said a prayer for you, your son, and the rest of your family....

we're on our 2nd week, and I do not own the teacher's manual. We are ALL learning just fine! :D The lessons are very simple and the songs are fun and easy to learn. I think you'll do just fine. If I can do this... ANYONE CAN! :lol:

Here's one for a berry cobbler: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/01/more-desserts-nutritiously-delicious.html what about making muffins, pancakes, waffles, berry-sauce, berry jam, freezing the berries, etc.? I wish we had berries-a-plenty!! :)

:iagree: And how wonderful! What a blessing!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!! :D

I plan our meals for everyday of the week. We eat-in and I love to cook. We have a very limited budget as well so, I try to make everything stretch. For Saturday lunches, I usually plan a soup and big sandwich. It's filling for the family and easy to prep for me. (I have prepared soups that I've made during the week in the freezer) Saturday dinners are usually something on the grill, or homemade pizzas, taco bar, or baked potato bar. YUM and FUN! Sundays are the hardest. The kids are STARRRRVING after church, and as much as we'd like to get fast food, it's just too $$ (when you add it all up), especially if I have food in the house for the family. We do something quick like yogurt & fruit parfaits, antipasti platters, or quesadillas, or sandwich wraps. :D

I have a sign that covers our doorbell "Please knock only". But, I generally do not answer the door during school hours. :)

Okay, so... we're only on our 4th day of homeschooling. DD is 6 and is in 1st grade. We never formally did any math last year, just math facts copywork. We are using Rightstart Math B and I am very happy we have it. I LOVE that it's teacher-intensive. Today, we were going through a lesson, DD was using the abacus. I was explaining something and I knew she didn't really understand, but after a few times practicing, I saw it! "CLICK!" :hurray: She understood the concept and "got it". I felt so blessed to just witness that. Little blessings here and there. Just wanted to share with you all. :D

Meals that keep our kids satisfied longer are: -whole wheat muffins (banana, zuccchini, etc. bake a bunch, freeze) + fruit and milk -whole milk yogurt w/ granola, honey, and fruit -bacon sandwich on homemade english muffins -bacon & eggs -eggs, fruit -oatmeal (always with butter, whole milk, fruit and maple syrup!)

:iagree: the main issue is the oxidized cholesterol... that is why we steer clear of ANYTHING that has nonfat milk or milk powder in it.

I've never had thrush with any of my babies (hope to never have it), but I always go to Kellymom with any breastfeeding questions or concerns. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/thrush/index.html

It's the nonfat milk. Usually nonfat milk contains dry milk powder. Bad stuff.

I second the recommendation of Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. I am currently in the process of losing weight on a full fat/ low grain/ low sugar diet. We only eat real foods here, whole wheat products made from scratch, some veggies from our garden, mostly from the farmers market. Fats used here: pastured butter, organic palm shortening, ghee, olive oil, coconut oil. We drink raw whole milk. Full fat dairy products, steering clear of homogenized dairy and ANYTHING with non-fat milk powder (dangerous). NO refined sugars here. Only honey, maple syrup, rapadura or sucanat. My kids and hubby are all trim and VERY healthy. The kids have great looking teeth too! I lost a lot of weight once doing fat-free/ low fat... but my hair also fell out. Totally screwed up my thyroid, I believe. That was before I had our 2nd child. After that I gained weight on the SAD (Standard American Diet). Now, I am currently losing weight. Eat Fat, Lose Fat is also a great book!! :) I feel a whole lot better now!

Our Costco recently began carrying Hanna Andersson leggings and PJs... I am hoping they carry dresses soon. Dh & I love what Land's End carries for girls. They carry modest skirts and dresses that hit at or below the knee. Plus, the clothes wear VERY well!! I know you can find Land's End at some Sears stores.

We drink: water sparkling mineral water raw milk coffee (DH & I) we don't keep juice, soda, or sweetened drinks in the house. for a treat, I occasionally buy Zevia sodas, which are sweetened with Stevia, but those are only for DH & I. Not the kids.

magnetic paint?! wow... this is VERY intriguing!

thanks for the links! would love to see more.

:iagree: I also wanted to add that the BEST thing about homeschooling is being able to teach each of my children differently according to their needs. The WORST? Right now... it's the Public/Private school parents that I encounter, especially at church who just DON't GET IT.

I had a lot of worship music playing during my labors (City on a Hill, Passion, Phil Wickham, etc.). That really helped me! Congrats on your upcoming homebirth!! How exciting and WHAT A BLESSING! :001_smile:

I try to get some of my household chores done in the morning before school starts. Our kids are young, so we don't have a long schedule, so for the year, the majority of the housework will be done after nap/quite time. And for some weird reason, I have a TON of energy in the evenings and can do quite a bit after the kids have gone to bed. This is coming from someone whose 18mo old still wakes 2-3 times a night! :001_huh:

:lol:

This is what I've been doing... I am just SO LAZY! :blushing:

Personally, I wouldn't do it. But, that's us. If you have no hesitations, they GO! Have fun, build those memories!! The kids will have a blast with their gparents. :D

LOVE IT! Now I am convinced that it's OKAY to have a homeschooling house... :001_smile:

:lol: