I would also encourage you to check out the site: http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com Erica is a hs mom to 4 and she has put together some great resources and even created her own Letter of the Week curriculum. It is all free to download - although the free version must be dowloaded one sheet at a time. You can also spend $10 and download her entire curriculum at once. I actually purchased it today and have been printing out materials and laminating several of them.:D They are so great and I know my ds#3 will love doing them! You can also check out her "My Printables" section and download more items from Math, Bible Time, Art/Music, Calendar Time, Colors/Shapes, Phonics and more. I am so excited about it and can't believe that in the past, I have paid so much $ for PreK programs and yet I like this better!:) HTH! :D

You have a lovely place and I absolutely LOVE your scrapbook corner! I also got some great ideas on storing my boys' playmobil and lego sets! Thank you so much for sharing! :)

Hello ~ We are using CLE LTR with my K'er and it is going well. It does take a little bit of time to go through, so some days we'll do part of the lesson and then take a break/change subjects and then come back to it. I have enjoyed it so far. We are using CLE LA and RTL with my 1st grader and it is also going well. Actually, we also use FLL but my boys actually LIKE doing narration!!! LOL! They enjoy me reading a story and then telling me about what they read. My K'er does LTR 3 days a week (doing 1 lesson per day). Doing it 3 days/wk. will still allow it to be completed in a year. It does have some sight words but not many and they are the ones that most other programs use as well (i.e. the, for, do, etc.) We do OPGTTR on the other two days of the week as well as FLL with both the K'er and my 1st grader. My 1st grader does the CLE LA 3 days/wk. and we are getting ready to add RTL 2 days/week. We also do WWE (again, my son loves the narration section). We have AAS but he is already spelling most of the words in it, so I will give him words and have him spell him with letter tiles on a small magnetic/dry erase board. Last year, my boys only used HWT and ETC and did great. We still do HWT 1-2 days/week. Also, I usually let them do a few pages of the ETC books on Friday. I really like ETC and my boys do as well. Now, there are definitely days when no one feels like working and we just take it easy. Usually, we just do OPGTTR and/or FLL during lunch so it doesn't "feel" like having to do school.;) Hope that helps!:)

Would someone explain the difference between the Light Blue series and the Blue Series? I know they say one is broken down by topic and one is the full curriculum but is it really that different? Does it teach the same concept? We are using RS A and B this year and the boys are enjoying it; however, ds#1 (RS B) actually likes to do worksheets and with the good deal at the Homeschool Buyers Coop, I'm thinking of taking the plunge. Thanks in advance for any advice! :-)

Hello ~ Have you looked into Homeschool Skedtrack (www . homeschoolskedtrack . com)? It is a web-based program that allows you to set up everything you will need! I have just started using it this summer and I LOVE it!:D (Actually, just taking a "break" from entering lesson plans to read on the Hive). We travel a lot with my dh's job and I love that it is accessible to me from any computer wherever I go. The video tutorials are very helpful in getting you started. You can enter your "school" information, yearly dates, days off (holidays/breaks/etc.) as well as the courses and activities for each course. You can also copy and paste within a course or between students b/c it is set up like excel. You can upload plans you already created from excel into skedtrack as well. For example, my rising 1st grader will be starting RS level B. So I went through the lessons and tried to "map" out the lessons. I entered them all into skedtrack as activities under the course "Right Start". I wanted to see if we would be able to complete everything and still take off Fridays for math. So I clicked on the "Predict Dates" button and it calculated an estimate for when each lesson would occur (this was originally done based on school occuring M - F). I saw that we would finish early and so I went back and adjusted my RS Course to only be on Mon - Thurs. I went back to the Activities and clicked on "Predict Dates" and it shows that we will still finish on time! That really helped me get an idea for planning my year!! Plus, it is very flexible ~ say you don't get something completed when you thought you would, no big deal - skedtrack keeps that lesson plan as the next one to complete until you enter a completion date for it. OK ~ hopefully, my above examples weren't too confusing, but can you tell I am excited about it!!:D I plan on posting my lesson plans when I'm done with them (just in case anyone would want them). Skedtrack will let you upload files from excel as well as download your lesson plans back to an excel file. So when I download my plans, they will be in excel. You can use them as such or upload them back into your skedtrack and adjust them as you see fit to meet your needs! :) I will have: RS level B and A CLE Learn to Read and LA 100 and Reading 1 OPGTTR FLL WWE AAS HWT - K and 1st Song School Latin I'm not sure how I'm going to do Science and History. HTH!! :) OH!!! And the best thing ~ Homeschool Skedtrack is totally FREE!!!!:D

Hello, My boys used HWT Pre-K and K this last year and we loved it! Even my boys that are not in "school" yet loved listening to the CD (Pre-K CD) and playing with the wooden pieces. My oldest did not need the wooden pieces but loved using it to create "roads" for his trucks/cars to drive on. My Pre-K and younger kiddos did enjoy building the letters with the wood pieces. Another item that went over well was the Stamp N See screen and it was also great for car trips. We did not buy the Mat Man matierals but we could build him from the blue mat, wooden pieces and other items from around the house. Building Mat Man that way has helped my boys in their drawings of people. Overall, we were very pleased with the materials! Good Luck! :-) PS - The block paper was also very useful for getting my oldest to practice his letters (w/out being too large and all over the place).

Thank you both "blessedmom3" and "starrbuck12" for your suggestions! Just for clarification, I was planning on using the Learn to Read program with my K'er and wondered if adding OPGTTR (since a lot of it can be done orally) would be a good supplement ~ but did you find when using LTR with a K'er that it takes a year to finish? I was wondering this b/c I am afraid my K'er will struggle with the workbooks (again, he is totally opposite from his big brother). :-) For my 1st grader, I am just going to start him in the LA 100 program and the Reading to Learn 1 (I Wonder) program. "Starrbuck12" - can you tell me what your son struggled with in the LU? My son hasn't started these yet and I would love a "heads up" on areas that might be too challenging. Also, did you follow the workbook for WWE 1? How long did it take you to complete? Lastly (sorry for so many ?'s!), did it take you the entire year to finish the LA 100 program? Thanks so much for your help! "blessedmom3" - may I ask how your son does with the WWE orally? My son is an avid reader and he realizes that he learns quickly so sometimes he gets frustrated when I try to do things orally with him. But, I figured if he is starting the LA 100 w/out going through the LTR (since he's already reading), then we may have time for it. I am still struggling to figure out if we are a "classical"/"CM" or just eclectic family! ;-) I really like the idea of having him work orally (to practice making complete sentences, etc.) I am glad to know that WWE has worked well for you guys - do you also use the workbook it come with? I really appreciate this forum!!!! Being able to ask ?'s of other moms has been so helpful to me!! :-)

Thank you so much for your response ~ and yes, I was afraid that I am crazy!:D Did you combine WWE with CLE for 1st grade? I looked through the WWE workbook and it looks good but is it overkill when combining with CLE? Also, you mentioned that one of your kiddos might not do well with CLE ~ is that b/c it is more traditional/workbook based? I am wondering if my ds#2 (K'er) might be the same way. My oldest is a "classical" schooler - loves workbooks but I'm afraid my ds#2 is exactly the opposite (go figure! LOL!) I was thinking that OPGTTR is more orally driven which I thought might "break" up the work of CLE or can parts of CLE also be done orally to ease up on the amount of workbook pages? Thank you again for your info and advice!!:)

Any suggestions?:lurk5:

Hello! I am starting to really put plans together for next school year and I have already found some great suggestions on this site for staying organized (as much as possible with 4 boys! :D) I will be HS 2 ds this year - 1st and K'er. Being that I am a curriculum junkie (already! this early in hs?!!:tongue_smilie:), I have the CLE Learn to Read, OPGTTR, CLE LA 1 and Read to Learn 1, FLL, WWE and AAS. Typically, the CLE LTR program only takes part of the year and then the student starts the RTL program. The CLE LA 1 is started about 1/2 way through the LTR program. My ds #1 is already reading very well so I wanted to just start him with the LA 1 and RTL program. I was planning on using the LTR program with my K'er. For K'er (completed Explode the Code A, B & C last year): Since the CLE LTR program in the recommended schedule only takes part of the year, I was thinking of combining it with OPGTTR. Doing CLE 3-4 days/wk. and OPGTTR the other. For 1st (comp. ETC 1, 1 1/2, 2 & 2 1/2 last year): Also since the CLE LA1 & RTL program are scheduled for part of the year, I thought about combining it with FLL, WWE and AAS, similar to above. Am I crazy???:D Has anyone ever combined WTM with CLE before? Any suggestions? I know I will need to go through the WTM materials and arrange the use of them according to the CLE schedule, but before I went through all the trouble I thought I'd ask for some advice!

I was also going to mention this site!:D I really really love it!! And ~ you can download all of her materials for free! (You just have to download them one at a time or pay $10 to download everything at once). I wish I had found this earlier!!!!! :D

Hello LynnG! I too am going to start RS A and B with my K and 1st ds this fall. I must admit that I've become a little bit of a curriculum junkie and I also have MUS Beta. We started watching it a little this summer to see how we like it. After reading several great reviews on Miquon, I got some of the Miquon book an am looking for a way to incorporate those with RS this fall. I haven't found it yet but there is a great older thread about using Miquon and RS together. HTH! :-)

My ds #1 (6.5 yo) started taking Simply Music lessons from a teacher in Feb. He has really enjoyed it and has learned so much! I didn't realize at the time that a hs program was even offered. We found our teacher through our church. She had been teaching for many years using traditional methods and now just loves Simply Music. From talking to her, SM gradually adds in more "traditional" type teaching but in a fun way. It is saved for more advanced levels. They begin to teach it using the same songs that the kids first learned, so it helps that way. We are very pleased w/ ds#1 success so far. Enjoy!

I am so glad you mentioned these b/c I was thinking of the exact books.:D

I love to find a good deal and so I do a lot of my shopping (when I get to!:D) at consignment stores. Where I live there a several really good ones and they get their merchandise from all over the country. They sell a lot of the really expensive brands for a fraction of the cost. I also agree with finding someone to go with you ~ I am not good shopping by myself! It helps to have another's opinion. For bathing suits, I prefer tankinis ~ they are great for bodies having gone through multiple pregnancies!:lol: Stores like Dillards and Macys have great end of season sales also - I love to go to Dillards when they have their 70% off sale (with the add. 20% off your total purchase!) Other good stores - Talbots, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Gap, etc. Have fun!!:D

OK ~ I am really laughing b/c I just purchased something from you and I am becoming--no I guess I am already there-- a curriculum junkie!:lol:

Thank you all for all of your responses. :) I am glad to see so many of you really like it without having to have the lesson plans. Definitely will have to talk with dh ~ maybe play with both Skedtrack and HST over the summer to see what would work best. I really like the idea of setting up lesson plans and being able to use them again with the next kiddo in line!:) Now, I just may have to take you up on that offer!!:D

I am going back and forth between the Homeschool Tracker Plus and Homeschool Skedtrack for my planning and scheduling.:confused: Tracker + is $49 for a one-time fee. Skedtrack is free. But . . . Tracker + has yahoo groups that you can join to have access to tons of lesson plans that others have put together. Has anyone chosen Tracker + solely b/c you also had access to all the lesson plans??? Are they worth it?? Or did you just choose the Tracker+ b/c of what it does and the lesson plans are just an added benefit?

Working at a school is a good idea. I went to college and my degree is in accounting. I worked for a CPA firm for 6+ yrs. before ds#1 was born. I have thought that if something ever happened I might try to teach accounting classes/business classes at a christian school where the kiddos would be. I know I am bias, but I think accounting is a great field to go into -- it can open the door to lots of possibilities.

I have always really like Clinique makeup but have always gone back to L'oreal Voluminous mascara. My younger sis (fashion merchandising major) loves Sephora. I recently purchased from them some skin care products b/c I was having issues with pimples and wrinkles - go figure!!:D I must say that I love the stuff I got from Sephora (www.sephora.com) and it makes me want to try more! I love to wear mascara b/c my eyelashes are so light and need a little something to help them out. If you want to go natural, I would definitely try the mineral makeup b/c it is the foundation and powder in one (and many have SPF, which is a +). When I have to go somewhere, I still like my Clinique Superbalanced makeup - at least on my T-zone (under-eyes, nose and chin). My mom also share with me some wonderful lip balm from Burt's Bees ~ Lip Shimmer (I really like the Raisin shade), it is very moisturizing and yet adds a little color. What is funny is when I started wearing it, my boys all just stared at me so funny ~ I realized that they weren't used to me wearing any color on my lips!! LOL! But my dh really liked it!:D HTH

Thank you, Jcodevilla for this post. I thought I should add that you shouldn't trust everything you read in your college American Lit class. I am in no way condoning slavery or trying to say that the horrific things you mentioned never happened. However, it comes across as all those who "owned" slaves fit into that "neatly" mentioned category and it is just not true. I have relatives from all sides involved (including being part Native American which could open a whole new discussion on the treatment of human beings, but anyway . . .) One of my great-great-grandfathers (GG) at one time owned slaves. He actually gave them their freedom before the war, but they all returned to him to work because he was a fair man who treated them with kindness. My GG actually trained some of the men in business and financial matters as well. One of the families wrote my GG a letter thanking him and his family for the kindness they received and were grateful for the opportunities they now had by just being in this great nation. The father told my GG about the life he had as a child in Africa and how that differed from what he was able to offer his family. Now, am I saying that my GG was perfect or his scenario was the "norm"? No and no because I don't know any other "personal" stories other than my own. But to say that all "slave owners" treated their slaves like you mentioned above is not true either. According to my grandfather, his grandfather believed in treating all people with dignity and respect. His "slaves" were considered that by paper only but treated as someone hired to work the family business - with pay. Why do some forget that slavery was not just something happening in the US but all over the world at that time? It still doesn't make it right but it would be good for us to remember the context of the times. Who was doing the selling of the slaves from Africa?? Unfortunately, in many cases, it was those with means in Africa - black and white. The poor have always been easy to exploit and have been since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, unfair treatment of black Americans did not end b/c the war did. Slavery is still occurring today and not just to black Americans.

:grouphug: We will be praying for you guys during this difficult time. May the Lord provide you comfort!:grouphug:

I am following this thread with interest b/c my ds' 1 & 2 will be starting RS this next year. Could someone share what HOE is?? :D

We used ETC this last year and really enjoyed it. My oldest ds is not a tactile/kin. learner but ds #2 is more of one. I also utilized the TM's alot b/c of the good ideas and games (i.e. thumbs up/down game for sound, etc.). We also used the HWT program this year, which I also really liked. We got the wooden capital letters, stamp screen and roll-a-dough letters. I also used those in teaching the ETC workbooks. Even though they weren't full of colorful pics, my boys still really enjoyed them (and they are soooo inexpensive!!) :D HTH!

:lurk5: