I have a 3 strikes and you are out policy. I tell my kids this the first day. Strike 1 is a warning, 2 is a time out, 3 they spend the rest of the class with mom. There is always one kid, isn't there? Make sure the mom and student know the boundaries and expectations. Maybe have mom stay in the class next week to help. Parents with special needs sometimes stay in those classes at co-op. Sorry you are dealing with that.

I started reading that to my son last year...he was bored halfway through. He didn't like Anne of Green Gables either. At least I have a daughter who will enjoy them one day. ;)

You are too nice. You needed to add that the kids cannot come over when she is being paid to babysit them... and the dad needs to not pay her for today since she wasn't actually doing what she is being paid to do (the prior day)...that would be awesome if he nixed her on her pay. Just sayin.

EVERYTHING is negotiable. If you think today that the pay isn't enough, then tell the company he can't take the job for less than X pay. Ask for more than you want to see if they come up with another number. It doesnt hurt to ask..if you think our answer is no anyways, what do ou have to lose?. I would not move for a 30% pay cut. We live far away from family. I would need a 30% pay raise to move to deal with the snow again. ;). Good luck.

Have you'read 'Bad Kitty Takes a Bath?'. Fun kids chapter book. Cats and baths, not usually a good idea. They do constantly clean themselves... Being a new cat that isn't used to you, maybe take them to a groomer o bathe them.

I grade his stuff right there on the spot after we do it. But I only grade math and grammar. He is 3rd grade, so most everything is still one-on-one. It only takes a few minutes to grade something, I think it is best to grade it right after they do it so they can remember what they did or didn't do, helping them learn better from their mistakes.

SWB has her HISTORY OF series. It is for adults, but has more information than the SOTW series. She has 2 books written. I think the 3rd will go to the press soon or is in the process. http://www.amazon.com/The-History-Ancient-World-Earliest/dp/039305974X/ref=pd_sim_b_2 http://www.amazon.com/The-History-Medieval-World-Constantine/dp/0393059758/ref=pd_sim_b_5 I don't have them, so I don't know if this would work great for 5-8, maybe more 9-12. Vicki

Nervousness is normal when trecking into a new journey, or a new routine no one is used to. For your toddler...playing in a box of corn (corn feed corn) or rice with some measuring cups and spoons and things to fill will keep them busy for at least 30 minutes. Look into having some ACTIVITY BAGS or BUSY BAGS for your toddler (here is a link that has ideas or explains them http://www.walkingbytheway.com/blog/?cat=72 ). They are wonderful things. My two youngest like to pull them out and play with them. I have put many of their toys in ziploc bags - you can take them with you to a restaurant too to keep your toddler busy. An older child can get the bags out and do that with the toddler while you are working one-on-one with another child. We homeschool year round, so that is a good way for the nervousness not to happen after you have been doing it. Keep the routine going a few days a week in the summer, so then they don't struggle with lost knowledge and an old routine they haven't been doing. Of course if you go on a cool month-long vacation or something, this will be hard. If you get busy during the year and do a lot of field trips and outside activities, doing school in the summer will help you stay ahead, important especially when they are older and there is more work they need to do. :) I know some people need the break...my break in the summer is to not have to drive somewhere every day. It is so much easier to get school work done without all the field trips and such. :) You will do fine. Good luck!

Here is my plan for the year... 1. Math takes at least an hour (usually 90 minutes - Saxon) every day we have school at home. 2. Beast academy, Life of Fred, real life math...we recently had a flood, I think he gets perimeter and area now that he had to measure and figure out what we needed. Perimeter is baseboard, area is carpet.... 3. Robotics - 2nd year 4. The kid plays with Legos, erector sets, Knex, Lincoln logs and builds all sorts of things. Science 1. Weekly co-op class 2. Monthly class at Museum of Natural Science- 3rd year of this, last year he had a monthly 3-hour class at the Observatory as well as the monthly HMNS class. What better way to learn about astronomy than to go to an observatory. They even got to play out mission control in a real set up of a mission control area. It was so neat. They did some really cool stuff in that class. 3. Weekly get together with another homeschool fam and we just do hands on experiments 4. Elemental Chemistry once or twice a week-TWTM recommends Chemistry for 3rd grade. 5. Nature journal book... Hope to do weekly. It's hard living in a city vs. country. It was easier to do CM living on 5 acres 6. Child led science, what interests him at the moment, let's figure it out. 7. Take apart broken electronics...computer got ruined in flood 8. Watch documentaries and BrainPop videos I have not felt he has lacked in science or math.

I am probably no help. But I put my special needs child in public school because he gets a lot of services and gives up way too easy for me, which leads to frustration for both of us. He works very well for his teachers, or they just don't take his BS. I don't take it, but then he runs away when he doesn't want to do anything-he doesn't do that in school - he will run out of the room and go downstairs. He is only K, but has been going to PS for 1 1/2 years in their PPCD program. He is 6, so he is starting a year late compared to when most people start their Kers. He needed it. I wanted to keep him in Pre-K again, but he aged out. He has knowledge, his fine motor skills are lacking. My goal is to keep him in PS until he can read and write well or unless he is getting bullied or having an awful time at school. My other two kids are relatively easy to teach. If my special needs child was easier to work with, I would be more apt to keep him home. He gets a good ratio for his important subjects (phonics, reading, writing, math) at his school 5 kids, 2 adults. The electives he is mainstreamed with the K class. The school has a great structure too, which I know he likes. I provide structure, but not like a PS does.

We are doing geography, science and book club at co-op this semester. The geography has a lot of art...I wanted him to take art, but he wanted geography. We are doing our own science at home this year. This year we are doing chemistry, and I get with another mom and do experiments. I think she is going to do chemistry too, so we will do the experiments in the lesson. Geography does take place in our history lessons, but I am using The Complete Book of Maps and Geography, as well as the co-op class. He will get detailed lessons about specific places in the co-op class. If he does art at co-op, I don't do it at home very much. We will do some things. My daughter will be taking music, art and cup stacking - she is K, my oldest is 3rd. Last year I did not do much science at home. He got science at co-op, once a month class at the science museum, and a 3-hour once a month class at an observatory and I would get together with a friend a few times a month to do lessons. Science at home was done based on interest...I.e. if he wanted to learn about snakes, we learn about snakes. I just did not use a curriculum for science, although I have BFSU. This year I have a specific plan to follow with chemistry, so we will do it at home even though he gets it at the museum and co-op.

I have always opened up a checking account specifically for Paypal and would keep $10 in it so a lot of money couldn't get stolen if it so happened that way. I moved, that account is still linked and the checking account is closed. So you could open a bank account just for Paypal, get it verified and then close it if you feel uncomfortable having it linked.

We never quit...we just graduate certain subjects earlier than others. I am ahead for 3rd grade year...this helps when lots of field trips come up and it's hard to get the basics of school done everyday. :) We take a day or two off every week depending on the activities in the summer.

I'm guessing completion is after Writing With Skill 4 has been done. She wants to get that done first as she feels there is a bigger need...WWS 2 should come out this year...so I will guess 2015 maybe. ;)

Give them wings and let them fly...we have moved around a lot, so if they moved away, I would be sad, but welcome their success for the reason they are moving. I think one of my kids will not move away and will probably always live with us, but who knows what the future holds for him. I wish we lived closer to the grandparents, but I love living in the warmer weather in the south compared to the icky weather in the Midwest (except for the summer). :)

Someone mentioned anxiety...but if it isn't asthma...does she have anxiety problems? Anxiety could lead to difficulty breathing, chest hurting. Either way, have her checked by your doctor. :)

He makes the money, I pay the bills, but we both make decisions on spending. So I voted it's equal.

No, but I wouldn't take my kids on a cruise unless it was a Disney one. I want to stay up late and have no one nagging at me. . I know a baby wouldn't nag, but they are dependent on you. You could stay up late. I like to have drinks here and there, dance at night...hard to do with a baby. It depends what you want out of your cruise

I don't do it alone. I live in a big city (outside the city) and there are a lot of HSers here. Many of the groups do make you sign a statement of faith, but not all. One even has you get a reference from your pastor. Many who are in that group are in the group I am in, which is simply a homeschooling group. Mormons and Catholics love our group as do non-religious (anyone who has a beef with signing a SoF loves the option of our group) and religious (we have awesome field trips, park days, holiday parties, museum science classes, and a co-op). Religion doesn't get brought up in a ton in the conversations I have had. I was in a secular group as a email member and that wasn't organized well and flaming went on because someone posted info about a Christian based conference...you know, an FYI. Many in that group were religious, but the truly secular got mad. You cannot be secular and inclusive. Inclusive means belief or non-belief doesn't matter. Anyways...homeschool groups should be just that, a group for homeschoolers of all kids to get together, and they should replace a statement of faith with a code of conduct.

I love Rafe. I did an Econ class in my co-op based on how he does his class economics. I love how he teaches them to keep score at baseball...something I will do with my kids. All of his books are great and easy reads and very inspiring!

The Pattern Blocks are a MUST. They use the squares that are 1" each to help with measurements, multiplying, etc. The blocks are used to show fractions and other things I can't think of right now...I used them a lot with my 3rd grader in 3rd grade and 2nd grade. I don't recall using the Tangrams a ton for 3rd grade. I didn't use Saxon for 1st, I kind of did my own thing. Tangrams are a cool thing to have though. If you needed, you could print some off and have them use the paper version for the exercise. Scroll down this page for Tangrams you can print - http://www.mathcats.com/mathtoolbox/index.html I don't pull the balance out much. I use the clock a lot. It really is nice having a Judy Clock. Good luck! Vicki

I have the animal...have had it about 8 years. It never loses suction, but the quality of the suction does get lost. I don't know if any vacuum picks up rice well, but this one does NOT. I have to go over and over and over and over it, and I don't think the rice is all up. Rice is in carpet, a little shaggy, but not majorly shaggy. My daughter plays with rice, and when I am not looking has poured it all over a few rooms. Aye. The only difference between the animal and the non-animal is a specific attachment, of which I never use (I believe). I love the length of the cord on the Dyson. I likely will not buy another Dyson, but maybe I will buy a $200 vacuum that is designed like it, but a different brand. I have to research it. FWIW, I did clean out my vacuum a few years ago with an air compressor...took it all apart. Suction improved, but then it started 'sucking' again.

I got mine bound at FedEx (Kinko's) for $5.49 each. One was over an inch thick, the other one was under an inch. Both were the same price. I don't have a proclick system, but that would probably be optimal. I went to Staples and had them cut the binding off a bunch of books so I could 3-hole punch them, and they cut it really crooked. I have taken stuff there before and never had issues. The people at Fed Ex, well they do it all the time, so from here on out, my stuff is going there. Cutting binding was $2 at Staples, $1.49 at FedEx. So prices are probably comparable. I bought some tabs that are like post-it note material and stick on your page and are removable if you want to move them...and I labeled where everything is. I did have some cardstock in between specific areas, but the tabs are great. They were $3.99 or something at Staples, but so worth it! Good luck.

All you need to worry about for the first few years is reading, writing and arithmetic. If anything else gets done, it's a bonus. What you are doing sounds fine. Whatever math you use, make sure it uses manipulatives fairly often. I have a son in 3rd grade, and my daughter is doing K4 this year. I wasn't going to write anything down for her as far as lesson plans go, but I did while I was doing his. I am a big fan of cuisenaire rods. Pre-numbers math that turns into numbers math. It can be used all the way up to 3rd or 4th grade for multiplying and dividing. I also like the abacus to teach counting, adding, subtracting and multiplying. You can do dividing on there, but it is a great little tool. I have a curriculum for the cuisenaire rods - a bunch of cards from the 1970s and each card has a lesson on them. So between that and Saxon Math K, her math is planned. I will be focusing on the cuisenaire rods and abacus first and then move into the Saxon lesson plans. The lessons in Saxon are short, and they mention things the other two things may not cover. Some lessons are too simple for her, and I have skipped a great number of them for our plans. For my oldest, I used a lot of abstract math before numbers math came into play. Phonics I'm using Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading or just learning through playing. So much stuff gets done with just playing at that age, that is why I don't like to write down lesson plans, it kind of takes some of the fun out K. Science was child led at K. I would introduce things and he would want to know more about something else, and we would do that. It has been child led pretty much for 3 years. This year I am doing a specific curriculum. I do have BFSU and have had it for 2 or 3 years and haven't made it very far into it because we get distracted so much and he gets science at museum classes, co-op, we do experiments once a week with a friend...History and science at the young ages are very child led for me, and I recommend anyone to listen to what your child is interested in and go from there. :) Have fun.

The $5 minimum is stated in the ad - they do this often, so be prepared for it weekly from here on out. You guys have to learn to work their system. You buy a free or very cheap after rebate item that is more than $5...say 8X11 copy paper that is $6.99 with $6.74 back in Easy Rebates (this week) and buy your 1 cent items. You end up paying $.25 for the paper and you get a few penny deals. You pay $7 something out the door, but get most of it back. Rinse and repeat every week with their deals, and then you have lots of paper to print all the free cool stuff you find online. Staples is the best place of the office stores to deal with because you get REBATES vs. STORE REWARDS credit. They do have their own rewards program, and I buy things sometimes with that...but the way you do that is say .... buy batteries for $10, and you get $10 rewards back...you take that rewards and buy a FREE AFTER REBATE item and you get that $10 back in the mail...$20 of stuff free. It just takes a few months process to get your money back. You can't buy REWARDS items with REWARDS (well you can, but you don't want to as you won't get the additional rewards). So in short...look for CHEAP or FREE after REBATE items...buy those and then partake in the cheap deals. Don't need the free after rebate items, donate them to your local school or church, or charity. :) V