Well, the first thing I did was to add Closet Maid shelving from top to bottom in the closet, 16" depth, uniform distance apart, and bought lots of bins and tubs that fit across the shelves. The 2nd thing I did was to move our "schoolbooks" shelves in there, and then two smaller bookshelves for the kids. That way, they know the school shelves are for school, and the others they can look at any time without permission. BTW, the two lower shelves in my closet are for them as well. I put things there that they can reach and use but are still educational in nature. At the age of my two youngest, these are puppets, toys, role-playing, blocks, etc. Hope some of this helps. Future plans include maps on the walls and letter charts. However, some of this is geared to my ages. You have to go with what is needed for the ages you are teaching. :001_smile:

Willow- I am an avid DR person, we have been free once, but had to go back under to fund dh's college and finally bought a house. We are now, about a year after dh graduated and been doing what another poster said about being on the savannah (LOL), diving headfirst back into the DR plan. As others have advised...stick with the PLAN. It really works. Do not rely on a cc, and make sure you follow the plan precisely! We know others who have gone off track after being near the end and it has caused a major collision! Just stay on it, you are almost there! I just made my first sale today toward our snowball (selling everything including the dog) and it feels great! Cannot wait until we have only the mortgage left! Just keep swimming.... BTW, there are specific guidelines in the book for whether you should have a three or six month fund. Though my dh now makes really good moolah (after years of being broke), and his job is secure, we will still fund six months because we are a one-income household, which is one of the determining factors.

Me, me!!! I have a totally organized closet with extra shelves and bins....so what kind is best?? :bigear:

Me, too!:lurk5: I just purchased Language Lessons for Little Ones Volume 1. Now looking at it, I think I should have gotten Volume 2. Lucky I have another little dd I can save Volume 1 for! I am very interested in some of the other books, but want to know how they are working out.

I completely understand the feeling of weirdness. However, if she has said that you can do whatever, as you stated in your post, then I would take that at face value. If you aren't going to use it, then why let it sit? You should not feel bad if she has given her blessing. FYI, I do the same thing with my kids clothing. I give them away to anyone I think needs it. I tell them the same thing. If you are not going to use it, do whatever you want. They are given with a free heart and no strings attached!

Check out "Children Who Do Too Little."

Can I ask why you went to R&S from Abeka? My ds used Abeka and did very well. Just thinking ahead for my littles as I have never used R&S.

I can totally relate! We stay home a lot as well. We read, go for walks, read, play in the yard, read, play games, read....you get the idea. Right now it is too hot to stay outside much, when we do it is usually playing in the sprinkler! We have two cars and I can go when I want, but I find my days and weeks run much more smoothly if we plan. I leave the house on Tuesday and Friday, due to hs group activities. Other days we stay home except for church. On those two days, all of the other errands have to get done as well. Anything that does not get done on Tuesday waits until Friday unless its impossible, which is rare.

We gave $15 to casual, more to families that we are closer to. We received in the same range.

:lol:

:hurray: Ds came out of his first term at college with a 3.5 GPA. That's a big deal for us....we were struggling with a lot of things when he went off to college. I am button-poppin' proud! :party:

I would cash it, keep all correspondence as suggested by others, pay tithes (if you are of the tithe-paying mentality) and move on. I used to work in medical billing and depending on your state, it can only be "recovered" up to 365 days after issuance. Most states are this way. Blessings!

:lol: I do that, too! I have actually gotten a lot better since ds graduated. My goal is to ONLY use paypal. I will sell stuff and only take paypal, then buy stuff with paypal. No money in paypal = no books! Saving for my next SL core right now. Oh, and Apologia science. I need to add it all up then I will know the total! It's helping me declutter my house at the same time, YAY!

Oooo, ooo, me, me! However, I cannot send dh in. I will just have to be diligent! The only place *we* really overspend is eating out. We have been really blessed with a good job for dh, but we scrimped for YEARS!! It is so nice to go out...and I don't mean McDonald's go out. We like to go to dine-in-and-have-someone-serve-us type of eating. Like Texas Roadhouse, Olive Garden, etc. Adds up quickly! I really have to work on meal planning!

We used WS and Wordsmith with my reluctant writer. He did well with both, even though he had an intense dislike for writing. He started college this summer and made a B+ in his first writing class. I do agree with the poster that said the tediousness of it about drove me insane, but he liked it. I will probably use it after WWE with my littles. Oh...but I just went to their site and they now have a book FOR littles! Maybe we will try it?? Not sure about that yet.

Jumping in here.... We are United Pentecostal and I only wear skirts past my knees all the time, with the exception of being inside my own home, or in the home of say a family member or close friend if we are staying there. The belief that is taught is twofold. One is the modestly issue and the other is the scripture issue. I also do not wear tank tops or any other sleeveless shirts, make-up, or jewelry other than my wedding rings. Our church teaches that a lady should look like a lady and need not be made-up or adorned with jewels to be beautiful. Keep in mind, in the UPC church, along with all others, there is a standard which is taught, but not everyone follows. We actually just left a church because it did not uphold these standards and found a new one (both are in the UPC organization). We are much happier! :001_smile: That being said, I would address the other issues. The VBS...well no one in my family is Pentecostal, so I tell them to wear what they'd like when they attend church with us. I think your daughter would be fine in whatever you would let her wear, and no one will say anything or think anything! If they do, then boo on them! The other subject, about the lady with the skirt over her pjs is perfectly normal with UPC (United Pentecostal Church). My dh's entire family is UPC. His mom will not wear sleeves above her elbows at church or church functions, but will at home. If she is walking outside to her car and happens to have on anything besides a skirt, she will throw a skirt over it, or change. Both of my SIL's and many others that I know are the same. Some of the women don't even wear wedding rings, yet others will put on "cover-up" type powder. The standards are clear, the people are human, that's why there is so much variation. When dh and I married, (I was not UPC, I was raised Southern Baptist), and we wore dresses/skirts to church & church functions, but could wear pants & capris otherwise. It was still modest dress. My dh did not tell me to change, he just asked that I continue what I was doing. God changed me, from the inside out, and this is what I believe is the right way to dress, and teach my kids to dress. Whew, that was a mouthful! Ok, about the boys. My ds and dh wear pants outside the house, and do not wear sleeveless shirts either. The swimsuits are another issue. Some wear them, and some don't. The church teaches they are immodest (well most of them) though there are swim dresses made to be worn. They do teach no coed swimming, but when my son goes with his friends, they wear shorts below their knees and tshirts. I tried to address everything from my view. One thing my home pastor teaches is this. If you are wearing a skirt that is to your ankles, but so tight we can your your underclothes, you may as well wear a mini-skirt! I don't know about other religions/denominations. I can only speak for mine. As God changes my inside, I hope I show it on the outside. In words, dress, and deeds. :)

:iagree:

:iagree:

:iagree:And we used Apologia for ds (with some supplements, including Considering God's Creation & Dinah Zike)....and will be using it (with some supplements) for dd's. Honestly, all of this new/old stuff is too *new* for me to be concerned. After all, our salvation does not rely upon how old the earth is, just how much we love/serve/follow the Son.:001_smile:

We used Abeka's Consumer Math with some Dave Ramsey stuff. Worked great!

I think a lot of this depends on the age/abilities of your dc??? No info included so hard to respond. Personally, I have been taking online college classes for a few years. However, fall of '09 was the last one for a bit because I was trying to graduate my ds (he had to take extra classes to graduate a year early), raising my dd (then three) and I had a new baby in November. Keep in mind I was actually taking a class during all of this, and we moved...TWICE! Currently, I am taking a break. Ds is off at college, but I still have two little dd's and my dh is going back to school this fall. I will not be able to go back until dh is done and I am content with that. After all my full time job as wife, mommy, financial planner, domestic engineer, and home education specialist (LOL) is a full load right now with littles. Depends on your situation....

I just want to say...give him time. He may simply not be ready for reading yet. There are lots of programs that are simply fabulous, but if he isn't ready, he isn't ready. Don't let it frustrate you, or make you think something is wrong with either of you. One of my nieces that is in ps, was not reading going into 1st grade. She was not ready. The school, and her mom (an early ed teacher) tried various things but she seemed "stuck" as well. She just needed time. By Christmas of her 1st grade year, she was reading well and now is in the TAG program (for what that's worth). Just some thoughts...

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

I miss my ds who is gone off to college! However, I still have babies at home so I am doing pretty well most days. Some days are harder than others. :crying: I do hope to have grandchildren before my last baby leaves the nest! Maybe that will make it a bit easier.

Been looking for something like this...thanks!