Well, first of all, it doesn't roll, it spins. ;) Secondly, you need to know that it's BIG. We have a pretty large desk and the DA takes up nearly half of it. :001_huh: I need to organize mine better, but I really do like it. I like that it holds files (worksheets, maps, finished work, etc.), books (teacher's manuals, workbooks, etc.), writing utensils, and other small desk top doo dads. Ideally, it can hold the stuff we use everyday, but, like I said, I need to organize mine a bit better. Overall, I'm glad I have it, but if you already have a space for all that stuff, then it's probably not the best choice. It is portable, though, so that is a plus (but full it can be a bit heavy).

Yeah, and it's a lot easier to say what needs to be done than it is to actually do it. :lol:

This is so true. I tend to get ahead of myself so often and just get overwhelmed. I know I need to take things one step at a time, go slow, and really work on forming good habits, one at a time. Thank you for that reminder.

Very inspirational, thank you! :001_smile:

Oh, yes. I don't post here much (just lurk, mostly) but I've got impressive post counts on a couple other forums, not to mention reading blogs, facebook, etc. It's definitely an escape for me when things get hard... which is all the time, lately. I do think I may have a bit of PPD, as well, which I know that eating right helps with, but it's hard on my bad days to get motivated to do that.

Yes, paralysis. That's a good word for where I'm at. But you are right, I need a plan. Maybe I could lay out all the things I would like to change this year and dedicate 4 weeks or so to each one. That way I can see that just because X is not the focus this week, it will be addressed this year. I've felt stuck for so long and I know that any improvement would be better than none. I'm such an "all or nothing" personality and it's been way too much "nothing" for way too long. Because I feel so much better physically when I eat well, I think I will start with meal planning/prep and schooling, because we've already started for the year and I want to keep up with my plan. Then maybe I will ask DH if he could help with more of the house cleaning. Then, as hard as it is, I will need to let everything else go until eating and schooling become routine and second nature. OK, deep breath. I can do this, right?

LOL That tattoo would be awesome! :lol:

This is good advice, but how do I choose when everything feels urgent? That's what's hard.... keeping everything going. I feel like when I do a good job keeping up with school, the house goes to pot, I don't feel like cooking, so our eating goes downhill and on and on. But if I start eating well, taking the time to prepare healthy foods for every meal, I feel like I spend all my time in the kitchen and there is no time for school or cleaning, etc. Feeling fulfilled is something I long for but feels terribly out of reach right now....

There are so many things I want to do.... eat well and exercise, be more consistent with schooling, do better with budgeting, meal planning and cleaning, more self-education, including learning a musical instrument, etc. But I tend to just fall into my same pattern of way too much time on the computer. I have a toddler and a baby along with my two school-age kids and I am very much an introvert who gets "touched out" easily, so I know I'm in an intense parenting time that won't last forever. However, I just feel so stuck and stir-crazy. I've never had much self-discipline in my life and it seems that having kids has made that even worse for me. But I'm tired of setting such a bad example for my kids. I want better for them. And for me. How do I change?

WWE doesn't teach the mechanics of handwriting, so you shouldn't start WWE until your child can copy a several-word sentence. For first grade, we did Handwriting Without Tears' first grade book and then moved on to WWE when ds got toward the end of the HWT book. I had him do the writing day of WWE one day and then on the narration day, he would do HWT so that he would still be writing every day. But if your child is already able to copy sentences, then you could jump right into WWE and maybe pull copywork from your readings for the narration days.

I'm in the same state as OP and we do portfolios. We've found a super relaxed, homeschool friendly assessor who is very encouraging and supportive. I might have chosen differently if we felt like we were being scrutinized, but I don't. I'm not opposed to testing, though, especially as they get older. Standardized test taking is a good skill to have.

We had our first day today, as well. It went really well considering we've really been out of a regular routine for a while now. I'm still waiting on some curricula for my first grader (AAR: it's on it's way, though) and a couple other odds and ends, but so far so good. I just spent the last 2 weeks laying out a weekly list of Ambleside Online readings plus some science, geography, nature study, art and handicraft projects for the year all planned out and ready to go. :D I'm super proud of myself!

I'm excited! After several false starts with other curricula, I've decided to stick with what works best for us: Ambleside Online. :) I'm planning out our entire year, including projects, experiments, crafts, etc. That's where I was slacking off and feeling like I needed something already planned out for me when I stepped away from AO. I was right, I did need a plan. Just not someone else's plan! :lol: I'm a little nervous about having to keep official records for 2 students for the first time, but I'm confident with my plan, so it shouldn't be a huge transition.

I'm pretty sure you are allowed to copy. I haven't used any worksheets yet since it's just a supplement for us, but I can check my copy tomorrow, if that would help.

If you are using this as your entire program, then I would say you need the worksheets. Without them there would be no practice/reinforcement. If it's a supplement to another program that has sufficient practice, then you wouldn't need the worksheets, IMO.

Yeah, I have Alphaphonics as well and can't really get into that one, either. :lol: I really think AAR is going to be my best bet. It's fun, cute and all laid out for me! :D

The bolded was our issue this year and that's why I was leaning towards AAR. I'm glad to hear it was a good choice for you. So did you use ETC with AAR or just to fill in the gap between programs? Does AAR have similar worksheets and stuff?

Help! I need something to help me teach my rising first grader how to read. I had a baby this year so I didn't plan much for DD, but she is now ready and eager to begin learning how to read. My oldest taught himself to read when he was 4 and I never used any phonic programs with him, so this is all new territory. I have OPGTR, and have done the first couple of lessons with DD, but honestly I can't stand it.... it's just so boring. :leaving: DD loves to draw, color, write, etc. so I'm thinking something with worksheets with fun little activities would be good for her. I love the looks of All About Reading and thought I had decided on it, but I do question whether the program is worth the cost. Maybe something cheaper would work just as well? Then I saw the Explode the Code books and wondered if those would be a good fit. Is it a complete program, or just workbooks to help reinforce what they are learning in another phonics program? Are there any other fun, easy to implement phonics programs that you would recommend? Any and all thoughts are appreciated! :001_smile:

I definitely agree about the second-guessing, which is why I like to research throughly before I invest in a program. But I think I need to start thinking less about the long haul and more about what will work for us this year. This year, because I have a baby, a toddler and a 1st grader who needs to learn to read, in addition to my 3rd grader, I really need something planned out for me. So for this year, it sounds like Bigger might be a good fit and we can re-evaluate continuing HOD next year.

Thank you for that, Chelli. Have you used any guides above Bigger?

Oh dear. I really, really want this to work for us, but I does sound like the religious stuff is going to be too much. :crying: I wonder how crazy it would be to try to arrange AO into the HOD format, adding in projects and activities... :tongue_smilie:

I would like to know the answers to those questions too, Heather.

Wow, these replies have been extremely helpful, thank you!

These are good to know, thank you! And about the tweaking... I don't want to tweak, but sometimes I just can't resist! :lol: But if it is a good enough fit, I hope I can leave well enough alone. I use MEP with great success and that is quite scripted. But I am able to just take out what I like, put my own spin on things and forget the rest. I love having the framework there, though, so if I can just let myself do the same for HOD, I think it could work well. One more question about the layout... each day is a two page spread, yes? And there are 5 days to each unit? And 34 units to the program? How hard would it be to just do 4 days per week? If each day is all-inclusive, could you potentially do 2 days one week, 5 the next week, etc.? As long as all the units get done, does it matter if you complete them each within a week?

Thanks for your feedback. I did get that impression for the younger guides and that's a big reason I stayed away in the past, but now that DS is ready for Bigger, I wasn't sure if that was still an issue. None of the books in that program specifically raise red flags based on reviews I've read, but I wasn't sure what the TM was like.