Please tell me about these books (and if you like them, what books in the series (K, 1, 2... etc.) do you have?) I am thinking about purchasing one or more of these readers. One of them was recommended to me by someone else on the forum... but I'd like to get more opinions. I can't see inside these books anywhere online and I can't stand it!!! :glare: So, I am calling for advice!!! :confused: Do those of you have these books like them? Do your kids really read them? And what's the difference between one of these books and the others (besides the fact that the words used in them get more advanced?) The outsides look exactly the same... so do the books cover the exact same subjects year after year or do they differ on the inside? I know I have a lot of questions, but I would appreciate any feedback! Should I just get one or two of the books, the ones we think we will use this year? Or all they all good? Thanks so much! ;)

:iagree:Paige is right. If you want a beach vacation, you have to go to a local beach like those she listed above. I grew up there and always preferred Folly Beach because it was less built up and commercialized, but that meant it always had less choices in the way of hotels, so we always rented a house. If you stay downtown Charleston, you will have to stay in the "city." There are certain pricey bed and breakfasts and inns that offer rooms with views of the water or "The Battery," but there is no sand, no beach to walk along there, etc. It's just a sea wall/ parks with a sidewalk along the water with railings. Note: There are "brand name" hotels (Sleep Inns, Holiday Inns, etc.) along the interstate leading into the city. You could stay there and just make the drive into the city or to one of the beaches every day. :D

I had a partner who was ambivalent and sometimes even doubtful and hostile about the idea of homeschooling. (I suspected at the root of it all was the fact that he lacked trust in my ability to pull it off). I quit trying to "sell" him on the idea years ago. I started keeping a tight budget, keeping up with the family schedule, being on time, etc. I started doing a host of things like this that he had expressed concerns about. I think this lead him to trust me with more and more and eventually believe that I could handle our children's education (a much bigger thing in the scheme of things). I also stopped processing all I read about education or the school system or homeschooling out loud with him over dinner. We talked about other things (like his job... :(). But, to have an outlet for all my ideas, I started blogging about my ideas and putting them into a coherent form on my blog. www.thebouldens.com My husband started reading my blog, here and there, then, eventually, he started reading it religiously (because he saw that I meant business and did it faithfully). He started talking to me about what I wrote on there first... bringing up the topic of homeschooling, etc. and he was more and more positive about homeschooling as the months went by. I just started teaching my daughter like I would have taught her anyway... Years later, at this point, he is a stronger believer in home school than I am!!! No kidding!!! Formal private school probably wouldn't even be an option in his mind... ;) So, my thoughts about this from my own experience are... If your husband has given you the freedom to home school, just go with it!! Many times, the problems spouses have with home school are actually the problems spouses have with spouses who they aren't entirely sure about... The doubts they express about homeschooling may actually be doubts about other things that go deeper... like "Is my spouse just wasting her day in front of the television?" or "Is she is just being overprotective?" or "Can I trust her with this when she doesn't even care about _?" My husband showed these signs of doubts in me and I tried to respect those concerns (even if they were unfounded and they made we want to get defensive and scream!!!). I started doing what I should do anyway and I left the burden to God. I'd honored the trust he put in me (tentatively at first, but he did trust me) and then did my best as often as I could... I think that ended up sealing up any doubts my husband had. That's was my experience. I know this post makes him sound kind of overbearing... but that is not the case. I just tried to give my husband "room" to be unsure for a while, tried not take it personally and tried to respect the fact that I couldn't expect him to respect my passion for homeschooling... if I didn't respect his passion for being on time or keeping to our budget, etc. etc. Homeschooling will begin to speak for itself and homeschooling works so well that even when we stay-at-home spouses aren't perfect (and even when we waste a few hours in front of the television)... your kids still learn a ton more than they would in public school. :D At least, that's my experience.

I would suggest Bob Jones K4 DVD school. It was full of activities and we loved it. We did it when my daughter was three/ four years old. But, with the food allergies you mentioned, this might not be a good fit for you... We had to use peanut butter for crafts almost daily. It was the "glue" for all the edible crafts. Depending on her food allergies, though, you may be able to substitute??? I bet you could call Bob Jones and talk to someone and ask more specific questions. ;) I'd also suggest trying one of Sonlight's Cores for Preschool. It has less hands on activities and more reading. Choosing one of these Cores will give you a bulk of books to share and "start" your studies from... We used P4/5 this last year and it was wonderful. You may want to look at one of the Cores for even younger kids. Good luck with whatever you pick!;)

Note: I use religious language because I sense that you are religious. If you aren't, just know that's where I am coming from, personally, and what I believe is what factors into my decision making, etc. If you aren't religious, though, please just be gracious and read through the jargon to get to my point. I do have a point. Thanks! ;) As far as honoring your parents goes, you are doing them great honor by telling them what you have decided and respectfully hearing/ answering their complaints or questions. In my opinion, now that your are an adult and presumably married and obviously have children, you need only "answer" to your husband. If you are single parent and your parents are your "partners," then that chances things a little... but not much because you still have the real responsibility in raising your kids. But, if you are married with kids, in my opinion, your husband is the only one you have to make your life work with, if you know what I mean. He is the one you must compromise with, even if he is not a believer, etc. Otherwise, you may be put into the impossible situation of having to do what your parents say over what your husband wants for you and your kids... that is a recipe for disaster, absolutely, and you were never intended to "submit" to both your husband and your mom and dad. I believe that whatever you and your husband decide for your children is "sovereign" for them. When we leave home and marry, we are suppose to "cleave" unto our husbands, etc. and the obligation to obey our parents as before no longer exists...We are one flesh with our husbands, etc. etc. etc. I certainly would not ignore your parent's or their concerns or treat them lightly or disrespectfully, as you only benefit from their wise counsel, but I believe you are free to go forward with whatever you decide even if they do not agree, even if they disagree wholeheartedly. "As far as it is possible, as much as it depends upon you, live at peace with all men." God bless and God grant you grace and strength when you deal with them. :001_smile: Will your husband be sitting with you at the table when you talk to them?

Note: I saw that our library has a free pass to the CT Recycling Museum... It's not that interesting to me, so I think, "I recycle, but it's not part of our plans right now and Norah hasn't expressed interest in it... but it could be fun, so maybe one day..." Today I saw an Usborne book called "Trash and Recycling" or something like that... It's a book my daughter could read. I bought it on the spot (knowing it would be perfect). Now, when we are bored in the next few weeks and sick of "school," I will call the library, get the pass, read the book and then take Norah to the recycling museum... I've also heard that they make statues out of garbage there... maybe Norah will want to do one of those in our free time when we come home... :D We just let one thing lead to another when it comes to field trips... It's one way we do interest-lead learning. Field trips are educational because they are fun, not the other way around! :D

Not sure I understand the question: Are you asking where to go? If that's the case, I use this great book called "Things to Do with Kids in New England." We live in Connecticut... It probably won't be useful to you, but here's a link so you can see what I mean anyway. http://www.amazon.com/Fun-Places-Children-New-England/dp/0811835987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283811659&sr=8-1 I also have a book about going to NYC with kids. It's chocked full of info only life-long city-dwellers would know about... I will probably get one for Boston, too. We live close enough to visit these cities in a day and drive back home at night... Maybe you can find a similar guide for your area... or start with visiting your state parks and/or forests... or find a list of museums at your local library...(Maybe the library also provides free day passes... ours does.) and go from there. As to what to do when you are on your field trip... This is what we do. #1- Take pictures, pictures and more pictures #2- Do a nature notebook pages about somethings that struck your child's interest #3-Check out books from the library about that topic (to help with the nature notebook pages or to read out loud or let your kids read to you - depending on the level) #4 -Find activities or projects or crafts to do along with that topic, if you can find some #5 - Visit somewhere else that you've heard about in your recent studies or go back to the same place again #6 - Repeat 1-5 again... and again... :D Have fun!

Thanks for the recommendations so far. I actually picked up a One Small Square book called "Seashore" from our library, so that's making me think, maybe our library is not so bad... :001_smile: I did like it best of all the books we got on the topic of "tidal pools." It was incredibly rich. Thanks. I will check out the other suggestions.

I think you as the parent know what's best for your child. Not everyone agrees with this... your kids might not even agree with it at times... but I think children were given parents as a natural design for their protection. We make critical decisions for them until they are old enough to make informed decisions for themselves, etc. What child wouldn't want to be "with their friends" if given the option? I have a very social five year old and she would jump on the chance to go to school. School seems so fun, after all... Let me tell you a story that you may relate to... I worked at the local YMCA for a time and my daughter would go to the babysitting room while I taught fitness classes for an hour or two at a time a few days a week while she was in preschool (at home). The YMCA also had an official childcare department with formal preschool classes. She'd pass the kids playing on the fenced-in playground (that she wasn't allowed on because she wasn't enrolled) or she heard the kids singing while walking in line and naturally, she'd feel like she missing out and want to "go to daycare." She'd even cry about it. What she couldn't see was the fact that many of these kids were dropped off in the wee hours of morning, with sleep still in their eyes with a pop tart in hand and a quick kiss goodbye... or the look in the kid's eyes as they passed my daughter walking hand in hand with her Mommy... It sounds dramatic and sappy, but I think some of those kids would have done anything to switch places with my daughter and have "Mommy" all day/ everyday. But, of course, the kids were only five, like my daughter, and probably couldn't articulate their desire in words... and once they were at school, they got distracted again by all the activities and social interaction and did fine without Mommy for a day, a week, a month, a year... I didn't give my five year old a choice in the matter. If I ever do give her a say (like when we told her she could have a puppy, got one, and then had to give it away... long story...) but, at those times, we have suffered a great deal of guilt (even though we aren't actually guilty of anything... except letting her have a say when she is too young and selfish to do what is right for an animal). She will cry and bring it up through sad eyes and say she misses her puppy, etc. She's five and of course, she wants to have a puppy when she wants to have a puppy and she doesn't understand or care that the puppy wasn't happy or healthy in this climate, etc. etc. etc. We've talked to her about it like rational people, but it's like talking to, well, a five year old... She will just have to trust us (or not) till she understands why we gave the dog away in full. So, if our daughter wants to go to school when she is older, we will see about it. We haven't told her she will have a choice, but when the time comes, we figure she will ask and then she'll have to make her case to her father and I, but right now, we didn't even give her the option because we think being home with her parents and her siblings is what is best for her. When she shows signs of loneliness (which she does every few months), we are more deliberate to invite over a close friend (who also home schools and who therefore, is available) for a day and a night... or we call and offer to take another home school friend with us to the zoo or the pool... or we send her to stay with Grandma for a week... or ask Auntie to visit for a week. I would decide what you think is best for your daughter (it could be school. Some of my best friends think school is best...) and then ask/ tell her firmly to trust you if it goes against what she wants. Hold her while she cries but be firm because as an adult and most importantly because you love her, you know is best and what is best might not be what she thinks is best.... We tell our daughter all the time that we love her (she knows it, but we say it anyway) and we don't give her the burden of deciding something so important... She just gets to be loved, learn to trust us and be free to be a kid who may I add is free to learn with a stick in a pond rather than a school desk... That's AWESOME! Good luck with whatever you decide (but I think you should decide something this big for your little one.) :001_smile:

We're launching into first grade science soon!:thumbup: We're starting with Life Science: Animals... I've got a copy of DK's First Animal Encyclopedia (as The Well Trained Mind recommends). And, let me just say... what a gorgeous book! My daughter caught me looking at it and wanted to sit and read the whole thing this morning! We will be taking regular trips (like we already do) to the library to look up "real books" on specific creatures so we can go into more depth and do notebook pages on some of them, etc. but... I've already done a few "test runs" on a some animals here and there this summer and I have been disappointed with what our library has to offer. The books are old or too advanced or not advanced enough... We've also done some research on the internet and that turns up some info on the animals we are looking for, but it's a real pain... :crying: Can you more experienced home school moms recommend a few more books, series of books, science "spines," encyclopedias, online encyclopedias... or whatever!!! that I could OWN and that would help me gather more good info on these topics. I would appreciate your suggestions... How did you make life science about animals "work" for your kids?:bigear:

Let's make a trade! :001_smile: I have an extra copy of Leonard Everett Fisher's "Theseus and the Minotaur." It's a picture book, recommended in the earlier editions of The Well Trained Mind as an ancient history read-aloud. I am not sure if the current editions still list it as a favorite. But, it's a "used" hard cover edition from a public elementary school's library. It has beautiful illustrations and besides the library tags and stamps and writing on the covers, the book is in excellent shape. It looks like it was never even read... What a shame. :confused: So, I will make a trade for it. You can suggest something of equal or lesser value from your own library that you don't need or want and if I need or want it, I will send this book to you! Let me know! :D My daughter is going into first grade and we're following The Well Trained Mind pretty strictly, so if you are "done" with something you have used with your kindergarten or first grader, it's possible that something is probably on my current wish list. Thanks!

Nikki, The docs said that I shouldn't get pregnant again until I have mine fixed with the idea that another pregnancy could make it worse or dangerous and being pregnant, there would be nothing they could do until I had the baby, etc. etc. We want to have more kids, or at least, don't want to be prevented from doing so when the time comes... otherwise I would not have done the surgery either. I just wore baggy clothes and lived it. ;) And, I love food, too, forevergrace! ...And I do it all, too and taught exercise classes that included weight lifting after my daughter was born... that probably didn't help. I think I was just a hernia waiting to happen. :001_smile:

I'd pick a very, very simple skirt pattern and use old sheets to sew and re-sew and sew again until you can really crank skirts out for yourself. ;) I have thought about this a lot and to me, it's the only "long term" solution. We don't wear skirts exclusively, but I hate the fact that I can't seem to find modest skirts anywhere... just here and there and only by chance. I bought one of the shorter skirts once thinking, "Oh, it doesn't look so bad...she's only five, so it's okay...and this is the only style anywhere!!!" but then, after I dried that skirt once, I realized it looked as trashy as I feared it would and we haven't worn it again. :( Personally, I plan to make it a goal to learn how to make at least one simple style long skirt. A friend of mine who dresses herself and her girls in skirts only does this. She lets them help pick out their fabrics and she will also take in stylish, yet modest solid colored t-shirts (that she buys at Target or Walmart, etc.) and she matches those t-shirts to prints in the store. It often looks like she bought the finished outfits at the mall, it matches so well that way... Good luck! :D

Unbelievable... that this can be done, that some guy spent three years of his life working it out and that he will very likely become VERY, VERY rich because of it. I need an idea like this. Something unique that will sell and help me help my husband pay off the mortgage... (He'd love help with that, of course:001_smile:). But, I'd want it to be an idea I could also be proud of... ;)

I had surgery to fix my hernia today. Actually, I am up this late because I slept the day away on strong pain meds. Has anyone else ever had a hernia like this? Anyone? Any tips? Warnings? Advice? ... or sympathy? ;) http://www.veronicaboulden.com/2010/09/i-had-surgery-this-morning-to-repair.html

And, I come to think of it... my friend who sends her kids to school (will remain nameless out of respect) always has one or more child with a cough and runny nose... the kind of cough that makes me cringe and the kind of runny nose that looks like two green "waterfalls" that lead to the mouth. Yuck! :tongue_smilie: That may just be her luck or their diets or something... and not necessarily their "schools fault." But, my kids only get coughs and runny noses to that degree when we visit them. ;) And, we haven't been in a long while, either... sadly, but we just don't want to get sick!

I have heard this one, too. There might be something to it, it makes sense that kids would need to be "tougher," so to speak, to deal with a school environment verses a home environment. But, I've also heard from other parents that "It's good that I send my kids to PS..." so they can "learn to defend themselves, take heckling from bullies, learn to stand up to sexual harassment and violence and peer pressure, etc." :confused: Seriously?! Concerned friends have actually told me this in order to motivate me to consider sending my daughter to school. It makes me want to do just the opposite, right?:001_huh: I wouldn't worry about it. Do what is right for your kids... and remember to wash hands!!! Come to think of it, I've actually read somewhere that formally schooled kids can virtually eliminate the risk of getting younger siblings sick if they will come in and directly wash hands... I can't remember where I heard that, but this post made me remember it. Good luck! :D

I am learning to preserve mine. http://www.veronicaboulden.com/2010/08/pictured-above-are-results-of-my-first.html I had to use one of the jars already (because the top buckled and might not be safe to store... I could not believe how good they smelled when I opened the jar and how much better my spaghetti sauce tasted using them. They LOOK like canned junk, right? But the difference between these and the ones I buy in the store is impossible to communicate. :001_smile: Also, Everyday Food magazine has a "tomato section" in this month's edition. (You can often find this little magazine in the checkout line at the grocery store). It's one of my favorite mags for many reasons, but one cool thing they do is follow the seasons and give you recipes for what you may have a lot of at that time of year. I haven't tried any of the recipes in there yet, but I may have hold some fresh tomatoes aside and not can them so I can do that. :D

I have been reading Smarting Us Up... you may want to get your hands on a copy and take a "day off" of school to read some of it. Read the quote on the top of a recent blog post of mine here. http://www.veronicaboulden.com/2010/08/are-you-sure-you-are-homeschooling-your.html The whole book is turning into good reminder to me and I didn't really think I needed one since I have been trucking along pretty nicely lately. But, I think we all can use reminders, right? :grouphug:

:grouphug: I would say more, but everyone can read the internet... everyone. ;)

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to come home, log on and get such great feedback! I didn't know what to do... didn't know if I should eat them or throw them away... I was in limbo. Thank you ladies for taking the time to look at the pics and post! :grouphug:

Below are some links to the photos of my first "batch" of canned tomatoes I made from Roma tomatoes we grew in our garden. Please take a look and give me some feedback. Is there too much "air" in these? Or does the space that appears to be "air" in these jars represent a vacuum? Note: The seals appear to be perfect and a slopped down slightly, like they should be. http://extras.veronicaboulden.com/cans.jpg http://extras.veronicaboulden.com/air.jpg What do you think? The seal in the photo at the link below "buckled" a little during the canning process, but still appears to be intact. Should I be concerned about this seal if it doesn't show any other signs of concern? http://extras.veronicaboulden.com/lid.jpg I used a hot water bath and a recipe for packing tomatoes with "no water" and a processing time of 85 minutes... Yes, 85 minutes!!! :001_huh:That seems long. But, like I said, I just started, so I followed the directions in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving to a T (I think). Is this too long of a processing time? Do you have another recipe or method to recommend instead? Note: I will be busy today, as the inlaws are coming to town, but I will try and get back to answer any questions. Any feedback, however honest, would be much appreciated. I want my family to be safe eating what I make. Thanks. :D

My daughter sometimes needs coaching with narration, especially when the story is longer than a page and there are more than two characters (which is just about every story, right? ;)). I try not to be discouraged when I have to ask her, " What happened next?" to keep her on track, jog her memory, etc. She's going into first grade, too. I've tried to avoid asking her to narrate the longer stories with the more involved plots. She does well with fables, since they are usually very, very straightforward. With the longer stories, she can understand them and answer questions, etc. but retelling them from start to finish gets tricky. (And, come to think of it, retelling a story like that might be tricking for me, too. I should try it...) I wouldn't be overly concerned about your son. I'd just keep chugging away. I think it's okay if the stories they narrate are the "easiest" of all the ones we are reading, because as they get older and ALL the stories get more involved, progressively, they will get better at narrating those stories, too, progressively. So, good luck. :D

Wow. I mean, really... wow! I can't believe anyone would complain about anything. Doesn't everyone understand that a garage sale will be "hit or miss." It's not like you are obligated to offer them everything a store would. It's all the stuff YOU don't want anymore, obviously. :001_huh: Wow! We actually had a yard sale today and it went really well. (I blogged about it at the address below). Everyone was so friendly... Sorry you had a bad day. :confused: Don't give up on yard sales, though. They can be worth it. If for nothing else... than to get rid of all your junk, right? I just keep my prices really, really, really low so people actually take the stuff away from me and so I won't have to carry it all back inside or to Goodwill later. Better luck next time... if you have a next time, right?! ;)

Best: Being with your family all the time. :D Worst: Being with your family all the time. ;) Note: I just read everyone else's responses... Ha! We are definitely like minded people.