Mazel Tov!!! Congratulations!!!

it's pretty exciting but i wanted to share my great find at the goodwill store. this is my first year homeschooling. I went there look for a bookshelf. A cheap one. Very cheap. They have them. They use them for books!!!:glare: They didn't have any for sale. But while perusing and letting my kids look around - I found a language arts board game, a math board game, a few A beka reading books, and a few western civilization history books and I only spent 23$. I also bought some miscellanous stuff that was completely unnecessary for my son's bedroom:tongue_smilie: I was pretty excited and didn't really have anyone else to share this great buy with! And since it seemed like the board was in need of a little infusion of joy, I thought I'd share.

We have pretty much the only kids on our block and the one behind us. we have just a chain link fence between our neighbors behind us. We have a no screaming policy. But that's as far as it goes. No screaming - like someone just killed you or ripped off your arm or beat with you stick - unless one of those things actually just occurred. And if screaming does occur, the appropriate offender needs to come sit in the house for a few minutes. It's only fair to me because I want to respond appropriately to screaming. Constant screaming means I won't respond if they really are in trouble. As far as loud playing, they are kids. Outside voices belong outside imo. Good luck:)

I've never done MT but I worked for 6 years from home as general transcriptionist. Definitely helped make ends meet. It was a GREAT job. I know the company I worked for is still in business hiring within the U.S.A. Maybe the field is overloaded?

we love to eat together as a family but we don't normally wait for my husband. We eat for 6:30, unless something comes up like a sporting event or such. We make him a plate, stick it in the microwave and usually hang out with him while he eats if he's home in time to do so but my kids couldn't even wait that long to eat! Hungry kids = grouchy kids. They'd be sooooo grouchy eating that late in the evening. But structure rules it seems in my house. We all seem to function better. But my husband is away A LOT and may only be home 2 or 3 days a week, if at all, and on weekends.

we just have someone who cuts our grass, takes care of the yard...it seems to be a chore NO ONE wants to do or that we can keep up with. other than that, we've never had any other kind of help. although I'd LOVE a cleaning person.

thanks for this . I'm new to homeschooling (my first year!) and I'll be homeschooling three. I'm not nearly as prepared as I need to be and this thread gave me some great advice. I am doing binders as well b/c it just seemed to make sense. I'm not sure I understand the workbox thing but I'm terribly about organization (which i realize I'm going to have to get better at as time goes on!) Thanks again Michelle

have a fantastic trip - some friends of mine in town from NJ just stayed at this Holiday Inn and they liked it. There's tons of construction going on around N. Causeway but it is right there by the Interstate so it's just a hop skip and jump and you are right back on the Interstate and heading back into downtown. You really can't get more convenient than that. And then you are right there by Vet's - which is the main road in Metairie and there's tons of food and the mall is right there as well. There's also a cafe du monde on veterans if you miss it in the city. although i recommend hitting it in the city - the ambiance is second to none :) my 4 yo absolutely LOVES to sit and have beignets and milk and listen to the band playing!! Also if go to city park - Storyland should still be open - it's $3 to get into Storyland but there's also an amusement park, which I think is more like $15 per person. Idk honestly b/c I NEVER do that. Around the same area of city park is NOMA (the new orleans museum of art) - there's a beautiful sculpture garden and lots of places to picnic and run wild and play. If you like jazz music or want to know the history of it, check out Preservation Hall - which is on S. Peters, the exact address I'm unsure of. Also I think you can do riverboat rides from the aquarium to the zoo. MUCH FUN :) clearly i love my hometown of NOLA <3 I think that's all I have to add this time Michelle

The children's musuem is closed on Monday as well. I think you could make a day at the Insectarium and Aquarium. There's also the Imax Theater. Plus you could walk down Decatur and then hit Jackson Square. There's also other museums in the area, the cabildo, the pharmacy museum, plus you gotta have beignets and coffee/milk at cafe du monde. The Insectarium is really wonderful. You could look for hotels in Metairie - there's a new Holiday Inn in Metairie on N. Causeway. Or you could look in Kenner - either of those cities are within 30 minutes. Let me know if you have questions about a hotel you find. I live in houma la, but I used to live in Kenner :) Good luck and Have a GREAT trip. Michelle

Everyone suggested great places to go :) this is my neck of the woods :) Deanies has two locations and they are GREAT food - try the softshell crab - it's yummy and different, not something they serve everywhere. Drago's is yummy Acme Oyster House is GREAT Redfish Grill on Bourbon St. is YUMO - we eat there everytime we go into the city Don's Seafood on Vet's in Metairie is good Def. go to cafe du monde on decatur and enjoy good coffee and beignets there's so many choices all along your walk in the city, there's plenty of hole in the wall type places that have great food as well and if you drink, be sure to get bloody mary for me :) Enjoy your visit!!! Check out our Insectarium it just celebrated it's 2nd birthday and has a pretty neat butterfly exhibit - i love butterflies Have fun!!! oh and Jacque-Imo's has a great bar by it :)

I love these, thanks so much for sharing. I don't have a planner and hadn't even thought of this yet!! I just have to say (AGAIN) this board is like a g_dsend!! Thanks!!

Thanks so much I think that's exactly what I'm looking for! Michelle

thanks :) you are probably right - that I just want a grammar program. My brain is overwhelmed I think. All this planning :) I really wanted something secular and feel overwhelmed by all the Christian homeschooling options. It seems as those are the best ;) so if I do a sep. spelling, sep. writing, then what I need to find is a sep grammar?

I've got three kids who will be homeschooling this year (although I have six children). I really wanted to do Voyages in English but looking on their website - I'm thinking holy bananas batman I cannot afford that!!! The new 2011 update seemed to incorporate more of a writing program (or so that website says. But I don't have a problem do something else like Writing Strands. My kids need the writing help but they need a good language arts program as well. I have a 3rd grader, 5th grader and a 6th grader this year. I'm thinking that my last two could probably work the same curriculum but maybe not. As of right now, my *goal* is to do Spelling Workout, Writing Strands, LOTSSSS of reading (which we do already) and a LA curriculum. I had planned on voyages but I think it's wayyy beyond my price range for three children. Any suggestions to fill in the missing piece? Thanks a bunch :)