That helps a lot - thanks so much!

Anyone else use this? How do you keep it accessible for the kiddos? Any tips on organizing it to make it more user-friendly? I ordered it last year, then realized that the set up required enormous amounts of work. Plugged through it slowly, and at last - we have it all set up. My kiddo (6) loves it. It's a nice supplement. I'm finding that since we have it as a supplement - I often forget to pull it out. I would like to find a way to keep it more accessible for the kiddo. At the moment, I have all of the pieces stored in an Ikea Trofast drawer. The "job box" is in a different location, and I think that's one stumbling block. Having all the pieces jumbled together in a drawer might be another. If you've used this, would you share some organization tips? Thanks!

We liked Headsprout. There are a few sample episodes on the website - you might try it out. It's a bit pricey, but it was worth it for us. There were a few games that DS didn't like, but for the most part, once he was playing - it was a hit.

My DH is one of those guys who has it all, or buys it for himself, so shopping for him is hard too. But he's big on experiences so this year he's getting excellent seats to a show. It's one our entire family can attend, so technically we're all getting tickets. :) I'm stumped as to what else he might like... His stocking will be filled with espresso and dark chocolate... But other than that, I'm on the hunt for ideas. There are some good ones in this thread - thank you! DS (6) is getting the Playmobil Roman arena and some extra Roman soldiers. That's a no-brainer since he's already hoping Santa will bring those. Our 19 year old DS is the tough one. Any ideas on what to get a 19 year old? He's desperate for an iPhone, but that's not on the agenda - we provide the basic cell phone while he's in school, but if he wants something fancy, it's on him.

3 years ago we started staying home for Christmas also. Love it, love it, love it. We have a standing invitation for any/all relatives to come here - but we are not piling in the car and driving hours to visit relatives on Christmas any more. If we had relatives who lived in the same town, it would be different. Maybe. For us - this works out perfectly. DS has life-threatening allergies and, frankly, navigating someone else's home and kitchen is harrowing. Add to that any pot-luck element and it is impossible. We used to cook an entire holiday dinner for DS, to eat at the relatives' houses, but that is simply too much work. Of all days, on Christmas, DS deserves to feel safe. And DH and I deserve a little break from being constantly on high alert.

DS and I had stuffed 200+ little goodie bags... those were gone within the first hour. Yikes. Then we handed out lollipops, one at at time - and when they were gone, we turned off the lights. We had hordes of kids this year, it was unbelievable. Lots of teens too.

Thank you!

I'm still new here... but have been reading and reading, and am so happy to have found this group! You have all been a huge help in our homeschool journey - thank you. We are plugging through first grade, and loving every minute of it, in part thanks to all of you. :) Posting this question has been a big decision for me, it's a sensitive topic and I'm honestly fearful about putting it out there, but after months of reading here... I can't think of a better group to ask for help and advice. Maybe one or two of you will have some ideas, some experience with this... And if this is inappropriate to this forum, please tell me and let me know how to delete it. We have 2 kiddos, and are a waiting family for our 3rd. Our oldest, 19, is my step-son. We've always shared custody with his bio-mom, and get along well. She and DH were never married, and there isn't that ugly divorce dynamic - which is nice. DSS lived in both of our houses equally (time-wise) and then left for college last year. So that's the background. DSS finished up his first year of college with a bang last year - and not in a good way. It all culminated in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, after a long hospitalization and a longer out-patient program. I can't begin to share the heartache we've all experienced... We are now at a tough point. He is passively non-compliant with his medication and with getting help in general. He does not out-right refuse to take his meds, or to contact his psychiatrist or therapist when needed, but generally he does not do these things. He is not in a downward plunge at the moment, but we can see a definite, slow slide happening, and it is frightening. In our family therapy meetings, his therapist tells us that they do not touch on anything of substance, there is no depth, they are not making progress in their one on one sessions. But there is no out-right rebellion. Just a passive sort of avoidance that leaves us all feeling very helpless. I am torn about the best way to help him. And about the best way to help his bio-mom, too. I want to support them both in every way I can... but am finding it very difficult to think of ways to do so. She is bi-polar as well, also unmedicated - but has been in a steady "normal mode" for a number of years. I worry about this pushing her into an unstable place as well, as this is her only child and the focus of her entire life. Do any of you have experience with bi-polar young adults? Can you share any resources or advice? Thanks for any help you can offer, Spryte

I think your husband's drawing student may be my (former) hairstylist. At my last appt, I sat through the same comments. Lacking the wine haze though, I wasn't brave enough to challenge the woman with the scissors. (Snip, snip - oops!) Evidently she is thrilled that her son is being bullied in school this year. It's apparently an essential component of his freshman year and necessary for his growth?? Ugh. My kiddo is going to have plenty of opportunities for growth without having his clothes stolen while he's in the shower at school.

Imitrex gave me a lot of weird side effects also. If you're looking for an alternative, and haven't called yet - Axert has worked well for me, and with almost no side effects. Once in a while I feel sleepy and need a nap - but not sure if that is due to the med or just to dealing with a migraine.

No pictures or links here, but I will take a stab at explaining what we've been doing to keep our RS materials organized. I keep most of our RS manips and extras in a (large) drawer. Everything is in a ziplock with a label. We also do a very modified version of the workbox system - I have separate boxes for each subject and switch out the contents weekly. So in our current math box, I keep the manips that seem to be in use that week, along with the manual and abacus. This week we have tally sticks, basic number cards, base 10 cards, and a few other goodies. When I notice that we're no longer using a manip steadily, I put it back in the drawer.

I love all these suggestions! There is a great website out there somewhere... "buynothingchristmas" or something along those lines. We love that one, and have gotten tons of great ideas there. Our teenagers have loved record bowls - both giving and receiving. If you are a real vinyl collector, please don't be offended. Basically, they are melted vinyl records that are formed into the shape of a bowl. Google for directions, and for a pattern to make the sleeve into a gift box. Those were a big hit one year. My teen boy also loves Altoids - he uses the tins for many, many projects. Oh! And that reminds me - one of his favorite gifts has been Make Magazine, where he finds the project ideas. Editing to add this great list: http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/alternatives/

Thanks to you both! I will check out both of those. :)

We like them, and use them along with SOTW 1. We're using the grades 1 - 3, because that's what I had on hand (and my kiddo's in first, anyway). We put the pages, and the flat projects, right into DS's history notebook.

My kiddo (6) loved, loved, loved Headsprout. Is there anything like it to use for math? We are struggling with math at the moment... He gets it all very easily, but is not enjoying the Right Start experience. I thought he would love the hands on aspect and the games, but it just doesn't sit well for some reason. We are going to keep plugging through (for now), but I would love to supplement with something like Headsprout that might give him a smile or two while we work through the Right Start blues. Thanks for any advice.

Vermont Nut Free. Yummmmmm...

I'm a dog person. :) We have always boarded our dogs, or found a pet sitter. However, we've just come home from our first vacation with dogs, and I have to say it was a lot of fun. We rented a wonderful pet-friendly cabin in the mountains, and our dogs absolutely adored it - and the long mountain walks. Our plan was not to stay with family, though, thus we took the pups. It was enjoyable, so I can see why people take dogs along to cabins, etc. As we were leaving the cabin, my aunt and uncle called out of the blue, and invited us to their mountain house. They specifically invited the dogs as well, and despite my misgivings about bringing our dogs to a relative's home... We went. We discussed it in depth ahead of time, and they assured us over and over that they are dog people, and that it would be fine. We were worried about accidents in the house, or our dogs getting rambunctious at an inappropriate moment - but my aunt and uncle have always had dogs, so seemed very comfortable. Plus, their dog was going to be there also. On the whole, it was fine. But I worried constantly about the dogs getting into something, or having an accident, or ... well, anything that might go wrong. Honestly, I'd never choose to be a guest with dogs again. It was fun to travel with the pups, but the worries about troubles that the dogs might cause to our hosts was too much for me! What about researching a doggy day care near your home? Maybe that would give the dogs an outlet for their energy during the day (and get them out of your hair), and they could still spend the evenings with your in-laws?

I hear you. I'm a newbie here - but not a newbie to raising a bi-polar, improperly medicated teen. Mine's a boy though, and now an improperly medicated young adult. But we are working hard to get that med issue straightened out, and he is finally, finally, finally on board with that. Whew. But - what a roller coaster!

I've been lurking for months, and decided it was time to come out of the closet.

We use the PEG System by Family Tools. My kiddo loves it. We have a few extras to go along with it, but they aren't really necessary. I'm just lazy about making my own goodies at times, and I liked the idea of the "Pick a Privilege Jar" as a reward. We don't use it exactly as described - we've tweaked it a bit. But it works for us. :) If you want to know how we use it, I'll be happy to try to describe it to you. My kiddo seems to find it motivating, but the most important thing is that I stay on top of it to make sure it all gets finished. The behavioral component is a big part of why we chose it - the bonuses for doing "good" deeds and the penalties for "bad" behavior. We even have the chart they sent with the kit laminated, hanging just over the chart. I find it helpful to refer the kiddo to the chart at times, since it reinforces nice values. Since you've already got that one, what about adjusting the way you use it to fit your needs? I think any chore system can work for our kids, it's really about finding something that works for *us* - so we stay on top of it.

Thanks so much, patchfire. I was hoping to hear from someone who'd used one of the kits - they look like fun, but I wanted to be sure there was some substance to them.

Hi, I'm looking at these kits: http://kids.woot.com/ as a fun little extra for my 6 year old science lover. Has anyone used these little kits? Are they a good buy? If so - enjoy the link, too! Thanks for sharing any thoughts on this!

Thanks for posting this - just ordered some goodies! We are a playmobil house here, too. A few days ago I saw 2 fairly large sets on the Costco website for $49.99 each. For any Costco members out there!

That's it! Homesciencetools... the kit came with most of the RSO supplies. Made it much easier to get things ready for the year.

We're using R.E.A.L. Science Life, and love it thus far. The only hassle tracking down books has been finding the Usborne Illustrated Enyclopedia of the Natural World - it's out of print. We found a used copy. Honestly, now that I have it in hand - I don't think it's entirely necessary. I find that we do the lessons and experiments and some extra reading from our own selection of books, maybe find some science related videos, and it's enough. As for the supplies - I found a supplier that had gathered most of the supplies into one lovely shipment. That saved a lot of time in tracking down the various components. If you want that source, I'll try to find it for you. Or maybe someone else here will know offhand. We have the hard copy of the book - but I think next time around I would just print my own. I ripped everything out of the book to file weekly anyway!