http://www.amazon.com/Lauri-LR2414-Toys-Number-Play/dp/B0006NE3EK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1281408470&sr=8-2 Christine

What do I really need and how much should I buy? I have a 3 1/2 year old and a soon to be 5 year old with fine motor issues who have both taken a big leap forward and now love art. Any brands that I should be aware of? I discovered Prang watercolors today and I will never buy the cheap watercolors again. Seriously, 1.39 for ugly water that never gets used or 2.99 for gorgeous, vivid color (now the kids do have to wear their smocks but its a worthwhile trade); its not a hard decision. Makes me wonder if I should try stockmar with the baby. Where do you get your supplies? I'm on the West Coast in the Bay Area. Thanks, Christine

So wonderful. I really should get the Lauri number puzzles--they've been on my RR wish list forever.

Same here.

:iagree: You aren't abusing the system but using at is was designed to be used. Have fun. Christine W

Here

I think with the tough economy lots of museums have had budget cuts and are being more cautious. We're starting to get asked for id even at museums where we are members and I don't remember that happening two years ago. Also, many of our membership cards have our address printed on them. Christine W

Forgive a newbie, but what is CPD? I've never gotten an e-mail or tracking number from RR, but the service has always been fast. If you're worried about an order, I'd call or e-mail. I've always gotten a quick, friendly response. Christine W

My kids are very small--the oldest is 4 1/2--but I like the Mommy Teach Me and Mommy Teach Me to Read books by Barbara Curtis. Her web page is at http://mommyteachme.net/. I also liked Tim Seldin's book; its available at most libraries. Christine W

My SIL got married at Wente Vineyards. We're still new to the area so I'm :bigear:

It would depend on the situation. In some cancers, traditional treatment has a low success rate. In those situations, I would apply to every clinical study that I was eligible for and I would pray that it would work. I don't know that I would be willing to go through the side effects of chemo where the 5 year survival rate was in the teens, but I don't know. i

No. Dh routinely works 12 hour days and at least once a week he works for 15 hours. He loves his job, and is ambitious. I used to work on a 9/80 schedule and my husband begged me for months and months to quit. The kids were in daycare for 12 hours a day, were often sick and we fought on who would stay home. We were all stressed out and no one was happy. The stress was bad enough that I was put on bedrest midway through my pregnancy with our third baby due to preterm labor. After a month away from work, my body fully recovered and I carried S full term. We missed my income but were sooo much happier as a family that I resigned. One year later, my DH still thanks me for quitting and makes sure that I have escapes from the kids so that I don't burn out and want to return to work. Christine W

Find an advocate and get a new IEP. If the current IEP states that your son needs one on one tutoring--the school is legally obligated toprovide one for him. If they can't meet your son's needs, you have the legal right to put him in a private school that can and then demand that the school pay tuition. Christine W

My kids love Cal Academy of the Sciences, Exploratorium, Alcatraz, and though it is touristy--the cable cars are such fun. You might want to consider getting a city pass because the main attractions really add up fast. Off the beaten path, if your boys like building things, Lawrence Hall of the Sciences in Berkeley, is a great math and science museum where they can design a roller coaster track, play math games, and build with thousands of kapla blocks. Your littlest might enjoy the steam trains down the street in Tilden park. Christine W

I really like the phonics readers that I've seen from McRuffy. I'm trying to decide whether or not I need to purchase the whole Kindergarten program or whether Dynamic Phonics supplemented with the readers is sufficient? I've read that the Kindergarten SE is superior to the previous program, but are the readers that different? Rainbow Resources has the older first readers on clearance and I'm tempted to get them and the Dynamic Phonics. DS is 4.5 and his fine motor skill are not ready for penmanship/writing. Am I crazy? Anyone tried this? Thank you, Christine

What readers do you like for your just starting to read children? DS 4.5 knows all his letters and is beginning to read three letter cvc words. We have the BOB books, but he knows the first 5 or 6 by memory--we tried before he was ready and he just memorized rather than read. My niece learned how to read at nursery school with the A Beka curriculum as did my youngest three siblings; I'm tempted to order the K4, K5 readers and the reading handbook. I thought that A Beka used to have samples online but I can't find them any more. The McRuffey readers look interesting too. I know that I just need to make a decision but I don't want more books just sitting in the bookshelf unused. What "readers" are your favorite for first books? Thank you, Christine

I haven't decided on a math program yet. I'm thinking about MEP because its free or maybe Right Start b/c it is supposed to be Montessori based. DS was in a Montessori daycare/preschool from 9 months of age until February. We spend a lot of time with number rods and the hundreds board. He skipped the tens board at school and I'm having a hard time getting him to use it to practice addition and subtraction. Montessori math definitely worked for him.

I'm going to be homeschooling DS (4.5) for kindergarten this year, and DD1 (3.5) will likely be doing some work with us. I've got a Lakeshore Learning store about 10 minutes away, but many items seem overpriced and they don't carry everything I want. I've ordered from Rainbow Resource but as I'm only doing K and Pre-K, my wishlist isn't $150--it could be if I bought everything I wanted but I've found the simpler the better at this age. Also, I tend to buy things as needed. Are there other online stores that I should be aware of? Thanks, Christine W