We got this last year and I really felt it was very intrusive. We actually got out of it because we have multiple families (grandparents) living on our property and we contacted the gov. to find which family was to fill out the form. We discovered that the house that they intended to send it to (on our property) is one that is no longer occupied. Apparently they have no way to input that information into their computer so we got freed. That even took 2 attempts before they quit bothering us.

I have a 6yo (April 2003) and I have been using SWR phonics for all my kids. We have the phonogram cards and today we did a hop. One kid will lay them out in a trail across the house and my younger to will hop along and say the sounds. We also hide them to be found or I just have him jump while working through them. I haven't done many of the SWR word lists with 6yo yet because he really does well with ETC. My older two never really got into workbooks but this guy actually like to write neatly. BUT he has a hard time memorizing. Those FLL poems were so easy for my 2nd child and this guy just cannot remember them, and when he recites them he reverts into this odd babyish voice. I have decided memorizing and narration are going to be our focus the next few months.

Great update. Thank-You God. I think your peace throughout this may be the biggest blessing.

I just watched that on Netflix last weekend and I thought the same but I couldn't specifically pick a scene that was missing. We have the original dvds here somewhere but deep in storage so I cannot check.

I used Sherwin Williams Silvermist in our study. I just love that color and it seems to change throughout the day. It is like a blue gray but at times it may seem every so slightly greenish so you may not like that. It creates a very peaceful atmosphere for our school. I am thinking it would look great with a large orange-yellow sunset picture to warm it up a bit. I am still trying to get my 6yo to paint me one. I do like that Sherwin Williams will sell you a large sample for just a few bucks and if you are on their mailing list you get coupons periodically. I also did not buy their most expensive paint. I got a more reasonably priced line and it worked just fine. I used their absolute cheapest paint in my dining room and it is very nice also.

I'm bumping again because I am interested on using the Standards vs US edition after RightStart. I am using the US edition of 6B with oldest and they don't seem to do any of the probability and data analysis. I know Rightstart touches on it and the end of E but thats it. I am curious as to how important studying those topics are to any math people here. I know I despised it in college but I had a very hard to understand teacher and I had never been even exposed to it before. Maybe that would have helped. I bought the Standards 1B for my 1st grader who is just finishing 1A US and is also doing Rightstart B on alternate days. It is a lot thicker and may not be as easy to supplement with as I feel the need to do everything. I don't know if I'll continue with Singapore on the side or just drop it till he is older. Not trying to hijack the thread but I would love some discussion on which edition to use after or with RightStart. I know the level 6 Standards is very new so it probably has not been used because many are already using the US edition sequence.

You know it's not just kids. I have had issues with excema on my ankles for years and over the winter it would also get bad on the front of my shins. So I would wear shorts (around the house) as soon as possible in the spring to clear it up using sunlight. I have a certain family member who every year would come over and feel led to comment "What is WRONG with you skin?" I know I would never even ask that once of a person let alone yearly. I do have to say that my excema is currently under control with medicine and I am praying it stays that way.

My 4yo is going to half day public preschool. I think it has been great for him although academically he has learned very little. They spend a week on each letter if they get around to it and he already knows all of them. I am actually glad they don't push it. Personally, I would not have put my 3yo on the bus with all the other kids although there are many 3yos in his class. I sent him because I knew ds would enjoy it a lot more than trying to be quiet here while we crank through our core subjects.

It hit our area about a month ago. Here's a link to a little boy in our area who just died from complications after being hospitalized for H1N1. Very sad. I haven't heard anything else though. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/elijahnist

Interesting replies. I definitely don't want a party - not for any birthday. I do like the idea of just going to dinner with a few friends though. I am more thinking of something I can do this next year of my life to make it memorable. I have thought about going to NYC seeing that I only live a few hours from it and have never been there. But big cities don't excite me much. Or of going somewhere with DH but there are so many places I would love to see and I don't know where to start besides most travel is too expensive for us. I do love the bed and breakfast idea - I have never gone to one. I have also pondered the idea of taking up a hobby. I am inspired by the many things I see other homeschooling moms do but yet the thought of taking anymore on seems overwhelming. I think I need goals past just surviving each day!!

I originally typed out a big, swirling pot of thoughts but decide to just throw the question out alone. I would also love to here from anyone who has already passed 40 or any other time in life that seems like a milestone. Goodnight.

YES! I've done it so much that it is a running joke in our house. I guess I am just not that observant. Usually I figure it out after he has left the razor on the counter and the sink full of little hairs.

We watched it 2 years ago with my then 9 yo and 7 yo. I don't remember anything over the top.

Thanks, I love free music.

I have a few school items that I wish I would have bought back in July with my big order. Rainbow has lowered the free shipping limit from $150 to $25 dollar purchases for most of December. Now I am more willing to splurge.

I bought them from Sam's Club several years ago and always meant to do them but it just never really happened. This year, we got Getting Started With Spanish and it is now the subject that gets done every day. Mr.Linney has also recorded complete lesson explanations which can be downloaded for free from his website, and he has a native Spanish speaker to help with proper pronunciation. Each lesson is quite short and my 11 and 9 yo boys do it together. We listen to the recording and then I pause it at the exercises. I have them take turns reading and interpreting. After that I ask the other if he thinks his brother is right and then we listen to the correct answer. Even though this is a "program" it is easier for me to use than The Complete Book of Spanish because it has direction and organization.

Just to let you know your not alone. My 6yo ds is going to drive me insane. Today I was ready to put him on the first yellow bus that went by. I know in my heart it is not the solution but I hate how his constant resistance sucks the joy out of school for him and me. Hoping and praying for a better tomorrow.

Make sure she can easily get grit (small pebbles) or else she cannot digest her food. Our chickens were all really starting to look bad until we found out ds wasn't ever giving them any.

I forgot about online archiving. That would be a good option if anything physically happened here. Thanks

I'm an expert at headaches. Some things that help me are: - Large heated rice bag wrapped around my head (I guess that is a hot compress) - Take a shower using a peppermint oil hair shampoo. I have some from Avalon Organics and it is like $8 a bottle but it is really nice for sinus/ tension headaches. - sometimes it helps me to plug my ears with tissues. I think it may be sinus related. - if all else fails, I go to bed and stick in Pride and Prejudice and try to relax and sleep.

Our school computer is a 7yo Dell running XP and the hard disk is getting quite full. This PC has about 6 years worth of family pictures on it which I am thinking of deleting because I transfered them to my Macbook which is backed up by an external hard drive (I am not even going to think about how to make it work for both formats). Does anyone know if there is a reason why these pictures could not transfer back to a PC format if the need ever arose? I just don't want to delete them all from my PC and find out they can never be shared with a PC user. I really don't want to get an external hard drive for the PC just to save those pictures in another format. I thought about getting a flash drive but am wondering if any other archiving is really needed. Thanks

Congratulations!!! We have been following your blog with great interest because dh is headed to Rivna, Ukraine in less than 2 weeks with our pastor and he is trying to find out as much as he can about the people and culture. He hasn't traveled in over 15 years and will be stuck at the Kiev airport for 5 hours alone. You adoption story is very sweet.

My youngest (4yo) is in half-day UPK this year but last year I had a hard time keeping him occupied. I agree that it helps to have your older children set up first so they know how their day is going. I have never really been attracted to time and work schedules but it has really made my days more organized. I do not schedule my children till 1st grade. It is amazing how much they learn just hanging out at the table with everyone else. I do start with some simple workbooks like the Explode The Code series called Get Ready For The Code. This teaches the basic consonants and letter formations and does not require a lot of one on one. I also do not allow "just for fun" computer or TV games during school hours. Those are a privilege. I do allow computer activities like JumpStart K or other educational games or websites but not everyday. Also, older children can be great teachers. I find my 2 oldest have far more patience than I do when it comes to teaching reading to my sometimes stubborn 1st grader. It is also a learning experience for them. I find that it is much easier with the younger children to squeeze in 5-10 min chunks of time throughout the day to work with them. They tend to glaze over after that anyway. Forgot to add - the line from Jessie from the WTM book works wonders for the resistant child. "Would you like to take a nap or learn how to read?" Mine always choose schoolwork.

Our 11 yo ds has the Lego Mindstorms and uses it all the time. Now he wants the books that go along with the Mindstorms.

We had them yesterday really bad. The 2 sunny sides of our house were covered. I let the chickens out hoping they would feast on them but they are nasty.