If you don't want PayPal linked to your primary bank account, you could open a separate one just for buying and selling online. That's what my mom did, but I agree with PP that I feel very secure using PayPal. Convenient, safe, and easy!

It sounds both like parts of Dark Passage with Bogart and the Jimmy Stewart character in The Greatest Show on Earth. Hmmm.... :lurk5:

I think it's more true to size than other GAP brands. I have a bathing suit I love from Athleta and some running clothes. Always had good luck with sizes, and when I didn't like something, the return was painless.

Rather than try to adjust our routine with DST, we just moved the boys' bedtime back an hour. Bedtime is 8 with rising between 5:30-6:30 for the older boys and 7ish for the toddler. In the fall, we'll move them back to 7.

Wasn't there conflict between Laura and Rose over Rose's book, Let the Hurricane Roar? I cannot remember exactly... Though it seems the two clashed a lot! ;) I will say that I did not like the Little House books as a child, but I loved Let the Hurricane Roar. I believe it was loosely based on the early part of the marriage between Caroline and Charles.

I'm a librarian, and my sister's an English/SpEd teacher. Wish we could! :tongue_smilie:

These are great! Here's mine: Faze is a real word, people! DS3 is going through a screaming phase, but it doesn't faze me.

I see that AS 1 and 2 are still print only. :glare: Wonder if they will change that in the (near) future?

You have just made me happier than I can describe! I was wishing for this! :D

:lol: yes! I spent an hour last night looking at early elementary American History books and reading old threads even through we're using Elemental History and my DS likes it. Then I moved on and was up too late looking through HO and TOG, and I don't plan to start Ancients for another year!

I do mine all through Lent so the house is shiny and clean for Easter. :D I flit from room to closet to outside work as the mood and weather strikes, but my best friend is much more organized: http://charmingthebirdsfromthetrees.blogspot.com/2012/02/lenten-cleaning.html Then she breaks it down by room each week: http://charmingthebirdsfromthetrees.blogspot.com/2012/02/lenten-cleaning-week-one.html

Thank you, everyone! You've given me lots of ideas! :)

(I did some searches, but I couldn't find exactly what I needed, so please bear with me!) My older boys are getting into Playobil. We don't have much yet, but I can see our collection growing quickly. Right now we have the pyramid and some of the other smaller Egypt sets: sphinx, ship, chariot and the HUGE Lion Knight Castle. How should I store these? Both the caste and pyramid have big footprints and I cannot figure out where to put them. None of our playroom shelving is big enough and with the toddler the floor seems like a disaster. Do you dismantle sets each evening? Do you rotate what's out? As they get older, I can see our entire playroom devoted to Playmobil/Lego, but at this point we still have a toddler who loses things and a preschooler who loves to play but not pick up. We have a good amount of space, but I don't know if I can leave a Playmobil "world" set-up all the time. Right now I'm thinking the best option is a closet system in the big boys' room with shelves and partially dismantling pieces in between playtime. Then addings small bins for the people, weapons, treasure, etc. Their room has a baby gate that they can open but the 15 mo. old cannot, so things could spread out in there if I can figure out how to store it! Help! Any pictures would be awesome too!

Gosh, I wonder if we're in the same district. :tongue_smilie: I just noticed they do ask for library skills in the 1-6 quarterly report form, and more than is required for health and science too!

I didn't think so! I could feel myself getting all riled up when I saw that the first time, lol! They do want a lot of information, though it doesn't technically overstep their boundaries, so I'll keep that in mind when the time comes. Thanks for all your help! :)

Thank you! I've read the regs so many times and looked at lots of examples, but I don't know anyone who reported a 6 yo as a kindergartner, so I wasn't sure how it should translate. My district was/is one of my concerns. I know they prefer you use their paperwork (can they require that?), and I've heard a mix about them. We might be in a new district by fall anyway, so I'll play it by ear! Yes, I like the LEAH samples! :D

My oldest will be 6 in June, and I'm planning to report him as a K'er next year regardless of what he's doing at home, so what should I include in his IHIP since there are no requirements for K? "Grade-appropriate instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic?" What about quarterly reports? "Satisfactory progress?" Can it stay very vague? This has been on my mind all year, so I'm glad to see this thread! :)

I agree with both of these, if that's possible. ;) I read some Waldorf debates on another forum with some folks asserting that even using Stockmar crayons is promoting Anthroposophy and the occult and should be avoided by Christians. That it is "priming" a child to feel "at home" with New Age practices. I do not agree with this in terms of art supplies, but the reasoning for the colors and grains of the week for example, are not in line with our belief system. From what I've seen of OM, though, I do believe it is primarily neutral in terms of Waldorf, especially as the grades progress. I've looked at several times, and can see using parts of it in the future. :lol:

Hmmm...I didn't mean exactly that. I meant that if you remove the Anthroposophy, the "whys" of Waldorf are simply removed. Perhaps, "crumbles" was the wrong word. There are elements of a Waldrof education and lifestyle that are certainly valid, helpdul, and IMO are VERY age-approriate. I just don't think you need Steiner's reasoning to do them. I think we agree for the most part. Exactly! You could look at our lifestyle and say we are very Waldorf-inspired: no screens, natural toys, tons of outside time, limited early academics (that's actually a big struggle of mine; I've gone back and worth with NO academics and following my oldest's lead- he wants to read), lots of music and singing through the day, limited to no outside activities, strong rhythm, purposeful handwork, etc. but because I don't believe the WHY of Steiner, they are just things that work for us. Most of these things we do can also be found in other places: the Gesell institute, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, common sense :lol:. Does that make it clearer? Or maybe worse? :tongue_smilie:

:iagree: This is the discussion my friend and I have been having over and over. If you remove Anthroposphy, the why of Waldorf crumbles. There are certainly other reasons to do things similarly to Waldorf-- in terms of academics or life-- but Steiner has reasons for everything, from using the Pentatonic scale to delayed reading instruction to the colors used on the classroom walls. You put it so well! I'm getting tired and my line of thinking isn't taking the path I'd like. :tongue_smilie:

I think you could use Live Ed without the Anthropopshy, and in that case it becomes an art/story based curriculum. You can most definitely build a lovely kindergarten around lots of fairy tales, seasonal songs, poems, crafts, and recipes. Using elements of Waldorf without the underlying philosophy is something another friend and I (we're both Catholic) are struggling with now. :grouphug: Not to muddy your waters further, but you might like to check out Enki. It's Waldorf-ish, but there's no Anthropopshy and also incorporates sensory-integration and some Mnressori elements. There is someone at Homespun Waldorf who is VERY well-versed in Enki and could help you out there. I'll PM you over there. :-)

LEAH is the NY State Christian HS group and they have a big conference in Rochester in June. http://www.leah.org/conventions/upstate-conference-home Now, they definitely bill themselves as a Christian Education and Parenting conference BUT I've never had trouble avoiding anything that didn't jibe with my worldview. However, you may feel uncomfortable giving any support to the organization, which I also understand. Anyway, last year, I went to sessions on IEW and Sonlight, planning your day, preschoolers, inuiry-based science, teaching comprehension, music in the home, and sent my husband to at least one workshop since I had conflicts, lol. I can't remember what his was, but he said it was helpful. :lol: I cruised the vendor hall a LOT and found something new to explore on every circuit, and that was skipping the massive displays from several creationism organizations. :tongue_smilie: I want I go again this year, but toddler DS is at an awkward age. He was a crawler last year, but still happy to spend lots of time in the Ergo or with DH. This year wild be harder since I can't leave him overnight yet, and you know what our boys are like! But LEAH is very child-friendly. So, yeah. I'll email you and we can talk more this week!

My Live Ed experience as a new customer was positive as well. David was also my consultant. The feedback I got from other folks was regarding returning customers, and of course many people object to their resale policy. I agree with this. The reason I recommend skipping Live Ed kindy, however, is because you pay $400 for identical information, stories, recipes, and crafts that are found in the books I listed (and ANY Waldorf early childhood book) for under $100! I was pretty annoyed! I was expecting more unique content from the seasonal books in the package, but perhaps my fault for not studying samples and comparing more closely. Obviously, we are not strictly Waldorf users anymore as I'm very uncomfortable with Anthroposophy, but we still incorporate some aspects into our home life.

:iagree: Also, there is some debate about the business practices and customer service of Live Ed. I've owned and tried Live Ed! K, and IMO, if you're definitely interested in "true" Waldorf, I'd get the Wynstones books, Christopherus Kindergarten with your 3-6 Year Old, and maybe All Year Round or the Kindergrten Snack Book. The content is the same for a more reasonable price, and without dealing with Live Education. There is a thread at Homespun Waldorf reviewing Live Ed! that you'd probably find helpful. :)

Did you look at LEAH? I don't really fit that demographic either, but I've gone twice and between the exhibit hall, the vendor sessions, and a few good workshops found more than enough to keep busy while ignoring the patriarchal/creationism stuff. Besides, if you go to LEAH, we could go together! :D