Amanda's unit studies are written in 2 levels....one for elementary and one for jr/sr high. They work especially well if you have kids spanning those ages. I just have one child, so I didn't start using them until 3rd grade, and even then we struggled to get through all 4 weeks. If we needed to stop and move on to something else, we did and there was still lots of learning happening. Oftentimes, we went back and finished up later. Amanda has a new set of unit studies geared toward K-4, Download N Go. They are awesome and my son absolutely loves them. They are my new favorite curriculum. They combine unit studies with lapbooks, and are done interactively on the computer. The topics are fun, and the learning is deep. http://www.downloadngo.com Amanda is running a huge sale right now--12 Days of Christmas--so it's a great time to pick up some units at a great price. She's also having a Kindle giveaway. http://www.unitstudy.com We used FIAR for PreK-2 and loved it! We use it in our co-op now as well.

I just got one for Christmas and am already in love! She's also having 12 days a sales starting Sunday! http://www.unitstudy.com/12DaysSpecials.html

I only get 2 a year...in the summer. one in June and the other about 6 weeks later to carry me through the end of sandal season. I'm too cheap to do it more often than that.

Download N Go is giving away 3 map bundles from National Geographic. Contest ends tomorrow night. These maps are awesome! http://homeschoolblogger.com/downloadngo/?p=522

I would choose R&S over those choices. But we discovered a new LA program we're loving: Total Language Plus.

We go through this every year at the beginning of the school year. My son sees the buses and thinks it looks like fun to ride one. Sometimes I go through the list of things he wouldn't get to do if he went to school (travel with dad, learn the things he wants to learn about, be home with me, co-op, etc.). But some days, like today, I just tell him God gave him parents for a reason, and we know what's best for him, right now that is homeschooling. Sometimes kids just need to know they don't always have a choice.

I just reviewed a handwriting program for the TOS crew. It didn't work so well for my 4th grader (already too far along with handwriting), but if we were starting out in K or 1st, I think I would probably use it. It's called Peterson Directed Handwriting. You can start with cursive with it.

I'm dying to take a cruise. My husband hates the idea. If I wanted a vacation with limited sight-seeing, I'd want it to be a cruise, to the Greek Isles :)

For those of you interested in finding out more about Download N Go, I wanted to share that DNG now has a blog. On the blog are posted things like new releases, units coming soon, specials, and the most exciting part.....it's own review team who will be reviewing a couple of DNGs a month and posting to a linky so you can see them all in one place. There are also some fun contests/giveaways coming up! The blog's address is: http://homeschoolblogger.com/downloadngo/ If you are on Facebook, you can find DNG at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/DownloadNGo?ref=ts . The Facebook page is also updated frequently with sales, upcoming units, fun trivia, etc. And you can ask any question you have there a well. And finally, you can also find DNG on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DownloadNGo Download N Go are our favorite unit studies! I hope you'll check them out!

Heather....there are 5 pages of replies, so I didn't take time to read them all. Excuse me if this has already been said. Find yourself an indoor pool, girl, and have your sweet dh baptize this man. It will be meaningful to them both and hopefully will not introduce this man to the ridiculous politics of the "church" so new into his new-found faith.

Jeani..my son came to me at age 3 and asked to learn to read. He knew his letters and their sounds already. I sat down one day and explained how to put CVC words together. He caught on right away, so I made lists of CVC words and would check them off if he could sound them out. I also purchased a few sets of the BOB books and he read those to me. I didn't start a phonics program or anything, just continued reading aloud to him and let him read his little books. Imagine my surprise when about 6 months later, at the grocery store, he says to me, "momma, that sign says 'please do not block this exit!'" He was not quite 4. And he hasn't stopped yet. He just turned 7, is in first grade, and now reads at a 7th grade level. I've never done another thing besides write down those CVC words when he was 3 and then read read read. If your child (ren) is going to be an early reader, he'll read with or without your instruction. I can't explain it. To this day, I have no idea how Ben learned to read. It just clicked with him. That's usually how it happens with very early readers from my experience talking to other moms. Personally, I think 3 and 2 are a little young to begin "formal" school. But that doesn't mean you can't read to them, point things out, answer questions, etc. Mostly just have fun with them. They are still babies. Trust me, they'll grow up soon enough and you have lots of time to do "formal" schooling. If you'd like a recommendation for a fun literature-based program for that age, I highly recommend Before Five in a Row. http://www.fiarhq.com