I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL!!!!! I too, could have written that post. I have 2 doing school work and 2 toddlers. I feel the exact same way. What I tried to do towards the end of last year and will try again (we took summer off) is to give the lots of cuddle time first thing in the morning. I try to be deliberate about couch time with them before we hit the ground running on school. Then before nap I cuddle them again. I'm not talking large chunks of time, just a little time that is devoted to the littles when I'm not distracted. I know they aren't getting as much of my attention as my two big kids got as toddlers, but they know they are loved and don't seem to be suffering :) If they get extra whiny or fussy I know they just need a few minutes of Mommy time and then they are off and running again. All that to say, I understand and I'm listening in for good ideas too!

Thanks all for your input. Mine is Core C from 2004. There is so much info in the Study Guides, I'm thinking it will be enough. I just didn't want to be missing out on something BIG. Ha! Like "Oh, the notes are what make the IG so amazing!" It sounds like they aren't that big of a deal. I'm super excited to give Sonlight a whirl. I think it's just what we are looking for.

Okay, cool. Thank you! I'm used to MFW where there are notes for every week. New TM's/IG's....it's confusing!!! :)

Hi there! I am just trying out Sonlight for the first time this year. We are doing Core C and I bought it used off ebay with the IG. I feel like the IG is incomplete, but since this is my first experience with it I want to ask before I message the seller. In the IG, after the 36 week schedule it has "Notes" for week 1...but then there aren't any notes for any of the other weeks. There are study guides for the different books, but only "Notes" for that first week. Shouldn't there be notes for each week??? Or do you just use the study guides and there aren't any general notes? Help!!

Oh my! This thread is making me think of so many little things my kids haven't learned...I'm not sure how I thought they'd learn it if I'm not teaching it to them! Ha! Osmosis maybe? My 8-year old never knows the date, never writes her whole name, and we have no analog clocks in our house. Thanks everyone!!! :)

Thanks so much for the curriculum ideas. I have been looking at Rightstart and it looks so great...it's hard to spend that much money though. Yikes. But, it looks like a lot of it you would only really have to buy once, and then younger siblings would move through it much cheaper. Hmmm.....thanks for the ideas. I know my husband will be easy to convince if he sees the abacus!!! :)

This is very interesting. My husband has been wanting me to switch up math programs. We have used Saxon 1 this year, but he would prefer our daughter know why she is doing what she is doing- more conceptual math and mental math skills. He really wants her to learn to use an abacus :confused: I have no idea how those work!!! I'm all for it, especially after reading this thread, as I was one who hated math in school too. What curriculums do you all recommend to head more in this direction?

What's drawing me to MFW is the all-in-oneness. I love SOTW, but I'm looking into science (we didn't really do formal science this year-but my daughter would love to), and I really need more hands on activities, and I feel like by the time I buy a science curriculum and something for Bible it would have been easier to have it all laid out for me. I also like how they add the Biblical perspective since that isn't naturally a part of SOTW. This was my first year homeschooling and my curriculum was very pieced together. It worked well, but now I'm adding a kinder to the mix and I think more plans made by someone else could be easier???? Maybe....? Thanks for the reminder about the "pegs". I need to keep reminding myself that this isn't the only time she will hear this info!!

I'm thinking of using MFW next year for my oldest who will be a 2nd grader. I'll also have one in kinder, but I plan on him mostly tagging along with us. I can't decide where to start! I know they recommend doing the Adventures year if your oldest is younger than 4th grade, but I hate to mess up our history cycle. We did SOTW 1 this year and absolutely loved it!!!!! My daughter is obsessed with ancient history now!:) Part of the reason I was drawn to MFW was because they use SOTW 2 in their Rome rotation. I don't really want to move to American history when she is loving world history so much. Also, I don't really love the thought of using a whole year to study America...I like the idea of studying it more as it pertains to world history...kwim? Any thoughts? Would it be better to do the Rome rotation of MFW and just skip the things that are too advanced, or should we do a year of Adventures and then go back to our history cycle? Would their Rome year be far too advanced for us? She is a great reader who devours books... Help!

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I'll be getting both!

Hi there Quick question here. I'm getting ready to buy FLL3 and noticed there is a student workbook. Do I need that and the teacher's guide? Or is it like WWE where you only need the workbook and can do without the teacher's guide? Just trying to see if I can save a few pennies! Thanks :)