on your new baby girl! She's just beautiful. I LOVE the name you all picked for her. I am just so happy for ALL of you! :party: Sonja

Thank you so much for sharing your resources. :thumbup: Sonja

We love ALL the OM materials. We are using it now for 3 years. Sonja

She probably was wearing a "Dirndl" - a Bavarian folk dress. The cleavage is the same with all Dirndls and the kids growing up in Bavaria don't even blink when they see women wear these dresses. I guess, I am one of the more liberal people where going to the Hooters as a teenager or being served a meal in a Dirndl is no big deal. My son wouldn't even look. Sonja

We love Brian Cleary's books around here. Luckily, our library carries quite a bit of his books. They are a BIG hit around our house as well! Sonja

These worksheets just look wonderful. :D:D We love using this book together with "The Sentence Family". I found both of these grammar resources here on this board. Just love the HIVE! Sonja

No advice and help with the kiddos (have only one ds 10) - but wanted to say: CONGRATULATIONS! :party: Sonja

That's exactly HOW I feel! Sonja

I guess, I am biased because we have lived both ways and I just can't get used to the suburban way of living. We moved into a different state and had to give up our dream house with about 2.5 acres. All of us were so happy there despite the commute for dh (about 45 min in the summer, could be an hour or longer in the winter), no library in town, our grocery store was more a convenient store and the next town with about 3,000 people was about 30 min away. No homeschooling families either - just us! Despite of all of this - we LOVED IT. Just last week my ds 10 told me how he misses to ride the tractor, have "his animals", explore the "woods", ride a horse, etc. Right now, we are living in a very desirable suburban neighborhood as well - but gosh, I just miss the country. On top, dh has lost his job in August and it doesn't look like he is getting one soon. If we were still living in our old house, at least we wouldn't have to worry about food (our garden, fruit trees, and the chickens took care of a lot we needed) or loosing our home. Those 5 acres just sound like a dream! :D Sonja in CO

Friederike, I know exactly what you mean. I have the same problem with my ds. I try to speak Hochdeutsch to him - but it's hard (just like you said) to change a habit - especially when the grandparents don't speak Hochdeutsch (one is from the Black Forest, the other one is from Franconia). Talk about dialect and major confusion on my son's part. :tongue_smilie: Sonja in CO

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5: Julie, that's all I can "do and say." What a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing. Sonja in CO

Thank you everyone for your replies. I received such wonderful suggestions and ideas. I think Grammar School House Rock and MAD LIBS would make a fun addition to our school days (Fridays). Reading all those wonderful testimonies and praises in regard to MCTLA - I think I'll give RFWP a call on Monday. __________________________________ Sonja in CO

Beth, thank you for recommending the book "Sentence Family." I checked out their website, and did a search on this site. The information and posts were fabulous. Now, I have a problem........ more curriculum choices.....:w00t:, another LA program to ponder and :drool5:. How could you do this to me?:D. Why didn't I know about this program? Heck, I spend so much time on this board - I should have read about this! At least NOW I have a good excuse for being online. LA curriculum search! :lol: _________________________ Sonja in CO

Wow.....what great ideas. Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies. I am so glad I can ask the HIVE for support and ecouragement. OhElizabeth, you are right - I need to chill out and remember: HE IS ONLY 10 (just turned 10). I will continue to implement more games. I love your saying: You're trying to expose him, not perfect him the first time through. You hit the nail! _______________ Sonja in CO

Thank you Julie and HSDCY for your replies. Julie, maybe I should :chillpill: and not stress so much over grammar. He just started to really enjoy writing, especially creative writing. He wrote a small "comic book" (4 pages with all the illustrations - not much for some, but for us, it was a huge accomplishment!) about knights. It seems the more I push, the more reluctant he becomes. I guess, I'll grab :lurk5: and wait for some more great replies. :bigear: Thank you both for answering my thread. _________________________________ Sonja in CO

I know you all must get pretty tired by now answering MCTLA questions. But I really would need some help with LA. I have a bright ds 10 who will be in 5th Grade next year. He is right-brained and English has been a battle for the two of us since the beginning. I fear I might turn totally gray by the end of next year:tongue_smilie:. As of right now, we are using Writing Tales Volume 1 and FLL 4. He really likes Writing Tales 1 (especially the games) and writing, but he can't deliver the info (grammar part). Just today I received this confused look after I've asked him to point out the pronouns (subjective and possessive), adjectives, conjunctions, and verbs (action and being verbs). Ds acted like he never EVER heard of any of these!!!! I am ready to :banghead: . Just now he told me he hates English. It's boring, no fun! :001_huh: Is grammar supposed to be fun??? :glare:Do you think MCTLA can ignite the spark? I am just so tired and confused of what to do with him. English (especially grammar) is the only subject that is a constant struggle and fight around here. That's why I am looking or better :drool5: over MCTLA. I know I can rely on all of you experienced homeschool Moms (aka THE HIVE) when it comes to curriculum choices. :D. You have helped in the past..... Thank you so much! ___________________________________ Sonja in CO

I have bought bargain books before from RR and was very pleased. Honestly, I didn't see a difference from their regular books. There might have been a small dent at the spine or the side - but I needed my glasses to see them. :D I was so impressed with their bargain books that placed another order (just yesterday) containing ONLY bargain books. I just couldn't pass their FREE shipping on orders $25.00 and up! ___________________________ Sonja in CO

That's all I did when we lived in Kansas. I registered as a "private school" once. That's it. You don't have to do anything else after that. Manhattan has some great homeschool groups as well. Kansas is a great place to hs and I really miss living there. ________________________________ Sonja in CO

I am 44, turning 45 in March of next year. Honestly, I love being in my 40's. I have learned to love myself, to accept myself, to be happy with myself. Who cares about what others say...... I found inner peace and happiness at this age. My ds (10) is the joy of my life and he is my inspiration. I am happier and more satisfied than when I was in my 20's or 30's. Maybe, it's the new hobbies and interests that I have aquired over the years (became Reiki Master Teacher and certified Aromatherapist, started yoga). I don't want to change a thing and I am actually looking forward to being 50. All that knowledge, all that experience :D - I don't want to go through ALL of this again! :tongue_smilie: No hardening arteries here - but a few more wrinkles and a couple of pounds! ;) Maybe, you'll find some new interest or hobbies such as playing an instrument, learning a new language, painting, knitting, sport, looking into alternative and holistic fields for ideas, etc. It's not so bad being 40 and beyond............... ____________________________ Sonja in Co

78 days ______________________________ Sonja in Co

Thanks, this will be a great resource for our American History study next year! Sonja

We open all of our Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve. I try to keep our family traditions alive. (German heritage). Sonja

Sherri, thank you so much for your kind words and prayers. Please, let me know when you have found a good Christian book that does not make me feel inferior. To all of you other ladies who have posted. Big :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: to each and everyone. I feel for you and if you don't mind I'll keep you in my prayers. Sonja

First of all, a BIG :grouphug: and a prayer for you and your family. And NO, you are not alone. We moved to CO in 2007 because of a job offer that was just too good to turn down. Looking back, I wish dh would have turned down the job offer. While he was working, he was stressed out due to the ethical problems he was facing with his new employer. He just didn't fit ' cause he refused to "unethical" work practices. The company let him go on August 1st. We are without any income since then. Because of the constant worries, hs has not been as enjoyable as it used to be. My son is right-brained, suffers from ADHD, Morbus Still and asthma. Until now, I had no problems to deal with his constant ups and downs, temper tantrums, etc. Now, I have a hard time dealing with all of this. I find myself to be short tempered a lot, something I never had experienced in the past. Because there is no hope dh will find a job in his field, he decided to go back to school. He will be done in May - but he can't physically work during the day. I know, I should be working - but both of us, just like you and your dh, feel that hs is the best we can offer our son. We have used our retirement savings to pay for the house, but don't know how long we can do this. I know God will take care of us - but I worry. I have gained quite a bit of weight (some people loose weight, I gain it:tongue_smilie:) because I worry all night. This whole situation has taken its toll on ds as well. His whole behavior is at times like a "ticking" bomb waiting to explode. I try to find a job that fits our circumstances - but (despite college degree) was not capable of finding one. I guess, age plays a factor as well (I am mid 40's). Unfortunately, we don't have any familiby members who can help. So, hopefully with God's help we will pull through this. I feel for you and my prayers are with you and your family. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Sonja

We are using a mix of waldorf and montessori, including Math. Have you checked out this link for math? http://www.livelylessons.com/Nobleknights.html Dorothy Harrer has really good Waldorf "teaching" books with great ideas on all kind of subjects, including Math. I have used all of her books so far and really like them. Best of all, they only cost $14.00 per book. You can find her books at: www.bobandnancybookshop.com I really like OM's math as well, especially for the elementary grades. You can buy their math program individually at www.oakmeadow.com You can enjoy free shipping until Nov.30, 2009. Don't forget to check out the swap boards. Many times, people are selling their waldorf material at these boards. This is a link to another Waldorf website that might be helpful to you: www.thewaldorfchannel.com For games, we really enjoy Right Start Math Games. They cover everything you are looking for. Your kids learn while playing games and having fun. :001_smile: Maybe your library is carrying some Mathstart books by Stuart J. Murphy. These books are great for visual learners and make Math come alive! Can't think of anything else at this time. :001_huh: Sonja