I got the informational call I expected today, and we are going to enroll in Georgia Virtual Academy next year. We are all very excited and a little nervous, especially about standardized testing (only our eldest has any experience with any type of testing).

Better for the smile I gave. :)

But maybe for *her* children, it is the best thing! I have a child whose verbal skills have come incredibly naturally to him but his math skills have been a long time coming. He's just...slow?...in math. It's not the curriculum, it's not lack of effort on his part and it's not a case of my not doing the best thing for my child. I'm not trying to be combative. I just want to point out that under different circumstances, a child who seems "behind" may be working on his own time table, as is mine. In a more formal school setting, without Mom to say, "Good! Now, what about this one? Great! Now, what about this one?" my son would be seriously floundering. As it is, he isn't threatened by what he hasn't yet mastered. His standardized test scores in math are at the "average" to "above average" level and we are steadily closing his learning gaps. I don't consider that a homeschool failure, I consider it an educational success.

And yet another vote for tendonitis. DH has had this once in his knee and once in his ankle since he started working out regularly more than a year ago. The doctor recommends 800 mg of ibuprofen three times a day and low to no-impact exercise for about a week before he's cleared to go back to his normal workouts.

No, I wouldn't.

My dad went to Auburn with Toni Tenille.

Yeah, what she said! :)

LLB is one of my favorite bands! Nice to know they are as genuine as they seem.:) My dog is named after JoJo. I don't know anyone famous, but I met a good many pro athletes when I was writing sports. (My least favorite was David Justice, if you care.) I also covered Chris Hanson (New England Patriots) and Keith Brooking (Atlanta Falcons) when they were in high school. DH met and talked to Paul McCartney, which was really cool. I don't think they keep in touch now. :D

I would have read lots more picture books, Mother Goose rhymes and children's poetry. I would have read all Charlotte Mason's books earlier and followed her methods of education sooner. I would have been more organized early on. I would have stuck with a good, basic math curriculum instead of trying to force Saxon on my children and myself. I would have not been so influenced by the idea of the Next Big Thing that I wasted thousands of dollars on curriculum that had about as much chance of working for us as Mike Huckabee has of getting to the White House.

Nope. Not working for me, either.

For mine, it means lots of margins. A certain amount of information has to be introduced to them by me as their teacher, but my children also need free time to make connections between the information they've gotten here and the information they've gotten there. By margins, I mean giving my children time to explore on their own outside the boundaries of "school." If we read and discuss (narrate) the story of Cornelia's Jewels, they may run across a similar theme at church or in a fairy tale they're reading for fun. Aesop's Fables may intersect with Brer Rabbit or a study of mammals with an episode of The Crocodile Hunter. Each connection they make on their own through reading or experimenting deepens their understanding in a way I could never do through drilling or quizzing. A "thinking child" doesn't separate school from life, is what I guess I'm trying to say. He wouldn't need to have all of his learning spoon-fed to him and then leave it behind when he's ready to get on with the task of living. I've said this before, but that's why it's more important to teach our children how to find out things for themselves than to hit all the marks on a scope and sequence chart.

No, it's not my usual I-can't-sleep reason. It's because I just got in from seeing Warren Barfield in concert!:D This was my first Christian concert -- I'm more a classic rock and blues kinda gal -- and I mostly went because a band from our church (Everthird) was opening for him. He was excellent, though! If you're a fan of contemporary praise, you'd enjoy seeing him live. No band, just him and an acoustic. He plays like Michael Hedges and sings like Joe Cocker. (That's for all of us nerdlets who stay up late to watch Austin City Limits. Or maybe that's just me. ;)) Here are Everthird samples: http://www.myccm.org/everthird And here's Warren Barfield's web page: http://www.warrenbarfield.com/warren.php

Motivated Moms A clipboard for each child with the day's assignments and chores Menu planning for a week at a time Delegation of housework (On this one, I reason that if five people and a dog live in this house, one of said people should not be responsible for all of the housework. The dog would be right there scrubbing toilets, too, if he had hands.) I hate to say it, but (usually) an early bedtime and a 7 a.m. alarm. Give me time to collect my thoughts before the day starts.

Abbey, would you mind posting what you had for lunch today, or another typical meal? Thanks!

Wow, Abbey, that is a lot of weight gone! I've put the book on hold at the library, along with Dana's "French Women" book. I like what you said about occasional cheats. My DH is heading in the same direction, so that will be very helpful. The last thing I want to do is become obsessed with any of this, but a certain amount of reprogramming is inevitable. All of this stuff you guys are sharing is very helpful to me. How did I get to the point where I need to lose 43 pounds? (Yes, 43! Not just the 30 I thought.) I know having babies and getting older, blah blah blah, but I think back to the time when a Cheeseburger Happy Meal was more than I could finish and wonder. Fortunately, I'm pretty healthy but that can't last forever at the rate I'm going. And once things start falling apart, they're not always that easy to put together again.

This is our favorite cake, especially for birthdays! Here is my Mama's recipe: 1-2-3-4 Cake 1 cup butter or margarine 2 cups sugar 3 cups plain flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 4 large eggs 1 cup whole milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. almond extract Cream butter. Add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Add eggs one at a time to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and flavorings, beating after each addition until smooth. Pour into one 9x13 pan or three 9-inch layer pans that have been sprayed evenly with Baker's Joy. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (check for doneness with toothpick). Cool in pan(s) for 10 minutes, then remove to cake racks and cool completely. Let me know if you need icing recipes, too! :D

I was 2.2 pounds lighter this morning, so someone must have dropped some dust on me when I wasn't looking! :) Holly, I'm glad you said that about sugar because it's one of the first things I did. I even found a great coffee (Melitta) that I can drink black. I'm giving up my sweet iced tea (this Southern girl is "sur-ous," people!) today and making green tea with stevia instead. SparkPeople, exercise, no sugar, more exercise...I think I'll pass on the "broke" diet, Sandra ;) but the small portion part definitely is worth considering! I've heard that giving yourself a free day each week -- no exercise, no food rules -- is a good idea too. Do any of you do that? I'm thinking if I know I can have some chocolate or chips that day I'll leave them be on the other days.

I have to lose 30 pounds and I don't wanna. But I turn 40 this year and if I don't do this now I never will. I want to run a 5K this year, before my knees and ankle give out. I want to wear cute clothes. I want to feel good and have energy. I want to do 25 diamond push-ups just to say I did. I want to be able to play tennis with my kiddos without feeling like my chest is going to explode. I want to be diabetes and heart-disease resistant, too! I did 20 minutes on the treadmill, stretches and some strength exercises tonight. I took a first step, right? Right? RIGHT?!?! Okay, whine over.

I get up at 7 with DH, shower and do quiet time. Kids get up about 8. Morning chores, breakfast, grooming. 9 a.m. - Bible. 10 a.m. - math. 11 a.m. - snack. 11:30 - 11 yo independent work, 8 & 6 yo read alouds and notebook pages with Mom. 1 p.m. - Lunch and cleanup. 2 p.m. - 2x/week, library run, errands, homeschool group, etc. Rest/reading time on stay-at-home days. 3 p.m. - Free/outside time. (I do school and meal planning, phone calls, paperwork, cleaning, etc. here) 5:30 p.m. - Evening chores, showers, etc. (I cook dinner here.) 6:30 p.m. - Dinner and cleanup. 7:30 p.m. - Jeopardy. :D 8 p.m. - Dad goes over math with 11 yo. Littles play or listen to stories. 9 p.m. - Dad and Mom work out while children play or watch video. 10 p.m. - Bedtime for everyone (Mom and Dad "talk," :o watch TV, read, etc.)

Here's a link to a free sample of a CM habits book that you might like to see: http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/layingdowntherails/railssample/

A Charlotte Mason Companion, also by Karen Andreola. A must-have! Cindy Rushton has an e-book called "A Charlotte Mason Primer," but I don't know a thing about it (yet!). See the link below if you're interested. I didn't care for Catherine Levison's books. http://www.cindyrushton.com/CMPEBOOK.html

Our main goal in homeschooling our children has always been to teach them to find out things for themselves. I've always been pretty confident that I can learn any essential skill as need demands, and that's all we really want for our children. My parents paid for the majority of my college education but never turned a hair when I chose to leave my field eight years ago to raise and educate my own children, and I'd like to be able to support my children in any course they set for their lives, even if it's not what I would have chosen for them.

And YOU must be MY twin! :D I'm afraid I stay in sweats and tees -- no shoes -- on days we don't have outside plans. I have two pairs of nice-fitting jeans and one pair of great-fitting jeans. Two hoodies, two sweaters, one knockout long-sleeved tee (hubby's favorite: v-neck, fits a little snugly across my bosom) and four tailored blouses (blue, coral, white and yellow) round out my everyday wardrobe. I have a tan suede jacket, a black wool coat, tie-dyed Crocs, stack-heeled loafers and a terrific pair of Saucony sneakers. Our church is casual, so I don't dress up for services. My church clothes come from the above wardrobe. Occasionally, for weddings, funerals and Chamber of Commerce events, I break out some combination of the following: black pumps, navy heels, a floral dress, a navy and white check suit, a black skirt, a pair of tan dress pants, a white stretchy overlay blouse and a tailored white Liz Claiborne blouse. I am nothing if not a creature of habit. I figure as long as I am neatly and appropriately dressed, well, good for me.

I'm a big fan of ETC, especially for newer readers. We never did past 5 or 6 because it just became another chore with no real advantage for us, but early on I think it can be very valuable.

I'm Mama to 11 and almost-7-year-old sons and an 8-year-old daughter. Sixth-grader has been hs since first grade and the littles always, except for a 2-day/half-day preschool stint when DD was 3/4. DH and I turn 40 and celebrate our 15th anniversary this year. Last year, we lost my MIL to cancer and my older brother in a car wreck, and we are still grieving. We have felt extremely blessed to be able to draw our children in close and deal with our losses on our time and in our own way without the imposed schedule of traditional school. We currently use Ambleside Online, Sonlight and R&S/A Beka math. As I mentioned on another thread, we plan to incorporate a large learning project (journalism) for our eldest beginning next year. We also participate in many service projects as a family. DH is a corporate communications manager and I pick up occasional freelance writing projects. We have a house that suits us perfectly in a quiet subdivision on the outskirts of a Georgia town that boasts the oldest bookstore in the state, a hospital, a technical college and a state university.