I am so, so sorry. Picturing myself in your place, my heart would be breaking. Many hugs and prayers as you continue to deal with an incredibly difficult situation.

We attempted to use Saxon through third grade, with disastrous results. The spiral method did not work with my math-challenged children. We would introduce a concept, work it a little, then not see it again for many lessons, at which point my children had forgotten all about it and needed to start from scratch. R&S was a great fit for my children. It stayed with a concept, worked it through many lessons and added new aspects of the same concept through each lesson. Reviews were extremely thorough. (I believe it's considered a mastery-based program.) I believe you can look at sample lesson of both curricula and reviews at Homeschool Reviews. Good luck! Choosing math was always a booger for me, too.

Eldest started consultations at 7, but it was all x-rays, baby tooth extractions and impressions until he turned 10 and could handle the palatal expander emotionally (that's a BIG thing with our ortho). He came out of the expander, had four permanent teeth extracted and now has had his braces for about 18 months. He'll probably have them on for at least another year, and we have been extremely pleased with his progress. DD -- who had crowded baby teeth, even --started at age 6 and had her palatal expander last spring at 7 years old because she was emotionally ready for it earlier than ODS. She just finished having three baby canines removed and is done for awhile until her permanent canines come in, probably around age 10 or 11. She will have braces for 2 or more years. Youngest, 7, just lost a whole bunch of baby teeth and his permanent ones are growing in a bit crooked, so we'll be traveling down that road soon. I said all that to say I am a big fan of early orthodontia when done correctly, with all things taken into consideration (shape of face, growth, combination of expansion and extraction if necessary). I am another one whose orthodontist only extracted, and I have a very prominent nose and chin and very thin lips as a result. I want to cry when I see pre-orthodontia photos of myself that look like a different person -- I won a beauty pageant in fourth grade and now I look like a sourpuss old aunty. It is EXTREMELY important that our orthodontist does this well!

Mayonnaise sandwiches. :blushing::leaving: (You DID say "hesitant," right?)

Beautiful and poignant. Thanks for sharing, and best of luck to you both! FWIW, you have my utmost respect for NOT considering Clayton County schools...very scary!

As one who recently went through a period of sacrificing my sanity on the altar of "health" and learned that no matter how much I did or spent, it was never enough... Your friend needs to mind her own beeswax.:glare: And hpymomof3, that is extremely rude behavior! :(

:iagree:

This just about sums it up for us as well, except we eat white rice and regular pasta because we can't stand the whole grain kind, have diet or regular soda occasionally and eat some processed foods like breakfast cereal and Hunt's Garlic and Herb spaghetti sauce regularly. We eat out a couple of times a month and on Fun Fridays, we eat junky food. Also, when we eat meat it's usually ground turkey or boneless/skinless chicken breasts.

I don't care...I want one!!! Seriously, I keep my blade in my machine with the top on, and my disks/extras are in a plastic freezer bag in the same cabinet. It looks like it takes up a good bit of space, but if you're going to keep and use your Cuisinart forever, it might be a good investment.

This year we're going with the tuition-free virtual academy option so we won't be buying curriculum. In a typical year, we spend between $1,000-$1,500 for three children. I could spend a lot less if I had to.

yyz

I've read through this with interest, though it certainly stung in a couple of places. I take issue with the elitist attitude of the current homeschooling movement and in the unyielding attitude that if a homeschooler doesn't do things a certain way, he isn't a real homeschooler. This bothers me way more than "wrong" reasons to homeschool, "uneducated" homeschooling parents or "undereducated" homeschool students. If homeschooling is about making the best educational choice for each child and parents having the right to make that choice, then why is there even any discussion about these issues? :confused:

At Wal-Mart, I buy beans, rice, baking supplies and other staples once a month. Meat-wise, I mostly buy just ground turkey and chicken breasts. I buy produce, dairy and loss leaders from Publix weekly. I tend to buy the cheaper of the produce -- apples, oranges, bananas, celery, potatoes, carrots, cabbage. Occasionally I'll buy a melon, cucumbers, tomatoes, mangoes, avocado, etc. We also do theme nights (for lack of a better term): pasta, egg-based, stir-fry, soup and bread, Fun Friday (hamburgers, hot dogs or pizza, or an occasional dinner out), Cluck-n-Spuds (some form of chicken and potatoes) and Mexican (Fiesta Bowl, tacos with rice and corn). We rarely plan lunches but instead eat leftovers, breakfast foods or buttered noodles. Breakfast is usually cold cereal because that's the one thing everyone will eat. It's expensive, but it really saves my sanity most days and I make up for the cost in other areas. After going through several months of elimination diet for various food allergies -- none of which turned out to be serious enough for permanent elimination -- it is a relief both budget and convenience-wise for us to eat regular food again. I try to buy organic or local as much as possible and utilize the shopping guide from To Buy or Not to Buy Organic. I've had to make a lot of adjustments budget-wise and drop my standards from "optimal" nutrition to "very good" nutrition (see this article) but I feel like we manage to eat very well on about $500-600/month for the five of us, including non-food items.

Over the weekend, we turned our breakfast nook into a sitting room for me. Photos are on my blog, if you're interested.

We have the Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and The Wedding Singer soundtracks. Does that count? :)

"End of the Innocence" by Don Henley.

Our virtual academy starts Aug. 13.

I use lots of recipes from Clean House, Clean Planet. Most of them involve some combination of vinegar, baking soda, liquid soap, water and essential oils. They work very well, they don't trigger ODS' asthma and I feel fine about letting the children use them. A bonus is that they are very inexpensive to make, especially if you use the Method or Seventh Generation dish soaps instead of Dr. Bronner's. My favorite recipe from the book is for a disinfectant made from soap, water and tea tree oil.

I bought 10-12 Green Bags with the name of a market on them. Thin but durable. I also bought four canvas bags from another market, which are heavy and durable but don't fold out at the bottom like the Green Bags. I have an insulated bag for ice cream and such and a large Target plastic Retote (for messy stuff like meat because I can wash and disinfect it). They hold about as much as a paper bag, except the canvas and insulated bags. Clerks neither overflow nor moan, IME. I usually bag my own groceries, which bothers me not at all, or at least help by telling the bagger which stuff I want in which bag and grouping the items on the conveyor. Another great thing I just picked up is a rolling crate with a handle. I haven't used it at the grocery store but it's great for the library or farmer's market or used book sale!

Last year, I said no to my SIL when she asked me to pick up my nephew from his private school "just two days a week" and keep him at my house until she could pick him up. She didn't speak to me for weeks and we had a distant relationship for months. We're fine now, but she also respects my boundaries. I love my niece and nephews but she now knows I am not willing to sacrifice my schedule or my priorities with my own children and husband to care for them (although I certainly am available in an emergency, like when the same nephew lived with us for two weeks while his sister was hospitalized). It was difficult and I didn't much care for the fallout, but I can honestly say I don't regret saying no. I would encourage you to do the same. If they get ugly with you, come on back here for a virtual hug and an "atta girl."

We're another family who traded in DirecTV for rabbit ears. They only work upstairs and we only get a handful of channels. DH and I like "Ghost Whisperer," and I just bought the entire second season on DVD for half the price of one month's DirecTV bill. We have done Netflix but mostly we just borrow DVDs and videos from the library, or we watch what we already have, or we swap with friends and relatives. When the Indiana Jones movies were on sale for $10 each at Target, we bought all three. When a new movie or concert DVD comes out, we buy it at the sale price. So we have a nice little library of our own right now, too. We're in a position to have DirecTV again if we want, but DH and I both decided there's no way we can watch $75 worth of television a month and still have a life. (A happy side effect is that my poor, deprived children don't know what the latest fad or fashion or toy is that will make them cool and popular because we don't have commercials!)

I think I understand what you're trying to say, Kim, and I respect you for it. You sound like a very good mom. Michael Pearl is not funny to me, though, and I was born and raised in the South. I am not ignorant of his writings when I pass "harsh" judgment. Multiple times now, I've read TTUAC, three No Greater Joy compilation books, Debi's Created to be His Help Meet and the NGJ magazine, in addition to the website. My friends and I discussed his methods at length. In fact, I followed his teachings to the letter for a period of time until my children started flinching when I tried to hug or help them. Perhaps the Pearls have a relevant ministry and perhaps Michael Pearl is a good man. I don't really care. All I know is that my family started working better as soon as I trashed TTUAC, picked up my Bible and started praying for wisdom for my husband, children and self.

Rarely. But I do recognize your desperation for alone time as a kindred spirit. I'd opt for a babysitter and a full day, if possible. If not, perhaps your husband could give you a Saturday or Sunday afternoon? My mini recharge is naptime, which has evolved into quiet time as the children have gotten older. I forget about everything and read a light mystery and nap for a few minutes, and then I'm ready to tackle the day. Hope you get a chance to refill your well soon! :grouphug:

We were married two days after his 25th birthday and two months before mine. we celebrated our 15th anniversary last month. :001_wub:

This is true for us as well. Normally I would be in full panic mode because we would be starting school Monday, but our virtual academy doesn't start until Aug. 13 so we still have WEEKS left!:) This has been our busiest -- and laziest -- and happiest summer in a long, long time. I have one at church camp this week and one who went the first of June. One is going on a junior high campout in Tennessee next week. One learned to ride a two-wheeler and got a new, big bike. All participated in Youth Police Academy last week. We actually are planning to spend a day with each child individually, take them to lunch and discuss goals and plans for the new year, get a new haircut/style, buy new sneakers and school supplies and socks/underwear or whatever. We've never had time to do that before school started in the past. Did I mention we still have WEEKS before we start back? :hurray: