This is our new "safe playground". It is my kids' favorite. Safe does not have to equal boring. It has a merry go round that is level with the ground. It has slides and things to climb. It also has equipment that is designed for kids with disabilities. My kids (including the older two) can play there for hours and not get bored. I am far less safety-conscious than most moms I know, and I did enjoy far less safe playgrounds when I was a kid. But for all of us who broke bones, hit heads, etc and came out ok, there are many kids who did not.

~2300 sq. ft., 2 adults and 4 kids. So that's 400 sq ft/person or 600 sq ft/child.

I love VBS, but it is a lot of work. I was in charge of the 1st graders my 1st year, it took me until day 4 to realize that my helpers would only work if I told them specifically what I wanted them to do. Yeah, I spent the first 3 days doing everything myself and had one kid that was unmanageable. For the next 2 years I did photography, and now I actually enjoy working with the kids (but I'm much bossier now). :) I firmly believe that serving should be a joy--find the job you like doing and volunteer for that. There is someone out there that will be blessed to cart snacks around next year. :)

For those of you who are struggling with this issue, I want to encourage you that we all go through seasons. In each season, we need to be "all there" and do what (I believe) God has called us to in that moment. If you are in a season where the only people you are impacting are your immediate family, be the best wife and mom you can possibly be and be content with that. You are probably impacting more than just your kids if you (or they) have friends or extended family. Also, if you are supporting someone who works, you are making an impact through that person. Proverbs says something like, "The eyes of the fool are on the ends of the earth." I understand that to mean that a wise person is concerned with what is going on in his or her life and makes that a priority, and that it's foolish to allow ourselves to become preoccupied with things that aren't happening or may never happen. As for me personally, I know I am making an impact on my husband and kids primarily, as well as their and my extended family and friends. Beyond that, I am in a phase of life where I can help with my church, my homeschool co-op, and DD's karate dojo. Those are the areas where I wonder if I am making a difference...but I am confident in my service to my family, which to me is more important.

Love the schedule!! Looks totally doable!!

No, don't say that!! You can do it!! You can make it fun for them. Let them choose what they make for dinner--even if they make pancakes twice a week, at least they're doing it. Or give them a budget and tell them they can keep whatever they don't spend. If it was me, I would consider calling a family meeting (or even just me and the kids) and explain that Mommy is going through a very hard time, Mommy doesn't want to be cranky but that's the way it is for now. One of the things that makes Mommy cranky is that I can't do everything. Many of the things I do are things that you can do. If you can start taking on more of the workload, it will help Mommy not be so cranky. Then I would work with them on a cleaning schedule/plan that will work for everyone. I would come up with some ideas beforehand but try to involve them in the brainstorming process so they would take ownership of it. I do not have older kids, and I know the eye-roll factor can be frustrating, but there is simply no reason why you should have to do everything. It isn't good for you or them. I understand that things seem overwhelming right now, but you can make positive changes that will make your home and family more enjoyable.

Joann--yup. I just cancelled our swimming party that was scheduled for Friday. 69 is too cold for a glacier-fed lake. YLVD--maybe time heals all wounds?? I only remember 3-4 really bad days that summer, and I was able to find A/C for all but one. I will agree that I'm not a fan of 90+ weather. For the rest of you with extreme heat, do you have A/C? Are you able to get out in the spring and fall? I'm assuming you have a stretch of 65-85 degree weather before and after summer. We are supposed to be in our 65-85 stretch right now...still waiting...

Yes, it is a lovely Julytober day today. Cool and cloudy, but at least it isn't raining like it was yesterday. It is supposed to rain for the rest of the week though. And then after that it's supposed to be nice, but it won't break 75 for the foreseeable future. It's my fault--I unpacked the kids' summer clothes at the end of May. I should have snuck them out one tank top at a time. What you all non-WA people need to understand is that we put up with 10 months of rain to get 2 months of perfection. Last year was crummy and this year has been so far as well. It's not that cool and cloudy bothers us, it's that we've been waiting for nice weather for two years and still don't have it.

I'm with whoever said (back on page 1 or 2) that I don't think the demise of Big Box Bookstores is such a tragedy. People are still reading via the internet, what's different is that anyone can self-publish online at basically no cost. In a sense, control over the written word is being taken away from corporate bookstores and publishers and given to the common people. I think there will always be a demand for the sharing of ideas, but possibly not paper books someday. But I don't think of that as tragic--just a new reality to which we all will need to adjust.

I agree with the others. You're not likely to convince them unless they are truly interested in having an open mind, and that is usually apparent. Until then, I would keep any conversation about homeschooling to a minimum and be willing to walk away/hang up if they don't respect your boundaries. And it's possible that they will come around when they realize how much your DD has benefited from homeschooling. My mom was disapproving at best (and openly hostile at times) for years. I stopped bringing it up for a while, and then at one day she was at my house and I showed her SOTW, it seriously changed everything. I think up until that point she thought I was a religious nut who truly didn't care what my kids were learning as long as it wasn't evolution and homosexuality. Since then I wouldn't say she has become an advocate of homeschooling and most of the time doesn't really want to talk about it, but she no longer seems to think I'm screwing up her grandkids. :iagree: :lol::lol::lol:

I'm sorry. You are going through a lot. :( If yours is a clinical depression, I would pursue getting help/medication. Your DH might not be a believer now, but maybe if you were getting the treatment you need he'd come around? As far as I'm concerned, your kids should be doing a lot more to help. With the ages you have listed, you shouldn't need to cook at all if you don't want to. Seriously. You may still need to help with the meal planning, but the older 3 could easily make dinner 2x/week and then you could do pizza/leftovers the 7th night. I think it's easy for anyone, particularly moms who are depressed, to get in a rut, and then feel like a martyr, and continue on a downward sprial. If you take a few weeks off of school and invest a little time in getting your kids involved in maintaining the home, it can really pay off. I just posted this elsewhere, so forgive me for being redundant, but my kids do 3 things that keep the majority of the mess at bay: 1) clean their rooms every day 2) do 1-2 chores a day (DD6 and DD7 empty the dishwasher, DS9 empties the garbage, and DD10 loads the dishwasher. Also, DD6 wipes down the table, DD7 and DS9 fold laundry and DD10 sweeps and mops) 3) 5 minute pick up of public areas after school is done We also do a bigger clean for about 1-2 hours on Fri or Sat to get the weeklies. She should be taking responsibility for this. It is *her* education. I would sit down with her, let her tell you what her goals are, and let her tell you what she needs to do to get there. Give her time to research colleges, people in her profession of choice and then meet back with you if she needs to. But I would make it very clear that you are her coach and that you will help her achieve her goals, but it is up to her to make them happen. I hope you find peace and are able to take control of your life and home so that it is a source of joy and not frustration.

Take time off. A day, a week, a month...whatever is needed. You can make it up later. Remember what got you started in the first place--cling to that. Talk to the kids about why you're burned out. If their attitudes are making it hard for you, that can be addressed. Change curriculum/curricula if something isn't working. Go on a field trip. Try to get them to be more independent. Have an evening out with some other homeschooling moms. Do a park day with other families, and *make* the kids leave you alone. :) For me, there's usually a reason why I'm "done"...figuring out what that is helps me get to a solution much faster. For me, motivation comes from having curricula I am excited about using, seeing my kids grow in the areas that are important to me, and getting to enjoy the lifestyle we have chosen (lots of time working together, playing together, etc that we wouldn't have if they were in school).

We try to be reasonably modest. Is it for religious reasons? No more or less than anything else--we aim to glorify God in everything we do. Our reasons for maintaining reasonable modesty are self-respect (you are worth more than the attention you draw to your body), respect for others (accentuating our private parts causes problems for people, whether or not it should), and because society defines people by how they are dressed. People think you're a slut if you dress slutty. Wearing dirty clothes sends the message that either I am gross or unable to maintain reasonable hygiene. (I'm not talking about wearing my painting clothes to the hardware store). The key word in this is *reasonable*. In sports, people need to wear clothes that are appropriate to the sport. Someone who is "stumbled" by the sight of women in swimsuits do not need to go to the beach/pool. That said, I have told my daughter that if she forgets to bring her white undershirt to karate, she needs to break the rules and wear a colored t-shirt, even if she has to do push ups. Fortunately, she doesn't forget. :) In my opinion, the ATI/Duggar definition of modesty draws attention to one's appearance, which is the very thing it is attempting not to do. Especially the swim dresses--those seem completely ridiculous to me, and I wonder if the boys surveyed in the Rebelution survey would take issue with even those. Finally, I think it is important to teach girls to honor God with the way they dress, AND I think it is important to teach boys not to ogle girls and to look away if they have a problem with the way a girl is dressed. They are not mutually exclusive.

We are also in a virtual charter school. A quick Google search brought this up: http://www.movip.org/ and this: http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlinepublicschools/a/MissouriPublic.htm If you know other homeschoolers in your state, you might ask them if they've heard of anything. Besides that, I would consider thinking outside of what my "interests" are when considering employment, and get whatever would bring in some $$ that didn't conflict with my husband's schedule. I am fortunate that I haven't had to do that yet. But if it became necessary I would look for a restaurant or retail job in a heartbeat.

That's terrific! Sounds like you're on the right track! Just stay consistent, and don't expect miracles overnight. Just tell yourself they'll thank you for it someday. :)

About $125/week during the school year when we have co-op and activities. Probably closer to $80-90/week in the summer. I *hate* spending so much on gas. :( But we've looked into DH taking the train to work, we really wouldn't be saving any money unless we got rid of our 2nd car, and we're not ready to do that yet.

You really, really, REALLY need to get your kids on board. Until you do that, anything you do will be undone before you can do it. Not even the best cleaning system can accommodate kids ransacking the house every day. This is not hard. You just need to figure out age-appropriate chores (I'm sure there are lists online) and then give them proper incentives. I pay my kids well, but I also require them to pay for at least half of their clothes, as well as birthday presents, video games, toys, craft stuff, etc.--stuff that I would be paying for anyway, but now they have to learn that you have to work if you want $$. I don't know how many kids you have or what their ages are, but for us, these three things are enough to keep on top of the bulk of the mess: 1) everyone's room is clean every day (sometimes we slack on this--when we stay on top of our rooms it only takes 5-10 to pick them up) 2) everyone does one chore every day (younger DDs empty the dishwasher, DS folds a load of laundry, and older DD loads the dishwasher) 3) at the end of our school day we do a 5 min. pick up--I set the timer for 5 min. and everyone puts stuff away On Friday or Saturday we do more extensive cleaning, that is usually done in under 2 hours. Like Chucki said, a specific system isn't super important as long as *everyone* is working. Since it sounds like your kids aren't used to this, I would start slow--maybe do a 5 min. pick up in the morning, one in the afternoon and one before bed. Try to make it fun--tell them it's a race or a contest or something, or give everyone an Otter Pop or some fun treat when the timer beeps. You'll be amazed at how quickly a little work pays off, and also the kids will start being more aware of when they're leaving stuff around once they're the ones who are cleaning up.

I have a child who is working about 2-3 years ahead. I've never felt any need to skip her. She can still do 8th grade level work as a 5th grader. Unless you plan on putting him back in school someday, I don't see what the advantage would be to skipping him. Just get the books that match his ability level, regardless of what grade they're supposed to be for. For me, one of the main reasons is college. I have no interest in sending my kids off to live in a dorm when they're 17 (I have two with late summer/early fall birthdays). I'd rather have them at home being educated by me for an extra year. Also, I feel that they have so far benefited from being the oldest in their peer group (Sunday School) rather than the youngest. DD7 actually should be a rising 3rd grader, but since her b-day is at the end of August I have her going into 2nd grade, which is a better fit for her maturity level.

I received about as good a public school education as one can get in this country, I think. I was in the gifted program in elementary, then challenge classes through high school. I still don't feel that my grammar education was adequate. We learned almost nothing beyond parts of speech and types of sentences. While the kids I went to school with might speak with better grammar than other kids, I don't think any of us had nearly the grammar education that is advocated in the WTM. My own grammar education would have gotten me through FLL 1/2, but FLL 3 was full of new information for me.

There is a fabulous one in Kirkland, WA (E of Seattle) that is pretty much all consignment. It is big and they have everything and it takes every bit of self-control for me to get out for under $50. The only drawback is that the popular curricula get snatched up FAST. We also have a chain of teacher supply stores...I can get lined paper, handwriting books, and co-op idea books there. We also have a store that I'll never go in again. She doesn't have a storefront anymore anyway, so she's not hard to avoid. The owner followed me around the entire time I was in there trying to sell me Young Earth Creation curricula and Dominion Theology stuff (yes, really) and telling me how to homeschool and ranting about people who browse her shelves and then buy off of Amazon. I have a hard enough time shopping when people are talking to me when they aren't being offensive, but she was something else.

In addition to what has been said, I think memorization is seen as a foundation upon which the higher forms of understanding are built. Memorization is not done for its own sake, but a child who memorizes the U.S. presidents will have a context later on for why certain ones made the decisions they made. Also, the idea with poetry memorization is that it shapes the mind and thoughts....just like how a healthy diet of South Park will make one think crass thoughts. As far as the Duggars...I do not agree with a lot of what they do, but I do think that many times an older sibling can teach a younger sibling and both will benefit from the experience. I try to have my oldest help the younger kids with various parts of their education. I think with some direction and supervision she probably has the ability to teach her 1st grade sister's entire curriculum (FYI, I don't have her do this). Homeschooling young ones really isn't that hard.

LOVE this!! Thank you for sharing!

LOVE Gilmore Girls!! I have Seasons 1-6 on DVD and have watched each of them many times. Season 7 felt like someone sucked the life out of it. I don't think I've seen a show so well-written since. I hated the Rory/Dean affair, plus Dean from about Season 2 on made me want to claw my eyes out every time I saw him...I can't stand jealous, co-dependent high school boys. I also couldn't stand when the Luke/Lorelei relationship imploded. But I love the townspeople of Stars Hollow and I love the pop culture/literature/history references...and find that I understand more of them the more I homeschool. :) I know, that was painful to watch.

I will say that while I appreciate that some homeschooled kids might be frustrated at not being able to see their friends often enough, I don't think that means that homeschooling was a bad thing for them. IMO, spending time with friends is not a reason to compromise a child's education, so if homeschooling is the best educational option, they may have to live with limited access to friends. That said, a very social homeschooled kid can still have many social opportunities. Blah blah blah, I know it's all been said, I just wanted to repeat it since my example was a couple young men who wish they'd spent more time with friends.

I never did. By bedtime I wanted space from my kids. I love them with all my heart, but I spend my whole day with them, serving them, and when they were babies I had someone physically attached to me most of the day. So I personally needed to be able to put them to bed in a different room and spend some time with DH or by myself being a grown-up. No judgment for anyone who feels differently, I certainly don't think it's wrong to allow your kids access to you all day, every day. I just have my limits, personally.