I absolutely do not support gov't run preschools. I would prefer if the government didn't run schools at all and hope that as a society we can take steps toward allowing/encouraging more private, charter, magnet, etc. schools, as well as deregulating homeschooling as much as possible. I feel that bringing competition and choice into education will result in a higher-quality education, and I think getting the private sector more involved will take the burden off of taxpayers, as well as preparing kids for a lifetime of working.

I voted no on both because we don't have it yet. We do plan to get it very soon, though. In the past when we've talked about it, DH hasn't felt like it was necessary to get a policy for me, but I think I'm going to insist that we get a small one--even though I don't work for pay, I do a lot to save our family money and he wouldn't be able to maintain our lifestyle without some help.

Both of my kids did that some...I like PP for that reason. Doing pages and pages of drill, you can't do a whole lot of guessing. They have some pages of nonsense words in there--I would have her go over those and see how well she does with them. Since they have no meaning, their value is strictly in measuring ability in sounding out words. Or maybe photocopy some words and have her draw one out of the hat and read it to you. Or flash cards or something. It sounds like her issue is that the context (pictures, etc.) has become a crutch for her.

We use PP. My son hates it, but it's great for teaching them how to break down the words and put sounds together.

The worst one was not taking better care of my teeth when I was in my 20's. In the space of one year I had to get 5 (I think?) root canals, about that many crowns, a couple extractions, and I still need a bridge...we'll have spent many thousands of dollars by the time everything's paid for. :(

I'm a firm believer in keeping kids back if they're on the borderline age- or maturity-wise. DD5 has a late August b-day and we're making this year her pre-K year. She could use an extra year before anything academic is expected of her, her listening and focus skills are not where I would want them if she was in K. Really, the only thing it affects is her placement in classes at church and my expectations of her. She still does phonics, writing and math on her level. It does feel a little weird to see her friends at church, particularly one that is younger than she is. But I think it gives her an advantage to not be behind everyone in her class. And I can't stand the thought of her going off to college when she's just barely (or not yet) 18.

Hang in there--he is blessed to have you on his side! It sounds like he's made incredible progress and I'm sure he'll continue to do so. Try not to stress about where he "should" be. Where he is now is great for him, and if you keep being patient and diligent, he'll reach his full potential. Hope tomorrow is a better day! :)

I would tell him that part of my responsibility as a parent is to do what I believe is best for him, and I believe that homeschooling is best for all the reasons that I feel it's best for my family. I would look at his reasons and see if they were reflective of anything lacking in my homeschooling and make any necessary adjustments.

That's exactly how I feel. I don't get it either.

In my area, a family membership for a family of 6 costs $100/mo. This doesn't include any of their programs, just being able to get in the door, use the equipment, swim in the pool, etc. When I was a kid, the Y was the cheap option. I think they do some good things and our nearest Y has a homeschool PE program that gets rave reviews, but $100+/mo. isn't affordable for what we'd be getting, especially since it's not in our city and we'd have to drive 20 min. to get there.

As long as they're thriving, and ps would be a *last* resort after multiple curriculum changes, online schooling, etc. My plan is through high school.

I expect DS to be able to count to 1000 (not start-to-finish, but to be comfortable with the numbers), to have (minimally) doubles and single-digit facts with sums up to 12 memorized, and to be growing in understanding of double-digit addition/subtraction and regrouping by the end of the year, as well as beginning fractions, time, measuring, etc. I don't mind fingers because they're familiar, and easier than counting out manipulatives. We use flash cards too (the Saxon ones)--it's a quick way to do drill, and we try to make it fun.

No--I think intimacy in a relationship is a lifelong process, and I think expecting my spouse to be the ultimate fulfillment of my soul's deepest desires is a recipe for disillusionment. I think a great marriage is the product of time and effort spent seeking to understand each other, giving to each other, mutual respect in word and attitude, putting the other's needs first, learning to trust, etc. You can connect completely with someone on an intellectual or emotional level and that doesn't mean they will treat you well or be reliable or a good person to parent with. Someone can be both, and that's great. But it doesn't always happen that way. I know one man in particular who met his "soulmate" and left his homeschooling wife and 4 kids to be with her. So the idea of a soulmate can, I think, be taken to a destructive extreme. Just my humble opinion. :)

Prince Caspian. :)

I'm not sure if I'm the one you're referring to, but yes, I do feel that it is a better choice to be conservative in the size of the mortgage I buy to leave room for inflation or changes in gas prices. I sympathize with people who lose their homes because of illness or the death of a loved one, but that's hardly unique to this market. And as far as people being taken in by disreputable lenders...shouldn't people be educating themselves before they make the biggest purchase most people make in their lives and put their financial standing on the line? I'm NOT saying I'm better than anyone, but buying a house without some degree of preparation for financially difficult times is a bad choice--one that by God's grace and His enabling I did not make. And if I do make an equally bad choice, I will hope for the grace to deal with the consequences.

:iagree: And yes, I'm mad. We're 6 people living in an 1100 sq. ft. home because we refused to take an ARM when rates were low 4 years ago. I'm glad we're not floundering now, but I'd be even more glad if I knew my tax money wasn't going to be bailing out all these ridiculous lenders...and that it had to get to this point before something was done.

We use the Usborne encyclopedias primarily, and I didn't like it until we got the hang of notebooking. This week we turned a corner, though. This is what we do: Tues: read the Usborne topic for that week (I picked them in advance) and make a notebook page. DD8 makes a summary sentence and then draws/colors a picture about something we learned, the other kids just draw a picture. Thurs: review Usborne, then read library books on the topic, and sometimes do a related science experiment from More Mudpies to Magnets.

She knows cursive...I guess that part wasn't clear. Last year she improved her printing and we started on cursive (she was in 1st). She's got it down pretty well, but usually uses printing for schoolwork. I guess we'll just switch over to cursive full-time then. But shouldn't she still have to print well? Or does it not matter?

DD8 used to have good handwriting, and we worked on it together quite a bit when she was learning to write. She really wanted to learn cursive, so I told her I'd teach her when her printing was basically perfect. Since then, her printing has gotten considerably more sloppy, and she does things like starting her o's on the bottom. Even when I ask her to use her best handwriting it's not great, particularly if she's trying to write small. What should I do? Do we need to do some review, go back to tracing letters, etc. until she gets it right? Do I push cursive (her cursive is neater than her printing, but not perfect)? For what it's worth, I think her handwriting took a turn over the summer, when I was out of "teacher mode" and she could write whatever and however she wanted. Thanks in advance!

I have a 2nd, 1st and pre-K...we do Bible, Science, History and read-alouds together, and then DS works on reading/phonics while DD8 does math. I give the younger kids a break while DD8 does grammar, and she does a few things in the afternoon while they're cleaning their rooms after our quiet time. It took me a couple weeks to figure out where their schedules overlapped and which subjects didn't require my undivided attention...and there are times when I don't hit everything I want to with DS, those times I just have to trust that we'll be able to catch up when everyone is a little older.

I don't know much about money management either, but I think I would set up 529s (college investment accounts) for the kids, develop your property and buy the adjacent lot, and invest in real estate if there was anything left. Even if you don't want to be a landlord, you could use a property management company.

:lol::lol::lol: Too funny!!! :lol::lol::lol:

I voted for #2, though I wouldn't say he's quite as into it as I am. I think he could get to the point where he'd be willing to put the kids in school before I would, but both of us are so far from that now it isn't an issue. The only direction he's really given me was in telling me that he really wants reading to be my priority for DS this year...besides that I make all the decisions when it comes to curriculum, scheduling, co-op involvement, etc. We tell him every night at dinner what we learned about in school that day, and occasionally he'll read with DS or do art with the kids. But he does help out with the housework, and he does freelance work in the evenings rather than asking me to get a job. I think the balance we've found works well. :)

If Roe v. Wade was overturned and the decisions on the legality of abortion were given to the states, I would jump for joy, regardless of McCain's position on abortion. He's not as pro-life as I'd like him to be, but I support him for many other reasons. I would rather that abortion wasn't legal for any reason, but I'd prefer it being legal only for rape/incest/etc. than as it is now--legal in all 50 states at any time from conception to birth.

Yes, I am definitely grateful for DH working hard at his regular job every day and then doing freelance work in the evenings so I can homeschool the kids. I think he would say, though, that he's grateful for the hard work I do in homeschooling. He's sorry to miss out on our zoo trips or trips to the beach, but he wouldn't trade my being at home for anything. He's also really good about letting me pursue my interests--ministry or hobbies or friends or co-op leadership, and I try to do the same for him.