:iagree: My son kept saying he wanted to go to a "real" school. That's not his decision, it's mine and my DH. Turns out all he wanted was friends. When you say you're doing the planning, does that mean you pick the curriculum and she follows it? Or do you gather and organize everything (like items for science experiments and workbook pages, etc) so that she can have everything ready for her to teach? Why exactly are you doing it this way? Are you getting input from your wife about which curricula you're choosing? Now that she's done it for a year, can she think of another way you can be supportive and help ease her burden? Because I can read WTM and look online and find thousands of wonderful things to use, but actually implementing all those things is the hard part. So it might be better if your wife could find things more suited to her tastes.

Lunch: I had broccoli dipped in dressing since I used the last of the bread to make the boys' sandwich. I need to grind some wheat and make more:glare: I should also probably try to find something else to eat in the mean time.:glare::glare: Surprise: Nothing really. Here's hoping I sign on to my bank account and find an extra $600. That would be wicked awesome! Summer: Weeeeeeeell....Digby is five. He's never been to school, so he doesn't know there is such a thing as summer vacation. I'm trying to take advantage of it :lol:. We did school yesterday, but he only wanted to play Reversi (aka Othello) today, so that's what we did. He's reading now. I'm not gonna push it. We missed a lot when Chuck was born, so I'm trying to catch up on MUS and OPGTR before the fall. I'm not super worried about it, just hoping to move on if we can. We'll just keep plugging away until one of us can't stand it anymore.

I tried to fit everything in all at once, but realized I couldn't manage it without getting burnt out. So I scaled back to the basics and once I've got a good routine, I will let myself add things in. So my day looks like: ~Wake up and eat breakfast ~Pigby does some of his chores (this is mostly a work in progress right now as we just started, but he's supposed to change his clothes, make his bed, pick up his toys in living room and his room, and brush his teeth) ~Free time/play time (This is when I used to try and fit in science and history, but got overwhelmed and decided to cut it for now. When my baby is a little older and naps are a little more regular, I'll add it back in) ~Put a movie in for the boys while I go clean the kitchen and do my other chores. (For some reason I hate cleaning after they are in bed. I like doing it in the morning when I have more energy). ~Reading/more play time ~Lunch ~Digby goes down for a nap ~Pigby and I do his school. Right now it's just religion, reading, writing and math. If he gets done quickly there's enough time for us to play a game without Digby interferring. Blokus and Life are his favorites right now. ~Digby wakes up and there's an afternoon snack. ~More chores, these ones they can follow me around on and help with (laundry and dusting and cleaning the living room) ~My husband's schedule JUST changed, so he should be arriving around this point. My wish is that he will start taking the boys outside while I start dinner. Hopefully the bedtime routine will be a little easier as well. My husband used to work 12-830pm, which left me to dinner and bedtime without his help. So often I would just brush their teeth, read a book, sing a song, say prayers and put them to bed an hour early. I'm hoping now that I won't be so exhausted that I can do it at the right time. When I did it early, they'd stay in their room talking and playing and would end up being awake after their real bedtime. But when I put them down at the right time, they just fall asleep. Feeding and taking care of the baby fit in whenever she wakes up and needs it. I really lucked out and got a very good sleeper this time around. So far life with her is easier than it was with life with two. She is starting to be awake more, but she's very good at taking naps *knock on wood* hoping this continues.

I have those lists. Anything in particular on them that stands out as a favorite of yours? Anything super amazing that you just couldn't live without?

No, my son doesn't really like to color either. I'm pushing him to do a little, because people on this board recommended it as a way to strengthen his hand muscles and help his writing abilities. So we do his HWT workbook and then I make him color the pictures. He is getting better, both in coloring inside the lines and with his handwriting. It doesn't take long, only a minute or two and I don't push it beyond that. He probably won't ever like it, but he knows it doesn't take too long. He does like drawing his own pictures, you might see if your boys would like to do that. Also, if they really like reading, I wouldn't see the harm in getting more books out from the library and letting them read those.

Sooooooo....Digby's birthday is coming up next week and we've totally forgotten about it until now. I am so sick of toys, they don't need anymore toys, so I thought we could get him a book. He loves being read to and he loves looking at them by himself. He is very good at not ripping pages, so they don't have to be cardboard. So what are your favorite books for little children? I've been looking at the lists on Sonlight's website, anything really good on that? :bigear:

No, I make my crockpot work in the kitchen. That way the house smells yummy when they get there and I'm not running around like a crazy woman trying to get everything done. I dislike it when my mom is visiting and wants to entertain all the family in the area. She likes to go all out, which usually means me in the kitchen helping her. Our house is laid out in such a way that when you're in the kitchen you don't hear much of anything anywhere else, so I miss out on the conversation. I'm a talker, I'd rather be talking.

:iagree:

Oh I really wish I could, but I doubt I'll be able to. Have fun for me. :001_smile:

They're talking about the most awesome TV series and movie made. Ever. :D

I PM'ed you

In this thread, there are a lot of recommendations. The two that were most recommended were Sheet Music by Kevin Leman and And They Were Not Ashamed by Laura Brotherson (she is LDS). DH and I are reading the first one together and I'm reading the second by myself. They are both very helpful.

I'm pretty sure your daughter will not change so long as she knows she can eat cereal later. You'll just raise a girl who moves out and eats cereal. We generally follow the "if you don't eat it at this meal, it'll be waiting for you the next time you say you're hungry." My second son is SOOOOOO picky. He's decided he doesn't like red things (strawberries and red peppers). He won't eat avocados, but he used to. He'll eat the guacamole though. He'll drink a green smoothie full of spinach. With him I learned the "try it 10-15 times" rule is true. I can't tell you how many times he's spit stuff out.

:iagree: :crying: *sob sob sob*

I would not let a young teenager read them. The first one has a brutal murder and has a man who rapes and kills young boys. Another man kills the women he has sex with. The second one vividly describes a woman having sex with some kind of monster and talks about skinning a person. Plus in all of them there is a lot of violence.

I would sleep and read

I feel your pain. I'm kinda in the same boat right now. I'm ready to throw in the towel. And my son isn't even in Kindergarten yet. :grouphug: to you.

I use the Plan to Eat site too. But I print off my grocery list, I can't do it with the phone. I downloaded the Chore Checklist Lite app to my android and it is AMAZING!!! It has an everyday checklist and a weekly checklist and a monthly and maybe even a quarterly. You can delete and move things around. It's everything I've tried to set up on paper, but wasn't good at long-term follow through. This is so much easier. I've taken to writing down all the chores for the day on my whiteboard ($3 cheap one from Staples hung up in a FREQUENTLY used part of my house). Then I get to cross them off when I do them. I like crossing things off, then at the end of the day I can look and see what I DID accomplish and not worry too much about what I didn't. So far as diligence, every day just keep trying. Getting something done is better than getting nothing done. Celebrate the success, don't dwell on the failures.

My mom and I usually talk every few days for about an hour. Although after she left (she had been here for two months), we've only talked once for that long. Also I got texting on my phone, so we've done more of that. Plus, now with three children, I just feel so busy! It's harder to fit those long conversations in. I don't talk to my dad at all. DH calls his parents every Sunday. I usually listen while he's on speaker phone, but don't often talk. Again, too busy. But occasionally I will.

EEK!:scared: Must be an urban legend then. :lol:

it could also help to add the sugar or a little flour at this time. It gives the yeast something to "eat" and helps it grow faster. I think my terminology is off, sorry I'm tired

:grouphug::grouphug: No real advice, but hugs to you. At 18 months, my middle son was a holy terror. I literally couldn't get anything done because he was always trying to climb up on this or that and about to injure himself. Now at 23 months, he is so much easier. Still kinda crazy, but much easier. It sounds like you are doing a lot already. Try the advice about getting an older sibling to watch them for a bit and hopefully it'll work out for you. And I hope I'm not reading too much into it, but if you're feeling guilty about anything, DON'T. I felt SOOOO guilty after my baby was born because every time she and my middle took a nap I did too. I felt like I was neglecting my oldest because I was making him watch movies or play by himself. It's a stage, it will pass. More hugs :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Ok, here's my end of night report. Two loads of laundry-one folded, the other half folded:leaving: One load of dishes and the pots and pans. I'm trying to motivate myself to do another load, but we don't have a dishwasher and I don't wanna!!! Also, Chuck is upstairs and if I go in the kitchen I won't be able to hear her if she cries. Yeah, that's a much better excuse. Had Digby pick up the toys he threw everywhere. Ordered pizza. Phew, that was a hard one. Bathed Digby Got gospel study, reading, writing, and math done with Pigby while Digby took his short little nap:glare:

oh yeah, the biggest one i forgot: sometimes it's best to just keep your mouth shut.

:iagree: I agree with everything everyone's said so far. Also for me, I've realized that I don't need to be perfect to be loved. Also, the power of not holding on to "things". I'm glad I realized that early enough. Also, procrastinating is stupid, it just makes things worse. I'll probably think of some more later, but this is what I'm thinking about now.