:iagree:

We just gave it up this summer and it is honestly one of the best things we have ever done. Before that, I DVRed several shows a week and my girls watched tv most mornings and all night in the evening. I LOVE TV and always have. I never have been one to blame everything on television or think there is much wrong with it until we stopped watching. My girls are more calm, they listen and do what I say, and complain much less. I don't know if I can attribute that to lack of tv time but home life is much more pleasant and I don't think I can go back to the way it was before. Right now we watch 2 hrs one night a week. They get to watch a movie and my husband and I watch Burn Notice. :) I told my oldest that Netflix had just started back up today after being on hold and she told me that she didn't want it to start back up. She doesn't want us watching tv anymore because it takes away from family time.

Same here. We are learning all day. I do require math, handwriting, WWE, FLL and spelling to be done before rest time. But we are often doing music, read-alouds, science, history and crafts in the evening. I would prefer that it all be done by 1 or 2 pm but it just doesn't work best for us right now. I do feel like we are schooling all day but since we don't watch tv anymore it is actually fun to do these things in the evening. I have even done science experiments while eating supper. :) Not at all saying this is the case for you, but for me, once I gave up my expectation of wanting it done by noon it became easier and less stressful. Of course, we have decided to not do anything else this semester so we don't have to rush out in the evening for anything free up my time to just teach as it comes.

:iagree: Tears here as well and I'm not pregnant. :001_smile:

I lived in Loveland and Fort Collins for about 4 1/2 yrs before having kids and we loved it. One thing I loved - Loveland is known for their bronze sculptures and sculptors. They are just beautiful and are all over the city. One thing I disliked - It can often be very windy!! I remember when we lived in our duplex and our door faced west, and mind you there was not a deadbolt on the door, but the wind could blow the door wide open with it locked! Shocked us every time! That being said, I probably only used an umbrella 5 times the whole time I lived there and it is sunny ALL the time! I miss the sun in winter. Here in Arkansas the winters are gray and drab. We still may move back to Colorado some day. Hearing about how great it is to homeschool is drawing me even more. :001_smile: And I think Estes is one of the most beautiful places in the world but it is small.

Thank you! :001_smile:

That sounds great! Off to search the more about this. Will come back if not successful. :001_smile:

:iagree: Maybe we learned that defensiveness from the public school system. :) I see them doing the exact same thing, not willing to change and defending to the bitter end. Just like students fall through the cracks in public school, some are going to go fall through in homeschools. I believe homeschoolers defend to the bitter end for fear of having the right to homeschool at all being taken away. Give them an inch, they will take a mile. I do agree with you in the sense that homeschoolers should be more open to assessment and improvement but I don't know if I think the current educational choices are what I want assessing my job as an educator. :iagree:

Have you thought of CLE for math? I'm not sure if you can use it because it is from a Christian publisher but it is inexpensive, uses workbooks and is VERY easy to teach. We are into our second lightunit with CLE 100 and 300 and have not seen any religious content. He could easily add in some visuals and manipulatives to go along. I switched from Saxon to CLE this year and have been extremely pleased. IMO, it's solid without too much busy work.

:iagree: Wow! I have to say that all of this is surprising and sad! It pushes me to step up my game! :)

My husband is not involved in any teaching or instruction but is very supportive and lets me get whatever I need. He is patient with all my curriculum changes and questions. Without knowing it, he gives me more and more confidence by never questioning or doubting that I can homeschool. He never expects me to have the house perfectly clean or supper on the table by a certain time. For this I am extremely grateful. Otherwise, with my personality, I would be a basketcase. :tongue_smilie: Also, after my first year (Kindergarten), he took over the laundry. I don't even think about it anymore. It's wonderful. Wow! Just writing this makes me realize I have a really great husband! :D

"I don't want to get involved into another time suck." - kdeno :iagree: What she said. I looked one day to see what it was about and knew right away I would become addicted very quickly.

i enjoyed reading The Misunderstood God and I heard, but have not read, that this one is good too Pigs in the Pulpit. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

My morning starts with a 30-45 minute walk with my ipod (a must!), coffee, and breakfast for everyone. I have found I have much more energy and accomplish more if I have had some exercise, otherwise I feel sluggish most of the morning. Up at around 7 and starting school around 9 on a good day but sometimes at 10. Of course, I may still be doing history, science or music in the evening. Since we are no longer watching television, it is actually fun to do these subjects at night. Usually go to sleep at around 11:30.

:iagree: So smart! In obedience school, people would announce, "The entertainment is here!" when we walked through the door with Wrigley who is now 13. Love him like crazy! And though he is great with the kids, he likes to kill any small animal that moves. :tongue_smilie: Our Shih-tzu passed away in May and we are looking at our next dog being a German Shepherd, though not sure how one would be with a Jack Russell. Our Jack Russell has always been terrified of storms and fireworks. The 4th of July is torture for him!!

:iagree: I have not had the pleasure of going to Monticello yet. I have been to Mount Vernon and it is great! So neat to see the home of the first President! But I guess I would pick Monticello because I have not been there yet and I really am fascinated by the life of Jefferson. I don't think you can go wrong visiting either one.

My oldest is 8.

I remember when I was in 7th grade watching him movie Hard to Hold in the movie theater. :001_smile: And I still love "Jessie's Girl"!

:iagree:

:smilielol5:

Saw this thread on my phone earlier and had to chime in before going to bed. :) I had bought HWOT cursive for my dd at the end of this year because my daughter said she was ready to learn cursive. I got it home and she looked at it and said, "That's ugly! I don't want to do that." This is from a girl who has struggled with handwriting from the beginning. And I was switching her to cursive in hopes that she would find it easier and more enjoyable. Someone on here recommended Pictures in Cursive. So I looked at and decided to order it. She wanted to write "pretty" and this looked like it would fit the bill. I started the Primer in June. She has already finished it and is part way through Book A. Yes, she finished quickly and some may take that as a waste. For me it is a great thing! She loves handwriting now. Cursive is one of her favorite things to do now and I don't mind paying that much if it helps her enjoy writing. I have not ever ordered anything else from Queens but PIC has been a HUGE success here.

:lol:

Susan, I recognize your name from the Sonlight forums. Who can forget "Susan in the Boonies". :001_smile: I was mostly a lurker with a few posts over there. I love these forums. You can talk about almost anything and you learn a ton!

The one I get fairly often is - "I just want to be able to be their mother. I couldn"t do that if I homeschooled." I have even had a dad say the same thing concerning his wife and homeschooling. I had a public school first grade teacher, who mostly has ESL children in her class, that she could never teach her 4 year old because she would never have the patience. Telling my stepsister last year about my second dd's kindergarten graduation, she replied astonishingly, "What she graduating from, she is at home?"

Fiction - East of Eden by John Steinbeck Nonfiction - Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand