Little steps. Small routines at first. Like, focus on one part of your day at a time. Write down all the things you need to do during that part of the day, and follow the list until it's routine for you. Then work on another part of the day. I set up Google Calendar to send me notes about everything -- doctor's appointments, renew library books, give cats flea treatment, etc. Everything needs a place. If it doesn't have one, find one. If you can't fine one, you don't need that thing so much -- get rid of it. I make tons of lists. I also pretty much double the time I expect something to take, and I still build in buffers. If I don't, I'm late. If I have to get out of the house in the morning, I do as much as possible the night before, and I make lists about what needs to be done in the morning. I use my freezer heavily. Fresh meat is nice, but I'd rather use something that's been frozen than not use it at all. If I'm not planning to use meat in the next couple of days, it goes in the freezer. Make yourself do the dishes, fold the laundry, tidy the house, set up the schoolwork the night before. When I do that, no matter how tired I am, the whole next day goes more smoothly. When I don't, I am playing catch-up, and that's no good. I keep large magnetic clips on my fridge for things I need to take care of -- coupons, bills to pay (better yet, I use online banking), things I need to reply to, etc. That helps them not get lost and forgotten. I try to check on that sort of thing once a week, but I also will put things like "pay tax bill" on my to-do list for the day/week, so it won't get skipped. And be gentle with yourself. If you're a night owl (like I am), I have found that it is super super super hard to change to being a morning person. I can be exhausted all day and then be wide awake in the evening, even without caffeine. It's really difficult to change that.

Getting Started With Latin actually teaches it that way! DD thought that was hilarious! (I'm not really southern. I'm from Pennsylvania, and I talk fast. But I spent large portions of my life in Delaware and Maryland, and I refuse to drop y'all from my vocabulary.)

Those don't look like flea bites to me. I'm not sure what they are, though. If they are fleas, good luck. You need this stuff (and your location says that you're near me; if you want, PM me, and I'll tell you where to get it locally): http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/ultracide-20-oz-p-175.html It's nasty and expensive, but it works amazingly well. Don't mess with the stuff from the pet store, WalMart, etc., as they will not do the job. You will need to vacuum thoroughly, then spray Ultracide on all floor and couch surfaces. When it dries, vacuum again, and vacuum as much as you can for a couple of weeks. If you're still seeing fleas and bites after 14 days, spray another round of Ultracide. By day 21, the fleas should be gone. Also, you need to thoroughly wash with flea shampoo and comb any pets, and then they need substantial flea treatment.

We made a big deal out of the first day, and that week we just did math, history, and reading. A couple of weeks after that, we added a couple more subjects, and then after a couple more weeks, more subjects. I really liked that way of doing things. It let us get started but without being too overwhelming at once, and we were able to get a good routine going (especially since I added another child, a preschooler who really wanted some concentrated time with me, to the mix). History is everyone's favorite, so it was good to start on that one. Otoh, math and WWE are both hard work, so I didn't start with them at the same time. French and Latin are also favorites of DD's, so by not starting those right away, it gave her some things to look forward to, and it also cushioned the blow of starting some of her less preferred subjects.

Nope, we're taking off tomorrow completely (the past couple of weeks have been light weeks). It's one of DH's (very few) holidays, so I don't want to spend it doing schoolwork. Then again, we've been doing schoolwork for almost two months and have over 30 days so far, so I feel pretty good about the pace we're setting. (Now, Columbus Day is different -- DH doesn't have off that day, so we'll probably be doing school that day.)

Peanut allergy is not one we've dealt with, but yes, allergy reactions can escalate. Hives are on the spectrum with anaphylaxis, and the reaction could be worse next time. You should have epi-pens. (DD got stung by a bee once -- no serious reaction, just soreness at the site. Next time she got stung, she broke out in hives on her neck, even though the sting was on her arm. The time after that, her whole face and body started to swell. Thankfully, she never had trouble breathing, but we went straight to the ER, and we now carry epi-pens everywhere with her. Most likely, next time will not be life-threatening, but I'm not taking chances.)

I changed my name to DH's name. I dropped my maiden name completely but kept my given first and middle names. My maiden name and my married name sound terrible together, for one thing. For another, I adore my middle name, and actually, it's a connection to my dad. When they were expecting me, they had chosen my first name but hadn't decided on a middle name yet; one day, my dad came home and announced that if the baby was a girl, her middle name would be Joy. (Who wouldn't love that? Also, my mom's name is Gail, which means "joy," so even though they didn't do that deliberately, it's a connection to her too.) I also have two brothers, and their wives took their name, so my dad's last name isn't going to be lost. So I do not feel bad about taking DH's name at all. :) (I hope that if DD gets married and changes her name, she'll drop our last name but keep her middle name too, because I love her middle name and chose it because it's my grandmother's middle name.) Back in 1998, changing my name was easy. We just took the marriage license to the social security office and ordered a new SS card for me. When it came, I took it and my driver's license to the DMV and got a new license (we also moved to a new state), and then that was able to get us any other paperwork. I'm sorry it's such a pain now!

If I feel hungry, I generally try one of three things, if it's not the kind of hunger that can be ignored. One, water. Sometimes thirst masquerades as hunger. Two, a small protein snack, like a bit of cheese or a few nuts. That helps if the blood sugar hasn't completely crashed, but it'll keep it from crashing all the way. (If it's crashed terribly, I'll feel sick, and I'll need something carby to fix it. Better to keep it from getting that low.) Three, sliced cucumbers add a nice crunch and take a while to eat, so they're more satisfying but with fewer calories/carbs. Also, I do want to say that I think DH said that when he first started losing a lot of weight, he was hungry for a while.

:lol: :lol: :lol: I'm sorry. I have those children too. I keep mounting a campaign to bring back the Lord of the Rings obsession they went through a couple of years ago, or even the Wizard of Oz one, but alas, Star Wars sticks. Google gives me "is Yoda" too. The children would be delighted (though it would not surprise me in the least if DD could answer that question without Google). It gave me that whether I was logged in or not.

Legos, Legos, Legos, and did I mention Legos? LOL! I second the recommendation for size-appropriate real stuff, like real tools and real sewing (and knitting, crocheting, weaving, etc.) equipment. We got DD a real loom (not a potholder loom) a couple of years ago, and she loves it. She has a play kitchen set, but when she started to outgrow that a little, we got her real, small-sized cast iron pans; she can use them for pretend play or on the real stove. The boys have real hammers and screwdrivers and love using those. Clay, felt, paper, paint, colored pencils, etc. are all in huge demand here too. My kids love things they can use to act out and pretend things. Costumes, for sure, as well as toy weapons (wooden swords, wooden rifles, and the never-ending lightsabers), playsilks too, but any sort of figure -- dolls, action figures, little guys that come with vehicles, army men. . . DH raided his parents' attic a few months ago and came home with a bunch of his old toys; the army men and other figures have been very popular with the boys. Board games -- chess is a favorite, but so are Stratego, Labyrinth, Battleship, Uno, Memory, poker, trivia games, Outburst. . . We were given a nice keyboard last year, and the children have loved that as well.

Thank you both. I really liked the MLA's format, so since it sounds like that's still in vogue, I think I will suggest it and maybe pick up a newer version. I'm teaching a history co-op class for 8-13-year-olds this fall, and I want them to do a little research report, including a properly formatted bibliography, but I wanted to have a guide to suggest to parents if needed.

We just started using Artistic Pursuits with our fifth grader. Beyond that, these are some of the books we have around where she can get ideas: The Children's Year 50 Things to Make and Do 501 Fun to Make Family Crafts Fairy Things to Stitch and Sew Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities Felt Wee Folk several books by MaryAnn F. Kohl The Nature Corner books by David King that have lots of historic crafts Felicity's Craft book -- and others based on the historic American Girl books My fifth grader loves to draw, and she also likes traditional crafts like sewing and weaving.

Back when I was in school (mid-90s), I believe I used the MLA guide for how to put my bibliographies and such in the proper formats. What's the current preferred guide for such things, that would be appropriate for middle schoolers to use?

My kids adore the Pooh books, but we also have the Jim Broadbent audio versions, which are excellent. I'm not really a natural at making up voices (but DH is), but after hearing Jim Broadbent, I tend to do the voices in his styles, so that makes it even better.

It is a Big Deal around here every time we start reading the Winnie the Pooh books to another preschooler. DH read Treasure Island to the kids, and they loved it. The Hobbit too. I've read the Little House books to them. They loved the Henry Huggins and Ralph S. Mouse books a lot. We listened to the first two of Ralph Moody's Little Britches books on CD/tape, and the children loved those. Those are particularly good to read aloud (or to listen to) if you can give a different voice to each character, as the distinct voices really add to the listener's understanding of Ralph's perceptions of his family and friends.

DD, age 10, plays with them a lot. Not quite as much as DS7, but she does play with them quite a bit. DS7 still shows a ton of interest in them. He likes the complicated truck sets, but he also reuses the pieces in his own contraptions.

Legos are one of the few toys that I am actually okay with re: the plastic and eighty bajillion pieces. Because the children all love them. And because they spend hours and hours and hours creating things with them. And because they last forever. My children are playing with recently-made Legos as well as my husband's 30-year-old Legos, and they're all compatible and still in great shape. We aim to keep the Legos in the playroom, and the baby does not have free access to that room. (We do have a schoolroom where we keep his toys, and he's allowed to roam around in there.) I do find Legos all over the house, though, but just a few here and there. I aim to have them all cleaned up every day, but if I don't, at least they're generally out of the main flow of traffic. Also, putting a blanket under them makes cleanup easier.

Here, homeschooled students are allowed to participate in extra-curricular clubs and sports, as well as public school classes. My oldest is only in fifth grade, so we haven't looked into it, but I could see where it might be useful in some way at some point. I guess I don't really have a feeling about sports at the public schools; I see ups and downs to them. I think it's totally reasonable that my homeschooled children should be able to participate in sports, clubs, and classes at the public school. To me, it's not a matter of paying taxes to the school; lots of people do that who don't have children in the school, and while I don't like that they demand so much of my money for taxes, that's life. My opinion is that my children should be allowed to participate in those things because our state's law requires us to report to the public school. If they wanted to leave us alone completely, not make us turn in portfolios, etc., then I would have no problem with them telling us we couldn't use them for classes and extra-curriculars. But since they don't want to sever the relationship completely, I think it's totally reasonable that I should be able to take advantage of any benefits I could, if I so wanted.

I do have one of those hanging shoe bags, and I love it. It holds all of the mittens, winter hats, and scarves, and I put clothespins on it to hold anything damp. I think a bigger rug would help. The one we have is easy to step over. Good point there. The kids do keep seldom-used shoes in their rooms. I think the biggest problem is that the best entrance/exit to use is in the kitchen (at the rear of the house), but surrounding it, there just is not the space needed to hold everything, so half of the stuff we need for leaving the house lives in the living room at the front of the house, with the playroom (and its big rug, which is a no shoe/boot zone) in between. So there's a lot of trekking back and forth, lots of stuff getting piled, etc. The kids are good about putting their shoes, coats, etc. away, but I'd rather make it more convenient for everyone. And the kitchen entrance has nowhere for DH to sit to remove his boots without crossing the room. Hmm, I should post a picture or at least a floor plan -- I'll have to work on that.

LOL, a garage would be nice too, and so would a mudroom! Right now, we have a lousy entryway system. I don't know that we really can do much to make it better (like, there's no room for a bench or chair), but I'm just kind of thinking about what options I might possibly have to make it more useful. So I'm curious as to what other people would like to have, or do have, in their own entry/exit spaces. A table with fresh flowers would be lovely, but a) it would take up precious needed space right there, and b) the cats eat fresh plants. :) OhElizabeth, your mudroom sounds lovely! We get a ton of dirt tracked in, for various reasons, so while I can't change the floor right now, maybe I should get a few more rugs. I have one, but maybe I should try another one on the outside of the door. Maybe one on the porch too, where you first step from the yard onto the porch before crossing the porch to the door into the kitchen (which is the one we use most). Hmm, I'll have to look into better rugs.

Yes, this. Absolutely, I would make sure the 3yo was buckled in the way she was supposed to be, all parts used, etc. The 6yo might depend on the car and the size of the 6yo, as well as the law. In my state, 6yo must be in boosters, so it would be a no-brainer. But in a state that didn't require a booster for a 6yo, it would depend on whether or not the 6yo met all the requirements for sitting without one, which depends on the size of the child and the car. If the child can safely sit with his/her back against the seat, shoulder belt in the proper position, etc., I don't know that there's an actual safety advantage to the booster, so it would depend on that.

I took my DD for the first time at about 6, and then I took her again at 8, when I also took DS1, then age 5. I have always had excellent vision, but my husband, his sister, and all of our parents have had glasses for years, some of them as children, so I figured I should have a real eye doctor look at them since I don't know what to look for. (Fwiw, our family doctor has not checked their eyes, though I suppose she would if I asked.)

Actually, maybe it should be your ideal "exitway." If you were customizing your entryway, what would you put in yours? So far, I know I would want: -a bin for each child's shoes/boots (plus DH's and mine) -another bin for each child's library card, sunglasses, etc. -somewhere to hang wet mittens/hats -somewhere to hang each child's coat/jacket/hat/co-op backpack -a place to hang/store a baby carrier or two -a place to hang/store library bags and grocery bags -a shelf or something for storing packages to be mailed, mail for DH to see, books to return to the library, etc. -a bajillion outlets for charging phones and other electronics -a chair or bench for sitting on while taking off boots (for DH, who wears boots all the time and thus tracks dirt into my house every single day while he crosses to a chair to remove them).

I think the OP's cards sound tasteful, elegant, and professional, but I know nothing about job interviews, so take that with a grain of salt. I would think that a handwritten note would be a nice way to stand out over emailed notes, except for two things. One, if your handwriting is really terrible, I'd consider going with email. Two, if there had already been significant email contact (like a questionnaire emailed to you and returned with answers via email) before the actual interview, following up via email might be fine too, though I can't imagine a paper note would hurt. Oh, and three, if the interviewer travels a lot, maybe email would be most appropriate -- I would think the worst would be if the paper note arrives while the interviewer is away from the office, and the interviewer ends up thinking that the applicant didn't send a note at all (especially if other candidates sent email notes).

Also, what about things like stories with a hole (I think also called red herring mysteries?) and Encyclopedia Brown books? Battleship might be a bit young for your crowd, but it's a hit here, and there's some logic involved. Also, my kids like the games Stratego and Labyrinth, both of which involve some logic, reasoning, and strategy. And chess. They love chess.