:iagree: Yes, this. At the risk of being rude, I feel I need to comment, as I know you have said this before. I know that compared to TX, yes, PA is bad, no question. I would much rather live where I didn't have to report anything to anyone. But it really isn't horrible or extremely difficult to homeschool here. I know there are individual districts that make it difficult, but the majority of those of us who live and homeschool here find it merely hoops that take a little extra time to jump through, not terribly difficult. Day to day, the law really does not affect how we teach or what we do. The law itself is ridiculously vague and leaves a lot of leeway. I would definitely not keep from living in PA because of the homeschool laws. Also, I looked into West Virginia's law once, and despite it being listed as easier than PA, I found a lot of comments on message boards about people having a lot of trouble finding a teacher to evaluate their portfolios. In contrast, I have had zero trouble finding an evaluator here in PA who suits my family's needs just fine.

I personally like PA, aside from the HS laws (though I think if I have to report at all, not having to report until age 8 is at least nice -- and having to do a portfolio did ensure that I did one, and it makes a nice keepsake), and the state, or at least my area, is very homeschool-friendly. Lots of support groups, lots of stuff to do. We supposedly have the option to use the public school for classes, sports, etc., though I don't know how that actually works in practice. However, yes, the laws are more restrictive and do cause at least a bit of extra handling. I have heard that Virginia is very good, because you can use a religious exemption for all reporting.

Praying for everyone touched by the recent fires. . .

My 7yo son would say light sabers, Legos, or Transformers as well -- apparently, one can never have too many of those. He does also appreciate cash. And chocolate. He also likes cool additions to his MatchBox/HotWheels collection.

:iagree: to all of that. For multiple reasons, I find it somewhat weird and creepy. My kids know what it is, and I think they know most of it, but I don't say it here at home. I've told the kids that I will not require them to say it at other places, that it is their personal choice to do so or not, and if they choose not to say it, they are to be polite and respectful of those who choose to say it.

I LOVE the name Andrew! So much that it's my first son's name (and had we not already had a family name in mind for his middle, James would have been a great choice; I love Andrew James). We call him Andrew. I like the nickname Andy just fine, or I wouldn't have used Andrew, but my brother found it hard to grow out of his own childhood nickname, and I didn't want to saddle my son with that. I wanted it to be his choice to go by a nickname or not, so we always introduced him as Andrew and never wavered on that. At 7, he chooses to be Andrew and dislikes being called Andy. Drew has never been on the radar. I have to say, I do like AJ a lot too. IMO, you really can't go wrong with any of them. :)

Ugh, it is awful, the GTT! I had to do the 3 hour GTT with my first two pregnancies, and it was horrible. Worst torture I've ever had. I refused (er, declined politely) it for my last two pregnancies and was so glad I did. (Before anyone tells me how terrible it is that I skipped the GTT with #3 and #4, I have to say that I don't feel it's an accurate test for me. I passed the 3 hour GTT with both of my first two babies, and they were still large. My third baby was large as well, and the fourth was on track to be large if he'd waited until the same gestational point. So either I had GD that wasn't caught by the GTT and therefore not managed, or I didn't have it and just grow big babies. It might be more useful for other mothers.)

Just finished Jennifer Chiaverini's Sonoma Rose. I started Philippa Gregory's The White Queen, but I'm not very far into it yet.

Mine generally like running errands, though they get tired and bored if there are too many. We live 20 minutes from anything, so we do a lot of errands at once, and it can make for a long day if we need to go to speech therapy for our son, the post office, WalMart, the grocery store, and the library. Even though those are generally fun things, it does get tiresome (shoot, *I* get tired of getting everyone in and out as well). We bring small toys for the car, water bottles, snacks/lunch, audio books, etc., and I often do still get a small treat at the grocery store (usually the last stop) for everyone. However, no, they don't really complain; it's just a way of life.

My 7yo son: -collects trash cans from around the house -takes out trash, recycling, and compost -makes bed -tidies own room -puts away own laundry sometimes -vacuums -wipes bathrooms -clears own dishes -assists with his little brothers (buckling them in carseats, tying shoes) -cleans up toys and other stuff -unloads and puts away groceries -simple meal prep -- filling glasses/water bottles, setting table, making sandwiches, gathering ingredients for car trips, frying eggs, assisting me in the kitchen My 3yo son: -assists with baby brother (mainly keeping him company when I'm showering or something) -cleans up toys (is more likely to clean up baby brother's toys than his own, LOL) -wipes table -sets table -clears dishes -assists older brother in tidying room, making bed, taking out trash, etc. -puts away folded laundry occasionally -helps older sister feed cats occasionally -helps me with baking/cooking some -packs own water bottle and toys for car outings -gathers laundry from around the house and brings it to the laundry room every day My 10yo DD can do all of the above things, plus she can cook more. Instead of trash, she empties the dishwasher and feeds the cats every day. She can also put sheets on her own bed. The children don't do the jobs as well as I do, at least not for things like wiping the table, wiping the bathroom, or vacuuming, but that's okay. I still hit each room once a week for a more thorough clean, and in the meantime, they'll improve their skills. I can give DD her list, and she can do it without my help. DS1 may need a bit of instruction sometimes (the vacuuming and wiping are newish). DS2 can do the jobs but needs my help still sometimes to remember to check all the rooms for laundry (that is also newish, so the routine isn't quite set for him yet).

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: mama -- so sorry that happened! Accidents happen; don't beat yourself up about it. So glad they were baby teeth!

Yeah, that would BUG me to no end too! It's similar to what our libraries said -- just "read a book, and it counts." The person who read the most books got a prize. So my mom made me read books that were at least reasonably on my level, and another kid my age (who was at the top of our class) read picture books and always won. I do like the programs that reward individual accomplishments, rather than have kids compete with each other. This year, we have to log hours online for our library's summer reading program. I've told my kids that *I* am setting what counts as an hour, because only I have the passwords I set up for them. For DD, who is an excellent reader but who gets bored easily and doesn't finish books, I'm counting 30 pages as an hour (she'll also sit there for an hour if I tell her to "read for an hour" and only read a few pages because she got distracted; I want to encourage her attention to books), and I'm only counting them as she finishes them. For DS1, who is just starting to read on his own, I'm counting picture books beyond the very basic ones, as well as chapter books, with 60 pages counting as an hour. For DS2, time I (or anyone else) read to him counts. I would love to see a program that has kids set their own goals. For one child, it might be to read 10 books. For another, it might be to read for 20 minutes every day, regardless of how many pages it is. For another child, it might be to finish the entire long Les Miserables in a summer, regardless of whatever else they read.

LOL, you never know! None of mine have been induced, and my first three babies were 6, 8, and 5 days past their due dates. So we figured we had until about July 29th last year before we'd see baby #4. Wasn't even on my radar to see him before at least July 20th. His birthday is July 12th. Anything is possible!

:iagree: That seems like more screen time than I would be comfortable with for children that little. I would like an ipad to use for worksheets, maps, and such that I'd otherwise be printing, but I don't see it being the only thing we use, especially for very young children.

This is such good advice, IMO! The things my children know the best are the things they've taught themselved, or that they've developed interests in themselves. I still plan work and teach them things because I do think there are things they need to know, even if they don't want to, and I think they don't always know what subjects/topics might interest them. I have a child who tends to dawdle too, and part of that is because her work is challenging now. She's very bright, and for a long time, everything came easily to her with little/no effort. Now she has to do the hard mental work, to engage her brain, and she often still wants to take the easy way out. It is frustrating for the parent, but public school fostered that mentality in me, and I hate it, so I am trying very hard to work with my children to develop the perseverance necessary to do hard work. :) I vote for just doing the fun stuff with J and being very matter-of-fact about it with M. "We'll be doing X in 15 minutes." If she misses it, maybe say something once like, "We're sorry you missed doing X with us, M, and we hope you'll finish faster next time," but I wouldn't belabor the point. If the project is worth doing, it's worth doing with J even aside from M. Just gently here, that seems like a lot for a 7yo. My 7yo son just finished first grade, and this is what his daily work looked like: -a page of copywork (print; he wasn't quite ready for cursive yet) -a phonics lesson/reading to himself or to me (a few pages or so, depending on his stamina) -a few pages of a Miquon math lesson (with me), mostly oral -listening to a history chapter or book and occasionally dictating a narration to me and drawing a picture to go with it -reciting a memory verse (and he learned a good portion of the Gettysburg Address as well) -occasionally listening to a science book and a few science-y projects -occasional other stuff -- art projects, picture or music study, Christian biography, etc. -listening to poetry, hymn stories, maybe a Bible story, maybe a chapter from a read aloud, at different times of the day (breakfast, lunch, bedtime) I am stepping up his work for next year a bit, and I am trying to focus on some more projects/handwork/outdoorsy skills, but last year, his work took less than an hour a day, plus listening to me read. Also, my DD is very product-oriented, so she hates any sort of busywork. (My 11mo likes stacking blocks, just to see what he can do. DD, at the same age, didn't like stacking blocks. She'd look at me as if to say, "Why? What is the point?") I also had more success with her at that age if I did more oral, rather than written, work. So I might look at your DD's work and see if there is anything you could combine/eliminate/wait on. Maybe also schedule at least a couple of projects or fun activities or even just non-written activities a few times a week, and make them part of the schedule, rather than extras? Next year, we are scheduling work for four days a week, with Friday being for science and music. I think that will give me the oomph to set up projects and experiments and to encourage exploration.

DD generally takes hers along, but they often stay in the car. It depends on the activity we're doing. I want her to have her hands free to explore, and nobody wants to be spending too much time/attention on the dolls. When we went to Williamsburg, the dolls came along, in their colonial outfits (that's the large part of the fun for her, dressing them in period clothing), but they stayed at the hotel. I actually can't think of a day trip out where she brought the dolls and they didn't stay in the car. ETA: I am of the opinion that the dolls should be played with and enjoyed, even if that means they don't remain in pristine condition. But I also want DD to respect them as a nice toy that doesn't get dragged everywhere, especially places that could be particularly dirty/messy.

I don't generally plate the food in the artistic sense, though it does look pretty that way! I sometimes plate the food, rather than serve family style, if that works best for that meal. For family style passing, I do have some pretty serving dishes and serving spoons that I use. We also have really nice plates and bowls that we use for a particularly nice meal (not necessarily a specific celebration, but just a nice meal).

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Yes, this. I can't imagine requiring my children to memorize birth and death dates, etc. Now if they felt like teaching themselves those things, fine. I want them to have some idea of how each President fit into US history, what might have happened during each one's term(s) of office, anything particularly interesting or notable. I think knowing the order, or at least having a good idea of the time period would be good. I don't necessarily expect them to name the 12th President off the top of their heads, for instance, but I think they should know that Zachary Taylor came not long before the Civil War and not around WWII, y'know? Now, if I was putting things in a notebook, I'd probably include birth/death dates and dates of the Presidency (or at least year/years of election), spouse/First Lady's name (but that is partly because all of my children have Presidential or First Lady names, and we wouldn't exclude DD), political party, Vice President, state from which the President hailed, and interesting facts/legislation/causes/etc. But not necessarily to memorize, if that makes sense.

I'd probably see if I could replace the vehicle with something a little newer for that cash. Otoh, my van is older than that with more miles, and it's doing pretty well and has only needed minimal work in the year we've had it. $4500 is probably more than I'd want to put into it all at once, but $2000 might not be. Tires, some parts -- okay. Transmission or engine -- I think those are the points at which I'd be looking to replace the vehicle.

Also, for night weaning from the breast, I would try enlisting dad's help. I've not night weaned a baby, but with my 2yo's, I've had to do a bit of night weaning when pregnant. It has been tremendously helpful to have them snuggle up with DH. Even as infants, they'll fuss for milk for me, but if Daddy has them, they're more readily accepting of snuggling, back-patting, etc. Another thing that worked for me when I was pregnant with my first son and couldn't really nurse DD to sleep anymore was that rocking in a chair was part of our routine already. So when I could only nurse her for a couple of minutes, she was already used to rocking, and that helped her fall asleep, making the transition a little easier.

My local library system was able to get volume 4's CDs from another library across the state! That library has the only 2 copies of 3 and the only 2 copies of 4 in the entire state, and 1 of the copies of volume 3 is checked out right now, so they declined to let me borrow volume 3. My library system says to request it again in a few weeks. At any rate, it only took about 10 days to get volume 4 in, and we're excited to listen to it!

Yes, this. In a great work of art, I don't have a problem with it. P*rn, yes, I have a problem with that. But true art, no. Depending on the child/work/situation, I might explain the context, like why the nudity was an integral part of the work, but mainly I'd just treat it as no big deal.

I do tend to be more of an AP parent, but my DD was not a napper. Despite everything, she still didn't nap much at all. My boys have all been better nappers, though, and I think it was largely because of two things (well, maybe personality also; DD has always been more high energy than the boys): one, putting them on their tummies to nap (where I could see them) and two, being able to wear them down to sleep a lot, especially in a wrap where they could snuggle up and feel swaddled and close to me.

I love my Dyson! I have the mini one, and I like that it's lighter for dragging up stairs. It does well on both carpet and hard floor, and I love the wand for corners and such. I like that I don't have to buy bags for it, and its suction is amazing. That being said, I have had to have the switch replaced a couple of times, which is a bit annoying, as it's only 4 years old. It also had a broken undercarriage once. However, their customer service is fantastic, and they covered all of the repairs. I was even able to get a loaner for the time it was in the shop (which only needed to be a couple of days, but it was more like two weeks because I don't live super close to the repair place, and that's how long it took me to get back to pick it up). I'm still really happy with it.