I'd rent from you (your place sounds lovely!), though I'd have to take into consideration the cost of hay. You may need to discount the cost of hay from the rent and make sure it's easy for the renters to get the hay too. (Would frequent trips to get hay be necessary, or a pickup truck? Those might be deal-breakers for some people. Also, what about mowing the lawn -- would that need to be done?) But all of that for a reasonable rental price, just to feed a horse a couple of times a day? Absolutely! (Then again, we have a couple of acres and have an outdoor furnace that needs to be fed twice a day in the winter, so a horse wouldn't be that much of a stretch.)

My children have done well with Marshall's TCOO (we read aloud, so I do edit some), but it ends during WWI. I'm not really liking anything I've found so far that covers US history from WWI through the present. SOTW4 looks okay, but I really want something more US-focused right now. I was unimpressed with Hakim. I think A Child's Story of America might be okay, but it looks like I will need to do some serious editing, and it sounds like it's overly biased toward the conservative side. What I really want is something that will provide the very basic context -- major wars, Presidents, what was affecting the American people (Depression, Cold War, etc.), so that we can then add in supplemental books, look at clothing, listen to music from various decades, etc. It's sounding like I am going to have to create this framework myself. :)

It does seem like it could be a lot for a second grader. I'd probably drop or limit some of the grammar/spelling/reading/writing. Not all of it, if he still needs the practice, but maybe together, it's a bit much for him right now.

I can remember having horrible cramps during my cycles as a teen, bad enough that I'd leave school early at least one day during the month, usually about the second day of the cycle (or the school nurse would call home asking if it was okay to give me something). We only lived 2 miles from school, and I was in so much pain that I couldn't drive and had to have my mom come get me (with my homeschooled younger sibs in tow) -- thankfully, she was understanding, having btdt herself as a teen. The best thing to help with my cramps was some Advil or Midol, and a nap. The nap was the kicker, though; without it the meds wouldn't really work (I'm still like that). I think I took, at most, three doses of Advil/Midol during a cycle, maybe twice on day two and once on day three. For me, since I was tiny, 200 mg of Advil was enough (still usually is). I think you're right to be cautious about the amounts she takes, and for that reason, I'd probably look into other remedies and/or causes. I think looking back, I probably would have taken me to a specialist, but I'm not sure if I was particularly abnormal for a teen or not, y'know? (It did get slightly better post-babies, or at least I've had fewer cycles in the past decade, thanks to breastfeeding having a heavy effect.) I think I'd encourage other remedies for the non-cramp pains too and leave the meds for the cramps. I feel for your DD, poor girl!

I use wool exclusively (except when we'll be swimming -- wool is too heavy!), and I love it. Unfortunately, I can't recommend anywhere to buy them because I sew and knit them myself. (I actually taught myself to knit just so I could knit wool longies -- I can knit them for under $12 a pair, rather than paying around $50 a pair.) I have heard that you can make wool soakers out of old wool sweaters that you felt; google for directions and check your local thrift stores. For using the covers, I have some that are longies or shorties, and some that are shaped like a disposable diaper. I use prefolds with all of them, though with longies/shorties, you can use fitted diapers too. Snappi clips and pins are how I close the prefolds/disposable-shaped covers. If the covers are just damp, I just air-dry them (or lay them over my wipes warmer) and use them again when they're dry in a few hours. If they get dirty, I soak them in some lukewarm water and a bit of wool wash (like Eucalan) or I use a wool wash bar. If I've done that, or if I've noticed that the covers are leaking, then I need to relanolize them, which I do by dissolving a bit of lanolin (you can buy liquid lanolin online, or just get Lansinoh and stir it into a tiny bit of hot water first) in some lukewarm water, then soaking the cover in it for about 15 minutes, then gently squeezing and air-drying. No dryer or washer, or they'll felt. (The exception is that my dryer has a rack that lets the item to be dried lay still, while the dryer tumbles around it; that dries the covers much faster.)

Thanks, and thanks Kfamily, as well; this is very helpful information. It looks like it's easiest to order L'art de Lire with the CD anyway, so I'll probably just do that. I think for those two children, it probably would not be the best plan to wait a year and do them both in it together, only because the potential for competition is really great with them, and I'd rather avoid that. So I think I'll order L'art de Lire for DD, as it looks like it's a good combination of oral and writing, and maybe get L'art de Dire for DS1 at some point, and/or just let him come along for the ride and get what he can out of L'art de Lire and other casual French books/CDs/etc. I really appreciate all the suggestions!

I use parts of it and have really liked their book suggestions!

It varies a lot in our house. Right now, we have one book that we're reading as a family read-aloud before bed (in addition to the children's Bible that we also read during that time). I also have a space in the schedule for history, one for literature, and one for science. So in the history space, we have SOTW vol. 2 and Our Island Story, but neither every day and not both in the same day. SOTW2 is the basis, and as applicable, we read the chapters of OIS that fit. Then in between those chapters, we add other supplemental books that apply, usually picture books or at least easier ones that are geared more toward my 5yo. Like, right now we're learning about life around the 11th century, particularly pertaining to castles. So over several days, we read SOTW chapter 16, which talked some about castles, and we read OIS chapters 27-29, which talk about some of the first kings of England after the Norman Conquest. Then in the days following, we read other books that give broader pictures of what life looked like around a castle or medieval town; currently, we're reading David Macauley's Castle, but we won't go back to SOTW or OIS until we're ready to focus on knights more than castles. Our literature space is usually geared toward our history studies as well, so we recently finished Our Little Norman Cousin of Long Ago (I cannot say enough good things about this series!) and are now reading King Arthur and His Knights. So it's usually two, occasionally three (if they're very short), books and/or chapters a day as read alouds for the history and literature spaces, total. Science is usually another book and/or chapter, sometimes two. Right now, it's the Burgess Bird Book and other books about birds. So that plus history, literature, and evening makes about four, plus the Bible. I've been a bit lax, but would like to get into reading a chapter of something church-history-related (we're in the middle of Trial and Triumph) and something from Tales from Shakespeare about once a week each. The kids don't seem to be confused by having several books going at once; it's just a matter of trying to fit it all in, which doesn't always happen with younger children around. :) (DD8 also has at least one chapter book that she's reading on her own at any given time, and I sometimes require that she read and narrate to me about something additional related to our history studies too.)

Thank you, everyone, for the suggestions! About L'Art de Lire -- I looked at it and think it might be what we want. Do you think we could do it without having done L'Art de Dire first? I was thinking about getting L'Art de Dire and going through it as a family, even though DD is probably a little old for it, and then moving on to L'Art de Lire whenever she's ready for it. I'm looking at sample pages for both Dire and Lire and can't decide which would be best for the fourth grader. I think she could probably handle Lire, but she might like Dire better at first. Will have to think about it. How necessary are the CDs? I studied French for several years, and while I'm not fluent and don't have a perfect accent, I do understand a fair amount and do know the pronunciations.

I buy both new and used. New (and usually from amazon, sometimes from RR or other places), if it's not available used, if the used price is very close to the new, or if it's something I know I'm going to want to keep for years and years. Amazon's sales, 4-for-3 promotions, and free shipping often make them the most competitive place, comparable to, or sometimes cheaper than, used. I've bought used for things that were really good deals, or when I didn't care so much about the condition. For super cheap, I'll tape a book back together if need be. I personally have bought from ebay, half.com, and homeschoolclassifieds, plus amazon's used marketplace, and I've never had a problem; usually I am pleasantly surprised that a book is in better condition than I expected. I've also used personal paypal and other payment methods with no problems at all. However, I've also not bought anything super expensive that way; usually the used items I've bought are well under $20 each, so if I get burned, it's disappointing but not the end of the world.

When I was in school, it was the heat that was the problem; only the high school had air conditioning, and our area could hit 90 degrees pretty quickly. As it was, we didn't get out until early June, so it was warm enough then. They probably also have to work around summer school dates for kids who need that.

I'm reading past threads, but they're a bit overwhelming. Can anyone recommend a good French program for a bright fourth grader? I'm not looking for anything too structured, like I might use for a high schooler, but I want something a little more than the random books and CDs I've been using infrequently. Something mostly oral, and bonus points if a 6yo would enjoy it as well.

We are using SOTW volume 2 with our 5yo and 8yo, as a read aloud. The 5yo wouldn't be able to read it on his own, but he understands most of it when I read it. The 8yo could easily read it on her own but isn't bored when I read it. I think the later volumes are a bit harder in level. I think it'd probably be fine for your kids; if the 10yo finds it a little too easy, supplement with some additional accompanying literature or other history books, such as H. E. Marshall's books. But if you're looking for a basic overview, I wouldn't worry if it turns out to be a little too easy for the 10yo; my personal opinion is that there's a time and place for challenge, and a time and place for just learning the info and enjoying it.

Ours did exactly that a few months ago, tumbled but no heat. Since it was only four years old, we didn't want to replace it. We found an appliance repair forum online and got some suggestions; they said it could be one of three things, all of which DH checked, and it turned out to be the element. We were also able to find an appliance store online that sold to individuals (as opposed to selling to repair people only), and in a couple of days, we had the new element here (about $85 -- not great right before Christmas but not horrible either). DH installed it easily, and it's been working fine. You do want to make sure there are no clogs anywhere, as that can burn out the element, but if it needs to be replaced, it needs to be replaced.

It's not a holiday for my husband, so we will be doing schoolwork that day.

Sounds about right to me. Many women experience a decrease in symptoms like breast tenderness or nausea toward the end of the first trimester. Hope she is able to enjoy a bit of a lull before the other major symptoms hit as the baby grows!

I'm not saying we should, or that I would, but I wonder if welfare programs were cut, would individuals, businesses, and churches step up and take care of the poor, sick, and needy? I know there are some who do, but I wonder if they'd be more inclined to do so if there was no other option. There was a time before food stamps and social security -- people stepped in and helped those who lost jobs or homes, and elderly relatives lived with their families.

In our house, history is the big one. Science, less so; we do some nature study and a bit of science-y stuff but it's not a huge emphasis. History, otoh, is huge around here. DH and I are history sorts of people, and our daughter is particularly interested in history. So we frame our plans around history, actually. I have always thought that they will pick up basic reading, writing, and math skills as their brains are ready for them, and that has been true; I don't push any of that, until they are showing interest, and then I might do a bit more formal work in those areas. (I did not teach my 8yo to read; we read to her tons, and she really started reading on her own fluently before she was 4. My 5yo showed that he was ready to read but was frustrated that he couldn't do it yet, so we have started doing some phonics instruction, with great results. But he really was not ready a year ago.) But we tend to gear literature selections around history interests, for instance, and we pretty much live history at our house.

My children are still pretty little, so I feel comfortable with being flexible and taking off a few days, or doing light schoolwork, if we have people visiting. We do school year-round, though, for the flexibility it gives us with regards to taking breaks. If we had very frequent visitors, I think I would put my foot down about visiting during the week, or at least I would say something like, "We will be doing our schoolwork until noon; you are welcome to visit then, or we can meet up with you in the afternoon."

Could you make her a note card with the most important names/places/etc. for each chapter/section on it? That way she could look at it before reading and know that she only needed to focus on a few specific names/places/etc. Maybe it would help her focus her reading/narration if she was looking for a few things while reading.

We have not yet allowed sleepovers, and our oldest is almost 9. We've not had the opportunity for her to stay at a grandparent's house without us, since the grandparents don't live close enough for that to happen very well, but I'd be okay with that at this point for her and DS1 if they wanted to. We haven't allowed sleepovers yet partly because we really don't know other parents quite well enough yet to feel comfortable with that.

Whether I'd let a 6yo go by herself into the women's locker room would depend highly on the facility, who else was there at the time, and the child. It might be okay in some instances and not others. I'd inquire about a family changing area, or see if there is somewhere else the facility can provide. Another option would be to ask for help from another mother whose child is in the class.

I always pronounce it keef-ur, but I'm not sure that's quite correct. :) I've seen multiple pronunciations for it. Once it's fermented (for me that's about 48 hours or so in the winter, 24 or so in the summer), take the grains out and put them in a new batch of milk (assuming you're using milk, that is). It's a little tart and can take some getting used to at first, so you may need a bit of sweetener. I like to mix it with some frozen berries/peaches/mango chunks and a banana or two (which may or may not be frozen), and a little raw honey if it's still too tart. Then blend it all together into a smoothie. If you end up with too many grains, you can add some of them to the smoothie too for a great probiotic boost.

It depends on what you're sewing. I don't generally save money on making t-shirts, and I doubt I would on jeans either (haven't tried those). But for skirts and dresses for my daughter -- yes. Regular stores don't tend to have the kinds of things she prefers (long skirts/dresses -- yes, her preference), and it's not generally very expensive for me to sew a skirt for her, compared to buying them from specialty online stores. With a coupon, I can spend about $6-9 and get enough fabric to make two tiered skirts, one for myself and one for my daughter. (Plus a bit of thread and elastic. I already have the machines and have had them for years.) We have ones I made 2+ years ago that still look good and get frequent wear. I can't buy them for that price.

For a first pregnancy, it can be completely normal. It's just the body stretching and rearranging to accommodate the growing baby. I didn't have it so much with this pregnancy (#4, and I'm just a bit ahead of your DD), but with at least my first and probably the second, I can remember a lot of cramping, enough that I felt like my period was about to start. A bit disconcerting for sure! She might want to talk to her doctor or midwife though, just to be sure. Congrats on the new grandbaby coming!