I don'tknow what your medical condition is, so this might not apply. But for adults and kids alike, when you are waking up and going to sleep at a different time every day, it is hard to ever wake up feeling "rested". I suggest you try to set an alarm and wake up at the same time every day, but plan a longer post-lunch quiet time where you can take a 45 minute nap MWF at least. If your morning is productive, you won't need to be doing as many chores during that time slot. Like PP mentioned, your kids should be able to clear their places at lunch as well as a few other chores. My five year old puts away the silverware from the dishwasher, for example. I am not yet officially HSing my son yet, so for that, I have limited advice. Our routine is to start off with breakfast, followed by phonics and a chapter from our read aloud. If your DH is unemployed and you are sick, I don't understand why he isn't picking up a bit more slack in the mornings in terms of chores. He could also do some of the more self-explanatory lessons with your son- phonics or reading, or read him a chapter from a book rather than put on the TV. Just my two cents!

Mine haven't done that for a few years now, but used to, even years after closing. They would occasionally get crusty even though once I decided I didn't want earrings anymore, I never messed with the holes. No explanation for it!

The perimeter of the whole set of community gardens is fenced, and it's pretty urban, though we do get the occasional fox from a wooded area not too far away. Thank you for the tips!!!

Oh my. I just got my garden plot. It's 800 square feet! Holy smokes...

Thank you for the links!

I just got a call from our organizer to let me know that after 4 years on a wait-list, I've been allotted d a community garden plot! I'm super excited but also a bit nervous, as I applied for this plot two whole children ago... Anyway, I get it next Monday. We are in zone 7/8 on those little colored map thingies. Is there anything I can start this late in the season? I know carrots and radishes and salad, but is it too late for all else? Should I be planning my fall plantings? I've only grown a few veggie gardens in my life, and non in the last ten years. And all on a much smaller scale. This plot is approximately 10' x 12', which seems huge.

With a newborn, I nursed every time the baby looked at me, and sometimes even when they didn't look at me. Awake? Let's nurse. Sleepy? Let's nurse. Now with a five month old, we nurse every three-ish hours in the day, but sometimes it's 2, and sometimes it's 4 hours apart... just whatever is convenient and wanted. At night, if she wakes, I nurse. So that's another 1-3 sessions usually.

LMAO at OP! I so feel your pain. I hate the "fashionable" grammar and usage trends. Go dye your hair purple, but for heaven's sake, don't mess with grammar!!!

I joined the Church two years ago, and one of the big things that converted me was the beauty of the Church's teachings on sex and the sanctitiy of human life. So I knew about it before I converted. My doc is crazy about getting me on ABC to control PCOS, but I am looking into lots of other options, including diet changes, etc. My PCOS symptoms are pretty mild, luckily.

My son is diagnosed gluten intolerant, but not celiac.He has a weird reaction, in that he vomits, almost to the minute, 48 hours later. This is preceeded by a stomach ache which might last 12 hours or so before he is finally able to vomit, then he feels great again.

Wild guesses here.. maybe she heard a jewelry box referred to as a box for baubles? Or bijoux (French for jewels?)

Starting this fall with a young 1st grader... LA: -lots of read alouds -Phonics Pathways + I Can Read books -AAS ? -Peterson handwriting -FLL and WWE probably, though we might hold off another year... not decided Math - Singapore or RS, haven't decided - Miquon Science- -Nature journal (Charlotte Mason science) - BFSU History -SOTW 1 audio + activities -picture books Art - Atelier - Drawing with Children - piano? - Exposure to classic art and music French (we're a bilingual family) -Leo et Lea - read alouds Catechism - maybe CCM, not sure. Maybe just Baltimore Cat

I am crazy about tummy time, so my 4 month old is rolling both ways. She smiles, "talks", blows bubbles, and laughs. She tucks her chin and hold her head still when I pull her from laying down to a sitting position. She does not yet weight her legs if I put her in standing. She can grab toys held out for rher and put them into her mouth. When she's on her tummy, she holds her head up to look straight ahead. When I'm carrying her, she hold her head steady, but will occasionally crash it into my shoulder bone. :tongue_smilie: I definitely encourage tummy time, and the least time possible in things that restrict movement- baby chairs, car seats, swings, etc.

I'm not a mom of multiples or a large family (I have 3) but I'll chime in anyway. :-D My 4 month old wakes up around 7am, and from then on, goes down for a nap whenever she has been awake for 2 hours or begins to get fussy, whichever comes first. Sometimes the naps are 45 minutes, sometimes they are 2 hours... 45 minutes being most likely! This works out to 3ish naps per day, with bedtime around 7pm. When baby is awake, I am mostly focused on her, with big kids playing with us as well. Sometimes, I will do a read-aloud with baby on her play mat or in my lap, depends on her temperament at that moment. I am only teaching a K'er, so it's easy to get the work in during the first and second naps of the day. When she is awake, she is either on the floor or in my arms. I haven't tried her out in a high chair yet, but will in a month or so. The big kids like to play with her while I'm making dinner, or else she might go in her baby chair for that.

WOW! So amazing. I especially love the second one (holding saddle) because I love horses, and so I'm distracted from your daughter in the other ones. lol.

We started with 100 Easy Lessons, and though we gott most of the way through it,, my son COULD NOT switch over to the normal text format around lesson 70 or so. We took a break, then switched to PHonics Pathways. I much prefer it. There is not a lot of practice- each page is usually a new concept, or two, or three... so you may need to add in additional practice or flash cards. For example, we currently have flashcards for sh, ch, tch, and th, which were all introduced in about 4 pages of the book! Overall, I love phonics pathways, because when he gets it, we move on quickly, when we need a bit more practice, I just add in a few homemade flash cards to review. It is not a scripted book, so you have to be ok with figuring out how to improvise and adapt. We also use Reading Pathways, which has helped a lot with speed.

I will cheat and give two: Charlotte Mason's thoughts on Habit Formation and The book Simplicity Parenting

I really like Vegetable Gardening for Dummies and Composting for Dummies, and Worms Eat My Garbage. These are great jumping-off points if you are new to gardening. Square Foot Gardening is great too. I would also suggest starting small and building up. ie, don't try to convert your entire 2 acres to cultivated land in one year...

Sounds healthy to me! It is also a typical meal we might have- frozen veggies come in handy in the winter. Now that it's spring, there is a lot more salad, asparagus, etc, on the menu. Chicken legs (skin on) contain good fat with fat soluable vitamins, which I am a fan of (We love animal fat here!) I would have maybe fried mine up in some duck fat, just to make them REALLY yummy... :D

I have an ergo. I used it for 2.5 years for my son, my 3 y.o. still uses it, and I'm planning on getting lots of use out of it with baby. It still looks almost new, after all that use (almost daily use). I definitely recommend it!

Loved this game when I was a kid! Thanks for reminding me... adding it to amazon wish list...

We just switched from a standard tracing type curriculum to Peterson, and it's going much better for my K'er.

I haven't read the replies, so I'll just share our experience. I had a homebirth with kid number 3, and my son (not quite 5yo) and daughter (not quite 3 yo) were present. I had my husband, two midwives, a friend (who is also a doula) and another friend with me. The two friends had as their mission to keep the two kids happy. When the kids wandered over to where I was laboring, they explained what was goind on, big smilies, and when the kids wandered off, they engaged them in art activities and play. At the moment of birth, the kids were in the room. My husband held our son, and our daughter was up on the bed near my head, though she turned away for a few minutes at the most intense bit. Both did great, and their lasting memory was "Mommy was so LOUD!" Something I had talked about with them ahead of time. We watched a lot of birth videos on youtube ahead of time so they could get used to the sounds and actions of women in labor. When I ask them about it now, they talk about the boat they made out of a cardboard box with our friends, how loud I was, and how cool the umbilical cord was. lol.

I absolutely agree with this. He is 17 and almost an adult, he needs to take the initiative and be proactive about his own health. He can take a snack with him to GF's house if there is not appropriate food available, or he can stick to eating a piece of fruit over there. Personally, I would not allow him to eat meals there until he can show that he's capable of self-restraint from the foods that he reacts to. The opinion of the gf's mom is irrelevant. Your son should learn to politely decline food that he is sensitive to.

I agree, these are marketed as young adult. When I think of how Steven King did "The Long Walk" (vaguely similar story), it is clear that the author of Hunger Games used a lot of restraint in the violence and gore area. I think they are not to everyone's taste, but I think saying they have no redeeming message is a bit strong. There are many interesting themes and discussion points to be found.