We've done the Dave Ramsay course so I am pretty anti-debt. That being said, I'd go for it. But- I would also cut up your credit card. I KNOW how hard this is- dh didn't want me to use your debit card for online purchases and without a cc how do you buy something from Amazon, make a hotel reservation, etc. So- we kept the cc & ended up getting back in debt & paying it off several more times. Finally, about 2 years ago, we made the jump and got rid of all cc's. We opened a secondary checking acct. at our bank but made sure it was not linked to our primary acct. Now if we want to make a hotel reservation, buy something from Amazon, etc. I do an online automatic transfer from our primary acct. to the secondary acct. & then use the debit card for that acct. to make the purchase. I don't leave more than $5 or so in that acct. on a regular basis. I can tell you that it was a rough adjustment at first- so many things I thought I "needed" or "deserved" or "would pay off that purchase next month" could no longer happen. I had to learn to just... wait. Getting rid of our cc was the best thing we've done & I'd really encourage you to do the same, so you don't wind up in the same place again 5 years down the road.

We also have quartz & love it for it's low maintenance. I did not want to mess around with sealing it or be worried about stains. Dh is a contractor and something he has been hearing is that some of the granite is allowing moisture (from spills, drips, etc. while cooking) to leach through the countertop & mold begins growing on the underside of the countertop. Most people don't know it's there but still... ICK! We've had our quartz almost 5 years and still love it & think it was worth every penny.

I found the posts I was thinking about- linked to them below. It wasn't their school room, it was their bathroom but I think you could use some of the ideas for your classroom. http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2011/01/monster-art/ http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2011/01/measuring-for-monsters/

I seem to remember there was a recent-ish (sometime in the last few months or so?) post on The Pioneer Woman's website in the homeschool section where they showed a monster themed school room. It was pretty cute. I bet you could find it if you did a search.

We had a similar situation at co-op. Some bigger 3rd-5th grade boys cornered Nathan (5yo at the time, Kindergarten) on the playground. I flew out of the car like I was 10 feet tall & boot fresh & went right in the middle of that group of boys. I told them clearly & loudly- that they ought to be picking on boys their own size and that from now on, if they started something that Nathan had my permission to FINISH it & I went on to tell Nathan that he would be in any trouble & told him to go for their noses. Nathan is a pretty good size for his age, tall, muscular- very solid & strong. Since then, we've had NO issues. :D I'd be inclined to say LOUDLY so that the mothers hear- hey boys- now if you are starting something, don't be surprised if he finishes it. Don't hit him if you don't want him to hit back! Son, if they keep hitting you, you've got my permission to hit back. Said so that of course the mothers could overhear. I bet they'd reign their sons in right quick.

We use Evan-Moor's Daily Geography and Mary loves, loves, loves it! It is her #1 most favorite thing to do and what she always asks to do first. She loves it so much I'm thinking of giving Evan Moor's Daily 6 Trait Writing a try.

Greensboro, NC!

Hey Bosco- I know you! :lol: Thanks, I had a feeling both of them would be overkill but wasn't sure. I think we'll drop CTGE & go over to FLL for the rest of this year & next!

I am contemplating grammar for next year (starting 7/1) and in the process reevaluating this year. Is FLL enough for 1rst & 2nd grade grammar? Should I also supplement it with something like Rod & Staff's Climbing to Good English? Currently she is doing Explode the Code, book 4 with Rod & Staff's CTGE. I'm considering going back to FLL lessons & dropping CTGE simply because it seems she ends up doing lots of reading & writing between ETC, CTGE, her Math, ARFH, etc. And she'll be starting Daily 6 Trait Writing soon. I'd like to give her a bit of mental break from all the reading & writing. She loves memory work so I think FLL would be ideal. So- thoughts? Is FLL enough for grammar? Or do I need to continue supplementing with CTGE?

Our fun purchases of the year were: 3 tubs of Bubber & some of the tools 96 piece Globe puzzleball Inchimals

We are thinking of buying this microscope from Timberdoodle- http://www.timberdoodle.com/zPix_200_Microscope_p/247-109.htm

Very nice! I'd like one of those binding machines myself...

I know our public school system has a sale every year and those heavy duty pull down maps have been on the sale list before. You might call your local public school's district office and find out if they have a sale at the end of the year where they get rid of things & if they ever have those type of maps for sale. It might be an economical way of getting those maps because I think otherwise they are pretty expensive.

Inchimals: http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/fat_brain_toy_co/inchimals.cfm?source=google&kwid=inchimals&gclid=CIKWteTUtacCFaRd7AodaR_wAg Hot Dots: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hot+dots&x=0&y=0 Bubber: http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/waba_fun_llc/bubber_play_create_set_with_5_oz_white_bubber.cfm?source=msn&kwid=bubber Lots & lots of reading aloud (via Tapestry), plenty of free time playing outside, building sets (blocks, Wedgits, Magneatos & Magformers, Gears sets, etc.) and we love our Nora Gaydos readers!

Thanks, Hannah- your Memory work file looks great!

I think I've decided on Evan-Moor's Daily 6 Trait Writing for Mary (7yo). I looked at WWE, TOG's WA, and a few others but kept coming back to EM's Daily 6 Trait Writing. Mary loves, loves, loves Evan-Moor's Daily Geography- it is her number one favorite thing to do do and we often do a weeks worth of lessons in one day because she enjoys it so much. So- we're going to try EM's Writing book- I have a feeling she'll enjoy it & it looks so easy & simple. Barnes & Nobles carries it & a bunch of other Evan-Moor stuff so I spent some time looking at it the other night (sometimes it's so hard to tell when you are looking at something online, it's always nice to see it in person!) and I think it will be a good fit. Plus, I think it's only $20!

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone- you've given me lots to think about & look at!

:lurk5:

I am trying to decide on several items for second grade language arts and would love to hear any input you all can share with me. I also could use some Science suggestions. Language Arts- Literature- covered by Tapestry of Grace, Year 3 (The 1800’s) Writing- Daily 6 Trait Writing or Writing with Ease?? (or any other suggestions) Grammar- FLL or Language Lessons for the Very Young?? (or any other suggestions) Spelling- Sequential Spelling Poetry- Favorite Poems Old & New- continue reading aloud & memorizing. We desperately need to get going on Science but I just can't seem to find something that I like. We tried Apologia this year & it wasn't what I was hoping for. I want something EASY and something SHORT without a ton of writing. I've considered getting something like Daily Science & then supplementing it with several of Little Labs Kits or the Mind Blowing Science kit. I'm definitely open to some suggestions of things you've used & loved or things you've used & hated (tell me why!).

That's just what I was looking for- thanks for posting it!

This is my second year with Tapestry & I've got LG students. I would say yes, you could jump in. There will be times where the kids are doing a multi-week project or one of the read alouds will be several weeks long. BUT- because TOG is a buffet that you pick from you easily just skip those things & do something else. Or back up a few weeks so that you could include those if you wanted to. How successful you are at jumping in the middle would probably depend quite a bit on how comfortable you are with tweaking curriculum to fit your own needs, routines, etc.

Tapestry of Grace, Year 2 Daily Geography Favorite Poems Old & New (simply one of the best poetry resources around- we read from it daily, the kids love it & have memorized quite a few poems from it)