I have never quite understood why people pay for Audible considering Overdrive is free. I listen to audiobooks constantly. I probably go through an average of 3 per week and I do not use Audible...only Overdrive. Hoopla is an option and I have an account, but I Still find Overdrive way more user friendly.

Thank you...will check it out. Any other recommendations are certainly welcome too though:)

My son has been in public school the past two years (k and 1st). Originally I was working with him prior to kinder and throughout kinder. Last year we just did the homework school sent home and I am a bit frustrated. He actually went backwards with regards to many of his skills while he was in school. Anyway, I feel the need to undo some of the methods and thought processes they have hammered into him because they have created problems where there weren't any. One of those issues is handwriting...and spelling kind of gets tied into it because when he's sloppy with his writing (and slow), words that he generally knows how to spell, get spelled incorrectly anyway (even his own name!). He looks uncomfortable when writing. I have thought of maybe jumping to cursive as I know some children do better with cursive than print, but just not sure. Can anyone tell me their experience with this with boys. My son's ideas come faster than he is able to write...I just want to find a method to kind of wipe the slate clean and start over with something engaging and not completely painful that moves as quickly as he does! Thanks!

This has been similar to our experience. My son initially learned to read with OPG, but has had trouble moving past cvc words and it is painful to teach from OPG. I checked out 100 EZ lessons because a friend of mine used it and her 5 year old is reading at a 2nd grade level currently. My son thus far is much more receptive to the 100 EZ book. He likes teh say it fast and say it slow games. His speech isn't great so this is kind of allowing me to break down words and sounds a little more for him and for him to practice his pronunciation. I may have to update after we spend more time with it. I just know OPG is tedious and wordy for us.

Oh thanks! That's awesome:)

Oh wow! Lots of great ideas. Thank you. Everytime my son creates a piece of art, it is a map...lol. He brought me a painting from yesterday and told me it was China and that we lived at the bottom in Texas. He gets his wires crossed. He loves to create "maps" though. I think it would be interesting to actually teach him some things as see the maps actually start to reflect his new knowledge. Thanks again!

I am guessing with the first two kids that no bottles were given in those first few days (obviously...no bottles!)? I don't have any experience with low supply so I don't know how valuable my input would be, but I have successfully bf'd two babies so I am just running through my list in my head of the important factors I know that contribute to supply issues. Lots of skin to skin contact and comfort nursing, oatmeal, water, making sure the baby is nursing on each side long enough to get to the hind milk, mother's milk tea, sleep, destress, and allowing the baby to stay latched on even when done nursing. I assume since you already moved onto Reglan, you probably did all these other things, but thought I would throw them out there just in case. I hope it's a bit easier for you this time around.

My 4 year old seems to enjoy geography and he picks up on it easily. I however don't really have any clever ideas on how to teach it other than looking at a map and pointing out different places. Is there a geography curriculum that would be appropriate for a 4 year old? If it helps...we are doing Right Start Math A, and working through Getting Ready for the Code, and The Ordinary Parents Guide for Teaching Reading. He looooves the math and tolerates the reading (somedays he is into it and somedays he's not. He does know how to read cvc words). He enjoys the Getting Ready for the Code Books.

I do. If I have music that fits the need, great. If I don't, I just make it up. Make up a tune or choose a simple tune like Twinkle Twinkle...gett he syllable and rhyme pattern and fill int he blanks twinkle twinkle little star how I wonder what you are Up above the sky so high like a diamond in the sky .... 7 (syllables) A (rhyme pattern begins) 7 A 7 B 7 B **Plants grow from a little seed words that rhyme with seed need deed bead lead weed reed **From the soil, gets what it needs **Water and some min'rals too what rhymes with too? boo coo do due hue moo new chew you flew blue blew **Up the stem, to leaves so new etc etc I have made up many many many songs like this to teach facts, processes, stories, etc. over the years as a school teacher and I do it with my 4 year old son now. I actually prefer this because the info can be presented exactly as I want it and my son likes to help me compose the lyrics:)

Ahhh...you know about this then. they are a PITA to deal with and an even bigger PITA when you try to get help from a doctor. I was told there was nothing I could do except to put a wamr rag on his eye. His first chalazia lasted 5 months and it was terrible. I took him to places with other kids and people would look at him funny, ask what's wrong with his eye, and keep their own kids away. No one seems to know what they are unless of course you have to deal with them. I was so fed up, I took matters into my own hands and researched researched researched. In the end we came up with two homeopathic possibilities. Graphite is one of them and Sulphur the other. Over time we have come to realize that for our son, the Sulphur was the magic bullet. I started giving him Sulphur 30X three times a day (5 pellets if you use Boiron) and the next day it was noticably better and before the end of the week, the 5 month chalazia was completely gone. We ALWAYS have this in our cabinet because we never know when one will start to appear. When we see that first tinge of redness or swelling and we know a chalazia is coming, we start the sulphur 30X. Usually it is completely gone by the next day. If we don't catch it immediately, it takes more like a couple days to get it gone, but it has been 100% reliable in this way. Of course, we also take very good care of his eyes. I flush them with warm water in the morning and at night. If he doesn't get good sleep, this can also trigger a chalazia so we are on it when it comes to sleep. Hope this helps!

I am only on lesson 8 in level A with my 4 year old and he is a very "mathy" boy you might say. He loves RS math and he really understands the lessons well. that being said, given you have a 4 year old, I would definitely do A first. I have seen some posts on here as well where people have gotten fed up with RS and they are doing a lesson a day. Even with a kid who loves math...we do only 1-2 lessons per week. The lessons cover a lot and we like to spend time practicing concepts and doing the math games too. My son enjoys showing off what he knows and the only way to have time to allow him to do this is to only do 1-2 lessons per week. I have the Deluxe Starter kit and am happy with my purchse. I love knowing that I will not be surprised and not have someting I need to teach a lesson and even though the lessons have not used certain manipulative yet, my son loves exploring them. I just make sure he is supervised when he gets time with them so he doesn't misplace one or mess it up.

My son gets recurring chalazia and homeopathic sulphur is the only thing that works.

That link doesn't work for me:( I just formed a co-op though and it starts this week. I have never looked at other co-ops so I am just winging it and tailoring to our needs. Our kids are very young though so hopefully it won't bee too hard to figure out. I would love a place to here about how other co-ops run though. It would definitely help me as I move my own along. ETA: It works now!

I used to be a teacher and I feel I was a very good one at that. I like the Classical approach in many ways, BUT..I think it is never a good idea to put your eggs all in one basket. I don't like to say I use any one approach or method. I use a combination of methods that given my students, my personality, my goals, etc. will get the job done. I have learned a lot as a public school teacher, private school teacher, and homeschooling mom. I wouldn't trade any of it. There are strong and weak points in all of it. I am soooo glad I have a degree in education and have studied child development. I have no idea whether it is truly needed or not for a homeschooling mom. It seems like many people here are very comfortable and well versed with what they need to do for their children, but I don't have experience as a homeschool mom without my previous experience as a teacher so I really can't comment on what the difference would be. My educational philosophy is constructivist. This is what I have always put on my resume. This philosophy can encompass many different methods to accomplsh the task. As long as I keep myself aligned with my philosophy, I feel solid in any approach that I use....some of which in Classical.

Seoul or Pusan? It has been a while, but I taught in Seoul for a short time. There are some interesting markets there, and temples. I am not sure I have any specific recs as it has been sooo long. I did have fun in Poryong at the Mud Festival though. It's a train ride south of Seoul. Seoul is great fun for the young single types because they have a crazy night life.