Yes, we use Simply Music. My daughter first started with Simply Music when she was 8 or so. After a while she wanted to learn to read music and asked for a normal music lesson so we switched. But just this year my 13yo son expressed an interest in learning piano and I knew Simply Music was the way to go for him. You play real, fun music from the beginning, including classical, blues and pop. I think its a great method to get just about anyone playing piano. However, for some people like my daughter, the more traditional method suits better.

I am not Christian but I pray. Your prayer seems very pure to me and I love the way you express it. I think its the best prayer, myself. I do pray for healing for others, understanding, peace, wisdom....and i have prayed when I thought I might miscarry for both pregnancies (after miscarriages before my first)- so that is asking for something for myself although it was also a promise I would be a good mother. I think prayer can be done on all sorts of levels. Asking for "things" can help one realise the abundance of the universe/God. There is power in wishing and being focused on something you want. But I love your prayer and I think its the highest form of prayer.

But if you eat seasonally as well as local....you wouldn't be eating many salads in winter. Thats not in tune with the seasons, You would be eating potato and meat stews, warm and nourishing foods, winter vegetables and whole grains (which store well). MOre dried fruits and nuts, less fresh foods- just for the time that there is less fresh food available. I think our bodies were meant to eat like this rather than eat salads and a specific diet all the year through. I am doing a course in Ayurveda and it emphasises eating with the seasons and we are in winter here, but it doesnt snow so we still get plenty of winter vegetables. I am actually buying brussell sprouts, though I am the only one who will eat them!

a)I think I am responsible for myself 100% and if I am offended, that is my responsibility. AND b) I am responsible for being as kind and considerate as I can be when I state an opinion likely to offend. Including whether or not it is important for me to state it at all, taking into consideration the whole circumstance. Its easy to speak one's opinon, but if it is to have benefit, the whole situation needs to be taken into account, not just one's own right to speak it. One's motivation is everything. BOTH are my responsibility. In other words, my responsibility is more important than my right, or as important, but certainly not less important. And I can't be responsible for anyone else who doesn't want to be responsible for either part a) or part b) above. I can only behave within my own integrity. If others dont, nothing I can do.

We have no problem with nudity at all in our fmaily- well, dh and I dont and never have. The kids have become quite modest on their on accord. I tandem breastfed until the kids were 5 and 3.5. Frequently in public. I felt no shame. However, I did learn to cover up as best as I could, and also to be descreet about where I bf- because I dont like the energy of leering men or judgemental people coming at me, and I don't want my kids to feel it either. As much as I might like to think I am immune to it, it does affect me. However, I will fight for my right to do it anyway. Once I was sitting at a coffee table with some friends bf my oldest, and a man came and made a very lurid and sexual remark about my breasts. It was the first time I had been exposed to that mentality since I had a baby and my friend just about ripped his head off for me while I sat there stunned. It made me realise that some people do think like that and yuk yuk yuk, I would rather not attract it.

I do the 4 year cycle, and Latin, and I have used many of the resources in TWTM but am not using many, if any, at present.

I'm a HST dropout too :) I didnt need the attendance or grades either....its easier to make my own tables in Word.

I feel like a spoilt brat reading all these posts. I DO get a week off each year- I take a retreat. Sometimes I go away for weekends too. Twice I went to India for 3 weeks. Dh supports me in these things because for both of us our spirituality is of primary importance and these are the ways he supports me. I am lucky because dh works from home- he has always been able to take care of the kids if I go out or go away. I take as much time as I need. It was harder when they were little because they wanted me specifically...but he made sure I go some time alone. I take a nap every afternoon. Also...I think marriage is difficult. Dh supports me in so many ways, and I adore him, but we are not similar people. We are very different people, and it has not been an easy marriage at all. However, I will say, when things get disconnected and mechanical.....I make a hell of a fuss. I will carry on until things have changed and fresh again. We fight- I dont think fighting is unhealthy for a marriage and I dont think never fighting is a sign of a good marriage. Sometimes it takes taking a risk to speak out your truth and say what you are feeling, whatever the cost, to make a change in your marriage for the better. If its better for you...it is going to be better for him too. Our kids have watched us work through things... from storming out of the room and slamming the door, to having a yell, to calming down, to knowing we are talking things through behind closed doors...to seeing us smiling and reconciled. Marriage takes work. If my needs were not being met, like the OP's aren't, I wouldn't be quiet about it. It works two ways of course...you have to be willing to listen as well as speak.

Oh my 13yo is still like that and I have homeschooled him for 6 years now. He tries to re-negotiate everything. Sometimes I will change my plan if what he is saying seems reasonable. But not usually. I try not to be a pushover, but I also try to be human and he just seems to need a lot of attention and one on one- always has. I reassure him, I cajole him, I encourage him. He always says "its too much" and I tend to say "you can do it", and he does, but then he says it again next time. I dont have any solutions other than make sure you get an afternoon rest time to recover!

We certainly have more "naturally bent" doctors around here, but doctors tend to be constrained by their profession to act within certian guidelines, and most have not done extensive training in nutrition, herbs, or different ways of treating people other than using pharmaceuticals. I use doctors for what they are good for (their area of expertise) - sometimes that is diagnosis- and I use other types of practitioners for their area of expertise. I am a trained naturopath, although not in practice, and I can tell you, we all approach things a bit differently. As in, there is a wide range of variance. Some might use blood tests extensively, others might use other diagnostic tools, some might treat primarily with herbs, others with homeopathy or nutrition, some all three. I presume it is similar in that regard in the U.S. to Australia where I am. Some people prefer a clinical approach, some prefer a more esoteric approach. I would ask around and see if you can find someone you know in your area who can recommend someone. Although, I recently needed to go see a chiropractor, and I was really desperate and didnt like the guy I saw last time, so I went to the guy just down the road. Partly because my neck was so bad I didnt want to drive. I am so glad...I am thrilled with him and have taken the kids since, and dh too. So that was just pot luck and it turned out very well. The difference between a naturopath and a doctor is generally that the doctor is interested in the specific symptoms of the specific condition you are seeing him for. He doesnt have time to sit down and find out how your life is going, what you are eating etc. He is into treating symptoms. A naturopath's job is to treat you as a whole person, to find out how your whole body is doing, your emotional state, your past illnesses, your diet, your family history- usually the first appt will take an hour or so. Then they will evaluate what to do with you....whether to take some herbs, some vitamins, change your diet, do a cleanse, encourage you to do exercise, whatever. They generally will take a longer view of the situation and head you on a path to overall health, rather than just trying to suppress or eradicate specific symptoms in one area of your body.

Its kind of a big deal when people want to stay here. DH's family just arent close- his dad has alzheimer's and now and then we take him for a couple of days to give his wife respite. Its not easy though- he is an alcoholic and we dont allow alcohol in the house. He sits and reads the same newspaper and does the crossword puzzles ALL DAY until he feels its ok to walk to the local pub and have a few drinks. Hes not too far gone but seems to have no ability to entertain himself of give back to the family. Never did, though. Both my divorced parents and their partners came by for a weekend last year- I live on the other side of AUstralia to them. It was a Big Deal. My brother is coming over with his wife next month. Again, its a Big Deal. However, my mother very much as an open house policy and I would like to but it kind of just doenst happen very often. I did have my cousin and her family come by a few years ago when I was a single mum. They were moving to my state and stayed with me for what ended up being 6 weeks while they foudn a place. I was so glad to see the end of them when they went and it meant that I didnt visit them very much- I felt they had imposed on me way too much to stay too long. They paid for their food and a bit extra for electricity, and thats it- no rent. I was pissed and it was a lesson for me to learn to communicate better.

Dh provides the money, and emotionally supports me 100% to homeschool. He provides a lifestyle that makes it work. He also does his own washing and disciplines the kids. He has always been good with giving me space from the kids when I need it (I usually go away on retreat for a week each year and occasional weekends). He does NO academic schooling with the kids and I barely talk to him about it, but he does have lots of conversations with them about issues such as drugs, or things he reads in the newspaper. He tries to ready them for the world. He got dd15 a job with a friend doing his accounts.

I have LLATL Gold American Literature and it has 36 lessons with 5 parts each for each day of the week. That looks like a year long course to me. My daughter is enjoying it and getting a lot out of it.

We go to a great science class and its worth the day out for us. Both kids are in different classes at different times, but get to play/chat with their friends while their sibling is in class. I can come and go- I usually use the time to do a bit of shopping, but also socialising with other mums. I will actually be glad when we dont do it any more but its worth it to get science covered for us. Its my weak area. Also, we get 3 hours schoolwork in before we leave so its not a whole day. Other than that the classes they do are all extra curricula now. I like doing as much school at home as possible.

What are you doing for the menorrhagia? I wouldn't just accept it...I would go see a herbalist, traditional chinese doctor or naturopath, and get your whole system checked out. Doctors will treat the symtpoms of your condition in isolation. A good natural doctor will try and work out why it is happenning (I am sorry, "ageing and hormones" is just ridiculous at your age), and look at what can be done to heal the cause. You simply dont have to live with it- there are things that can be done.

Oh, I dont mind resurrecting threads. :001_smile: When I get on the boards (um, with my morning cuppa), I go to the search function and put in my name. If anyone has responded to me using my name in a thread I have written in, it will come up there. That way I dont miss if someone has asked me something in a thread or made a comment on a post I have written. Otherwise I would just forget what I wrote. Other than that I check the first three pages of the general, curriculum and highschool boards and leave it at that. The west coast of the U.S. is a full 18 hours behind me. I love it :) We get Christmas almost a whole day ahead :)

No, I dont think CW is large family friendly unless you are already very familiar with the program yourself, and/or your kids are all put in the same level. I found it very difficult to teach only two levels at once- I cant image doing more than that. However, if you could bunch your kids together and teach the lesson to them at once, even if their writing ability was different, it could be doable. It is a time intensive and teacher intensive program, particularly when you get past Aesop.

I would say memorisation, copywork and dictation are stressed in the grammar stage, but not later- not by 6th grade. If you read TWTM you would have seen that SWB divides classical education for children into 3 stages- grammar, logic and rhetoric. The grammar stage is a lot of exposure to information in story form, learning rules such as in Latin and grammar and spelling, and learning to read and write is emphasised ...but this is because this is the natural stage that children can learn these things easily. Memorisation is easy at this time and harder later. Your dd would be in the logic stage where if she can already write well copywork and dictation need not be covered and the emphasis is more on connections and thinking than memorisation. However dictation can still be a valuable learning tool....if TWTM did not convince you of that, though, I probably cant, but I swear by it for my reluctant writer. I do believe that for many kids a classical education does make them think very well and I am perhaps hard on my own kids for not being so interested in learning since they have their own passions that are not academic- I am not feeling that we have wasted our time with a classical approach at all, and nor do I feel it all revolves around memorisation and rote learning. It doesnt- that is a stage and a part of it. By the rhetoric stage kids will theoretically have such a strong foundation of knowledge and learning skills that they learn to express themselves well and truly think for themselves. But if you have read TWTM and are not inspired by it, maybe it's just not for you. THe whole point of a classical educaiton is to make a child think, not just to stuff them with information. How well that actually works for individual personalities and family styles is variable though.

Dont use food as punishment or reward. (you dont "deserve" chocolate)

Yes, it is a labour of love for him- he wrote it for his own kids who were in private schools and not learning anything much. But his kids are moved on and he has brought the price of the course right down- it wont make him a living but he has spent thousands of hours writing it. He has a passion and a vision. And btw, we did the first two courses orally together and the kids responded well. It helped us move through them in a day each.

Just in comment to the 6-8 year history rotation- it's not. The courses are about a semester each- 18 weeks. You could easily stretch them out but they can be done in that time. Since I am starting with Medieval we will be able to relax and fit in a good dose of Australian history as well as finish our present history cycle- perfect for us. I like the look of the final history course too- an overview of world history and the value of learning it.

Lol. Love that term "ultra secular". What does that mean exactly? I figured your question wasnt addressing me because I am not against God, Christians or Christianity....but I guess I am still ultra secular, although plain secular would do :) (I never even knew I was that till I came here- in my world, I am normal :)). But in answer to your question....this is a homeschooling board that is unique in its ability to accomodate a wide variety of people because it focuses on the desire to homeschool to a high academic standard. The focus is not on the religion, even though that may be primary for many people. I love that these boards can make me feel at home and comfortable even with people I would really have nothing to do with in real life. I love the inclusiveness of these boards. I figure if someone is anti Christian and they come here, they will probably not feel comfortable here for very long, but then again, maybe they will, who knows. Does it matter, really? They will be teh odd one out. To me its an opportunity to mix with an international community of mothers (some dads of course) with something in common- the deep desire to do the best by our kids. I prefer to see the commonality between us. You never know, the tolerance most people express here may just rub off on someone who has an axe to grind about Christianity.

Well, it is all new to me and I hate to be reviewing yet another curriculum (its embarrassing for those who have read my comments on so many over the years) but after one week we are flying. I agree- the secular chronological logic stage history looks really good. My kids have only done one lesson and it went well- they are starting where we are at- Medieval- and the first lesson involved reading about Byzantium and Constantinople and why it was positioned where it was, and they had to write about where they would place a city and why (present time). They both loved it and took it very seriously and wrote far more than the 50 words suggested. I honestly feel they learned more than if they just had to tell back why Constantinople was positioned where it was. They had to connect the past with the present and make it relevant to them. Thats not 'classical', in my understanding, but they were enthusiastic and put extra work in. I am also enthusiastic about the Manners course (a secular manners course, basically, but basically just how to empathise and be nice to people!), the Whose in Control Course (dont let those voices on the TV, or anyone at all, tell you what to think- think for yourself)- and the current affairs courses- I have bought the Emerging Third World COuntries one- dd15 did the first 2 lessons and wrote a fantastic assignment and then later made a connection to something else she was reading and chatted about it to me. That honestly doesnt happen much around here so I was happy. I have felt for a long time that the classical path we have taken has left the kids rather ignorant of the present world they live in. Fine for a kid who is curious and interested in politics etc, but mine aren't particularly. They wont go looking for the information themselves, so while they have read many classic books, they dont have a clue about many other things in the world they live in, even though they browse the newspapers regularly. Other topics in CTT include terrorism and world poverty. I am glad my kdis have the foundation they do...but CTT is appealing to me in its relevance to their lives right now and engaging them in thinking for themselves and asking them for their opinions. But truly, its only been a week....I cant tell you how its going to be in a month or a year, only that it appeals and I have been at my wits end trying to enthuse my kids about school. They just dont care, they just want to finish it as soon as possible to move on. The fact that several times in our first week they wrote assignments much longer than they needed to, bodes well. As for science...yes, I dont know. My kids do classes with a science teacher so I am not reliant on CTT. However I have them doing Science Basics because I like it's approach. I think CTT would give an excellent education. If you are hell bent on your kid definitely going to college, you would still have to make sure things like maths and science are covered to the standard you need. Neither of my kids are sciencey so it's not an issue for me.

Nope, I didnt :)

My dd did Paragraph classes 1 and 2 with Eileen. She received heaps and heaps of feedback. At first it was overwhelming to her but then she got the knack of what was expected. She received the feedback often within minutes, at the most hours of sending off the assignment. She still didnt finish any asssignment within a mere couple of days. She is a reasonable writer. It really stretched her. I loved that I didn't have to be involved.