My garden doesnt save me anything. But it's good therapy :)

I just wanted to say thats it all the field trips and unit studies and activities that would burn me out. Not the academic work. Can you have a regular structure of 2-3 hours of academics every morning- then freedom to do whatever you choose the rest of the day? In those 2-3 hours you can do a maths and an English program so that the bare minimum is covered daily. I do find having a routine works best for us. Often by the last quarter of the year I am much closer to unschooling than I am the rest of the year. I often give my kids projects to work on and am more likely to drop everything and take them somewhere. But by then, we have usually accomplished a fair amount through the year. Slow and steady is the rate here. We have afternoons pretty much free.

I printed out several articles about homeschooling and gave them to my husband. He was completely against it. The eventually he gave me a 6 month trial. It sounds like your dh has already, in a way, given you a trial- but he doesnt understand much about education (neither did mine). If you can find some articles such as Better Late than Early, the Moores, he may realise that not having your 5yo doing much proper school work yet is really a non issue. Also, some articles on the long term benefits of homeschooling etc. I googled and came up with plenty and just chose a select few I thought might sway him- and they did. Within 2-3 months of the "trial" he was totally convinced and still is my biggest supporter. Now, it might not have swayed him if I had a newborn coming along- he is also very protective of me burning out. But if you are reasonably organised and confident, it might be ok. Plenty of people do homeschool with babies, obviously.

My dd was 9 when I brought her home to homeschool. I had brought her 7yo brother home 6 months earlier due to his learning difficulties and the school's lack of response to him....he was thriving at home and Dh, who had been dubious about the whole idea at first and had given me a 6 month trial- was so enthralled by homeschooling he wanted Dd home too. We could see that we would lose her in the next few years to her peers. Dd did NOT want to homeschool. She spent 6 months asking when she could go back to school. She was happy there. I worked really hard at getting her a social life with other homeschoolers. I knew I couldnt homeschool her indefinitely if she was resisting me. It took 6 months, but around that time her old best school friend invited her to a b'day sleepover party and then had them watch adult horror movies- they were all 9 years old! Dd was so traumatised, it helped her to cut her emotional ties with her school friends and come wholly over to her homeschooling life. She accepted it and it is now 6 years later. She still has a bit of a hankering for school at times, but she certainly has had a good time homeschooling too. And, in the beginning, she really didnt think she would. As parents we decided to over-ride what our daughter wanted because we felt we could see a bigger picture and that it would be of greater benefit for her to homeschool. We have never, ever regretted that decision. You are the parents. You can always give it a trial and she could go to school again later. (I couldnt let my dd think she might go to school later though- I needed her to surrender to our decision for now). I think it is normal for kids- some kids- to not want change. But we are testimony to the fact that even a kid who thrived in school and loved it can also thrive at home and be happy there too. And it sure makes it easier on mum to not have to do that school run every day.

I am sure they all have some benefit- they are fruits after all and I know of none that have no benefit- but I am turned off by the hyped up marketing over them. If oranges and apples were rare and exotic, they would find a way to hype them up too by citing isolated nutritional factors. The alternative health industry is just as corrupt as the mainstream health industry trying to get you to take pain relief for every tiny ache. If you cut out processed and packaged foods, and especially soda, and eat mostly fruit and vegetetables and whole grains and butter and raw milk, you will detoxify. Add to that some sort of gentle bowel cleanse, and you will detoxify even better. However, I have certainly tried many things and spent a lot of money on them too, hoping they would improve my health. If you are attracted to the juices, maybe there is something in them that your body needs- I think trusting your instincts is a good idea in any case. Better than trusting the advertising.

I have a range of herbs- mostly in pots because we rent. However, I find some herbs thrive where we live- mediteranean ones mostly, since that is our climate- but many others- often the English ones- don't do well. So, my garden reflects what survives around here more than what I have actually planted. I do however have a wonderful collection of organic dried herbs that I use regularly as teas for various ailments. I just pulled out my yellow dock and nettle actually, after reading the anaemia thread, and I have a pot brewing right now. It was just the reminder I needed.

I was the kid who my family- especially grandparents- had high hopes for, as I was bright at school. But I let them all down and wasted my talents instead :) (my grandmotherm, still alive, likes to tell me regularly that I wasted my good mind. It doesnt matter to her that I was following my own destiny and heart, and that I do have a naturopathy diploma). It had a lot to do with having parents who divorced in my teens and everybody presuming I would find my own way through. My parents were both busy with their new relationships and I went through a depression and left home at 16. I did try herbalism school for a while at 18, but mostly I went on a spiritual journey- and I dont regret it at all. However....for my kids, I would like them to follow their dreams AND have some practical ways to make money. This may well play out most with my dd, who is a talented artist- but she doesn't necessarily want to go to art school. She doesnt know what she wants to do. Dh definitely doesnt want her to go to art school because its a lot of money to train in a career that doesnt often make even a basic living. He would like to see her doing something practical to make money- and I think she is thinking more along those lines too. Its a fine line for me- I would send her to art school if it was her dream. But she doesnt necessarily want to have art as her career- just her hobby- and I think that may be wise, anyway. I dont think university is where either of my kids will necessarily end up, but they may, as well, and I am making sure I keep those doors open for them. Ds is interested in business so he may doing some courses. I wouldnt be suprised if both of them just end up setting up their own business with their dad's guidance and goign from there.

I am generally borderline anaemic and am used to trying to find different ways to boost my iron intake. I like Floradix at the moment. Spirulina is another thing I take regularly. Be aware that iron tablets can make you constipated, and upset some peoples' stomachs. Some people just cant take them. I dont like to take them for too long at a time so I use herbal/alternative types a lot of the time. I also pre-empt the constipation when I do take iron tablets with some sort of non habit forming, gentle laxative.

Flylady works for me but I adapt it to me and sometimes I dont even do it for months on end- but as soon as I am overwhelmed, I know what to do, how to get back in balance and organised again, one babystep at a time. The thing with Flylady is that it trains you to form habits- simple habits like throwing away junk mail as it comes into the house rather than putting in in a Hot Spot, and decluttering a small bit at a time (like the sock drawer one day). As far as paperwork goes, I have a filing cabinet for evreything I need to keep. My desk has a calendar and a To Do list on it. I have a pin board above my desk for all bills, and a tray for all pieces of junk mail or other mail I need to either file or read later (most junk mail goes straight in the bin). Its all pretty simple and its very much a system that has evolved over the several years since I joined up with Flylady.

I was a curriculum junkie. I read somewhere that buying curriculum is a homeschooling teacher's training- we dont have the benefit of several years of teacher's college. We are straight in the deep end. Buying curriculum is how we learn what works for us and for our kids, and it can often take a few tries to learn either a) a particular program wors better than another, or b) our kids will complain at any program and we should have just stopped at the first one we tried. Either way, its a learning experience. Its even more expensive to be a curriculumn junkie in Australia because most curriculum is American and the exchange rate and postage make it horrendous. However, I still managed it for several years :) Its been 6 years now and it has kind of worn off. I know what most people are talking about and even have an opinion about many curriculums. I have tried a lot. I still look and sometimes try something new, but its not so addictive or compulsive as it used to be. I have actually felt it has been a benefit for my kids to use various English and maths programs. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I know a family who have used only R&S and Saxon and I know that wouldn't work for us. Boring. Anyway, I dont think you shoudl give yourself a hard time, as long as you keep the kids' best interest at heart.

I dont keep much snacky food in the house. Some crackers and cheese, microwave popcorn, and always heaps of fruit. When I grew up, I had free access to food at all times, including copious amounts of sugar. No restrictions whatsoever. I am a bit of a control freak and health nut when it comes to food so I have always placed restrictions around access to food. The kids - now teens- have always been allowed one glass of juice a day- no soda. Sodan is only for when they are out. They are not allowed to eat the icecream, or anything like that. They can make themselves hot drinks though, but not lots of hot chocolates with sugar- they know my limits. They werent really allowed to eat anything without asking for most of their childhood. Nowadays, I am not so strict and they pretty much know what they can help themselves to. I also expect them to make some meals for themselves nowadays, so they can help themselves to food for meals. I dont actually think its necessarilhy good for kids to snack all day- its one of the downsidesof homeschooling I reckon. Bad for their teeth, bad for their health, to snack a lot. But my son seems to have suddenly developed hollow legs after never being a huge eater, and for morning tea will get himself several pieces of fruit, popcorn, cheese and crackers and nuts. Thats a snack. He is growing rapidly, so I figure he needs it. SO, I guess I am somehwere in the middle of teh spectrum nowadays, after being quite controlling about it when they were younger.

I've been pretty poor for many years, although social security in Australia is pretty good, and was even better in my youth. You can live well enough if you are happy with little. I am glad I had that experience because it kind of diffuses the fear I see in many others of being poor. Its actually ok, down to a certain level anyway- I am not talking about starving poor, just having to buy in op shops and eat simply. In fact, the beauty in not having much money is that life is simpler because you have less options. The sun still shines, you still have fresh air to breathe. I used to go to the beach a lot. I have slept in the bush and on the beach and in a cave due to not having a home for a while. But I always ate ok. I was time rich and that seemed a good payoff to me. Its a joke between Dh and I that taught him to dumpster dive. He had been wealthy- millionaire- before he and I got together- and he had given it all up and didn't have anything. He still "thought" like a wealthy person though and was shocked that I would literally dive into dumpsters. But I completely corrupted him- he is a whizz at the 2nd hand market, loves op shops, and last Sunday we spent 3 hours driving around the suburbs that were having council pick up just to see if we coulld find something of value. We did. And he will dumpster dive now too. We live well not because we earn a lot, but because of our love of finding a good 2nd hand bargain. We are still time rich and that is of more value to us than many. The one thing I used to do when I was poor that I dont do any more, is pick flowers from other people's gardens. I only picked a few off bushes that had many- so they wouldn't be missed- and I only picked them off the branches that hung over the fence or sidewalk, but its just too close to stealing now for me to do it in front of my kids. Although I will still pick them on a vacant block or on the edge of the road, occasionally. What wouldn't I give up? I am not sure...internet access would be one of the last things to go, though :) But I could still live without it. (I am sure I could, really).

I like to be in bed before 10, even on holidays. My kids are now at the age they want to stay up late, just because they think that's what teenagers do. Part of teenage rebellion I think :) I make them go to bed by 9 on schooldays. But on holidays and weekends I am much less rigid about it. Last night we had dinner across the road with friends and dh and I came home about 9pm. Dd15 stayed over there till 11.45 (she had a midnight kerfew). However, although I went to sleep, I knew dh would stay up till dd got home, and he did.

Mathew 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. That quote came to me after reading a little of this thread, and I am not even Christian. We are all people, with feelings. The women who wear bikinis even though they have stretch marks are people with deep feelings and as women, we are all so vulnerable to how others perceive us because our culture focuses on our appearance. People handle it differently- some cover up, some work hard to look good and flaunt it,and some kind of let go and try not to care any more - but we just about all respond in some way- all trying to make the best of a difficult aspect of a culture that focuses on appearances rather than inner beauty. The woman at the pool may have a dying mother, an abusive husband, a sick child, a hard life, you just never know. Who cares about her swimming costume?

:lol::lol::lol: YOu have such a way with words :001_smile:

If she can read and do anything else like art during the day, it sounds very doable to me. My kids' schedule includes 2 hours of reading and its less than 6 hours (not that its necessarily comparable because we dont need transcripts).

I just want to say that my son, who is also probabyl dysgraphic, CAN do beautiful handwriting, after year of practice, but he still reverts to chicken scratch when he has to think of content at teh same time. It is a little more readable chicken scratch than it used to be, though. I have accepted with him that he can write neatly enoguh to fill out a form if he needs to, but he will never, most likely, have beautiful handwriting generally speaking. However, when he does try, he does take pride in his writing. I have kept him doing some sort of handwriting practice (copywork and handwriting books) for 6 years now, since he was 7, and will probably continue through his teenage years. I decided not to use HWT because I had already tried to get him to change handwriting styles, from our Australian VIctorian Cursive to Italics, and it didnt help that his brain had to rethink all those letters.

I used them for my dd when she did Book 3. I am not sure if you have separate U.S. tutors- I am pretty sure the tutors are British, using the British Cambridge and Independent Learning Manuals. My dd was 13 or so. She is a fairly capable and independent worker, but the hope I had that the tutor would be a substitute for my attention, was not fulfilled. There is nothing wrong with the tutoring system or resources- I think they are fine. Its just that with Cambridge it is quite easy to fudge your way through and seem to be doing ok, but not actually know the grammar very well. Thats what happened with dd. I stayed hands off and she didnt do well in her final exam at all- however she redid the exam and passed. So my suggestion is that if you use the Cambridge tutors, dont necessarily just hand over to them- keep an eye on what your child is doing and do the necessary drill, and vocab learning with them.

I generally allow about 2 hours a day during holidays, of computer time, and another hour or two for tv- which is usually a movie or a series we are watching. It sounds like a lot but in a day of maybe 14 hours awake, it leaves plenty of time for other activities. Ds13 loves to play games, with a bit of MSN chat time with friends thrown in. Dd15 loves to chat a lot with friends, play on her My Space, and then play Sims and on Photoshop. Dd has to do some exercise before she can get on her computer. They often complain bitterly about being kicked off, and they also will take more time if I am not onto them. I empathise because I find it hard to limit myself. I need to work on myself constantly to set a good example. When they get off, they usually complain about being bored and that there is nothing to do. However, it makes them resourceful. I am not their entertainment committee, either. Ds will often go outside and play with other kids on the street. Dd will cook, read, paint. Then when they both get really bored they might play a game together. I will still take them places- shopping, visiting, whatever- but I wont do it just to entertain them- I jsut do it as it comes naturally as part of teh rhythm of life. I do see that one of the worst effects of electronic over-stimulation is the inability to just hang out and play the way thousands of previous generations of children have always done. It seems boring after electronics. I think its important to make space for that boredom and not try to entertain it too much, so that kids can learn to access that inner imaginative world of play again.

Same as nmoira, one or two exercises a day depending on how long they take, and drill time additional to that. I've never understood what people mean when they want a schedule for that kind of program.

I choose particular topics because it lines up with the IEW Medieval Writing course. On eassignment can take several weeks. I am also using K12's History Odyssey adn rather than having them read teh chapters in order, I have shuffled a few around to line up with the topics in the writing program. I have never had to do this before this year but it is working well. Actually, I did do it last year in teh sense that we spent 10 weeks on prehistory and early civilizations, 10 weeks on Early Religions (K12 cover that well), 10 weeks on Rome and 10 weeks on Greece.

It doesn't surprise me. My dyslexic finds certain things very difficult- following/deciphering instructions, and writing- yet he spells above age level and reads at an adult level. Maths is average. So he is not "classic" dysexic. Yet his father doesnt read very well and is more "normal " dyslexic. My step daughter could never understand why her marks were so low at school. She went right through always feeling she was doing ok, and getting surprised by her low marks. She is dyslexic.

Why can't you take a daily nap? Your kids are old enough to let you be. I understand it is an issue for some people, but my kids really entertain themselves. Your older two should be able to give you some time every day, and take care of your younger. Maybe you need to train them to give you a block of time each day for yourself. Obviously you are not going to get the amount of time you had to re-energise before you had kids. But you can organise and prioritise your life to get your basic needs met- your need for some solitude. I do. I get up early and have time alone then. Then I have an afternoon nap. And again in the evening I take time for myself. My dh is at home but he works evenings, so I get evenings to watch a show with the kids, then I do my own thing. You probably need to work much harder than I do, with a farm, but surely you really can take some time for yourself? You may find the sense of overwhelm goes if you can prioritise your genuine needs (and I consider solitude and time to plan and organise a need) above other peoples' wants and desires. If mamma aint happy, nobody is happy. You gotta take care of yourself.

I am simply keeping their work, and certificates of the various courses they have done and are doing. It's a lot of freedom to cover what we choose, I must admit. We are still accountable (in my state) to our moderator, but that's never been an issue.

My kids work independently a fair bit now, but we stop around 10 or 11am for an hour to do "together work". It's when we all sit on the sofas and I read aloud, and we discuss stuff, we do memory work, and any subjects that we do together. Often I will discuss what their writing assignments are. Then they will go back and work independently while I make lunch (well, sometimes) and they finish off while I have an afternoon rest. It works for me, but we all love our together time.