My mum had bad side effects to prednisone- couldn't live with it, couldn't live without it- took her months to get off it. But, I cant remember her mentioning that one (it might have seemed a minor inconvenience at the time, not worth mentioning).

DH did have complications from having a V. It bled internally- probably because he went straight back to work- giving massages- instead of resting for the rest of the day like the doctor told him to :glare:. Actually, he fainted. Mmm, imagine cantaloupe sized goulies, and blood up to the belly button under the skin. 3 operations altogether. That's when he became a Treckie (weeks in bed watching videos). (we kinda love telling the story, but it's a bit mean telling a man who is about to get it done :) ). Anyway, no long term problems, just 6 months of them! I always told him it was karma because I was too young to make that decision, and I have since wanted another child. He was clear though about not having more kids. However.....dh was incredibly clear that it was up to him to get the deed done, because it is USUALLY a much easier operation than for a woman. It's very quick, no big deal- usually. There was no question for him that it was up to him. However, my life wasnt in danger. If I had to be responsible and my life was potentially in danger if i got pregnant, and dh wouldnt come to the party- well I would try very hard to get him to do it first, but then, I would just get it done. Someone has to be the mature one!

Relieved to have finally made the decision. Anxious that my son might change his mind. Excited to be starting out on the adventure. Making the decision was the hardest part for me- I was concerned I would scar my children for life- homeschooling is ever less known in Australia than in the U.S. and most people are jsut ignorant about it. As for getting time alone, I have found an interesting thing happens when you spend a lot of time with your kids. Well, for me, anyway. They become "full" of attention, less needy and clingy if they ever were, they feel secure in your daily presence- and in return, they become more self sufficient, able to entertain themselves. I remember my son when he was still at school, he would be so clingy when he came home, and irritable and angry. When he started homeschooling, within a few weeks he was a different kid- sweet, happy to potter about in the garden looking at insects for hours. And remember that in the WTM, it says you must take a couple of hours in the afternoon for a rest and time for yourself while your kids are in their rooms alone with books and activities. I do it, even though my kids are teens now. It means I am not a wreck in the evening, and I get some good reading done.

Dd15 was working well completely independently until recently- I went to mark her work after a couple of weeks and she got most of it wrong. I never worried before because she always got most of it right. So, she needs to backtrack, and I need to mark her work daily! Ds13 has always done Latin with me till recently- I felt he just wasn't learning properly, wasn't really drawing on his own brain enough. I told him I wanted him to start doing it independently- he asked me if he could start way back at the beginning. I agreed to it and he is doing ok. My kids probably sound old for LP but we dont spend a lot of time on Latin daily and I have been slack about having them memorise, and it has backfired. LP is meaty. Actually we have done several years of Latin now, with Cambridge before LP- and still its meaty. With Cambridge, you can guess a lot of the time with the context. You cant get away with that with LP, especialy with English to Latin. However, I decided if I was going to be able to be much use to either of them I needed to do it myself, so last night I started on chapter two of LP1 and whizzed through 2 and 3 in about 90 minutes, maybe less. It made me more compassionate for where they might get stuck, and for silly mistakes- I made several mistakes just from trying to do it too fast, not reading the question, misreading a word. I should know better!

I make my own on Word- that way I can decorate, use pretty fonts and colours, have a master copy that I can tweak each week, and print out another if the first one gets eaten by the dog. I jsut use the table function. They like to scribble out the work they have done. I print out one each week for them each- it has no times, but we have done times in the past so that everyone could see I wasnt being unreasonable! They like to do their independent work in whatever order they feel like. As long as it gets done, i am fine with that. We do have a starting time though. No slacking there. Chores done, exercise done, breakfast done, dressed, music practice done, at your desk, by 8.30.

My late reader caught up and sped ahead very quickly. He went from reading very simple chapter books, to 2 inch thick novels, in a very short time. He was 9.5 when the lights went on and he has been a pretty advanced reader ever since then, in spite of his other learning difficulties. I never felt he missed out on books for younger kids because I read all the important ones out loud anyway :)

I like chronological because it makes sense to me, its a nice way of ordering things, and i think it probably does help in keeping it all together in one's mind. However, I dont think its the be all and end all. Studying a lot of history in itself is unusual- the public schools here dont, and there is a huge focus on Australian history when they do. Just the fact that one spends one's childhood studying a fair amount of history is a great thing. Sometimes I would like to take time off to study more geography or Australian History, but I am kind of hooked on the chronological stuff and it seems to work for us. But its not a hill I would die on if I felt drawn to doing something else for some practical reason. I just havent felt to change what we are doing. I have done Australian history as a parallel stream to World History and that has worked. I cant seem to fit in as much as I would like though and it has fallen completely off the schedule this year.

Unseasonally wierd weather where I live (Perth, Australia). We get winter rain, normally starting April, building up in May usually with some decent storms, by now regular rain. It hasn't really started yet. Its been a long, glorious autumn, warm and sunny.....but thats not normal! And we need the rain.

Phone is allowed in bedroom, but not computer. That keeps her in the main living area a fair amount of the day. If I felt the phone was keeping her in her bedroom, I wouldn't allow that either. I guess I keep engaging them. Tonight I had dd15 make us dinner while I had a spa with dh. I am a very private person and spend a coupe of hours in the afternoon in my bedroom, myself, so I dont have a problem with my kids enjoying their space. But if I felt it was interfering with family relations I would probably insist on some things. Sometimes we insist dd come for a walk with us - she hates it, really badly, but is usually fine once she is out there.

I was shocked when ds13 needed three fillings last year, two deep ones. This year, I told him he would be paying for any fillings, because he does eat too much sugar now that he is old enough and has access to buying junk food. He has brushed his teeth very diligantly for the last year, as has dd15 who also needed a filling last year- and neither needed any this year. The motivation of having to pay for their own fillings was enough to get them to diligently clean and floss their teeth- they are more diligent than I am. That may not help you, if your kids dont eat any junk food, but it has convinced me of the benefits of brushing and flossing in a dedicated fashion, for kids who do eat junk.

Two different issues.....you need to keep your heart and connection with your dd wide open. Messiness is not worth ruining your relationship over. Love her anyway, find a sense of humour about it in yourself, and then.... Do whatever you need to do. I have so much empathy for my kids' messiness because I was a messy kid too. My mother used to flip every month or two and keep me in all day Saturday to clean my room. She however didnt teach me the routines and processes that are needed to be internalised to keep a room tidy. My dd14 is unusually messy. We rent, so damage of walls is not negotiable- there would be severe consequences. She would pay for the repair herself. However, she simply doesn't care much to keep her room tidy. She gets a fair amount of pocket money a week from her dad. We made is dependent on having her room tidy Monday morning. That is fairly effective motivation for her. Its called Monday morning room inspection. Other than that, I have learned that the only way to ensure my kids learn to keep their room tidy, and keep it tidy, is to stay on top of it myself. I have to parent the whole process over and over and over. And thats the hard part for me. Its easier to close the door. I go in sometimes to both my TEENS rooms and tidy them myself at times. I sort through drawers. I havent done it with dd15 for quite a while- she considers it an invasion of privacy, but at 9, no problem. I disappeared things at that age regularly, too. I still tidy ds13s room at times, in order to sort through things, toss things, get his drawers in order. He still cleans it regularly, but it takes me to really go in there and look through the nitty gritty to get it done properly every now and then. I dont think its such a bad idea to take everything away from your dd9. But, let her earn it back if she keeps what is there tidy. The thing is, dont ruin your relationship with her over it. Thats why i think a sense of humour helps, or stay light hearted but stern. Its not personal, its jsut what we do- keep things tidy.

We are not doing a lot that we weren't already doing. We are resourceful people who are very tuned in to the 2ndhand market, and rarely buy anything new. In that respect, we are not big consumers in the first place, even though we live well. We changed my car over to gas (from petrol). We bought a camper trailer- for present use, but it doubles as a possible home if things were to get REALLY bad. We have camping gear. Dh can hunt. I put in a vegetable garden. We have chickens. We rent though- so there are limits as to how much we can convert our home. We discuss regularly what we might do if a) things just got tight financially b) things got really bad and we needed to relocate and live in a more survivalist fashion. Not being in denial of the possibility that things could get bad is a large part of being able to survive it if it happens. Both dh and I have lived on a very low income in the past. Here in Australia, it might be better than many other places. We have an open mind, and consider it a possibility that things get quite bad. We figure we might just be in the poo along with the rest of humanity. I personally see it as a good thing. i wish we would stop wrecking the planet for our children and future generations, and using up the resources. However, maybe also we will avert disaster. There are thousands of people around the planet working in an underground way, things such as micro-credit to women in 3rd world countries, and organic farming, to avert disaster.

The articles in the newspaper here in Australia suggest that the crime rate in schools is much, much higher than in "my day". There is no respect for teachers in the classroom and there is a lot of crime against teachers. I read article after article about this. But teachers have their hands tied, and students are given so many "rights". And I guess that proper parenting just isn't happening. What I notice is that parents are scared of their kids, want to be liked by them to the extent they won't do the hard stuff. My daughter keeps telling me that all her Scout friends- age 14 through to 17- drink alcohol at parties hosted by parents. What sort of parenting is that? However, my homeschooled and strongly parented son still managed to let off a cap gun during a public event he was attending as a Scout recently, and was stepped down as a Scout leader for a while for his behaviour. Kids are still kids and I dont believe they are innately any different from any other generation- but how we respond as a community in general is quite different. I was talking to my mother about it. One of the differences from her generation is that any parent in her day would scold or even swat any child in their presence- so all kids would be watched and disciplined by all parents in the neighbourhood, and the values were fairly universal. Nowadays, if you tell off another child, let alone swat them, you might be sued! Parents dont have common values any more- what to one parent is abuse, to another is discipline. A male teacher cannot even comfort a child who is injured in the playground - it is illegal to touch them! It has become ridiculous. On the other hand, I dont want other parents telling off my kids particularly because another thing I notice is that parents are so, so biased towards their own children nowadays. They dont see the mischief and dishonesty of their own kids, who plead innocent. Many times my kids have been reprimanded by other parents when the parent just refused to see the guilt of their own children (we have a whole street full of families here and kids go from house to house). They protect their own child and blame the other. This is just lacking integrity and I feel a terrible thing to do- it is my job as an adult and parent to see my own child, as well as other children, equally, and not to favouritise. I am amazed how often parents blatantly favouritise their own children and refuse to see their guilt. I think that is part of the whole bad and neglectful parenting issue of our generation.

Lol, yes, biscuits are cookies in Australia. And I have never heard of biscuits and gravy :). Sounds positively revolting to me :) I agree with gardening momma, it might be a good idea to stay away from most starchy foods like that. I don't buy or make biscuits. For snacks, my kids eat fruit, meusli, toast, nuts, cheese, sometimes microwave popcorn :). Not that they are sugar free- they are not by any means- but I don't keep sugary snacks in the house- more for myself than them. On a low point of a low day, I could be tempted :)

Umm, my dh is a bit like this ;). So is ds13. I also wouldn't necessarily think it is extreme- it may be a phase, he may literally just be sensitive to the noise she makes. he may need more physical spac than normal and she may walk too close to him. My husband simply won't allow gum in our house, and it really irritates him if someone chews with their mouth open or eats an apple near him. Not that I had met anyone like that before him, but it kind of seems normal now :) I woulnd't expect your son to change..he probably can't. I like the idea others suggested of opening a non judgemental dialogue on how to deal with it so he doesnt keep losing his temper. Gum may be normal in the U.S.- (I can only go on what TV shows) but it is considered quite rude to chew gum in other parts of the world, and I am sensitive to when it is appropriate with my kids.

I have been on this bandwagon for nearly 30 years now as I developed an interest in nutrition in my teens. I really empathise with peoples' confusion as there is SO much conflicting information out there. I like to look at what traditional societies have eaten, because apart from in times of famine etc, many were well nourished. We can think scientifically all we like, but the human race made it this far somehow, and overall we are not, healthwise, doing so well. I dont believe scientifically sound diets any more because while science has its merits, it just doesn't know sooooo much, and it tends to discount anything it cant prove yet. Wheras generation upon generation of people in particular areas learned what worked and what didn't. So I like the Nourishing Traditions approach- but I am not religious about it. I just prefer the tried and tested traditional approach to nutrition, than the newfangled so called scientific approach which ends up with every diet conflicting with the last. But, I suggest you read widely and don't get "religious" about any diet approach. Everything sounds so good and probably and wise until you move on and read the next book and it conflicts and then that seems sensible. I just try and keep an open mind and get in tune with my own body and find what works for me.

Wow, its a sensitive issue. I can see Dirtroad's perspective though, as well as those who feel no child should ever be made to hug a relative. I think perhaps our society has swung back to the opposite extreme as far as respecting the child's perspective goes. We are the parents and we can teach kids to respect their own boundaries AND also behave in a polite way with relatives. I think there is a balance there to be had, and I do think kids can be gently encouraged to overcome their shyness and step out from behind mother's skirts now and then. But, every situation is individual and I know there have been times I have become icy to get across a message to someone not respecting my boundaries, and I would do the same for my kids, too (off the top of my head I don't think I have ever felt the need but I may have done it so automatically it hasnt stuck in my mind). Instead of hugging, what about teaching a child to shake hands? In the end, if the person was being actually icky and insensitive...well, no, I would advocate for the child according to my own gut response, smile nicely and say something to the effect of "no, she doesnt want to" and perhaps pick her up myself to be clear, and reassuring to the child. But if the person is just being a bit insensitive to my particularly shy child, maybe I might encourage the child to extend themselves, or pick them up and take them over for a hug while never letting them go, as a compromise to keep everyone happy. I dont think there is a one size fits all response I could agree to on this one.

I would wean yourself off sweeteners of any kind, and things like biscuits. The more you stay away from them, the better you will feel, and the less you will crave them. An apple will taste very sweet. Sometimes I do crave something very sweet, and I will have a date. Its not often though. I do put stevia in my tea. Agave is an NT no no, although I havent read the article on why that is, yet- something to do with the processing of it, and the fact it is high in fructose. Still, I use it at times. Recently I decided to go back to some honey in my morning 2 cups of tea- only 1/4 tsp- and I found by the end of the day I was craving sugar again, so I dropped it. Its true- eat enough healthy fat, and the craving for sweet things will drop away.

We have a schedule and general routine- we start school at a certain time. They have a list of work to do for the day on a weekly schedule sheet that I tweak and print out each week. I have tried times- doesn't work for us. We generally do our "together work" at a set time though. Its a flexible and steady routine we have been doing for all 6 years we have homeschooled. I plan very generally for the whole year, and more specifically just ahead of each of our four 10 week terms. Even then, I change my plans as I go, in adaptation to our circumstances, to how the kids are doing, to thinking of something better.... The kids each have a desk with all their school books on it. We have a schoolroom, and couches in it as well as desks. (My desk is in there too, and I pay my bills, check my email etc while in the room- if I leave the room, the level of work by thm goes way down :) ) .

Have you considered using copywork, dictation and narration as a foundation and then adding in things? I really preferred for a long while to think of them as my foundation, and then add in programs as needed. I think LLATL might include them though. What do your kids need? What are their strengths and weaknesses? I don't like doubling up and busywork unless I am really focusing on a particular area. I have one kid who never handled workbooks well and LLATL didn't work for him, nor GUM, nor any workbook spelling program (and we have yet to try Writing Strands with him- he may now be ready for it). You may find your kids respond differently to the programs and you need to adjust as you go. The benefit of homescholing is adjusting to each child. If it were me, I would be looking each week to see if there was any doubling up, and crossing off exercises that seemed redundant. It would have been too much writing for my son at those ages, but he is reluctant. I streamlined so as to hit as much as possible with as few programs as possible- using copywork, dictation and narration as a foundation.

Gosh I was glad when I was finished them. SO addictive. I still havent seen the first movie.

I think its an important consideration. I grew up in the city, but we had bush areas nearby. We didn't worry about stranger danger in those days :) and used to run wild all over the place. But also, my parents took us camping and bushwalking a lot. They are both nature lovers and I am a nature lover. When I was 14 I moved to the country with my mum. I used to spend hours hiking in the bush alone. My kids are not such huge nature lovers as I am but Water Scouts has got them out in the bush and on the river in the outdoors a lot. My dh is not much of a camper, or a nature lover, so its not much of a priority for him, so I have had to find creative ways to share my love of nature with the kids. Even just things like making a garden at home and getting them to plant seeds in it, or making a point of learning the names of the local birds, trees and insects, goes a long way toward keeping them in touch with the natural world. A simple walk aroudn the block every day can be amazing from the eyes of a child, especially if the parent can summons the enthusiasm for noticing the hawk in the sky, the insect trying to cross the road, that sort of thing. Charlotte Mason nature study ideas are good for that. I walk every day in my area, and see all sorts of things over time. Picnics are good- visit beautiful nature spots regularly as a family. We have a spectacular wildflower season for a couple of months where I live, and I have always made a point of taking the kids to the bush- just local- to see what is out. Some years here certain orchids only come out if there has been a bushfire and it's exciting to see them.(I love bushfires too!) There are other shy little orchids - spider orchids, fairy orchids- that are hard to find but we love looking for them. Sometimes we take a sketch book and try and draw something. This is all within a few miles of home, in the city.

I do not consider myself overprotective, but I wouldn't allow a 5 year old to ride a bike outside- on the street, out the front of the house- alone- even in a fairly safe, quiet suburban part of a small city where I live (and not in America. Crime is lower here). 5 is just little. I didn't allow my kids to ride bikes on the street until they are over 12, because that's when kids have fully developed adult peripheral vision. But, I have lost my kids in the mall, at the zoo, and some kids are plain precocious and adventurous and run off. Rather than being overprotective- because where do you draw the line there? you cant wrap them in cotton wool forever- I prefer to get really in tune with my intuition, give and playgrounds and play areas, even streets, a good sweep for weird feeling people- even now that I have teens. I want my kids to be strong an independent and not to feel I am smothering them. But at 5? Well, they just need someone watching them.

I wouldnt- and my dd is also very competent and mature- simply because I wouldnt want to put her in a situation that might end in a tragedy that would scar her for life. A 1 year old is ripe for wandering, falling in a dam, or a bucket of water, or a bathtub, eating something and choking....us mothers sometimes fail in protecting our children from these things but have many more years of experience in how to deal with potentially dangerous situations- and the hormones to act in a crisis, too. I wouldnt give my 14yo so much responsibility for such small children, so far away from adult help.

My son does half a worksheet twice a week. I sit with him and go over any new concepts for a few minutes at the beginning of each new worksheet (ideally, anyway.......sometimes its after wards, and he just goes over the completed worksheet and adds in the new concept...) Its only takes him a few minutes each day. Maybe 10?