Not Christian here. I have used all 4 and not found them too Christian at all- and my kids are allergic to too many Christian references. They loved them. I dont remember anything I cringed at. It covers other religions well, and other cultures. Maybe not perfectly- I have heard people complain- but the benefits far, far outweigh any minor problematic details. SOTW just set such a wonderful theme for our homeschool for 4 years, I am very grateful for them.

Another alternative might be to get Composition in the Classical Tradition, by Frank D'Angelo. I haven't seen it but I hear it is fairly easy to understand. Its not a curriculum, but it lays out the progym. And another possibility is, for your younger kids anyway, is to wait for SWB's highschool writing course, which I believe will be based on the progym. It's not necessary to start the progym young. I really feel its such a shame CW ended up so difficult to teach for us homescxhool parents ( I am a CW dropout too, but I hung in there for a good couple of years). There are so many wonderful things about it- I hope they keep improving it and making it easier to use so that future generations of kids can benefit from it.

I don't see that its any more voyeuristic than anwhere else you share part of yourself, or allow others insight into your world- and that can be here, a phone call, emails, whatever. At first I thought Facebook was kind of like that- narcissistic- but I hung in there waiting to see what all the fuss was about. What I am seeing is that it is PLAY, and its fun, and it doesn't have to be a big deal or serious. I am finding I am actually interested in what people are doing and saying. If I wasnt, it would hold no attraction (and I must admit the attraction is minimal, but enough to keep me in there.) The other day I made some frivolous comment about watching Battlestar Galactica with my kids, on Facebook.....and suddenly people I am connected to through Facebook- and IRL too because I dont allow anyone I dont know IRL- started chatting, and my little whimsical comment led to a fun and playful connection with a friend and a relative. I think if you dont take it too seriously, its just a playful way of sharing yourself and making connections ....which is a mixed blessing of course, as the internet always is, as we spend more time online chatting and connecting wide and far.....and perhaps less IRL.

My husband is rather brutally honest about his mother and his family- who we live near but have little to do with. None are very interested in us. Dh tends to find fault in my family too...but overall I dont tend to speak badly of his family or mine, even though they all have their faults. I see mine so rarely, and they love me- I see no reason to dwell on their faults. I appreciate his family jsut because they are the only family I have where I live, and they are reasonably friendly, even if we only see each other a couple of itmes a year. Rather than call someone selfish, I would rather call them unhappy- because self centred people, who dont know the joy of giving, are unhappy. So that evokes compassion in me, rather than judgement (I can be judgemental, just sharing my thought process). No one is JUSt selfish, so while I would want to make it a teaching moment, I would rather not leave that as the only impression I have my kids.

If I go to bed early, I can get up early nice and fresh. I do need my 8 hours sleep. However, most days, by 1 or 2 pm I am done, and I have a rest, and often even sleep. Somehow this works for me- my kids are older, I arrange our day so they dont need me by then. But yes, I do awake refeshed most of the time, but I am pretty good about going to bed early.

I think Australia is one of the best places in the world to live- relatively clean, safe, prosperous, beautiful etc- however I have travelled and if the circumstances were right, I would happily live elsewhere. I love India and could live there. maybe New Zealand. I am not sure there are any other western countries I would prefer to live, but given the right circumstances, I am sure i could.

Have you ever lied? Do you ever exaggerate to make a story sound better? Do you lie through omission? Are you completely honest with yourself about it? have you ever done it in front of your kids? I lie, at times, and I expect my kids to, because it is a part of human nature. I have even seen a study which said the most intelligent kids will lie more. Sometimes it's even appropriate to lie- or to be less than completely honest- to be polite or to not hurt someone's feelings. However, I also have a relationship with my kids that is full of trust. The way to deal with lying is for everyone to see the cost of it, the price one pays. It can be loss of trust with a parent or a friend. It can be a consequence that a parent gives a child. It can be learning that lying makes life more complicated and painful than just telling the truth in the first place. But mostly I think we function through trust and when a child lies to me, I lose my trust in him or her, and the natural consequence of that is whatever I feel to do next. If he steals my money, I move where I keep it, and sit down and talk to him about it, so he knows he didn't get away with it. If he admits it, we are way ahead of when he doesn't, and often the talking, the remorse- and repaying the money- is all thats needed to heal the situation and restore trust. I dont, and have never felt the need to, do punishment on top. I have never really come from a moral position of "you musn't lie ever" because I would be a hypocrite to do that- I tell lies, I withhold information from my husband at times (like how much something cost me- if he doesnt ask me directly), I exaggerate. But I come from the persepctive that lying in ways that hurts people and breaks trust just doesnt work, and I dont lie to my kids and I make a point of telling the truth at times even when its uncomfortable to do so. In other words, I am not absolute about it, I accept that its human to lie- and we deal with it on an issue by issue basis. It has come up several times with my son, and it was a Big Deal each time. All life stopped until he confessed, felt remorse and trust was restored. And sometimes that took some work. But once it was done, it was forgiven totally (even forgiven secretly before he confessed). I think the best insurance against lying is to try and be honest yourself- even about your lying. It makes it a safer environment for a child to confess. And then help the child to see the cost of the lying- the cost to himself of having the people in his life, that he loves, not be able to trust him.

Its probably puberty, hormonal changes, and I am not sure I would give him anything to deal with that other than good nutrition and extra sleep. But maybe give yourself something ? :) I have a 13yo boy here and he's always been my highly emotional one- meltdowns are daily-, so its not a sudden change. However, I would say overall he is maturing, and that's a good thing! ETA- I would give him lots of understanding and even explain you remember how hard it was at the same time in your life. I don't think this is something I would want to "alter" with drugs- even so called natural ones. It's life, and we all need to learn to navigate it with courage and wisdom, rather than resort to things substances which make it easier all the time.

We live in a society, a culture, that expects us to live for ourselves, to be selfish and self centred- it the "me" culture. It's all about fulfilling ourselves. Not that doing what you want to do is necessarily selfish, or that its wrong to fulfill oneself- but it is confrontative and just wierd for many people to think anyone could want to devote their lives to someone else's welfare. I mean, what sort of image does a SAH homeschooling mum present? It's a threat to the structure of our society, really. The reason I parent as I do, is because I dont want to look back with regret- or as little as possible. So what if I had a great career- if I neglected to be the absolute best mother I could be, I would feel regret.

I identify with the attachment parenting label....but I don't think a playpen or not is an issue. Sometimes its a safety thing, sometimes to protect teh baby from the toddler, sometimes to stop the baby falling down the stairs while you make dinner or whatever. I think we had one at one stage but I can only remember sitting in it myself! Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do! Attachment parenting doesn't- in my opinion- mean you never put the child down, or provide a safe environment for them, although a few people take it to that extreme.

I try not to take sides at all....and I try to remain friends to both. But often it is the woman who is my closer friend and I can get biased if I listen to her blaming too much. I have a friend who is still having issues with her ex because of custody issues, and I have had enough of hearing her stories about it- I just want her to find her anger and act, rather than complain to her friends all the time. I want her to find her power. He is really behaving selfishly (about their child), but she seems to not want to act decisively. its like, she tells her friends, we get angry for her, encourage her to act, but she doesn't. However, he is part of my social circle too, and even though I have sympathised a lot with her and even got quite annoyed with him- face to face, I tend to just start fresh and remain open. I see no good can come from hating him just because she does. And I try to remember I haven't heard his side of the story, since we are not that close.

My basic tomato sauce is just to fry up an onion or two, some garlic, in olive oil, add the canned tomatoes, cook it up a bit- then I add a decent squirt of tomato or bbq sauce. Then a handful of fresh basil if I have it, or dried if I dont. It's very simple. For spagghetti bolognaise I just fry the mince in after the onions. For vegetarian bolognaise I add in TVP or various grated vegetables.

Hi, I am not in the UK (I am in Australia) but I just wanted to say that yes, homeschooling can help with those sorts of problems and there is many a homeschooling family that became so from exasperation with the school system one way or another (including me). After a while of homeschooling, the school nightmare just seems like a bad dream as you get on with the business of homeschooling and jsut living. I found the hardest part of homeschooling was making the decision to do it in the beginning- it felt like walking off a cliff into mid air. It felt like I was taking too much of a risk with my kids. But I ultimately trusted it was the right thing to do and once on the other side of that decision, I haven't looked back. You may also find help on the Special Needs board.

here is a website to get you going: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/ Truly, I don't know how the human race survived so long before we killed all the horrible bacteria in everything. :rolleyes:

Raw Milk drinker here. I would go for what is local and convenient and financially viable for your family, personally. I like that I know the husband and wife I buy the milk from. I haven't visited the farm- they personally deliver to the city. But I could. I LOVE raw milk. I didn't drink milk much before I started getting raw milk. Yum. I am going to get a glass right now. I also make kefir every day now. And I have to admit that I am on these boards less often than I used to be because I have developed a passion for fermenting foods, and am hanging out in different places onine nowadays :). In the last few weeks I have made lots of raw milk kefir, just made my 2nd batch of water kefir,some kefir cream cheese, lots of real ginger beer (to die for!), two different sauerkrauts, several ferments grape drinks (not supposed to be alcoholic but mabe jsut a tad :)), and an apple cider. I want to learn to make raw cheese, and raw kefir butter. All this started when I got into raw milk and got my kefir grains. My family now call me a witch because the kitchen is full of bottles of things in various stages of ferment. They are like my babies. So. Enjoy your milk :)

I was shocked when our newspaper ran an article a few months bck suggesting that perhaps for the new national curriculum here in Australia, history should be done chronologically. It was just a suggestion. I will be even more stunned if it acutally happens. But glad for the kids. I have learned so much doing history chronologically. However, we dont do it as chronologically as SWB suggests, the 2nd time around, as I prefer to linger in countries and continents longer and not jump all over the place (Sumer, then Egypt and India, then Ancient Greece then Ancient Rome for example) but without a guide like SOTW the 2nd time through, it is just easier to do it this way anyway. But we are still generally chronological, and I love it. I love having a whole year on Medieval history.

No, not automatic divorce here. The whole situation around the infidelity would be taken into account. I have heard of many cases where infidelity brought to light issues in a marriage that were subsequently worked through, and the marriage was then better than before. To err is human, to forgive is divine. Abuse, or a situation that directly hurt my kids, would be more likely to send me packing, and even then, if there is remorse, its very different to if there isn't.

I think it can be adapted to most kids. But not necessarily done as the WTM lays out. There are even classical unschoolers. Classical is a fairly broad category. I think it has more to do with the parents' enthusiasm and passion about what classical means to them, being convinced that is how they want to educate their kids, and then being willing to adapt that to their own children and situation. It the parent is not convicted, they won't be able to hang in there through the hard times. Its not the easiest path, in many ways. I have a son that is not that keen on classical but I just make it work for us- and he does end up enjoying parts of it. He also doesn't know anything different. But I make my own program and make it work for us, rather than try and make us fit too closely into someone else's idea of a classical mould. Within reason, anyway.

My concern would be narrowing of options in life. Not that someone cant get further education at any time...but as a middle aged woman, my options in life ARE limited by what education I have up to this point. And I know from experience that it is NOT a pleasant life situation to be in, to be financially- and therefore to some extent emotionally- dependent on a man who is difficult to live with and refuses to face his own demons. I did leave my marriage for 18 months- it was truly unbearable at the point I left and had been for some time, and it WAS better for the kids and I. In my case, we reconciled because things changed. Meanwhile, I had to work. The job was ok. But not what I am capable of or what I would want to do indefinitely. Life throws up so many doozies. The dream of being happily dependent on a single income coming from your partner is....well, not always realistic. And to tell the truth, I am not sure it is such a healthy dream, either, even though I am the first to say kids need a parent at home, particularly in the early years. With my dd, I suspect she isnt going to make it to university. So meanwhile, I intend to get her some basic business skills and whatever else I can get her to do while I am still a strong influence. She is a strong and free spirit and will do what she will do. I want her to feel confident she CAN do what she wants to do, that she CAN stand on her own feet- with or without a man to support her. Whether than involves further education or not, I dont know yet. Its not the be all and end all of getting ahead in life. However, further educaiton is not just about getting better paid work or a more rewarding career. To me, the whole "classical education" concept is being educated to have a richer, deeper, better life. One doesn't need to go to uni to further educate oneself, but I sure hope my kids dont stop where I leave them- I hope they continue their own journey and keep growing and learning.

I've got teens doing the same. I feed them (or rather I let them eat). They claim to be full at dinner then an hour later they are "starving". I trust they are growing. I am not strict about set mealtimes. My dd has blood sugar issues and a sensitive digestive system- she feels she can't eat then suddenly she'll be starving. I let them snack, and just keep trying to think of healthy options to keep around.

My son repeated what is called kindergarten here. It was for 4 year olds, but he has a late b'day and he was immature and not ready to be away from me as much as they wanted at that age (4 half days a week). He just wasn't ready, so we pulled him out halfway through the year and put him in again the next year- with the teacher's support. It was a good thing to do but in the end he still struggled. Then he had a great pre primary experience, no pressure, great teacher, no comparisons, lots of encouragement and support. But by the end of first grade (age 6/7) he was significantly "behind" and being labelled. By half way through year 2, I was homeschooling him and he was quite damaged and his self esteem was shot. The system doesnt like kids who arent ready to read and write at the same time as the majority, who jsut cant get their head around those skills as early or easily as most kids. I suggest it is far better to have a kid stay back than move forward, if they are that age. No, they dont always catch up easily- my son is homeschooling because he was slowly geting lost. He wasnt noisy, disruptive- just super quiet and not getting any attention. He couln'dt write. Or read. the teacher told me he would need me to work with him at home. But he was so upset by his inabilities to do what other kids found easy, he couldnt work with me and go to school- he would come home literally distraught. Of course your situation is different and unique, and your individual teacher will make such a difference. I jsut wouldnt push a child forward who isnt ready- the teachers probably do know what they are talkng about to some extent.

My husband and I went on separate spiritual retreats when we got married. Our kids were young- about 3 and 4- and so we gave each other the gift of a retreat while the other looked after the kids. It was the best honeymoon we each could have had at the time. I had a week in a town on the other side of Australia,doing a retreat I wanted to do- the town just got burned down last week in the Victorian fires. In both 2003 and 2004 I went to India for 3 weeks on my own. And most years I go off and do a silent retreat for a week. So alone time is not scarce or unsupported in my life, and I value it highly and dh has always made sure I get it. Dh does the minimum with the kids while I am away, but he keeps them alive :) and they enjoy the different dynamic of not having me around. You know, pizza for dinner every night and all that.

My dh has always been like that- and I used to get hurt a lot. I wanted everyone to eat healthy and he just wanted comfort food. (And hes a vegetarian who doesnt like vegetables or legumes!). Too hard. Many times I cook fo the kids and not him. Many times I have been in tears or left the table upset at his comments. However he is not heartless-just blunt! The meals that work best for this family are meals that have several components- salad, meat, vegetable, cheese, bread etc. That way everyone gets something they like, and I can eat healthy too. Took me 17 years to work it out though.

Slumdog is showing at the alternative cinemas here in Australia and I only saw it because a friend told me I had to (I love all things Indian so he knew I would like it). It is an exeptional movie.

Maybe its more of a personality thing than a time thing, to some extent. I have never really been able to follow curriculum very well. I have always tweaked. Having a LD kid probably helped. I have sometimes envied people who just get their kids to use the curriculum they buy first and do what is put in front of them- sure would have saved me a lot of time and money :) However, in retrospect, I was quite frightened for a long time, that they weren't getting enough, that I wasnt doing it well enough, and to some extent having a few years under my belt has helped that, for sure. And, I was certainly more rigid in the beginning. I remember having arguments about Latin with another classical mum and in retrospect I was being slightly fanatical and didnt really know what I was talking about. I am a lot more relaxed, dont care so much about the classical label, worry less about gaps, and freely drop things that arent working or feel like busywork. I feel I am in charge, not the curriculum. It wasnt a sudden change though, its been gradual over the almost 6 years since I started.