Dd14 had her first date a couple of weeks ago- I dropped her off at the cinema and picked her up afterwards. The young man is also 14, they met through Scouts but live many miles apart. Last weekend the boy's mother picked her up and she was taken to our local water park for the day for her friends' b'day. It's not an intense thing, it seems. She has many male and female friends and is a very self confident and down to earth young woman- unlike me at that age! This has just been fairly natural for dd and for us. I don't think they even hold hands-it's just fun and all parents are watching closely. To forbid it would make it into something far "bigger" than it actually is.

I have wondered why many people get ever so slightly defensive when i say I homeschool...as if somehow it threatens them, or reminds them to feel guilty. Everyone is doing their best, homeschooling is not for everyone, many in Australia dont even know its an option, and my enthusiasm about it is not intended to make anyone who chooses to send their kids to school, inferior in any way. There are plenty of good schools. I do love to talk about it though because I had to go through such a barrier to get to the point of homeschooling and I know that barrier is there in most peoples' minds. Kids go to school because that's what they have always done and what all kids do- we are institutionalised in our thinking and it can be HUGE to break out of that. It was for me. So I like to feel I am on the other side of a great divide, and just the fact that I am doing it is threatening to some people, curious to others, positively enticing to others- but I know it's quite a journey to get to the point of actually doing it. I don't expect people to behave differently from how they do, and most of the time I am patient and understanding and dont share any more than I am asked to, politely. I feel that just knowing that homeschooling is a possibility, just by meeting me, is quite shocking and eye opening for many people (and yes I get told I must be very patient etc, and I disagree that that is true)- so I don't expect them to respond well at first. Usually though curiosity gets the better of people and if there is time, we talk more about it. Id be careful about being over zealous though- it is only one option and not the best one for many people. Its just great it is an option for us- and really, its not an option for most families where both parents work, and for many that is not a luxury, that is important just to get by. So homeschooling to me often feels like an incredibly luxury, and not one to be remotely arrogant about. In a better world, we would all have the freedom to homeschool, or send our children to very good schools, or some combination of the two, but we dont live in that world- yet.

Ds13 loved a pair of winter pajamas I bought him a few months back. In a play fight with his sister, they tore. I kept meaning to get her to sew them up for him, since she ripped them- but didn't get around to it. Meanwhile the rip grew bigger and bigger and he kept wearing them because he just loved them. Finally a couple of days ago I said enough- they sure weren't covering much any more! then I thought, why not cut them off so they are shorts? So I cut off the legs- but they were ripped so badly that once the legs were cut off, they were now a short skirt, not pants. And so ds13 STILL wanted to wear them and said now they were his kilt! He wore them around the rest of the evening, proud of his kilt. He just loved these pajamas! I did manage to disappear them this morning and put them in the bin. Fortunately his b'day is next week and I bought him a new pair of PJs today.

Yes, pretty much, although ds13 will avoid when he can! In fact, its not unusual for dh, dd and I to have 2 showers sometimes. However we use the same towel for about a week or so before washing. We hang it to dry between uses.

I changed our whole schedule and routine so that I could have a nap! I have done that all this year and it has made such a difference for me- but I like naps, I know some people don't. What I do is make sure I have completed my work with the kids- and they only have independent work after lunch, or soon after lunch. In many countries it is normal and natural to rest after lunch- I wouldn't try and go against it. My kids don't seem to need to rest though, but they usually only have reading left so end up taking their book to bed quite often. I would rather start early so that we finish soon after lunch, than have to work again later!

Fagles.

I go through phases with it. I do think it is expensive and a bit of a waste- unless you somehow use the pulp- and I don't think that much fruit is so good for you juiced- too much sugar. Unless your kids won't eat fruit, I guess, but I think a couple of pieces of fruit a day are better for you than juice. I find juicing valuable when cleansing, when wanting to concentrate on my health for a bit, some concentrated vitamins and minerals when I have a cold or am feeling run down or just when we haven't been eating enough vegetables- and then I use green vegetables, beetroot, carrot and lemon. Sometimes apple if I am trying to tempt the kids. But yes, it is expensive. I buy the big bags of juicing carrots, and whatever else is cheap. I have found an Italian deli though which sells 2nds fruit and vegies and even though its a bit of a drive I am making the effort every week or two, because the supermarket stuff is so expensive now. At the moment I am doing green smoothies and the kids love them.

We go by the school terms- it works for us. That is 4 ten week terms, with two weeks holiday in between, plus 8 weeks at Christmas/summer. So it is really 10 weeks on, 2 weeks off until summer. But I took a mental health day on Monday to have us all clean the house because I had got behind and it was weighing on me. So I will take a day off if needed, and there are sometimes public long weekends.

Basically we have two good quality bath towels (bath sheets) per person, one beach towel per person, and two sets of good sheets and doona covers per bed. We also have some older towels and sheets for spare (great for when vomiting occurs, the washing machine floods, or we have neighbourhood kids in the pool and they didnt bring towels!). I wash towels only once a week or so, not daily. Flylady taught me this system, and I love it. Each person has one towel on the back of their door (each person can have a different colour), the other in the wash or folded. The spare set of sheets for each bed can actually be kept under the mattress, eliminating the need for a linen cupboard- opening space for a 2nd pantry for bulk food storage. I don't do that- but I like the idea!

I would just be careful you are not trying to do too much, because Ambleside is not as "light" as it looks, and the biggest mistake people make with it is to try to add things. I always end up cutting back. However, almost everyone tweaks it to fit themselves, and if I was to start over I would tweak it to fit the 4 year cycle (actually, that is what I am doing but I am using Year 7 now.) I would use SOTW too, and many people do.

Ds was 9.5- hang in there! He is 13 now and has read at an adult level for years now! It was a particular book, at a particular time....I had continued to read aloud every day (which he loved), continued to have him read to me the bare minimum aloud, which he disliked. He was just starting to read to himself happily for some time each day- but only because I made it part of school. He did not LIKE reading much- it was hard work- but he loved stories and has always loved dragons, myths, medieval stories. Then I was reading a particular book aloud (Sea of Trolls), and he asked me if he could continue to read it himself when I had run out of voice! He took it out of my hands...and has never looked back. This kid is dyslexic, learned to read when about 8, has learning issues...his dad doesn't read due to dyslexia and kind of giving up. We never did books aloud, I just read aloud each evening before bed and again during school time, and limited TV/electronics. She is 5.5. Plenty of time.

I would just pick a grammar program and do it. I am glad we did a solid year of grammar at that stage, because sometimes since then we have taken a break from solid grammar but we laid a good solid foundation then, so when we come back to it, the basics are there. You can do grammar orally, you can drop the writing exercises, you don't have to do it solidly year after year, but I would say its a good time to do a solid year of it. Those defintions, parts of speech- much easier to memorise them during grammar stage, I think. They kind of stick. I am sure glad we are not trying to learn them from scratch now, because there is so much else to learn now, too.

It has come up for me recently although I have taken no action and there is no hostility at present. I am looking for part time work and basically setting myself up to work now, as well as homeschool. We rent although we have 2 investment properties. I would rent another home, dh would stay here. Dh would give me some sort of child support- I would have to fight for more than bare minimum. Social security benefit is enough to live on, with a part time job, in Australia, although it scares me that the kids would have to cut back on their social activities, which are very important to them. I can't work from home because dh already does, and his business would interfere with mine. That is proving a blessing- it is good for me to move into the world, when dh works from home- I am meeting people and finding support and encouragement- to the point that the home situation feels much easier to handle. I am a trained naturopath...it is not easy to set up a business and get a client base...but its what I want to do so I am heading in that direction. Basically, whatever happens in my marriage- and its come to this edge many times before- I feel it is time not to be so financially dependent on him. My kids however are teens now, and even my rather needy child can work enough independently that I think I can leave him a few hours here and there and the work will be done. When I first started homeschooling, dh and I were separated and I worked part time. Dh looked after the dc two mornings a week,while he worked from home- and they were only 7 and 9 then. :grouphug: Jessicca. I feel these things have a way of working out.

It hasnt been much of an issue because in our last two houses there werent other kids in the street. Both kids played in the backyard alone- watched through windows- from a young age- 2 or 3. When i say alone- they are 17 months apart in age, both have always been sensible kids- usualyl they played together. Now we have kids in the street, ds 13 has been playing out there- on the road, up and down the street, in and out of friends' houses- for most of the 3 years we have been here. It is a family friendly, safe suburb but we parents all look out for them, too. Ds13 is the oldest of the kids- there used to be a 4yo whose parents just couldnt prevent her from being out there with her brother- she is 7 now, she survived!

I have discovered Agave nectar. It is sweet, tastes fairly innocuous like mild honey, is much sweeter than sugar so you don't need much, and is low G.I. It has a G.I. of 27 (sugar is 82 I think- white bread is 100). It is actually suitable for diabetics/ low carb dieters. I am only on a no sugar (or honey etc) diet, not a general low carb one ( I love potatoes with sour cream), but the agave gives me that sweet taste in my tea, which is really the main place I missed it. I find it easy to stay away from sugar and havent really been tempted. However low carb is too much for me and I get depressed and feel it is extreme for my system. Dropping sugar feels sooooooo good though, as I had a strong hypoglycaemic tendency.

I have a lead foot. I speed. I believe in the spirit of the law, but I don't like getting caught, either. I have also done a defensive driving course- and I felt the policeman had common sense, rather than a rigid attitude toward the law. I learned what is the safe distance to stay behind the car in front of me- 3 seconds- it gives time to react. It is also further than you would think. I find people who drive too slowly irritating and often dangerous, personally. Same with people who slow down to almost nothing 200 metres before turning off a major road. I certainly don't want to be arrogant about it, but I feel I use common sense. It's important to keep an eye on what is going on all around you, including behind and up ahead. Stay alert, don't get complacent. Speed is not the only factor to consider. I have never driven with kids in my car after drinking ANY amount of alcohol- not even "under the limit". Nor do I drive kids after any amount of codeine, not that I have either very often. Thousands of drivers out there drink and drive, thousands are on drugs, both legal and illegal, thousands drive with no license or very little experience (I didnt get my license till I was 26, so I was never a speeding teenager). I am glad most people have a basic respect for the law- the law is there for the greater good, most of the time- but I feel many fearful, trepid drivers are far more dangerous than me going over the speed limit in the freeway or highway. I am amazed at the number of bad drivers out there, and usually that means they are just plain discourteous and inconsiderate of the effect of their driving on the people on the road with them. Drivers often seem oblivious to the people around them.

That's why I try not to be too specific in my planning. I plan 10 weeks ahead, but only in certain things am I specific. Most things are "1 chapter", " 3 lessons a week" type of generalities which allow a bit of flexibility. If I want a book finished in the 10 weeks so that we can move on next term, I am likely to prioritise that book each week to make sure it is done- but I only have a few things each term that have this kind of schedule. For us, maths, English, Latin etc are not rigidly programmed- they are just "do a lesson a day", so if we miss a day, or can only complete half a lesson, we don't get behind. I find if I am too specific, I get down on myself, I stress, I stress the kids out, and it doesn't leave me the flexibility to take some time off here and there for sickness, cleaning house, mental health days, whatever. For me, finding a balance between structure and flexibility has been an ongoing journey, but this is what is working for me at present. Yes, we could have packed more into our year if I had kept to a rigid schedule- or even done everything that is on my planning sheets- but we have still had a good year, everyone has made progress in all areas, we have read a lot of books (even if we dropped a couple due to lack of interest in them). We haven't finished our maths books- well, what to do. We have worked consistently and some days the child was too overwhelmed to complete a whole lesson- the child is more important than finishing the book. I think it is important not to put "finishing work" above the whole process of enjoying the journey, of finding a steady routine and rythm, and adjusting for your own lifestyle and life. Things are going to come up. If you are always feeling guilty, its not such a nice way to live.Its not weak to not be able to maintain your own high ideals. Of course, people fall to either extreme of a healthy balance- and some people could benefit from more structure- but if the structure is too much, life loses its juice around here. Its not about pleasing anyone else, after all.

Learn the Flylady system, make your own control journal- one that works for you, personally, your house, your lifestyle and personality, and follow that. I get my Flylady emails sent to a separate folder.

My kids are both highschool age here in Australia- 13 and 14. I am looking for work. I intend to work part time, and have my kids work independently as much as possible- they could do that a couple of days a week. That's my plan. If they ended up at school, I would be disappointed but it would be ok, too- they have had 5 solid years homeschooling. I don't think it will be necessary though, but we don't know how bad this is going to get. Both kids have part time jobs though, which, if they continue, contribute considerably to our income- as in, it means they can buy their own "luxuries", pay for camps etc- stuff which constantly erodes my disposable income. Both are learning to use public transport. I think of the kids 50-100 years ago who left school by 14 to work. Kids by 14 are pretty able to work independently with more distant supervision- at least periods of independent work and then times of close supervision, and they are able to hold down part time jobs. Anyway, that's what is mulling around my brain at the moment.

I agree- and some kids are more easily addicted to them than others. I feel sorry for people who get idealistic about unschooling- it does sound good after all- and then this addiction thing happens around electronics. It undermines all the value of the unschooling philosophy, but kids need a variety of stimulus and environments, books, ideas, exposre to different things. I guess electronics weren't around in John Holt's day, so it wasn't factored in. I have a child who is addicted to electronics- it is severely limited and monitored and so his life is in balance, but if we didn't parent him and control it, it would have been way out of control and long time ago. School is not a solution, but you never know what will snap a child like that into a different headspace- maybe a particular teacher, maybe a daily routine, maybe something the mother isnt providing. Or maybe not. Certianly the major thing is to cut off access to the electronics for most of the time so that the child is forced to engage with the world.

Looks like food is cheaper in the U.S., or else I am not very good at budgeting! We tend to try and buy specials, and we don't eat much meat, and although I try and buy some organic but we pay between $200 and $250 a week- $800- $1000 a month.

There is a certain amount of what we do they the kids are never going to love, and I am ok with that. But every year I change what we do, tweak this and that, change curriculum, try to find something that makes us happier. This year it has been a more Charlotte Mason approach- and literally cutting back of school hours to leave more time for free time. I keep changing and growing in my approach- evolving- and I dont have a rigid program planned for the next few years, although we have plenty of structure. For us, reading is important, which is why Ambleside for parts of what we do is working for us. My writing reluctant, dyslexic son who struggled in school with terrible self esteem, reads at an adult level and reads voraciously. So I assign him a lot of reading. My dd loves to write, so she gets extra writing. She loves to draw and paint, so I read aloud each day and she draws and paints- if I don't read aloud, for her, her day is much duller. The hour or so I read aloud and she can do her art is the part that gets her through the rest. She is 14. Both have heaps of free time and have just come home from the day in a Scouts sailing competition and are exhausted and happy (they came 2nd by 1 point). Although they are not especially passionate about their schoolwork, and my son does complain a lot, they have amazing lives and lots of freedom and joy, so for us the academic part of the whole homeschooling lifestyle is not everything. The life experiences they have, the social experiences, the free time, the books, the interaction with adults- all contribute to a total experience that is rich. Meanwhile they gather academic skills and worldy knowledge that gives them many options later in life, and also gives them a broad and deep persepctive on life- probably much more than the majority of their schooled peers, just from the sheer amount of reading they do. They also have a "slowed down" life compared to most people, let alone kids, and I feel that is a valuable thing in today's rushed and stressed out world. They also have strong and healthy relationships with their parents, and many conversations and time for just hanging out. So for me, the academic joy is either there or it isn't- they do love history and we enjoy discussing it. My son was excitedly telling me today about a medieval computer game he was playing where he was becoming a knights templar, which his dad is in a medieval re-enactment thing he is involved in. Somehow life intertwines, things meet up, homeschooling is a bit more integrated in the rest of life but still, they dont love to sit and do their maths every day, but thats ok. I dont love to cook dinner every night or clean the house. When I try too hard to make things fun, I burn out, so there is a balance.

Yes, try the tea tree, it works for many, and they are even using it in hospitals here to control golden staph which most disinfectants won't kill now- however we had a bad lot of ringworm a few years ago and tea tree didnt end up working for that. Iodine ended up doing it, along with baths with purple condy crystals, although we think the betadine (iodine solution) was what got rid of it.

I often answer questions about certain Latin programs and the different approaches to learning Latin. Also SOTW. Lately, I often answer questions about Ambleside because I am using parts of it. No expert though, on anything...just sharing my experiences.

Not really but I have been off sugar for a while now and it is fantastic- I highly recommend it. A friend who i saw recently, who is pre-diabetic, is on the low GI and he and his wife feel much better for it and it has controlled his blood sugar completely. The thing is, once you get off the sugar see saw, you stop craving it. One thing....my friend introduced me to Agave Nectar. It is super sweet,sweeter than sugar, but low GI- suitable for diabetics. I havent done a heap of research, but I am having a little in tea and on plain yoghurt and its yummy and completely compensates me for not having normal sugar. You can cook with it too. To tell the truth I am not completely convinced of the Agave nectar- it seems a bit too good to be true- I would be interested in what anyone else finds on it. I just did a quick search, and trusted my friend's word, but I might do some more research.