I can't remember ever reading a book more than once other than good children's literature that I have read out loud to my kids, such as the Hobbit and the Narnia series- which I also read as a child. Many of the books others have mentioned are also favourites of mine, with a place in my heart...but I still only read them once. I am like that with movies too.

Classical Writing. Aesop was great, half of Homer was ok...but it just got too teacher and time intensive after that. We got bogged. Rod and Staff English. It would have been great when we first started homeschooling if we could have jsut followed TWTM recommendations. sigh. Rod and Staff killed my kids' love of English. I often wanted to go back to it, and we did try a few times....but the same thing happened. All enthusiasm for school went way backwards. Too dry for us. Saxon Maths. Again, I wish we could have just stuck with it and it could have worked but my kids hated it with a passion.

Yes, mine have been known to do that. Especially since I don't buy a lot of processed foods. Ds regularly buys KFC with his hard earned money too- there is one a mile away. Mine have also been known to buy exotic fruit, such as mangoes, dragon fruit, custard apples and chocolate dipped strawberries with their pocket money. They love fruit.

We wash in cold water and just do colored and white washes. White washes are often kept back until there is enough for a decent load.

I agree. I wouldn't punish either. She is already remorseful in a deep way...and punishment is only meant to provoke remorse, it is not for its own sake. I would also be careful not to promote more shame.Those hormones kicking in are a mighty powerful force .

Perhaps no need to worry if he hasn't made a fuss about it yet? And when he does...just be available to work out a plan with him...such as a class he might not have valued for it's social aspect before. For us it has been an issue we have had to look at regularly, but my kids complain loudly if they dont have enough social time or situations. I have travelled far and wide to make sure my kids got to meet up with other homeschooling kids- a couple of weekends ago my teens were invited to a homeschool clean teen non alcohol party for an 18yo friend, and I drove the hour each way twice that evening- 4 hours total. My son's best friend (who is now at school but they are still friends) lives 90 minutes away in the country...they became friends at various homeschool classes they were both at over the years, but since then, us mums meet halfway most holidays, and she had my son for a full week last holdiays. Just saying so you dont think its always convenient to socialise with other homeschoolers :) But if your son isn't complaining and he can strike up a conversation in a park and has some friends he sees sometimes....well, there may not be a problem. And if when he is 12 he is lonely...your situaiton might have changed and you can look at how to deal with it.

Lol, I think the whole things is just fine. It is a creative form of self expression, to publically acknowledge her grief and appreciation of her mother. I don't see anything even particularly strange about it- Ive seen much wierder stuff on Facebook. I do understand why someone might find it odd, but "odd" is the new normal with all these new social newtwork things, and blogs and message boards...it's not so odd to be odd or do odd things anymore. The rules have all changed. Its not hurting anyone, so I just shrug.

I love freshly squeezed orange juice with kale or baby spinach. Simple and sweet- cant taste the greens at all. That is my winter green smoothie. For summer: frozen banana, water, berries (whatever I have on hand- strawberries, rasberries, blueberries) and/or mango if in season, and kale or baby spinach. I never use dairy in a green smoothie. Blech.

To me it sounds like your daughter is telling you exactly what she needs and she is quite clear about it. Yes, we don't want our kids to grow up focusing on valuing themselves only or mainly on their looks...but why, honestly, is their looks any less valuable than their intelligence? Why is one inherently more valuable than the other anyway? We are valuable inherently, not for any quality....whether that is our kindness, our intelligence, OR our looks. Each person is unique and if intelligence or kindness is more valuable than beauty...then some people are more valuable than others, and that isnt so. I think it is ESPECIALLY important for a father to tell his daughter how beautiful she is and to love her physically- lots of hugs especially. Otherwise...what do you think she will do as soon as she is old enough to be interested in boys? She will want to attract attention in order to get the affection and love she is craving. She will run to the nearest boy who tells her she is beautiful in order to get into her pants. Many of us have BTDT. Thats why I tell my daughter she is beautiful. She knows it to her core, and she is. And she is also intelligent, wise, deep, kind, loving, smart, and wont let a boy with wrong intentions too near her with a 10 foot pole because she values herself on all levels. When a girl knows she is beautiful she is EMPOWERED to stay in her own skin, to not give up her power to men. I think the point is to have balance. Girls need to be told how beautiful we are...it is part of our psyche, part of our make up, part of who we are. Your wanting to override thousands of years of conditioning and perhaps innate hardwiring is unlikely to do anything but cause problems. It is natural for teenagers especially to want to preen themselves and check themselves out in the mirror because this is that period in their life where they are physically, emotionally and spiritually preparing to mate and have babies. All species do it (in many it is the male rather than the female who is the most beautiful). It's not harmful. It is a need...and if the need is denied, it will act out in unhealthy ways. If the need is fulfilled...(just like the need for love and affection, for friendships, for community- are basic human needs) it takes up a disproportionate place in the psyche in order to get that need met. I would start telling your daughter she IS beautiful and you think she IS beautiful and love her as she is...and that you just wanted the best for her but you realise she really NEEDS you to acknowledge her beauty- as well as her other qualities. Have you had fun with your girl? Have you played with her hair and seen what looks best, and let her play with yours? Have you painted your nails with her? Have you had FUN being a female with her? I have healed my own femininity so much having a girl, even though I am not a girly girl and dont paint my nails or even shave my legs most of the time! I do allow and love my daughter for who she is, and help her to enjoy her own beauty. These things are not wrong. It's not wrong to be a beautiful young woman and know it. All young women are beautiful. They are empowered to not be too obsessive about that when they know it as a foundational truth.

To the OP- once you have homeschooled a while, you will become your own authority, and you will tweak for your own children and situation. TWTM is a great foundation, but when you find your own kid has a problem with this or that, or you cant relate to a certain program, or something in TWTM sounds good but in real life your kid isnt handling it or ready for it or just plain hates it and you have a tantrum every day...you will tweak. :001_smile:

I don't have to cover everything schools cover, because a lot of it is stupid (I have decided!). I don't have to completely lose my kids to their peers- we can be friends, we can actually get on, even when they're teens! I don't have to make school lunches in the mornings (probably the biggest relief I felt once my kids were home). They can make their own lunch or we can have something together, but I dont have to make a presentable lunch that wont shame them in front of their friends but which they will STILL probably throw in the bin or bring home.

Wow, I think its sad that so many of you think of your bodies as distasteful. That is the society we have grown up in. We view ourselves with so much judgement. And then we pass that on to our girls. And then we feel virtuous about it? I have NO problem with a woman undressing near me, or walking across the room naked, or feeling PROUD of her feminine beauty, whether that beauty is a slim gorgeous 25 year old, OR a large woman who is comfortable in her own body, or even shy. I am not immune to self consciousness when undressing in front of others...but modesty is about excessive self consciousness- and that can go both ways....drawing an excessive amount of attention to oneself, as well as feeling shame about one's natural body. A woman who feels natural and comfortable in her own body, naked or clothed, may at times do a naked dance of joy, or soak the sun onto her bare breasts and belly...in joy at being alive in her own skin. Thats not immodest...that's celebrating being alive. Doing it at a coffee shop...yeah, innappropriate, in our society. But amongst other women, or your own family? I think the world would be a FAR better place if we just learned to appreciate and love our own and other's divine feminine form, instead of all this excessive self conscious shame everyone has around it all. The best place to learn to love your own unique body and form is amongst other women in ordinary circumstances. It's a freedom.

I can suggest not to do it like I did :) I got pregnant with ds when dd was 8 months old, and was only disappointed because I had wanted to long term bf dd. Then my sil told me about tandem feeding and I thought, yay. So, although dd only fed part time, and was also on goats milk in bottles, she continued to feed through the pregnancy- she was night weaned by the time the pregnancy was finishing, as well as sleeping nearby but in her own cot. We had only recently moved house when ds was born, and I was very isolated. I had no support except for a craft group I attended once a week. I knew none local. It was horrible and I was lonely. When ds was a week old.....dh and mil both told me to stop being ridiculous and wean dd. She was 17-18 months old. I had no other support....I felt overwhelmed...I literally weaned her overnight. I felt desperate. She is the most easygoing natured kid...but it was still not a nice thing and terrible timing. She handled it apparently very well though. Her dad and her had this funny thing going where when I was bf ds, he would try and get dd to bf from him. It was hilarious- she would have none of it! But he tried so hard! Anyway...fast forward 3 months, we moved back to the area we had moved from originally, and I found a support group for attachment parents. I was shamed for having ds use a pacifier :glare: however I was totally encouraged to put dd back on the breast. I asked her...she was an early talker and quite articulate, and she was eager. So...she then breastfed until she was 5, and ds was 3.5 and they had a talk and decided to wean themselves together. So...I know many people tandem feed. I know the colustrum is important for the newborn, but as long as you have plenty of milk I dont think its a problem. The 2nd feeder helps keep the milk supply up anyway, and I do think it helps with the jealousy and bonding. Enjoy! I still did find those first couple of weeks of a newborn sucking quite painful, even the 2nd time around. But it passes, and the years of having 2 toddlers breastfeeding hold such beautiful memories for me, and my kids have very healthy immune system and very few health issues. It is a great way to provide that extra nutrition, as well as comfort, during those notoriously fussy eating years.

It's very common. I highly recommend small amounts of writing, consistently, and eventually thos fine motor skills improve. Meanwhile you can do a lot of work orally in order to keep moving forward. Around that age my son could only manage 1 or 2 lines of writing a day, so I would rotate the subject daily and do the rest orally. I also highly recommend copy work, dictation a d narration as the foundation, or all, of your writing program. It really works and lays down important foundational skills.

Modesty relates to not being boastful, to obeying cultural guidelines and manners,but also to moderate,rather than extreme behavior,according to the dictionary. To go to extremes to be modest is virtually turning modesty on it's head because it is paying too much attention to oneself or the issue of modesty. From that perspective, I would have thought that modesty is more of a balanced attitude towards oneself,rather than wanting to stand out....but also, not wanting to make a fuss about hiding either. Just ordinary. So making too much of a fuss about modesty whether one's own or another, is inherently immodest.

I saw some beautiful patterns when I was searching. Yes, I am the one who indulged in the ridiculous shiny new wallet, but I was allowed, to, ok, because I used my personal spending money set aside in my personal spending envelope, ok? :lol: I would have liked to make one but knew I didnt have the patience. Here are some: http://bluebonnetstopeaches.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/an-envelope-system-wallet/ http://walterandveronica.blogspot.com/2010/03/envelope-system-wallet.html http://sewing.craftgossip.com/13666/2010/02/04/ http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-oilcloth-wallet-for-a-cash-envelope-system/2010/03/17/

Exercise. A bath. Retreat to my bedroom with a book. I have raging hormones today and I have done all 3 so far, and I did manage to have a good day with the kids.

Early morning before everyone gets up and evening after the kids have goen to bed (or I go to bed before they do). Dh works evenings. I get plenty of time to myself nowadays.

1 avocado, a small clove garlic, a splash of Braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and a splash of lime juice. I get a lot of compliments about that recipe.

My dad is a phD astrophycisist...extremely atheist, if there is such a thing! Shakes his head with incredulity that anyone could believe the Bible. His sister is a doctor- fundamentalist Christian. Not sure either are in the highly gifted range though. Just smart. It would be interesting to see the statistics of super genuises and their inclinations. My own tendency would be to suspect that more highly intelligent people would reject dogma abd structure, but embrace the concept of a higher consciousness. But that could be compeltely my own pprojection :)

For us it has been Scouts- in our case Water Scouts. We live on the coast so many kids do surf lifesaving classes too.

:iagree: Generally, with my kids, I wouldnt interfere except perhaps to bring the situation to their notice if I felt perhaps they hadnt noticed. But they are experienced swimmers, and sensible. Other peoples' kids......hard to say. My step dd? Well, she would take my kids- 5 and 6 years her junior- way out of what was safe range because she lacks a sensible gene or healthy boundaries (ADD )- but we know that and adjust accordingly with strict instructions and boundaries. You know your own kids. My parents were very trusting and never over protective of my brother and I- though they taught us well how to handle many possible situations- and I am glad for the way they brought us up. I think putting too much fear and being too over protective is not healthy, because the kids' own self preservation doesnt get to develop properly so they learn to trust themselves- they are constantly being over ridden by an anxious mother.

We can only start where we are, and we have a lot of knowledge available. Our native cultures- Australian aborigines, Native Americans...have a lot to teach us. There is a lot of knowledge. And why not use science to learn rather than destroy, to find out these things, rather than pull things apart? As a trained naturopath...there are just some fundamental rules- you dont have to study for years. You just have to be willing. First, do no harm.(That means, dont take poisons to fix symptoms, and dont ingest poisons like too much coffee, sodas, chemicals etc- these are not foods). Eat living foods, as close to their natural state as possible. Get enough exercise. Drink enough water. These are the basics and barely anyone actually does them- including me at times. I am sure a lot has been lost, but there is so much that is still available. There are huge health movements, back to nature movements, live simply movements, raw food movements, etc. I frequently go into information overload. You just start where you are and make baby steps in the direction you want to go. You dont need to know it all to get started or progress. When you need some information, such as a herbal interaction with a medication you still need to be on, or which tree bark is good for something, or which mushrooms are poisonous....you can find the information- on the internet, in books, from local people, from Native peoples...the information will be there. We live in an information rich culture. You can read a book or do a short course on something that interests you- how to make home made products, or local plants and their properties, or eating better....anything. And then from there, you keep going, following your interests, what you want to learn next. Thats how I learn. I like to read and sometimes do courses. I have recently been through a raw food phase. At the moment I am learning some more about chinese medicine because I am learning a type of tai chi dance. I have spent a year or two passionate about Indian medicine. But obviously it is my area of interest. Many people here on these boards have areas they have learned about...how to cook from scratch, how to bake bread, how to make a vegetable garden, how to take care of chooks, what herbs are good for women instead of using artificial hormones....all these things are little pieces of the whole pie- and we have internet communities to share this information. Yes, I was referring to seasons. In Chinese medicine, in winter, which it is where I live...you rest more, you conserve your energy. In spring, you detoxify and start moving. In summer you are in full bloom. In autumn, you start storing and preparing for winter. Since we can go to the supermarket and buy unseasonal produce from all the over world at any times of the year...we have lost touch with these natural rythms and flows of life. Just having your own vegetable garden can put you right back in touch. But yes, to answer your question....I reckon a lot has been lost...but to compensate, we have access to information from all over the world through the internet. Wheras in the past, you only had access to certain information, passed down by word of mouth...we have information passing at a phenomenal rate all over the world every second. So...we have advantages. We have science. We have technology that we can use to capture the sun or wind's energy and power our cars and houses. So...its all ok and all balanced, IMO. And we can only start where we are- there is SO much we can do that we are not doing. We need to go forwards, not backwards. We can use what we know from the past, integrate it with technology, and live beautifully and in harmony with our beautiful planet and ourselves and each other. What is lost is lost....but the future could be so amazing! One baby step at a time.

Well, I dont know :) Thats my theme at the moment. :001_smile: I didnt respond to the thread before because I dont know what the number one problem is. I could perhaps say that we have separated ourselves so far from nature, from seeing ourselves as part of nature, and subject to her laws...we see ourselves as beyond nature and superior to her....that we have lost perspective, and contact with what is real and naturally healthy. And thats never a good thing. We live in a healing energy field all the time- if you cut yourself, what happens? It heals, like magic, because the tendency of life is toward wholeness. ALl the symptoms we suffer from are nature's warning signs. We see them as separate problems and tend to try to want to get rid of the symptoms- whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual....rather than see them as warning signs that nature will always win and being a servant to the laws of nature is a good idea. The alternative is what we have now- quite likely a dying, infertile human race. (Fortunately there is also a counter movement developing at grass roots level). Thats why I love storms and things like volcanoes- I dont celebrate the suffering they cause, but I do celebrate that nature is showing us her awesome power again. We are specks in the universe- beautiful, valuable, but we think ourselves too important and trust that our science and politicians have it all under control. They dont. Our trust is misplaced. We cant trust the food in our supermarkets. If we could get back in touch with the seasons, the earth under our feet, the weather, the tees and plants and animals as living beings rather than objectifying them to expolit them, if we could get in contact with the food cycles, with food, with listening to nature's messages, in contact with our own bodies and its messages.....we would heal. We would heal drastically. (practical ideas: wear bare feet on the grass regularly, eat seasonally and locally and freshly, preferably organically, learn how to treat minor illnesses naturally, spend time in nature, keep your life in balance, do not stress or worry unecessarily, look within for happiness, cultivate a deep respect for nature....we all know this stuff.) When we humble ourselves as a species, recognise our place in the universe, our lives will work better and happier and healthier. Thats my 2 cents. In other words, the problem is much deeper than any one disease or issue you can name. The solution needs to come from a more intelligent and deeper place than the same level as any single problem. Fighting single problems all the time, even health ones, is great, but unless we go deeper, it won't work. Cancer, heart disease, infertility, mental illnesses, inflammation, diabetes...these are symptoms of an unhealthy society out of touch with what is real and natural. Nature has laws. We ignore them at our peril, and balance is inevitable. It is a sign of overall lack of balance. I like taking the bird's eye view sometimes rather than the ground view where it all breaks down into separate problems and issues. It doesnt involve a lot of knowledge. It involves getting back in touch with nature on many levels. OK, I could rave for hours on this subject, so I will stop there.

I would hope they would marry someone that they could grow and be happy with. Someone who loves and supports them just for being them, and who they truly love. I don't really think its my business to define who I want my kids to marry...they have their own destiny. I just wish them happiness- real happiness, which comes from a fulfilled life and a caring partner- not superficial happiness of lots of money and a good house. However, it would also not bother me if my children did not marry at all. I would like grandkids, but I want my kids to follow their own inner passions and knowing and live the best life they can- not to serve my wishes.