I save TONS of money with them for very little time...like about 1/2 hr a week. I saved $8,000 off my grocery bill one year (and like amounts in years since) using the Grocery Game (www.thegrocerygame.com). They match rock bottom store sales to available coupons so you can get the lowest possible price (sometimes free!) without having to do all the time consuming research yourself! I have four kids and couldn't do it without the GG setting it all up for me. I save whole inserts in a file box and just cut the actual coupons I'm going to use after the GG tells me which ones I'll want that week. People often comment that they think they can't get healthy items with couponing...I haven't found that to be true, esp. with the help of the GG. We eat a lot of fresh, unprocessed, no trans fat foods and we are still saving big bucks. It's all in the choices that you make, and in stockpiling healthy items (use the freezer!) when they are at rock bottom prices.

I use Zane Bloser and have never ordered the teaching books. I find that the student book has all the information I need in it do work the program. Good thing, because those teaching manuals are priced ridiculously high! We started with Grade 1, so I can't really offer you any info. on K.

Do you have to test this year? If it's not a state requirement, why not just wait until your child is older/more mature/has more testing experience, etc.? In my experience working in the mental health field, intelligence testing is pretty unreliable AND tends to pigeonhole little kids before they have a chance to develop. There's nothing magical about an IQ score...they can vary up to 15 points in either direction on any given day based on a number of variables. You could get an really low score this year and see it really jump next year once she is more comfortable. (I know of what I speak...DD did that to me once and scared the heck out of me! Long story...;)) Now, if you HAVE to do this or really need to for some reason, I'd suggest "desensitizing" her to testing for a while before the actual test. Have her spend time doing some of the types of activities she'd do on the actual test day (ask the testing person for some ideas). Set up a structured "testing" time at home and play at these activities with her. Try some of those "preparing your child for standardized testing" programs you can find on the web and try some very basic stuff with her. Ask the test administrator if he/she can spend some time just playing with your daughter on a day prior to the test (yes, you'll pay the session fee!!) so she can begin to feel more at ease. Ask if you can either have the testing done in your home with you present (I've seen some hs testing groups offer this for things like the Woodcock Johnson, etc.). No matter what, do remember that some kids are just extremely freaked out by testing and will have an extremely hard time with it. This doesn't necessarily mean that your child is of lower intelligence...just may mean that her anxiety is skewing the test. For all the claims made, intelligence testing really isn't as scientific and infallible as it claims to be! (I'll probably have to hide out from a few of my old professors for saying that, but it's true!) Best of luck.

Yep, that's what I read somewhere else, too and I heartily agree! I remember gaps in my own learning that happened that way...I really struggled in math from 4th grade through Jr. High as a result. I'd hate to do that to my own kids by switching back and forth between programs! It's nice to hear that there are more happy Saxon users out there than I'd previously thought! I'd love to hear from some more.

"Go run around the house 3 times as fast as you can, then come back to the table, get your hiney BACK on your wiggle seat and do your math!" "Mom, he ate my spelling pretzels again!" "Yes, you may have a smoothie while you do grammar, but put away that Easter candy RIGHT NOW!" "I sure do love you!" :D

Very cool! Thanks!

Congratulations! Adoption is just the best, isn't it?!

Well, you guys have got me nailed! :D All that is pretty much a perfect description of what I'm dealing with here! Thanks for all the excellent advice. I wasn't sure what I'd get on this, since so many people do seem to have strong opinions one way or another about Saxon and I know I've got too much "angst" on the subject!! I'm going to plan on using Saxon in the fall, but I'm also going to check out that MUS CD for DD. That might be useful! Otherwise, I'm going to :chillpill: and try to stop watching all those threads on math choices! :lurk5: (DD8 was watching over my shoulder and wanted me to use those emoticons, so I had to fit them in somehow!! :D) Thanks!

OK, I'm really in need of some help here! I'm a first year home schooler completing Saxon Math 1 and 2 with my older kiddos. I chose it because they had done Saxon in their previous year at private school and I thought this would make a smooth transition for us...also because TWTM recommended it. Now, however, I'm questioning my choice, in part because of what I've read here on the board and in part because of reviews I've read that question whether Saxon teaches the concepts behind the math well. I really want to choose the right program for my kids and I know Saxon is well though of...but is it the best I can choose? I know that what works for one child may not be best for another, and that I need to pick what works for us. Just not sure what that is yet, I guess. People seem to have such strong opinions one way or another about Saxon...I'm confused. At this point, I would say Saxon is going fine for us. My kiddos are very different...DS6 can do it with virtually no help from me, and DD8 is also doing well but requires much more hands on time from me and is sometimes frustrated (I wouldn't say she LOVES math! ;)). DS6 is pretty quick to understand the concepts behind what he is doing, and many times switches around the problems/solutions to explain them "backwards" (his term!). He is very logical and we've been told he is gifted. DD8 is a good but average student...little insecure in math...she enjoys the manipulatives a lot and does the work well if I am right there, but I'm not 100% sure she is grasping the concepts behind what she's doing. She's a "Perfect Paula" type, but is also pretty kinesthetic. So, what shall I do? :D If you use Saxon, what do you think of it? Is it best to stick with it for another year and see if DD8 continues to warm to it as she gains confidence? Keep DS6 in Saxon and change DD8 to something else? Thoughts, anyone? Got two more kiddos coming behind and financially I'd love to have everyone working the same program, but I'm open to what works best. Thanks!

I have a choice of lots of stores where I live, but I just stick to grocery stores. I've tried using the drug stores before, but too many lists didn't work for me. I just don't have that much time to shop! So, I get the best two grocery store lists in my area and stick to that. I've been doing it for about 3 years and am doing really well with it. I've saved a tremendous amount of money...enough to send my DD to private school one year! We eat pretty healthy around here and have a big family, so I get minimum 3 papers a week (used to do 10--definitely overkill!) so that when the healthier items are on the list, I can really stockpile them well. We avoid as much of the junk as possible, so yes, this does eliminate a bunch of coupon items. However, I've found that if you want to be selective about what you buy, you can definitely do it with the Grocery Game. You may spend more on fresh produce and raise your overall bill, but the savings are still significant! Getting a vacuum sealer has really helped me...I've gotten pretty creative about stockpiling those fresh items through freezing! Also, I have a very large stockpile of trans-fat free, sugar free, otherwise healthier choices in my basement and a huge stockpile of household items such as tolietries, cleaning supplies, tp, etc. Trial memberships are only a $1 (or at least they were when I started!)...you can get as many lists as you want for that price for 4 weeks. Just remember that sales go on a 12 week cycle...if you hit it during a time that only processed foods are on the list, it will seem skewed. My best advice would be to try it for a full 12 week cycle before deciding if it is for you. Best of luck.

so IMO, it would be best to allow the OP decide for herself what she feels comfortable doing and go do it. Yes, she asked for the advice originally...but I'm betting she may regret doing so now! ;) I've got something else entirely different to suggest, so here goes. Whether or not you go for WIC, there is something else you can do as well to help your situation. Have you ever tried the Grocery Game? It's a neat way of doing couponing that makes it WAY easier to save big at the grocery store. I've been doing it for about 3 years, and it's fabulous. I literally saved approximately $8,000 on my grocery bill the first year out! Until gas prices, etc. started rising, I was managing a family of 7 (Mom lived with us) on $100 a week including diapers, and we ate great! Now, it's a bit higher...closer to $150 or more if I splurge, but it could be much worse! You can check it out yourself at www.thegrocerygame.com, but it basically works like this: they keep a database of all available coupons in your area (if they operate there) as well as a database of advertised and unadvertised grocery store sales. When the sales price hits "rock bottom" (as opposed to a "phantom sale" price, which would be higher), they match the items up to an available coupon and put it on a List. (You pay for the list, but you can make up the small price in the savings on just an item or two at the store!) Then, you can print off the List with just the items marked that you plan to buy, pull those coupons and off you go! I don't even cut up all my coupons anymore...I keep the inserts in a file and cut only the ones I need, which is a HUGE time saver. Stockpiling items when they are available at a rock bottom price + the coupon is a big part of how this works...the site talks all about it. Yes, you could do it all on your own by researching the flyers, bringing all your coupons to the store while you search for unadvertised sales, etc. and save the List price (about $5-$10 a List for 8 weeks), but when you can save hours of time and still save the bucks, I think the minimal charge is well worth it. Plus, they operate a message board that was a huge help to me in terms of learning to coupon, finding deals at non-list stores, etc. I'm quite sure that with all my kids plus homeschooling, there is no other way I could manage to coupon at this level without them! Hope this helps! I'd venture to guess that you can use it no matter what you decide about WIC. Best of luck!

How awful! I'm so sorry for you and your husband. It's so hard to believe that doing the right thing can end up so terribly. I hope he is alright.

I just read this article on Comcast: "Parents Pick Prayer Over Docs; Girl Dies." Apparently, a family in Wisconsin did not seek medical attention for their ill 11 yr old daughter, who subsequently died from complications from diabetes (which it sounds like had not been previously diagnosed-she had become ill over the course of a month.). A very sad story...I'm not going to comment on the parents' choice because I don't think the article gave enough information to know what really happened. Personally, I would have both prayed AND sought medical care, but who knows? I'm not trusting the media here to give the whole story, so I'll withhold judgement. What irritates me, however, is the connection the article made to home schooling. The article states, What does her educational status have to do with this story, other than to make it seem as though her home schooling was somehow abusive? There is nothing else in the article that suggests a comment about home schooling would fit in anywhere, unless it would be to connect it in some way to abusive parenting. Perhaps there was abusive parenting...I have no idea from the brief article. However, there is one thing I feel certain about...this girl isn't dead because she was home schooled! Grrrr...thanks for letting me get this off my chest!

I've got 5 yr old twins who are in speech therapy through our ps system. We started them in speech therapy at home through ECI when they were little, and at 3 they were referred to the local special needs preschool program for classroom based speech therapy. There were some complications, we moved...now they are in a local private pre-K program with a visiting ps speech therapist. They will be homeschooled beginning next year, but they needed this year to mature a bit so as not to disrupt the older kids' learning! ;) I've got mixed feelings on our experience with ps classroom speech therapy. On the one hand, their speech improved significantly AND very quickly, and they seemed to really enjoy their class. The teacher really knew what she was doing. On the other hand, they were stressed out from the bus ride, the early start time, the time away from Mom and the other things that go with ps at age 3!! Could they have improved as much without the class? Who knows? However, the way the class ended makes me sure that if I had it to do over, I'd not have sent them. One day, Sam came off the bus cradling his arm, and the bus driver said he'd been doing it since he got on the bus. Fast-forward a couple of hours, and I am in the school demanding to know why my child arrived home with a dislocated elbow! No one could answer me...or explain why Sam was saying that the teacher had "pulled him up!" An investigation ensued, but no one could identify how it happened. Then, a week or so later I have my ARD, and suddenly my twins have a "frontal lobe issue" and behavioral programs, and will need to be transferred out of speech and into the full special needs program five days a week. Can you say "I'm outta here?!" :glare: Now, they are in a regular classroom and are doing great...the teacher says they are among her best students. Hmmm... If I'd been presented with a better option, you can believe I'd jump at it looking back, even though the class was good. I sure do like RebeccaC's ideas...I would have done that given the chance!

The first time my DD took a standardized test, she'd just completed a 1000 mile drive (the day before!) to move across country, she was sick, she was living in a hotel and life generally stank for her. She bombed it...they actually told me she wasn't intelligent enough to be in that school! :confused: HELLO! She was sick and stressed out, not in need of special ed! That's when I decided to forget about all the schools in the area and just bring her home. Oh, and in case you're wondering...she's doing great, working above grade level and is wicked smart! :D But what do you want to bet she'll bomb the standardized test she'll be taking next month, just for the heck of it?!

My white board, computer/printer, my bookshelves and my Smart Globe (boy, are the kids getting good at geography!). I love having a CD player in the room for classical music and history, and I couldn't do without that sticky stuff you use to tack projects/pictures to the wall! Oh, that and my latte maker for those days when I just can't get it together! :D Jennifer

we are homeschooling because we have no other option! That I'm doing it because of one of these reasons: 1. we couldn't get into private school, 2. we can't afford private school or 3. we're weirdo, separatist crazies who won't send our kids to public school because we want to indoctrinate them to be "just like us!" Or, better yet, we homeschool because we are totally into our kids and have no personal life! :confused: Grr. We came out of a private school (a pretty expensive one at that) when we moved, and rejected the local private school because we thought they'd do better in home school. We've had a kid in public school (26 yr old DSS), we teach our kids our Christian faith but also to think for themselves. We put our kids first but also have happy little lives of our own! It's just that with all the options available, we really believe (and our kids prove!) that they will learn better at home. Grr. That's all I have to say about it!

DH has been working from home exclusively (save travel) the entire time we've had children. It was okay until the twins were born, but it did get berserk after that! They just don't understand the meaning of the word "wait!" Homeschooling has been okay...but only since I still have the twins in preschool! ;) For us, moving to a 1920s home with a converted garage has been the answer. DH has his office separate from the house (our garage is detached) and it's pretty plush out there with a stone fireplace, etc. He's home but not home, if you know what I mean! The kids are trained not to enter the room when he's on the phone, but I think that stop and go sign is a fabulous idea!

since you've had lots of good advice already, but I did want to say that I got a real laugh out of your post as did my DD8, who pulls the same thing on WAY too many occasions! We've been working with her on many of the same issues. I read your post to DD with "dramatic emphasis" added to your DD's temper tantrum, and we were both completely cracking up by the time I was through! DD8 saw so much of herself in it and was able to laugh at herself about it...a great lesson learned for her. Thanks so much for a light way to teach self-awareness! :D

I did it on my eyebrows and yes, it has lasted "forever." Well, at least for the last 8 years! I'm so happy I did it! Haven't plucked my thick Italian eyebrows since I had it done! :hurray: Can't offer you much advice on how to choose a facility, as I used my sister in law. However, I know it is very important to choose carefully as the hair will grow back if it isn't done properly. Try to get lots of recommendations from people in your area and consider going once then waiting a while before going back. That way, you'll have a chance to see if the lasered hair begins to grow back... Good luck!

I've been using the Grocery Game for about three years, and have literally saved thousands. I don't keep track anymore, but the first year I did it I saved enough to completely pay for my daughter's tuition at an expensive private school! I also don't buy a lot of processed foods...a few, but not a lot...and I still do really great. The trick is stockpiling. Buying in volume, freezing all kinds of fresh stuff (I use a Magic Vac), getting tons of household items...all these make it work for me.

Julie, I just wanted to let you know that others have BTDT and lived through it (I have a strong willed 8 yr DD!l)…parenting a strong willed child isn‘t for the faint hearted! I admire your willingness to put it out there and ask for help...that takes courage, esp. in the face of blunt criticism! I feel for you. I can recall a few situations at our house that sound a lot like the one you had with your son. Whew...I hate those! Don't have any profound advice for you, but did want to say that I admire your attempts to stick to your guns over the defiance. That said, I'll also add that with my strong willed kiddo, direct confrontation has failed every time. I've basically learned that I have to deflect the fight to win. What I mean is, since I know she can and will outlast me, I win by not letting the fight begin. Basically, I give her consequences but don't give her the reaction she wants...and I no longer "stack" the consequences because she wins when I engage in that way (and, I can't really follow through anyway when they get too deep!). For example, if DD had pulled what your son did, I'd have pulled her into the hall and told her what behavior needed to change. If she'd have refused or been otherwise outright defiant, I'd tell her what the consequence was (for her, loss of TV privileges or picking up after her little brothers is the end of the world! :lol:). Then, I'd have immediately removed her from the scene (anticipating the flip-out!) and placed her in the car/the hall/the yard or whatever to wait out the scout meeting w/o disruption. I'd have let the others stay, even if it meant asking another mom to watch them. I'd have then promptly ignored everything else DD had to say or do until she was cooperative. She absolutely cannot stand it when I won't fight back, so this just drives her nuts. I will tell her that I'll speak with her when she is ready to calm down and accept her consequences, but there's no other talking from me! Usually her mouth gets worse before it gets better, so my routine is to ignore any back talk, etc. and act like I don't hear her. After we are home and/or she's calmed down (which she always does now with a little age and maturity), I will sit her down and talk about what she should have done differently, what I consider appropriate behavior, etc. I don't take away the original consequence, even after the inevitable apology comes. (She'd earned it by her original defiance, after all.) I will say that I'm sad for her that she chose a consequence instead of obedience...but I try to keep it all in her lap and remind her that next time, she'll need to learn to control herself better in order to avoid an unpleasant end result. Most of the time, I get a decent end result with this approach...but there are always those moments! I pm'd you with a bit more info that I also hope is useful. Hang in there!

I just relocated to NC from DFW and left my entire family behind! We've been in a small NC town near the mountains since August, and I'm thrilled to death to leave DFW behind. I hated the heat, the concrete jungle, the long drive to do the smallest errand, the cookie cutter houses and the materialism...and I don't miss the family chaos (You know the saying, "Families are like brownies...mostly sweet but a few nuts?" That's us!) I loved the friends, the family, the church my family had been in for 40 years. It was a tough move, but being here is much better for our family. We are outdoorsy, small town kind of folks...we flourish here. Someone recently said to me that you can visit chaos, but you don't have to live in it! I think that's a good way to judge the situation. If you want to be closer to family and you can live with the rest of it, move back. If not...remind them that NC is a fabulous vacation spot! ;) Worked for me... Good luck!

Have you looked at the Christian Studies program by Memoria Press? We're thinking about using this in the future...we're working through a personal program of DH's right now. http://www.memoriapress.com/descriptions/ChristianStudies.html Good luck!

and I'm not interested in getting too far into a hot topic discussion at this point. I'm just going to post my opinion on the subject and leave it completely at that, since it seems that not too many folks sharing my opinion have yet to post. I'm one of the gals who answered that we should be there for as long as it takes. Why? Well, in large part because I've got a dear friend who served on the ground there. He came back with some amazing stories and pictures...stories of people crying in gratitude for the U.S. and coalition forces who were there to liberate them from Sadaam and his brutal dictatorship. These were people who'd lost family members to murder, who had daughters who'd been raped, who were starving, who were denied an education, the right to vote or the basic human right of living free from fear. These folks were cheering every time my friend and his unit would roll through town, helping them at every turn, letting them know where the roadside bombs were placed, etc. They were the ones standing in line when my friend would pass out clean water, basic necessities, etc. Their children were the ones playing stickball safely in the street because they were surrounded by coalition forces standing around to protect them, or making it to a voting place safely because our men and women were there to protect them. It happened...I've seen the pictures and video, and heard the first hand accounts. No, we aren't perfect as a nation, and as imperfect humans our reasons for being there aren't completely pure. We could probably discuss that ad nauseum and likely all come to an agreement that mistakes were made even if we don't agree on what they were and who made them! However, ultimately I believe we've done a good thing in Iraq. We've helped the powerless, defended the weak and done what we could do to help the situation. There is evil in the world, and we stood up against some of it. Probably we can't/shouldn't do it everytime, but we did do it THIS time. We've also done some good work in Afganistan and Iraq to keep the terrorists at bay/away from American targets, and to defend Israel (as a Christian, I do believe that is my duty and by extension, my nation's duty!) In my book, we've done a pretty good thing. I say stay put as long as it takes to finish the job right, or risk both looking like we don't have the stomach for finishing what we start as well as throwing away all the sacrifices our armed forces and their families have made. I say stay with the right motives (whether or not some think our original motives were right), and offer assistance in building their govt./infrastructure/etc. Not to make them "just like us" but to give them a real chance to be who they want to be (the real folks, not the pundits). If they don't take advantage of the chance, then shame on them. If we leave before the job is properly done, shame on us. Just my opinion on the matter...I'd appreciate it if I receive no flaming arrows on the subject! ;)