Yes, you should. Research the disease and how it is treated. I know several herbalists who have successfully treated WC in their practices in CA for years. Of all the diseases that there are vaccines for WC is not the one I would personally be worried about. One blog that is great, not just for vaccine information is The Guggie Daily. She also provides links to research and other sites to back up her information. http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2012/07/vaccine-article-quick-list.html Also, someone mentioned Tetanus.....that disease is THE most misunderstood! http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2010/05/one-thing-that-has-frequently-come-up.html

My 7yo son is obsessed with Legos, it is all he talks about! He also likes to climb, swim, look for herbs, baking and tormenting his older sister. :)

I have reported the last 2 years and it is not that bad. My oldest was tested this year, we did the PASS test from Hewitt. I was more nervous than she was!!

Not at all. If you are going to choose not to vaccinate your children and yourself then you have to have a plan for when your family gets sick. We have an amazing chiropractor, a great naturopath and we are surrounded/have access to an amazing community of herbalists (I am one as well).

Just saw this thread! We live in Savona, in between Bath and Corning. Did the CMOG group every end up meeting? Most of my family lives around Rochester. I grew up in Ontario, NY :)

My soon to be 11yo daughter is CRAZY about horses!! She doesn't own her own horse but she takes lessons, shows and is in 4-H. We live near the Finger Lakes in New York.

It's still too early to tell anything and trust that baby and body know exactly what to do.

Thanks for the advice Chrissy. I know it's hard to say when a child is "ready" :) Thank you too Hedgehog! It's always nice to see how someone else does their schooling. We are basically unschooling right now too, well they are doing time4learning.com but it's not that much. I live in NY so I am just trying to look at the big picture because 5th grade is a testing year for us and I am worried about it. I know she only needs a 33% to pass (how sad is that!) but still I worry. We will be focusing on grammar, spelling, writing and math. She already likes to read so I am not worried about that.

I will be starting to classically educate my 2 children in the fall. DD will be in 5th and DS will be in 1st. DD is having trouble with spelling, multiplication and grammar (thank you PS for 4 years :glare:). We started homeschooling in Nov. '10 and they have been doing time4learning.com. I just bought Math Mammoth through the HSBC so I plan on starting at lesson 1 and having her work through it all over the summer. I was also going to start her out with Spelling Workout B and have her work up fro there. I was also contemplating having her work through First language lessons......but 4 books over 6 months, is that feasible? Then I read that "Teaching students to read nonfiction", "Note taking and outlining grades 3-5", and "Reading reflex" were recommended in TWTM book for children struggling. I am also having DD go through The ordinary parent's guide to teaching reading with her brother for the added practice. I want her to start Latin as well and was looking at "Getting started with Latin". What do you guys think? I really want her to be ready for 5th grade!

Thank you so much for responding everyone. I have not yet picked out a math program, I was looking at Right start math (I love that they use an abacus) and math-u-see. I was also thinking of using times tables memory system. I think I will finish reading the WTM book and start slowly on converting DD and DS to WTM philosophy. The narration will be the biggest challenge I for see and I will work with both of them over the summer so that hopefully DD will be ready for 5th, if not no big deal. Although next year is a test year so I am not sure if she needs to be "kept back" will effect the testing. We live in NY BTW, so every other year we have to test. I did post my question with a little extra info on the k-8 board.

I personally use and LOVE Cesar Millan and his philosophy of dog training. I have a 3 year old mutt that we have used Cesar's methods with and they have worked. As soon as he understood we were the pack leaders and not him we had no problem with him being off leash running around our backyard. Before he would take off for the neighbor's house and their dogs but not now. I found his book in the library and used that instead of buying it, although it is worth the money! HTH. Here's his website http://www.cesarsway.com/

*I posted this on the general forum and was advised that I might get more feedback if I posted it here. I have not yet chosen the books for each subject as of yet, there are so many good suggestions! I have not read the logic stage of the book yet so I have nothing for that. But these are the books I am looking at thus far. Reading: The ordinary guide to teaching reading with BOB books. Writing: Zane-Bloser and writing with ease Math: Looking at math-u-see and right start math (I like that they use an abacus) with the times tables memory system for DD. Grammar: First language lessons Spelling: Spelling workout D for DD and B for DS1. Here is my original post, again thank you for looking.* Hello all! I am new to the forum and am still reading "The Well-Trained Mind". I have 3 children DD 9yo in 4th grade, DS1 almost 6yo in K and DS2 6 months. We just started homeschooling in November and rushed into it. We started out with workbooks, they didn't work well with DD and DS rushed through his like it was nothing. We are currently using time4learning.com which the kids seem to like but I am not sure it is really doing anything. We are 3 months from "finishing" the school year and I am wondering if I should just wait till the year is over to start the well-trained schedule. Play catch up over the summer and start 1st and 5th grade in Sept.......or before if they are ready. DD is a poor speller, does not know her times tables and I sometimes have trouble getting her to do her work. DS1 has an excellent memory but gets easily frustrated with reading. He is more or less doing all first grade work except with reading. I am at a loss with what to do and whether or not DD will pass her test at the end of the year (I am testing her for my own records not for the school's). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA.

If they are going to breastfeed a babybond is essential!! No need for any cover or special nursing clothes with it. http://babybondnursing.com/main An amber teething necklace is a great investment. I have no idea what I would do without mine. http://hyenacart.com/stores/inspiredbyfinn/index.php?c=63&p=14913 You could get some handpainted peggies. This woman is amazing and my 6 month old slobbers and chews on his all the time. http://www.facebook.com/#!/Pocketful.of.Clovers The most important thing I could never live without is my sling. I do not know a single mother that has used one and not liked it. A wrap is the most versatile and they do not need to be expensive. The ergo is expensive but it is really easy to use.

Hello all! I am new to the forum and am still reading "The Well-Trained Mind". I have 3 children DD 9yo in 4th grade, DS1 almost 6yo in K and DS2 6 months. We just started homeschooling in November and rushed into it. We started out with workbooks, they didn't work well with DD and DS rushed through his like it was nothing. We are currently using time4learning.com which the kids seem to like but I am not sure it is really doing anything. We are 3 months from "finishing" the school year and I am wondering if I should just wait till the year is over to start the well-trained schedule. Play catch up over the summer and start 1st and 5th grade in Sept.......or before if they are ready. DD is a poor speller, does not know her times tables and I sometimes have trouble getting her to do her work. DS1 has an excellent memory but gets easily frustrated with reading. He is more or less doing all first grade work except with reading. I am at a loss with what to do and whether or not DD will pass her test at the end of the year (I am testing her for my own records not for the school's). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA.