Yes please! We are using your BB1 schedule right now, and we'd love the BB2. Thank you for doing that!

My DH isn't willing to compromise on the "no back and forth" thing. He believes it's hard on the kids, and also leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the school and other parents. This is a really small community, and our taking them out to homeschool already raised eyebrows. My kids aren't that thrilled on the co-op idea. They are just really set on going back to school. My issues is figuring out how to think about all of this for myself, ways to feel ok that this decision is being made when it's not what I thought we'd be doing.

My son has an ongoing friendship with a couple of boys he would see at school. My DD does not. She knows one boy, but not any of the girls, and I am hoping there might be at least a couple of other girls who are new, and a few others who are nice. She's a very sweet, even keeled kid. It's a small school: only 2 classes per grade, and parents are very involved/know each other. But I do fear the "new kid" issue for them, and I worry about the 10/11 year old girls in particular.

Backstory: DD (10) went to PS for 1 and 2nd grade. Was happy there but I felt we were supposed to be homeschooling, so we took her out and HS'ed her 3rd and are finishing her 4th grade years. My DS (8) went to Kinder, and we did his 1st and now 2nd at home. There have been times we all love homeschooling, and times it's been hard for me (I struggle with anxiety and depression at times). We live in a semi-rural area with no homeschoolers around. All the area kids go to our small local elementary school, which is a good one, as public schools go. We still have some friends from our time there whom we've kept in touch with. In our two years of hs, we haven't made very many hs friends. There is one co-op I know of, and it meets once a week on Fridays. It's families from our parish (we're catholic), and while that might provide some interactions, my kids are clambering to go to school. Last night, my son (8) told me, "Mama, I'm feeling depressed. I don't have any friends." Broke my heart. And he's right. Acquaintances, yes. Plenty of friends to bounce of off on a regular basis, no. Both of my children are introverts, but they are expressing a need for more kids, friends, the social stuff. We live about 30 minutes from town, and the few hs'ers we know are running to activities every day to meet those social needs. It's not practical for me to do that, and the lack of it is apparently really weighing on my kids. I've prayed and prayed for more close friendships for them and us, and but it has not manifested. And both of them have experienced school and want to go back. My fears are less about the educational aspects than the general issues they have not had to experience, being homeschooled: teasing, the cattiness of girls as they get older, any inkling (for my DD) that there is a world out there of "being fat" or "needing to go on a diet," "boyfriends." And honestly, things that are just counter to my faith. I can't keep them in a bubble forever, but I'd like to:) But they want out, want what they perceive as a world of fun social interaction. My DH is on board with sending them back, but he will not allow them to choose hs again: he's not ok with back and forth, into school and out of it. He feels that we moved to this area partly bc of the small, good school, and that they will have to learn sooner or later about the hard aspects of life. My mama heart really hurts: I want them to have great friends and be happy. I have not been able in the two years we've homeschooled to find community for them, try as I might. We don't live in a hs-abundant area. I will miss having them here, but I want to honor their needs. And I worry about what might await them. FWIW, we will need to sign out of our charter school in a month or so, have our records sent, return supplies, and fill out paperwork at the school. Not happening today, but it's soon.

It might be the death of me. LOL. Not really. I love my kids and their sense of humor. I love that they love to make each other laugh. But it is taking over school-work time, and making it difficult to get work done. The real culprit is my 7 almost 8 year old son. I think I'm figuring out that boys at that age are all about silly. Correct me if I'm wrong;) He will make everything into a joke, and suddenly, he's in hysterics, he's dragged his sister (10) into it, and we are no longer talking about Ferdinand and Isabella. All morning long I've been trying to drag everyone back from the brink to work on math, copywork, etc. Often my daughter is actually attemping to work and my son is trying to engage her from across the room. It's a bad, bad habit we're in, and it's making every day harder than it needs to be. I don't want to crush the fun, but it does need to be able to be reigned in from time to time. Things I've tried: snacks, breaks, outside time, putting the kids in seperate areas. I don't love having to split us all up, especially because they both need my help, and I can't be running from sides of the house to meet everyone's needs. I'm trying not to yell. I don't want to make everyone miserable. But of my goodness: stop giggling and lets get some things done. Advice?

No allergies (now or in my history), and no post-nasal drip.

Ok, I am so frustrated. I need some other brains to think about this and give me some advice/thoughts/commiseration :confused1: I have had a sore throat for almost 2 months now. It is only on the left side of my throat. It hurts when I swallow, like it does before you get a cold. When it began, my dr gave me antibiotics, thinking it was bacterial, if not strep. We did the strep test. Negative. Antibiotics had no effect. I also went to an Ear/Nose/Throat, who did an exam and also did the light/tube thingie down the back of my nose. Tonsils, adenoids, throat itself all looked fine. He was stumped. Dr. sent me for MRI on soft tissue of my throat. Did that, including contrast dye. Nada. No lumps, growths, or anything suspicious. But my throat still hurts. Dr. having me do two weeks of omeprozole, in case it's acid irritating my throat. I'm a week in: no change. I don't feel acid, in any case, so I'm skeptical, but I'll finish the round. Her next move is to send me to a Gastroenterologist for a scope. I have had one before (actually more than one in my life), the last one about a year ago, which showed some stomach irritation, but nothing else (this was for stomach pain, not throat pain, but it's data). But what will he see that the ENT and MRI failed to see? It's not deep down in my esophagus, but just down the left side of my throat. I've tried vitamins, essential oils, tons of water, rest, etc. I went to acupuncture too, which did help, if only for a couple of days. Then the pain returned. The only thing I can think of is that I began an anti-anxiety med in November. My dr thinks it's highly unlikely that is causing the sore throat. The pain popped up 2 months after I began taking it, not right away. I'd prefer to stay on it, but I guess I could step down off of it to see if that's it. Sigh. Any ideas? Hideous virus with long life? I have NO other symptoms of illness at all. I am so over this!

My dd will be in 5th grade this fall, and I'm starting to think about next year's plans. Wondering how you all think about 5th grade. Is it still elementary school/grammar stage for you, and do you carry on with the general plan of work you've been doing thus far? Or do you (as in TWTM) consider it as part of the Logic stage, a new set of 4 years with more challenging work and assignments? Our grammar stage work has definitely been more relaxed than deeply challenging, and I'm seeing the need to bump things up a bit for DD. But I'm concerned that if I jump forward too much, it will be discouraging for her. So, how do you handle 5th grade?

We began our hs using CM methods: so, not much writing, since the kids were very young when we began. For the past 2 years, we've used Brave Writer. Love BW and what it stands for. BUT. I'm starting to plan for next year, and my DD will be in 5th grade and my DS in 3rd. I'm starting to wonder if we should give WWE a try to solidify writing. BW is wonderful, and I do like the literature choices and some of the writing projects, but my concern is that it can be a bit scattered and random, and the kids aren't picking up on writing mechanics, putting grammar in to practice, and growing in ability to do longer dictations. Would love some feedback on beginning WWE at this stage in the game, the "lightness" or not of BW, and any other thoughts you might have. FWIW, we do use FFL, and the kids are doing well with that. Thanks!

I've been praying for you, and am happy to see this update. Medication shifts can really help.

Yup. Nausea is a flu side effect, and for me, the nausea tips over into throwing up very easily. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but there you have it! If I get nauseous, you'll find me in the bathroom. Lol. My only protection against the stomach virus is to stay home as much as possible and wash hands like crazy. Which I do!

Yes, I do understand that. But when I've had the flu in previous winters, it always involved a stomach component. I was just explaining that any stomach thing messes me up, flu or stomach virus.

Absolutely, yes. I have an issue with the flu and any sort of dehydration: if I begin throwing up, I can't stop, and will end up in the E.R. needing iv fluids and anti-nausea meds. Happens every single time, and costs us big $$. So, I avoid the flu at all costs, and try to keep my immune system up and wash hands constantly to avoid stomach viruses. It's just not pretty.

So, we don't' do all the subjects every day. Math and copy work, yes. And Latin for my 4th grader. Spelling and grammar are 2-3 times per week. History is once. And by reading, I only mean that we all (me too) read good books every day for a chunk of time. Science for us, so far, is simply reading good books on a topic. We've done a few experiments, and for astronomy, which is our topic now, going outside at night IS the tangible work. I guess my worry was whether I need to ALSO be doing art/music/geography or if those could simply be by osmosis.

This is helpful. I just re-wrote our schedule and did Monday-Thursday as our core work, the essentials, and Friday as a day for everything else (art, music, science, etc.). I have a feeling we'll all look forward to Fridays:) I do like keeping lessons shorter, yes, especially for my 2nd grader, who is a boy. He can't do writing for more than 10 minutes, tops:) I have been trying to keep things loose and not have a schedule, but rather a routine, and while I love that in theory, in reality we sort of float through, hitting whatever subject seems best next, who's in the room, who's walking the dog, etc. I think more of a specific schedule actually would help. Not sure what that looks like yet…it's home, not school, so there's no need to be on a bell schedule, but structure helps me to function better.

So, I started my hs'ing 4 years ago in a CM mindset. I have since let most of that go, as my brain is really more inline with classical education (and I have issues with CM and her proponents, but that's another story. lol). BUT, one of the hangovers of that way of schooling is that I feel compelled to do all the "extra" subjects each week, and as a result I feel like we're bouncing from thing to thing to thing and not able to consistently get the basics done for as long as I'd like to each day. I have a 4th and a 2nd grader. In my mind, the essentials for them are: math, handwriting, spelling, grammar, literature, history, piano practice, and Latin (for the 4th grader). They also each have catechism work, and we do memory work and read aloud together. But, I'm also attempting to do: art study, composer study, science and geography (both read alouds), and creative writing with the 4th grader. Ideally, I'd like to just do the basics category, but I have that nagging voice in my head that says they need those lovely extras. As a result of my lack of confidence in what to focus on, we are go-go-going from one thing to the next, and not on any one subject for more than 20 minutes max. My overall impression of the day is: piecemeal, stressed, over-full. As I type this, I think I also still feel like we need to be done by lunchtime, and that's part of the pressure too. "Should" we be done by lunch? Is that a pipe dream? I'm sure some people are able to make this all flow beautifully, and maybe I'm missing something, but this feels crazy-town. Advice?

So, it's become pretty clear that I'm not that great at making wise purchases and handling money well, and I need some advice (gentle! kind! I'm feeling really embarrassed and ashamed). Not entirely surprising: my dad isn't amazing at it either, and my parents spoiled me and my brother a lot, growing up. Actually, my mom continues to spoil my family now, and I think I've simply gotten used to having what we need, plus some of what would be nice to have. Comfortable, not worrying about the future, money-wise. My DH, on the other hand, is very future-focused with money, great at investments, and never spends money he doesn't have to. I handle the day to day purchases and pay the bills, I do all the shopping for our home, family, gifts, etc, and he does the long-term stuff. That's the way it needs to be, given his job and hours and the fact that I'm at home homeschooling and able to do the actual buying. But this week two large expenses came up, one of which could have been planned for. The cost of it caught us off guard. Basically, I should have asked questions and known what the cost would be and I didn't. It just didn't occur to me. This is very representative of how I deal with money: this thing needs to happen, it will cost what it costs, and we'll just pay it. It literally never crossed my mind to ask what the total bill would be. 😕 I do understand how bad that sounds. If I had any idea it would be as large as it has turned out to be, I certainly would have investigated further. In any case, as DH patiently explained to me last night, we (me!) are spending our kids college money now by not making smart choices, by not saving more, and by failing to view money properly. He has been hands off of our day to day purchasing, because we are always able to pay our cc bills, we have no debt, and we're doing ok, basically. But I am not being smart. If I want a candle, I grab one. If I meet a friend for lunch I grab the bill. I say yes to good books for the kids or a treat on a sunny day. I justify haircuts and color. I'm surrounded by friends and family who spend a lot in order to enjoy day to day life. And it's rubbed off on me. But the issue going forward is, how can I improve my relationship to money? How can I be smart about it, learn to say no "would be nice to have's"? We do live in one of the top 3 most expensive areas of the country. But my lack of discipline and carefulness is mostly what's making it hard for us to save. I've heard YNAB mentioned here a lot and I'm wondering if it might help me to get a better hold on our money and help my DH see what and where we're spending. We looked at it last night and read some reviews, and he has said that I need to be confident this will help me manage money better before he's willing to sign off, so I need advice. I'm super embarrassed that I've gotten this far in adult life without being intelligent with money, given how great I am at so many other things, and I'm feeling very much like I've let my DH down when he's trusted me to handle things well. He's still trusting me to get on a better path, which I'm grateful for, and luckily we aren't in dire straits. Would love some help.

I've been thinking of you too, and I'll keep you in my prayers, especially in my rosary. So glad you went and got some help.

I am an ENORMOUS Bob Dylan fan, so I'm completely biased, but yeah, well-deserved and long time coming. My DH who does not enjoy Bob's music has long said he's one of the best writers in the English language, ever. I concur. :hurray:

Are there any homeschool blogs/social media feeds you love? I'm looking for ideas and inspiration, and just generally to peek in at people who are doing it well. I'd say I'm looking more at the classical end, and not so much the CM side. Not my thing;) I feel like a lot of what's out there right now is more eclectic than I aim to be. Who do you follow?

Thank you so much, Lisa!

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I'm definitely not pregnant, so there's that. Lol. I have had issues with anxiety and depression before, so I know what that feels like, and as recently as the spring, I had some panic attacks. She gave me anxiety meds which I didn't end up taking: ended a friendship which was causing most of the anxiety, was worried about side effects of the meds, etc. I also went to her this summer because I was exhausted: new puppy, two kids, no vacation or break. Just burnt out. That's when we ran all the blood work and thyroid tests. Nothing. But for the last month or so, I've been feeling better, sleep and anxiety-wise. Planning and shopping and cooking meals is not that fun at this point. My kids aren't hearty eaters and they each have their own picky preferences, which I don't generally indulge. But it's not exciting to cook when you know at least one of them won't really eat. In terms of the rest of my life, I don't feel disengaged, just busy. Normal stresses. I just don't like facing food every day and not being at least a little excited to eat any of it. Maybe trying slower, more mindful eating? As much as possible within the confines of family life...and I bought some new cookbooks and magazines too, for fresh ideas.

Interestingly, I just had a big thyroid workup for another issue, and everything is very good. I even got the super-specific tests as well, to make sure we were looking at good data.

Hi all- I've hit upon a rough patch with food, and I'm completely stumped. Absolutely nothing sounds or tastes appealing. Have you ever experienced this? It's not that I can't taste food (a quick google search about my issue turned up a bunch of disease-related stuff where you lose your ability to taste!), but that nothing is appealing at all, and I'm eating just to stay alive, which is really unfun. I don't have any dietary restrictions, and I don't diet, so it's not that I'm eating some super-restrcited way and it's boring: I give myself permission to eat whatever I feel like...and I don't feel like anything. Breakfast is the hardest because I don't really care for most breakfast foods. Eggs: meh. Bagels: meh. Peanut butter toast: meh. Oatmeal? Granola? Waffles? I've made all those things in the past week and I didn't enjoy a single one. I know that a lot of people eat leftovers or savory foods for breakfast, but that has never sounded great to me. And my kids would never go for it. Lol. I'm sure part of the issue is that I'm BURNT OUT on menu planning, grocery shopping, and fixing meals. I so don't know what to cook anymore. And to top it with nothing sounding yummy to me? It's a miracle we all get fed everyday. Sadly, I love food. I do like to cook. But if you took me out to lunch and told me to choose where to go? I couldn't. Not one single craving. Or, to take dinner tonight for example. We had left over chicken, and made nachos. I ate it. I chewed it. I never thought, "delicious! This tastes super good. Happy to be eating nachos right now!" At this point, I'm not finishing meals because i lose taste interest halfway through when I realize I totally don't care about what's on my plate. Thanks for sticking with this! I am trying not to over think it, but it's been a few weeks, and I can't figure out what to do. I want to have cravings and eat things that appeal! But I'm faced with a totally blah food life right now.

Only seeing this now, but I will pray. Hoping he's found safe very soon.