I don't use MIF, but we transitioned into Singapore Math last year. First of all, take a breath and don't freak out! Different programs introduce topics in different orders and even the language used in the word problems can cause trouble if it is new. If MIF is the program that you want to use, go ahead and start him in the level he tests into. If you start too hard, he will be overwhelmed. You will start at a lower level, but then you will probably move through the book faster because he will have already learned topics here and there. You will probably find yourselves caught up within a year or so. This will also allow you to learn the "Singapore Way" using the bar diagrams and the mental math activities. Relax, and have fun!

That happened to us too. He actually ended up getting it taken care of while I was pregnant.

I was just thinking the same thing. He's probably there to make sure they don't land on their head. I doubt it's a catch, probably more like a deflection.

What about having her schooltime concentrate on other preschool/kindergarten activites likes cutting & pasting, patterns, painting, etc? Kumon has a lot of fun maze and activity books, and the higher level Rod&Staff preschool workbooks have a lot of tracing, cutting, and sequencing activities. You could still work informally on her reading, but if she wants to have her own individual time, these activities might work until she's ready for more formal school work.

Well, we only have four kids, but we have the same problem! After we moved in I noticed the family across the street that has a three-car garage that is empty except for a refrigerator. Completely empty! Then I realized that his two kids are grown and are in college, the lawn company does his lawn, he calls people for repairs, and they all have small, sporty cars. We have a two-car garage. Half contains our bikes, tools, yard equipment, and hurricane shutters. No one around here has sheds. I'm guessing that it's due to the hurricane threat. So we have to park at least one car outside. I'm guessing that if a hurricane comes we'll have to move the bikes inside somewhere to make room for the van! And I would say that the primary reason that very few have this problems is that people don't get out and ride their bikes anymore! We rarely see kids on bikes around here. I'm wondering if they even know how to ride!

I had two in the 4.5 years between my oldest and my youngest. It was actually quite nice...

I have the same thoughts about "higher" math as about other "thinking" subjects like latin and logic. In the high school years you are learning how to think. When you take algebra or geometry, you are practicing skills that can be used across the board. You are learning to be a problem solver. You are also learning to be detail-oriented and methodic in your work. And, of course, persistent. Very few people will factor large polynomials in their future careers, but the mental process required to get the correct answer is good exercise for the developing brain. I think that anything over 10th grade should be elective. You can go the vocational route, you can focus in an area of interest, or you can prepare for college admission in your area of choice. I don't think everyone needs calculus, but certainly basic algebra and geometry.

Here is the breakdown for us: Giving: 11% Saving: 16% Monthly Bills (Housing, elec, cable, etc): 33% Transportation: 11% Food: 12% Insurance: 4% Clothing: 2% Personal (x-mas, homeschool, haircuts, gifts, etc): 5% Leisure (vacation, entertainment, kids' activities): 6% When we get some un-budgeted pay, we put half into savings and put the other half towards our "wish list," which includes our anniversary vacation, new dishes, carpet, etc, and is ranked according to what we want first. Hope this helps!

You could probably get by without it. I'm thinking back and I don't think I opened it more than a couple times.

During our last move I threw out all of our mismatched plastic storage containers and bought all from one company. Now everything nest perfectly and I don't have to search for just the right lid.

I saw badminton live at the Atlanta games in 2000 and it was awesome! I never knew that badminton could be so action-packed! The organized cheering sessions from the southeast Asian nations were impressive too. I wonder if NBC will have it on in prime time...

This is what we do with Memoria Press' curriculum series. Every day has math, latin, l.a., and literature. Then there is a weekly subject: Bible, Geography, Science, History. On the fifth day we do a cumulative review of the weekly work.

Yes, you need both. The student pack has the cards for that level and the teacher pack has the lessons themselves. I don't know about the homophone book, we didn't buy it.

For normal weeks (not review weeks), we do the following; Monday: Lesson & vocab/grammar drill sheet (in Teacher's Manual) Tuesday: Workbook page & vocab/grammar drill sheet Wednesday: Vocab dictation & Parse strings (Ludere book) Thursday: Weekly Quiz & Grammar crossword (Ludere book) Friday: Cumulative Review Exercises (Cumulative Review book) There are only 25 Lessons & 5 Review Lessons = 30 weeks. If you wanted to do Latin 4 days/week, you could make this into ~36 weeks. The review weeks could be shortened and some lessons don't have Parse Strings or the Grammar Crossword. For us, the Ludere Latine and Cumulative Review books are what "cemented" the grammar concepts into my son't head. I wouldn't skip these, if possible.

Just a little step up are the Magic Treehouse books. I usually start out reading one page and the student reading the next. Also, anything by Clyde Robert Bulla is great!

I always lend out my copy of "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling" by Lisa Whelchel. She provides fictional glimpses into the lives of different types of homeschoolers. http://www.amazon.com/So-Youre-Thinking-About-Homeschooling/dp/1590525116/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343348967&sr=1-1&keywords=thinking+about+homeschooling

We use cash for items in which we can easily over-spend. We use a separate envelope for each category: 1. Groceries/toiletries/other regular household needs 2. Restaurants/Entertainment 3. Clothing (husband envelope, kids envelope, my envelope) We also keep track of other items like homeschool items, vacations, and car maintenance, but we don't use cash for these. I take cash out twice a month and carry the household money (or at least some of it) in my wallet. It's amazing how much your spending will change when you start using cash!

If your son can sound out the words, but just needs fluency, he just needs a lot of practice. I would have him read word family lists once a day as well as a phonics reader or two daily (at different times). For my kids, several short sessions daily have worked wonders. Make sure you have lots of phonics readers available. There are plenty of free (or nearly free) ones online like progressivephonics.com.

I believe it's designed to be neutral. There's no "analysis," just the facts.

Yeah, one set is fine. I've got three using one set here.

Same thing here. I work with the kids from about 8-10:30, then I get a break till 11. Then I do Latin with my oldest. At 1:00 we do silent reading till 1:30, then I work with my oldest till 2:30. My kids are in and out with various breaks, this is my teaching time. At your kids' ages, I did most of the work during afternoon nap time. I realized that without the distractions of the little ones, the students could concentrate better and the work got done faster. I also recommend finding a good routine and sticking with it. When the kids know what's coming next, things go a lot smoother. Enjoy!

I did not use use MP's phonics program for reading because my children's reading ability and writing ability have never matched up, and I didn't want to have to slow one down so that the other would catch up. My older two used Phonics Pathways and ETC, but I noticed that I never got around to my daughter's reading lessons. After I ordered AAR for her, she would follow me around saying, "Is it time for my reading lesson yet?" She finished Level 1 in about 3 months and now we're doing our own thing until Level 2 comes out this fall. For my three older kids I used A Reason For Handwriting Level K to learn how to form the letters correctly (they loved the accompanying coloring page) and then we just moved on to daily copywork. I try to make the copywork match up with their current phonics lesson. I think that MP's phonics program looks good, but it never really fit us well.

You could make this work without too much effort. The student guide lists the bible passages covered for the lesson, so you could just read your bible. The memory verse for the week is from the King James translation, so you could either modify it or use it as is. The comprehension questions should be ok. I know that one of the reasons MP uses the GCB is to acquaint the students with the more difficult language. However, if you want to use your translation, it shouldn't be a problem.

MP's kindergarten program is A LOT of writing. Can your child write at least 10 words in a sitting? Mine couldn't even though they could read chapter books at four. However, you can skip the writing (or decrease it) if you want. The rest of the program is worth it! For my daughter I used AAR for reading, A Reason for Handwriting K and copywork for handwriting, and then the rest of MP's K program.

I like MP's focus on skill subjects. In the younger years, the majority of the day will be spent on the 3R's and Latin. Other subjects like history, science, bible, and geography are done weekly. We use Singapore Math, substitute the SOTW books for the history, and have a family science curriculum going, but I still love MP! I like their "less is more" mentality. Sure, history can be so much fun, but when you are focusing all your energy on it, you're probably lacking in other areas. The only thing I'm not 100% sold on is the science. We went through the Astronomy this year and I'm not sure it was worth it. Knowing the constellations is pretty cool, though. We've bought the Insects set for next year and the reader & workbook look great, so we'll see how it goes. With four kids I'm curious as to whether I will be able to make it work in a couple years. Each child will be on his own level, so if it requires a lot of hand-holding we're going to have a problem. So far, so good, though. We're finishing up 3, 1, and K right now, with a little guy trying to join in when he can.