Wow, I'm glad there's such an enthusiastic response! I wasn't sure if it would be worth posting, then I thought that even if it helped one person, it would be worth it. We have been doing it this way for the past 2 weeks now and it's still holding her interest. Hopefully it will work for some of you too.

I've been debating if I should post this or not. It's such a silly thing, but then I thought it might help someone out there. I bought OPGTR to teach my daughter reading. We started it, but she would cry every time I brought it out and refuse to do it. I had McRuffy K and tried that and while she didn't love it, she tolerated it. I also bought CLE LTR to try. She doesn't love this either, but she tolerates it. I am on the fence about it, as I like some of the methodology in the book, but I feel it uses a LOT of sight words and moves slow. I REALLY wanted OPGTR to work. I want something that you can just pick up and do. I like where OPGTR ends up. It took me almost the entire year to think how I could get her to have fun with it, but I finally came up with something. I bought one of those composition books for the primary grades that have a blank space on top and writing lines underneath. On the weekend, I write out the little stories from each page on the lines (sometimes I'll do a short story in highlighter for her to trace). Each day, I teach the lesson on the white board, have her read the sentences in the composition book, and then she gets to draw a picture to illustrate the story (if the sentences aren't related, she gets to pick which story to draw a picture of). She loves to draw so this works really well for her! She never has to look in the OPGTR book (which is part of why she hated it; all those words and no pictures). It doesn't take any extra time to teach. She even told me, "This is the book I hated before Mom, and now I love it." This was so good to hear after I've been sitting here for days agonizing over what to get her for phonics next year.

We love to travel! We lived in Italy for three years and didn't get to see nearly enough (although we did see a lot; Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, England, Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, and Croatia). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that DH will get orders back when the time comes (it will require us to stay on sea duty for about 6-8 months longer than planned, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, lol). When we left Italy, we had the option of flying straight to WA, but we decided to make the drive across country (after visiting family on the East Coast first). We took our time and really enjoyed the good ole USA. The kids loved it and learned a lot about America after living in Europe for 3 years. It was a fun drive with lots of compare/contrast conversations (my daughter was not even 2 when we left the US, so Italy was all she knew; fast food restaurants and toilets with handles amazed her, lol). I have also been to Puerto Rico, Mexico (on a cruise), Canada, Guam, and Thailand. Out of those, the kids have only done Canada, but they were too little to remember. We do have plans to travel to Canada sometime soon though, as we don't live very far from there. Right now our travelling is mostly on hold as we get our finances under order. Hopefully, we'll be sitting better this time next year and can start taking the kids places again.

We are going to attempt to do "school lite" here. There are a couple of things they need to finish up and a couple of short studies I want to do over the summer. Here is the plan right now: DD- 1st: OPGTR (got a late start on this and want to catch up); 15 minutes of reading; some type of math, she'll be finished with her current program so I have to decide what I want her to do over the summer DS-4th: finish McRuffy LA; finish CLE Math 300 then due some type of review/math fact practice; 30 minutes of reading DS-6th: finish current grammar program; finish CLE Math 500, then do Key To series; 30 minutes of reading DS- 8th (this one is going to PS next year): finish CLE Math 600, then do Key to Algebra; finish LLfLOTR With all of them, I want to do Ellen McHenry's The Elements and Knowledge Quest's Around the World

My kids were previous PS, so I am quite familiar with the evening homework struggle, lol. HOWEVER, it won't be as stressful for me because there will be nothing left for me to teach. The work left will be all on them. They can explain to their father why they are still doing their schoolwork at 9 pm when he gets home, lol. I will be soaking in the bathtub, glass of wine in hand!

Enrolling my oldest in public school, lol. Ok, that's not the answer you're looking for, but it will greatly reduce the stress level around here. I'm also going to change the way I write out the daily schedules and actually put "time limits" on subjects. They will get x amount of time for each subject. I will teach what I need to teach and they will have the rest of the time to complete the work. Anything they don't finish will be "homework" later that evening. I'm tired of them playing around and taking 2+ hours to finish math. I'm changing up a lot of our curriculum and combining on some of the subjects (not sure I could do them all with a 1st, 4th, and 6th grader).

How about Explode the Code? It is very independent and is an excellent review. It also offers writing and spelling practice.

This is what I have planned for DS so far. It's not 100% set though. I wish I could find something that combines the kids for science so we aren't doing multiple courses, but I haven't found anything yet. Reading: homemade literature list Grammar: GWG 4 Handwriting: Zaner-Bloser Grade 4 Writing: WWE 2, Just Write, and Write Source Spelling: AAS or Apples and Pears History: History Odyssey Level 1 Modern Times (with older brother) Science: R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Earth and Space with lots of extra reading (with younger sister) Math: CLE Grade 4 Geography: Evan Moor: The 7 Continents (with older brother) Logic: Logic Countdown and Logic Safari Book 2 Art: Combination of Draw Squad, Draw Write Now, and an artist study Music: learn about the orchestra and composer study

I bake it in the oven as well. I usually drip honey all over it and then put it in. It is super yummy! I didn't flip it the last time I did it and it turned out just fine.

Ask your PCM. We were stationed in Italy last year when I wanted to get my DS tested for Auditory Processing Disorder. I talked to his ped. at the Navy hospital and the ped. treated me like a moron. He very reluctantly agreed to ask the audiology department if they had any clue as to what I was talking about. Surprisingly, the audiology dept. came back and said they knew exactly what I was talking about and they had the testing stuff. I was very surprised. Anyway, it's a place to start and they might surprise you. Seeing as how it was at the Navy hospital, it was completely covered by insurance.

I use Multiplication Facts in Five Minutes a Day and it's a good program for mastering facts. Here is a link to the website: http://www.susancanthony.com/Books/books.html It explains how to set each student up for classroom use. They also have addition, subtraction, and division.

We had a late start this year because of our move and things have gone slower than planned. We had a lot of curriculum changes after we started and they haven't all worked out so well. I plan on continuing the school year until the PS here gets out (June 20) and then we are going to ditch everything except Math and LA. We really need to take a break and then start fresh next year.

I second McRuffy. It sounds like what you might be looking for. We are using the K and 3rd grade this year and it's a really good program. My kids enjoy the stories and I like that it's all in one. I have a couple of issues with it, but they are personal issues and don't keep me from recommending it to others.

Our favorites were: CLE Math CLE Learning to Read McRuffy Language Arts 3 (although we won't be moving on to 4) AAS Galore Park Junior Science

My boys all know about it. They were just babies when it happened (they are 13, 11, and almost 10 now), but over the years we've explained it to them in age appropriate ways. At first it was just, bad guys did bad things and our military is fighting to keep us safe. Now, we discuss it with them in as much detail as they want us to. We lived in Upstate New York at the time it happened and would go down into NYC a couple of times a year. They have been to Ground Zero and saw the destruction. We are also a military family, and while my DH is in the Navy and deploys all the time regardless of world events, we do have Army friends that are/were in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting. All of my boys understand and none of them are overly frightened by the information. They know that our military is working hard to keep us safe and they have faith in the military. My DD, on the other hand, is too young to know anything about it.

My DD will be in 1st next year. I am pretty sure we are going to homeschool, but not 100%. If so, this is what I plan on using so far: Reading/Phonics: ETC and something else, just not sure what Grammar: either CLE or VIE, they are both so different I'm having a hard time deciding; I could almost use CLE as phonics because it's phonics heavy and then VIE as grammar Handwriting: CLE if we use their LA or Zaner Bloser Writing: WWE 1 and Write Source Spelling: AAS History: SOTW 1 with AG Science: RSO Life Math: CLE 100 Geography: Evan Moor Daily Geography and our own US State study Art/Music: not sure, probably just pieced together with stuff we have here and resources from the internet

All of the elementary schools my boys have gone to have taught it in third. It may have been briefly introduced at the end of 2nd, but it wasn't actually taught until 3rd.

My thought was to have some that are easy and some that are more challenging. I will alternate them, so they get a break. I have always loved reading and have never struggled with it, so I really am unsure on book levels and such. Chris, I will look into the Dark Is Rising series. I am totally not opposed to Harry Potter (we have them all, but I'm the only one that's read them all). My current 5th grader has read the first one (I think that's the only one though). I think the size of the others has put him off, but I will mention him trying them again. If it puts it in perspective, my younger son tried reading Bunnicula, but struggled with a lot of the words. He just finished Sideways Stories From Wayside School though and really enjoyed it. The older one just started the Septimus Heap series and is enjoying it. He's read the first Harry Potter. He really enjoys the How To Train Your Dragon series, although I think that one is too easy for him.

I'm trying to come up with a reading list for my boys for next year. They will be in 6th and 4th Grade. Neither one are very strong readers (they are about on grade level, maybe a smidge behind) and they don't enjoy reading (yet) either. They will be studying modern times with HO Level 1 Modern Times, but their literature doesn't necessarily have to correspond with history. I am looking for help on whether the books on my list will be too hard for my boys or too easy, as well as any other books I may add. Here is what I have so far: 6th Grade: Castle in the Attic Treasure Island The Phantom Tollbooth From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler The Indian in the Cupboard Number the Stars Stowaway The Hobbit In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson Breadwinner The Call of the Wild Maniac Magee Bud Not Buddy 4th Grade: The Bears on Hemlock Mountain Stuart Little Ralph S. Mouse The Borrowers Mr. Popper's Penguins Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Alice in Wonderland Homer Price Henry and Ribsy

I eat dinner with my children pretty much every night. DH, on the other hand, works until 8 or 9 pm almost every night, so he misses dinner with us.

My Sonlight IG came with a blank one. I made copies of it and went from there.

Blondeviolin, I'm glad I could post something semi useful then! My DD is Abby too. She never complains about her stomach or having trouble with BM's either. They were always a slightly runny consistency, but that's it. I ask her if it hurts to pee and she always says no. We originally tried the Miralax out over a several week period and it was just constant BM accidents. We were in the process of moving from Italy to Washington, so staying home wasn't an option. That's why we stopped giving it to her. We've tried it several times since then, but always with the same results. She likes the fiber gummies much better! And they seem to be doing the same thing without the accidents. TMI alert, but her BM's look much more normal and there's more to them. The doctor said she had a little boy with the same problems with the Miralax and the gummies worked better for him. My Abby also has the ecoli issue, which the doctor said could be causing the accidents as well. She got the ecoli from not properly wiping. I'm not sure which is the biggest contributer of the accident problems, but as of right now, things appear to be getting better.

This may not be what you're looking for, but I thought I'd go ahead and share anyway. My 5 year old (turns 6 in August) was fully potty trained shortly before she turned 2 (like a month or so before her birthday). She did it on her own with very little pressure from us. For the past almost 2 years or so, she has had lots of problems. At first, I thought it was just a phase and she'd grow out of it. The first time I took her to the Dr. was in October 2009. They gave her a urinalysis, said she had a UTI, gave her antibiotics and said that would take care of it. She continued have wetting accidents with the occasional bm accident. In April 2010, I took her back to the Dr. (saw a different Dr. this time) and he said it sounded like constipation. Felt her stomach, ordered a urinalysis, and said to giver her Miralax. So, we've been giving the Miralax on and off since then. At first, we thought it was helping, but even after we lowered the dose, she was having not only wetting accidents, but also bm accidents. We pretty much stopped giving it to her, with giving it another try every couple of months. I just took her back to the Dr for the same problem because I am getting fed up with it. We saw yet another Dr. and this time, she ordered an xray and urinalysis. The xray showed that she was full of excrement and gas. Dr. said to try fiber gummies. The urinalysis shows that she has e-coli, so an antibiotic was also prescribed. The previous Dr. had mentioned e-coli on the urinalysis results but shrugged it off as a "bad catch" and didn't order another test. She has been on the fiber gummies since Thursday and the antibiotics since Saturday. Yesterday (Sunday) was the first dry day she's had in a LONG time!!! She did wet the bed last night, but I want to conquer the daytime accidents first. Again, I'm sure this isn't what you're looking for, but I thought I'd put it out there just in case these things haven't been checked yet. Constipation sounds weird to be the cause of wetting accidents, but the way the last doctor explained it made perfect sense.

Right now I am using 1 student pack for 2 students. I ordered the program with 2 student packs for my 5th grader and 3rd grader. When it arrived my daughter begged to do it too. I didn't have the money to order another pack, so she shares with my 3rd grader. I just put an initial on the bottom of the card to know who needs to review it. It doesn't take that much extra work. In a perfect world, they would each have their own, but we are making it work. They share the posters by dividing them in half and they color their half when they master the phonogram or pass the level.

My husband and I are the same way. We both just love the taste of food. He's an awesome cook and I'm getting better. I like trying new recipes.