I've tried this, and it does work. The alarm keeps us moving. I just open Outlook, go to Calendar, and set the schedule I want to follow. You can set the schedule in a 1 day, 5 day, 7 day, etc. format. I like the 5 day, but I can change to 7 day if I need to add something on the weekend. You can make occurences repeat, so once you have the schedule set the way you like it, it can repeat every week. The reminder bell can be set for 0 minutes, if you want it to go off exactly at the time, or for 5, 10, 15, 30, 1 hr, etc. It's handy to use as a reminder that we need to stop and clean up before lunch, etc. The reminder bell isn't very loud, but if everyone is working, we can still hear it just fine. There may be a way to adjust volume that I haven't figured out yet. If you try it and figure it out, please let me know! :)

I allow them to fly with their strengths, and I expect them to keep paddling despite their weaknesses. I've found that by insisting that they keep working on weaknesses, sometimes they eventually become strengths. Not always, of course, but it's amazing how a little persistance can pay off. Once they get more practice, they get better, so they enjoy it more, so they want to practice more, and then they can actually become really good at it. However, I don't give extra work just because they are very good at something. It frustrates them to feel like they are never done. Instead, I pick a reasonable amount of work, and they can be done when they are done. However, I do pick out lots of interesting library books on related topics, and I leave them around for them to pick up and read. They do, and they often ask for more. Also, I often see them spending time learning things we aren't covering this year, just because they are interested. That thrills me!

Now, if we are on our way someplace and they get muddy, I've been known to lose it, but if it's just ordinary, after school playtime, no problem. We have a special part of the yard designated as the place to play in the dirt (rather than allowing them to dig holes wherever they might desire). They dig, they build, and they get pretty filthy. Muddy boots, etc. have to stay in the garage, and anyone who forgets and tracks in mud has to clean it up.

I have some very... um... enthusiastic children. Loud. Active. Funny. They take after my dh's family. They are delightful and exhausting, all at once. Co-op classes require them to hold it together. I try to exercise them thoroughly beforehand, but about half way through the co-op they are bouncing off the walls again because of being with their friends. They end up in trouble with the teachers for talking, which makes them feel very sad and frustrated, and I'm left wondering... Do very verbal kids learn to be quiet in classes just because they mature, or do they have to learn it by getting in trouble a lot when they are young? We practice this constantly at home, but the excitement level of co-op is much higher! Please share your experience, and give me some hope for my chatterboxes!

Oooooo-kay. I was thinking of not posting anymore and just going back to lurking, but now I guess I have a reason to post! Surely, in the course of the next few weeks I will find a few things to say! I know you all will want to buy my books, right? :)

Not only can we not afford the taxes, as they won't reappraise a foreclosure, we'd also have to pay last year's taxes that were never paid. Yikes! Someone with deeper pockets is going to have to snap up this one, because it just won't be us. Rats.

I need to remember this one. I tend to wimp out when it comes to letting others know I don't want to babysit their kids at the park, the hs meeting, or wherever we may be. Yet, how offensive could "Your child needs her mama" be? Good answer, good answer! OP - Does the lady at church even realize you homeschool? Was she trying to "warn" you of how your dc would turn out if you continue or was she just revealing her bias? Others have suggested kind ways to confront her. I'd pray about it and if God so leads, talk with her.

I know there are Love and Logic books for many different age groups. They are very helpful to parents who want to help their kids to take responsibilty for their own actions and to accept the consequences for not doing so. Hmmm... I think I need to check one out again! :)

We may have found our dream home! It's about twice the size of our current home, is in a nice area, and we can actually afford the price (it's a bank forclosure). However, it's assessed about $100,000 higher than the current asking price, and we can't afford the taxes at the former assessment level. Are cities legally bound to lower the assessed value if a house sells for less?

You may want to let Latin go, but be careful. I've found that once I let something go, it's very hard to get back into it again later. We've managed to do it, but it's hard, hard, hard. As for correcting every mistake, well, for math I think it can be a good idea at times (but not always), and for spelling, too, but for alphabetizing I think I'd just point it out the error and move on. I'd let more mistakes go and keep moving forward, rather than insist on 100% correct work before moving on. I'd just ask him for his best work, and if he thinks it's his best, fine. Take it and move on. Your whole family's well-being is as important as his education, and his education doesn't have to be "by the book."

I, too, struggle with 10-15 lbs. that creep up over the winter months. I've found that increased exercise in the spring helps (getting out for walks, digging the garden, bike rides, dancing more), but I lose weight more quickly if I also limit dairy products for awhile. Portion control is hard for me, so I just don't buy it. It's easier to use the self-control at the grocery store than it is once it's already in my fridge!

Yes, that perfectionism is a huge part of the problem, isn't it! We talk about it a lot at non-conflict times, and it does seem to help. We still aren't where I'd like to be, though. We haven't used a formal writing program consistently. We tried R&S and Abeka, but the tedium factor got to us both. Mostly, his writing is for history and science topics. He's actually more willing to write for history and science, so I focus on that with him. I figure, if he likes it, he'll do more of it. I try to focus on only correcting a little at a time. First draft, he can print and just get his ideas down, and I don't care about spelling or cursive. For the next draft, either later that day or the next day, I point out major points he still needs to cover and ask him to determine where they will fit into the essay. (You still need to answer these questions: ___? and ___? Where will you put the answers?) Once he has that done, and we are both pleased with the content, either later that day or the next day we look at spelling, mechanics, and sentence structure. His punctuation is usually right, and his sentence structure is pretty good, but if there is an awkward sentence I have him read the essay aloud so he will hear the problem and fix it. Spelling mistakes are the most frustrating for him, so I save them for last. I've found the best way to avoid causing frustration is not to mark anything on the page, but rather to work together sentence by sentence to make the corrections. (There are two words in this sentence that are spelled incorrectly. Can you find them?) Final copy is written in cursive with all corrections made. I, too, wonder about focusing more on quantity. I have to wonder if the whole thing will become easier for him as he just writes more. I'm thinking about having him write in a journal daily, so he can write about whatever he wants in cursive for 10-15 minutes. No need for me to correct anything, no need to do anything more than just write. Maybe every week or so, I'll ask him to pick out something from his journal to write about more formally. Have you tried doing something like that? Is there anything else that you've found to work well?

I buy the plain variety, and we sweeten and flavor it with flavored stevia drops. It tastes good that way, and I know they aren't getting the ups and downs in blood sugar because of all the sugar in the flavored yogurt. Sometimes we'll add in fresh fruit, especially bananas.

I use it for everything! The powdered soak is better than the spray-on kind. I don't think I've had any stains not come out, even old stains, although I haven't tried it on mustard.

When we go Sunday morning, that takes up half the day. When we go Saturday night, we pretty much rest all morning on Sunday. (At least, I like to! Dh usually has lots of things he wants to catch up on because he's gone during the week.) Some basic chores get done, but nothing really huge. Afternoons are for naps, playing with the kids, watching football (if in season), and visiting with friends. We don't shop or do anything that will be really strenuous, either physically or emotionally. It's a great way to get rested up for the week. I am very thankful that God, in His wisdom, told us to rest! I feel much better throughout the week if I do. In the hour before bedtime, we do a quick clean up around the house - everything gets straightened, vacuuming is done. We can start the week with a clean house and a clean heart.

While I wouldn't call this real life, I do think this may be where some people are able to be at their honest best. I think of what DollyM wrote about her real-life acquaintance who was "flaky" turning out to be the same person as her online friend who seemed wise. I suspect many of us could be considered the same way, simply because of the way we process information. Some of us don't process the spoken word as well as the written word, so we don't do as well in groups of people, or even one-on-one. We get flustered easily and we may miss some social cues. We aren't able to put our thoughts together as well when faced with people, and do much better when reading and writing. When we read things we can ponder them awhile before answering, and so we give our best answers. When we write, we can do so without having to formulate our words while being distracted by other people. We may be able to give wise advice that we aren't able to live by as well as we'd like, simply because of the way we process life. That doesn't mean we don't have wisdom; it just means we have struggles we don't handle well. Some of our children may inherit the genetic tendency to be the same way, and that makes our lives even more stressful and overwhelming. Thankfully, we have this type of online interaction to be at our best, not in an attempt to deceive others by feigning how well we have it all together, but to share what we honestly believe. I'm sure there are some that aren't truthful online, or that do try to gloss over the less-pleasant parts of their reality, but for some of us, this is one of the most comfortable, satisfying parts of our day, because we can communicate the way we wish we could in real life.

Occasionally, if there is more time, we'll have some fruit and toast, too, but not usually.

I know a lot of homeschoolers, and while some are much more relaxed than I could be, they still keep traditional academic standards. Their kids may have learning disabilities that prevent them from learning certain things at the "expected" ages, but it isn't for lack of effort on the part of the parents. Even those who raise their girls to be homeschooling mothers and don't care if they go to college or not still teach them enough to be prepared for college. They may homeschool their own children, who will want to go to college, and so they need the knowledge to do so. They may decide on their own that they do want to go to college. They may need to provide for themselves for 10 years before marriage, if they ever do marry. I wonder if your friends are college-educated themselves. It seems that might make a difference in their attitudes. I do know some homeschoolers who didn't attend college, but they married very young and had kids right away. Most have degrees and worked a number of years in their professional fields before marrying and having kids. I can't imagine the former engineers and attorneys I know telling their girls they don't have to go to college! I think you and your friends must just agree to disagree. Learn to "pass the bean dip" if necessary. And, most of all, remember that God gave your kids to you for a reason. His plan for them included having a mom who valued their education. :)

I so often wonder if I'm the only one with a child like this. It's good to know others have dealt with it, too! It's interesting what you said, Cleo, about the input/output. When he was younger I think that was a huge issue, but now I think the real problem is just that he doesn't like to do things he doesn't like to do. He'll give all kinds of output if it's something he wants to write about (meaning it was his idea in the first place - you know, like writing a book about his favorite topic). I guess we need to just buckle down and work on the "no complaining or arguing" rule again - both of us! Thanks, again, everyone! Any further ideas would be appreciated! :)

It's encouraging that there are so many options! Surely something here will be a good fit! Thank you many times over!!!!

Monday is a new day. Try, try again. :)

It's a good feeling to get everything planned out in advance, isn't it? You'll love being able just to look at your list to know what to cover next!

I tell him almost exactly what you suggested, on a daily basis, and I do follow through!

My 11 yo ds is like two different children, depending on the subject he is learning. He is amazing when it comes to topics he loves - history, science, literature, technology. He remembers the littlest details, grasps the big picture of how they fit together and with other disciplines, and loves every moment. It's a joy to teach him these subjects. He's happy, animated, and participates fully in all discussions, sharing his insights easily. Then, there are the subjects he finds tedious - math, grammar, and writing (compositions). Those are pure torture for both of us. He doesn't want to learn these subjects (unless he gets to do simple algebra problems, which he enjoys). He struggles to listen to an explanation from me. He daydreams. In math he argues about every detail if I try to explain how to do things differently than the way he figured out on his own, which works some of the time but not all of the time, despite his insistance that his way is always right. He refuses to work the problems on paper because the only interesting thing is doing it entirely in his head, so we have daily difficulties with my requirement that he write down what he did. He knows he needs to learn all about fractions, percentages, ratios, exponents, etc. in order to do "real" algebra, but getting there is killing us both. To top it all off, he gets anxious when given a reasonable time limit (you have x amount of time to work on this, then we are moving on and you'll do the rest as homework) and he makes many more mistakes then. Also, his stress level then affects my other dc and me. He is a sweet boy who really hates that he gets difficult and anxious this way, but he can't seem to get around it. I don't know what to do to break this pattern or to make these subjects more interesting for him. Any ideas for this stressed mom?

My 11 yo ds is like two different children, depending on the subject he is learning. He is amazing when it comes to topics he loves - history, science, literature, technology. He remembers the littlest details, grasps the big picture of how they fit together and with other disciplines, and loves every moment. It's a joy to teach him these subjects. He's happy, animated, and participates fully in all discussions, sharing his insights easily. Then, there are the subjects he finds tedious - math, grammar, and writing (compositions). Those are pure torture for both of us. He doesn't want to learn these subjects (unless he gets to do simple algebra problems, which he enjoys). He struggles to listen to an explanation from me. He daydreams. In math he argues about every detail if I try to explain how to do things differently than the way he figured out on his own, which works some of the time but not all of the time, despite his insistance that his way is always right. He refuses to work the problems on paper because the only interesting thing is doing it entirely in his head, so we have daily difficulties with my requirement that he write down what he did. He knows he needs to learn all about fractions, percentages, ratios, exponents, etc. in order to do "real" algebra, but getting there is killing us both. To top it all off, he gets anxious when given a reasonable time limit (you have x amount of time to work on this, then we are moving on and you'll do the rest as homework) and he makes many more mistakes then. Also, his stress level then affects my other dc and me. He is a sweet boy who really hates that he gets difficult and anxious this way, but he can't seem to get around it. I don't know what to do to break this pattern or to make these subjects more interesting for him. Any ideas for this stressed mom?