I have twin 3yos and a 4yo. They know their basic letter sounds from the Letter Factory dvd and from Leap Frog fridge phonics. I also read to them a TON. That alone would be enough prep for phonics, I believe, but we are going to start AAR pre-level starting in the spring when they're 3.5 and 4.5, just for a more structured pre-k for my 4yo.

We just moved from Houston to New Orleans. We are planning to homeschool as long as we live in New Orleans. We'll be moving back to Houston (probably) around 2nd grade for our crew. If we have loved doing kinder and first at home, we'll continue. If we are not loving it, we will try the University Model School there. I really like that model, and had planned to school there, but there isn't one in NOLA.

My inlaws live in Reston. It's absolutely lovely. I love visiting. They moved there between DH's 9th and 10th grade years, so he finished high school there, and has had nothing but positive things to say about his school experience. His younger sisters did much more of their school there and feel the same way. I would love to move there and be close to my ILs, but there is not much in my DH's field available for us to do there.

My 4 year old DS weighs right around 40lbs, and rides harnessed in a Graco Nautilus. In your situation, I would let your 7yo ride in a booster. I'd feel 100% fine with that. I'd put the 4yo next to the baby in the 2nd row. I'd feel better about an untethered Nautilus than a 4yo in a booster.

Ditto the others. I delivered a vertex baby A and a footling breech baby B five minutes later. No big deal. My OB did require an epidural and delivery in the OR, but I was OK with that. My labor was LONG and I was grateful for that epidural. Even delivering in the OR was no big deal. I pushed in my L&D room until baby A was crowning, then we wheeled my bed to the OR next door. I didn't move off of my bed to the OR table or anything. I just kept pushing and delivered babies!

50/50 mix of vinegar and distilled water, warmed in a spray bottle in the microwave, with a microfiber towel works pretty well. I'm am admittedly not super picky, though. And I'm too stubborn to buy special products. I used vinegar/water on everything. LOL

I have tons of Ikea. My Leksvik book cases, big hooks/cubbies than hang in my entry, and shoe bench (also in entry) are 4ish years old and in perfect condition. My Lack coffee table is about 2 years old and is showing wear, but it's one of the cheapest pieces they sell, so I'm not surprised or disappointed. My expedit cube storage in the playroom is pretty new (2 months?) but I'm thrilled with it. I don't see how it could possibly be harmed. It's solid as a rock. My LARGE hemnes dresser in the twins' room didn't survive our recent move well. I don't know what the contributing factors were, but it is now not at all square. Still functions, but a couple of the drawers are little sticky and it looks off-kilter. I love Ikea. We recently moved away from ours, and I'm so sad!

This was true for us, as well. We went GFCF in November of last year for my then 3yo son who has ADHD symptoms. We noticed a huge and immediate change in his overall temperament, impulse control, and cooperativeness. The first few months were tough, but now it's just our "normal".

My favorites are Kate (what I voted for) and Katie/Katy.

All of mine are just fleece backed, not PUL. I've never had a leak or mess. They're totally reliable. I just throw them in a wet bag, no rinsing or soaking. I wash them with towels and other wash-on-hot things. I throw pads in first, run a short rinse cycle, then add towels, run a long hot wash, and I'm good. I do get some stains, but I don't care. No one sees them but me!

these are my favorites: http://hyenacart.com/theessenceofeve/ I find them super comfortable and completely reliable.

best sports bra EVER: http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Comfort-Womens-Fiona-Black/dp/B001AP3SEY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311473555&sr=8-1 I love mine. I run in it comfortably, and am a 36D. A good friend of mine who is a 34H recommended it to me. She loves it, too.

I use cloth pads and LOVE them. I've been using them full time for about 6 years. I used a diva before kids, but it doesn't fit well after that whole twin vag birth situation. :( I have sea sponges that I'll use if I have to for swimming or working out when a pad isn't practical, but they saturate REALLY quickly for me, so they are annoying to use for long. Too much changing and washing. I wish I could still wear my diva.

I'll be preschooling at home with all three of mine this year. They are only 12 mos apart in age, and even close developmentally. We plan to preschool again next year, so are aiming at a PK3 this year. Our plan: SL P3/4 read alouds Kumon first steps workbooks lots of art, puzzles, games, and Leapfrog DVDs. in the spring, add: AAR pre-level HWOT pre-K Still trying to decide what (if any) pre-math to do this year. Leaning toward just doing counting, sorting, shapes, etc games this year and doing something more structured next year with PK4.

You may be able to keep your 2nd and 3rd grader together for much of LA, too. I taught (before I had kids) a combined class of 2nd and 3rd grades at a small christian school (total of 9 kids in both grades) and I only separated out math and grammar. Literature, handwriting, and writing/composition were easily combined. I did spelling separately at the beginning of the year, but my 2nd graders were all really good spellers, so I worked to catch them up and did them together the second half of the year.

Roughly 2400 sq ft, 2 adults, and 3 preschoolers. We never use the guest room, though, unless we have guests, or I hide out in there to sew.

The kids will be SO excited when UPS comes today. I have a bunch of books for SL P3/4 coming! Eloise Wilkin Stories HarperCollins Treasury of Picture Book Classics Mike Mulligan and More Noah's Ark Make Way for McCloskey A First Book of Fairy Tales Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm Flip Flap Body Book Teddy Mix & Match

82 I have Amazon Mom, which gives me prime shipping. I order pull-ups, wipes, lots of gluten free foods that are cheaper in bulk on there than at Whole Foods (pasta, snacks, etc), sunblock and other personal hygiene stuff, books, etc. I don't pile up my shopping cart, so I get lots of small orders. I should start piling up a bit, though, to conserve boxes. Oh, and almost all of my gift-giving shopping is done on Amazon. I *heart* Amazon.

I taught in two different classical christian schools pre-kids. One of them I would my children to in a heartbeat, if we still lived in that town and if I had the financial resources to do so. The other you could not pay me to send my kids too, and although (again) we've moved out of that town, we will probably be back there by the time my kids are in 2nd grade. NO WAY. So, from my personal experience, these schools vary a LOT. If you've done your homework and you feel good about what they're doing there, you (and he!) will probably love it.

I taught elementary Latin at the UMS school we used to live near and it was a great experience. I had planned to send my kiddos there when they reached school age, but we just moved out of state and there is not one near us now. We'll be homeschooling full time, but if it was available--heck yeah! I love the model.

I am not LDS, but my best friend is. She recommended I read Mormon America to answer all the questions I was forever peppering her with. It was a fascinating read and I do recommend it for those of you (like me) who are reading this thread as mainstream evangelical protestants who know very little about the LDS church, its history, and its doctrine. http://www.amazon.com/Mormon-America-Revised-Updated-Promise/dp/0061432954/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310863194&sr=1-1

I have a 4 year old son who is GF for gut and behavior issues. He never had a normal looking poo in his life until we changed his diet, and he is much less hyper and struggles less with impulse control when he is off of gluten (and casein). My mom is gluten free because of auto-immune diseases (hasimoto's thyroiditis and meniere's disease). She has seen tremendous improvement in her symptoms. And yes, I think it's trendy. I'm sure there are some people eating gluten free that don't need to be. But it has really helped those two people in my life!

I got my first machine about 5 years ago, and got the same advice--either go old or go expensive. I didn't want to, and I'm stubborn, so I bought this one. and you know what? I have loved it. http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Affordable-60-Stitch-Computerized-Free-Arm/dp/B000JQM1DE/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1309744131&sr=1-1

It sounds like you've already had some good answers for Houston. Moody Gardens aquarium and the beach at Galveston and NASA (between Houston and Galveston) would be fun, if you want to head closer to the coast. I hear the aquarium at Corpus Christi is amazing, but we've never been. Depending on how far into Louisiana you'd be willing to drive, New Orleans has a TON for kids to do.

My son is on a gluten and dairy free diet for ADHD-like behavior (not diagnosed). We eliminated one at a time, one meal at a time. We started with casein (dairy) and made a list of 5 things that he could eat for breakfast that were casein free. We changed breakfast only for a week. The next week we did the same for snacks, then dinner, then lunch. Then we took a week off and started the same for gluten. Made another list for breakfast, and eliminated one meal at a time. We were seeing HUGE improvements in behavior by the 6th or so week. Done gradually, it wasn't too overwhelming to implement, and the improvements we saw gave us encouragement to keep going. Best wishes!