We are using IEW but I am afraid we are not covering enough literature/grammar for standards fulfillment. Any suggestions or ideas as to what I can add for my 7th and 8th graders? I am using WWE and AAS for my 2nd and 3rd graders.

I am having some issues finding out what math program I like best for my kids. Is LOF suitable for a stand alone or is it supplementary? We are using Teaching Textbooks for ds8 and dd7, but ds12 and dd13 are just not happy with TT. And what books in LOF correlate with what grades? I should also add that we chose Kinetic Math originally this year, but it is not working out due to our school having never used it before-they can't seem to organize the grading and so forth.

Where can I get the MFW schedule for Apologia? I'm using Physical and General for my 7th and 8th graders.

What shoes would you recommend? I would be running on concrete. :/

Yes, we can homeschool here without the charter. I'm in it for a few reasons: 1. I'm spoiled rotten by the funding we get to buy whatever we want that's not Christian, art supplies, microscopes etc. 2. Although I have a teaching degree, I do foresee trouble on the homeschool front here in Ca and I don't want my children to end up facing issues at the university level by not having proper records/transcripts. 3. Our teacher is a long time friend that helps us keep "homeschool minded" and doesn't force ps ideas on us at all. It's very much a parent driven school so we are thankful for it for now and gladly deal with the little quirks. It may not always be this way but for now it's nice. 4. I like knowing I have someone to be accountable to besides dh lol it helps me make certain deadlines and keep good records. This fall will be our 6th year doing this so I'm sure I'd do fine without them but we stay on for the financial aspect of it all. :)

Thank you all so very much. I appreciate all the time taken to help me with this. I knew I could count on a great group of people who do their research and make good choices. Ibwas vaccinated as a kid and still contracted measles in Mexico...of course it could have been worse if I hadnt been vaccinated. I also was hospitalized as a child for croup-and lung infections scare the beejeebers out of me. I'm not going to take any chances. I agree there is a lot of misleading information out there-and I don't want to fall into either trap. My mom has fed me info regarding vaccines causing autism etc but I know my kids are probably past that point being the ages they are. I really do thank you all for the informative and in depth thoughts on this subject.  Love and health to all!

You are so inspiring!! All of you are...I just got the C25k app for my phone and I'm starting TODAY. Enough procrastination already. Do you find you have more energy? Do you get to sleep fairly early(early to me would be by or before 10pm) at night? Lastly, do you get up that early and run everyday? I find it so very easy to push it off when I get little sleep, like last night I got woke up at 2am by a little pee pot girl...had to give her a bath and change her bedding...had just dozed back off when Piper the dog was yelping at the back door to be let out to go potty-I didn't even know she was inside....sheesh...then I couldn't fall back asleep till past 3:30! :( yucky! That's the story of my life when I have a goal in mind. But I'm going to push through no matter what. :)))

Thank You for all the encouragement. I have to admit I am around some people who strongly believe in conspiracies and very weird things regarding vaccines. I would NEVER endanger my children by not using proper judgement for their well-being. We are a holistic and organic family and I have their best interest at heart. We will definitely be doing our research. I just feel thus is OUR prerogative and NOT the governements. I don't want the government educating my children nor forcing me to do anything I'm not completely comfortable with. I also do not want to fall prey to scare tactics in order to raise funds. Just my $.2 but I promise not to endanger my children.

Ooooooh wonderful! Thank you so much! Will definitely look into this as well as the McDuffy readers. Yay! I also found many classic audiobooks at librivox and "booksshouldbefree.com" and got an app for my iPhone. Really cool stuff! Thanks again, it's all coming together nicely for this coming year.

If he us already a natural speller and a good worker independently I think it would be great for you. It comes with the phonetic zoo cards that have all the rules for each lesson, then the audio cd repeats whichever jingle rules apply for that lesson. The student listens to the lesson and writes the words and then self corrects. They must get 100% twice on each lesson before moving to the next. The only problem I have is my kids are sneaky so sometimes they tell me they got 100% when they didn't and I can tell they corrected their errors without waiting the next day to repeat the lesson. So I have to be on their backs a bit but it's still better than me having to give them their daily spelling words. We did try an online spelling program once called "espindle" but it didn't work well as the words were dictated by the computer and extremely difficult to understand. I'm happy with IES-hence my quandary as to which program to use for my ds8 as I'll have both programs available-I suppose I'll let him sample each and decide then.

Can anyone give me a comparison between FLL by TWTM vs PLL by Emma Serl? Thanks!

Ahhhhhh so I DID open it! Yes it's by far my most favorite yet. I especially like the high school options as I haven't found anything I like for that till now. Yeehaw off to the valley of decision I go! ;)

Omw I learn something new everyday I must say! Thanks for the clarification-I think I'll stick with the terms Christian or non-Christian lol and btw TOG looks amazing! Geeze another option for my ever growing plethora of wants! ;)

We are in California...I will keep researching and find out exactly what the laws are. :)

Thank you! I meant I'm only familiar with a few secular publishers and mostly familiar with NON secular. (only because I'm with a public charter school-I adore all the secular curriculums I've been introduced to here) Isn't anything Christian based considered secular? :) It IS overwhelming though...too much great stuff! Trying to figure out how to weave in some without breaking the bank and still utilizing the high quality materials I already have through our school. (SOTW, TT, ETC, Shurley English, WWE and more)