We have two. One for tiles (reading/spelling), the other for writing on, plus a couple lap size. It works and was under $40 for all.

We made postcards with a nice picture and info, printed on card stock, mailed without an envelope. They were inexpensive, but looked nice.

I think he has a minimum. DS, 20, has 3 gym shoes (2 leather and 1 cloth Converse), dress shoes and winter boots. I don't feel that's excessive at all.

http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm

That's a lot of $ even on a budget. Plus, the shower is your responsibility. I'd talk to her.

We get them from the library or burn them from the computer onto CD. We almost always have a book going in the van.

Our oldest would have been named Samuel Xavier if I had named him. DH named him, Race Xavier. Fits him perfectly. However, dh's first pick was Geronimo. That wasn't happening. If we'd had girls they would have been Estrella or Jade for the older, Tessa for the youngest.

LOVE my microfiber pad mop. I bought it at QVC several years ago after it being recommended by a friend. It has two scrubby MF pads and a dust mop pad. LOVE it!! We also have a MF string style mop. I'm not a fan, but dh prefers it. He uses it to mop the laundry room and/or garage. I do like that it's washable and the head is replaceable (and that he scrubs those floors!). I would love a steam mop, but that's not in the budget.

I'm on month 8 of my temperature scarf (crochet), and I'm always digiscrapping. We've done a lot in the past couple weeks to finish summer break, so I have several pages I need to do.

Great site! I prefer a Boye hook, but use the same crocheting method. It really is a preference, so, I agree, by a hook of each style and see which you like. A light colored good quality yarn is a good starting point. Once you learn the very basics start with small projects- dishcloths and potholders can handle mistakes. As your skill increases you can increase the size and difficulty of your projects. If you have trouble understanding one video, try another. There really are so many great resources out there! Enjoy!

I sort of have both. We have a small room in our basement with three bookcases full of books and some artsy type stuff. It's not really usable as a school room tho, because it's far away from everything is and cold most of fall to spring. I do, however, appreciate it as a storage area. I have lots of books from our older son that I want to keep either for the younger son or to pass onto grandchildren someday. Our current school stuff is stored in the kitchen, under the coffee table, and a little in ds's room. We have our large whiteboard and maps in the kitchen. It works, so I'm okay with it.

My boys nursed to over age 4. Neither remember the actual nursing, but they both remember the snuggling part of nursing. The 9 y/o still snuggles on the couch with me to be read too, very similar to our evenings of nursing.

We use and love MUS. :)

Agreeing with the others on why I love better Binders. I took ds's work from last year out of his BB and stored it in a cheap-o binder. That way he can re-use the BB. :)

My 9 y/o has full access to educational sites and has for a while. He can also Google for info, search our local library, etc. Overall, however, he doesn't spend a lot of time on the computer because he'd rather be riding his bike, building with Legos, playing Wii with his big brother, etc. We have our Internet filter set pretty high, so I'm not too concerned about him stumbling onto sites he shouldn't be on, and he's been taught to never click an ad or pop-up. We use K-9 set to block just about everything.

What do you suspect? Have you looked at any checklists to see how she falls? Have you tried having her track the sounds as she reads? I started with an index card with the corner notched out, so he could uncover one sound at a time- uncover the p /p/, then the o /o/, then the t /t/, then blend it quickly/say it fast. Has she had a thorough eye exam? She's not even 7, so I wouldn't be overly fearful, but I would (and did) look for ways to help and to see if there is a true problem. For us, there is a problem; for many kids there isn't, they just aren't ready at that age. hth

My 3rd grader used AAS (20 minutes a day 3-4x wk), R&S English 2 (10 minutes a day, mostly orally), HWT Cursive (10-15 minutes a day), vocab (1x week, maybe 10 minutes), poetry (10 minutes a day), his reading (about 30 minutes a day), plus I read to him at least 30 minutes a day and he read his devotional to me. We don't write for reading. He retells or answers some comp questions orally. He wrote a tiny bit for storytime. That writing will ramp up in 4th. He does have a journal (notebook) that he freely writes in. hth.

We love HOD! We've completed Little Hearts, Beyond, Bigger, and Preparing is on the shelf. I love that it's open and go, it has a CM foundation (not 100% CM, but leans heavily in her way of teaching), it's skill based (not grade level), is full of rich literature, projects are fun for my son and easy for me to pull together, and so much more. We use our own Bible, so no issue with the Bible used. We use MUS. I can't imagine SPM being behind. Finishing R&S English 2 by the end of Bigger is actually ahead of where CM would likely have a child. Grammar isn't even really needed in the younger years. Kids will get all they need as they get older. I teach the very basics, capitals, punctuation, etc. Some of HOD may seem light, or unnecessary, but it really builds on itself throughout the guides. It really comes down to what you want for your child. I don't want school at home, or to fit some standard. I want a love of learning, good books, and enjoying my time with my ds. I get that with HOD- and more.

Yes, it's complete. We've used Little Hearts, Beyond and Bigger. We'll start Preparing in August. Ask if you want to know any specifics.

My ds enjoyed learning to make and edit videos at that age. He'd pick a song and favorite video game and edit it together. He still does that for fun sometimes. Alice is a nice animation program that's free. There's tons of tutorials for how to learn Photoshop or any of those type of programs. You can learn a lot online re: car repair, household maintenance, etc. You could even make it enough for partial high school credit. Not online, how about yard work (for you or others), a small garden, writing in a journal or short stories, running. Volunteering is always needed- soup kitchen, animal shelter, etc. I also wouldn't dismiss a job. Many places hire kids for the summer then drop their hours when school starts. My ds worked at the movie theater. Lots of hours in the summer when they're busy, much less in the fall. The same with most grocery stores. My ds also appreciated it when he got a small weight set.

We've only went once. It was just okay. But... we have a wonderful local BBQ restaurant that tastes better and is less $. Glad you had a good time!

Congratulations!

Glad you're ok! A dear friend's home was one of those destroyed. My dh and I lived in CS back in '86. Hard to imagine so much destruction. Praying for the entire area!

Our cut off is Sept 15th. That would make them 6th, 3rd, 1st, K and PK in the fall. However, your getting ready to turn 5 y/o may or may not be ready for K. Some are, some aren't. It's good to look at academic and emotional maturity when deciding. My now almost 20 y/o was MORE than ready academically to start K at barely 5. Emotionally, however, it would have been beneficial for him to have waited a year. One of my summer day care boys waited a year before starting and he is at the top of his class, great decision for him. I know others that have early Sept birthdays and do well going straight into K. It really depends on the child. If the grade decision is for something simple like church or a co-op then it isn't quite as important to wait, or not. To go into a school building (public or private) at just turned 5, I'd give it very careful consideration (and prayer).

www.covd.org will tell you.