Thanks, ladies! I'm going to try the ice cubes first, then the baking soda and vinegar b/c I have them on hand. If those don't work, I'll head to the store for a lemon... keep your fingers crossed!

I, too, have a wooden drying rack in my laundry room. My original intention was to have it set up on an as-needed basis, but w/ 2 year-round swimmers, it's turned into a permanent fixture, much to my dismay!

It just started last night-- I've run the disposal thoroughly but the smell's not any better. What can I put down there to get rid of the stink?

You're not alone!! This just hit me like a ton of bricks, too... and it does sound so simple, lol. For myself, however, I always find that the hardest things really aren't that hard; it's the simple things that I just can't leave simple! I have to find some way to make them more difficult that they need to be :o) Anyhoo, thanks for the reminder-- I've been rolling this thought around in my noggin for the past few days and need to commit it to memory!

13 years in October :o)

Wow, ladies! I am overwhelmed by the number of responses. Thank you so much for your willingness to help!

Nope. No check... but I sure hope it comes soon!

Thank you so much, ladies!! I really appreciate your thoughtful responses and your willingness to listen to my cry for help!! I'm so glad I asked b/c I had it in my head to try a bottle of formula tonight-- I hadn't even considered the possibility that it could upset her stomach. The last thing I need at this point is an extra trip out of bed to clean up a mess! And I'll definitely experiment w/ your other suggestions... I agree that she is growing lots right now-- she's eating very well, especially at night; obviously her body is demanding more right now, so that's what I'll give her :o) Again ladies, a thousand thanks for your help! You've helped me regain my perspective-- this is precious time... I don't want to wish it away!

will she sleep any better for me? I've heard that formula takes longer to digest than breast milk, so I'm wondering if a belly full of formula might work to my advantage?? I've never bottle fed a baby so I don't know much about it, and while I have no interest in going that route completely, I'm desperate for a little more sleep at night! In a nutshell, here's my situation: My babe is 4 months old now. For her first 3 months of life, she slept soundly, only waking once a night to nurse. It was wonderful! For the past several weeks though, we've been nursing twice a night, and due to a huge mistake on my part-- allowing her to become dependent on her pacifier-- she's awake many extra times a night. Once she drops her pacifier, I'm up out of bed to put it back in her mouth, usually 8-10 times a night in addition to feedings (I decide to feed her when she won't settle back down w/ her pacifier, usually every 3 hours now). So w/ all the "pacifier replacements" and then nursing every 3 hours, I'm getting very little sleep. That's why i started to think that perhaps a bottle of formula might sit heavier in her belly, thus encouraging her to sleep a little longer before we start our new nightly routine. Do any of you wonderful ladies have any suggestions for me? I know the early months w/ a new one are rough, but it seems my other 3 little 'uns were sleeping much better than this at this stage...

Ooh! I just figured out how to quote someone and was so excited by my new discovery that I didn't finish my response! Anyway, what I meant to say was this... I agree w/ what OnEaglesWings said... we give our monthly tithe to our home church, and then we give a smaller amount to support other ministries (Samaritan's Purse and the Crisis Pregnancy Center, for example).

Exactly!

We LOVE our iMac!! Dh still uses a pc for his job-- it's work issued, of course-- but he was the one who initiated our search for an Apple a couple years ago when we decided to buy a new computer. I was skeptical at first, but am completely SOLD now... we'll never go back to pc world!

That is a shame! Nothing is safe, anymore :o( When we went to see Prince Caspian, we took in a matinee-- the previews weren't quite as atrocious as the ones you saw, but definitely not what I wanted my little ones exposed to, either. And the previews USED to be my favorite part! Perhaps going in late is the only option... sigh...

Another vote for MCP's Map, Charts, and Graphs-- my boys have really enjoyed this series!

WINNERS: Lively Latin IEW history-based lessons Horizons Math Singapore Math Fifty Famous Stories Retold LOSERS: Spelling Workout LC1

I am really looking forward to using: ~SWB's new writing program w/ my 2nd grade ds ~Beautiful Feet's geography pack w/ the Holling C. Holling books ~the Mindbender's CDs-- I think my boys will really enjoy them!

Horizons math-- extremely thorough and easy to use... most of all-- my boys are excelling! Lively Latin-- thorough, yet gentle, and FUN! Sonlight readers & read-alouds-- we have yet to be disappointed

Here's my rough draft (translate== this is subject to change!): Princess and the Goblin-- George McDonald Princess and the Curdie-- G. McDonald Brighty of the Grand Canyon-- M. Henry Sea Star-- M. Henry Strawberry Girl-- Lois Lensky Incredible Journey-- Sheila Burnford Old Yeller-- Fred Gipson Gentle Ben-- Walt Morey Gone-Away-Lake-- Elizabeth Enright Five Children and It-- Edith Nesbit Treasures of the Snow-- Patricia St. John Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-- Roald Dahl Lassie Come Home-- Eric Knight

Linda, some how I skipped right over your post! I'm so sorry! Anyway... I love your idea of having family memorization AND individual memorization-- I hadn't thought to do it like that, but I think it might be a lot of fun. Do you have your kiddos recite their individual poems aloud to one another? I think mine would get a kick out it, and it might be a nice way for them to have something to call their own instead of always working on the same things. Thanks so much for the idea! Have a great night! ~Heather

Lynn, thanks again for your help! I've had my eye on the Developing Linguistic Patterns book/cd set for some time now-- I think it's time to take the plunge! I know that several people have purchased the book alone, but I think we'll really benefit from having the cd on hand. As I told Jessica above, poetry has never really been my thing--- I think having Pudewa's voice on cd will help a lot! And as you pointed out, several of the poems he's selected are just perfect for little boys-- mine love that silly/gross stuff! I also love your idea of adding a hymn to your circle time-- that had never occurred to me before, but I think it's a wonderful way to learn about the characteristics and attributes of God! Some of the old ones are chuck full of good, solid theology, and we all love to sing, so it'll be a win/win situation! I've been doing a fair bit of thinking about next year, and in the process, I've come to realize that we really need to kick our "circle time" up a notch-- this will make a perfect addition :o) Thanks a bunch, ~Heather

Jessica, thanks for the peak into your year. I love the way you set up your semesters to cover the various literary elements, and it looks like a great selection of poems. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't recognize a few of those titles! I'll have to go look them up :o) Poetry has never been my thing; I'm hoping that it will be different for my little ones. Again, thanks for your help along the way! ~Heather

Thanks, Lynn--- you know, it's funny b/c we had the *exact* same experience w/ CC this past year! A pregnancy, memory work overload... the whole deal! The amount of material in each cycle was more than I wanted and some of it held absolutely no interest for me. Those parts we skipped here at home b/c they just weren't what I wanted to focus on. Hence, my query to Jessica re: he memory work plan-- I'm in search of a new plan as we're dropping CC this upcoming year. As for poetry, are you using a master list to help you decide what you want your dc to memorize, or are you just picking poems you like? I'd love to hear more about how you structure your time if you don't mind sharing... Hope you have a super day! After days of rain, we're thrilled to see the sun again! Enjoy-- ~Heather

Thanks, Jessica-- that makes perfect sense to me. I'm so glad you have such a sense of peace re: your decision--- that's what I'm looking for! I think i'll commit this decision to prayer and wait for the Lord to speak to my heart about what's truly best for my kiddos in our homeschool, and then this summer I'll work towards those changes for next year. As always, I appreciate your honesty and willingness to share! Hope you have a super day! Heather

Thanks, Mindy, for sharing your routine... it's so helpful for me to see how others are tackling this one. I don't want to look back in a few years and play the shoulda-woulda-coulda game with myself. At the same time, I want to make sure our focus is right for *us*-- and isn't that the beauty of it? We can each make it what we want as we decide what's best for our individual families... I guess that's what I'm struggling now to figure out :o) So again, thanks for sharing-- you've given me some good ideas! Have a great night! Heather

I read your post below about blending CM and Classical education and I'm curious as to why you decided to focus your memory work around poetry alone. I know you've been revamping your plans recently (and I'm so glad to hear that it's all coming together so nicely!), and as I've been following your journey, you've got me thinking a bit. Like you, I'm looking to make a few changes-- my current bugaboo is our memory work routine. I'm not sure what I'm looking for or what I want to focus on (in addition to Scripture); l just know that I'm not content w/ what we're doing. So please tell... how did you come to the decision to drop all the dates and lists from your routine? And are you collecting poems of your personal liking? Or are you using a master list of some sort as an organizational tool? I'd love to hear more! Thanks, Heather