:iagree: I've been doing a good bit of reading on this topic, and I have to wholeheartedly agree with this conclusion. I would recommend reading "Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" (available free online at http://deliberatedumbingdown.com/). The book is a tome, but it provides a very, very detailed examination of the history of compulsory education in the form of excerpts from speeches, letters and the like. The bottom line is that compulsory education was designed to create good citizens for the industrial age. (Pushed not only by a progressive agenda, but corporate America in the form of massive grants & the creation of educational foundations.) I only got through about 2/3 of it, but that's more than enough to get the gist. (And it started making me feel sad & sick, so I had enough.) A PP mentioned the book "The Underground History of American Education". This is also an excellent read, and a lot easier to tackle (and available free online at http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm). At one point, when "Underground History" is discussing the beginning of compulsory education in the early 1900's, it describes protests (I believe in NY) by parents who thought that the compulsory schools were too easy. Their children had been learning better at home. My current read is "Indoctrination" by Kyle Olson. It's okay, very antedotal. And it's written from a conservative perspective. But it emphasizes the pro-union, pro-social justice agenda being pushed in the schools (which, the author argues, not only "indoctrinates" our children, but takes time away from the things they should be learning). The big picture from these books & others I've read is that the schools were designed for a purpose other than creating enlightened critical thinkers. I don't mean to take away from the outstanding teachers in the PS system who have the best intentions. And I believe that some students can still succeed in the PS system. Unfortunately, the system has been created in such a way that will necessarily "fail" for those who want all children to truly learn and not just be "educated" in the way the establishment deems appropriate.

Ugh! I don't remember all the details (I really try to block it out), but as I would read, I would get questions like "If the water quenches the fire, how can the fire burn the stick?" And I just want to respond, "I don't know, but can we just get through this please?!?!" If he sang the book, I think I'd pull my hair out. Fortunately, most of the other books he really likes are rather enjoyable.

One of my favorites was "Grandmother's Pigeon" (which required Kleenex for me). But if you asked my 5yo son, his favorites would include: Blueberries for Sal Goldilocks and the Three Hares The Funny Little Woman The Little Rooster and the Diamond Button Sylvester and the Magic Pebble The Little House The Fisherman and his Wife The Man who Walked Between the Towers The Old Woman and Her Pig (which I found terribly annoying, but he insisted on reading it again & again)

A friend today just told me about her super-cheap organizing idea. Her husband cleans out the plastic bins they get their cat litter in, and she uses them to store toys & I guess whatever else. They have lids that flip open & handles, which is handy for hauling the toys around. (I'm thinking of things like Matchbox cars & Legos.) I asked her if she could hook me up with a few (as I don't have a cat). I'm not sure if these will help with the things you're trying to organize, but with so many moms on here, I thought the tip might help somebody.

I agree with the prior poster. FWIW, my son, who is 5 & on lesson 93 of OPGTR (and who really isn't "into" reading), makes similar mistakes. And he sometimes will add an "r" "n" or "l" sound into words where none exists. The mistakes you exemplified don't sound that unreasonable to me for a beginning reader, but definitely trust your gut as you go along if things don't feel normal. Also, to make reading less of a chore for my son, some days instead of OPGTR, I'll let him pick out any book he wants, and we'll take turns reading pages or sentences. If he's struggling with a word, I just tell him the word & we move on. The last thing I want to do is have reading be a miserable experience for him. Good luck! Kathleen

I just stumbled upon this article and thought I'd share. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8974027/The-20-classic-films-children-should-see.html

I personally found the advice in "The Happiest Baby on the Block" invaluable. That combined with another general baby book would be my preference.

Another option is to make a word puzzle for the recipient to solve to see where he/she is going. Depending on the age, you could make a simple code or do a word jumble. Then just print it out (or heck, you can even handwrite it if time is an issue), and put it in an envelope, wrap it in a box, or throw it in a gift bag.

I had never heard of these until this thread, but they look really cool. I've put it on my Amazon wishlist until my son is just a little bit older. I love the amazing things people on here share. Thanks so much!!

FWIW, I use the Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie pouches. You just add an egg & butter. They come out soft (I'm not a fan of hard, crisp cookies) & very yummy. I get soooo many compliments on my cookies. They're better than any "from scratch" cookies I've ever had. And they're super easy. I keep extra pouches in the pantry for whenever the mood strikes.

:iagree: I'm a huge fan of yard sales, and I have clothes stored away for my son for the next 3 years. I also have been lucky enough to find brand new toys & games at garage sales that I stash away for a gift-giving opportunity. This year for Christmas he's getting two huge tins of Lincoln Logs ($5 each), a Monopoly game ($1), and a Trionimos game ($1), all of which I found a couple of years ago brand new and waited until he grew into them. I also stock up on household items when the sale is really good. I'll always "need" toilet paper, laundry soap, dish detergent, etc., and they can easily been stashed in the garage. There's nothing that frustrates me more than paying full price for an item at the last minute when I know I could have gotten it for much less if I planned ahead.

Try these Oreo Truffles: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-oreo-truffles-95085.aspx I made a more complicated version of this recipe, and the combo of cream cheese & oreos is amazing. I'm looking forward to trying this simpler version. (If you don't want to deal with dipping them in chocolate, make oreo crumbs in a food processor or blender, and roll the balls in the crumbs.)

My 10 yo top loader recently broke, and I started researching front loaders. I ended up buying a new $50 part & fixing my old washer myself. One issue about front loaders I didn't see mentioned here is that they are a little bit deeper than the top loaders. The 2 or 3 extra inches would have been a tight fit in my laundry room because of the way my door opens. Just make sure you have enough room if you're switching from a top to a front loader. And as another poster mentioned, it takes about an hour for a load. I'll stick with my 30-minute wash in my top loader. Also, I was really surprised to hear complaints on here that the front loaders don't wash as well. The (non-commission) salespeople I talked to expressed how much better the front loaders wash. Live & learn!

If they paid for shipping through Ebay, you should be able to access the tracking information by looking at the order page. However, not everybody uses this method.

:iagree::iagree::iagree: I just finished Holt's "How Children Learn" and ordered 3 more of his books from my library. Gatto's books are really interesting. You can read a free copy of his "Underground History of American Education" at his website: http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm I also concur on the Cathy Duffy recommendation. I borrowed it from the library, then bought it used on Ebay for about $6. Additionally, I recently enjoyed "You Can Teach Your Child Successfully" by Ruth Beechick.

I used to live in Crystal City (Arlington, VA), which is about 5 minutes outside downtown DC on a weekend (just right across the bridge). But my daily commute to work on H St was about a half hour by car. I can't imagine what it would be from Woodbridge, but it's definitely worth analyzing. I'm not sure where you're moving from, but I grew up in PA, and the wonderful thing about being in NoVa or PA is the proximity to all of the wonderful other cities along the east coast. Living in Las Vegas now, I really miss all the great places we could reach in just a few hours. But I am partial to the weather in the desert. And the cost of living, as well as having family here, makes it a no brainer for us. Good luck with your decision!

I'm so sorry. I totally get your reaction. I could keep telling myself logically "it's only money," but still be terribly upset. It's wonderful to hear that you have a financial cushion to be able to deal with this. So many people don't. Please feel blessed that you were wise enough to provide that cushion for your family.

We simply play store (sometimes with food, or cars, or "pet shop" with stuffed animals - you can use whatever you child is into to make it more fun). My son (5) likes to set up the store with price tags & I play the customer. I buy two or more things, and he tells me my total. You can make it as simple or complicated as you want. It's great for teaching subtraction as well, when he needs to give me change. And of course, you can also teach money once you get the basics of addition down. We also play some of the games suggested by PP's, but this is by far his favorite. And FWIW, he's mastered more complicated addition problems much faster this way compared to simple worksheets.

We're currently using OPGTR for my ds(5), and I really like it. For those of you who finished it successfully, have you done any additional reading programs, or just stuck with regular books?

I sell a lot on Ebay, and I'm pretty familiar with approximately how much most items cost to ship. It's not uncommon for me to see a seller with a shipping cost that is so low that it would never cover his actual cost to ship. I'm guessing they often results from using a template from a previous item sold & forgetting to change the shipping charge. I always offer to combine shipping costs. Interestingly, it sometimes costs me less to ship the items separately than it would together. Once a package goes over a pound, the cost skyrockets compared to First Class Mail. But even if I ship them separately, I give a small courtesy discount since they purchased multiple items. As a PP stated, sellers are not permitted to charge you more than the actual listed shipping charge. HOWEVER, if you request a service that is more expensive than what they have listed (e.g., they specifically listed media mail & you want Priority), they are certainly allowed to charge you more at that point.

If you do hit the museum, it's always fun to do the official "Rocky" run up the steps. Even living in Philly, we got a kick out of it every time. (Gosh, I hope I'm not dating myself.)

This has been one of my favorite threads on this forum. The posts in this thread have made appreciate how unimportant all the overpriced gifts are in comparison to the wonderful memories that can be created during the Christmas season. There are some amazing people on this board. I know it's a little late for this year, especially in most parts of the country, but I have discovered some surprisingly inexpensive finds at garage sales over the years. I'm always shocked at the brand new items people are willing to unload for next to nothing. I've picked up a number of new, sealed board games for $1 a piece, and I stash them away in the garage until the next birthday or Christmas. Another great find was a large pile of multi-colored cardstock that I got for $1. My son uses the cardstock to make cards for all occasions. And DVD's can often be found for $1, which can make a nice gift & be great for a family movie night. (And then there are all the cheap books, some with bindings that have never been broken - it's all I can do not to fill our house with them.) I know some people mentioned the dollar store, which can be great for certain things, but your dollar can often get you a lot more quality at a garage sale. And unlike a thrift store, you can always negotiate at a garage sale. I hope everybody has a very blessed, joyful Christmas.

There's no easy answer. FWIW, last year I sent my ds (now 5, and an only child) to a reasonably structured ps. He enjoyed being with the other kids. He most enjoyed being on the playground. He didn't really get anything out of it academically, but that wasn't my reason for sending him. He's a late August birthday, so I decided to wait another year before sending him to kindergarten. In the meantime, I decided to use this "free" year to decide if homeschooling works for us, rather than send him to another year of preschool. I'm really enjoying homeschooling, and would like to continue. However, my son keeps asking when he's going to go to kindergarten. Preschool was a lot of fun, so I think he expects kindergarten, and school generally, to be the same, despite everything I tell him. Now I'm torn as to whether to send him to half day ps kindergarten next year so he can meet a few kids in the area, but also see how it differs from preschool, then pull him out the next year to hs. My main point is that, to the extent that preschool could give her a "taste" of school, it may seem like "school" is all about playing, doing crafts and other fun things, making her not want to hs after ps. The reasons for sending her to ps may certainly outweigh this factor, but I just thought I would share our experience for your consideration.

I love this idea! I'm going to incorporate it into our plans for this year. Thanks for sharing.

I think as a society, our kids (as well as adults) have too much stuff. I'm not criticizing any individuals on here or elsewhere, because I'm equally guilty. I'm constantly wishing we could lead a simpler life without so much stuff. And it's not about clutter, but about appreciating the things we have. My mother "adopted" a child in Mexico. She recently sent him a couple of Matchbox cars. She received a letter back from him thanking her for the cars. He explained that he shares the cars with his siblings, but he supervises them very carefully because the cars are very special to him. Contrast that to my son just throwing his many, many cars into a big bin without regard to whether they might break or get paint chipped each time. Despite my efforts to constantly purge the toys no longer used (and he only gets new toys as gifts), we still have way more than one child needs. I don't think there's an easy answer. But I think it's hard to instill appreciation in our children when they have so many things. And society continues to tell them that they need more.