Please don't feel bad. We use 4,280 kwh per month or more. But we do have a dairy farm. ;)

Our church only gives baby showers for first time moms. I have been a member for 7 years and in that time have had 4 children. They have never thrown me a baby shower but I have attended many showers that our church hosted for members and non-members. They are always for first time moms. However, our church does bring meals for any new moms. The women sign up and bring a new mom a meal each day for about 7 days. It is a wonderful blessing and much better than a baby shower. ;)

Saxon 5/4 was a bomb here, I switched back to CLE. Love the built in review and speed drills. It is very open and go, which I need! Much less teacher intensive than Saxon 1-3. LA is good too, but I don't like the phonics portions on the LA. I haven't looked too closely at the upper grades so that problem may go away. I still use R & S grammer, and SWR for spelling/handwriting. They do have samples of the LA & Math. You need to click on the more info and then see sample in small blue print (I think). The math has very few biblical references, the LA has more, which I like, but I can't tell which way you lean so that may be an issue for you. It is a workbook type of LA and so it is unlike R & S in that it has the workbook format and it does cover a lot more areas, grammer, phonics, handwriting, and writing.

I sometimes use the questions and sometimes not. I understand your frustration. Also, I skip a lot of questions, at that age you are still in the parrot stage and you really want to get those literal answers. So I mainly ask the literal questions and not worry about the others too much. My fourth grader is just starting to be able to read into things and give interpretations of the text. My objective it to do it orally at least 2x a week, otherwise it is independent silent reading and independent worktext. The worktext is helpful in discerning comprehension. HTH!:001_smile:

I have used both. Needless to say, I sold my Abeka and bought more BJ. No comparison.

BobJones Reading- I have never left and I never intend to leave until 8th grade. I've done it for 3 years now! LOVE IT! CLE Math-loved it, left it, went back to it, not changing! Rod & Staff Grammer- loved it, left it (momentarily), went back to it, not changing! SWR-loved it, left it, went back to it, not changing! The rest is up in the air!

:bigear: I've been homeschooling six years and each year it is harder and harder as I add another child into the mix. I wish I had some answers for you.....the only thing that works is to multi-task in a BIG way! Typically I am nursing a baby, giving a spelling quiz, dictating sentences, listening to one of my children read and answering math questions all at the same time....I am just slightly frazzled at the end of the day!;) In all honesty, history and science were dropped mid-year this year! The basics were all that I had time or sanity for! ;) Also, next year I am going to be utilizing some BobJones distance learning classes to help me out...we'll see how it goes!

My 4th grades does: Rod & Staff English 4 Spell to write and Read (awesome improvement in spelling this year! yay!) BobJones Reading 4 w/worktext Weekly reading comp lessons in the McCall-Crabbs Writing Tales 1

I would put them both into ECC. IF you have a library, the book basket is a MUST!!!

I really like Bob Jones. My 10yodd will be doing 5th grade next year.

Personally, I would do 4. Why not work through the summer? My daughter who has done 2 & 3 still struggled through a few lessons.

My rec's I would get Rod & Staff English Christian Light Math Christian Light Reading I would just order the above materials and let the rest be trips to museums, reading great books, exploring nature and enjoying spending time together. If you son is advanced then maybe taking a Christian Light placement test would be a good idea.

I put other, we pay for dish but we only get local channels and an occasional odd channel. We seriously watch very little t.v. My children don't like t.v. and beg us to shut it off if we do turn it on. :lol:

Doing 5/4 here. Takes at least 1 1/2 hours...although persistence is a problem for us.

I just joined, my oldest daughter is about to turn 10 so I figure I could get a copy and get started this summer.

#6 is due in a month!

My dd really struggled through R & S English 3 last year. So I decided to go a different route and buy BobJones English 4. It was a mistake, she wasn't ready for the writing lessons in BobJones. Anway, we ended up switching back to Rod & Staff English 4 about 5 weeks into the school year. What a difference a year makes! She has breezed right through it, and I am impressed with her ability to do more of the written work without complaining. I wouldn't put R & S on the shelf, it is a very good English program that does get easier.

I think it would work just fine to use Adventures with a 1st grader. There is not much reading required in that year. The state sheets are basically coloring sheets. For phonics, I don't recommend MFW 1st. I would only use that with a child that is a really quick learner and is already reading fluently. It moves really fast with very little review. Maybe for some kids it works...not for mine. I would look at a O/G phonics program. All-About-Spelling, Spell-to-Write-and Read, The Phonics Road. Those are all very solid programs that will teach your child to read. Just my opinion, I'm sure other will chime in. ;)

Sounds perfect! You will have a great year! :) Editing to add: The Liberty Kids DVDs are a nice add in at that age, as well as Vol. 6 of Your Story Hour on CDs.

I think I can explain "flu". Someone correct me if I am wrong! I just looked it up in my old dictionary (the best kind!). The word "flu" is not even listed, it really is just slang or a shortened version of the word "influenza" So here is the Syllable break down. in-flu-en-za in= /i/ + /n/ flu= /f/ +/l/ + /U/ (here you would 'think to spell' or exaggerate the long U sound. It follows the spelling rule "A,E,I,O,U may say A,E,I,O,U at the end of a syllable.) en= /e/ + /n/ za= /z/ + /ah/ (you would mark the a with a small number 3 over it to help them remember that it is the third sound... /ah/.) Does that help at all?

I would just buy SWR manual, WISE guide and phonogram cards and spelling rule cards. I think you can get them very cheap since so many users drop the program. I do like using parts of the SWR manual, the diagnostic tests and the refrence pages in particular. I think SWR has helped my older daughter in particular. She knows the cards, and rules like the back of her hand. I find the WISE guide invaluable!!! You absolutely need that and the phonogram cards and spelling cards. I think you are doing a wise move. From what I understand PR is very similar to SWR only it is much more user friendly. ;) I think SWR is so very-doable with older children! I think you will find your older ones picking it up very quickly! :) Please get the SWR manual just so that you can track progress. I really look forward to testing every month using the diagnostic tests from the manual. It really helps me gauge my own teaching and the childrens retention level. Editing to add: YES! Use the SWR system in the Saxon system if you feel confident with it. I am adapting SWR to teach my daughter to read using a totally different system, although still using the phonograms and markings per SWR(We still used SWR for the spelling exercises as well). It has worked beautifully! Good Luck!

:iagree: Adventures is a wonderful program, especially at those ages. If you start in January you could easily finish by the end of summer and then move into ECC. MFW K is a very gentle but fun year as well. You could put your 6yo in that and then just speed it up as needed. I think MFW 1st moves rather quickly so it would probably work to move your 6yo from K to 1st for next year. Then fold them together for ECC. I wish I could do Adventures all over again. It was really, really fun for us!

She sounds just like my oldest. I really think that the Bluedorns have something there. www.triviumpursuit.com They really don't think math should be formally taught before age 10. Having said that my daughter has done well with CLE. She needs the constant drill to retain anything. Do you use the flashcards with her? Second grade was where we had to re-do a whole year of work because she still hadn't 'got' it. Subtraction is still a struggle for her but I know she 'gets' it now. I'm one of those people who never really 'got' algebra either and I think the reason was that I didn't master those initial building blocks of addition, subtraction, multipliction and division. Please don't let yourself feel pressure! Work slowly through whatever material you have until there is understanding, then progress. Your daughter is an individual with different strengths and weaknesses. Just work at her pace. Doing each lesson twice may work for her until it is cemented in her brain. I personally wouldn't get the school involved any further. Have confidence in yourself! It may be she is just not 'ready' yet. Please read this article from the Bluedorns http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/the_grammar_level.php They explain about delaying formal math.

I stalked a boy when I was a teenager....girls can be obsessive when they are that age. They get over it, I wouldn't worry! :)

I have a second grader this year and I will have one next year as well. This is what we are using this year and I plan to repeat next year: 2nd Grade Spelling: Spell to Write and Read Phonics: SWR w/Explode the Code 4-6 Reading: Sonlight Easy Readers & Leveled readers Grammer: First Language Lessons Math: CLE 2 Science: R & S Patterns of Nature Music: Piano Lessons Bible: BJU Bible 2 Geography: Tagging (ECC)