Stuffed animals are a hot button for me. As a kid I had a collection of 75 stuffed animals. I came home from school one day and my mom had thrown most of them out and would not let me retrieve them. I did not speak to her for 3 weeks. It would have gone on longer but my father made me talk to her again. I was close to 40 before I truly forgave her. I encourage my kids to donate the stuffed friends who they no longer play with. However, I have 2 bins in the basement and they each have a bin in their rooms. All relatives know not to buy my kids anything stuffed.

In my siggy. I usually update 2-3 times a week.

It's not called oak tag anymore? When did that happen? Now I feel old.

I started the blog because it is an easy way to keep my mom updated on what we are doing. I keep my blog public because when I was starting my journey to this path of homeschooling reading other people's blogs helped inspire me and I am paying it forward. If a glimpse into my daily life can inspire someone else I am glad I can help.

We have a portable and it was worth every penny. The drive to visit my sister in DC became much more enjoyable for everyone when we added the movie.

No, you are not a freak. The catalog is overwhelming. I actually keep mine in the bathroom. It makes for great reading. Dh often comes out with some great ideas.

I used it with my 3rd and 5th grader this year. We are not using it next year. It was not a good fit for us. My kids and I found it to be a bit dry.

We will be investing in a reverse osmosis system soon. I have been trying to convince dh of this for 5 years now and he finally agrees with me. In the meantime, we have spring water delivered because our tap water tastes disgusting even when using a regular filter.

We buy the refillable popcorn portion it out and get the refill before the movie starts so we don't have to disturb anyone when we get the refill. I do bring my own water.

I love the silence.

Hi, my name is Kathy and I am a curriculum junkie. I love to look at them, read about them, and second guess my choices when I see a new one. We are completing our first year homeschooling and it has been quite the adventure. We started on this path because of the bullying my son was experiencing in school. We tried for 2 years to work it out with the school. In 4th grade my son developed Trichotillomania (hair pulling) and pulled out all of his eyelashes from the stress. At that point dh and I knew we had to do something. I had been researching homeschooling for most of those 2 years because I felt the calling to do it. The Well Trained Mind was one of the first books I read and I loved it. We don't follow all of it. I consider us to be classically inspired. Convincing dh was another matter. Once the hair pulling began he was able to see the wisdom in bringing him home. We figured we won't screw up our kids any worse then our parents screwed us up and the worst thing that would happen is they would go back to school the following year. We will be continuing the journey for another year. I am on the other side of 40. Dh and I will be married 17 years this December. We have lived in the Garden State (NJ) for the past eleven years but at heart I think I will always be a New Yorker. I think toilet paper should go under, I shave (waxing hurts), I don't care if someone says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, I wear shoes in the house and I really don't like being asked to remove my shoes in other people's houses unless I know in advance that you are a non shoe wearing house, I consider myselve a Conservative (I believe in conserving the Constitution, the environment, women's rights, and so on). I am on a simplifying journey as I try to declutter and find new ways to live frugally.

Rainy here in NJ. My lawn looks fantastic.

Adolf's meat tenderizer (the original formula) is the best for mosquito bites. Wet the bite and sprinkle on the Adolf's.

This is how it works on our block: My kids spend all day outside with the kids on the block. It is simple to keep the masses outside with a simple-please keep it oustide. The only time the kids are in each others homes is when we do a movie night or there is inclement weather. Everyone goes to their own homes to snack/use facilities (unless a desperate emergency). I am not aware of any informal rules. Everyone goes outside and figures out what they want to do. One house usually shakes out as "the it" house and that is whose yard they spend the most time in.

I just bought myself a rash guard from Land's End.

When we started this journey I thought we should have a name. The kids wanted to name the school after my father because education was so important to him, thus Howard Academy was created.

He is welcome to play with my quirky 11 year old. He loves Star Wars. His quirkiness is starting to bug my dh. He is having some difficulty accepting that ds is happy with his 2-3 close friends and does not need a crowd the way he does.

Give everyone a Fun Noodle (there are knock-offs that are less money then the name brand one). Inexpensive and substantial at the same time. Being in NJ, too and about to have my dd's outdoor full of water games birthday party, I feel your pain.

We spent a good number of weeks on long division. There is a photo of my son on my blog displaying his happy dance on the day he finally got it. It was a difficult time in our homeschooling. Long division is not quick and snappy like other math. It is tedious and frustrating.

No help here. We drink water.

Mmmmmmm, gorgonzola.

My kids had track and field practice 4 nights aweek and I served a lot of quick meals that were not too messy to eat in the car. Hot dogs/hamburgers, burritos, pancakes/waffles.

Brisket. You can make it ahead of time and freeze it. Brisket always tastes better if made a day or two ahead of time as the flavor has time to mingle. Add some oven roasted veggies and a salad.

Snacks in our house consist of: Cut up veggies Fruit Yogurt Cheese and Crackers Olives Assorted nuts Chips and salsa Pita and hummus

I forgot about line drying. I hang just about everything except undergarments and socks. I do laundry one day a week. I load up the dryer with our undergarments, rags, napkins, etc. and run it once when all the laundry is done. Everything else line drys. I do towels and sheets in the dryer as well since I don't have the space to hang sheets to dry. I wash everything in cold water. I limit the kids to 15 minute showers. We use a timer. They would stay in there for an hour if they could. I cut down the amount of meat we eat and stretch the meals with more grains and vegetables.