I'm using the Well Planned Day planner, but I also got the zippered 3ring binder to go with it. The planner is 3 hole punched, so it goes in the pretty binder, along with my tapestry notes for the next 9 weeks, and I can still add in anything else I need in the 3 rings. I have a file crate system set up for everything else, weekly folders for each student & myself. The kids have math worksheets, map assignments, paper for writing, etc. My weekly folder has menus and things I will need for the week, like field trip tickets/event brochures, maps, menus to try if I have time etc, things I want to research etc.

I didn't do much till 3rd either, but then we had the opportunity to send the kids to a private Christian Classical school... They were woefully behind, and DS was placed a grade lower. (spelling/writing issues too) So, if you choose this route, just make sure a private school isn't in your kids future. (the grade placements was a combo of poor grammar/spelling skills, and the timing of when they tested him. We had just switched to year round, and DS had only been in 3rd grade for 2-3 months when he was evaluated)

You get the book updates for print versions as well, and can keep the older book assignment pages too... I started with DE, but find I like Print better. "All of our Tapestry customers, regardless of the format you select, have access to our Book Updates Chart, which gives necessary information about out-of-print book replacements and corresponding new worksheets when needed. These are the only truly necessary updates" I too, like to keep the old pages and the updated book pages as well. If you do the putting the books in the cart by level that will be a fairly accurate assessment of what books you need. There may be a few occasions where may accidentally end up with double of certain books in the cart, so make sure you check it briefly for that before you order. (some LG & Ug books can be the same, and if you order multiple units at a time, make sure that you don't end up with double multi unit books.) I have found used copies of the books needed for much cheaper on addall.com sometimes. For new books though, The Bookshelf is pretty much the best price

When I asked about 2 years ago there were no discounts to ordering at a conference, nor were there hard copies actually available to take home from the conference... I would just order now online. :-) If you ask the Lampstand Press people, they will tell you... they have a live chat about ordering available on the site

Subbing! :lurk5:

I have weekly folders for each child, with subjects paper clipped inside, so 5 math sheets paperclipped together in DDs folder for the week) If we have a sick day, we will just do more of the work the next day. If I absolutely must , I will move forward all subjects and double up the next week.

Even just a utility knife (razor blade) and a straight edge work pretty well... :-)

""I am THRILLED that you and your hubby are reconciling!"" Ditto! Congratulations! :):)

AI... I can't handle that sweet little boy robot being abandoned... I cry like a baby & have to shut it off each time.. I've tried 3 times now, and I just give up!

:) Thanks!:)

I've been papercrafting... 2 cards so far and 2 more in sight! :-) Loving my Markers!

Huggies Goodnights are an absorbent Disposable diaper that comes in bigger kid sizes as well, yo might need to order off amazon, but they cover quite a range... I have found that upping the size helps with absorbency as long as it is still snug enough around the leg & waist. Be sure you have the biggest size waterproof thingy under... there is a size about 1/2 the length and more than the width of the twin bed. :grouphug: Been there with lots of nighttime laundry... :-P

sorry for all this ... :grouphug: allergies stink. :-P Hepa filters have helped us quite a bit... but DD & I have dust/mold/pollen allergies that trigger asthma attacks, so our main concern was to eliminate attacks from those triggers at home. We have wood flooring, HEPA filters, radiated heat (no blowing dust) no pets, and no old carpets, the hepa filter has made a big difference with my daughter especially. I suppose you could try using a space heater in a specific area of the house, and close off the vent for a while to to see if that helps with air issues. :confused:

Air duct cleaning can be a biggie.... We have ancient radiators for heat, so no blowing allergens here. Have you actually been tested for specific allergies? If you know what is the biggest allergen, then work on eliminating that. You might look far an allergist, not a regular GP. If the house is new to you, but not new, you might need to replace the carpets. It could be a mold issue under them.

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

Just wanted to encourage people on both sides to be loving, and remember just because it worked for you doesn't mean it works for everyone. I am so thankful that my niece was a planned hospital birth. A mid labor placental abruption = super low O2 baby, Emergency C & pretty dicey time for mama as well..... that csec was faster than you can imagine, but even then bb was blue & limp when she was born. (thankfully she is healthy & happy now!) This is a much safer era, but those unusual worst case scenarios can still happen, regardless of where you are. :grouphug:

http://www.wordmp3.com/search.aspx?topic=yes&search=ACCS+Conferences There are many past ACCS conference lectures here for free. I'm slowly working my way through them...

:iagree: DD's first asthma attack & trip to UC was a long unstoppable cough (semi croup like sounding) that nothing helped, then became obviously asthma... in just barely enough time to speed to the Urgent care..... I had never had coughing instead of wheezing.. I squeaked (no stethoscope needed) when I was little with asthma, so I was totally unprepared to hear a just a cough as the priamary symptom.

The back of the ultra heavy ice cream scoop... The meat stays in the bag, and you whack it!

On the way home from church one Sun afternoon we spotted a toddler type (3-4?) alone walking down the street crying and obviously distraught.....This was in a small town, but just a block off the major busy highway, I got out, stayed far enough away to hopefully not scare her, while hubby stopped at the police station (no cell at the time)... she made it back to an apartment she seemed to know, but we are talking more than 3 blocks here in a downtown type area. Thankfully, there was an officer available who had a talk with the fam... there were other little kiddos just wandering around.. all the doors open, no parent in sight, totally stupid in the nhood they were in. On the other hand, I have a runner. My DS 2 will dash out the door and down the street with no qualms whatsoever, and has done so at my folks house, church, and a friends, while parents and sitters were just in the hallway, or in the other room changing a diaper....:eek: .... We all keep the doors locked now, and I only shower if he is in the crib napping, or Daddy is home. It is odd, he seems to know when people are distracted, and just dashes out. :eek:

DARK chocolate, and locking myself in bathroom door reading my Bible or HS devotional for about 3-5 minutes... If all else fails, and we're all needing a bit of peace, we do naps/quiet time on the beds... books, drawing, etc, but alone & quiet

If storing the extras is a problem, stick the extras under the mattress they fit in a plastic bag... :D I have, during the flu season, been very thankful for the extra set...

For us, it was helpful to buy a couple large base plates to use along with the pieces from our kits, as a start... it is hard to make houses/large things without them... :-) You can take pics of creations as well, that seems to help, my kiddos get more motivated, and that way all the hard work they put into them isn't just gone. We also needed a place just for lego, with room to build & keep projects out for more than an hour or so. I finally bought 2 sturdy cardtables and set up a lego zone. SUCH an improvement over a tub that was put away each afternoon. Ours is in the bsmnt schoolroom, so the 2 year old can't "help" the creations to death...

We are only up to year 3, but so far, we do it as it is laid out. This year will be a bit trickier because there is local history that I would like to spend a bit more time on, so we'll probably keep on going and add in extra curricular activities & field trips even if they aren't matching up exactly for the week plans.

Well, If I can't find what I want used within 3 months of school start, I buy it new. :-) I've decided to keep buying TOG new, if I can, because I just don't like getting 1/2 through a year, and finding that I am missing the assignments pages for a key lesson. :-P