We have used it. I like it. It is simple and laid out. We generally skipped over the extra projects but did pick a few we liked. There are 18 lessons. It really is perfect sized for us.

Celebrate his life on this anniversary rather than grieve. Or celebrate the life you do have. My son died on my older son's 6th birthday. Even that first year, I knew the love and happiness I needed to show for the child I had there was more important than the sadness I felt over the child I lost. Who knows...the older child could die tomorrow...then I will wish I could have today back. I hope this helps.

I think that passion is the largest factor in a good teacher. After that, being able to speak correctly and add 2+2 matters too....but you do not need a college degree for that.

Early induction was the cause of my first csect and the cause of many peoples first csect. The body often is just not ready to give birth when induced. I researched vbacs extensively before my first vbac so thank goodness I knew this as many doctors tried to tell me that the key to a vbac was early induction. In reality...early induction is a huge key csects and repeat csects. I then had 2 vbacs. With my 4th child, no one was willing to do a vbac! Then I found a doctor who seemed like he was willing..only he lied to me. When I actually went in to labor, he said he needed to do a sonogram because he was concerned about something. He did the sonogram and claimed I had placenta previa. I believed him. But after I had the baby, the doctor I had who did the sonograms told me I never had previa and was lied to because the OB wanted to just do a csect. With the 5th baby..something similar happened. I went to a doctor who agreed to a vbac but when it got close to time, her partners told her that they did not want me to have a vbac. So, she scheduled a csect and I was upset about it. I never ever should have gone alone with it. Even if it meant her dropping me, using an oncall doctor at the last second, going to a birth center, whatever..I should have just said no. DH wanted me to say no..but I folded under the pressure. With the 6th child, I went in to labor way too early. Because of it being early, the doctor spent all her time trying to stop the labor and not prepping for a csect. As a result..the baby was born vaginally. Now I have resolved that the next will be born vaginally too..even if I have to do it at home. Anyway..the main key is to stay far far away from invasive medical procedures like inductions and such. I can tell you that MOST doctors will claim to a woman that her baby is getting too big and she must induce early. It is a lie. Some doctors might even believe that. But, in reality, the lack of hormones to soften the bones and spread the hips is going to do far more damage to the birth process than the extra 2 or 3 ounces a baby is going to grow. In fact, babies pretty much do not even grown really in that last week. Some people think babies grow half a pound a week. Just imagine if they did that....your baby would gain 3 pounds in the last 6 weeks....6 pounds in the last 12 weeks...are you getting the idea? If this were true..everyone would be giving birth to 20+ pound babies. Fact is, your uterus will not hold a baby in that is too big to give birth to. Therefore, you will go in to labor naturally in plenty of time before the baby gets "too big."

I can read a segment just fine. But when it comes to the volume of a whole book..I am sunk. No one ever knew that about me. I was always in the accelerate/GT track in school. I could figure out a book just by listening to the discussions at school. I was also very good with the language to explain things...when I really never read the book. My guess is that he has a learning disability that was never DX'd. I had testing toward the end of college and found out I had dyslexia. Dyslexia is not what you think..it is just a learning disability of reading. It is not the myth of just people inverting letters. In fact, inverting letters is normal developmentally earlier on in learning how to read. People with dyslexia often have very immature reading skills. This is made even worse by the pushing of what is thought to be "grade level" reading. I remember that first big chapter book at school that was particularly big. I could not do it. I gave up reading after that. I learned how inferior I was watching everyone else happily reading. No need to take him to specialists for testing..it won't change what you do next. It can, however, get him extra help in college. BUT....I would highly recommend letting him do something that involves books he can listen to on tape. The library has a very large amount of these books usually available for download. I am sure he will be relieved to hear he has this option.

It was easier when I first started and my younger ones were a newborn and 2 yr old. They actually took naps while we homeschooled. I would suggest arming yourself with activities and set the 2 yr old off to do an activity while the baby sleeps and get lessons in then. Or do lessons in the evenings or weekends...or whenever Dad is home. Jeannie Fullbright used to have suggestions on her site..but I cannot find that link from her site anymore http://www.jeanniefulbright.com/home.html I do want to suggest..have certain things that only come out during "school" time. You could call their "work" school too! Like something with sand in it..that sort of thing. Art supplies....pretend to do the dishes....that sort of thing. So wait until baby goes down for nap...call out "time for school!" and then everyone comes running (yeah, right) and pull out the special activitiy for the toddler for while you do work with the older one(s). Other idea is videos. I know..everyone says no to videos. But I record off of PBS Super Why and a few other things. Later, when I need my time, I play those. I also have Leap Frog videos and such.

We have been considering for some time getting a dog. Our youngest turns 4 next week. We plan more children. Now, before I had children, as much as I thought I was an expert...turns out I was not and I had a lot to learn. I am sure it will be the same with dogs. So here comes the seriously dumb sounding problem... My brother, who has no children but 2 dogs, keeps calling me to tell me all about having dogs and basically why I cannot have one. The main reason is dogs eat legos, the dog could choke and die on legos. We have legos. He says unless we are willing to rid of the legos (you know legos, no matter how hard you try, they will never stay cleaned up, there will always be at least some sneaking out and landing where a dog could no doubt find them). Please don't say anything making me feel dumber than I already feel asking this question. But, I am sure many families have had Legos without resulting in the demise of their dogs. But maybe I am wrong or maybe those families have somehow been able to keep all Legos picked up and away from the dog at all times..which is something I am not sure I can do.

My son has some issues..with stress and anxiety. Technically, he was diagnosed as PDD-NOS which is really not much more than a nonsense DX that says the psych isn't sure what to say. The neuropsych feels he has high anxiety. He also has a high IQ. Some of his therapists and I have noticed in recent times that he really likes to hum and make notes. In class where he learned the recorder, he picked it up very fast. He has been drawing notes now and can tell me which note goes on which line and so on. He is 6 yrs old and stresses easily. He has little patience. He goes around humming and singing. Does anyone have any suggestions? I want him to enjoy something..I don't want to push anything, but I do not want to ignore it either. I have a cheapy key board..I could go buy a piano if someone thinks I should...you get the idea. We have recorders and 1 violin. We have books on how to play the recorder and we have 1 book by Usborne on begining keyboarding. Should I get him lessons? I cannot seem to find anything else but that around here. There is a church I am not that interested in..but it is in my religious realm so would not voilate my beliefs..but they have a bell choir and a few other things. What do you think?

I should add that in the past...while this is not formal logic (aka elements of argument) we have done things like logic puzzles (Logic Mysteries and Quizzles by MCP) and Sudoko.

I was wanting to get the Bluedorn's books for Logic...but they said 13 and up so I was going to purchase them and leave them around and see what happens. if nothing happens, (as in, if she does not pick them up on her own, LOL) then I will assign them the next year..8th grade..when she is 13. She just turned 12 last week. Her outside activities...include voice lessons, swordsmanship, and tennis. She took art this past year. She has lots of supplies and books on how to do it too. She has no interest in continuing the classes and they were so costly anyway that I am not going to force it. She has begged to take archery, but I could not find a place. THEN...we found a handmade bow and arrow set at the Renaissance Faire a few weeks ago. She set up cardbook boxes and such in the back yard and practices with that. It is really great! I should take a digitial pic sometime and post it.

That is great!! What is amazing....is all the things I no longer teach, yet, the children learn. I think learning and teaching are 2 separate things.

Math...Algebra, not sure which one yet (finished Singapore 6B a couple months ago, have been working through Keys to Algebra while I consider our options) Latin....not sure which one. Definitely will still be doing Latina Christian come fall. Science.... Apologia General Science Vocab.....Word Roots computer program and Wordly Wise Writing...Write Shop I think that covers it all. In case you are wondering...we did tons and tons of grammar this year and really have it down. DD loves history and reads it a lot anyway so I have purchased no curriculum for this. I do purchase books from reading lists and such, like Sonlight and private school reading lists. What do you think? For Algebra..on my list..I have BJU, Jacobs, Lial's, and Glencoe. I found a Jacobs and Lials book at the same time at the used book store..but then could not decide between them. I am leaning toward BJU or Glencoe. The only reason for Glencoe is not because I think it is better than the rest but rather my dh wants the children to have an "accredited" diploma and Glencoe is what is used at the state university distance learning homeschool program. I am still unsure on Latin.

I already purchased starter things for Miquon and then changed my mind. It looked good, but then....now it looks like it has so little explanation and jumps around enough in sequence that I will be doing tons of work trying to explain it all. But I am not so sure. I already have SOTW. I used SWO last time and it was perfect for us. I do not plan a separate phonics program with him because he already has his phonics down. The math is the part that really has gotten to me. I feel very stuck on it.

Go with Apologia. It is funny because this year...I had one child doing the Prentice hall one and the other doing Apologia. Apologia has plenty of depth and is so much better. It is more cohesive in thought and presentation. Prentice Hall tends to get off topic and jump all over the place. Information tends to be rather shallow...etc. If you do Prentice Hall, plan on spending a LOT of time trying to peice together the missing parts and teaching the actual subject just as much as you would have to if you were a teacher at a school. You will need the teachers guide too because the experiments and everything else are in there. I just would never willingly do Prentice Hall at home. (DS who used it went to a class that did it, the book is awful, pictures not related to the topic, jumps around things and fails to explain well, just not cohesive at all.)

I am an old homeschoolers...but none of my children started this early. My older children homeschooled after 2nd grade. So I am pretty torn what to do with my 6 yr old, who will be 7 at the state of the school year. We had intended on homeschooling him this year for first grade. But then at the last second sent him to a private school. The private school was wonderful, but he was placed in kindergarten instead of 1st because he had just missed the cut off date. His skills are not any higher now than they were a year ago...as far as academics goes. He did get to do a lot over the year and I don't regret it, it is just it is not like he is a year further in school now than he was a year ago. DS is easily ready for 2nd grade math. I have considered (am still considering) Miquon (I am worried this will be too time consuming for me), Math U See (Beta, he already took the placement exam), Singapore Math (1B, again, he already took that placement exam tooo), BJU (2nd grade). DS has issues with having to sit and write for long periods at a time. He has an anxiety issue that we are working on. He is also a very quick learner and knows a lot and does not handle frustration well. So, long redundant lessons are out. I have flash cards and computer games for drilling math facts so I do not need a program with lots of problems for drill. He likes to be able to complete a paper and feel a sense of accomplishment instead of getting half way through and being too overwhelmed. For Handwriting, we have handwriting w/o tears. For spelling, we have spelling workout. I also have a maps book from MCP. I am unsure what to do exactly..especially in the area of math and English. Should I keep English at journal writing and do some activities here and there about starting with a capital and ending with punctuation? I was thinking this might be enough for this upcoming year. But then math still leaves me stuck. Help! I am very familiar with lots of programs and the ones I listed above are pretty much the ones that I am still considering after having ruled out a number of programs. Any feedback? Thank you.