[Babywearing moms, I need your input!]

A baby carrier really depends on the fit. When I used baby carriers the ergo did not fit me well nor did a few other soft structured carriers I tried. Either the fabric was to thin to be supportive or it was to wide and stiff. I did not like the ergo for carrying a toddler because it sat so low on their back so it did not support them well and that made it heavier. I just used starting using a mei tai because I could get a more custom fit. A kinderpack came out towards the end when I already had carriers but when I tried that on it was so comfortable. It fit a variety of sizes and the fabric was very supportive without being stiff. Tulas are even more recent and easier to find. I heard really good things about them and it seems most people like them but have not tried it personally.

[Give me some ideas for a WWI Co-op class]

BYL has a WWII unit study. They use the Visual WWII dictionary which they also have for World War I. Then they pick historical fiction and fiction books from the time period and just have kids narrate from narration prompts which are easy to find online. From one of the readers they have the kids copy sentences from one of the fiction readers which you dictate the next week and they have questions they answer. After seeing it seems like it would not be hard to do similar with WWI even though there is no guide for that specifically.

[Denim jumpers]

Wait a second I am confused. I thought wearing a denim jumper was required once you are a homeschooling mom. I thought it was the official homeschooling uniform. ;)

[Explaining long division advice]

Oh I really like that cookie explanation link too. I did not know about that one. I like to start with the manipulatives and I like showing it as a rectangle as in the Education Unboxed video and also by distributing the place value blocks and Cuisenaire rods to the number of people you are diving by.

[Explaining long division advice]

Education Unboxed has videos about explaining long division by using rods that I really like.

[Increasing hand strength in older child]

Squeezing theraputty on a daily basic really helps with hand strength. Rock climbing and swinging on money bars are good activities for hand strength.

[Build Your Bundle Giveaway]

From what I've read, she's neutral, not secular, so her science stuff will still have references to organisms being "designed" to do things, etc. I haven't done extensive research on her stuff so I don't know more than that, but anyone who cares about science being actually secular and not just neutral might want to do that before buying the bundle.

Do you know where you heard that? I have used one of her things (the elements) and it was secular. My kids all really liked it a lot. I heard she is religious but the curriculum was secular and it seemed that way to me. Some topics do not get discussed but it is not comprehension subjects like biology but rather a short course on different topics. I prefer to use secular curriculum.

[Beast Academy at Convention?]

At my local convention they had it at one of the vendor's tables and maybe it was at the Rainbow Resources booth too but I already flipped through it when I got to Rainbow Resources so I was not looking for it there.

[Build Your Bundle Giveaway]

I got some Ellen McHenry stuff in the last sale. I wanted to get more of her stuff and I am hoping they have the options I wanted but I am not sure if there will be enough for me to get a bundle this time because yes it does seem to be heavily religious materials. I might just get the print books anyway rather then using this bundle sale because I prefer that to printing.

[Goals for the Year]

So far I do not have a set schedule to get through a grade level or textbook in a school year. I just keep going and move at whatever pace they are moving at. If we finish a book we just move onto the next no matter what time of the year it is. I have a idea of long it might take or when I would like to finish but it is not set in stone.

[Summer school]

We will do some school stuff in the morning and have a shorter day in the summer maybe an hour each kid with most subjects except what is essential for each kid to not lose skills cut. All of them will do math but some of the math extras will be cut and each kid has a language arts portion we will work on depending on what they need to keep working on to not lose skills.The ones who can read will also keep reading and I will read aloud and get audiobooks.

[Does anyone have information or insight into Compulsive Shopping Disorder?]

I never heard of the term but I know someone who had that and it did get much worse with stress. He ended up losing his family and really going off the deep end. He at different stressful times in his life gotten himself in huge amounts of debt once using someone else's name but the last time his wife had enough of never feeling stable financially and gave him an ultimatum that she would stay if he got help but she could not live like that anymore. He left her after that by dating in a compulsive manner. He also had an issue with eating too much food especially fast food and soda. After divorcing he ended up doing illegal things to fuel the buying using money that was not his and had charges against him but did not spend much time in jail. He ended up making an extremely poor decision not related to buying that led to a longer jail sentence.

[Question for native speakers of American English]

Data is one of those words I have heard said both ways pretty equally and I could say it either way with no rhyme or reason. Words with two syllables with only one consonant in between would usually say the long a sound but there are exceptions.

 

As far as the ah sound of a. To me there are 5 sounds an A can make short a as in cat, long a as in rain, aw as in law, u which is the swa sound in an unaccented syllable like in the second sound if data or America and short o like wander. Ah says short o as in open up and ah and it definitely sounds different then aw. I know there is a part of the country where aw is like an o and Dawn and Don sound the same. It sounds a little strange to hear Dawn a female name to be pronounced like the different male name Don to me though.

[Does my third grader still need phonics with AAS?]

If he is just getting started on easy chapter books it sounds like he could use more instruction. Webster's is available through the Don Potter website for printing or you can order his version in print through Amazon. I also heard good things about Wise Owl Polysyllables.

[Honest opinions on large age gap between siblings]

I was the baby born 7 and 10 years later than two older siblings. It was like being an only child in some ways and we had very different childhoods. I definitely remember them being in the house and have lots of memories of them they just did not play with me. I was sad when my sister moved out but I still saw her afterwards and thought it was so cool when she took me to her apartment. When I was a teenager she was someone I could confine in who was not quite a parent but not just another peer either. We grew close and have had a good relationship. I do not talk to my brother a lot on the phone but I like him and we get along when we are together. I used to not like the idea of having a big age gap because of it being sort of like being an only child myself but now I would take what I could get if I was ever in position to have a baby again. Nothing is wrong with being an only child so being a child with much older siblings is fine too. If you want another child and will be happy to have one then that is all that matters.

[The in and out of friendships, and other social woes..]

Also people make bad decision. Many years ago in FL there was such a kind loving woman who really was so down to earth. Her older daughter was very mouthy and her younger daughter would throw tatntfums even at 4 years old.

 

After months or pursuing a friendship I totally backed off- I was very concneed about the lack of parental authority.

 

So many years have gone by -8 years! But now I know that no ones perfect - we have made many other friends and moved across the country and learned so much. If I could go back in time I would not have put a distance to this lady - I would know that it takes time to see fruit in raising kids and some kids are harder and that what I want to look for is openness, honesty of the mom, being willing to roll with the punches, etc. perfect kids ? No way.

 

I hope that these ladies didn't back off for a reason - even if they did IMO you won't change their mind.

 

However in my experience over 16 years of parenting and moving in so many social connections it's more just that the mom is busy- and the kid may have just liked other girls at dance better. And that's ok. Just keep looking for those who appreciate you for who you are.

I really like that you gained with perspective that it is worth sticking it out with a nice person who has kids that are difficult and a mom who is trying the best they can. It seems a lot of people do not want to if there is difficulties with the kids. Even on here I see that a lot with most responses saying it is not worth it. To me friendship may have difficult times but it is a learning experience for everyone to get through those times and the support to the person exeriencing the difficult kids and situations helps them get through it.

[The in and out of friendships, and other social woes..]

I am sorry you are going through that. I am experiencing something very similar and my kids started out at school. With school I experienced what others describe the kids make aquatances based on who is in their class that year but not friends they keep and hang out with away from school. When the kids were younger it was easier to meet people and I made a few close friends. For various reasons like those people getting busy or moving or just moving on to other things those close friends drifted away. I do not really have a close friend anymore that I can share just about anything with and I really miss that in my life. Good friends have drifted in and out of my life and I wish there was some permanency at least. I too wonder what I do wrong.

[summer math review (k/1st)? *a few more questions in a new reply*]

I would go for the Ronit Bird Dots ebook in that case then or the Toolkit textbook if you do not have an ereader. Ronit Bird made those materials for dyscalculia. It starts at the beggining an developes number sense. You may want to cross post in learning challenges.

[if you are an introvert....]

I am hoping to find a group to attend to but there is nothing in my area when I looked that really fit. I am mostly with the kids and I like them to be able to make friends too so it had to be something that is kid friendly. I went to one book club for a freethinkers group and I enjoyed it but they never held another. Maybe it did not go as well as thought. I like hiking groups but the parent ones tend to be very baby and toddler heavy. I like having conversations and meeting people but it can also be very awkward or make me feel worse too. I like the idea of board games but I agree that it could not be either too hyper competitive or the opposite in that the games are not really a big part of it.

[thoughts on Saxon and MM]

Math Mammoth is a good curriculum and your kids are doing well with it and do not mind it. If it is not broke there is no need to fix it. ;) You do not know for sure they would like Saxon. It is different in that there is a lot of problems you have to copy from a textbook and it is a very tight spiral that focuses more in procedures then concepts.

[How important is it to you to be a member of the community?]

I like to feel a part of a community but if I had to leave a good community because we were not getting by I would. I used to feel more a part of my community but I no longer do. I just like a few close friends though I do not feel like I am an essential and need to know everyone. I have been wanting to live closer to extended family so we could see them more often since my first was born but it is over a decade later and we are still here. Since I also do not have as many friends here as I used to since many moved and others got busy once are kids hit school age it definitely makes me wish we could leave. I am very introverted. I hate parties and need lots of time to think and recharge but I also do need a few close friends and other adults to talk to and that is missing. I like a sense if community and belonging but I could seek it out elsewhere if I had a place I liked but moving was necessary.

[2nd grader behind in grammar, help]

You can also have her watch the school house rocks grammar videos. They are on YouTube.

[noise canceling headphones?]

I like the peltor ones. The adult ones are adjustable and fit my kids. They are affordable and very comfortable and they do make it easier to concentrate in background noise but they can still hear you.

[Real story of the Zillow nightmare house]

That guy needs mental health help and disability until he can get the mental health stuff handled.

[MEP with CWP]

I was going to go with Process Skills in Problem Solving to go with MEP. They do not have as many problems as CWP but it has more instruction on the method. I think it does work best a little behind grade level. Level 2 was more of a late 2nd grade rather then early 2nd grade. I am starting with level 1 in that to go with MEP level 2.