My last year 2nd grader: Was not a strong reader. She was probably at Cat in a Hat level as well. Her free time would have been playing with sibs, outside or in playroom. Independent seat work: Explode the Code Spelling Workout handwriting math facts practice Veritas Press self-paced history -- this is semi-independent.Last year, she would call me when she needed help with an activity but otherwise it was 75% independent. This year, 3rd grade, 90% independent.

I've been at this for 17 years. :D Been through the great days, the boot-camp days, the do-I-have-to-do-this-today days, the YAY we homechools days and a really hard season where I wasn't sure if I could ever muster up the joy to homeschool again. First, this may be an emotion that will change next week or it may be a sign that you need to change some things. When I start to feel this way, I try to schedule a day off and out. I go out by myself and have a mini-retreat. I take pen, paper, laptop. The goal for the day is to renew my vision. I go to my favorite quiet place where I can work and think (corner of a restaurant, coffee shop, my mini-van) and I spend lots of time thinking through what I like, what is working and what I want to change. I look at big goals first. I envision what I'd love my home/family/homeschool to look like in the best of all worlds. As I think through and pray through that, I realize the things that I need to change and things I want to add in. What would excite me? What new study? What is missing? Do I need to outsource? New schedule that would help? Getting together with another family that would rev us up? More field trips? The other thing I do when I hit a day or week like this is to resort to days of masterly activity a la Charlotte Mason. Regular schooling and schedule is set aside (or perhaps just do math). Mom is free to do what she needs to and the kids are engaged in profitable activities that are self-driven. Outline for your kids what is available and help them brainstorm. For us: the art closet, games, some free play, free reading, gardening, outdoor exploring and all of the *educational* self-driven books/games/activities we've accumulated over the years. Many times, after a day or week of masterly activity days, the boredom has lifted, I re-energized and ready to go back into a schedule. Truly, if you're bored, December might be a great time to do something completely different. Figure out some goals for this month and what would make YOUR boat float. Is it field trips? Library days? Half days? Exploring your city? Doing service projects? A month of science intensive? Or read alouds and crafting? Make your days work for you. Mix it up when and as needed. Take a day off to really think through what you want life to look like. And then begin to make changes.

Yes! Just coming to post this. Love their extra charitable deal. Also, Amazon has a 30% off any one physical copy of a book. And, I just published my first e-book that is FREE through Saturday. (eek!) It's a 15-day, advent Nativity book. Explore the story of Christmas by adding one piece to your manger scene each day and reading the corresponding scripture passage along with that day's exciting narration in the book. I created this last year to do with my family and we loved it! The pinterest pin was going crazy all year, so I published the book to tie-in the scripture to the nativity. Your family can build a manger scene one piece each day using one scripture passage and the

The only Christmas SS party I remember that included kids was a party out on someone's property. The kids had a treehouse, pony rides, a hay ride and outdoor games to play. It was during the day.

We've had it before. I loved it actually. We had bunk beds with a pull out trundle. Dh made them so it fit my dc perfectly. Ladder was built into the foot board of the beds.

This is what we did. We looked at the pickiest university my dc were likely to apply to. University competitive stats (not the minimum requirements) became our loose framework. Flexed and added depending on dc's major or area of interest as well as Flexed and added depending on our requirements (logic, debate, apologetics). So the framework for each of my graduated kids looks pretty similar, and the differences reflect their interests, majors and, practically, what was available.

We have been blessed by so many after my dh died. It takes my breath away to think about it. When people gave us something through someone ("Here, I was asked to give this to you. I don't know what it is but I was asked to pass it on." was usually how it went), I was able to write a thank you note and give it back through the same chain of folks. I appreciated being able to write that thank you note and tell them how meaningful their gift was. Bless all of you who do this. You change lives.

Lori! Oh my. I'm so sorry. I'm praying now. This caught my attention b/c my daughter started working in Burn ICU this summer. Very, very hard stuff. Praying now for your son as I type this out.

I think it might be harder for young people to put these events into perspective. The targeting in everyday areas (schools, restaurants, movie theaters, sports events) could definitely cause anxiety over going out and carrying on with normal life. That is precisely what terror activity is meant to do. It's meant to paralyze and send a message of fear and power to a people group. So perhaps talking it out when she's in a safe, comfortable place might help. I found myself having to intentionally push against the fear last night. With all the news lighting up my feed, I took my kids to the movies. I wondered in the back of my mind whether the theater would be safe. I checked for emergency exits after we got seated. I never do that! But this terrorist activity had stirred up fear. And that fear will be greater or lesser to different folks depending on how close they are to the threat or other fears/concerns that it plays on. I guess deep down this stirs up fear of death. Is she scared of dying? Faith has helped our family tremendously. After my dh died, we had many, many conversations about death, heaven and dying *young.* Even my 6-yo had fears of dying young. You know what? I can't promise him 80 years. I can't even promise him tomorrow. And that's a sobering thought, but it can be healthy. Because it puts in perspective what matters and what doesn't. It helps me care less about a driver that cut me off or the cashier who's taking too long. It helps us be grateful for the beauty and love and joy that we do have -- and to purposely cultivate it -- because it is precious. Evil and suffering can stir up fear but it can also stir up compassion. I find that's a healthier way for me to process it. Yes it feels good to live in my bubble of a safe neighborhood and full pantry and healthy children and a day at Disney for a pick-me-up. But there is suffering all around us and it's not just in Paris. That's a lot to process as well because the amount of suffering can be overwhelming. But it should help us to be more compassionate to every single person around us. Because that driver that cut me off and that cashier who's taking too long? I have no idea what pain they may be carrying. I hope you're able to find a bridge and opening to have some healthy conversations with her. If there is clinical anxiety, then there is more to it than just talking it out. But I can remember as a young person having some *irrational* fear that I wouldn't have now that I'm older and have lived more of life.

Lol, Arcadia, I thought for sure it would already be posted on the boards, but my initial search didn't turn it up. :) You're a step ahead. I may pop into my local B&N early as well to see what they'll have locally. We have 2 stores so they may have different speakers/exhibitors.

Have y'all seen this? Barnes & Noble Maker Faire. Just an FYI to keep an eye out at your local B & N and to put the dates on your calendar if you're interested. This is definitely one way to branch out beyond what online retailing can offer. I'm going to block off time that weekend to attend. I think each store will be a bit different based on local speakers. But there are also some hands-on projects to participate in. I'd love to hear what went on at your stores if y'all attend.

If you like James Michener (historical fiction), I LOVED The Covenant. Absolutely one of my favorites. My husband grew up in South Africa and loved the book as well. It does a great job tracing the interests/conflicts of the Dutch, British and native South African people groups.

A year already? :grouphug: and blessings on all of the love and stability you sow into them every day. A family in our co-op fostered 3 young sibs, hoping to adopt and they were there for a year. I was so glad our co-op flexed to accommodate the family and kids. They were precious and we all miss them and now they have many families praying for them! Last year, they foster adopted a little girl and we were so excited to walk through that process with her. Standing O to you and your family for opening your home and hearts to these little ones. Lisa

My best investment has been caring about it. Putting it at a high priority and caring enough to make them re-do the page of handwriting, take another pass through Algebra II because it didn't stick well the first time, and learn to read the syllabus, follow the instructions, study for the test and turn in the work that is required. Every single one of my children already launched has come back wide-eyed at some of the low expectations and low work ethic that's out there. I think (hope) I would have made that investment whether my kids were home-, public- or private-schooled but it was of course a much bigger part of my life as a homeschool mom.

Well this is a happy collaboration! I'm enjoying all over again going through the Story of the World on audio with my youngest two. And the other day, one of my older boys who's usually off at his own classes asked me to put in an SOTW CD in the car. Hooray! We love audio books and I'm looking forward to seeing what these great minds come up with!

Liz, I found the devotional Streams in the Desert really helpful. It's been a Christian best-seller for years and this one is updated. It's a 365-day devotional but rather than being a daily life devotional, it deals specifically with suffering and sorrow. I just wrote about it on my blog and for a giveaway. Other books were recommended in the comments. I am so grateful to friends who gave me books after my dh died. Just the thought was an act of love and showed they cared.

Yes, I was super excited to find her biology schedule many years ago. I modified it to fit our school year and add in a few projects but boy was I glad not to have to start from scratch.

Well this is awesome! The Hive can always be counted on to find and share such neat stuff. . . the reason my board breaks never became permanent. This takes reading to a whole new level! Thank you idnib for sharing. :)

I just went through something like this with my dd8. She came out of ballet with a strange mark on her cheek (another girl had one also). I thought spider bite and gave her benedryl. I actually think it was a yellow fly -- as they have terrible bites but you only feel the itch, not the initial bite. Anyway, she scratched it and because it was near her eye, I really had to watch it. She never needed antibiotics, but we used some topical anitmicrobial wound care silvasorb from a pharma friend which really helped. It's taken a week but it's finally gone. I wouldn't go to the ER . . . if it's not truly life threatening, I'd choose a reputable urgent care or your family physician.

:grouphug: Giving you some hugs, fellow mom. I love this quote from Maya Angelou: "I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better." I have some adult kids. It's amazing to think I'll have twice as much time with them as adults than we did all those years in the home. Some folks love the adult stage b/c the pressures of home,chores, training are gone.

This gets my vote. It's not a false dichotomy. Yes, you can have both a rigorous education and solid character training. She's not saying either-or. She's saying which gets top shelf. Because there are times that two goals will conflict. Here's how it's played out for me. Do I stop the math lesson and use valuable time to address character? Do I push aside every inclination to just get started with school already or stop and take time for Bible study? Every.single.morning. It's a choice to do math or Bible first and while both may get done, there are some days only one gets done. Am I more excited about my child's geo bee trophy than the self-control I've seen him display lately? <--- Clearly, I should be happy about both. But it's a check *to me* if I find I'm giving more attention, more energy, more dream to the academics. Some folks go into homeschooling for academics so this quote won't resonate with them. Part of why we chose to homeschool is so that we would have time with our kids to live out the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 - 9. But we also had high academic goals for our kids and I worked hard researching, planning, teaching so that I didn't screw my kid up academically. Slowly and subtly over the years, my focus shifted. I didn't even realize it until I heard an offhand statement by an older homeschool mom. It was like a physical re-alignment to the plumb line for me. I pretty much reaffirmed at that point what I wanted most for my kids and what needed to be first in our home. Math didn't change. My kids still did APs and hard sciences and everything else that had been on the plate. I'm not sure they would even have noticed. It was a heart change for me. Probably no one else knew it but me. But I'm certain it affected how we homeschooled and how I parented.

Happy Anniversary! It's hard to know what to say sometimes. And then I think people read what others have posted and tend to reiterate it.

What a road y'all have had. Thank you for the update! Glad he's back to work and things are beginning to resume some normal routine again.

Eaglei, What a precious, amazing son you had. Thank you for sharing him with us, for sharing these personal last moments. While your words tell of his powerful testimony for Christ, I can only imagine the fragrance of our Savior your son had in real life. May his testimony continue to bear much fruit. I am so sorry for such a great loss. Words are inadequate. Please know that I've had a notification on my phone every Thursday to pray for you and your family. Your update has given me so many more specifics to pray for. (((((((hugs dearest Eaglei)))))))) :grouphug: If I had an adequate crying with you emoticon, I would put it here. Mourning with you and lifting you to the only One I know Who gives us hope. xoxo

Nice! My bil planted got free tops from mil when she cut fruit each week in her retirement center. He planted them all around his house. But that was south Florida with a long growing season. I have a son who loves all things gardening and this would be an excellent project for him. Thanks for the idea! How long did it take for you to get the first pineapple? And let us know how it tastes!