Wow! That's incredibly scary! I'm so glad everyone is going to be okay!!!! :grouphug:

Wonderful! Thank you so much!

No... that's really strange...

I think I would stop eating rice forever if I found that... as it is, I'm feeling squeamish right now just thinking of it.

There are some fun geography options out there. Galloping the Globe might be a neat option as you can use it for as long or as short as you want. I found a great one from Rand McNally last year that I'm planning to do this summer. Nature studies would be another fun thing, and you could let the kids choose from there with things they see outside. Or you could learn more about a favorite author or illustrator's style. I'd love to have lots of extra time... HOW FUN! Enjoy it!!!! :)

I think for curriculum, I've spent at least $300 so far, but what I'm buying will be reused for my 2nd son (ie. SOTW book, AG, audio cd's), and I've tried to find most of it used. My total will probably come to $1K though after we add in soccer, riding lessons, art classes, field trips, and children's theater plays. Like others, I LOVE books, so that is where I tend to go overboard! :D

You may also like Raising Cain then. This is the first book that tapped my brain into the thought of homeschooling because I was so worried about my boys after I read it.

We went up to 20 here; I can't imagine not teaching 9+8, 9+9 or 10+10???

:iagree: This is exactly what I was going to say. :)

LOVE this show!!!!!!

Another vote for PP here. It's quick, manageable, and it works. I'll definitely be using it with my youngest when he's ready.

Recently, I've been feeling this tug to lead a Bible study with an emphasis on homeschool moms. There are several families in our church who homeschool their children, but we still have a smaller number as compared to other area churches where homeschooling families are plentiful. Have you ever done a bible study for homeschool moms? If so, what did you use? Was it fulfilling, enriching, or just another thing you had to add to your day/week? In a cursory, google search, I came up with this... anyone familiar with it? http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=21369&it=1&filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=97

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I am SO very sorry. It's heart-breaking to lose a pet; I know how difficult it is to go to the appointment even when you know it's for the best. Saying prayers!

:lol:

My second son had issues every time I ate garlic which I found interesting because I had heard it was one of the breastmilk "flavors" babies preferred. As other posters said, you'll only know after you expose your child to what you are eating. My eldest had reflux so even with me watching my diet, he had trouble digesting breastmilk anyway. Each child is so different. Best wishes!

I watched this today, and as a former middle school educator, I'm so perplexed by it that I'm not really sure what to say! What surprised (and disgusted) me the most, is that this is not the first time and other complaints have been made against him. If he's trying to "be cool" to reach his students, there are far better ways to go about it. If anyone is a loser, it's him.

Although I have only been homeschooling for 2 years, when I first began, I was so conscious of what others thought, and I felt like I had to constantly defend my choice. I learned quickly that doing this was futile. People often have their own view of homeschooling, and many times, it is one of ignorance (I have been on that side as well). As others have said, the longer you do it, the more confident you will feel. You'll find the people who truly care and want to know, and then you will share (however, do so in moderation... people don't want to be preached at). As for the others, you'll learn to just ignore the looks and to give a quick response such as "We're loving it, and it's the best thing our family has ever done" should they ask. Homeschooling is a big step away from the norm for many of us, but if you are convicted in your decision to do it, then that will carry you through the newness and moments of uncertainty that come with it. :)

We LOVED POR when we went 2 years ago. I would not hesitate to stay there again.

We're dealing with this all right now with my 2yo. who is on Pulmicort and Xopenex at the first signs of symptoms. Last night was a tough night for him (and us) w/ frequent nebulizer treatments. My eldest went through this beginning around 10 months. By the time he was 2 1/2, he was on Pulmicort daily for maintenance. Thankfully, when they tested him for allergies around age 4, he was allergy-free. The specialist (pediatric allergist/asthma specialist) was elated because it meant he'd probably grow out of it. He'll be 7 in a month, and we have not had to take any meds (Flovent, Xopenex, etc) for over a year. I have a feeling my youngest has allergies though, but he's still a bit young to test (they prefer to wait until 3+ for accuracy). I agree with everyone to find a specialist. That dr. will become your go-to person at the first signs of colds and any other respiratory illness instead of your pediatrician. Ours was a godsend. My only advice is to be wary of Singular. My son became an entirely different child (for the worst) on it. Once we switched to another med (which I can't remember now), he came back to us. It was scary for that month or so though. Wishing you all the best! It's tough... :grouphug:

Mine is a picture of sunflowers blooming in front of a pond at this great animal farm we visited last year. The picture doesn't do the scene justice.

Yes. He was in my gifted classes in school (as that is how I was labeled from an IQ test in 4th grade). He was light years ahead of the 8 of us though. He was doing high school math in 5th grade and was taking college classes in high school even though he was at a prestigious New England private school. I know he graduated at 16. I lost track of him after that until my mother sent me his obituary a couple of years ago. He died on vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park trying to save his son when their car went over a ledge. It had slipped out of park and he jumped into the car to try to stop it. His son survived, but he did not. He was brilliant, in a class all his own, and he was one of the nicest people I've ever known although he was socially inept in many, many ways, and most shunned him because they didn't get him.

Someone on my local classical homeschool e-loop posted this website today. After perusing it for a while, I've learned it contains some fabulous links. Enjoy everyone! http://www.internet4classrooms.com/index.htm

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! How is your ds doing? What a terrible thing to have to go through. :grouphug: Why are people so rude????

We're using them, and Ds loves them (as do I). I've modified them by only including the academic work. The rest of the day we incorporate fun & educational things into our afternoon/evening anyway, so I stopped placing those activities in the boxes. My main goal is that Ds gets his schoolwork done, and the boxes help him to see what he has left which he needs greatly. We always start with math in box one, but all other subjects rotate. I very rarely go past boxes 7-8, some boxes include short break cards as well. The chunking out of assignments works well for Ds, so I can't see us stopping them any time in the near future.

I am a former ps teacher with an M.Ed, so yes, I was very against it. My SIL homeschooled my niece and nephews, but I fully believed there was so much they were losing by being at home despite them being bright, articulate, polite children. I fully believed they were missing out on socialization, and it would come back to hurt them as they grew. I could not have been more wrong, and I am ashamed to even say I was against it. Around the time my son was 1 or 2, I remember joking with a colleague after a drug incident at my middle school that maybe I'd homeschool some day. We laughed and chided homeschooled children whom we believed were inadequate, unsocialized, not as intelligent because "how could a parent do our job??? We were trained professionals." The following year, a student who was homeschooled was placed in my LA class. He was an excellent writer, extremely well-behaved, kind, courteous, everything you would want a student to be. Aside from my SIL's kids, I believe he was my first "test" to soften my heart. After we moved to the South, I began meeting more homeschoolers and seeing they were normal, fully adjusted, and great kids. The idea of homeschooling kept creeping into my thoughts. When it was time to put my son in K, the pull toward hsing was so incredible that I knew I couldn't ignore it. I know it was a God-thing because my heart was so hard toward homeschooling before. We've been homeschooling for 2 years now, and I cannot believe how wrong I was. Now, I am a firm believer in alternative education and that education is a choice for each family. I'm not anti-public school as some are, but I know it's not for my family, and I do not have a desire to return to my teaching career. I'm so thankful that we were lead in this direction. I cannot imagine doing anything else. My sons are thriving, and I am incredibly blessed that I can be with them to watch them grow.