I love this idea! Thanks to the op! I've been dealing with the same thing, and I'm overrun by books right now too!

About 5 months ago, I switched hair stylists, and this one said she'd like to give me bangs, so I said she could. They are on the long side and swoop to the side. I get so many compliments now, and I really love them actually. I went with the mindset that I can grow them out if I don't like them.

If this were an option, this is how I would have voted, as I love chairs vs. a loveseat! I LOVE chocolate brown leather, and I wish we had just spent the money when we were buying our furniture and bought leather. My fabric couch drives me crazy since my 2yo is such a messy, destructive child compared to my oldest.

As long as you don't live near my inlaws! And, one of those houses MUST have a wooded backyard! :D While I'm here, I'll add a couple more I've thought of... 1. I LOVE using coupons, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to get an item for free. 2. I often worry that my friends will suddenly decide they don't like me anymore just like my group of friends did to me in 7th grade. I wish I could get over this fear. 3. I have a stack of my clothes and 2 FULL laundry baskets of my sons' clothes to be put away, but I'm enjoying hanging out on here instead. :)

1. I yell too much at my children even though I hate that I do it. 2. I have lost confidence in my intelligence since becoming a SAHM. 3. My favorite thing in the world is to curl up with a book. 4. I enjoy traveling and wish we had unlimited income so we could go wherever, whenever 5. I yearn for mature trees in my backyard & privacy as a result. 6. I worry that I'll have to go back to work some day and stop hsing my kids 7. Some days I feel as if I'm going to have a nervous breakdown because my patience has been pushed to its limits 8. Dh gets frustrated with me because I often have no desire for sex. 9. I truly love food and eating makes me happy. 10. My favorite day is blue skies, sun, and temps in the low 70s. 11. I wish I had the motivation to work out regularly because I know I'd be so happy with the results 12. I desperately want to get control of the clutter in my house, but I'd rather do something else, so I just let it sit. 13. I'm very glad to have found TWTM forums because I'm having a hard time finding other homeschoolers around me who share my classical mentality 14. My in-laws drive me crazy and I'm dreading my visit with them in a month.

:001_smile: Congratulations! Books are sacred to me as well, so I understand how hard this was for you! It is very liberating, however, once you take that first step. Sometimes notes in books are so valuable because it's your initial reaction to a description, dialogue, or use of a literary skill that are the purest. I sometimes have difficulty writing in my books; some are easier to mark up than others.

It's nice to know I'm not alone! :) How do you combat it? I know that ds can do this; part of his problem is he doesn't want to take the time.

Yes, this is exactly what I am afraid of happening! We'll be starting spelling for 1st grade in August (after our busy summer), I'm wondering if that may also help cement some of these issues for him? I'm of the believe that phonics and spelling go hand-and-hand so it's a must for him to get this.

I'm a little perplexed by my son's reading right now. We've been doing Phonics Pathways, and we're continuously running into him having trouble reading the lists in the book, but he has no problem reading the words outside of the PP book if he encounters them in a story. He is reading at a 2nd grade level although he's in K; he also enjoys reading unless I want him to do a PP lesson. He'll also easily read the sentences in PP; it's just the lists that cause issues. I'm not sure if this is something I should be worried about since he's reading outside of PP. Shouldn't he be able to read the words from a list without stumbling? Does anyone else have a child like this?

Please forgive me as I'm still relatively new to these forums, but what is Wordless Wednesday? :001_smile: Thanks!

So many of these responses are the exact reasons why I chose the Classical approach. I was fortunate enough to have been placed in advanced classes, including pull-out ones, in school, and I attended a rigorous private high school. Little did I know that the private all girls school I attended was giving me a classical education until I read TWTM. I remember getting to college where my peers were floundering, and so many of them had never heard of or read some of the most basic classics. I couldn't fathom that! I vowed my children would be well-educated. I am a voracious reader, and I want the same for my children, so providing them with the great books was a must from their birth. I am not strong in math despite accelerated classes during school, so a thorough math foundation was a must as well. Science and history needed to be thought-provoking and exciting, and SWB's descriptions of how to teach in TWTM made me say, "Yes! This is IT!" They include wonderful opportunities for the child while providing them with great books as the backbone vs. boring textbooks. TWTM was everything I was looking for when I began researching homeschooling. I love the classical philosophy of the trivium, its methodology, and the outcome that can be produced. I feel it will give my kids an interesting, yet challenging, education that will prepare them for their future whatever road they choose. They'll be thinkers as well as producers, and for my family, that is our goal. I am grateful for TWTM and its thoroughness.

:iagree: Both sports allow the child to be a part of a "team"; however, the competition is actually individualized. For us, physical activity is important, but that does not mean a team sport is necessary. I was horrible at team sports, whereas dh excelled. Another bonus about these sports is they tend to be less politically influenced (ie. loss of spot b/c of coach's child, good 'ole boy networks, etc that can sometimes plague some of the towns). I'm also realizing there's a lot to maximizing the talents we have, and for some of us, sports may not be one of them.

Our 12 year old 27" Zenith recently died, so we needed a new TV. We're not big electronics people (although I'd die without my computer), but now that we have a 42" HDTV, flat screen... I'm wondering how we lived without it! :D The picture is incredible. History channel and Discovery on HD are gorgeous!

Acorn Naturalists (great science resources)

You must visit Garden of the Gods. It is beautiful there! That & Pikes Peak would be my musts, but you've already planned PP. Have fun! We'll be there in July... it's one of our favorite places!

I'm reading Discover Your Child's Learning Style by Willis & Hobbs, and I'm LOVING it. However, now that I better know my son, it appears I've made some possible curriculum mistakes for next year (grade 1). My biggest fear is for SPELLING... I know this is such an important skill, so I want to get it right. Based upon his personality, he's a thinker and a kinesthetic learner all at the same time. Short lessons are highly encouraged for someone like him. I bought SWO for next year, but I've recently learned he doesn't like workbooks (his own words). The learning style book has mentioned Sequential Spelling, but for some reason & after much research, my gut is not feeling comfortable with that. I guess I'd like to know what the hive would do. Do any of you have wiggly boys that are doing SWO? Do they enjoy it? Most importantly, is it working? I'm so fearful of doing him a disservice in spelling and reading... making sure he has a strong foundation will affect every future lesson/subject matter. Thanks in advance for any help/insight!

DS was reading sentences when we began PP too, but just to make sure I started him at the beginning (not the letter sounds, but 3 letter words). We moved through it quickly and it gave him extra confidence.

Bumping this up... I'd really love to hear what others say as I can't really afford to buy the new book right now. Thanks so much!

I always love to see what others have in the pipeline! Here's our summer so far. -- I MUST organize our office/schoolroom and I may paint it a brighter color... we'll see... -- Visit family in NH -- Visit my college roommate and her family in Colorado -- Host a soccer coach from England while ds attends British soccer camp -- day trips here and there -- gardening -- LOTS and LOTS of reading (my favorite activity!) -- a light school-load in between it all. I'm excited! :D

As always, great answers, ladies! I have some thinking to do. I did not realize I would need the kit, and I've pretty much hit my budget for next year. We may be waiting until 2nd afterall. On another note... does anyone feel that just reading great books provides the child(ren) with vocabulary instead of needing a curriculum? I'm torn between these two philosophies...

Great question as I was wondering the same thing. Thank you for asking, and I'm looking forward to hearing responses too.

I was just reading that Worldly Wise starts as early as Kindergarten. Ds will be in 1st. Do any of you use it for children that young? If yes, can you tell me what your child thinks, and if no, why have you chosen to wait? Thanks!

Math: Singapore 2A/2B Spelling: SW B & C Grammar: FLL Writing: WWE 1 Science: Apologia Zoology 1 and start 2 (either land or sea -- ds's choice) History: SOTW Vol. 1 with AG Piano lessons & outside art classes (each 1 day/week) soccer in fall & spring I think this covers everything... :001_smile:

Thank you for posting this question! I'm currently doing Horizons 1 with ds as well as SM 1A (I bought it for "fun" math). He keeps telling me he only wants to do that math book now because it's "fun" although he's clearly learning. I was nervous to switch to just SM even though so many on here use it. I guess I'm just a traditionalist? :) Anyway, after reading these responses, it looks like I'll be re-selling the used Horizons 2 manuals that are on their way from one of the moms on here! Ds will be so excited! :lol:

I absolutely love Moscato wine. It's light and sweet, especially in the summer.