:iagree: My frustration with my children is something I struggle with daily. I grew up with parents like the one described in the opening post, and seeing parents act like that in public breaks my heart and infuriates me at the same time. Even though I came from lots of yelling/degrading, it does not mean I need to continue that same trend with my own children. Although I struggle and have issues with patience and anger, I can say I will not humiliate my child in public as this man did. It may take every ounce of self-control sometimes to keep myself in check, but it is essential to me to keep my frustrations inward rather than dehumanize my child. Despite my issues, I am a work in progress, and with every mistake, I have the chance to repent and try again. A parent like this is not looking a the whole picture of his child to see the emotional damage being done.

As a former teacher, I say AMEN to this!

Indian Trail, NC here... originally from New Hampshire. We've been here 3 years, and we love it!

I wouldl definitely go! You'll all have a wonderful time, and I believe (IMHO) it's good for everyone to "take a break" from each other for a little bit. You are not leaving forever, just 6 days. I WISH dh and I had this opportunity! Maine is so beautiful! :)

I'm not sure of your thoughts on foreign cars, but we have a Kia Sedona wagon (2007), and we love it! We got a great deal on it (under $20K), and it has a ton of features. Gas milage is usually around 20-23 mpg -- typical for a minivan. It's received the top safety rating (5 stars) for 3 years in a row now, and it has a great warranty (10yrs/100Kmiles). I can't recommend it enough! Good luck as you search! :) PS - My SIL has a Suburban, and she hates it... HUGE gas guzzler.

This is what I was originally thinking. They are such beautiful books, and I imagine as with most things, I could probably jump around some without confusing or overwhelming him. I'm going to also look into The Scientist's Apprentice recommendation. Thank you for your responses!

I'm so torn... I love the Apologia texts from all that I've seen, but I'm not sure if I could do a whole year of animals that fly (Zoology 1). Has anyone ever started with Zoology 2 first? Do you think Apologia is a good choice for a 1st grader, or should I wait until later? My other dilemma is if I should just skip Apologia and follow SWB's suggestions for science in WTM??? That way ds would feel empowered and be able to choose his interests. Any thoughts, advice, experiences, etc. would be greatly appreciated as I really cannot decide on this. I want to buy everything early (and hopefully used) to save money so we can start in July. Thanks so much!

I'd suggest Hatchet or anything else by Gary Paulson. The Narnia series if he hasn't already read them would be excellent too.

I must be boring too! :tongue_smilie: I LOVE getting packages in the mail, especially from them! I think it took about a week to get my last box.

I poured mine into containers right away, and then shook it before I began using it.

Thank you for asking this question as I've been pondering the same thing! I don't want workbooks for everything, so I'm trying to avoid them if I can. So far we'll have a workbook for math, spelling, and critical thinking, and I was hoping to avoid the WWE one (which will save money too :)).

The ideas in this thread are great! I'm also struggling with my daydreaming 6yo who makes things for himself much harder than they have to be!

I wish I could help you with this, but we just went through it with my recently turned 2 ds, and he's now in a toddler bed. He's a monkey too, and for us, transitioning was our best option. Now, we have to figure out how to keep him in it since he falls out multiple times a night because he moves around so much! Thankfully, it's really low to the floor! Good luck! :)

I love my Clarks, but I've heard great things about Danskos too!

Too funny! You are not alone! All my IRL friends who have read the series are experiencing withdrawal in one form of another (me too), and we're all sensible, happily married, educated women even though we feel pathetic talking about it! :lol: For me, it's faded some, but I know when I re-read again before New Moon comes out, it will be back! :D Right now, I'm hung up on Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett! :lol:

I just started Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter. It's a kids' series that I kept running into so my curiosity got the best of me! It's actually pretty decent! :D ps -- Thanks for the welcome!

:001_smile:

:iagree: I went to UM church when I moved to NC from NH because I had stepped away from my Catholic faith (for a variety of reasons) years before. I was searching for God in my life though. I found the UM church to be a breath of fresh air, and the people were very nice. The traditional UM service is actually similar to a Catholic service in some ways (hymns, prayers, some of the wording). In fact, Methodism stemmed from Catholicism in that John Wesley believed there need not be the middle men (priests, Pope, etc) in order to have a relationship with God. So, that is why there are some similarities in prayers, etc. despite the theological changes in denomination. A good friend of mine, who was a devout Catholic all her life, just became a member at a local UM church because it was similar, but "warmer", than Catholicism. Good luck as you work through this! :)

What a great thread! I'm working on deciding what chores for my 5yo to add to his current ones (dress self, make bed, brush teeth, clean up after self after meals, clean room/playroom). There were some excellent ideas in here! Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who "raised their hands"! It's so nice to hear from other former teachers as to why you chose this route and how it's going for you. Like many of you, after seeing what I saw in the ps (esp. w/ middle schoolers), I knew that was NOT what I wanted for my kids (esp. from a social standpoint). I never thought I'd go down this road, but like someone else said, it was the best educational choice we could find, and I'm glad I've chosen it. Some days are easier than others, of course, but it's nice to be able to guide my son educationally while still "sheltering" him socially from the harshness in schools. It's also fun to choose my curriculum vs. having one forced on me that I don't even agree with or that I know wouldn't work for the majority of my students. At this point, I don't think I could go back to the classroom (unless I had to financially) because I'm not that person anymore. I don't agree with our conveyor belt system anymore even though it's the norm... stepping from the norm, I think, has been the hardest part, even if I don't agree with it, KWIM? I think that is why I still make the comparisons even though I KNOW my kids are getting a better education being home with me.

I live just outside of Charlotte in Union County! Such a small world... we love heading to the mountains though! :)

:grouphug: I wish I could take away your loneliness, but all I can do is send prayers. Since I've made the choice to homeschool, I've often felt very alone because my friends are at different places. As I slowly meet other homeschooling moms, it's getting a little better. I hope this can happen for you as well. Thank you for your and your husband's sacrifice for all of us. To be "single" and homeschooling makes me admire you even more! Stay strong!

What a fascinating thread! I just asked my oldest ds what color A was, and he replied, "Which A?" :lol: I didn't know there was more than one! Anyway, I prodded further, and he couldn't name a color; neither could dh. I don't see things this way either, but it was an interesting article, and it's exciting to see other people on here who live with this.

If you're a former teacher who now homeschools, what made you decide to leave the school setting for your children? Also, do you find it is sometimes hard to de-school your thinking for your own children, and you worry you are not getting enough done, etc? I ask because I was an 8th grade English teacher prior, and we've decided homeschooling our kids is the best option. I do find myself struggling with worrying that my son is "missing out" or thinking he's not going to know things he "should". I know this is all ludicrous, but I still find myself having to self-talk these ideas out of my head. A veteran homeschooler I met at a local hs curriculum store said teachers are the hardest to "transform" into hsing mothers because of the institutional mindset they are taught. It's amazing how I could handle a class of 30, whereas now, I sometimes doubt myself with just 2! :lol:

Thanks for the welcomes!!! I'm glad to be here! I went back and made a short list; hopefully, I can somewhat catch up as the weeks progress... 1. Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife - Bodell 2. Creative Correction - Lisa Welchel 3. Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult 4. A Thomas Jefferson Education - Oliver Van DeMille I just began Darcy's Passions by Regina Jeffers. It's Pride & Prejudice told from Mr. Darcy's eyes... good so far. I love P&P and this is my new "obsession" right now... I've already done the Twilight one :D