:iagree: I also want to add that there are many things that he has deemed "mine" for me to decide because he recognizes when they are my areas of strength and his weaknesses. A huge example is the boys' schooling. He will listen to whatever I say, give feedback if I ask, support me with whatever I need, but then it is ultimately up to me to determine their educational futures. I'm not a doormat by any means, but he is the spiritual head of our house, and he is also the breadwinner. I am respectful of these major roles. We discuss everything, but his decision is what is final (this usually means he's compromised with me in some way so we are all happy).

Oh my gosh... praying!

I was 23, and dh was 24. We were both a month to a month and a half from our birthdays (married in Sept, both born in Oct). We'll celebrate 15 years this fall. Like others have said, we both are the settling down types, and we both just knew. We're best friends as well as husband and wife.

Wolf spiders are actually beneficial spiders. I don't enjoy seeing them in my house because they can be so big, and I'm not a huge spider fan. I'd rather see one of those vs. a brown recluse or black widow though. Those scare me!

Yes! I was so impressed too! Scrapbabe, you are very welcome!

We miss you, Peela! Have a very happy birthday!!!

Ds#1 is currently taking Strattera. It was the best thing we did for him and our family. Finding the right medicine takes time and tinkering. Our doctor has been completely honest that it can take up to a year to find the right medication and dosage, so just keep trying. Ds has had some setbacks lately that is making me wonder if we need to tinker with things again. We've had a few good months, but he's back to having fits of rage. He does eat less now than before the meds, but he's still maintaining a healthy weight. I have found that lots of smaller meals works better for him since starting the meds. You are doing the right thing for your daughter, Nakia. :grouphug:

It's great to hear that your son chose this program for his summer work! That makes your life a bit easier (yes?)! :) I had my son sit and watch a couple of the sample videos, and he declared that he wants to learn writing this way because he "can see it, hear it, and then have a paper or a whiteboard to do it on". So, I guess I have his approval! :D I also contacted EIW today, and within an hour, I had an answer from Matthew Stephens! That is impressive... anyway, I'll share our conversation here since he shed some insight into his philosophy of grammar and writing. My questions were as follows: We are currently using a pretty comprehensive grammar program (Rod & Staff), and we've been using it for the past two years. My plan is to continue with this program as it's thorough, and my son enjoys the brevity of the lessons (he was diagnosed with ADHD this year so this is key). As a result, I'm wondering if you feel it would be possible to skip the grammar sections of your curriculum and just use it for writing? Or, do you feel the grammar sections are brief enough that they would be a nice way to review? Is the 4th grade program primarily geared toward writing (meaning there are more writing lessons than grammar)? His response: It is possible to skip the grammar portion of fourth grade. You also have the option of skipping only part of them if you like. However, let me give you a quick approach to my thoughts on grammar. When I teach grammar, I focus on application rather than diagramming. For example, when I teach about adjectives, I will have students "find" them in sentences the first day, but then I will move to activities that USE adjectives. Also, when I teach verbs, we spend sometime identifying verbs, but then in lesson 20C, I have students choose a "better" verb than the one that is written. When I teach nouns, however, there isn't much "application" to nouns, so the activities are more search, find, and label, etc. Also, I might mention that "sentence" lessons are interwoven throughout the grammar portion of the curriculum. So, with that I suggest the following: If you were going to use the curriculum for composition purposes, there are some lessons in the beginning that I'd recommend that your student covers before moving into composition. This is only a recommendation, however, as you have complete freedom to use the curriculum as it fits your needs. The lessons that I would include are: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20C, 23, and then 29 and on. If you choose to do all of the grammar, I do not feel it is "heavy" but rather the "basics" as my goal is to focus more on composition than on diagramming sentences. Let me say in regards to my last statement. Sometimes statements such as this can be taken out of context when written in an email communication. Having said that...I'm happy to visit with you by phone to explain in greater detail if you like. Because there are many grammatical concepts taught, it could appear that the curriculum is "heavy" on grammar and light on composition. In my opinion, however, the curriculum is more of a composition focused because I do not spend a great amount of time teaching extended grammar concepts. I hit the basics and how they apply to composition and shift to writing narratives, paragraphs, descriptive and persuasive writing activities, etc. Equally, there are several "sentence" lessons early on as well. I feel more confident in his approach and the inclusion of the grammar now, especially as this is how I see the two subjects eventually working their way together as a child becomes a more experienced writer. I'm thinking that I will continue with R&S since it's so thorough and lessons can be quick. If I decide to use EIW (I'm leaning heavily toward it), then I will follow his suggestions above, possibly adding in lessons he's excluded for "review" if I see they would benefit ds.

My sister's dog is named Fenway, and he is the BEST! (of course, more Red Sox fans here :D). I love the idea of naming the girl after the names in A League of Their Own. I'm also a big fan of naming animals after characters in favorite books. PS - That puppy is PRECIOUS!

He did a fabulous job! I love the inserts and the soothing colors!

I am so sorry for your loss... I can't even imagine. Many prayers to you and your family at this time. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

So sad. Definitely praying for them. :grouphug:

Thank you SO much for this breakdown! I will take a look at Zaner Bloser... My concern is all the grammar that you mention which takes up the first half (or less) of the year. We are already doing R&S and have been since 2nd grade. He's pretty solid with grammar. Hmmm... I may email EIW and see what they suggest. I do like the idea of the longer report not coming toward the end for reasons as Merry suggested (mentally done by May). So much to contemplate now!

I remember when you chose to walk away from your house and when things changed with your dh's job. It is FANTASTIC to see how far God has brought you and your family! God is so good when we let him take control! Thank you for sharing your wonderful news! What a blessing to live near that nature preserve... I love the pictures on your blog.

Merry, you are GREAT! Thank you! I'm going to look through these now! I appreciate you sharing all the links... sometimes it's tough to search, so this helps tremendously!

Pen, this would be for 4th grade for my son who LOVES details, so paring things down is very difficult for him. He can write a very basic paragraph. He likes things to be very succinct and orderly. I'm looking for something where the lessons are short (it seems they are), but meaty. I'm planning on keeping WWE4 for narrations and I will be using the dictations as copywork. What are the main focus points for 4th grade?

We are about to wrap up BF Early American History - Primary. It has been a fabulous year of history for us, and my son has enjoyed every book we read. The D'Aulaire books are especially nice, and we will be holding on to them for grandchildren someday. For a true living books curriculum, I don't think you can go wrong with BF.

All of these answers have been very helpful! Thank you so much!

So, MrsT and Wendy, it's not necessarily the program that is bad, rather the topics they suggest? I'm now thinking of using WWE4 for narrations, make the dictations be copywork, and use WWW3 or 4 for the steps of writing. Too much, too little, or just right? We will also be using R&S 4 for grammar, but I plan to skip the writing assignments. Ds likes to come up with his own ideas and use LOTS of details (narrations have been difficult because he feels everything is important). So, something as straight-forward as possible that teaches him to pare things down is needed. I'm also looking into Essentials in Writing (I have another post started), but it's so new that no one is responding :).

This worries me; however, I'm not sure what my alternatives may be for my ds. Suggestions are always welcomed! :D

Rod & Staff has been a hit at our house. Ds does some of it orally with me, but if I'm having a busy day, I can easily send him off to do it alone.

I know it's very new, but if you have begun using it, can you tell me how it's going? I'm looking for systematic and thorough for next year for 4th grade, and from the video clip I've seen, it appears that it may be? I'd love the pros & cons if anyone has them.

All of these answers have been helpful! Thank you! My son is VERY much geared toward math/science. A complete stranger asked me if he was planning on being an engineer, just by seeing how he was comparing his choices in a restaurant. It's that obvious :). So, I'm thankful to hear that it's systematic.

Ds will be done with WWE3 mid-July (we started late after him hating WS3). For next year, I have purchased WWE4, but he really hates WWE and it's become miserable for both of us. So, I'm rethinking things... I'm curious about WWW. I'd love to hear from current users regarding the pros and cons of this program. It looks systematic which would be exactly what ds needs. Since he doesn't have strong paragraph writing skills because we've been primarily using WWE since 1st grade, I was thinking of starting with Level 3 even though he is going into 4th grade. In searching on the boards, I see some of you were going to try that route for the same reason. If you did this, would you share your experience? Thanks!

Dh and I have cells and no landline. We have been like that for a year. Initially, I think I missed it or rather, the security of the landline. Now, we are used to this way of life. All of our babysitters have cell phones, so even when we are away from the kids, there is someone with a phone in the house. We have discussed getting a pay-as-you-go phone for the house just in case, but we've yet to go get it.