I'm sorry... it's hard to want to help and to feel helpless. She may just need you to continue to listen as she goes through all this. I'm sorry for your sons... divorce is so hard and its fingers reach further than many think. :grouphug:

AMEN!!!! Alte Veste, I could have written your post as I've been really struggling lately with who I am, where our hsing is going, where my life is going, friendships, etc. It's been a tough month for me, and I fully understand your thoughts. I wish I could say I have an answer for you, but I don't have a solid one. The quote above is as close as I can come since her response is what I'm realizing about myself. I am who I am, and right now, I'm trying to figure out how that fits into the journey of homeschooling. This is a path most do not take, and walking along the edge of the mainstream, but not crossing it, has been a tough thing for me because my life is not the same as most of my peers. Since I'm limited in some ways by having my kids with me constantly, my friendships are changing, and I struggle with that immensely. Moreover, family dynamics with two intense children (whom I'm learning are "spirited") is something I also struggle with on a daily basis. Parenting and homeschooling is a difficult road! As for my actual homeschool, I'm trying to find a balance of fun (when I don't feel as if I'm a fun person) and academics (without burning all of us out). Some days, I scare myself because ds#1 is only in first grade, and I stress about making sure he's getting it all. Yet, on another day, I may feel perfectly content and think things are moving along fine. Being fully relaxed is not really in my nature, but I sure wish it was! I started out trying to follow the true WTM path, but it's difficult to implement, and with a newly 3yo, some days it was just impossible. As a result, I'm assessing where I really want to go because I don't want to spend the next x-number of years worrying about this constantly. I also have days where I feel downright saddened when I find myself saying to ds, "We can't study that now because we have to finish 'this' first." I know he'd love to go off on rabbit trails constantly, but that is too unschoolish for ME, and it goes against my "check-off the boxes" nature. I'm trying to find a balance with this, and I'm thinking we can use summer to run down those trails. I won't seek out a curriculm, rather, we'll just learn. Some may say this is what I should be doing all the time, but I feel I NEED curriculum to guide me. I think I don't have enough faith in myself to get it done as I am learning (to my dismay) that I am lazy. :sad: This is an area of which I believe I can improve, and I'm making that one of my goals... Anyway, all this to say that I'm still trying to figure out where we're going. Every year adds another year of experience (we're finishing year 2), and in some ways it becomes easier, yet in others it becomes harder. I think this is always going to be a process that will ebb and flow with some days, weeks, months being better than others. There will be points where I will find contentment and others where I may feel unsettled. However, I'm aiming for more moments of feeling content... :)

I'd like to use a workbook or something similar to have my son independently review grammar over the summer to help with retention. He'll be starting 2nd grade. Do you know of anything that may be appropriate? FYI: we used FLL 1 this year, so we've covered nouns, pronouns, complete sentences, and action verbs.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???!?!?!??! Unbelievable... I'm so sorry! I would be out of control...

Our kids have a small snack before bed as well. Usually a banana, some crackers, or maybe a dish of ice cream. My children are extremely active, so they are often hungry before bed despite eating dinner an hour or two prior.

My college roommate had an eating disorder and was in an in-house treatment program for a few months. Watching it happen around me and being unable to do anything was one of the worst things I have ever gone through. I'm sending you and your daughter many prayers. :grouphug:

I'm originally from Nashua! Almost my entire family still lives there as well as Dh's parents. NH is a great state. You can't beat not having an income tax and sales tax. When we lived in NH, dh worked in MA, and although we paid MA state income tax, we always got it all back. Others are right that the commute to Burlington can be difficult at times, but I would not rule out living in NH. Many who live in MA end up moving to NH to reap the benefits of living there.

Oh gosh... there's so much! -- That I need to relax more! -- It's okay to take breaks, reassess, and start again or change course. -- All kinds of great curriculum choices -- I'm not alone when I feel alone -- Homeschooling is hard, and it's okay to become frustrated and disenchanted with it at times. -- To love my kids, be a better mother, to take risks... I could go on and on. This forum has been such an immense help to me! Thank you, everyone!

Clean for her, cook for her, listen to her, ask her to share her favorite memories (you may be able to learn so much about your family this way), offer to take her someplace she really wants to go... just BE with her. It's wonderful that you are traveling to see her and that you want to help. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances though. Enjoy your time with her as much as you can.

Wonderful news! Congrats!

The entire thing is heartbreaking, and I'm so saddened for everyone affected, for our planet, and for the economic ramifications as a result of this. I struggle to watch the news because I waiver between sadness and extreme anger.

After an absolutely abmismal beginning to our week, I took Thursday and Friday off, and we went outside, played together, cuddled, and spent more time just being. We'll start back again on Monday, but I feel better, and I believe ds does too. I'm learning that it is okay to stop, regroup, and then begin again.

:iagree: This is very straight-forward and clear, and the tone can be said kindlly (although it would take ME a long time to be calm since I'd be so upset in the first place). She needs to hear it laid out so she truly knows what she was expecting from you. I don't think she knows how intrusive she was being. At least, I hope she doesn't! :grouphug: Congratulations on your new venture! It sounds very admirable!

Another huge thank you here! I don't know what I'd do without this forum and all the wonderful advice, conversations, and understanding I've found!

Well, since I student taught in 5th grade, and we were working on a solid 5-7 sentence paragraph, I am doubtful that 3rd graders are consistently writing 3 paragraphs in all schools! Then I taught 8th grade Language Arts for many years, and we worked them hard to get a cohesive 5-paragraph essay. I have heard writing is a weakness in homeschooling; however, from what I know about the school I was in, local schools where I now live (1000 miles from where I taught) where I have friends who teach ranging from grades 2-7, and from what parents discuss in regards to what their own children are doing in public and private schools, I'd be willing to say writing is a weakness everywhere! However, some may beg to differ...

My sister and I just had this conversation 2 days ago! I am for the good books and reading intensely and plentifully. She worries that focusing on reading classics and the like will cause a child to be "disconnected from society" when we are such a technology based culture and it will continue to grow. She expressed the concern that focusing on classics and teaching with an emphasis on reading will shelter a child from society. I argued that classics teach us the past and how we can relate it to the present and future. I believe technology is JUST A TOOL. It is not the means to an end, and I don't care if "society" is designating it as such. My children will learn how to use technology, but they will not (while under my tutelage) become dependent upon it. Problem-solving is not only learned through technology. Rather, subjects like logic, grammar, Latin, science, and math will teach a child these skills... as will research projects, hands-on experiements, community projects, and life experiences. I may be in the minority, but for my children, technology is not going to be the be-all-end-all, and I will not give up teaching using books, primary sources, and old-fashioned techniques.

Congratulations! Welcome to the journey! My dh was worried about what others would think too, and like yours, it took other men's opinions to get him to change his mind as well. Now Dh praises it.

Our son plays soccer, and it would absolutely devastate him to stop. However, I can fully understand your fear. He's already suffered 2 concussions, and he's only 7. The first one came from a collision with another child - it also caused a huge gash over his eye requiring stitches. That concussion was considered mild. The other came while he was practicing in our driveway, and he fell over the ball. He hit his head on the concrete and blacked out immediately. During the ride to the hospital, he kept asking the same 3 questions over and over again. It really freaked me out, although he doesn't remember most of it. I am fearful he will get another concussion and it will alter him. Dh was a soccer player, and he tells me I'm worrying too much, but head injuries can change a person forever.

You don't need to go! I'm another only partial Classical homeschooler, and I'm not going anywhere... I NEED this board! :D We use Charlotte Mason methods a lot alongside recommendations from WTM. It's what works best for my son, and it fits my educational philosophy. There's plenty of room for you still! :)

I'm sorry you were visited this morning. I have a few neighbors similar to yours, and I'm just waiting for my visit...

:bigear:

This sounds like good news! Please continue to keep us posted. :grouphug:

-- I worry about my children and my impact on them since I come from a dysfunctional family, and I sometimes find myself repeating some of the patterns - ie. yelling at them a lot (I see a counselor as a result). -- I worry about dying and my kids forgetting me, or dh and I dying together and the kids being raised by someone else. -- I worry about money and if we will ever be "comfortable" and able to retire. -- I worry about my friendships and whether or not my friends will desert me (it's happened in the past & it hurts immensely). -- I worry about the state of our country and planet and what will be "left" for my children and their children. The irony is I believe in God, and I know better than to worry about these things... it requires constant prayer for me to talk myself down some days from these worries.

That's wonderful!!!!

We started to fall behind this year in SOTW #1, and we're just going to keep on going although the rest of our subjects will be done earlier. That's the beauty of homeschooling; you don't have a set day where the school doors must close and everything must be "done". If your children are loving it, then there's nothing wrong with continuing it into the summer if you are comfortable with that.