As homeschoolers, we're all "against the grain" of society to some extent. We're all questioners of societal norms! I've been tossing social interaction around in my mind a lot lately. It feels like as time goes by, our family is becoming more and more "family-centered." We used to do LOTS of running around to activities, etc. And it was all me-driven, not them saying they wanted to do the activities. I think I felt the need to have my dc involved in activities to be sure they were interacting socially (plus the fact that there are just so many great activities around for hs'ers in our area!) The dc (8 and 5) don't even want to do any of it! We would all actually be fine staying home the majority of the time. We really enjoy just being together as a family. My dc love to be together and will play for hours (besides school time) independently or together. Dd could (and does) read in her room for hours. Both dc are academically advanced. They do have one activity each per wk, plus one full day of our wonderful and active co-op. (And older dd doesn't even want to do her one activity so we'll be dropping it when it finishes in May-she just hasn't found her passion yet.) We also do field trips once or twice a month and a couple once a month type group activities. We have tons of friends, but have had a hard time finding like-minded families to be really close with (we are conservative Christians.) I would say our philosophy is to be quite sheltering, but really it's more a personality thing that we are homebodies. Over the past few months due to illness, etc., we've been home together even more and it's been heaven for all of us. And I mean we've literally gone NOwhere for a week at a time! And even after being home for days at a time, when I say we're going to ___, even if it's a fun thing, it's awww, mom, we were just going to do a lotion factory together (where they take all the lotions in the house and make concoctions.) This lifestyle really suits me too as I am the type who gets overwhelmed VERY easily, so I feel more peaceful and able to be "present" with my dc without so much going on. My dc interact well and respectfully with others of all ages and have no "social" problems at all. I feel they're getting a nice amount of mentoring from other adults and being with other children at co-op and the other activities we do. I'm getting so that I just don't see a problem with the home being the main center of activity and relationships, especially when they're this young. I'm thinking that being home-centered when they're young will give them such a good foundation to then branch out as they grow. And another thing on my mind, is it normal and okay for children to just play on their own, without even my input, for hours a day? I especially worry about my littler one since he plays by himself a LOT. Should I try to give them less free play time and more things like cooking together, etc.? I really just want to give them a more old-fashioned childhood. I just hope I'm on the right track. It goes so against everything we see in society that even though it is working for us, I hope I'm not making some kind of long-term mistake. Is anyone else following this "home-centered" approach, and if so how is it going?

endoscopic sinus surgery, but she did correct my deviated septum while she was in there too. So I actually had two procedures in one. I second the recommendation for probiotics while on ANY antibiotics-I forgot to mention it because it's such a given in our house to do so!

two months of Augmentin and I STILL ended up with the surgery. I would try the neti pot-I've had great success with it, as has dh. Maybe you could try the Augmentin-it's strong but has a good reputation. You may be able to take it for a shorter time since it's stronger? Ck with your dr. on it anyway. BTW, if you do end up with the surgery, it's not that bad, and I've felt much better in the ten years since I had it done. Make sure you have a reputable ENT-ask around. I went 45 minutes away to get a REALLY good ENT.

Am I missing it on there? Or was it maybe CBD that used to have samples of it and now they don't? Thanks!

series? Awhile back I was looking into the "Suffer Little Children" books which cover grades 1-3 and now I can't find where I saw the samples! Also do you know if the TM's are necessary for these? Thanks! It's such an obscure series-I saw years ago that Covenant Home recommends it and thought it looked good at the time. Now dd is the right age for it and I can't find samples! I would just go ahead and buy it-do you know about the TM's though?

I've just used the snot-sucker-upper (LOL that I actually knew what you meant!) for the past ten years as recommended by my ENT, but I'd like to try a neti. There are so many different brands! What do you have and like, and why? I think I saw a couple that were dishwasher safe, which would be nice.

Dd just needs some practice working with spelling rules-such as change y to i and add ending, drop the e to add ing, etc. Are there any online worksheets for this, or a simple workbook I can get (MCP Plaid? Something else?) Thanks!

I don't think RS can be beat as far as its presentation of concepts. Dd can easily out-add me in her head, and it has helped this non-math mom learn more than she did in all her years of ps math! I've been thrilled with the way it has helped us both understand the "why" behind math concepts. I am starting ds5 on RS A this fall (he already uses the abacus and I've introduced him to some RS techniques.)

Dd8 did RS A, then B-but stalled out partway through B because of the big jump in concepts presented (which I hear is very common.) So we stretched B out for a longer period of time (over 1 1/2 yrs) while still doing the games, etc. This particular child needs more spiral practice, and there were some things I thought were covered only sporadically in B (time, graphing, money, etc.) This is not to say that RS is not adequate in these things, just more spread out in their coverage of them so that by the time it came up again, she had forgotten it! Our solution, which has been perfect for us so far, is to use CLE along with RS, but slightly behind RS so she's getting the concepts first in RS. I started her halfway through the Grade 1 CLE. I feel she's getting more facts practice (since we can't always play the RS games), and it gives her more of the daily spiral she needs. The CLE is very easy to do alongside-not time-consuming at all. (I thought about just switching to BJU, but I thought that for my purposes, the TM was VERY unwieldy and geared toward school and I didn't want to have to pick through it every day trying to find the important parts! Just my opinion.) I think we'll probably do this through RS D, then switch completely to CLE until higher math, when we'll probably switch to a video-based program. This has only added about 15 minutes to our math time, and since she's seen the topics before in RS, she can do most of it independently. It's nice for her to see a different presentation of the same topics too. Just wanted to give you another possible option!

We too are conservative and careful with what our dc are exposed to. I totally understand your feelings. Dd8 doesn't fully understand why she just can't pick out whatever she wants to read at the library. She read the Amer. Girl books (except Kaya due to the spiritualism) and then we found the Amer. Girl mystery series. I cked through one quickly and it looked okay and let her start reading it. I picked it up that night and really READ it, and there were themes that were not okay (rebelling against the parents to sneak out and foil an ADULT thief who locked them in a cabin. And then it all turns out okay in the end. How would this have turned out in REALITY in this day and age?) And it's just so hard to explain this to a child this age. We've had other incidents come up like this, and we just talk about what the Bible says about these things. I am also careful to show her, whenever I can and it's appropriate, when things come up in my life that I need to make a choice that follows what Jesus would want me to do rather than what the world says is okay in that situation. I remember reading that Corrie Ten Boom anecdote before and I agree completely. Our dc don't have the wisdom and discernment yet to know what is best for them. Now, we do TALK about difficult things and how to make wise choices, etc., when we come across things. I don't completely shelter because I want them to know how to deal with things in a biblical and wise manner while they're under our instruction and care. Just like we also discuss evolution, etc., but in light of God's Word. I was just emailing with a friend about this very thing-how hard it is to constantly be vigilant, and yet never legalistic about it. Doing what is right is very often not the "easy" choice, whether it's from a Christian standpoint or not. It does get so tiring-I totally sympathize with you. Know that you are totally right, especially in this circumstance where there is real evil involved that you do not want to expose your child to. My parents let me read whatever I wanted, and I did go through a phase of reading occult-related things. I am positive that it affected me negatively for years thereafter. "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lost heart." Gal 6:9 Be encouraged-you are doing a GREAT job!

ordered the demo DVD to find out more about it. Now I'm off to read the review! I need to just find out more about it and see if it would be a good fit. I may be back with more questions! Thanks!

What math program is: 1. simple for a non-math mom to teach and definitely homeschool friendly 2. teaches "thinking math" rather than just formulaic 3. doesn't use number line type teaching I've been using RightStart with dd8, and have added in CLE for more spiral practice. I'm rethinking things for upcoming ds5. Here's why: To make a looong story short: I LOVED RightStart A. And I LOVE RS's way of introducing concepts. However, starting in B I find the levels to be very uneven. For instance, they introduce quarters at the same time they have your dc doing four-digit addition with carrying! So in first grade, dd was ready for or beyond some concepts, while hitting walls with others. (And she is well-above average level in schoolwork in general.) I've thought of just using CLE with ds, but I want more "thinking math" than they provide. I've rejected Singapore (too hard for non-math mom, even with home educator guide), Horizons/Saxon/Rod and Staff-all of which I've seen or have and they're too "formulaic" for me (compared to RightStart.) BJU, I hated the TM for the Bible we did this year and the math looks the same-too schoolish! So what say you? What about MathUSee? I know nothing about this one, and I'm wondering if it would fit the bill.

This saved me tons of web-searching and is just what I was looking for!!!!

a little less than one T RAW honey in about a cup of warm (not hot because that would kill the good enzymes in the raw honey) water, usually in the a.m. And yes, be sure it is the ACV with the mother-we use Bragg's. We seem to be sick MUCH less than our friends, but we also eat an all-natural, mostly organic diet, etc. I am sure the ACV helps though! (Not that you'd know it right now because we all have variations on scarlet fever and strep, but this is only the second time my dc have ever been on an antibiotic-the other time was for walking pneumonia!)

I'm not sure why the dr. only gave me 7 days-have you ever heard of this? I've never heard of an antibiotic being given for less than ten days, esp. for strep. I do have to take it every eight hours, so it's three 250 mg tabs/day. It was inevitable that I'd get it, after dd had scarlet fever, then ds got it too!

for $10 for the whole set (some pieces are a little banged up.) Apparently someone else got totally fed up with it too! (I can't use it because I have a new ceramic top stove.) My mom had a casserole piece that she used for 30 years-she just used it to boil potatoes in so she could then mash them in the same pot and keep them hot. So she never had the sticking problem.

I waited on the Baldwin brothers' (Billy, Steven, Alan) mother. The manager knew who she was and told us. She was very gracious. (I think she is now deceased.) Dh was in Muscle and Fitness magazine in a MetRx (fitness drink) ad when MetRx very first came out (1994) and they did before/after contests for the "average person" to enter; the prize was being in the ad plus a supply of MetRx. He still drinks MetRx today and considers it a good product. When I was a baby, ZsaZsa Gabor (now there's an old timer!) was in JCPenney's, I think it was, because either she or her sister Ava had a line of wigs they were selling there and they were there promoting them. She told my mom I was one of the most gorgeous babies she had ever seen and I was sure to grow up to be stunning! My mom said she had on an amazing and very large necklace with diamonds, etc. On the circus topic, my cousin as a young child had his picture in the paper with Emmett Kelly because he (and his two brothers) had just lost their father. Jake the Snake Roberts (wrestler) asked me out in a bar once (a lifetime ago, pre-salvation by Christ's grace.)-I said no. Just this past May we were in NYC (dd8, my mom and I) in American Girl Place for lunch and there were callbacks that day for the Kit, American Girl movie coming out. We met Abby Breslin (star of the movie and others that I haven't seen such as Little Miss Sunshine.) At first there weren't many other people around and dd got to talk to her for quite awhile, got her autograph, and we took their picture together. She was very pretty in person, but more than that, she was both personable and very humble. And last but not least, I was on Romper Room when I was little, and also a Goodwill commercial (my grandmother had a high position in Goodwill and got both spots.) This thread has to take the prize for one of the most fun ever! (It is WAAAAAY past my bedtime and I will pay for this tomorrow! Well worth it!)

I know I've seen this on here, but can't find it. Also I remember one was evening primrose oil-what is the dosing on this? Thanks!

I think it's a byproduct of the setup of the new forum. I know with the threads constantly popping back to the top, sometimes I end up not continuing to go back in to read additional posts even in a thread that I had found interesting the past three times I cked it! It's like you left the room, and then you have to go sticking your head back in again constantly. I do enough of that IRL with the kids-LOL! I'm finding it a LOT harder here to reply to or even read things like I used to on the old boards (although I like many features here and I am grateful we have this forum.) Like someone else said, I think many people are reading, just not always responding. I often have to do that myself due to time constraints. But you just never know who you're blessing with your post, so just keep posting!

I will probably be more CM influenced with ds (just turned 5) than I was with dd at that age. It will be a good fit for him, and I'm able to relax enough now to be okay with short lessons, etc., and know it is "enough," and maybe "better," like I wasn't able to do with her. This was a good site to get a feel for it. I like how it was laid out in terms and in days for many subjects-very helpful. Thank you!

I have SO much curriculum that I get overwhelmed and use none effectively. I often think I would almost be better off to just have a couple quality items (like McGuffey and the Bible) so I wouldn't lose my focus. After I read LCC last year, it was a big light bulb to streamline, prioritize, but I'm still trying to figure out what that looks like for our family. I also love Marva Collins, who had hardly ANY resources and gave her students a wonderful classical education from just making most efficient use of what she had, pulling all the juicy pieces out of it all. I don't necessarily think it takes a gifted teacher to do this either, just a thoughtful one. Our best days seem to be our "sick" days, when we sit on the couch and just meander through a readaloud, picking it apart, talking about the vocab, characters, etc., rather than racing through it because there are ten more behind that lined up to read. The "less is more" thread recently really struck a chord with me, and ties in to what we're discussing here. As someone else mentioned, I do think when you're new to hs'ing, it takes awhile to find what types of curriculum work for you, so there is some major trial and error, and maybe overbuying (guilty party raising hand here!) until you hit your stride. I'm in the streamlining mode with everything just now; prioritizing, slowing down, weeding out the useless, and that includes our schoolwork. I'm starting to feel more comfortable with doing less, but doing it well. It's a journey.

with anyone but his wife." I personally make it a practice to never be alone with a man other than dh. I have no male friends at all. It's too easy for one thing to lead to another, even and especially when you didn't plan on it. Even just guarding your thoughts is hard enough, even with boundaries like this in place. I'd just rather be safe than sorry.

Teacher Created Resources. I originally got it for my 5yo, but my 8yo is really into it too, and there's a lot of great info in it, even for the older. Best of all, it's FUN and simple to do! You can ck it out at TCR's website, but basically you trace the child on butcher paper and put the organs on. There's info about all the organs right in the book. It's more than basic though; you color veins/arteries in the heart different colors, etc. It's perfect to do with dc ages 4-8 or so, I'd say-it's easily stretched up and down, plus inexpensive! LOVE this!

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This is great for cold/flu: ferrum phosphoricum. I have the Weleda brand. Df from France (where they are very into homeopathics) just gave me this for ds. Maybe arnica to help with body aches? I feel so sorry for you; feel better!