:lurk5:

I think only the true Type A (and possibly OCD) personalities can truly pull this off. Me...I do a lot on the weekends and during break/after school. However, I also prioritize...if it is between doing a stack of dishes and going out the play in the yard with the kids...the dishes can wait. I will never get back that hour I could have been playing with my kids. My house is no pigsty, but it is not white glove test approved either.

Another vote for CLE here. :) I am SO sorry for all that you have been through the last several months. :(

I would file the dispute if you do not hear back from her, but the money has to be in her account before they can refund you the money...even if they side with you. :( Ask me how I know... :(

I have decided to use Winter Promise Fast-Track Phonics with my ds5 and then move on in to LA1. My question is, should I finish LLATL blue with him first or just go right into the Fast-Track. We are just in the first few pages of ETC book 3 right now, so the Fast-Track is exactly where he is working. Any advice would be great! Thanks!!

:lurk5:

I would call the mom, confirm the message, and then tell her that you will not be able to make it as you have already made plans for today. Also, tell her that, had you had some more advance notice, you would have been able to come. Buy your daughter an ice-cream and have a fun day together. :)

Oh wow...I LOVE the approach that WP takes to phonics. Thanks for the link!

That sounds great...but complicated! LOL I want....EASY.

It depends...am I the parent of one of the kids, or the abused substitute teacher. I have been both... Get *most* ps 6th, 7th, or 8th graders together and they sure can act like a bunch of idiots if they so choose. When I was a sub, I absolutely REFUSED to deal with those 3 grades. It is the strange age where the kids do not listen to authority (because they assume they know all), yet the also aren't mature enough to act like civilized people. Okay...not ALL in between teens are like that, but a good majority ARE. And in the influence of ps as well as their friends...HA HA HA.

What are you using/planning to use? My ds is finishing the LLATL Blue book soon and is also about half-way through ETC book 3. I am just kind of dangling on where to go from here. I won't stop ETC because it does work so well for him. But what should I use with it? I am not sure I want to continue with LLATL much past the red book...but is it even worth it to use the red book if I am pretty sure I won't stick with the program? I looked at CLE and my oldest is in the process of switching to it, but I feel like my ds5 is between levels in it. Is there anything great and wonderful to follow LLATL Blue but not overwhelm (or underwhelm either, for that matter)...

Not for a fever with no other symptoms. My son gets a throat infection that is NOT strep once a year and it alwatys presents first with a 103-104 fever that doesn't move much with tylenol or motrin. It has to be an emergency before i will take the kids to the ER. They can pick up more in a place like that than any danger they are usually in at home (again, unless it is a true emergency - vomiting blood, doubled over in excruciating pain, seizure, etc)

This is pretty common in divorce type cases. Also, the mother's intentions are curious...It seems as though she was possibly proposing that her ex-dh support her and the kids while she continues to be a SAHM and homeschool them. Many times, though, when two parents disagree on homeschooling, the judge will order the kids to return to ps. It happens more often than not, actually. The person that should be vilified in this sitation is the FATHER. He knows that homeschooling has been wonderful for his kids and HE is the one advocating the change. If the father was "for" homeschooling, the issue would have never come before a judge. It is the father who is doing the kids an injustice here, IMO.

Never easy. We went through this 7 years ago. Hugs to you!

I totally understand your frustration. :( Unfortunately, I am a "buy and try" kind of gal. The one piece of advice that I can give you is not to always just use the "new hottest thing" if you are pretty sure it is not going to be a fit for your child. I bought CW Homer...knowing full well that I have a child who struggles in English, who doesn't like writing, who doesn't even form sentences properly at 9 years old! What was I thinking??? I wasn't thinking. :( So I ended up selling it. A lot of it really is trial and error. What works perfectly for one of my kids may not work at all for my other ds. KWIM? It is the toughest part of homeschooling, IMO.

I think the mother is 21. That is so very sad. :( I think it is that type of news story that makes people "sick" and "crying" when others mention spanking. There is such a big difference in the two things.

OMG no! Hormones, puberty. NO...No. My mom let me have a boyfriend at 13. We had sex just after I turned 14. :( Oh, if only I could take that back now...but I can't. My kids will not "date" until they are at least 16 or 17 and even then, it will be with some kind of supervision (i.e. no going in the room and closing the door kind of stuff or going out together in the car) until my sons are adults - which is age 18 legally.

You will see cases like that all over when one parent opposes homeschooling during a divorce. Normally, the judge does order the child to return to ps if an agreement can't be reached. Sad, but true.

:iagree:

I wouldn't tell you to rush out and buy a formal grade one curriculum in a box or anything, but I did find that actual curriculum made my job a lot easier and made teaching my youngest the things he wasn't getting at first, much easier. KWIM? I am 100% for taking it nice and slow at first. However, my 1st grader does 1-2 hours a day of sit down work with me. I can not imagine that 10-20 minutes would be enough...and 5 mins of reading a day will definitely not be enough as you go on (though you probably know this already). Without the curricula to guide me, I am not sure I could give my kids 100% of what they need. Heck, even with a curriculum (or various ones in my case), I still miss stuff. We all do. :)

:iagree: 100%.

Only with IP, EP, and CWP.

I agree with your post 110%.

Wow...I am so thrilled to hear other parents who spank and not a thread talking about how terrible it is. I am a firm believer in spanking - as long as it is not done in anger, and obviously, appropriately. We have a paddle...just like schools did when I was a kid. I refuse to ever use a belt or any such thing because I was absued with a belt as a child by my dad. However, the kids get to an age where my swat on the bottom through their clothes does not sting at all. So...we got the paddle. It is effective. The kids SEE the paddle and stop immediately. My 5 year old has had maybe 3 spankings in his life...but he is a child that is hurt more by seeing "disappointment" in mom and dad than he is a spanking. My oldest, spankings were all that worked to stop the behavior when he was younger. I would definitely get this behavior under control while she is little. When she is older (say...9), that smart mouth can get WAYYYY worse. :( Ask me how I know...

Gosh...When I think of the amount of tax I pay on my home each year and the fact that no one is forgiving MY mortgage or stopping our interest, it hardly seems fair. I know that people get in binds and bad situations and I understand that...but this does not just cover those select few people. This covers all manner of irresponsible and downright lazy, "won't work to save their lives" type individuals as well. It is like all government assistance programs...you have those that really NEED it and who are just down on their luck and this helps them get back on their feet...and then you have those waiting for a handout. My sister is one such person...always waiting on someone to do something for her. It honestly irks me to no end. I guess what I am saying is that, while I wish there was something to help those who are truly in need, it bothers me to help those who are just too lazy to help themselves. Does this make sense?