Again, this is planning for next year. My youngest is barely 5, but he is reading on a 1st grade level and making progress each day. We are on the second section of LLATL Blue and will move on to LLATL red when we finish (probably in March or April). This year, since I still consider him basically Kindergarten, I did not want to start a spelling program with him. I definitely want to start one next year, but I am not sure which to go with. He is already easily able to spell any word that is spelled the way it sounds (CVC, CVCC words, etc). We do this all the time on the white board. I guess what I am wondering is, should I go with a 2nd spelling for him next year or a 1st grade? My oldest is a struggling speller and he uses a combo of Spelling Power and the Cavert CD. It works for him. However, my little guy is a natural speller/reader and I want to cater to that. I also am not totally fond of "memorize this list and regurgitate it" type work. It seems to have really ruined my older son because he had a great short term memory and did excellent in spelling, but never could get the words right just days later in his writing. Any recommndations? On grade? On a program? I was thinking of just going with something like Horizons Vocab and Spelling or Building Spelling Skills.

This is a next year plan...but I wanted to get opinions from those who have BTDT. If your child completed WT II, did they then move directly to CW Homer or did you do CW Aesop first? I know a lot of WT II is Aesop, so just wondering. Will he be missing something? Also, my child is not a great writer just yet - he is working on it...but writing is not his greatest strength. He is doing well with WT though. What else do you use with CW Homer? Did/do you use a seperate grammar and/or literature? This year, I am using a combo of LLATL, GWG 4, and WT II. I pick and pull from each and make my own English curriculum. Where is the best place to buy CW Homer?

Your son will be fine! Next year, move up with him and repeat or move slowly with your younger. I was going to do NOEO with both of my kids this year...but the level I stuff is still too much for my younger. In time, he will get there...but, for now, my older is enjoying it. And it is definitely not as much as it could be had I chosen level II, but it is plenty...and a lot more than he would ever learn at this age in ps. Some kids in ps do not even really do Science until 5ht or 6th grade...my son's school didn't!

My hubby usually gets guitar strings, a magazine (usually guitar or guns), candy, a movie or two (he likes older movies that I can usually get pretty cheap).

I bought some Harry Potter books over the summer from half.com and they were from a smoking home. UGH! We do not smoke and the smell was just overpowering! I put them in a zip loc with several dryer sheets (both on the outside and at random places between the pages) for 6 MONTHS. I can still smell the smoke. :(

I put one up ...and occasionally I will find a little something in there. My dh is not the most merry of all Christmas celebrators, but he does not like to see me with nothing on Christmas morning either...err...well, that is what I tell myself anyway. Most likely, he feels guilty since his is always filled.

15% goes to retirement, 10% goes to emergency fund, and the rest goes to pay down debt (car, mortgage, etc).

We are doing an angel. You roll a decorated piece of posterboard - the smaller ones (I am going to let the kids paint on it first). Then you use a wooden ball for the head (or anything else you want to use), yarn for the hair, draw a face on, then use a pipe cleaner for the halo. They are really cute and they can be used as an ornament or even a tree topper.

Spelling Power and the Calvert Mastery Series Spelling CD have worked great for us.

My oldest son is tall and skinny - he weighs almost 70 pounds and is almost 5 feet tall.

My oldest son tried this on his "tested level" and it was a miss...miserably. However, we went back to it after a stint with AAS (which didn't work for ME) and started at the very beginning - Level A. Now, it is working BEAUTIFULLY! He just had a lot of gaps to fill, I suppose (from ps). He cries if he misses too many words. We stop once he has missed two (unless they are the first two).

$2400 - we live in a very small, very rural area where cost of living is low.

In the onlone test, I got 302 WPM with 91% accuracy.

I don't read really fast, nor do I read really slow. I read about 300 words a minute.

My son is 9 and has a hard time with spelling...but I admit...it is not like what your son has done. What your son wrote looks like something my 5 year old would write since he writes in phonetics. I would not discourage writing - even phonetically like that...but I would definitely switch spelling. I would honestly try something like AAS where you really start back at the beginning with sounds. It was not the right fit for my older son and he is excelling with Spelling Power just starting at level A...but your son sounds like he needs a bit more "back to basics" type instruction.

I am not sure...but don't get a cocker spaniel. LOL My Rosco smells a bit worse than a dog when he is in need of a bath. That said, he is also a lot of work to take care of - he smells good for about two days after a bath with a special shampoo that I dearly love (which costs and arm and a leg) and then there is the fun of drying him with a pet dryer for over an hour to get his precious coat looking the way it is meant to look. Ahhh...the joys of a prissy dog. LOL

We follow TWTM loosely and mostly do our own thing. :) It is working very nicely!

Amen. I love homeschooling and I do think I am doing what is absolutely BEST for my kids. Having had the "public school experience," I can say that I am 100% convinced...hard days and good ones...that this is the greatest and most rewarding decision I have ever made.

My husband is the "bread winner." He spends times with the kids on the weekends, and has agreed to "teach" in advanced math subjects when we get there if I need some assistance, but otherwise, he is just "dad."

27%

Wow - she is just 5! My 5 year old has been homeschooling for 2 years now and he still can't really go for more than an hour (or just over) without really getting antsy. He fidgets and we have to switch topics and activities often to keep his attention. And how good can her handwriting be at 5? My son still turns some of his letters backwards, but heck, he is trying. Maybe it is a matter of lightening your expectations on her a bit? If I made my 9 year old do his handwriting (which is not great either, btw) over and over and over and over, he would dissolve into tears. There comes a time when you have to realize they are doing the best they can that day and come back to it another day.

My 9 year old is doing WT II and never did WT I. It is a good fit for him and he is learning a lot. He is also not a great writer and I do not push him on the embellishments for the stories...if he gets SOME details in there and punctuates/capitalizes properly, I call it good. :) I love writing tales.

And the tights with "dressy" - LOL I had to laugh. I would not wear the color "mustard" on any part of my body EVER. And I also don't totally consider that outfit "dressy." Trendy, funky, maybe...not dressy.

Gosh, I totally disagree with most...I would go with nude hands down. With black, it is just too much black. You start to look sort of "goth" or something. Nude or without is my opinion.

Sounds like, "hey...we need something for homework tonight...QUICK!" :(