May I ask what you are using for writing? My dd14 is also using AHL, but she is just not ready for their writing assignments. I'm thinking of going back to Write Shop for awhile, but would love to hear what you are using & how its going. Thanks...:001_smile:

WOW! What great ideas! This thread has inspired me to get out my sewing machine & glue gun and go to work. Thanks for all the great ideas.

My kids have bought used games there several times. The great thing is that they have a 7 day return policy on used games. We've never had any problems.

Totally with you! Just wish my check book agreed, too.

Microwave? What's a microwave? Oh yea, it's the box on the counter that takes up too much space. :D We do have a microwave, but rarely use it anymore. For us, if it died one day, I don't think anyone would really notice (except the added counter space).

No, there is the prescription method (using injections) and then the homeopathic drops that go under your tongue. Dh lost 25-30lbs his first time around and has kept it off. He just started his second time around and oldest dd & I are joining him this time (I'm hoping to finally drop off my extra baby weight :tongue_smilie:). We are using the drops. Today is our last "loading day," tomorrow begins the diciplined meals.

I am pretty much in the same boat with you. I have a love/hate relationship w/electronics!:D I would love to hear how others have tamed the "screen beast" in their homes. :bigear:

Glad to hear that things seem fine for you (even though you feel cruddy) and that baby is well. Hope you feel better soon.

We're not skipping Thanksgiving, but keeping it very low key & stress free. Dh's parents decided to come over for the weekend and we are going to have a simple turkey dinner, and kick back. But for Christmas, Dh & I are looking to see if our budget will allow us to run away somewhere for a few days (haven't had a vacation in almost 5 years! :eek:)

Thanks! I'll go check these links out! :001_smile:

:iagree: I completely agree! There are so many different programs & curriculums out there that it is easy to get distracted and start to second guess your choices. Do your initial research, make your choices and stick with it! You can always re-evaluate for next year. It takes a good couple of years to get "the groove" of homeschooling (and by couple I mean at least 2, but as long as until your last dc graduates!:D). It is a life long journey, so pick a path and go for it! MFW is a great curriculum and I find it is the best fit for our family. It makes teaching many dc very doable. I hope you find it as rewarding and fun as we do. Welcome to homeschooling, by the way.

I voted ECC, but we have only done ECC once, the first 1/2 of CtG, part of K (getting ready to begin the second time around next week), and we are currently 11 weeks into Explor. to 1850 and loving it! So, based on that, I voted for ECC since it is the only year we have completely completed (we really enjoyed it!). So glad to be back using MFW again!

:lurk5: Anyone?

I think I am getting better at this since I am only "re-vamping" one thing this year (so far...:tongue_smilie:). In a nut shell: we started out using McRuffy Color Math K, Explode the Code book A (other books to follow), and MFW K for everything "fun" other than math & phonics (I thought it would be better for dd to have math & phonics moving at thier own pace and not so tightly tied to everything else). Anyway, McRuffy is not working out (too structured for her, I think). She LOVES the ETC books and often will complete 5+ pages in one sitting! So they are definately staying. But we have yet to get to the MFW activities that we were both so excited about (I think I have gathered the materials/books for lesson 1 five times now only to find that the end of the week comes before we get started).:glare: Anyway, I have ordered the MFW student sheets and they should be here tomorrow (dd's 5th birthday...she is so excited to get her new books on her b'day!). So we will be ditching McRuffy (great program, just not for dd right now), and going with MFW K as written and adding ETC in since she loves it so much. I am hoping that this is the only change we have to make this year.

Does anyone know where I can find insect labeling worksheets for my 3rd & 6th graders? We are reading about invertabrates (specifically insects, arachnids & crustaceans right now) and I really think they would enjoy and benefit from labeling the different parts. Thanks so much for any help you can give me...:001_smile:

Ooo...I'm really liking the community service for the picked on sibling. Do y'all think it would work with teens, too? I have this problem with several of my dc (younger ones are learning from the older ones :banghead: ) and am having a hard time getting through to them that it is not acceptable behavior.

I was homeschooled from 2nd-8th grade (back in the 80's when homeschooling was a bad word!:D) . I am very thankful that my parents had the wisdom & willingness to pull me out of school when I began to hate learning (during 1st grade). I really enjoyed my homeschooling years, but decided I wanted to "go to school" for highschool (basically just to hang out with my friends more, not sure if this was a good choice or not. There were lots of pros & cons so I guess it kind of balances out). Dh was public schooled all the way. We sent our kids to ps for the first couple years, but pulled them out when our oldest was in 3rd grade. We've been homeschooling ever since. Still working out the kinks after 6+ years, but we feel that this is the right choice for our family.

Did any of you Okies feel the quake tonight? I slept through the one early this morning, but dh felt it & woke me up. But I sure felt the that just happened! This is CRAZY!!

I bought 2 cheap cookie sheets from the Dollar Tree (one to store the tiles on, and 1 to spell on). This has worked really well for us (and CHEAP!:D)

I've been buying & selling on Homeschoolclassifieds for 5+ years and I think it is great! I can only think of one kind of negative experience I had, but 1 in 5 years isn't bad in my opinion.

I would explain to her that FB is how you keep extended family "in the loop" with what's going on w/ your family and ask her is she would like you to "unfriend" her so she does not get upset with your posts, no hard feelings either way.

I think this is a decision that should be discussed with the child before it is done. So obviously not as an infant, imho. The child should be able to decide if they want their own ears pierced or not with the guidance from mom & dad as to when they are old enough for it. Just my opinion...:001_smile:

I have to agree with some of the other posters. It sounds like disipline is a big problem (I am working on this right now w/ m dc). I have 5 school age kids and a 1yo running around this year. I t seemed like I couldn't get anything done! When ever we would sit down to "do school," my 1yo would be start running around and being loud, then my 4yo would get caught up in it and the chaos would begin. So after much prayer & planning & many disscussions with my kids (these still happen from time to time when everyone starts forgetting what they are supposed to be doing) our days are going smoother (notice I said smoother, not smoothly. We still have bumps, but its getting better). We get up, have breakfast & tidy up the house (it doesn't have to be perfect, but I cant teach if it's a mess). Then I have ds11 & dd8 play with ds1 while I do kindergarten work w/ dd4 (dd15 & dd14 work independently, and usually dd8 & ds11 will take turns watching ds1 so they each have time to do their independant work). We like to go to the YMCA before lunch, but I'm still trying to work that in somewhere (maybe next week). We then break for lunch, and the older kids clean up while I put the younger 2 down for a nap (this is a very important part of our day! It took some work, but it's becoming normal now for me to lay down w/ ds1 and read him a couple books...2-3 and he's usually out like a light! Then I go read a book to dd4 and she goes to sleep on her own after looking at the book herself). Anyway, during naptime, my older girls work independently, and I use that time to teach my middle 2 everything that I can while we have quiet time (usually history, bible, LA & science...sometimes math if it doesn't get done earlier). When the little ones get up from their nap, they play with ds11 & dd8 while I check my older girls work and/or help thim with any work they need to get done. We have been doing this for the last couple weeks and so far it is working out better that the chaos we had before. I hope you find something that will work for you, I know how stressful and overwhelming it can seem. I, too have thought of putting my kids in ps (especially on tough days), but where we live, that is just not an option for us. So with much prayer, we are still going! Sorry this got so long, I tend to ramble sometimes. Another thought I had...do you have a hs'ing friend that might be willing to help teach your kids for awhile? Maybe that would free you up enough to get everything else under control before you took on the world again?

We have this same rule in our house. It works pretty well with the other kids, but this dd doesn't seem to be bothered by having to keep on working after everyone else is finished (or she does a good job of making me think so anyway). I hadn't really thought about her maybe feeling insulted by those kind of questions, but you could be right. I will have to be careful to re word myself and see if it helps. Thanks! I had this same opinion a couple months ago but it doesn't seem to matter what we take away (TV, computer time, music, friends, all extra curricular "fun" activities) she seems not to care. As far as sending her to her room to do her work, that would be a lot of work for me. I would have to go in and pack up all her stuff and remove it from her room. She used to keep her books in there, and we allowed her to complete her assignments in there for the most part until it became a problem. She will do some, but she gets so easily distracted (?) and I'll find her reading a book (her choice, not school work), "playing" with her make up etc. It's almost like she needs a supervisor to keep her on task, and her room is not in a convenient location for me to just pop in and check on her. So most assignments have to be completed in the school room, dining room or living room. On a brighter note, despite the attitude issues, she did complete her math lesson (on her own)this late afternoon and got a 100%! WooHoo! Hopefully it will comtinue...

:grouphug::grouphug: Praying for your sister & her unborn baby. I hope all goes well. Congrats on your pregnancy also. I hope it will be a joyous time for all 3 of you.