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Sweet and thanks!

Agree. My kids decline politely and are happy to explain we don't ingest dyes. We might say how it affects their behavior and/or add on...it's just crap, anyway, LOL! The people we interact with are great listeners and usually agree. Times have changed, and people are aware of how bad our food really is. We also keep a stash of goodies we can eat, if we feel we need a snack. But, that brownie situation is tricky. I guess be more upfront/verbal about all the diet limitations, so you don't get put in that situation. I probably would have let my LO have the brownie, scraped off the icing, and not let him have the juice. That situation is bad anyway you look at it. :(

Written on paper and stuck on the outside of my kitchen cabinet. I cross off as I go. I also have my shopping list in the same place, where I write items as I realize I need them. I also write appmpts, games, events on our calendar on the fridge.

I combine, a lot, especially for hands on. Or, I do the two olders, and the two twins in a group, depending on the topic.

We are in Charlotte!

No, I don't, but as a former teacher, I can get a good feel of what encompasses a curric by the table of contents and reading a few lessons throughout the B, M, and E of the book. Most, I can't stand, or think they are overpriced, so it really helps me save money! :)

I have young children, so my children are still in the first stages of those expectations, but yes, those "core human skills" are exactly what I aim to teach through our everyday living, and experiences, on top of assimilating them into the 3 R's. At this stage, academics take a back seat to teaching how to be a "good" social person, investigator, mediator, be flexible, and a self regulator. Thanks for posting this..it reaffirms my core beliefs. :)

dp

same here.

I know just as many, if not more PSing families whose houses are way messier than mine. But, you cannot have a picture perfect house with children...hsing or not. My house was and would still be messed up just the same, in the time my kids got home from school. That's just having kids...especially the more the messier. And, when they are in those elem. school years, where they are doing projects, mobile, making their own choices, and LEGOS are a favorite, :lol: I think lowering your standards from having a pristine or even constantly clean house is sanity for the entire family. That being said, most of my friends are in awe of how clean my house usually is. As far as dress, I have never seen a homeschool mom looking "bedraggled." We just understand the value of not ruining good clothes, and save those for our Mom's Night Out! :lol: Seriously, I think you will see changes in your house and expectations just as your children grow, and become their own little people, and as your family grows in size, vs whether you are hsing or not. :D

We usually wake up between 8 and 9, closer to 9. On rare weekends I/kids sleep in until 10.

! Yup! My kids love talking about their garage/goodwill finds, and who handed what down to whom!

Here's one thing I can't grasp: how on earth do you accomplish the rest of life while homeschooling? :confused: It's way too difficult for me, right now, to: Go the OBGYN, the dentist, the dermatologist, schedule bloodwork.... I take one or two days a year to get these appointments done for myself, while the kids stay with a friend or DH stays home for the day. Get a haircut My kids used to sit while we each took our turn, but our awesome hairdresser now comes to our house! I <3 her! Clothing shop for myself Either on the weekends, with them, or buy and return, as needed. Take care of special errands (like the dress fitting I needed for a recent wedding, DMV, anything that requires privacy or a ton of waiting) Take them with me. They each have a bag of things they bring to keep them busy...leapster, coloring, ipod, snack, work Attend most of the events our church has for women Weekends...you just can't do those things unless they have childcare. ...anything that is impossible to do with multiple young children in tow. Everything is possible. :001_smile: Not to mention how challenging it is to keep things at a reasonable level of cleanliness and order when all of the children are home all. the. time. Complicated and time-consuming projects (like those get-out-the-ladder, once-in-a-while cleaning projects) aren't getting done. I have a cleaning schedule, but honestly I have begun to live by this quote: Always live up to your standards - by lowering them, if necessary. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966 :lol: When my siblings and I were growing up, we got off the school bus and returned to a clean house, dinner ready, drawers that had magically refilled with clean laundry, and a mother who had been to Bible study or the mall by herself or been out with friends, and who often had some kind of surprise (baked goodies, something she'd sewn, a room redecorated, etc.) waiting for us. I loved all of that, and so did she! Those times, for the most part are so gone! Even the SAHM who PS their kids are busy, busy, busy, and go back to some kind of work once all the kids are in school. So, homeschooling mothers of young children, how do you fit in your errands and appointments and projects? While it might be easier to get all those things done sans kids, I actually enjoy the outings with them. They are learning day to day life, chores, activities while we do/talk about them. I get to spend my day cooking WITH them, not just handing them a cookie as they walk in the door. My nights are not rushed and exhausting with homework, like they were when my kids attended PS. We have no rush to get to bed, as we can get up whenever we want. We can learn what/how we want, and are not tied to a specific schedule. I would rec making friends with some fellow homeschool moms to trade off childcare, if you feel overwhelmed with taking them all the time. Good luck!

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