Oh, I love that post! And her photos are beautiful! She mentions knowing what your homeschooling strengths are. I have no idea what mine are. They aren't things I could put on a blog - definitely not crafty... It would probably the consistent ability to grab a random moment and teach a new concept. I wish I could follow all my elaborate plans - I want very badly to keep a schedule - but if I'm honest, our real success happens in the random moments. Not exactly good blog material...

I buy our books because the littlest is too young to be quiet in a library while we search for books. I do know how to search the library system from home. I've marked books for next year that our library has, so maybe we'll go more often at that point.

Ok, so it can't be anything like a "snack." Sometimes I do whole-grain couscous (preferably in low-sodium vegetable broth) with butter, black beans, and tarragon. I use canned beans, but you could cook your own ahead of time, freeze them, and thaw while the couscous is cooking. We used to hate lentil soup until we found this recipe. Everyone in our family loves it - probably because of the squeezed lemon added at the end. The only real preparation is slicing a carrot. Everything else is just thrown in. (The cooking time is 45 mins, but the prep is very easy.) Does your husband not like crackers and chips at all? If he likes crackers, you can make your own to keep on hand. Or, Wasa brand crackers only have three ingredients, and they're not salty at all. (We buy the whole-grain rye ones.) That's what we use in place of chips.

I don't feel a responsibility to the blogging community. But then, I blog as an outlet and to give family updates. A few people actually read it, so I try not to be controversial... usually. I feel a personal responsibility to be honest, no matter what I'm doing. That includes not plagiarizing (like, not posting a recipe unless it's my own, or unless I've significantly altered it and have cited the original). But it also includes not pretending to be more of an expert than I am or that I can handle more than I can. I can see how a big blogger could feel pressure to plagiarize, especially if she's making money from the blog. I feel sorry for the girl who was outed. I hope she learns from it and takes more pride in her own work - and I hope she learns a better balance so she doesn't feel pressure to take short cuts.

We're not strict vegetarians/vegans, either. And I think it depends on your family and what seems easy for you. DH loves crackers or sandwiches, and he'll help himself. The kids are young enough not to have much expectation that I'll cook a full meal all the time. They're happy with pbjs, and my oldest thinks it's fun to make one for everyone. On busy nights, we often eat crackers and spreads - nut butters, homemade guacamole (very simple version - sometimes just avocado & lime), store-bought salsa. If I have a little more time, I throw together a bruschetta. We also snack on nuts, raisins, and spinach (the kids roll up the leaves and dip it with their hands into creamy dressing). It works for busy nights.

I'm not sure what the vendor rules are, either, but I just entered my first set of lesson plans on the trial version, and it seems flexible and intuitive! It's nice to have the routines available on the right hand side, too. I ran across the idea for Olly at least a year ago, when I was looking for Mac planners. It's cool to see it get off the ground now - and right when I really need a planner.

I agree on the Nora Gaydos recommendation. We started with www.starfall.com for learning lower case letter sounds. Then we made CVC words with magnet letters (mom, mop, top, tap, cap, etc.). Sometimes I'd write words or phrases for them. Then we moved on to Nora Gaydos Animal Antics. Now we're using TOPGTTR, starting at the appropriate place in the book. The pages are too busy for my kids to read directly from the book. I'm using the cards that can be bought with the book, but you can make your own cards as you need them, based on the prompts (or write on paper the parts they'll be reading). I like TOPGTTR because of the order in which phonics rules are presented. I also like that it's pretty comprehensive - we'll be using it for a while.

I just ran across this today. It's a talk done by an old college friend of mine, now a pastor. You might listen to it yourself first, before passing it along to your son. This person believes in micro evolution. He doesn't believe in macro evolution, but he goes at it from a scientific angle, not a religious one. Although I probably do lean toward macro evolution, I'm posting it, partly because it's fresh in my mind, and partly because I'm similarly frustrated that it seems like almost all Christians in our area are vocally 7-day creationists. I found my friend's scientific approach refreshing. He also briefly mentions a point that has helped me: Much of the Bible is written for the purpose of teaching spiritual principles. Not all of it is intended to be scientific fact, exact history, or invariable formulas. At this point in my understanding, I take the creation story as a form of poetic description. Different genres of writing have different purposes, and the Bible contains many genres.

I haven't read the whole thread. I started reading it and got frustrated. The above quote pretty much sums it up for me. When I first started posting here, I asked a question on the accelerated board, explaining that I don't really know where we belong. I have bright, curious kids, but not really gifted. I was received kindly, and people gave me very helpful advice that I'm still using. After that, though, I saw threads on other subforums that made me feel like I shouldn't post questions like that anymore. If we had a preschool board, I'm sure I'd glean from it. But it would probably be for craft ideas, etc. When it comes to anything academic for little kids, I'd probably either post on the accelerated board or, more likely, not at all. It's a shame, too. IMO, the preschool years are bursting with developmental opportunities, and I think there *are* positive, child-led ways of teaching at this stage. I'm surprised that's so controversial.

We had couscous for lunch today, and I brought the dog in afterward. She lost interest after the big globs were gone - and then I had dog spit on the floor! :tongue_smilie: She'd probably do great with meatloaf, though. ;) I ended up using a washcloth on hands and knees, while the kids made more messes elsewhere. Sigh. Oh, AWESOME! I'm going to cook rice tonight just so I can try this. :D

Last summer I half-decided to give up my faith. I ended up doing a Kay Arthur study on the word "covenant" as it is used throughout the Bible. This may not be quite what you're looking for, but I saw patterns that I hadn't seen before. It made me believe that the biblical story was designed by an involved God, through many people over a long period of time. I'm still amazed by it. I did give up my faith a few years before that, after years of grief. I read John Eldredge's Epic then, and it was just what I needed. That book is more directed toward suffering, though. As a teen, my faith was strengthened by reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I agree with what several others have said, though. What keeps my faith going are the things I perceive as God's direct involvement in my life. I still have my own questions about the Bible. I do believe it is inspired by God. At this point, I'm OEC, but I acknowledge that I don't have all the answers.

I stay within earshot and check frequently. At this age, I wouldn't go to a different floor and eat a meal. I don't allow a lot of jumping around in the bathtub, either (and they will, if I leave them alone). For showers, I'm more willing to let them be for a while.

For those who clean up immediately after meals, how do you clean up food like rice that the kids leave all over the floor? Rice doesn't wipe or sweep up well. I'm sure the answer is something obvious. My current method is to leave it to dry so I can sweep it in the morning. :blush: Maybe I need to invite the dog inside...

We've moved a lot, and it hasn't mattered what time of year we visited new churches. The Sunday School lessons were self-contained, so a visiting child could jump right in without missing anything.

I appreciate this perspective. I hear the rants, but I've wondered about the other side of the story.

We had four kids within 38 months. I feel like I'm running a miniature preschool. They're all still too little to do much of anything without my direct input, and most of the things they try to do themselves end up in a big mess. Right now, the housekeeper comes once a week. She's expensive ($25/hr in a low COL area), but she also coaches me on maintaining things better myself. I really don't want to spend our money this way (although DH is fine with it). I look forward to having her come less often, as soon as I can manage things better myself.

DH does the outdoor chores, and I do the indoor chores. The kids are too young to be a real help. We hire help for me once a week, and we eat simple meals (lots of fresh fruits & veggies, plus crackers with homemade salsa or guacamole). This is our first year on our farm, and a lot of money is going toward outdoor things. We have a budget line to save up for indoor things, so I'm not too cranky about it. DH hopes the farm will eventually bring in at least a little money - or at least bring us healthy food.

I have four kids ages 1 through 5 and a husband who wants everything clean. But not THAT clean - he just wants the kitchen clean, obvious clutter and floor messes cleaned up, and progress on laundry by the time he gets home. I do not cook every night, by any stretch. He doesn't help at all, except outside chores (we live on a farm) and bill paying. But... he pays for a housekeeper once a week. He knows that otherwise, I'll go stark raving mad trying to keep up. And yes, the kids undo my work within 5 minutes. I can turn my back to get a cleaning project done, and they've made another mess that takes just as much time to clean up. What I've started doing is setting them in front of the TV for an hour before DH arrives. (I know, it's awful, and I feel guilty.) That's the only way I've been able to focus on cleaning and actually get the house looking nice all at one time... and that's a very different level of "nice" than your husband is asking. All that is to say that it's very unrealistic.

Thank you so much! There are many helpful things here. I'm working on creating a schedule now. I hope to start it next week. (We'll school year-round, with several breaks.) I'm always afraid I'm pushing myself too hard, so then I ease up, and I end up not being happy with the results. It's actually nice to read that people get up earlier... I'm not crazy for wanting to get my dishes & laundry going before the kids are up. Creating the schedule has been my biggest challenge - it's so hard to tell whether it's realistic. Once the schedule is made, it's just a matter of sticking with it.

What habit do you have that seems to make your day go much more smoothly if you follow it? (I'm excluding spiritual disciplines, because I already know those should come first for me...) Is it getting up at a certain time? Checking a planner? Following a weekly menu? Setting out materials the night before? I'm neck-deep in organizing books and curricula that have just arrived, and I'm realizing that none of this will work unless I have good habits & routines in place. It's a little overwhelming, so I thought I'd focus on just a couple of the most important habits at first. Thanks in advance! :001_smile:

I'll be glad to hear BTDT advice, because I've been debating about doing this myself. My twins just turned 5, though. I thought I'd start now by reading some of the easier books on the list, without worrying about the order outlined in WWE. Depending on their maturity level, I might start WWE in 6 to 12 months and take it slowly, like you described. I've been anxious to get them going, but several people have commented that WWE ramps up pretty quickly a couple years down the road (even for accelerated learners), so it doesn't do much good to start very early.

I bought a blow-up one through Amazon. My kids broke the old, traditional one that my mom brought for them to see. :blush: (It went back together again, just not quite as well...) (BTW, Peace Hill Press sells the blow up ones, too, here. I think the price is just about the same as I paid at Amazon a couple years back.)

I'm so glad he's been found! I've been praying since yesterday. Things like this turn my stomach in knots. I can't imagine how the family must feel.

I understand the excitement! The first of our materials came last week, and the rest should come this week! It's like a party around here! :party: I texted my sister, who homeschools, just because I wanted to talk to someone else who could relate. :001_smile: (Of course, my kids get just as excited about the boxes, the bubble wrap, and the huge sheets of packaging paper (aka coloring sheets) as they do about the books. :tongue_smilie: )

My parents live an hour away. Sometimes we schedule the party around them. Or sometimes we'll have a party here and then go there for another party. It probably depends on the family, though. DH & I have a great relationship with my parents, and my mom in particular is involved in raising our kids. I don't think we have to be the model for every family, though.