I just wanted to encourage you. I am exhausted just reading your post! Wow, you are doing superwoman proud! I like the idea of sitting with your kids and helping them understand where you all are with life. That your 7 year old is supporting you like that -- I think -- is a blessing. There's a lot worse she could be doing than cutting out hearts for you and saying that you are a hard worker. Perhaps you can make a big calendar and count down to graduation, and they can help you cross the days off -- I know my 7 yo loves stuff like that. The Nemo diity, "just keep swimming..." keeps popping into my head right now :o)

I am using TOG DE this year with year 1. I purchased all the primary history books, most of the in-depth books, a mix of the literature (my library had some, those they didn't have I purchased) and I had had a few of the craft/ activity books. It certainly is an investment in books, I'll grant you that, but I have three children who'll be using the books, so the cost will be carried across multiple children. I probably spend too much time planning my weeks -- and I know I could be more efficient. It probably takes me 1 hour to get stuff plugged into Home School Tracker for my two kids, print out what I need etc. I spend time over the summer working on the weekly plans, and am trying to stay 1-2 weeks ahead of where we are. I read a bunch of my 5th grade son's literature books ahead of time, so I would know what he was reading. I admit that I don't always read ahead of him in history, but I do try to read the teacher notes. As I said, I enjoy the planning. I've done open-and-go literature based homeschool programs before, and loved their simplicity, but it didn't fulfill my own intellectual needs as well, and I grew stale as a teacher. TOG certainly keeps me hopping, and I need that to stay to motivate me and keep me invested in the material.

I've got my oldest starting 5A, my middle just started 1B, and a third who will complete the US edition. I don't worry about the CA standards. I'm not going to shell out a pile of money to replace all the textbooks and HIGs that I have (I have them all the way through 6B, thanks to CBD warehouse sales). I've been using the HIG since 2A, and I love them. They totally meet my needs and wants and I have no desire for better. At this point, the only thing I need to purchase are the workbooks. For the topics that are not covered, well, I know that their introduction in an elementary math program is not the ONLY time they would be exposed to the concepts, and that they will be covered effectively in middle school or just by playing around with math concepts in general in daily life. If we continue with NEM, I am confident that the missed concepts will be covered effectively. If we switch, I'm confident that I can take a side trip to address the topic effectively for a couple extra days and then proceed on with that program.

Yes, there are different degrees. I once had a company move me, but there was a cap on the amount they would pay. But, the bonus was that they paid 1st month's rent and utilities. I wouldn't of even thought that could be part of the moving expenses.

Never w/ TOG, but I suspect that it is just because some security certificate needs to be renewed. My church's website comes up as being unsecure, but I know for certain from our administrator that they just don't want to shell out money for whatever it is that makes the problem go away. The TOG people are super helpful, so if you wait until this morning at 10 EST and call them, they'll be happy to help. Oh, and let them know about the security issue too.

Yes. There are 5 columns: am.......have.............do...........shall...........may is..........has..............does........will.............might, etc. p. 93

I had the same trouble as you -- everywhere online and IL were sold out. I asked at amazon, and apparatently Nintendo was having a production issue, and has temporarily stopped making them. This past weekend, Walmart apparently had 4 per store (!!!) for sale. I'm sure those were gone by - um - 10 min. after opening. I also heard on amazon that they might be making a black balance board? I ended up getting EA Active. It is very much a workout!! I"m doing the medium level, and as I sit here right now, I can still feel my quads BURNING from all the lunges, jumping lunges, squats and squat holds that I did today. I am really enjoying the 30 day challenge. You can even design and save your own workouts, and you can work out with others, apparently, as well.

Thank you!

Julianna, Did you get the teacher's guide w/ Storytime Treasures? Is it worth it? Is it necessary?

I know it is brand spanking new, and I'm tempted to get it for my 1st grader....but wondering if the teachers guide is worth it. http://www.memoriapress.com/descriptions/StoryTimeTreasures.html

Kay Arthur kid's studies are good. THey even have a "how to study your Bible" study to teach the inductive method. My son used one of the Train up a Child character studies. He enjoyed it.

In getting organized, I find spreadsheets a huge help. Especially a year at a glance (I'm linking one from Smooth Stones Academy, because her's are so pretty!) I've made them with the columns labeled with the subject (spelling, history, science), and the rows being the weeks of school. Then I look at the curriculum (let's use First Language Lessons as an example), and notice how many lessons it is divided into -- 100 in this case. Then I figure out how many times/week I need to do FLL if I have 36 weeks of school. At the intersection of the column for FLL and the week, I'll type in the numbered lessons I need to complete. This is my first step. I am a very visual person, so I like to see my week-at-a-glance. At first I created spreadsheets with the days of the week across the top, and the subjects listed out on the left side. Then I would plug in the lesson for each subject that I was doing that day. This looked very similar to a Sonlight home instructor's guide (but many othe curriculums do the same thing). I now use Home School Tracker Plus to plan all my lessons. I get the same great weekly grid that I used to make on excel. I can enter all the books I have for a curriculum into it. I can also make lesson plans (especially helpful with cross-subject unit studies). I love that I can reschedule lessons if we don't get it it. And it tracks attendance. And a ton of other things (field trips, memorization, chores....)

I use ING Direct. I've been pleased with it. They are a solid company (didn't get involved in the mortgage meltdown) and I have had no problems with them. Interest rates are low right now, but it is better than in a mattress!

To me, "make your beds" means pulling up the sheets, picking up all the stuffed animals that you kicked off the bed the night before, and straightening the myriad of fleece blankets that you slept under the night before. Yes, this is important to me, because otherwise the boys' rooms look very messy.

:lol::lol::lol: That was awesome. Thanks for the link and the laugh.

His adult teeth are coming in behind the baby teeth, so the roots of the baby teeth are not being broken down, and they just aren't falling out. The dentist and orthodontist are hoping that in pulling out the 5 baby teeth, there will be more room for the adult teeth to come in. Ideally, this will prevent further malocclusions and subsequent longer periods in braces. All of my boys will have to have braces (my 4 year old's front bottom baby teeth came in very crooked!), as they have progressively smaller mouths than their older sibling.

We've already got the plan for ice cream for breakfast (his appt. is first thing in the morning), and I've got plenty of child strength pain reliever if necessary....but what do I expect from the day with him? He is having local anesthetic. I know each kid is different, but I just have no idea how he might react. The oral surgeon seems to think that he'll be fine the next day. What is your experience?

How about purchasing gift certificates from those vendors you know you'll be buying curriculum for in the future? Rainbow Resources, Sonlight and TOG all see GCs. You could also keep it in your paypal account. I only use PP for school purchases.

DE: 1. I only print what I need/want. I get overwhelmed looking at all the stuff for grades/levels I'm not teaching. 2. It is always up to date 3. the interface to connect with online TOG resources (their links for history, geography, etc.) make pulling lessons plans together easy. Just need to send of my mapaids CD so that can be digital, too. 4. I can take TOG with me on my laptop to my inlaws without having to drag my binders with me. I don't think with DE that you loose anything. Do you want it printed out? OK, print it out. I personally like having something tangible in my hand, but I also like knowing that as the years go by, I'll always have the most up to date version (I've got a decade and a 1/2 of use).

Me! Steak tips tonight.....yum! I can appreciate some meatless meals, but I love beef.

I don't really tweak it. I have developed a pattern of use to help me schedule it in better -- so unless my oldest is having major problems with spelling (which hasn't happened in a while) we finish a step per week. I don't use the letter tiles with him. He is not that much of a tactile/kinetic learner. I don't do the reveiw as often as I need to -- but that isn't a tweak, that's a mistake. Yes, we're having great success with it. My ds was always just a little bit below or at grade level with his spelling, but he has improved to being about a year ahead now. We've been using it since the middle of 2nd grade or 3rd grade.

Nope. We love love love it.

Yes, I am using SM with my non-mathy 5th grader..... I agree with closeacademy. I believe that it is a very thorough math program. It progresses from concrete to abstract -- something a non-mathy kids would want. It provides strategies for address math concepts in several ways --- again, something a non-mathy kid would want. I think SM gets a bad rap sometimes. It is deceptively simple -- just two thin books. But there is far more there than meets the idea for a teacher, homeschool or otherwise.

Thanks for all the thoughts....I don't know what it means about the people whose children we use as babysitters, but, really, truly, they don't have cell phones...

....we are planning on doing this in the next month or so. Our home phone number will become my cell phone number. So, what do you do about having a babysitter come to your house? We don't often have babysitters...leave your phone at home if they don't have their own cell phone? My oldest will be 11 soon.....I can't leave him alone at home yet, but in the next year or so, I guess I will technically be able to.....what do you do then? I'm guessing I'd get a cheap Tracfone or something for emergencies.... Perhaps these are "duh" questions....but going all cell is a new idea for us.