All of those words (fox, mop, dog) sound exactly the same to me (raised in MA). If there is any difference, it is so slight that I don't even notice it.

I wouldn't do anything differently. We have been through the cycle twice and are beginning volume 2 for the 3rd time. We read the story, color the page, do a narration, complete the map, add in some additional recommended reading, and maybe do one project per chapter, but not always.

Algebra I - Chalkdust (1) Biology w/ Lab: Miller-Levine w/ Illustrated Guide to Home Biology Experiments (1) English: Home-grown Christian Lit. Course, The New Oxford Guide to Writing, Vocabulary Cartoons (1) History: History of the Medieval World (1) Logic: A Rulebook for Arguments, Traditional Logic I (1) German I: OSU (1) Government: Hillsdale Constitution 101 class (.5) P.E.: Couch to 5K with big bro & Mom (.5) Art Appreciation: The Annotated Mona Lisa (.25) She takes piano & voice lessons as extra-curriculars.

Yeah, he's a pretty smart guy. I think I'll keep him. I definitely like my lists and schedules :tongue_smilie:

:iagree: I am finishing up Phonics Pathways for the fifth time (the same copy even...it is well loved!) It is simple to implement, thorough, cheap, and did I mention thorough?

Watership Down by Richard Adams So far the whole crowd, ages 5-15, is loving it!

:iagree: When my fifth was three, my husband gave me some great advice that changed how I approached all of my duties at home. He said, "I think you need to consider yourself a small business and act accordingly." It forced me to rethink how I did things and to change up some things to become more efficient. It really helped me to focus on training my children to be obedient, helpful, and hard-working on a daily basis. It really makes all the difference in the tone of the home when everyone is cheerfully pitching in.

I would make potato-leek soup and serve the tomatoes on the side, sliced with some balsamic vinaigrette.

Lori Moira Mollie

Lots of wisdom in here! I would second every single thing she said!

:iagree: Yep!

Around here Xbox is a weekend blessing. If they complete their work for the week to my satisfaction they can have a 30 minute turn Friday afternoon, 60 minutes on Saturday and 60 minutes on Sunday. They know not to ask on school days :lol: During the week they spend much time building with Legos, writing stories, playing outside, drawing, etc.

Well, I think different people will have different experiences. We have used Khan extensively with one child who needs multiple approaches for math. It was always our go-to for any topics that needed additional work. She told me Khan Academy was her favorite for math, as the slow, simple explanations really did the trick for her. My oldest son, on the other hand, doesn't care for it. My fourth grade son watched all the Singapore 3 lessons Sal did last year and really enjoyed it. He loved that he sometimes made mistakes and said funny things. He grasped the concepts easily and enjoyed the independence of watching the lessons all by himself. So, for him, it was a win. Just like so many things in life (and especially in homeschooling), your trash may well be someone else's treasure. :001_smile:

One adult, 2 teens, 3 kids (6 total) Breakfast: 7 homemade whole wheat bagels $1.75 Butter & peanut butter $1.00 1/3rd bottle OJ $0.80 Coffee $.50 ------------------ $4.05 Lunch: Lemony grain salad 2 cups spelt berries $0.50 1 cup whole wheat couscous $4.00 1 lb. asparagus $2.00 2 lemons $1.00 Olive & walnut oil $2.00 3 oz. goat cheese $1.75 ------------------- $11.25 (enough for tomorrow's lunch, as well, so $5.63 for today) Dinner: Grilled cheese & avocado sandwiches w/ popcorn & veggies 10 slices whole wheat bread $1.80 10 slices cheddar cheese $3.00 1 avocado $1.00 Home-popped popcorn w/ butter $1.50 Sliced green bell peppers & celery $2.00 Milk $1.25 ------------------- $10.55 Snacks: 6 cheese sticks $1.20 6oz. Almonds $2.00 1 glass wine $2.00 ------------------- $5.20 TOTAL: $25.43 ($4.24 per person) My husband is out of town, so only 6 this week. Our dinners vary between $10 and $18, depending on what we have. Today was a cheaper day.

We always just started 100% when the kids were younger, but now that I have 2 high schoolers and a middle schooler, we have found easing in to be more manageable. Since they do so much more independently, it is much less overwhelming to figure out a new subject or two each week.

I think the "military facility" feeling happens when you try to do too much, too fast. If I decided that I wanted to be more healthy today I wouldn't wake up tomorrow and expect to eat only non-processed organic greens, drink only water, and workout 2 hours a day. It would be impractical and everyone knows I would fail. Undoing long-term habits takes time and patience and, most importantly, a willingness to move slowly and persevere. Training our children is the same way. We have always been a more scheduled family. I am my Type-A mother's daughter. So we don't know the "military-facility" feeling. Our lives are quiet and orderly, and we have plenty of quiet free time to pursue interests other than school. We are far from perfect, but I like the feeling of knowing that I could entertain last-minute guests without having to cancel school to clean, or that we can head to the zoo spontaneously for the afternoon because chores are done and dinner is in the crock pot. For me, having a schedule and being organized means far more freedom than just winging it. But maybe it's just my personality type :lol: I would suggest that you start with the things that drive you the most nutty. If it is the cups, assign colors, grab a Sharpie, and explain that anyone found using a cup other than theirs has volunteered to wash the dishes that day. If you desire to make changes and your children don't seem interested in complying for the reasons you have given, create reasons that are harder to say no to :tongue_smilie: Towels would be similar. Get a hook for the back of each child's door (2 or 3 if they share a room). Each child gets a different towel and it gets hung on their hook. If they are found using someone else's towel or they forget to hang their towel back up, they have volunteered to clean the bathroom. Compliant children are usually that way because they have been trained to be compliant. So, if your kids have generally not been it will take a little bit of training. Add in new elements to the schedule and new chores slowly. Don't forget to check their work consistently in the beginning, so that they understand they cannot outwit the system. We are, after all, training these small people to be competent and giving members of society who take pride in their work and are willing to work hard (even when no one is looking!) That takes training and practice in all areas of life. It's a marathon, not a sprint. HTH,

Yes, I find having a set schedule to be crucial for a successful school day. Now, we will periodically veer off the schedule for rabbit trails, or to focus on character issues when necessary, but using a set schedule for the majority of our days makes us much more efficient. I am a spontaneous person, by nature, but I was so stressed trying to wing it and feeling like half of my to-do list was always left undone. I think I have BECOME a schedule person because I a, so pleased with the results. We have set wake-up times (7am), and set chore times (after breakfast and before dinner). I start a load of laundry when I wake up 5 mornings a week. Then I switch it mid-morning, and fold it when school is done in the afternoon. The kids put whatever laundry belongs to them away during afternoon chore time. On Tuesdays my daughters (13 and 11) do their laundry and on Friday my oldest does his. The kids complete daily chores such as sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, switching out the towels, emptying wastebaskets, watering plants, etc. I cannot state how incredibly helpful it has been to teach my kids to be diligent during chore time. Every child has a towel that they use. They get replaced once a week. Every child has a color-coded cup that they use. It gets tossed in the dishwasher after lunch every day. The rest of the time it gets rinsed out and placed next to the fridge for further use. The kids load the dishes into the dishwasher after every meal, so my sink is never overflowing with dishes. I also have a large snack box full of granola bars, baggies of nuts, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, etc. we even have scheduled snack times when they can either choose a snack from the snack box or have a piece of fruit or a cheese stick. The kids have even been trained to rinse their Baggie out and put it back in the snack box for future filling :tongue_smilie: I meal plan once per month. I place a large online order from my local grocery for delivery and make one big Costco trip per month. Then I only have to shop every 10 days or so for fresh produce and milk. I use Plantoeat.com and LOVE it! Our school day is broken up into sections where each child works with me and then moves on to independent work. We have scheduled times for discussions (literature and history) and labs. Also, any subjects that are taught to more than one take place at the same time every week. That way we can all plan accordingly. That's all I can think of for now. I hope something in here is helpful to you.

State of the Arts by Gene Edward Veith. VERY thought provoking.

We used the triangle flash cards available on Donna Young's website. It shows the addition/subtraction all on the same card. That way you understand the relationship between the numbers. http://donnayoung.org/math/tricards.htm HTH,

And maybe a cupcake for dessert. :lol:

I have always LOVED Margot...it just doesn't work well with our last name.

Well, I am about to begin my 9th year teaching history using SOTW with some subset of my children. So, I think it is fair to say I am a BIG fan! It is engaging, thorough, and fun. We use the Activity Guide heavily. I reserve any of the recommended books from my library 2 weeks ahead of time. We complete all of the maps and coloring sheets and do many of the projects and activities. My oldest three had a great grounding in history when they moved into logic and, subsequently, high school history study. Plus, they love it. SOTW helped lay that foundation. As far as American history, I feel it does a great job introducing the subject. We decided to camp out there for a while, utilizing many additional books, movies/documentaries and lap books. HTH,

The only thing I schedule during homeschool time is piano lessons, because she was willing to come to my house if I scheduled lessons in the morning. It works out, though, because as she teaches I am working with the other kids...so we all win! Otherwise, 8am-2pm is school time.

I am finishing up phonics with child #5, and I can say from experience that all children are different. Some take off immediately, some are slow, some start fast and then slow down, etc, etc. Personally, I would keep on keeping on. I would set the timer and do 15-20 minutes a day. If you don't finish the whole lesson, just pick up where you left off the next day. Short and sweet at that age is much, much more effective than working for longer periods through groans and complaining. She is not too young for instruction, but she is on the younger side, so there is no pressure to race through the material. Slow and steady. My 2nd born was reading fluently at 4, my 4th born didn't read fluently until almost 7. Same instruction, same start time, just different personalities and temperaments. Different attention spans. Now that they are older, they are both excellent readers. No need to worry. No need to switch IMO. Just keep going :001_smile:

3 months