We've always used Claire's (2 different ones). They were clean and very professional (and trust me...I don't like germs and dirt!!!)

My grandmothers and great-grandmothers were Imelda, Margaret, and Mabel. My dh's were Vera, Mary, and Clara. I like Margaret and Clara :001_smile: One name that I wish I had used was Mae. LOVE it. All of the women on my dh's side have it as a middle name, but I think it is precious as a first name. I have a daughter named Lillian - another favorite oldie. I also love Evelyn and Adelaide.

I agree with much of what has been said already. Boys that age can be very distractable, but disobedience should not be tolerated. I would definitely work on habit training with your oldest...explain the expectations ("I expect you to copy this sentence by the time the timer goes off in x minutes. If it is not finished, you will lose 'x' blessing/privilege.") Then set the timer and leave him. If he's anything like my kids he will not enjoy losing privileges and will start to buckle down. The timer is an invaluable tool! I also agree with the poster who said this is what we signed up for and we need to acknowledge that long days for us can, and probably should, be normal - at least until our children are capable of working more independently. As I become a more experienced homeschooler I realize that positive habit-forming in those early years is so important for smooth and successful middle and high school years. More important, frankly, than the content itself! I wish I had spent more time on diligence, perseverance, and patience in those early years. HTH,

:iagree:

DS: 9th grade History (Honors): TOG Year 1 Rhetoric English: TOG Year 1 literature Rhetoric /One Year Adventure Novel/ Killgallon Grammar for High School/The Argument Builder Math: Chalkdust Algebra I & AoPS Intro to Algebra Science: Chemistry w/ Lab (homeschool class taught at a local private college) Foreign Language: Latin for the New Millennium I/ OSU German I/ Mounce Greek P.E.: fencing/running Music: Piano

My oldest will be a freshman next year, so we are entering uncharted territory. My son is a history/language lover with a deep desire to enter the Naval Academy upon graduation. He has wanted to be a Marine since he was four years old! I am nervous about how to help him most. He insisted on continuing Latin, Greek, and German next year and also would love to learn Mandarin and/or Arabic. He is fascinated with military intelligence. I am a musician :001_huh: So, thank you for the welcome and bear with me as I ask a TON of questions.

My 7th and 8th graders are completing the older edition of Gen. Science this year. I have been very happy with it - just fewer pictures for the most part. HTH,

I pop a load in every morning, switch at lunch and begin a second if I need to. Than when school is complete I fold load #1 and pop load #2 into the dryer. As soon as it's done I fold it (hate, hate, hate seeing all my clean laundry wrinkly - so I never do piles). My kids put their laundry away during chore time before dinner.

Welcome, Sarah! These boards are full of very helpful wise men and women. I hope you enjoy it here!

So, so sorry, Amy.

I began homeschooling just as FLL was coming out, so needless to say my first couple of children made it through before WWE was released. Frankly, I was never tempted to even look at WWE because FLL combined with additional copywork, dictation, and narration worked so well. It seemed silly to add something else. My kids begin CW Aesop in 4th grade and have become strong, competent writers. So, no, you do not NEED it.

We keep shoe organizers on the inside of all our closet doors. Everyday shoes are kept downstairs and dress/special shoes are kept upstairs.

Permission granted :001_smile:

I think that's the key. What makes any worker (homeschooling mom, office worker, IT, daycare, business exec. etc., etc., etc.) successful is taking a good hard look at reality and acting accordingly. You will not be able to give each of your children the one-on-one time that an only child gets. It's just plain impossible. Yes, we all want the best education for our children, but I promise the best education is one that a) happens consistently, and b) happens in a home filled with joy and love without a stressed perfectionist mother (speaking from experience there!) Focus on the basics, pick a curriculum (preferably not the most teacher-intensive) and stick with it. It gets trickier when they get older, so don't make it harder than it needs to be now. I like to print out weekly excel spreadsheets for each child. It lists all the work required of them by day. My kids know that mom will get to them for their one-on-one at some point, but while they are waiting for me they are working independently (this is why it is crucial when you have more children to not pick all teacher-intensive products!) I do as much combined teaching as possible, and we try our best to enjoy ourselves. Plenty of outside time, nature study, and exercise help immensely. HTH,

We used level 1 this year at the 7th and 8th grade levels. I have no Latin background except for going through Latin for Children. Personally, I think it is difficult. Of course, I am coming from a very different Latin background than Ester Maria. My kids learned a lot, for sure. The thing I liked best was the multiple approaches used: translating original works, vocabulary memorization, grammar lessons, cultural info. The website is very helpful, as well. We have decided to take a second run through LftNM this summer/fall and then take the National Latin Exam in 2012. My oldest will probably move onto LftNM II at that point, but my dd will be done with Latin studies. I hope this is somewhat helpful.

She sounds like the perfect friend for my almost 13 year old dd who is exactly the same way! (except she does get sad that she doesn't have any friends)

I found the Lab Sheet Annotations also helpful to have around for the periodic pages that I couldn't figure out. One set of rods should be fine. Enjoy! Miquon is lots of fun!

Stand By, Boys Marvelous story. Highly recommend. (It is unashamedly Christian, however, and I'm not sure if that's what you are looking for.)

We keep a copywork jar for my littles. It is a gigantic pickle jar from Costco which has been cleaned out and filled with little folded up papers on which I have written excerpts from some of our favorite read-alouds, Scripture & poetry memorization. Every day we get the jar down from the shelf, the child chooses 2 selections, reads them and chooses which one s/he would like to copy that day. We do IEW's poetry memorization course (which I cannot recommend highly enough for the language-loving crowd) so many selections come from there (Tennysons The Eagle, Frost's Stopping By Woods, etc...) We also have some favorite sentences from books such as The Hobbit, Narnia, Pooh, Mary Poppins, Little Pilgrim's Progress, etc. These are all stories that we have read together numerous times, and have special meaning for us. We have completed the FLL series, as I do believe it is the most painless, thorough, and gentle grammar out there for early elementary. We don't get hung up if the child doesn't need to repeat something 3x...we just do what is necessary to solidify the skills for each individual child. When I started homeschooling WWE was not available. We did/do narration, copywork, and dictation until beginning CW in 4th grade. It has worked beautifully, and my children have become very competent writers who enjoy the craft.

Other: Google Chrome

I am guessing you're glad that one is behind you? :lol:

This made me laugh out loud! Having driven through 29 Palms many times, I would correct you and say that 9 days would be a very long time to be in 29 Palms!!!

TOG has been a great fit for us. My kids adore history and are strong readers. They love our week-end discussions and I love how the discussions really solidify what we are learning. Good luck finding what fits for your family.

For Homer I would say definitely. Homer has the most info. for you, the teacher, to wrap your head around. I find the IG at that level indispensable.

My biggest boy completes his grad challenge (a 6-mile mountain run) and graduates (in uniform!!) into our local Young Marines troop tomorrow. He's so excited!