Thank you, Colleen! That's a big help. I'm relieved to see those posts.

I guess part of my problem is that I was never around kids other than my own, was an only child. Was never around a little boy until I birthed one. lol So I'm concerned about being able to keep his attention for several hours to get through a classical program. It seems like everyone who does classical spends 5+ hours a day on school. Between me and my husband, we could manage that, but I'm concerned that he wouldn't be able to get through it without frustration.

According to others I have talked to, he's a normal boy for his age. The problem is that I'm comparing him to myself, and I could sit and concentrate for hours at his age. His attention span is about 20 minutes but he can go longer if he's interested in something. He's 7. My daughter is much like me in that she can sit still and concentrate for very long periods. I'm wanting to change because I'm seeing that they both have some deficits in EOY testing. They did 96-99% in everything except a couple of areas and I want to switch to something that covers those areas. The areas they did poorly in, they scored 20% or so. So you can see my concern.

I really want to switch my kids to classical. It sings to me, it's exactly what I think we should be doing with our kids. But I'm overwhelmed with trying to make choices. They're currently doing Switched on Schoolhouse for 4th and Time 4 Learning for 2nd. I work crazy, long hours in a home-based business because DH is unemployed. He works with me on the business until he can find another job- we're just trying to stay afloat. He's an engineering and the market is dead here. We can't move due to having to care for elderly family. I'm having a hard time getting a handle on what I need to be doing for my kids and how much hands-on time for me &/or hubby it would involve. We're also having a hard time getting them through their school and chores every day, adding to the stress. It's like they have zero concept of time and one child in particular is highly distractible. I know that's normal for kids, but it's still a huge frustration. So if you were transitioning into classical, had limited time and one child was easily distracted (only holds attention for about 20 minutes), what would you do?

Yup. DH is unemployed, this is his second long round of unemployment since 2007. We also live debt-free so things are extremely tight. I work 40-80 hours a week consistently in a home-based business and most of our friends put their kids into the church school- no one else homeschools. We've hit the point now that we've said no so much, people have quit asking. It's rather isolating and I have some medical issues that keep me from eating out (I have celiac disease), so that makes it even worse. Only one of hubby's siblings gets it, as they're also single-income, homeschooling, but they live hours away. No one else understands.

Zenni. I've worn this pair for 4 years and paid $12 for them. Very happy with them!

Yup. Been very happy with each purchase.

Red Raspberry Leaf tea, magnesium oil rubbed onto the skin and vitex are awesome. They're three parts of the hormone balancing protocol I'm on.

Yup. My Christmas list is shaping up to be all school stuff this year. Hubby has been unemployed since Thanksgiving and his unemployment runs out at Christmas, so we're living slim.

I'm so sorry you're suffering. I had HG with my son and I just had to take it one day at a time.

Can anyone point me to a website or book to help me determine my child's learning style? We're due to start K in the fall, and I think it would help me pick curriculum for her. I'm second-guessing my current picks due to not knowing if she's a visual learner. Thanks!

Here's my pantry staples list for dinners. You can download a copy at http://www.tfrecipes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41 Note: Every Menu Mailer assumes you have the following items on hand continually: onion, garlic, carrots, celery, lemons/bottled lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract, coconut oil, olive oil, rice, honey, soy sauce/tamari, eggs, baking soda, baking powder and rapadura/sucanat. Optional staples are butter/ghee, lard, tallow, red palm oil, and cow’s milk. Protein ·chicken- whole, breasts with bone and skin, drumsticks or thighs; necks, backs and feet for stock making. Chicken sausage (rarely used)- Italian, apple, sun-dried tomato. Most chicken recipes offer the choice of more than one type of cut. ·beef- ground, steaks, roasts, ribs; bones for stock-making ·pork- chops, tenderloin and bacon. Non-pork alternatives are always provided. ·turkey- ground. We will cook a whole turkey twice a year- Thanksgiving and Christmas. ·seafood- canned salmon; frozen salmon, mahimahi, and assorted white fish. We do not use shellfish. ·game- ground venison and buffalo, optional ·lamb- ground and stew meat ·organs- chicken and beef liver, chicken hearts and gizzards, always optional ·eggs ·almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, tahini, sunbutter, used rarely ·almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios Veggies ·cultured – kimchi, sauerkraut, carrots, garlic, assorted in-season veggie blends ·frozen - green beans, asparagus, spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, shredded zucchini, pureed pumpkin, artichoke hearts, variety of beans and peas ·juice - tomato juice ·canned- artichoke hearts, tomatoes in a variety of forms- crushed, paste, diced, sauce, salsa Fruits ·frozen - blueberries, raspberries, peaches, strawberries, mixed berries ·dried – dates, apricots, pineapple, raisins, strawberries, apples, prunes ·canned- chunk pineapple, unsweetened applesauce ·juice- lemon and lime, or use fresh squeezed Pantry ·dried - red & green lentils, brown and wild rice, red & white quinoa, variety amaranth, quinoa, millet, teff. Grains are mostly used in side dishes, except rice. ·canned or dry beans ·fats- coconut oil, olive oil, unrefined palm oil, red palm oil, sesame oil; butter and ghee in fridge if you can have dairy; lard and tallow in freezer. ·flour- store all flours in freezer oIf you are able to consume gluten, whole wheat flour (and optional sprouted flour) is all you need. oIf you are gluten-free, a variety is needed depending on the function and desired results. I keep on hand: brown rice, sweet rice, white rice, tapioca, potato and potato starch, xanthan gum, and sorghum. Teff, quinoa and amaranth flours are good to have, but I normally don’t use them for dinners. ·cornstarch or arrowroot powder for thickening ·coconut flour ·liquid sweeteners - raw honey, maple syrup, used sparingly ·solid sweetener- rapadura or succanat; stevia if desired. Used sparingly. ·Tortillas of your choice- corn or flour, GF or not. ·sliced black olives ·green chilies ·frozen stock- homemade beef and chicken, or commercial. ·milk and cream or rice milk, almond milk, or hazelnut milk. ·coconut milk ·tamari or soy sauce Spices, Seasonings and Condiments ·unrefined sea salt or Redmond Real Salt ·vinegar- rice wine, white, apple cider, white wine ·mustard- yellow, Dijon ·ketchup ·mayo – store-bought or homemade ·vanilla beans and vanilla extract ·spices - chili, garlic, onion, paprika, black and white pepper, cumin, cilantro, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, mustard, basil, oregano, fennel seed, cardamom, coriander seed, Italian seasoning, curry powder, turmeric, thyme, saffron threads ·cocoa powder ·frozen whole peeled ginger ·baking powder and baking soda, rarely used for dinners ·crystallized ginger, rarely used Worcestershire sauce

I see my menu mailer has already been plugged. LOL I've got a page on my website dedicated to helping you make healthier choices at the grocery store when buying ingredients. it's located at http://www.cookingtf.com/convert.html. Please forgive the sloppy cut and paste job, it's not a page that transfers well.Ingredient Changes - Sugar- rapadura, sucanat, light muscovado, dark muscovado, raw honey, Grade-B maple syrup, stevia, piloncillo, or coconut palm sugar. Piloncillo is available at some mega-marts in the refrigerated produce cases by the jimaca or in the ethnic food aisle with the spices. You could also check Mexican or Latin American grocers. It runs about one dollar for a half-pound at the mega-mart. I buy coconut palm sugar from the local Asian Market. I have heard that a product similar to piloncillo is available in Indian Markets pressed into a flat disc instead of a cone. - Powdered sugar - sucanat or rapadura pulsed through a coffee grinder. - White flour- soaked whole wheat flour, soaked spelt flour, sprouted flour. Gluten-free flours are usable if gluten isn't needed for the recipe. Gluten-free flour blends plus xantham gum can substitute for white or wheat flour in any recipe. Coconut flour can also be substituted for about 10% of the amount of flour called for in many recipes. I typically use 1 tbs coconut flour plus enough flour to make one cup for each cup of flour called for in a recipe. - Shortening- Coconut oil, Spectrum brand shortening or palm oil. If being used for a pie crust, lard does wonderfully. - Margarine- butter or coconut oil. Kerry Gold, Natural by Nature or Smjor are good brands of grass-fed butter. - Olive Oil in cooking- since Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is not heat stable for cooking, any recipe calling for heat can be changed to coconut oil, ghee, lard or butter. - Vegetable oil, canola oil- coconut oil, ghee or butter if heated, EVOO if not heated - Canned fruit in syrup- fresh fruit with a little honey and enough added fluid for the recipe or fruit canned in water or its own juice. - Evaporated milk- cream or coconut cream. - Skim or 2% milk- whole milk, coconut milk if heated. - Half and half- cream or coconut cream - Soy milk- whole cow's milk, coconut milk, Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Breeze or Pacific Rice Milk if casein intolerant - Nuts- crispy nuts of the same variety. - Peanut butter- crispy nut butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini. - Water and bouillon cubes or canned stock- home-made chicken or beef stock. - Tofu- when being used as a binding agent, substitute eggs (1/4 cup tofu = 1 egg), sour cream, applesauce, cream cheese, mashed banana or squash puree. When cubed, marinated and used as a meat substitute, use queso fresco (an unmelting, bland cheese) or squares of polenta in equal amounts. - Flavored yogurt- plain yogurt with 1/2 tbs all-fruit preserves. - Vanilla yogurt- plain yogurt with vanilla extract added. - Cornstarch- arrowroot powder, non-GMO cornstarch or sprouted wheat flour. If thickening soups, you can use arrowroot or leftover mashed potatoes instead - Alcohol- white wine can be replaced with apple or white grape juice with a splash of vinegar. Red wine can be replaced with red grape juice with a splash of vinegar. - Cream cheese- yogurt or kefir cheese, NT cream cheese. - Canned beans- soak dry beans overnight, bring to a boil, and boil 20-60 minutes or cook on low in a crockpot 2-10 hours. Drain. - Iodized salt or "table salt"- Real salt or Celtic sea salt - Cocoa powder- Cacao nibs or ground cacao nibs. Use organic, dutch-process cocoa if cacao isn't available - Soft drinks- fresh-squeezed juice with naturally carbonated water (such as Appolinaris), water kefir, NT ginger ale, kvass, or other fermented drink. - Cheese- raw milk cheese, if not heated. If heated, check the temperature of the final dish- if under 130, use raw. If over 130, I use organic but not raw cheese. If casein free, Road's End Organics makes a cheese sauce substitute using nutritional yeast. - Mayo- homemade mayo from NT's recipe. Duke's does make a sugar-free mayo, but it's still soybean oil. NT recommends Del Louis Fils mayo. - Bottled juice- fresh squeezed juice. - Pasta - brown rice pasta, spaghetti squash. If you're looking for something to replace noodles to go under sauce, you can also use polenta or French-cut green beans - Egg noodles- soaked flour pasta. - Salad dressing- make your own with EVOO. - Sausage- homemade turkey or pork sausage. See replacement listings below for recipes. - Lunch meat- home-cooked meats, thinly sliced or HFS nitrate-free varieties such as Wellshire Farms or Applegate Farms