I think the problem is just with me! I do have a schedule ala MOTH printed out... It is just STAYING ON IT... having major trouble over here. We have so many discipline issues, disruptions, distractions... I am combining curriculum. I think it is just all these URGENT things seem to take over my life... And also- is a die-hard, strict schedule ala MOTH really THE WAY I HAVE TO GO TO MAKE MY LIFE WORK? Tell it to me straight. I need it. We are chaotic over here. Rebecca

Calling out to all large family home schoolers... I need some BTDT advice... I am almost feeling ready to raise the white flag over here! We started our school year four weeks ago... and my days are STILL horribly chaotic and frustrating. Today was wretched. Help! What do YOU do... I need the nitty gritty- how does it flow- how you do it, etc. Not tips and ideas: i.e. preschool boxes, etc. I have plenty of those- it is the IMPLEMENTING that is killing me. Thank you, Rebecca Mom to DS 3rd grade (8) _we have yet to complete a full day of his load! DS 2nd grade (7) DS 5 (K) DD 4 (pre-k/k work) DS 2 1/2 DS 4 months Also- the weekends kill me. Mondays are always HORRIBLE. Any tips???? I am a CM/Classical home schooler. I have been trying to get a handle on habit. I read in Andreola's Companion about not letting habits go over the weekend...is this the problem??? Also, I am nursing- and I always seem to frazzle out at about this time post partum... just not on my game so to speak. HELP!!! Last week was bad because we had some unavoidable doctor's appointments on Tuesday- me- dentist, baby- 4 month well. We never recovered from this disruption!!! Anyone?? Anyone? Thank you! Rebecca one frazzled mom...

Thank you so much! We love the Lands End dresses! I have to buy from Overstocks though. I will check out all these places- It seems most of the skirts are short- or are a skort. We really prefer the longer length. Size 5 should be great- thank you! She turned four in May. Unfortunately- I do NOT sew! Don't have time to learn either- right now... Thanks everyone, I will keep checking, Rebecca

Does anyone know where I can find quality long skirts for little girls? I am searching for these for my little four year old daughter. Thank you so much, Rebecca

Living Books Curriculum includes storytelling in each year of their curriculum. Their guide has several articles about it. Sheila Carroll has written at least one book about storytelling as well- I think prior to becoming a home school mom... I am not sure if there are any links on their website- but it is one of their learning tools. http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com Rebecca

3Lil Reds, I had this problem too- with the same curriculum. I borrowed the Landmark picture book: Liberty! How the Revolutionary War began from the library and then ended up purchasing it from Rainbow Resource. It gave a great overview of the events of the time period. We read one two page spread at a time. Then later, when we hit those topics in Voices of American History the mental peg had already been "hung" for my kids... Hope this helps, My history is/was sketchy- so I really struggled with this as I am learning right along with my kids... I think the point of that resource is to "whet" the appetite and give the children "flavor" not do in depth teaching... I hope this helps, Rebecca

I am sorry. That stinks. I wouldn't do it. No one is impervious/ immune to temptation. I think it is selfish. Rebecca

Michelle, I am glad you replied... I was wondering what you thought. I, too, thought this thread would move... but I am glad I saw it here. I am not too familiar with OAS although I think one of my sons has some symptoms of it... hives when eating certain fruits at certain times of the year, etc. I hope that learning these cross reactions will help your food plan! I did want to say that we have IgE and non-IgE allergies... We have epi-pens, emergency kit, etc... so that is the perspective I was coming from. I have one of those children who cannot not even be in the room with some of his foods cooking due to reacting... and it was much worse when he was a toddler... As far as the thyroid: I was referring to that only toward you. None of my children have thyroid issues and one of them has severe, life-threatening anaphylaxis to multiple foods. I just thought it was a worthy rock to overturn... I know for me, I was developing some new food sensitivities and issues, had a thyroid problem after my last pregnancy- then got pregnant with number six and all the issues have gone away- thank the Lord... but I was never a "true" allergic case beyond hay fever, etc. Sometimes stress can bring stuff on... Since you were tested, obviously that is not the case... but I just wanted to offer that suggestion. Also- my son has true IgE chicken allergy has evidenced by his spt- it is not cross reactivity and it is very rare. It sounds like you have researched yourself a great plan! I mainly wanted you to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Also, Cherrybrook Kitchen is MY FAVORITE for treats... HTH, Rebecca

I used MFW first grade. :001_smile: It did teach my child to read: excellently I might add. There is no need to supplement beyond what is in the teacher's manual and the suggested reading aloud great literature for at least fifteen minutes a day. It is enough. I found, once we had completed the phonics, he needed some encouragemnt to gain true fluency. This happened using Ready, Set, Read... by Joanna Cole that was recommended in the curriculum (Living Books) that we used for second grade and with the Thornton Burgess short chapter books. Hope this helps, I feel that the phonic instruction is top- notch in the program. Rebecca

Dear Michelle, I am sorry about your new found food allergies. It stinks. We deal with multiple food allergies too... I do have some food advice... FWIW, my third son has all poultry, milk, egg, treenut, sesame, coconut. It used to be worse- he used to be also allergic to beef, peanut, and soy too. I have another child my fifth son who also has allergies and at one time- he had all grains. :001_huh: So, I do know how it can feel at time. It is hard. As far as insurance... I don't know. We recently worked it out with our plan to FINALLY be able to get some of Neocate formula covered- but for years we have footed this expense ourselves. Secondly- do you know about the Parents of Kids With Food Allergies forum? It has a recipe database and tons of support. http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org There are parents on there with food allergies too. It is a wonderful forum and is medically top notch. The recipe database is awesome. These families deal with every kind of allergy and it is full of delicious recipes. As far as meals, I would think you can do one of two things: Find the common denominator for all of you and start planning most of your meals around that. Find the common denominator for your kids and plan their meals and cook for yourself separately. It is expensive. It looks like you have chicken, turkey, pork, and fish as main protein sources. (We have beef, pork, and fish.) I would start making meals based around that. You have both milk and soy and that makes it hard. :grouphug: Really hard. With anaphylaxis it makes it so tough- because you probably don't want to have those foods served/ in the house. When my five year old was younger we were blessed to have an awesome nutritionist and she gave us great advice. Is your allergist affiliated with anyone? Do you have the cookbook What's to Eat by Linda Coss? It does use soy but you can substitute rice milk for soy milk and canola oil for the soy based margarine... also if you do not have coconut- which is appears you don't - you can use Spectrum spread which is a palm oil based shortening that you can use for baking, margarine substitute, etc. It is dairy and soy free. You can find it at Whole Foods or Earth Fare or Wegmans, etc. Coconut milk can be used in a variety of ways, ice cream, whipped topping, etc. This might be good for you guys with not having the milk/soy. My son is severely allergic to it though. Also, you might want to look into having your thyroid checked because an out of balance thyroid can contribute to having food allergy symptoms- especially as an adult not having had them before. Just some ideas. I hope something helps. Sincerely, Rebecca

This thread made me smile. We started this week too... First day always makes me think I AM CRAZY... WHAT AM I THINKING??? Dear little three month son waking three times a night to nurse does not help either... I was pleasantly reminded by my beloved sister that if I wasn't homeschooling- I would be running around getting two children ready for grade school, one for k and one for prek all the while taking care of my infant and two year old... it would NOT be better! It would NOT be easier. "Just keep schooling, just keep schooling" sung in the tune of Nemo... Rebecca

The instructor guides are available separately. You can see everything at: http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com HTH, Rebecca

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with Living Books Curriculum! It is just not as well known as TOG, Sonlight, WP... It is a true CM in a box. There is a forum but it is not that active. It would depend on the ages of your children whether they could work through it independently or not. I used Grades one and two last year. We loved it. I am using a modified Grade Three this coming year (along with HOD). I am unique in that I have six children ages 8 and under. This causes challenges no matter what program I use... there are a few reasons why I am not using only LBC this year- but they have nothing to do with the quality of the program. I highly recommend it! Sheila Carroll is wonderful. I like(d) it because: the high quality of literature no twaddle the incorporation of nature study, music, picture study, etc. they honor the child as a person the thought that has been put into the development of the program. The strong science component Christian worldview The two threads of history The articles included in the teacher's guide The extensive book list As far as what if your child hasn't studied ancient egypt but is beyond grade two- you would just jump in at the level your child is at... all of history will be revisited in grades 7 and 8 as an overview... however each year DOES build on the next... so that is a consideration. I hope this helps. I am selling a new foundation year guide and a new, revised grade one on the sale board. Rebecca

You might also want to check out Heart of Dakota. You could put your ten year old in Preparing Hearts with the extensions and have her work as independently as she is able... and then combine your next two in a program such as Beyond Little Hearts... There might be a way you could combine them all in Preparing Hearts keeping your youngers at their appropriate math/LA... You might want to check it out. Blessings, Rebecca

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I am looking into purchasing Audio books for our school year... Wondering what to do... Thank you! Rebecca

I do not fit the bill with this as I am using this for the first time this year with my four and five year olds and as far as I know I REALLY like it. It does not have enough literature for me or science... but those are my strong points- so I have that covered on my own . Also, once I got the guide I discoverd the appendix is chock full of literature options. These are history options, though, not science. I school with many living books and the book list is what always "catches" me... this is what would have kept me away... but like I said, I have that covered on my own and need something that will help me keep my children progressing in their skills. I wanted a strong Christian worldview incorporated in my curriculum. I do not like Unit Studies- hate teaching them... and I need something organized and scheduled due to my large family. It also has CM flavor which is a very nice bonus. The "heart" of the program is great. HTH, Rebecca

I am planning activities for my two year old this year too. Here are some of my ideas: -Lauri favorite things first puzzles -two small dump trucks in a little container of cornmeal -Art Box - contains color wonder markers and pad; these first marker things from Crayola (look like round animals) colored pencils, etc. He doesn't eat this stuff though.... -Big size black pick-up truck that he can load unload with cheerios/marshmallows (vary on the day) -little play dough set (he doesn't eat this either) small playdough and a few tools in a little container -Water play (measuring spoons, little cups, basin of water) -Do-A Dot paints -Mommy/Daddy CD in crib with toys -Lauri Toddler Tote -Tonka Set Just some ideas, Rebecca PS I also have a four and five year old who I am planning activities for- so it makes it easier because he just wants to do what they do!

Somewhere I read that these are being reformulated and abridged for "modern" readers. Is anyone else familiar with this and do you know when the change is taking place? Thank you! Rebecca

I had to reply to this thread! We started recorder last year. I HIGHLY recommend Penny Gardner's New Nine Note Recorder Method. http://www.pennygardner.com/ We used this and still are. It has been wonderful. Very, very easy to implement and use. Also, if you eventually want to upgrade your recorders... I like the Yamaha ones. Just my preference... Hope this helps! It is an inexpensive and easy instrument to use! My son blossomed learning this skill. Rebecca

I would recommend Heart of Dakota Publishing.

Winterpromise is a VERY different flavor from a "traditional" classical program. I would keep that in mind as you make your choice. Another curriculum that we greatly enjoyed last year was Living Books Curriculum. This is a Charlotte Mason approach- but also has some elements reflective of classical: chronological history, latin rec. in fourth grade, etc. It was not as planned though as a program like Winterpromise or Sonlight. You can look at it at http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com. There was definitely a lot of "joy" and "interest" in our school with this program. It was great! I would consider how integral and 'deep' you want your Christian worldview to be- coming from your curriculum. I agree that Heart of Dakota or My Father's World would have more of that flavor than other programs. Finally, there are organized, classical schedules combining a variety of resources at Easyclassical.com. Hope this helps, Rebecca

My Father's World (wonderful results) Reading Made Easy with Phonics Pathways for support/help... The Reading Lesson So far, all have worked very well. My Father's World is very thorough phonetically which I really like. It is also excellent at teaching sound discrimination and blending-excellent. Reading Made Easy is cozy and open and go... but not as phonetically "pure" as I like- thus adding Phonics Pathways (which we already had) The Reading Lesson: so far working great... my four year old (youngest one I ever started teaching to read- but she insisted) is so cute and doing really well with it! Rebecca

Yes, it will work just fine. Are you using the corresponding student workbook for your(the appropriate) grade level? The books listed by grade level are for the student reading level. The student workbooks are by skill level. Hope this helps, Rebecca

Lauri Toys makes a variety of "paks" and play sets and rubber crepe puzzles that you can rotate through with children. We have quite a few of them and they can be easily rotated on a regular basis. I think Rainbow Resource sells little sets with figures in sand. I have put tonka trucks in a small rubbermaid container with cornmeal for play. Tonka trucks come in "sets" that can be rotated. Melissa and Doug make small wooden boxes filled with four different puzzles that my three and four year old children like to work. I bought my four year old daughter the Melissa and Doug Whiteboard/chalk board with magnetic letters for her birthday. I anticipate her using this during table time in our school- and it could be rotated on a weekly basis. You can also do this with play-dough. I hope this helps, Rebecca