You don't mention reading, which is one of the main things I would work on with a 1st grader. Both learning to read and reading books both independently and together. Maybe some phonics work, like ETC? We also do some handwriting in 1st, which could be copy work for history & science. I don't think you necessarily have to purchase a curriculum for science or history at this point, especially science. We were reading The Story of the World at this point, but I think library books would do just as well. I've been doing Classical Academic Press Greek with my K-er and he's enjoyed it very much. He's about to finish it and we're going to go right into their Song School Greek. My older 2 have been doing their Latin program and I think it's excellent. Hope that helps!

I have been doing "Christmas school" this month also, and I really appreciate all of your great ideas and links. This will help me a lot as I plan out the rest of our month! -Sarah

I do listen to Family Life Today on the radio sometimes, and I also feel a little embarrassed to admit that. I didn't realize they had podcasts - have to check it out. Sometimes it's just a bit much for me, but I often find it encouraging, too. I used to hate that kind of thing, but I think as I've matured I'm able to get the good stuff out of it and tune out the rest!

These are great - adding to my iPod right now! It's nice to look forward to the commute rather than dread it.

If you remember, I'd love to know if there's a good language podcast - I didn't think of that, but that would be great to brush up on my Spanish!

Compared to some of the pp, this is mild, but stink bugs! If you live on the East Coast, you probably know what I'm talking about! Our house is in the woods and it is made of wood and in the fall our siding is covered with thousands of them. They don't hurt anything, but they look (and smell) disgusting. They get in the house, too, so every warm winter day, they'll be buzzing around. Still, like I said, after reading some of the others, I'm thankful that it's just stink bugs!!

I recently started a (very) part time job and I've just discovered podcasts to make my commute more enjoyable - sometimes 2hrs/day. I'd love some recommendations for good ones! I'm specifically looking for: 1. Sermons (I'm a reformed Christian - already put Keller & Piper on my list) 2. Homeschooling/education strategies 3. ENCOURAGEMENT! between hs & working, I need all the help I can get! Anything about marriage, motherhood, home organization, etc. 4. Stories or news (preferably unbiased - is that possible?) Anything else that you've found that you love! Thanks so much! Sarah

I had a conversation with my dh just this week where I said many of the exact same things that you said in your post! I'm so thankful for the encouragement and truly helpful advice here. I haven't ever heard of a "loop schedule" but I'm going to look into it. I also really like the idea of doing extras in December, which has traditionally been a really hard time for me to keep plugging away - that just might be the perfect solution! Thanks for posting and thanks everyone for your ideas - just what I needed! - Sarah

It's a hard decision. There's definitely something nice about having a date and having things figured out, but intervention comes with its own issues. It's also very likely that just going in Saturday evening for prep will send you into labor (that happened to me). I don't want to sway you, so I won't tell you my thoughts on that. :) Either way, you know you'll be holding that precious new baby very soon! Sarah

I'm on the fence about it, actually. I have 4 lovely dc, ages 10, 8, 6, and 1 - dh and I have talked about a "buddy" for the baby. Somehow the jump from 4 to 5 just seems so huge though. I go back and forth, but all these babies (here and among my friends) is messing with me. I'm 34, so there's definitely still time, but if I do it I want it to be soon. What to do...

1. The National Christmas Tree exhibit is outside; there are also trees for each state that are decorated with a theme for that state. In the past, they have had reindeer there. Obviously, best viewed at night. Free 2. Mount Vernon is very kid-friendly and fun to visit. It is decorated for Christmas. There's also a candlelight tour, but that's not a good idea for our group (small children. :) The downside to MV is that it is not free. My kids love it, though. If you know we want to see Mt. Vernon you may want to get tickets soon as well. 3. Botanical Garden is also a nice place to visit; it's on the mall and they have a train exhibit at Christmas that's fun to look at. Could easily be done in conjunction with other "on the mall' activities. Free. 4. Smithsonian museums - Air & Space, National Gallery of Art, American Indian, Natural History, and American History are the main ones. They're all free, unless you do an IMAX movie. :) 5. White House - it can be difficult to get in around Christmas with all the special events - you definitely need to request those from your member of congress at least a month in advance. 6. Kennedy Center - Also $$, but we've done quite a few things there and it's wonderful. There is a musical for kids - Knuffle Bunny (based on the book by Mo Willems, if you're familiar with him). There are also free concerts every day, but they haven't released the Dec. calendar yet. Look up "Millennium Stage" on their website. There's a fabulous view from the terrace of D.C. and the Potomac River. They also have a good cafeteria on the terrace level (not the restaurant, the cafeteria); you can sit in the window overlooking the city. Prices are reasonable for downtown. Hope that helps!

and the Bureau of Printing & Engraving, where they print money, was an interesting tour as well. It's next to the holocaust museum, and a short walk from American History museum. We went there also (A.H. museum), and there are some things off display right now, but the Star Spangled banner is there and there is also a fun pop culture exhibit, which my kids enjoyed. They are doing a lot of renovations, so it's not the best time to go there. I always recommend that people go to the Old Post Office pavilion - love the view from there; so much better than the Wash. Monument, which is stuffy, enclosed, and a much longer wait! Changing of the guard at Arlington is a good thing to stop for if you go to Mt. Vernon (in my opinion, one of the best things to see in the D.C. area, except for the $$). As far as art, you can't beat the National Gallery of Art; my kids just love the building itself, but lots of great things to see. I also recommend just asking the people at the desks at any of these places; they're generally helpful at suggesting things that will interest your particular group. Sounds like you had a good trip and saw a lot!

My kids were never happy in their carseats for long periods of time, unless the car was moving (and with 2 we went through the screaming phase even in the car, ugh). Interestingly, I was talking to my brother's occupational therapist, who told me that all of these seats (car seats, bouncy seats, etc.) are not good at all for babies' development. He told me that being either free on the floor on a blanket or in a baby sling is so much better. FWIW, my kids were always "early" in sitting, crawling, and walking (all walking before or at 12 mos.) The OT is from Kenya, and he said that children there are way ahead of the US (and his son was WALKING at 9 months). I kinda took some of that with a grain of salt (my ds walked at 10 months, and it was a challenge!) but from his explanation of development it made sense to me. All that said, if my kid slept great in a carseat, I may have been pretty tempted to keep them there so I could get some sleep!

I don't have any advice, I just wanted to thank you for your honesty and tell you that I've been there, too! Haven't gone so far as to actually sign them up, but I have certainly said much the same thing out of frustration. Sounds like you have a lot on your hands, with the younger ones, too. I think that all the comments have had some great ideas, both about how to keep homeschooling or to give yourself permission to try ps. Wish I could give you a hug!

Sorry, I can't answer your question, but I have been asking myself that too. The only thing I can think of is what I have done myself - ask yourself why you started homeschooling to begin with. Have any of those reasons changed? What is it that makes you doubt if this is "for you"? I know that has helped me as I think this through, and I am very sure that you are not alone - it's a very challenging, hard thing to do! Sarah

Well, we've always eaten pretty much whole foods, but I've tried to cut back lately too as packaged things do start to encroach. Personally, I'm not a big fan even of Trader Joe's as they have so much processed and packaged stuff. First, try to shop just the outside aisles of the grocery store as a general rule - I skip the entire middle of the store! So just the produce section, meat, and dairy. You can steam most vegetables, then maybe add a little butter if you need some flavor. We eat broccoli often and I actually just put it in a covered dish with a few Tbsp of water and cook for about 5-8 min. in the microwave - it's so simple! You can steam it on the stove top in a pan the same way, but I tend to be in a hurry. Another favorite meal is loaded baked potatoes - 1 hour in the oven; very simple. Betty Crocker's cookbook has about every veg. you can imagine listed, and how to prepare and cook - be it boiling or steaming or baking. Just figure out how to make the few that your family likes and focus on that to start with. I think the best thing to think about too is simplifying things. Lunch can be bread with a slice of cheese melted on it with apple slices & carrots. Healthy, simple, and nutritious. As far as bread, I have baked it in the past but lately haven't had the time or energy. I buy Nature's own whole wheat bread. Most bread from the bakery section of your store is delicious, fresh-baked, and has few ingredients. I don't see and HFCS on the labels at our Safeway. I try to focus on whole grains for sandwich bread and not worry too much about the rest. Those are just a few thoughts; I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. Good luck! Sarah

After our 3rd storm this year where we lost power (and water b/c we have a well) for more than 3 days, dh and I are planning to buy a generator. I have no idea where to start researching this. Any input from those of you that know about these kinds of things would be greatly appreciated. Or, if you own one that works really well, I'd love to hear. Our neighbor has an extremely loud one - is that what we should expect? Really I just want one so that we can flush our toilets and maybe keep the chest freezer from thawing. Thanks so much! Sarah

Wow. My Mom was at a home improvement store today picking out some paint for her new house. A woman came in, no teeth, reeking of alcohol. She is homeless and came in to buy a tarp to winterize her tent. She proudly informed my mom that she's upgraded from a 4-person to a 6-person tent, recently laid some carpet down, so it's quite snug. Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Polyface farm is in Virginia, but they have buying groups all over the D.C. area and several in MD. I think it might be just what you are looking for. Here's the link: http://www.polyfacefarms.com/taste.aspx If you've read Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Polyface is the farm that he writes very positively about. Hope that helps! Sarah Oh, there is also an Amish market in Laurel, if you are near there. They have great meat, produce, etc.

What's working: --MEMORY BOXES!!!! In the first 8 weeks of school, we've already learned almost as much memory work as we did in the entire year last year and they love it! --Singapore Math (replacing Saxon)--huge improvement for the kids and for me also. Much less time-intensive and I feel like they're understanding math concepts better too. My only supplement is some online flashcard drills, which the kids look forward to in contrast to Saxon's boring drill pages. --Science - I actually created and bound my own science work books for chemistry. So far it has been a huge hit and they're learning. Too soon to tell: --Voyages in English 3 - this was an expensive purchase, but I think that it's going to be an improvement. I didn't feel like WWE and FLL were really teaching my kids to write. Already I feel like DS has improved in his ability to sit down and write a story, for example. It's taking a lot of time though, and he is not loving the grammar portions. --Reading Journals - the idea is that they write down books they read and something about the story (plot, character, summary). So far they don't quite get it, but maybe soon this will be easier. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Good idea though; I like assessing where we are with things. I'm thankful that so far we haven't had to nix anything completely (last year we had to quit one program just a few weeks into school--ugghh). I look forward to hearing from others... Sarah

I guess it depends on your kids, but we started "memory boxes" this year (I read about it on a previous thread about memory work) and it has been fantastic for all 3 of my kids (3rd, 2nd, and pK--he needs help though). So far they have learned Bible verses, poems, state capitals, latin vocab, geography facts (oceans, continents, etc.) and other information I want them to know. Seriously, until this year, my kids were hard-pressed to remember even what grade they were in! They love doing memory boxes independently, and so far they have learned everything very quickly and well. I also love the built-in review system so they periodically review. Not to mention the other side-benefit that my pKer has learned even & odd, days of the week, and now he's figuring out the dates of the calendar as well. I would strongly encourage you to consider it. It does take some work to set up, but for me it has been WELL worth it. Sarah

My kids don't seem to care about what their grades are. I'm wondering if it's homeschooling or just my kids' personalities? They ore often more interested in getting things done quickly than doing things well. And when they get a bad grade on something, it doesn't bother them in the slightest. Now, when they really like something, they do a great job. For example, my ds (3rd grade) spent an hour doing a storyboard with great pictures for a story he's going to write. The same day, he failed a math test, didn't show any work on it, and made careless errors. Do you have a reward system for good grades or even just good effort? I know that my kids could get 100% on almost everything if they just tried! I'd love to hear what others do or even if you struggle with the same thing. Thanks, Sarah

I just had a baby and have an almost-9-year-old son and I can tell you it's so wonderful! Just seeing my son hold the baby made it all worth it - so much awe and love in his eyes. And seeing this baby just gaze up at his big brother. I'm imagining how cool it's going to be to have a big brother Who can drive when baby is that age. Enjoy!!

We've had a lot of talk about birthdays in my house lately (amongst the adults) and it made me wonder what other people do. We have extended family in the area (grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles) but my kids are the only children. We generally get together for almost every birthday (including the 12 adults) and that means the whole deal: cake, presents. Personally I think it's a little silly for us all to be getting together for people in their 60's for a huge birthday dinner, etc. We've tried to combine some but it is definitely taboo to skip anyone and we got a lot of push-back when we tried to just simplify to cake and ice cream a couple times in the past. I'd still like to host gatherings for my kids' birthdays, but I really don't want to host for the adults (myself and dh included). So I'm curious what you have done with family birthdays & local extended family and if you have any suggestions at all for ways I could tactfully get out of this tradition! We haven't done any "kid" parties yet with friends, for various reasons, but that is something that we'll probably start doing in the next couple of years. Not every year for every child, but some kind of rotation. Thanks! Sarah

I know that many have posted this before, but donnayoung.org has lots of blank planning forms and information about planning. I don't use quite as many forms as she has there, though! 1. I plan for 180 school days and figure out when we'll take breaks. I print out a year calendar on one page and write in my days off. 2. Then I have a year planner (basically 4 columns for each quarter and 10 rows) that I made that I print out for each child, for each subject. 3. I go through my curriculum and figure out how to divide it out so that we can finish what I want to accomplish for the year. I write each week's rough schedule in the squares (in pencil!) to plot out my year. I write chapters, page numbers, lesson numbers, whatever works to give me an idea of where I want to be. 4. During the school year, I refer to that as my guide. Of course we get ahead or behind, but it helps me to see the year plan to gauge how we are doing. Then I can slow down or speed things up as needed. I love to plan and it helps me, but we're all different so you will find what works best for you! Good luck for your year! Sarah