You said this much better than I did! This is exactly why I am trying to not be a curriculum hopper.

I am a hopeless curriculum changer. I am really trying to change this. I read something recently about a homeschooling family where the mom builds in review weeks into their schedule. They do school for 6 weeks, then take a week off. During that week, is when the mom looks at goals, looks at any changes that need to be made, etc. She doesn't change any curriculum until one of these weeks so that she has a chance to really research it and make sure it's the right decision. And so that she's not changing something every other week. For me, I'm a grass-is-always-greener person. Always have been, probably always will be. I am actively trying to work on it, though. For homeschooling, that means that I need to stick with a curriculum unless there are serious issues. I am not changing anything any more for silly reasons.

I have kids in K, 2nd, and 4th grades. We haven't done any formal penmanship - maybe a little here and there, but we've never stuck with anything. I'd rather them just go ahead and learn Cursive. Which levels should they start with?

My DS is taking the EXPLORE test for the first time next Saturday. I'm nervous for him!!!

Here's a site that will list lots of resources near them: http://abbalist.org/service-listings I'm in Virginia Beach, but I don't know much about Chesapeake. I'll ask around and if I come up with anything, I'll let you know.

My word for 2016 is LESS. Less clutter. Less of me (pounds) Less screens Just LESS.

Do it! I love Teaching the Classics. I haven't watched the DVDs, but I've heard Adam speak and I have the syllabus. I also use Reading Roadmaps to choose books for all 3 of my kids.

I'm scbusf there

We took a break most of last semester for various reasons. So we are getting serious next week: All together: History - Books from All Through the Ages (We'll start Beautiful Feet Early American History once I gather all the books) Science - BFSU Grammar - MCT's Grammar Island World Geography - free note booking pages and a National Geographic Kids Atlas DS9: Continue Beast Academy Start IEW SWI-A Literature - Selections from Reading Roadmaps DD8: Continue McRuffy Math Start IEW PAL - Part 2 of Writing Literature - Selections from Reading Roadmaps DD5: Continue Horizons Math Start IEW PAL - Writing

I could have written this exact post!!!!! Hilarious!

Here is another schedule for the MCT Island Level. I feel like I've seen a 3rd one, but of course I didn't save it! http://eclectic-homeschool.com/michael-clay-thompson-language-arts-island-level-schedule/

Disclaimer - I am a hopeless curriculum junkie. I already own so many things and I am overwhelmed trying to figure it all out. And Language Arts is not my thing - I'm a math and science girl! I've been trying to make one system work, but it just occurred to me that maybe I can combine IEW and MCT. My kids are 9 and almost 8 (and a 5 y.o.). Do you think this plan might work? Writing - IEW - SWI-A for 9 y.o. and PAL Writing for 8 y.o. (5 y.o. is doing PAL Reading and Writing, but that's it for her) MCT for everything else: Grammar - Grammar Island and Sentence Island for both Vocabulary - Building Language Poetics - Music of the Hemispheres I would probably shoot for doing Vocab and Poetics 1 or 2 x a week.

I frequently find them at Big Lots, of all places. I also do a lot shopping on Amazon and Vitacost.com. Vitacost often has sales going on for Bob's products.

I totally sympathize. I do a lot of Amazon shopping w/ Prime shipping. Their delivery estimates are so all over the place. I frequently receive packages early AND late.

Salad. Fresh cut deli meat and cheese. Trader Joe's has a low carb tortilla - you could use that for a wrap or burrito.

I read a book, lesson plan, color, make phone calls - basically whatever needs to get done.

I've done all of mine on Amazon, but I haven't opened a single box!

I am seriously considering taking all the random, free homeschool stuff I've downloaded over the past couple of years and just doing all of it for a while!

We do this, but we only have a Queen size bed. I am always hot at night and DH is always cold. He sleeps with a down comforter year-round.

Our family has had an extremely difficult year. We have only done reading, writing, and math for the most part. The only things that have gotten done have been do-the-next-lesson types of things.

Amazon has several laser printers for great prices. Office Max/Office Depot has some listed in their flyer, but the prices on Amazon are the same, so I bought one from Amazon.

I have probably posted about this before, but I am still clueless. DS is 9 y.o. (4th grade by age), but he is VERY math-y and science-y. I have yet to find a science curriculum that challenges him. Maybe it's time to look at a middle school level science curriculum? I am sure he will end up going into something related to math, computer science, or science in the future. So we need something really solid. Any suggestions?

It's a hard decision. Mine is still hanging in a closet - not even preserved. A few years ago, a friend gave me her mom's wedding dress (the mom had passed away a while before) and I made throw pillow covers out of it. She gave the pillows to her sisters so that they would each have part of their mom's dress.

I used to teach in a VA high school, so that is where my SOL-certified term came from - sorry if it's not a publicly used thing. It just means that the credit has to be a certain course - students have to pass the course AND pass the test. In the area I live in (not No. VA), I have never heard of a school district allowing homeschooled credits for high school. That doesn't mean it's never happened, but the school districts in my area are not homeschool-friendly at all. So my original reply should have said that in VA, it's pretty much all or nothing. Depends on the school district.

In Virginia it is all or nothing. To graduate from a public school, students must have certain credits. But those credits must be SOL-certified AND the students must pass the SOL tests for each of those courses.