OOOOOOOO Thanks! I've been considering one.... is this the best brand to buy? What about the purple cow one?

Thanks everyone! I don't know what I'm worried about - poking holes in paper or something!

So, maybe this is a silly question... I need to print out my MM for 1st grade but what thickness of paper should I use? I have the 20lbs weight of regular old copy paper I bought at walmart. Is this thick enough? For some reason I'm hesitant. What do you use? Is that typical?

Try beans if she'll eat them! They have a large amount of soluable fiber that binds to bile (which is full of fat soluable toxins.) Otherwise it gets reabsorbed in the GI tract. I don't have personal experience with it but I heard it works! Easy way to do it that I like best is mixing black beans and salsa then eating it with corn chips :) www.karenhurd.com has a page on ADD/ADHD that might have some suggestions. (she's a nutritionist) HTH and good luck.

I think Homeschool in the Woods had a timeline help or how-to page that described how to do various types of timelines. I remember that she had it broken down in the measurements you should or could use to fit everything in without being too crowded or empty. Maybe check that out. It's my intention to try a wall time line using her helps (however, I haven't gotten that far yet! I better hurry....)

First, I didn't read all the responses so sorry for repeats. Second, I have a son just like yours who is 6 so I can sympathize. I think he makes me lose brain cells some days. Here are my few thoughts: 1. Try to change the inappropriate behavior, not his personality. Don't crush who he is, but he's old enough to learn not to interrupt. Talk to him about it when he's not doing it (be proactive instead of reactive.) We're still working on this one.... 2. Make sure you sit down with him everyday and just let him talk. Someday, he might not want to talk to you anymore (because he'll be all grown up.) :crying: When I think of that, I get sad! 3. Get him a friend that likes to listen!

Thanks soooooooo much fall all your responses. It helps a lot! I'm leaning towards SWR. I don't know what I think of the Logic of English. I might get the games from it. It does seem to move to fast... I might get the WWE just to see what it looks like and go slow. He talks A LOT so we might get a lot just out of reading the passages and narrating. I have trouble with wrapping my mind around narrating and dictating :glare: WWE might keep me on my toes so I don't avoid it all together.

Do you feel that the read-aloud books are necessary? I was considering buying it but those make the price go up :tongue_smilie:

I was considering doing SWR but then I discovered AAR and AAS which seem to be similar (use phonograms) but AAR/AAS is scripted. (I need my hand held.) Is that true? I'm afraid that I'll struggle all year trying to figure out how to present the material out of a manual. That's what I tried to do last year with ETC, Ruth Beechick's book and my own flashcards and games. DH says all the boys in his family have some degree of dyslexia so I think I might be dealing with some of that. I tried Alphaphonics for 3 days and that was a disaster :( I researched dyslexia after that and read something about not using word families. Apparently the ending rhymes put the concentration on the end of the words causing confusion if the child has dyslexia. If dyslexia is a potential issue, can I go with AAR/AAS? What else is there that is scripted but does not use 'word families'? His eyes checked out ok by the nurse at a well-child visit last year but he has never seen a ophthamologist. I just want something that isn't discouraging for him :confused: I'm discouraged in trying to find curriculum and time is running out!

My DS is 6 and going to be doing 1st grade this fall but he doesn't read yet. He learned all the sounds of the alphabet and short vowel sounds really quickly last fall but the blending never clicked and I quit trying this summer just to get a break and to keep him from getting discouraged. If I try to get him to read a BOB book he just starts telling me his own story of what's going on in the picture... which is fun but not accomplishing the goal of reading. I'm planning on using AAR and possibly AAS with him. The thing is, he always asks to write. I can tell him to spell the word cat or dig, or most CVC words and he sounds it out and is able to spell it. However, he can't read it later on... So I guess my question is, do I start WWE and let him copy the sentences even if he can't read them? (I'm hoping he take off reading using AAR soon!!) He loves to copy and has even asked to learn cursive. I feel like I'm not sure what to do because TWTM says to get him reading early and don't wait for the fine motor skills of writing, but my ds is doing the opposite!! What should I do??

I recently bought an HP Officejet Pro and I like it, but I haven't used it too much yet. I really liked the Canon's as well but went with the HP because the ink is suppose to be much cheaper in the long run. It claims to be as efficient as lasers, but there is also the option for color as well. It was around $250 on sale at Best Buy. I think the Canon's were much cheaper but because of the ink being expensive I went with the HP. I wanted something that didn't cost too much for the ink since I bought some e-curriculums that I want to print a fair amount of. HTH

Check out karenhurd.com She heals with food, and she has some great advice. Go do health topics on the left column, then specific health concerns, then scroll down to pick gallbladder disease, or other ailments if you wish. Gallstones is something apparently easy to fix with diet (beans!) She explains why, too. Very very smart lady who has helped many people (particularliy those with inflammatory type disorders. HTH

From one dairy farm wife to another: I feel your pain :( I could write a book on all our ups and downs, financially and personally but I'll just go straight to the advice that's worked for me: 1. PRAY: God will open a window when all the doors are locked. 2. Stand by your man: Make sure he knows he's your hero no matter what happens. A wife's support means more than he probably lets you know. You're the thread that keeps him hanging on when his world is falling apart. 3. Help him figure out what he would like to do. Herdsman? Work for a custom guy (drive equipment, etc...) If you can sell out of the farm, he could continue something agricultural for a while until maybe he could start up again by himself on a smaller scale. My dh wouldn't like anything but working for himself either but maybe just as something temporarily. Stress the temporary. If there seems like there is no way out because you have tried everything (cutting expenses by growing feed instead of buying, etc... ) Then selling out sooner than later is best. Nothing is a bigger punch than going broke and losing everything. 4. Look into stray voltage if your cow health seems poor despite good management and you think it's the cause of your financial losses. Some electrical companies are good, some are evil to work with, as are private consultants. They can suck you dry of money awfully fast. However, if you are from California like your name suggests, you probably don't have a problem since the wiring is better. Things I think you shouldn't do: 1. Go organic: To big of a jump and probably a faster fall than continuing what you are doing. All you need is a bad crop year and you can't spray your corn or have bugs eat your hay or you can't find affordable feed... or feed with any nutritional value! Or your calves die from scours and if you treat them you have to sell them (I think the no antibiotic thing is ridiculous about organic.) 2. Try to invest in growing another business such a cheese making. It takes money and time to learn to do yet another thing (farmers don't have much of time or money!) Sorry if I'm miss negative on those, but those endeavors are usually only successful if the first business is well established. We don't farm with anybody else so I can't say how to fix that problem without a family feud (can you business-divorce the other half against their will? Then purchase the house from him? Attorney's are expensive...) This may be your biggest obstacle. Take a deep breath! Atleast you have each other :) Hopefully he can see it that way too. I know it's impossible to get the farm out of the farmboy.