That's really cool! What a blessing!

You have me curious now - and it's not in your sig line - how many kids do you have and what's the range? If you prefer not to share, I understand!

I wait until very late, 3rd trimester usually. I think with my twins (for whom I had to rebuy everything because we had given it all away) I bought a first outfit for them when I was maybe 26 or 28 weeks. Right before I went on bedrest. :) I typically do it all near the end and we set up the baby "stuff" a couple weeks before.

I had to go look at my order to remember. I purchased level 4 for my 11yo and 9yo. I purchased level 1 for my 5yo. After I get the levels I will figure out where the 7yo goes - he would probably enjoy working with my 5yo so he gets to be the big guy. :) I strongly considered doing level 4 for the 7/9/11 yo's and leaving 5yo out, after all kindergarten art isn't that big of a deal…but I really wanted to include him if possible so I decided to do 2 levels. I have my twins down the line so they'll use it when their turn comes.

can you share your gumbo recipe?

I was not super excited about the shipping….kind of high IMO. But I am really pleased to try this program since I've not been able to justify it in the past. I am hoping they'll do a buy like this again next year or so, I ordered what I need for this year but I'll need to buy more levels in the future if we love this program.

You sounded so "with-it" in your first post, my first thought was no-way she doesn't need that LOL. You might want to view them and see what you think. I actually do have my kids watch them, they like Mr. Demme and enjoy the aspect of watching the video before doing their lesson. I love MOTL and the whole idea behind it, I really like being able to look up a concept and get teaching ideas. I do think MUS and MOTL work nicely together.

Honestly, it sounds like you aren't missing anything. I used MUS as our main program for a few years, then switched to MOTL for about a year and a half. Now I am back with MUS and use MOTL for supplementation (with the # of kids I was homeschooling MOTL was too high prep for me as our main program). The MUS videos come in handy for non-mathy moms because we can watch them and get an example of how to teach our kids, or we can have the kids watch them directly. if you comfortable teaching what you're teaching on your own, I really don't think you need them. You could borrow them for your friend and check them out, but I'm guessing you won't feel like you need them.

Yay! I am very excited to get this for my kiddos!

I think we are closer than it seems. The # of people listed is the # of people actually buying *at the current discount level* (right?). So I'm hoping one of these days it will hop up really quick. I did enter my order only for the 40% off level so I'm hoping it will make it!

OH my! :grouphug: I was coming to commiserate because I have boys all the same age as yours and it really is hard. My meager suggestions - - chores that don't require a lot of supervision from you (scrubbing the tub, washing baseboards, wiping down fronts of appliances, folding laundry if you can stand it, etc) - literal time outs. My children hate losing free time. An 8 minute time out spent in the corner where they can't play or do what they like is truly a punishment. - 15 minutes off bedtime (this can get complicated if they all share a room) - turn it around and offer an incentive for following the rules, following your routine and good behavior (this has been most effective at our house). Put up a chart and start with 5 smiley faces per child per day, x them out for true disobedience or infractions you feel the kids know better than to do. Offer rewards for ending the day with 3 left, or all 5, etc. My kids are earning points this summer for doing their morning routine without reminders, math, reading, and various other things (I have a list posted on the fridge). Points can be cashed in for certain rewards. HTH - I've been where you are (am I still there? probably…) and it's not easy!

Great news!

I correct work immediately and then go over mistakes with them - I think that is a huge benefit of homeschooling. I do specifically choose not to use red ink to correct - but that's my own baggage not theirs LOL. I typically correct in a pink or purple marker. My children insist on a big A+ on pages where they missed nothing (despite the fact that we don't really "do" grades).

These bravewriter threads always pull at my heart! I love the idea but worry about the implementation in my family - I will have to go check out the wand for my 7yo. :)

I think it depends on how well your child is reading. I think your best bet is to have some sort of workbox system where your child goes from one activity to the next. Coloring page, play with math blocks, dot to dot page, computer time, look at books, easy craft, free art time, etc.

A couple thoughts - * I would try to not establish a "set" school time that limits when you do school. When I had my surprise twinkles my boys had to understand that sometimes we do school when we have time to do school. In other words - we seize the moment for a lesson even if it's after 2:00 on a weekday or after supper. * Think about your true top priorities and work on getting to those first. Anything that isn't top priority you can schedule in a loop after the 3 R's are complete. * Assuming your kids are youngish (and I mean under 5th grade or so), try to not fret over how much you get done. I know that flies in the face of hard core homeschooling but some years are just like that. 2 years ago I had a school year that was split between fall semester when I was on bedrest with my twin pregnancy and spring semester when I had newborn twins. We did very little history, no science (except at our weekly enrichment coop), no music, and only free style art projects. Were I measuring our year against anyone else's standard I'm sure I would have to admit it was a failure. Given the challenges I had to deal with, I felt my year was a huge success. I homeschooled 3 kids (K, 2nd, and 3rd) during that time and everybody finished their math curriculum and everybody was a better reader at the end of the year than they were at the start of the year. Success! :) IMO the bottom line is do the basics and enjoy your baby. You can cover a lot with just the 3R's and reading a lot of books.

Thank you!

What is the yahoo group for sharing lesson plans?

This happens to me frequently. I now have to take note of what I'm returning and then go back in to my account online to confirm they were checked in. Huge pain.

Next year my oldest will turn 12 on July 9th and start 6th grade shortly after. He was not "red shirted for sports". ;)

I'm in the same boat - this fall I will have 5th grader 4th grader 2nd grader preK/Kish guy and almost 2 year old twins :rofl:

I don't think it's quite as simple as assuming all the other friends in the circle will agree and support the OP. I totally understand the complication of needing to distance from another person but finding it impossible because of all the mutual friends involved. To the OP - I would try to find a way to not let her take advantage. Without knowing the details (and I certainly understand why you don't want to post them) I would say just to avoid giving her the opportunity for her to take advantage. If she dumps her kids on you, don't be available. If she promises to do a project together and bails - don't sign up to work with her. If she says she will meet you somewhere and doesn't show, be busy when she wants to get together, etc.

We did this at Christmas and it was awesome! I got $100 off an ipod touch.

63. In my defense I get tons of stuff from there- everything from diapers to wipes to agave to dishwashing detergent and a lot of it is on auto ship. I also did most of our school book shopping in that time period.

When I want an amazon pick-me-up I usually get a cookbook or knitting book. YMMV depending on if you actually like to cook or knit. :D