All you can do is speak from your heart--with truth and compassion. Praying you get some rest this evening and some peace tomorrow. You are given a hard task, but one I'm sure you can handle. The family is fortunate to have someone so caring at their side.

I have never seen this technique, but I love it. Your floors look fantastic!!

Sorry about your laundry. I know the feeling :001_smile:

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Beautiful story! Thank you for sharing. God IS good, ALL the time!!

I am excited about this post (sad, I know). I was just having this discussion with my husband. He was bored out of his mind, but I was genuinely curious. I get small holes in some of my cotton shirts (just a few). The holes are always little and at my belly. I do wear jeans with metal buttons daily. I am not exposed to chemicals except around the house. What could possibly be causing these? It is driving me crazy. I am the only family member who gets them.

We have had a few over the years. My only recommendation is to buy used. Just proceed with caution, inspection the appliances, water storage, waste tanks, heat, and air. With patience you should be able to find the perfect trailer for your family. Our current trailer does not have heat, but we just plug in an electric heater. It works fine and was worth the savings. There many reasons not to buy new (in my opinion). First, trailers lose their value very quickly. Second, why worry about dirty kids and new carpet? It eliminates alot of the stress for us if things are not brand new. Third, the cost difference of new vs used is huge! Also, I'm not sure the size you are looking at, but it is harder to pull a larger trailer. A 5th wheel (vs a bumper pull) is much easier to control on the road, if the trailer is long (or so my husband says). The important thing is to find the trailer set-up that works best for your family. It will be your temporary home, after all. How are the sleeping arrangements and storage? Is there room for everyone's things? Pantry space for food? Adaquate bathroom facilities? Good luck, and have fun with your new adventures :001_smile:

Trailer or 5th wheel... 1. You can park the camper in a camping area and still sight see and travel during the day. A motorhome can be a nightmare in parking lots or just a trip to the store. 2. Motorhomes usually sit for longer periods of time, the engines can easily have problems if left too long. With a camper you just winterize and park it. 3. Cost of upkeep-a motorhome has an engine and all the related issues. We have had both. I would never recommend a motorhome, unless you live and travel extensively in it, but that's just my opinion :001_smile:

I agree! Too much! Too much! My home is cluttered beyond repair. I am overwhelmed at where to even begin. "Less is more" has recently become my new motto. Nothing feels better than a clean house. I began last month with laundry. Each child now has their own clothes basket. I do their laundry once a week. After they are washed-- They carry their clothes on hangers to their closet, and their folded items are carried back in their basket and put away. It has been so liberating! I dump their entire basket in the washer/dryer (no sorting, WooHoo!). If their clothes are on the floor, they don't get washed, simple. The first week they whined. The second week they got organized. This has been a simple life saver for me. No more running all over the house. I get the laundry from one room a time, it goes back to one room. I used to have clean and dirty piles EVERYWHERE!

We live in Oklahoma, close to the KS border. Yes, our right to homeschool is wriiten in the state laws. We have to provide a 'comparable' education for our children. They measure this in hours/days attended. The only tests required are entry tests, if your child returns to public school. No one checks up on you, and there is no one to report to. Regarding classes and sports actitivies--this varies per community. We live in the NE region of the state and have wonderful support. Most sports programs are ran through the city or YMCA and include all children (elementary level). We also have a Vocational College, where classes are available to all. Our support system is large and includes a great Chrisitan HS group. However, I have heard of wonderful support groups in KS as well. It would be best to find out as much as you can about the town you will be living. Each community is different! Our school district does not encourage homeschool (obviously) but is willing to visit and assist parents somewhat.

Here is my experience, for what it is worth... We live in Oklahoma, and my DH's family has a farm full of Pecan Trees. Every fall there is a "pecan picking party" ;) Sometime after the first freeze of the season, we pick the pecans off the ground. They are then stored in the garage until Grandpa gets around to shelling them. They stay good for a long time. After he removes them from their shell, he bags them and freezes them (there are hundreds). They can stay good in the freezer for over a year. I double bag mine, my grandma likes to store hers in a gallon jar. Hope this helps :001_smile: Also...just because a tree produces pecans does NOT make them edible. We have a tree in the yard that has taken over 7 years to produce good pecans.

I love that open and honest conversations are allowed on this forum! I do not judge others choices, or try to 'preach' to those who are not interested. However, I do want to say--'Christians' seem to be the number one reason why people turn away from Christ. This is so sad! As Christians, we should be modeling love. Sadly, this is not the case... "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Mahatma Gandhi

I am so sorry to hear your neighbor has gone bonkers! It's hurtful when others reject us and our family, especially when we have done nothing wrong. On the other hand, maybe this is an answer to pray. By your neighbor cutting ties now it might save you from future heartache. If she is this irate about a simple kiss, who knows what the future will hold as the children get older. Hug your children tight, and make sure your DD knows this is NOT her fault. Some people just have ISSUES, and nothing we can do changes that!

Any church should be happy to baptise your child. Many Pastors will ask to talk to her (with you present) and explain the how and why of baptism. If the first one turns you down...try another, until you find one you are comfortable with. its a special time for your child, good job encouraging it.

*sorry for the errors, I'm writing from my phone* You are not alone!!! You could have easily been writing the story of my life. My son had horrible fits after PS. I would pick him up and after 30 seconds in the car he would unleash his anger, frustration, and hateful. He often yelled at me and his poor innocent sister. He couldn't tell me what was bother him, because he didn't know. I would talk to his teachers and would be shocked. He was polite, respectful, and "happy" in their class. This went on for years. I finally pulled both kids from PS last winter. We struggled, we yelled, we retreated to seperate corners in anger. Finally, I realized the problem was partly me. Yes, me! I had helped create this attitude. I cried for a week. The problem wasn't school or homeschool, or even school work. The problem was our relationship. We were constantly on the attack with each other. My attitude with him had become constantly negative. It had happened over time, and I didn't even notice it. I spent more time critiquing and yelling at him than I did praising. I worked hard to take a deep breath everytime he made me frustrated. I decided to quit giving him attention for his bad behavior (hard, I know) and always talk calmly to him, even if I am seething inside. It has been 1 year and I see a HUGE improvement. We communicate better now and our days are much more enjoyable. I also realized I wasn't a very good listener. I didn't take the time to really talk to him amd validate his feelings. Everything is still not perfect, but its better. It took me 9 years to create that little monster, so it will take awhile to improve him. We no longer argue day and night, as a matter of fact, he voluntarily helped his sister with her math (after quietly completing his) then helped me do dishes today. He still groans at school work sometimes (he is a kid, after all) but our days look brighter. :001_smile: I hope you find some peace and laughter soon. I'm praying for your family

:iagree: His school work sounds like the least of your worries right now. Take the time to try and reconnect with him. GED/diploma won't help much if he is having problems dealing with life. Take a deep breath and a day at a time. Praying for your family

I was in your exact position last year! I highly recommend attending a HS Convention. This gives yo an opportunity to look at the material in person. Although, you will find a wealth of information on these boards. Welcome and enjoy! We use a variety of publishers this year-- Science- BJU Press History-Homeschool in the Woods and some supp. books Bible Study--Doorposts Greek Alphabet--Classical Acedemic Press Handwriting--Reason for Handwriting Math--BJU Press, Beast Academy English Languagle Arts--Rod and Staff, KISS Some Art Sites-http://afaithfulattempt.blogspot.com/ http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/ I suggest you research and research until you feel confident in your decision. Then go for it!! You have to start somewhere, and the path will be full of mistakes. Not everything you choose will be a perfect fit...trial and error.

The kids LOVE dried strawberries and banana slices! We have also make fruit roll ups (they were gone in 10 minutes). Jerky is another favorite but takes a bit of practice to get right. The kids discovered the joy of dried foods when we studied the Explorers and the food they ate on ships. Good Luck

What a wonderful resource. Thank you for sharing!

Praying for you and your family. Hope God provides rest for your body and your heart.

Thank you, ladies! I appreciate you taking the time to help me. God Bless

I agree with Tibbie. I would be more concerned about the emotional trauma for the kids--not because of the kissing but the extreme over reaction. At that age they should be supervised, but kissing is not from the devil and should not be treated as such. We certainly don't encourage the behavior, but we also do not shame the children. We have to be open and understanding (even if we are horrified and screaming on the inside) otherwise our children will never trust us with the big secrets. Take a deep breathe, Mama. Enjoy each moment with your kids, they grow up fast:001_unsure:

I am in need of help and advice. We started school two weeks ago and I still have no grammer/english/language arts for my 11 yr old boy. Last year we worked on BJU Press--English. It was okay. I have searched, researched, googled, and oogled everything. This is our first full year homeschooling. I have no idea what cirriculum is best for this area. I need something to help him with grammer rules, parts of sentence, sentence structure, writing, letter writing, ect. Is this too much to ask for one book/cirriculum? Help! I'm new, green, and overwhelmed! Thank you in advance for any suggestions!