Why not take and quit if it isn't working? You won't be any worse off than you are now. I'm not sure about walking the route though.. papers are heavy.

:lol::lol:

Help me Oh All-Knowing Hive! We moved to southern Cal just before New Years. We noticed immediately that the house had a funny smell, it reminds me of sesame oil and fish, but it's a very bad smell. Anyhow, in the almost 4 months since we've lived here we've been sick all. the. time. I've had a cold at least 3 times and it seems like the kids have been off and on all spring. Right now 2 of them have what looks like pink eye, 2 are coughing and 1's ears are plugged up. These are kids who generally get a cold maybe once a year. It occurred to me recently that it could be mold in the house. For one, it's a lot more damp here than we're used to (I guess that could cause sickness, too?) and there is a spot of kitchen floor that's obviously water damaged. Also DH isn't really effected and that would make sense since he's gone 50-60 hours per week. I don't want to jump to any conclusions though. Anyone know of a mold that smells kind of fishy? Are there ways to test for mold that are inexpensive? I'm renting so that's another issue - I don't think I could just demand a mold test because I've had a few colds. Is mold very serious, besides to the house? Sorry so long! I feel completely ignorant about this kind of thing! :confused1:

Wait, are we talking about Ambleside Online or Alpha Omega?

I wonder about this when folks ask how long we've been homeschooling. I did two years of 'preschool' with my oldest - we had a curriculum and everything - but it feels somehow wrong to include that as part of my 'years of homeschooling'. Now my 2 year old does go to preschool, but I don't expect him to learn anything. It's just daycare so I can have a couple hours with my older dc to get their schooling done in peace. I figure if he learns anything it's a bonus.

:D This is also a great idea!

I know this isn't what you want to hear :tongue_smilie: but think of it this way: In ten years, your oldest will be gone and your youngest might as well be. There will be no more baby dolls or Barbies or legos or cars on the floor. (There will still be plenty of teen boy laundry, but let's not dwell on that just now.) There will be no more requests to snuggle or wrestle or read together. No little people will want to tell you stories and sing you songs and play house with you. No one will ask you for snacks and leave peanut butter smears on the windows, because they'll be out with their friends. No more picture books. No more puzzles. No more paints and crayons and glitter. Your house will be quiet and neat and you'll have tea and a book by yourself every night. Ignore that mess. Who cares? Cleaning the house while the children are growing is like shoveling the walk while it's still snowing. (I didn't come up with that.) Go kiss your babies. :001_smile::001_smile::001_smile: (Practically speaking, the 15 minute idea is a good one. I also try to tackle one room per week to give it a good run-through. Having company over is also a great motivator. :D)

I'm sure there are other threads about this, but trying to search for them was overwhelming. We just started SOTW 3 after taking a 6 month rabbit trail into American History. We're really enjoying it - maybe too much. We like to do ALL the activities and find a literature selection for each chapter to read aloud. Problem is, that means we're taking 1 1/2 to 2 weeks to finish each chapter. And with 42 chapters, well... Has anyone else taken a slower approach to the 4 year cycle? Like taking 6 years to finish it instead? Any pros or cons to this? Thank you!

We are using Rod and Staff 3 Beginning Wisely for my third grader. I can't say all the exercises have sentences that go together, but most of the sentences are either factual (i.e. "Herons have long grey feathers"), Biblical (either a verse itself or "Jesus did many miracles" type of thing) or support a good value ("The boys enjoyed helping Father.") I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but I hope it helps.

Eh... I don't think I'll chance it. I love my KitchenAid and I couldn't afford to replace it if it died. Thanks!

Amana - yep, Saxon 3! I think rather than going to buy some beans I'll just dig through the pantry. Thanks guys!

I want to buy a grain mill. I've been told that buying a grain mill attachment for my KitchenAid mixer would burn out the motor, but I've also been told it won't burn out the motor to a professional model KitchenAid (which is what I have). Anyone know for sure?

My daughter's math book is telling us to plant beans and measure their growth. What kind of beans would you suggest? We're supposed to start with the beans themselves, not seedlings.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: If it makes you feel any better, I completely put my foot in my mouth yesterday, and then swallowed it trying to make things better. We all act like morons sometimes. ETA: Not that it sounds like you acted like a moron. I think maybe if I try I can fit both feet in my mouth.

Obviously, I don't have any idea who you're talking about or what kind of person he/she is, so I don't know if any advice given will be accurate or helpful. What I can say, having a mother who suffers from depression, is that you can't expect this to be an 'equal' friendship. That person might not be there for you when you need them, might not put in as much in the relationship, not from lack of desire but from lack of ability. I think as long as you go into it with the right understanding, absolutely!

I hadn't thought about that... I need to go rent a steam cleaner.

I can't remember the last time I went a day without being thrown up on, snotted on or drooled on. My clothes get washed every day. DH, on the other hand, can get a few wears out of his clothes before they need to be washed.

Congrats! How exciting!

My last ds would have been Brett William or Jabin Xavier. He ended up being neither. :tongue_smilie: I've always wanted a William, but it seems I won't be getting one. William James?

I agree with Jean. But I'm also listening for ideas.

That might be true, but it might not. I read the book that was recommended a few years ago and it was very enlightening - I really didn't realize how unhealthy my own actions were. It's worth a shot.

:D I love "Jewels of My Own"! You guys are great.

Anybody?

You said you usually school from 9-12. Maybe that's not enough. What I mean is, maybe doing 3 hours of school feels like it's something that takes away from her 'real life'; it feels like a distraction from what she wants to do. I'm not criticizing how much schoolwork you do, every family and curriculum is different, but I don't know how you do it in 3 hours. We school from 8:30 to 3:30 most days, with a generous break at lunch. It's become the focus of our life, not a small part of it. I don't know anything about your situation (how long you've been hs'ing, etc) but the only other suggestion would be to look again at your curriculum and how it fits her learning style. Do what she hates most first. My kids love history and science so we do them last and spend quite a while on them. We do lots of reading and projects, which are fun and learning at the same time. The Charlotte Mason method (we don't follow it but glean from it) is very hands-on, life-learning kind of thing. I hope that helps, I really feel for you! It's no fun when they hate it! :grouphug::grouphug: