I really am serious about it. School is an option. I'm ok with it being an option. It's not the option any of us would prefer but if work is not done at home that's where they will go. The kids don't want to be in school, they have gone before and found it boring. I think that's why the 'threat' of saying they will be sent back works so well. It's not really an empty threat in the sense that it would never happen. I'm not going to dump them off at an awful school for not being cooperative about school work one day but I do want them to know that it can and will happen if they keep it up.

I find myself, more and more, reminding our second grader that I don't have time to sit there and say 'ok, now do the next math problem' or 'the spelling word is on the previous page, I'm not going to spell it out for you'. When there is learning happening I'm there, often working one to one, but there aren't enough hours in the day to give one child my undivided attention during worksheet practice type assignments. The other kids do their work and there are younger kids to care for as well. There also isn't time to turn everything into a game or craft project. I want things to be fun but sometimes math worksheets just have to get done. Now that the local schools are in session I find myself saying, in a matter of fact way, that if the work isn't done or I have to spend huge amounts of time arguing about it that I will be taking them to school. I'm not sure 'threat' is the correct word but it's what comes to mind. I say calmly that while I can't force them to do the work I am responsible for their education so, if they make the choice not to do it, I will have no choice but to take them somewhere else to learn. I'm serious about it, if schoolwork is a source daily frustration with one child that child will have to go to school. We're only a few weeks into our school year and I'm getting tired of having to say this. It does seem to get things back on track in the moment but now I'm wondering if it might be a bad idea long term. Am I making school sound like a punishment? FWIW, I really don't want any the kids in school. It would be hugely disruptive to our schedule and the local schools aren't very good.

Definitely non religious groups and classes. Around here kids can't take a class without being required to memorize bible verses. Even the groups that get together require families to sign statements of faith, if you don't agree with all of it and are willing to sign your name to it you're left out. Sports teams, music lessons, art classes, scouts, etc are mostly all at churches. The very rare class somewhere else is generally both not really for homeschoolers (held evenings or weekends) and is prohibitively expensive to do more than very occasionally ($15-30 per hour long class per child in a low cost of living area). We live in a semi rural area so I understand options are limited but I'm tired of driving to things and having to sty in hotels just to have something to do with a secular group.

I see what you're saying but it's not always as simple as 'drive 15 minutes, solve your problem, and get to do what you want legally'. What if you had to drive five hours away and live in a hotel for a few weeks before the birth? Would you still have done it or would you have considered options that are expressly or borderline illegal? What if you couldn't make the trip because of finances, childcare, or other limitations? I know I've broken rules when needed and told my kids it's ok. For example, when taking one of the kids to the hospital I drove way faster than the speed limit. Another time I've used the ten items or less self checkout lane with eleven items, not a law but still a rule. In response to the op, I wouldn't be too concerned with it unless that sort of setup is specifically prohibited. Not sure I would be concerned about the kids picking up rule breaking behavior, will either family really be discussing the law and how the arrangement maybe potentially line up with the law in front of the kids? i would be more concerned with it not working well (especially with a new homeschooler) and having to back out of it and reteach the beginning of the year to your own kids. In your shoes I would do it for maybe one or two non core subjects and see how it goes.

Sonlight has been a big hit. It's great to just open and go (after a quick planning session once a week) then check the boxes, no second guessing myself if I have everything done. Handwriting without tears has been a miss. The kids find the font awkward and I don't really care for it either. It's already been put away in favor of different workbooks.

I've only had problems with slow shipping from rr when something is out of stock. They hold the entire order just to see if the out of stock item will come in. Now, if I'm going to order, I call and check the stock on every single item.

Now that I think about it more there is one thing I do to make things 'easy': I use disposable items and buy cleaning products. When we had fewer kids I used cloth diapers, cloth baby wipes, kitchen rags, regular dishes all the time, homemade cleaners, etc.. Now we use disposable diapers and wipes, paper towels, off the shelf spray cleaners, disposable cleaning wipes, and sometimes paper plates. It's helped keep laundry from piling up, dishes from stacking up, and has kept time open for other things besides cleaning. We generate an entire extra rolling trash tote full of garbage every week and I know it's terrible for the environment but sometimes sanity has to take priority.

We started homeschooling because of moving to a state with an earlier age cutoff. Our oldest went to preschool and was not nearly the youngest in the class. We had to move to another state the next summer and were told that she could not go into kindergarten even though she was ready, could not go to preschool again because all the spots were full, and so would have to wait at home for an entire year then start kindergarten. No thanks. We decided to homeschool instead. Now we live in yet another state with an early age cutoff. People assume she is two grade levels behind the work she is doing at home. People also assume another of our children, whose birthday is the day of the cutoff, will be held back for no reason. We don't plan on using the public schools but it's an interesting assumption. I don't agree with the practice at all unless there are compelling reasons. The post that asked 'where does it stop' got it right. When all fall birthday kids waited a year the new norm became summer birthday kids waiting. Now what? Any kid who starts on time is considered to be immature and behind simply because parents of other kids decided their child should have a special advantage.

Two sets of color ink pens and a big set of sharpies. All I've done with them is color code my list of homeschooling expenses. Worth it.

None of those are true for me. I have lots of kids, including little ones, make meals from scratch, do deep cleaning, have no family nearby or outsourced help, use intensive materials, and my husband works long hours and is away frequently. I'm tired and each day is long and difficult. I have learned to be more efficient and make better use of time.

Ticonderogas have been my favorite for years but this year the regular ones seemed off. I bought them at walmart and the package said microban - some walmart products are actually lower quality versions of the same product sold at other stores so that might be the problem or it might be the new microban coating. The box of tri write (triangular barrel) Ticonderogas purchased this year from amazon do not say microban and feel the same as the older ones we have. I'm going to pick up another package of the regular ones from a non walmart store to see if that is the difference. Costco has a good price on them and great return policy if you happen to shop there. I wanted to see what all the fuss about mirado black warriors was so I got a package of them this year. The kids like them but I don't really care for them. One didn't sharpen well and had to be sharpened way down to get a point. They are nice and lightweight. Any other must try pencil brands?

Yes, the company sells 'cd only sets' or 'cd and textbook' sets. The difference is only about $20.

We don't hand out allowance but the kids do earn money for doing work. The money is for them to save, give away, spend, etc. as they wish. Once they earn it the money belongs to them. Sometimes things come up where the kids are required to use their own money (the way taxes work in the real world). These things are sometimes family outings the majority 'voted' to go on, buying a gift for a friend's birthday, paying for things they lost or broke due to misuse, or paying the difference between what we are willing to provide and what they really want (like more expensive clothes). If they don't have the cash on hand to cover it they have to scramble to do extra jobs or borrow and learn how frustrating it is to have to use upcoming 'paychecks' to pay back debt.

Just as another interesting point.... The name Messiah is not all that uncommon. In 2012 there were 762 babies named Messiah in the United States. This is per the social security baby name index. My personal opinion aside, it's not some completely fringe name.

I need to get some 5/8" proclick spines and the pack of 25 is on sale for a little over $5 but the shipping adds $10. Does my my binding have coupon codes, especially for shipping without spending $75? Thanks!

We have several school age kids who can share items as needed plus younger ones who sometimes use up or break things. I'd say we do an average number of crafts, I'm not counting specialized art supplies on this list. Crayons - 3-4 large packages of twistables or 8-10 24 count boxes of regular Markers - maybe 40 total but we don't use them that much, we also have a big pack of thin markers but they aren't used much either Colored pencils - one nice set for each of the older kids plus a box of basic crayola ones for each of the younger kids, we've also used a large pack of extra thick Lyra brand pencils for a couple years Glue - 4-5 bottles of white glue plus maybe 3 dozen small glue sticks. We use Elmer's for 'throw away' crafts and Avery for nicer projects. Glue sticks can sometimes dry out so we keep them in a ziploc bag. Erasers - maybe 5-6 plus a bunch of the pencil top style. A box of 144 pencil top erasers has already lasted several years (kept in a bag so they won't get crumbly), they were maybe $7 on amazon and are arrowhead brand. Pencils/pens - we actually use maybe 5 pencils per month but they are misplaced at a rate of a dozen a month, last year we used 8 dozen but I think that's more than most families would need. For some reason the big preschooler style pencils and the fancy scented pencils that are each in their own plastic tube are kept on the kid's desks. We don't use many pens, a pack of ten is plenty for the year and they're mostly for my use. Colored ink pens are fun to have on hand. A few mechanical pencils are fun too, they often go on sale this time of year. Notebooks - the kids use tons of paper for doodling. Last year I bought 40 for 10c each and we used them all. This year we have about 50 of the cheap ones so far (17c each at target) plus some nicer ones for schoolwork. If you need loose leaf paper and can't find a good deal on it look for the cheap notebooks with perforated pages. Scissors - we've been using the same few pairs for years but I never leave them where the kids can reach, if the older kids are using them they have to be asked for then turned back in the minute they are done Anything else? - post it notes, highlighters, pencil sharpener, dry erase markers, wet erase markers, chalk, copy paper, sharpies, composition books, pencil boxes (great for organizing things), construction paper, file folders, binders

What do you do when someone is already at your house and it's either a kid who just won't listen to you or a parent who doesn't care what their kids are getting into? I want to stand up for myself but some of these families are neighbors whom I'd rather stay on the good side of and others work with my husband. If I ask them to leave it will turn into a source of gossip. It wouldn't be 'so and so refused to control their children at so and so's house' but instead 'so and so kicked so and so out because her kids were looking at books'. It won't matter if the reality is that those kids were pulling books they were asked to leave alone off the shelves and coloring in them, that's not the way people will talk about it. Taking a break from socializing is a good idea. I'm not sure ill be able to shake the feeling my kids are missing out on something but it sure will be less stress. As the weather cools down it will be ok to expect kids to play outside, that'll help too.

I've been looking for second grade level literature or reading guides. I really like the higher levels from sonlight but since we use it without the religious content and the three week sample of second grade language arts shows the bible as the only reader used I don't think it will work for us. I ordered one of the study guides from memoria press and it seemed to be above grade level or for late second grade. I'm not looking for anything really involved or that incorporates other subjects. Something that goes book by book and gives discussion ideas, questions to ask, and maybe a few worksheets would be great. Is there anything like that?

I've thought about using low expedit shelves/cubes from ikea to form a half wall but I'm not sure if kids would either push things off them from the back or climb on them and walk across the top.

We 'try out' new friends all the time. We've moved, on average, every 15 months. Our families don't live nearby and the kids need other kids to hang out with. I've found there aren't many people willing to invite a large family over to their house so we end up hosting all the time. It's too hot this time of year to do anything outside and a couple trips to indoor play places every week would get expensive. It is what it is, part of military life is having to constantly be trying to make new friends.

This exactly! The kids who come over don't want to use or even play with things. They want to make a quick mess of everything then walk away. Why do they do that?! We now have to put all the doll clothes and items away when other kids come over because kids would open every box and bin, dump it all out, then go looking for something else to make a mess of. It would take forever to pick it all back up. Some kids are indignant when asked to clean up after themselves. Are they never asked to pick up their own messes at home? Board games too. We have to keep them in storage because neighborhood kids would create an hour of work for us in five minutes by opening all the boxes and mixing the pieces together then running home when asked to help pick up.

No idea if schools around here collect/redistribute supplies or let kids keep their own. It would be interesting to find out. I can't really try and claim my house is not set up for babies, toddlers, or preschoolers when I have children those ages myself. Our kids have learned what they are and are not allowed to touch and when they may or may not go in the classroom. Kids who come over don't know those rules and I don't have time to go explain then enforce a bunch of rules. I need to be able to say 'you're not allowed in there, if you really want to play with similar things they are in this box and can be played with elsewhere. Maybe I could try phrasing it in terms if school. 'You wouldn't go into the classroom next to yours to play, would you? Think about our classroom like that, it's set up for our family to do work so we don't let anyone play in there'. The big problem is parents who stay. It's been an issue in other areas. One mom gushed about how funny it was her kids were 'helping' me organize the master bedroom closet. Uh, those kids were out of control - they were sweaty and dirty from playing outside then ran around in and wiped their faces on every article of clothing we had hanging in there. Rewashing everything took days and left me behind on our regular laundry. They shouldn't have been in there in the first place. I kept telling them, so the mom could hear, they shouldn't be in there. She didn't do anything and, really, what could I do? Drag them out? Another kid was told, by me, over and over not to go in the pantry. The mom didn't do anything, just said how her kid likes to explore and how she encourages it. Great. That kid explored despite my protests until a huge bag of rice was dumped out which the kid decided to start walking on in bare feet. It took hours and moving the appliances to get it cleaned up then we had ants coming in anyway on top of being out $15 worth of rice. Those are the sort of things we have encountered in the past that make me feel like I have to guard the classroom (and keep the master bedroom locked) when other kids are over. I don't want books or supplies ruined, messes made, or personal desks gone through. I guess I just want one part of our house that doesn't have to be set up to accommodate other people. I don't mind the kids having friends over and playing outside or in their rooms even though I have to put some things away so they won't be broken first (like baby toys). Maybe what it comes down to is my annoyance over the lack of respect. When did it become commonplace for kids to ignore what adults are saying to them and treat other people's houses and belongings as if they were their own?

The more I think about it the more I wonder if part of the problem is that most of the kids who come over attend public school and have a 'what's yours is mine' mindset. Many of the kids just don't seem to understand how there can be a cup of pencils and some paper sitting there that they are not allowed to take and use or why one child in the house (one of my kids) would be allowed in the classroom when they are asked to play somewhere else (like in the room of the child who invited them over). Maybe part of it is the fact that it is a classroom and is familiar to them as a place where everything is shared. It is difficult for me to stand up to someone else's child and ask them to leave. As a kid I would never, ever have even thought about taking a book off a shelf and writing in it or refused to leave a room when told to do so by an adult. Now kids don't seem to care what adults say. The kids who visit also want reasons for everything. We have a big family and I just don't have time to have a sit down conversation with some kid from down the street about the reasons why they can't do what they want. Why won't they just take no for an answer? Sorry, this is turning into another vent. I'm so tired of kids who come over with an attitude of being entitled to do whatever they want, play with whatever they want, eat whatever they want, stay as long as they want, take home whatever they want, etc.. If we had the space I would really like to have a 'friend room'. A separate living room and playroom with it's own bathroom, small counter area, sink, microwave, and mini fridge (behind a locked cupboard). It would be wonderful to have people over without stressing about the rest of the house.

It doesn't really have doorways, it's open. When I mean rigging up curtains would look like a stage I mean it - several kids could line up and tap dance. The hassle and expense of curtains is another factor. We move frequently so spending several hundred dollars on a bunch of extra tall curtain panels and some sort of giant curtain rod to use for a couple years doesn't seem like a good use of money. Installing the whole thing would take a significant amount of time. Taking the curtains down to wash them every time one of the younger kids gets peanut butter on them would take even more time. I really do appreciate all the ideas about how to get curtains there but it's just not something we will be doing. Draping sheets over everything might be a good plan when we are planning to have a bunch of kids over. We could even just put the desks and table in another room, put sheets over the shelves, and let the kids play in what would not look like a classroom. The chalkboard would be there but the chalk would be put away. I'm not sure it would work for casual play dates where at least one of the kids would have to use the classroom at the same time or for friends who just drop by (making kids wait at the door and watch me while I drape everything in a room with sheets is the kind of thing that would get around the neighborhood pretty fast, lol). I'm not sure what I can do besides telling kids who stop by that they are not to go in the classroom for any reason and if they do they will be asked to leave then following through on it. Play dates where a mom is there or when a friend with toddler or preschool age kids comes over is trickier. I can, and have, said out loud that the classroom is for when our family is doing schoolwork only and is not a place to play then offered the school basket so they can play with the same kind of stuff. If the mom doesn't seem to care about the rules and lets her kids play in there anyway there isn't much I can do besides ask them to leave. I don't want to be so harsh about it with adults but what else is there to do. Not sure I should but part of me feels guilty about setting up a room that looks enticing to children then banning kids from being in there. I wouldn't mind quite as much if other kids were doing work but I reeeeeeealy don't have time to run a free tutoring service for the neighborhood. Our own work keeps me pretty busy.

All the suggestions are great. We have looked into putting up a curtain but quickly realized it would likely cause more problems. With the layout we have it would need several gigantic curtains which would look like a stage in an auditorium.