A housekeeper to deep clean my house on a regular basis and a part-time nanny to take care of the baby while I teach and to provide weekly date nights for dh and I. Ahhhh....dreams. :D

I have always been a messie, married a messie and we've passed down a lot of bad habits. When I was younger, I functioned just fine in clutter. Now that I have a family, it does bother me. I would like to not have a panic attack every time someone knocks at the door for fear of having someone see my messy house. That being said, I do agree with the girls who keep it clean and attribute it to habits. It is possible. We did a big clean a few months ago, and I learned A LOT about myself in the following weeks. I was able to maintain the house--with much prayer--because I recognized that anytime I did not follow through with putting something back in the appropriate place or unloading the dishwasher so I could put the dirty dishes in it instead of in the sink I was losing a battle against my nature. Oh, the bad habits within me. The fight was as real as the one in 300, and as bloody :). But, as I said, I learned a lot about myself, and more amazingly I learned that a clean house is possible. It's all about holding your ground and not giving an inch or a foothold. Unfortunately, we just went on a two week trip that has thrown everything off kilter. The house is once again a disaster. My plan is to do another big clean this weekend and start the battle again. My biggest problem is getting overwhelmed when it is in this state and not knowing where to start. Thankfully I have a wonderful dh who is happy to jump in the trenches with me to get it to a more manageable state. Baby steps...as someone mentioned before. We have to re-train ourselves, and that is a very difficult thing to do.

I agree with Jackie, though I put butter in instead of olive oil. I put a whole stick and let it melt and be sizzling when I pour the batter in. The buttermilk is also essential in our recipe Regarding sugar, I think cornbread is less often sweetened in the South than in the North, though it ultimately comes down to individual preference. I consider sweetened cornbread cake :D. I'm intrigued by the cream and grits ideas. I might have to do some experimentin' myself. Hope she has fun in the process and comes up with a winner!

I LOVE it! That Darcy is so talented! She just did mine, too. She's so versatile! I love the colors you chose and the header is beautiful.

the resources at childrendesiringgod.com It's from the children's ministry at John Piper's church. I believe Lady Katherine recommended it to me. I have a couple of the Bible study workbooks if you have any questions. I might can answer them. :) The Bible memory program is great.

and will continue using Growing with Grammar 1/2. I'm planning to add Primary Language Lessons to it for some picture study and narration. As far as reading and phonics, I'm still deciding. I will probably continue Primary Phonics. I'm contemplating Spell to Write and Read (we use the phonogram cards but haven't jumped in to the full program). I will probably just have her do a lot of reading from whatever level she is comfortable in.

Jennefer, I hadn't even noticed there were two different programs: history scribe and happy scribe. Duh. Thanks, Lee, for the heads-up that they are all on sale, and thanks, Tina, for the free horse copybook download. :) I love this board!

I have been thinking of doing the same. I saw where you had incorporated their ancient history set in with SOTW. Did that work well and did he enjoy those? I was considering this set along with the animal combo, if the discount works on the combos.:)

I actually enjoyed Jon Stewart. Not hilarious--though I did laugh out loud several times--not over the top. I find him understated and respectful. I thought Nicole looked fabulous, and barely pregnant. Helen Mirren's dress was probably my favorite. I was ELATED that the singers from Once won and that they let the girl, Marketa Irglová, come back to give her speech. It was my fave. I must admit I was pulling for Ellen Page though I knew she probably would not win. I was very glad that Diablo Cody, writer of Juno, won.

but my main challenges are --entertaining my 7 mo old and balancing his schedule with ours --not getting sidetracked after putting the baby down for a nap --being less gentle and understanding than I would be teaching another child --lack of patience on bad attitude days

I think it looks great! And what a talent if you can do that yourself! I have you on my reader, but hadn't seen the update because it only puts the text through. I got an update, too, but I needed help. :) Darcy from LWM3B gave mine a makeover. I love it!

Holy Experience I'm very thankful to have discovered it here.

and a big shout-out to Regena for that HUGE list! :D Thank you, thank you, thank you. I look forward to looking into everyone's suggestions.

My history plans are tentative as I have not yet settled on a spine, but we will either be using MOH 1, SOTW 1, Our Young Folks' Josephus or a mixture thereof. What were your favorite additional books while studying Ancients? Are there any that could be used for independent reading for a child just starting chapter books? Thanks so much for sharing.

Link here or see blog in signature. :)

This is my thought as well. And, it makes me think of the wardrobe in Narnia. Dh and I were discussing why Sayid would be so willingly be doing these things for Ben. We know that the people on the list are a threat to the people still on the island in some way, but I wonder if Ben is the biggest threat since he knows how to get back and could do something to the survivors. As far as the 6 + 1, I think Desmond would be most likely--unless the 1 refers to the child born on the island--Aaron. Since Desmond was shipwrecked on the island and not a part of Dharma or the others there would be less explaining to do. However, they've all proven they can lie very well. :)

Today has been one of those days at our house too with my almost 6 yr old. It's not so much centered around work here; she just seems to be going through a very bad attitude phase. At least I hope that it is a phase. :) I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

if Aaron would be considered one of the 6. I guess I don't see why not since he did survive the crash in utero. He would be number 5 though, right? Hurley, Kate, Jack, Sayid and now Aaron. That only leaves one. I liked getting to hear a bit of the "story" the survivors are telling. Claire would definitely be one of the eight that survived the original crash, but who else would they have included in that group instead of just saying that 7 survived. More questions. However, I am completely hooked.

Hi Dawne! What an adventure you have before you! This is just a thought from a newbie who has no idea what she's talking about :D so bare that in mind, but what about doing Prairie Primer. It seems like the ages would fit--save your two little ones. I want to do this later on. My cousin did it with her four--1 girl, 3 boys. They still look back at that year as one of the best. Anyway, God bless you on your journey!

You've come to the right place as there is a wealth of wisdom to be found on this board. This is our first official year, but I have been reading WTM posts for several years gleaning information. We, too, will be combining Charlotte Mason and Classical with some Montessori and other things thrown in the mix. I look forward to seeing you around and sharing in your adventures. :)

No trick photography this time, though I'm not exactly sure why my SIL's picture in the background is hanging sideways :). Link in signature.

I've accepted Barb's challenge, too, and if I could get blogger to work right now, I'd have pictures on my blog to prove it. We had a great time, and I'm excited to take a field trip over to my dad's property--actual woods--where I roamed and played as a child. Of course, now I might be too chicken to go out too far. :D I have a Montessori background and think that Charlotte Mason has a lot in common with the Montessori method. As a homeschooler I love being able to take the good, toss the bad and mesh it all together for a program fitted for my dd. Although we are planning to do MWS next year, I am also planning to continue the Nature walks and study, if for no other reason than for us it is a lot of fun.

I love*love*love my wrap. Mine was handmade, so it's technically not a Moby though it is made the same way. It was perfect when he was just a wee little guy, holding him all snug on my tummy. It worked better for us than a sling because he had such reflux and was more comfy being held upright. Now that he is bigger, I use my New Native sling on my hip. However, I will tell you that we just flew from MS to CA and the wrap was WONDERFUL for traveling, even though he is older (7 mos). Even dh, who was skeptical when I first purchased it, commented that it made the trip so much easier. I even caught him raving about it to his sisters. :)

the mail has been very slow lately. I've recently sold some things and put delivery confirmation on them. Usually they make it to Memphis in one day, two at the most, but lately they have been taking up to six days just to make that two hour trip. I don't know what the deal is. Slowness coupled with rates that are continuously being raised--not a good combination.

I just bought a used copy for $30ppd! Oh well, that's what I get for not being patient. :) Maybe I can find a deal on the cd that won't break the bank.