Does anyone know of any discount codes for Sumdog? I like the look of the membership benefits, so I'm hoping to find a discount code. Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Pen, I'm definitely going to look up those computer games. If she gets to do things on the computer, I am pretty sure she would think it was more fun. Great idea about letting her make up problems for me! She loves being the "teacher", and I'd totally forgotten that! I told her today that I was going to switch to Miquon instead of MM for the summer, and she let out a cheer :-) . I do love the strength of MM, though, for the long run.

Here's the scoop... DD (age 7) doesn't like math, especially addition and subtraction (she likes money and tolerates time. She likes measuring). Math time brings out major bad attitudes, pouting, "it's too hard!" etc. (she likes things to be easy, in all areas of her life). We are attempting 1 page of math a week this summer to help retention. (that's it, one page, but it still sours her mood.) She is not behind. She started 2nd grade MM (2A) half way through 1st. She isn't fast but can just get it done when she makes up her mind to. We are about 40% through 2nd grade MM. She likes manipulatives, too. The biggest problems are that 1. The daily battle to get math done exhausts me. 2. I want her to like math. She loves science and if she goes into that field one day, she'll likely need a strong math background. Kindergarten was a cyber academy, and we went along with their math program. First was MM, adding in LoF for fun. I have Miquon, and she plays with it a little. I am thinking of switching to MUS primarily bc it still uses manipulatives and with the dvds, I think she may respond better to someone else "teaching" her. I know I will also teach her, of course. I can borrow the dvd and teacher's guide, so I'll only be buying the student books. I just so badly want to find something she does fairly happily and not curriculum hop. Will Beta MUS follow well if we are almost halfway through MM 2? Will it be more interesting? Any other suggestions or advice? Thank you!

I agree with everyone above. If you do both, I would wait til AAS til after AAR 1. They aren't overkill, imo, as they focus on different things. I am doing AAS with my older DD and AAR with my younger. When the younger finishes AAR 1, then I will start AAS 1 and AAR 2 (that's the plan anyway).

We have thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it used so the cost wasn't quite so high, and I only got the basic set. However, dd flew through it and started level 1 and is reading simple cvc words already. I have two more kids to use it with too, so it will be well worth it for us. While you can find coloring pages with the letters of the alphabet pretty easily, I feel like one of the best things about the program is the amount of phonics awareness games etc. My dd LOVES counting syllables and figuring out which sound is the middle of a word etc, and that is primarily due to going through AAR Pre.

I ship in boxes if I have them handy, bubble envelopes or manila if not.

My dh sold one of his guitars the other day and said he got to do "whatever he wanted" with the money. :001_rolleyes: Today, I come home from the library with the kids, and he has an Ipad waiting :-). (Yeah, he's a keeper). So, what can I do with this for school? I wasn't expecting it so haven't done any kind of research on things. So, tell me, what are your top couple ideas?

We did that. We started OPGTR and added AAS1 after doing a chunk of the book.

My mom always did the CAT growing up. I recall the scores always being straightforward. We did it with other homeschoolers, so other moms proctored my test. I don't know how much it cost. I know all the moms didn't have degrees. My mom doesn't.

I am not sure about the higher grades, but I find books at my dd's reading level and her age, which don't match. Some books at her reading level are above her age and just don't interest her. Some are too detailed for her to absorb it all. The best way for me to find books for her is to look up ones that I already know she likes, then look for similar ones. I think there is an option for that on the main screen. It may be on the page for the book you have looked up. Sorry that is kinda rambling.

I've done K once, and when my next child gets to K, I plan on being more relaxed. K for dd1 was too intense. This time I will be using MM, Miquon for fun, AAR and HWOT.

I have a nearly-6-month old, who was born in the midst of the school year, in November. I only have a first grader officially schooling, so that is good in the sense that I only have had her to consider academically this year, but hard in that she needs me beside her for almost everything. Having older kids who can do more work I'm their own is a bonus. I also have a 3yr old and 2 yr old. For the school that I needed to teach or supervise, we took about 3 weeks off. She continued to read in her own, even during the break. When we started back, I taught the necessities (math, writing, co-op) and she read. It was easier than I thought. This baby is VERY easy compared to my other kids. (Ds1 was adopted as a toddler, so no baby months to compare for him). I'm more nervous about this coming year, when he is crawling and walking!

We do LoF as a supplement to MM. Dd loves it, even if Apples is review for her, so far.

Hugs to you, as a fellow adoptive mom.

:grouphug: No answer but hugs to you! People say stupid things, put their noses where they don't belong. Hold your head up and know you are doing an amazing job! They have no idea.

I lived my first 21 years in a house with a well, and the only issue we ever had, that I remember, is that if someone was showering, you couldn't flush the toilet in another bathroom or run a bunch of water because it turned the shower cold. It didn't effect water pressure, just temperature. I'd check with the landlord unless another Hive person knows what to do!

Awww, I have tears welling up in my eyes reading your story. What a beautiful miracle!! Welcome to being a mom of 4. I joined the ranks just a month ahead of you, and it is fabulous. Congratulations!!

Only 10 minutes have passed, and already 6 of you have made me feel so much better. Battling some post-partum depression (5+ months since ds was born!) makes me feel irrational about things sometimes. So, thank you, all of you. :-)

Going over the bills with dh tonight. We are always on a tight budget because that is just how life is right now. We just realized that for the past year, our cable/internet bill was WAY more than we thought. He thought I was taking care of it, and I thought he was. We are taking the cable box back on Monday (so no TV, but I'm kinda happy about that) and researching cheaper internet, since I need it for school and such. Anyway, I feel stupid that we just were so dumb and overlooked it for months, and I need to know it is isn't the end of world. His point, and it is valid, is that at least we realize it now and can fix it. I'm just feeling really stupid.

I started FLL1 with dd and quickly realized she was ahead of that, so we just jumped to FLL2 with no problems.

We finished OPGTR, continued with AAS and dd just chooses books from the library or our personal collection. I believe that OPGTR finishes with 4th grade words.

What about a rice or bean box? Since those, especially the beans, don't stick to hands like sand, he might feel cleaner.

I am early in AAR1 with dd, at lesson 12. I'm guessing we will take 8-9 months to finish. I'm pretty sure she will be reading Bob books by then (not certain which levels). For now, books seem to intimidate her but she is happy to read the words on the green cards or white board.

I got the Primary Lentil set for my dd. I thought I would save money by getting the book and piecing the rest together. Don't Do That! The pill vials alone are a pain to find. It did take awhile to gather and set up but my dd LOVES it, and I do too. She and a friend played with it for a couple hours last Saturday, and she has asked for it every day. We've only had it set up for a week, but it us a total winner so far. I definitely plan on getting more, especially when my kids are older.

Simplicity Parenting