Neat! Thanks for the info! I will definitely check this out, as I have been wondering if it is worth purchasing in the long run...

I have the Home Teacher Instructor Manuals for both 1A and 1B, so I have been doing a lot of the things in there they recommend-games, flashcards, etc. I think probably the biggest thing is that dh doesn't see all the day to day goings on of homeschooling. He says I do a good job, but he also really wants our son to be strong in math, as he knows I am not that strong in it. I told my dh that I like Singapore, that it makes sense to me! :001_smile:

Thanks, ladies. I really appreciate all your insight. I agree, it is probably just that I didn't communicate it well enough to him and that it looks different to him. He mentioned to me on the phone tonight that he wants Matthew to do lots of "rote memorization", flashcards, etc. He wants our son to have the math facts down, etc. He was pretty firm that he didn't want us to use Singapore, and we bought 1st and 2nd grade Rod and Staff. I think we'll give that a shot and if it doesn't work, hopefully we can check out Singapore again. :)

Dawn, I don't know his reasoning, just that he thinks it will pose problems later on. I told him that Singapore wouldn't thrive as a company if that was the case. He and my son are alike in many ways, so my dh probably sees the explanation as "odd" and figures our son will have a problem... I will have to ask him when he comes home tomorrow night. It is good to hear that you have not had problems with it! When does Singapore introduce factoring? I am a first time homeschooling mother, and it has been awhile since I did that math, so... I forget!:tongue_smilie:

I am hoping you ladies can help out here. :) I originally purchased Singapore math Primary 1A and 1B for my 1st grade son. We did some of it, and it seemed okay to him. My husband looked at it, however, and did not like how they make drawings to break the numbers down. (a circle around an 8, then two lines extending out to the right with a 4 and a 4, for example) My husband believes that this will cause problems with factoring later on, and had us switch to Rod and Staff. I am finding Rod and Staff completely boring, and so is my son. We ordered the first grade, and maybe he should do the 2nd grade, but still, the teacher's book is set up for a classroom and drivers me bonkers. Can any of you tell me where it is that factoring comes into play in Singapore, so that maybe I can look up a sample on their website? Also, are there any of you who have done Singapore through learning how to factor and have had no problems? Thanks! :D

:iagree:This is exactly what I thought of when I read the OP!!

macaroni and cheese with rolls and vegetable, dessert a roast chicken with potatoes, vegetable, dessert enchilada casserole, made mild, nice big salad (throw in a bottle of dressing) and dessert meatloaf, big loaf of crusty bread with butter, salad or some vegetable, dessert :)

I'd definitely go with the jeans and sweater combo. The above poster has a good point about possibly finding some regular blue jeans instead of the black. They tend to be more casual, but I honestly think you will be fine with the black jeans as any jeans-type pants are considered fairly casual. :001_smile:

I have never used RS, but have a question about the worksheets. Is most of the vocab on them things you might have learned, with a few new things interspersed throught the sheet? I learned Russian while I was in the military (at a language school), and, to be honest, they did the same thing with us. When you're learning the whole grammar and what not of a language, you start to be able to decode things and can often guess at a what a word might mean. I guess I would treat the new vocab words on the sheet as freebies or guesses. Make a game of it-try to see if you can figure it out, then find out what it means in the next lesson. :)

IMHO, I would just keep the binders up out of harm's way and skip the page protectors. You are talking adding some serious money to your TOG by getting them. I think the paper that the IG is printed on is thick enough and of good enough quality that you can skip the protectors totally. I also would get more of a circle ring instead of the D ring. I think it would be easier on the paper that way. I got AVERY binders for about $3 each at Walmart that had nice, big, circle rings in them. :001_smile:

:iagree: My dh used to be stationed at Ft. Meade, which is squished between DC and Baltimore. My first son was born in Baltimore. I would definitely go for northwest of Balto to live. My family lives in northeastern PA, so we'd drive up through York all the time. Shrewsbury is a really neat little town, just over the border in PA. :)

I agree with everything the other ladies said. It is totally normal. Think of a balloon filled with water-that is your bladder. Now think of something pressing on the top of it. Something is bound to come out! LOL I also agree that it usually goes away after delivery. :)

Interesting! Thanks for the article link. :D

I agree. I am enjoying these posts even though I just don't have the time or knowledge to participate. :)

I had to read this the night before going to our library! Seriously, though, I have always felt ok going to the library with my children. We usually go to the children's section where there are toys to occupy them while mama looks for books. My oldest son (6), however, is getting to the age where he wants to go in the men's room and will often try to go there by himself whenever he wants to. I have to keep reminding him that he will go in the women's restroom with mama still!

Protein! Things like eggs, meat of some sort, avocado, cheese, etc. No sugar (jelly, syrup, etc). That will just throw me for a loop, as will too much fruit. I agree low carb is helpful. :)

1. For one LG child in 1st grade, is it really necessary to have and use the binders (mom's and student's) and the filing system for all 36 weeks? Right now, I print out her maps and SAP's each week and give them to her when we need them. She is not doing the writing component yet nor timelines. (Not good with multiple quoting, sorry!) I am also a first time user of TOG with a 1st grader as my oldest. Welcome! :) I don't think you must use the binders, but I am using one for the simple reason that everything can be filed and shoved in there and it just makes life easier for me. I also print out things week by week, but at least I know there is a place for it all to go. Lord knows where it would go without the binder! LOL My son isn't doing the timelines yet, either, although we'd like to start this by next year. We have SL's Book of Time (I used SL previous to this) all ready to go. We're doing a bit of the writing, but mostly level 1 or sometimes 2 if I think he can do it... We are also using First Language Lessons. 2. When should I start to have her a)help me create her weekly schedule and b)create her own weekly schedules? I know that this is advocated (and one of the strong points of the program, IMO) so that the student can eventually be self directed and organized. However, isn't 1st grade too young to start doing this? Also, there are many things that I don't have her doing yet (writing, extensive vocab. work, etc.) nor want her to do right now (i.e. every possible craft, which if she knew about, she'd never let me be). I sort of think a 1st grader is a little on the young side to expect them to help make their own schedule. I keep reminding myself that LG goes from K-3rd grade or so, so this portion of it is probably for those children in UG and upper levels. We also skip the vocab for now. I might mention the words in passing and give a quick definition and also point out places on our globe or map, but I am not a stickler for it when he is so young. We're certainly not doing every craft, either. I love this aspect of TOG-you can really pick and choose what you want and still get an awesome education. I think Marcia herself says you can't do everything that is listed. :) 3. I know that TOG is very "pick and choose" oriented, but what should we be accomplishing each week? We basically read all of the primary texts and some of the additional ones; do the SAP's and maps; and do a project here and there. I have yet to get very adventurous and do any salt or dough maps or major crafts. Also, I have the lapbook kit for U1 and haven't started it yet because it was too much at first. Would it be too late to start it now? What you listed sounds great for the age of your child! At this young age, there still has to be lots of time to "just be a kid"-running around and playing, etc. Go with your gut. If lots of crafts make you energized, do them! If, like me, they tend to overwhelm you, skip 'em! I haven't made a salt dough map yet, but we did do sugar cookie maps of Egypt, with frosting, etc. Much better than salt dough, as you can eat them! We made little salt dough pyramids-things that go with the unit, but are on a smaller scale than the map. I just didn't think I could hack that right now! It sounds like you're doing a marvelous job. Sometimes, I think we want to beat ourselves up for not doing everything as listed, but also keep in mind that you'll be going through this all again in a few more years.

This is great! Thanks so much for posting this link. :D

:iagree: Well said!

Isn't it crazy so many of us have the same problem! We are truly rich in America! To the thrift shop, sista! :D

A personal pet peeve for me is when people use apostrophes where they shouldn't, such as "pickle's" or "car's". I always think to myself, "The pickle's WHAT?" :D

I have really noticed this with my 3 boys. I try to limit the amount of "screen time" they get. Once they get a taste of it, though, it is hard to stop. They almost go through withdrawl symptoms and are miserable!

Oh! I wish I were there. There is an awesome Korean buffet in Sunnyvale. Have fun and I hope you meet lots of new friends. :D

Don't worry. I think all of us have done that, or will, at some point in our lifetime! :)

:lol: Gross! So descriptive!