My favorite mop is whatever one DH decides to use when he cleans the floor :lol: Seriously though, we usually just use one from Target

We are planning on starting Aug 31st...when the older kids go back to their schools

My 3 yr old watches mainly Noggin and some PBS. I'm pretty lenient with TV but there are a few shows I say no to (Fairly Odd Parents is one my kids constantly ask to watch) My next oldest is 6 (1st grade) and is starting to want to watch the "older" kids shows like ICarly, Hannah Montana, etc. I do allow it sometimes but he doesn't watch that much TV (and big sister likes those shows too). I have to add, the Jack Black episode of Yo Gabba Gabba was hysterical :D

ok, well that lasted a short time.....after we read a few books, DS decided to start building a house out of pillows :D. He is now trying to figure out which pillow leads to the garage lol

My 3 yr old just came up to me with a stack of board books and said "Mommy, you teach me" :D. This is really cool because said 3 yr old is a wild and crazy guy who does not like to sit still for anything lol

we like the thermos ones (have a straw built in) Have some Kleen Kanteens but find the spout hard to open and they are squeaky

you certainly can try and teach her the way it should sound just by doing it yourself...I can't see any harm in that. Even now DD will do a sound funny (Rs, words starting with sh can still be an issue) and I'll stop her and have her say it again, concentrating on doing it the right way. I will say that you know your child better than anyone....I tried and tried to get DD speech help for years (first through our county, then through the public school system). Even DDs kindy teacher requested help for her but they kept saying her issues were all developmental. She was a mess though--not just Rs, but blended sounds, dropping sounds at the beginning, middle and end of words etc. and I couldn't believe they thought all of that was "normal". We did end up getting private therapy for a while (which just did the same things I was doing at home, but coming from someone other than Mom made more of an impact on DD lol). Then last yr in 3rd grade the school decided she needed therapy for her Rs and did a little work on the Sh words too

no suggestions, just wanted to comment that it took my DD until she was age 9 to finally say Rs (and she still isn't perfect, but is working on it). She had gone to private speech therapy for a while but I guess she had to hit a developmental point before it clicked

I already have a bucket balance, could we use that, or would we need the math balance?

Im debating the same thing....not sure if I should spend the $16.95 to order the pages, or try getting them copied (would have to do so at Kinkos--no scanner or copier at home)

Wanted to add a couple things... Ive been told that as you are outgrowing an allergy, you tend to get neg RASTS but positive SPTs still--apparently the skin reaction is the last thing to go. Also, our allergist said that if you have a positive rast but the number is low enough you could do a food challenge (this hasn't happened to us yet b/c DS still gets gigantic hives from the spt )

We have McRuffy, but its a complete program including phonics, reading and handwriting

My kids would really like to get a look at the night sky but Im not ready to spend a lot on a telescope right now. Was looking at the one from the Discovery store: http://store.discovery.com/detail.php?p=86134&v=discovery_telescopes_best-sellers But its $159.99 so its a bit high for me right now. If its a really good one, Id figure out a way to buy it (definitely can't afford the pricier ones now) Also stumbled on the Galileoscope.....does this really work? For only $15 it sounds too good to be true thanks

Id be thrilled about the housecleaning help :D Id also be annoyed at the homeschooling comment, even though it was probably meant well. Me personally, Id consider having someone come over in the afternoon and play with the kids.....I have some health issues and can't do some things that I used to do and I think it would be fun for the kids to have someone from the local college come out for play time (kind of like a mother's helper....no day care though because you'd still be there and be in charge)

I just got the K-3 book 1 for my 6 yr old. My 15 yr old (who takes art in high school and wants to go to art school for college) saw the book and wants to do it too :lol: I think its a nice introduction. You could try it and just move through it faster if it seemed to easy. Or you could try the next level if you think your kids would be bored

my DS has sensory issues. The OT who did his eval said we could consider having him wear headphones/earphones to block out noise while he was doing his school work (this was originally suggested when we planned on sending him to public school) Since we decided to keep him home instead we haven't done that, but he does get distracted pretty easily.

for my 6 yr old we are doing SOTW vol 1 w/AG for history, and Elemental Science Biology for science

my DD would have eaten some of everything you offered, but there isn't much that girl won't eat :lol: DS3 wouldn't have eaten much.....maybe a banana or tortilla chip. He can't handle fresh/raw fruits and veggies for the most part, its a texture/sensory thing for him (won't eat an apple, but will eat apple sauce, preferably at room temperature etc). Plus he has food allergies.

I think its definitely worth its price. We used the K program last year for my DS who did not want to learn to read. He really enjoyed it and thought the stories were funny. He went from not even knowing letter sounds to reading books (although I didn't make him do all the handwriting) . He is still a pretty basic reader (still sounds out everything) and Im hoping using McRuffy for first grade will really cement the ideas for him. I know for my other kids who went to public school that first grade was a real turning point for them As to which level you should buy, have you tried emailing them? They are really good about responding quickly

I hate reading aloud because I always get short of breath. Im guessing its from my allergies & asthma. I usually just limit my time reading....which is one reason why I've avoided Sonlight--Im afraid of all the read alouds lol

I have a very large fibroid (size of a 15 week pregnancy) that has caused my abdomen to distend.....but I haven't had weight loss

Id choose vacations over a house any day We have neither a large house nor money for vacation at this point which really stinks.

we used Singapore and loved it I recently got the Miquon Orange and Red books, but I find them a little harder to figure out (Im sure its just me since everyone else seems to love them lol)

Ive had 2 sony vaios and love them (still have the old one, just upgraded...now the kids use that one)

Im pretty new at this, but that seems like an awfully heavy/full schedule for a 4 yr old & 6 yr old. I don't think they are being difficult on purpose, I think it probably just a lot for them jmho :)