I didn't use a math curriculum for 1-4. I bought workbooks to use leisurely, we used the scope and sequence from them. We also used manipulatives, games, real clocks, and I taught measurements using measurement tools (the DS loved it). This year we started on Saxon 5/4. I have learned to dissect the book for our sanity. When I first looked at Saxon years ago I hated the look of it, truthfully I didn't like any math curriculum I looked at. The DS tells me he likes Saxon math. Today he did more problems than I required of him because one of them appealed to him. We probably could have began with Saxon 6/5. Honestly, the results have been good for us. It was scary going this route because it was my first time homeschooling. I kept telling myself, it's 1st (2nd, 3rd, 4th) grade math I can't mess that up. :) I recently ordered a few Life of Fred books for the oldest, fractions and decimals. I think I will be using the elementary set for the younger child along with manipulatives. Then begin Saxon around 5/4 or 6/5.

I'm completely talking out of my...... because I have never used Sonlight. I have been a Charlotte Mason style homeschooler for awhile now. I don't know the reading schedule of sonlight, but what about spreading it out over the entire year? Then you could read some of the books during the summer. We always have a book that we are reading the entire year. I don't make schedules for reading anymore. We accomplish more than I would have planned, if I was still planning. You could also give yourself a break from reading books with audio books. If you are reading classics you could look for them on www.librivox.org. The audio on librivox is free, we have used it many times. We also use the audio books at our library. Audio books are better than sliced bread in this house! If you are reading a biography of an individual you could try to find something at librivox for the particular subject instead of reading the suggested book. There is a site called The Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project @ www.mainlesson.com. I was using this site to find books then searching for them at librivox. It takes the guess work out of choosing what is appropriate.

I believe this issue is about motivation. I've had similar problems as well. I suspected that my oldest would do more in public school because of the motivation of the entire classroom. I sent him to school last year and guess what? He did more writing, and certain subjects he was lagging at home he did exceptionally well with at school. I have racked my brain for solutions to this. I plan to be more goal orientated, and focus on the basics without dragging things out. Some curriculum just drags things out so much. So I make sure he knows what he needs to, and I let him do just a little review without doing every question. There is something about sitting amoung others that are doing the same task as you that motivates you to keep going. So I plan to try the video lessons for Student Intensive Writing. I think it simulates a classroom. I've also started sitting next to him for most of the day. I get him involved in a lesson, then I get up to do things as needed. We do grammar lessons orally a lot. I have also been having conversations on various topics during the day. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm planning to stretch our school year out with less bookwork day to day. Our environment is so different at home, I think trying to work the way the school does with a certain amount of days compounded with a set curriculum is hard. Everyone on this forum has a super duper curriculum, they have analyzed it, put it through a strainer, and created a masterpiece. I think it's ok if it takes more time to get the most out of it.

Last year I let my oldest go to 3rd grade. I went about a week before school and spoke to the principal. We didn't do any testing and I didn't show him anything we had done. We just had a polite conversation and I told him what grade I thought would be best. Let me tell you, I was shaking like a leaf the first day. Homeschooling is sometimes a grand experiment. He adjusted just fine. Some of the curriculum was super easy, and some was challenging. No matter what you've used unless it's the very same as the school there will be bits here and there to fill in. It may take time to get the hand of a new curriculum. It will work out for you though, it did for us. In just one quarter he was doing very well. If you are worried about math for the next year maybe you should look into the Life of Fred books for the summer.

I choose my vehicles based on safety first, then gas milage. Maybe you can narrow it based on a set of standards similar to this. I purchased an Impala a few years ago mainly because of the safety. We were hit a few years later when a driver ran a stop sign, and hit my side of the car with the entire family in the car. His his brand new car was a complete loss, he had it for three days. Our car had about $5,000 in damage. We are still driving it. I noticed there was a difference in the safety ratings from last years model and this year, so if you are buying used or a program car you might want to keep that in mind. I was looking at the SUV's last fall.

We do a variety of craft materials using shrinky dinks, clay, felt, pom poms, wiggle eyes, string, sticks, yarn, and pipe cleaners. I have a plastic file box with a lid full of this stuff, and he creates his own projects. We let our boy whittle with supervision. He had to learn the rules of carrying a knife, and how to treat it first. We've had no issues. We also get out the wood burner in the summer, and use that outside. We also have Steven Caney's Ultimate Building Book, and several books by Daniel C. Beard. If your boys like outdoorsy projects they would enjoy Daniel C. Beard books. My DS also has a side business making survival bracelets with paracord. So we spend time learning many different knots. I plan to give him a box of hand tools this summer. Last summer my DH and DS used an old broom handle and tree limb to make a wood mallet. Every kid in my back yard used this tool all summer long. It was even used to build a bridge with sticks.

Go to the grocery store with a list every single time. Make a rule to not buy anything not on the list. It will become habit, and prevent you from looking at things you are not there for. I have also found that if I unclutter my house, I become more unwilling to bring in new things to clutter it up. I can't tell you how many times I have said no to new things because I just don't want the mess. I would open the door and let a burglar take it all if they would just knock on the door and ask for it. I clean my entire house with vinegar now. I even made a shower spray using vinegar and tea tree oil. The vinegar smell goes away after it dries, and then your house smells fresh. The first time I cleaned this kitchen with just vinegar, we left the house for a few hours and came back through the kitchen door, the difference was amazing. It was like a cleaning company had been there scrubbing away the entire time we were gone. Instead of spending $20 for cleaning products I spend $2+. I also purchase essential oils from Eden's Garden and have my favorite mixtures. The plus side of using it on your countertops (don't use it on marble) is that your kids can eat off the counter without you fearing cleaning chemicals. I have terrible sinus issues sometimes and it has made cleaning during those days tolerable. We have shampoo monsters in our house that use too much at once, pour your shampoo in a pump bottle. We cut our shampoo cost down to a fourth of what we were spending. I was buying it once every week or two, now it's once a month or longer. I did this with the conditioner too. We recycle the foaming bathroom hand soap bottles too. It takes only a few squirts of hand soap (3-5) and the rest warm water to fill the bottle. This way the kids can wash, wash, wash their hands with all the soap they want and it only cost me pennies. I have done this with the dishwashing liquid too because the DH uses too much at once. Any liquid works with the dish liquid but the concentrated soap works best because it makes a better foam. A small $1 bottle of dish liquid last for nearly a month now. I'm considering trying this with the kids bath wash next! I may put the liquid laundry soap in a pump when I can find a bottle that is suitable for that. My DH had a terrible habit of eating out a lot. I splurge sometimes at the grocery store just enough to satisfy those cravings, a $5 steak can save us the $50 restaurant bill. Some people don't know this but you can still get basic TV channels with an antenna on a HDTV. I have had conversations with people in line at the store while buying antennas that didn't know this. Some of the better ones can be triangled for a stronger signal too. We have more than one but we don't have them triangled right now. I won't make an internet purchase without a coupon most of the time. I use retailmenot and tjoos for coupons. Occasionally, I find them in other places. I had a terrible habit of browsing stores (offline) I like to shop in. Now I shop seasonally at my favorite shops about four times a year. I break it down in trips for different family members. I have developed the same will power I have at the grocery store. It was amazing how much money changing that habit recouped. It forces you to think about what you and your family really needs. It stops me from buying too much children's clothing as well. I also plan for the outing by printing coupons first. For years I have been cutting my own hair. One day I got irritated waiting for my DH to get a basic military cut and brought him home to give him a cut. I've been doing it every since. Last year I splurged for a good set of hair cutting scissors. I plan to get a good set of electric clippers next (suggestions welcomed). I buy curriculum in my head first before I click through the cart and purchase it. I make a list, research it, mull over it casually, until the lightbulb goes off in my head. I don't spend every waking moment thinking about it. It just occurs to me that we really need it or this will work for us, most of the time it happens when I'm doing things unrelated. I have ditched many things that I might have otherwised purchased instantly. Our cell phone bill was getting out of hand so I had the DH call to take everything off of it. We also had the internet and texting disabled. You can do that to prevent incoming text and to prevent accidently hitting the internet. The bill was cut in half. People can send me messages through my free email account if they don't want to call. We are old school here. ;) My DH made a joke about me during the recession saying, "What recession?", like I was thinking that. I was raised by a single parent who was raised by parents that lived through the depression era.

I would love to hear someones answer to this as well. :bigear:

Creative writing is not mindless, but creative writing lessons can be. I said I don't want to do mindless creative writing LESSONS. “I don't want to waste valuable time working on a plethora of mindless creative writing lessonsâ€

I've been traveling this road myself lately. I think I have concluded I like Susan Wise Bauer's writing philosophy. I've realized I don't want to waste valuable time working on a plethora of mindless creative writing lessons, when we can be strengthening valuable skills. The best post I read lately was from this thread http://forums.welltr...rts-curriculum/, Sonnet_25 reposted an old post from Ruth in NZ. It was exactly the post I needed.

I believe those topics are generally covered around 3rd grade, but in a homeschool setting they could vary. A good resource for understanding what is usually learned at each grade level is the World Book Typical Course of Study http://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study?wbredirect=1&Itemid=216. I have used this for the last few years as a general list. It has been a helpful reference for planning, and putting to rest the fear that I am missing something. I have also at times looked at the public school scope and sequence. I have found just reading it can be helpful to understand the progression of subjects, even though I don't follow it. I was having a similar problem with math, and we began using Saxon Math. I hated Saxon when I first looked at it. I still detest the big thick boring look of it. However, my DS actually likes it, and he tells me it keeps him on his toes. It spirals so much it doesn't allow them to forget anything. We also use khanacademy.org in the summer for math, it's free. I'm considering Life of Fred as an enrichment for the summer break.

You know, I just remembered something I use to do a few years ago. My oldest kid loved mac and cheese, we had a newborn at the time. Out of pure frustration to make him eat a vegetable I mixed puree carrots into his mac and cheese, several times. It's the same color as the box cheese mix. You could not taste it because the cheese flavor was so strong. I imagine you could use your creative mind with this idea. You could use a juicer, and juice your leftover veggies, then put enough fruit in they can't taste the veggies. I buy the V8 stuff at the store occasionally, but I've been told it's easy to make at home.

You should follow her... Just kidding! :smilielol5: I will probably track mine with GPS and my laptop the first time he drives away.

A year and a half ago I enrolled my oldest in public school, it took one quarter to realize how much better homeschooling was for him. They will either love it and want to stay or they will be more miserable there, and maybe appreciate homeschooling. I think sometimes we put to much pressure on ourselves as homeschooling parents, trying be everything all the time.

I have the same problem in my house, give them all vitamins, and cook what you want to eat. They have never known the pang of hunger. They will get hungry, and begin to cave in here and there. Even green foods start to smell nice after a few days starving. Eventually they will all get in the kitchen, and learn to cook, or give in. Don't buy as many snacks, and hide the few you buy, lock them up if you must. Oh, and sometimes I take them for a long park day, then bring them home to feed them vegetables for snacks. When I grew up, we had three meals with an occasional desert. If you skipped a meal there was nothing to replace it with, no snacks whatsoever. We licked our plates clean sometimes, and asked for more. My older brother tried to get my piece of venison by telling me we are eating Bambi, I told him Bambi was good and continued eating, I was four. The instincts to survive will kick in, trust me.

If you have been in that family long enough to serve them, and have a daughter of the marriage. Then the family should take a united stance to defend you, and tell these knuckleheads that if you are not welcome, they won't be coming either, especially your child! That would be like sending her to wolves, to be around people who don't respect her mother. I've been through this twice, first marriage failed because of a MIL, and her nasty antics. They will tell anyone who will give an ear I was a horrible person .Truth be told, I was glad to get rid of them ALL when I signed the divorce, it was like divorcing his entire family. My current marriage came with in-laws that are just as bad, and worse. I could write a book. Long story short, the MIL tried the same antics. We forged a united front. The funny thing is, my new BIL was inquiring about how much better she acted when I showed up. I said to him it's because I won't tolerate the non-sense, and she knows she must act dignified to be around my family. It's one for all, or nothing at all.

I always like to throw in a few short stories, fables, myths, even fairy tales. The DS is way ahead in the reading level, but it is entertaining to him. I think at this age range they can understand the meanings behind the fables much easier. I waited a year to do tall tales, and it paid off, because he is so interested he is reading them on his own. He still likes to read fairy tales, and I let him. A few nights ago I was reading Mother Goose to the little one and the DS 10 came bolting into the room like lightening, and sat below my feet. The little one lost interest, the older one took his place on the chair, and pinned himself there until we read through-out the book. It was a chance to explain some of the deeper meanings behind a few of the verses. I looked at the IEW Fables, Myths after I purchased All Things Fun & Fascinating, and had buyers remorse for not getting that one! I agree with the idea of using simplier stories for writing because it puts the focus on the writing and less on understanding the text. I think your plan is fabulous.

I must admit that I have no experience with learning disabilities, and know very little about them. However, I think a few of the things I do could maybe help with your situation. Someone mentioned earlier to begin accomodating him and that is excellent advice! Let him listen to literature on audio. Then you can orally discuss it. I am purchasing science textbooks on audio so that my son can keep learning new science on a higher level, while getting the advanced vocabulary read to him. This sort of thing will help with his linguistic development. The more he listens to language the more language skills he may acquire of it. You could do this with every subject if you needed to, sometimes we do this with math and grammar. My son is spelling on what would be about a 6th grade level, but he is frustrated because he has a large oral vocabulary, and can't get that down on paper. So I have been working the issue with spelling rules and word stems. It has been gradually helping. A few weeks ago I found Uncovering the Logic of English, they also have a remedial curriculum, Logic of English Essentials. I'm only using the rules from the book because we don't have a reading issue. Maybe the curriculum would help with your situation though. If you were using audio and alternative methods for all the other subjects, you might be able to carve out a larger portion of your time working on reading and spelling, Until he can manage the other subjects on his own. You could also use DVD's, like Biology 101, Chemistry 101, and Physics 101. I would have him watching documentaries also, and if he has a particular interest in a certain subject maybe even some college lectures. I would also get a good keyboarding program and let him use the word processing system for writing. I think if you work around the obstacles his genius would bloom. Every kid I know that has any disibility at all usually has a particular gift. I let my DS use a mutiplication chart for as long as he needed it, and he is allowed to use it as we move forward in math. Forget about memorizing everything as long as he is getting the concepts. Maybe over more time using this chart he will slowly internalize it.

I have a son who began reading at 3 1/2. His spelling level is also not as high as his reading level. He is reading at a high school level and above. I have grown more concerned about it because the spelling skills are causing a writing crisis. I have been working on affixes and roots. Gradually showing him the patterns in the language, and a few spelling rules. Over a month or two he has improved. I found a thread talking about The Logic of English, and I plan to try that. I ordered the book Uncovering the Logic of English a few days ago and I'm watching the teacher training videos on YouTube. I plan to buy the PDF of the teacher's manual, The Logic of English Essentials, and possibly the student workbook, depending on if I feel I need it after viewing the TM. http://www.logicofenglish.com/ and I figure it has been so long since he last reviewed phonics that a brush up won't hurt anything, and the book can be used for bad spellers or new readers. Honestly, I'm so serious about remediating this that I am stopping other subjects that he is years ahead in for this.

I hope your emotional state has improved since you posted. I don't know the story, but tensions seem to run higher around all holidays, especially when there is ongoing conflict. This could be temporary. You need to get the kids rounded up and let them help with cooking and cleaning, so you can have a good meal tomorrow and a tidy home. You will feel better once you work of some of the stress. It sounds crazy, but take deep breaths and release them when you start to feel overwhelmed. I'll keep your family in my prayers. :grouphug:

I won't even friend my husband on facebook. Your facebook is your choice. My facebook rule is, if that person was small enough to carry around in my purse all day, would I want them there? :D I wouldn't want added to anyone's facebook, only to be ignored, because they are friend collectors. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard for you if the think of it that way.