We don't keep ice cream (or other desserts, for that matter) in the house. We go out maybe 4-5 times each summer. I thought that was normal.

Get a hotel room (pay a little extra so that it's not a total dump and you'll great chance at quiet). Don't hesitate to ask the desk staff to put you in the quietest part of the hotel, away from the elevators and any groups of teens. Get takeout and eat it on the bed while watching stupid reality shows. Soak in the tub. Take a super-hot shower. Bring a book and read. Go to a movie theater and watch something. Order clothes online. Whatever. Just savor the silence.

Around here it's assumed that most people won't be able to swing the membership: $100/month for a family. Scholarships are freely given out, but you never pay less than 50%. I keep telling friends to not hesitate to fill out the scholarship form. They set the prices high to help fund the scholarship. No shame.

Crafting. Gluing, sewing, cutting, sawing, nailing, painting, etc. Seriously. I have a mechanical engineering degree and I don't think I would have been into snap circuits, coding, and computers as a kid. Keep it simple. In no time you'll find exactly what she's into.

I do math & LA 4 days per week following a typical school year and we've had no problems finishing our programs on time. I don't ever lesson plan, I just have them do the next lesson in the book. If the lesson insanely easy, then we double up or skip them. This has worked for FLL, WWE, MUS, TT, and Singapore. This year we are doing Spelling U See (it's fantastic!) and it assumes a 5-day week. I had my daughter do 2 lessons per day starting around Christmas and we'll be caught up in a few months. I would also consider skipping the 5th day if the workload had seemed to be too much for her. Good enough.

You have very thorough curriculum laid out, but my initial thought it that it might be way too much for you to keep straight, especially your first year. I like to make my lists shorter, while still covering the same things. I find *any* transition from one workbook to another to be challenging and suck up extra time. I'd consider dropping latin and memory work for now. You can always add them in later. Listen to SOTW in the car. You really want this first semester to be a joy and I can tell you from experience that this is a lot to juggle. Some people do great with this type of lineup though. You know your kids and your own personality better than I do. I just wanted to give you a different perspective. Really, it's a great lineup you have, but *I* would have a hard time keeping up with that (especially using PAL & AAS) for the littles.

I think the letter is great - tactful and to the point. I do think it'd be a good idea to leave out the 3rd paragraph completely. If someone wants to know more info, then share it.

I cut way back on homeschool curriculum this year, which has made for a streamlined day, but now we're all pretty bored. Basically, all the fun stuff got cut. I'm looking to add back in some simple projects & demnostrations that don't require much thought or planning on my part. What programs are out there? I'd like something like MFW, but that is lighter/doesn't take as much time. If nothing fits the bill, I may just get ECC and stretch it out over 1.5-2 years. This is mainly for a 9yo girl, but I'd have a 7yo boy, 5yo boy, and 3yo boy tagging along too. Huge plus if the program comes with all the required odds & ends.

What about looking more into a religion that you've been interested in?

OP, you would be eligible to tutor Challenge. All of your kids that are eligible for CC (your youngest) would be in a class. That's the main criteria. Apparently they are slightly loosening the rules this year. People who were homeschooled through high school (doesn't have to be CC) can tutor challenge. So a woman who was homeschooled herself through high school who has a 4yo enrolled in foundations could theoretically tutor any challenge-level class. Faces of History is an optional project for Essentials.

I need a coffee maker. We've somehow survived nearly 11 years of marriage without one but the time has come for some liquid energy. We'll probably make two cups per week total. Which maker will take up the least space while still making a decent cup of coffee? I don't want bags of coffee going bad. Give me some help!

I'm surprised that you all think his nighttime behavior is within the range of normal. He's in serious emotional anguish when I leave. Even now when I'm home, he panics at night and needs to hug/kiss me 100 times. It wasn't like this until about 9 months ago. I think we'll do this. I just do not have it in me to start care at 2 different places. I have 3 other kids that need a place to go and with initial kid-free appointments, it's just too much to pull off logistically.

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I don't see why this is a problem, personally. They signed up for preschool. If, for whatever reason, someone doesn't want to buy stuff for a party, then their option would be to either: a) skip preschool (which is ridiculous because it's what they already paid for) or b) go to preschool and not stress about it. Don't discount how personal stress can make even simple tasks like buying $1 napkins seem insurmountable. I've been there. It sounds easy, but for various reasons (some stated above) it's not always. Unless there was a party contract, why is there this notion of "pulling their weight"? I saw stated above that it's not fair because these kids are benefitting from others contributions, but what are they supposed to do if this is something they don't even care about? I personally find school/club parties and birthday treats to be a bother (our kids get PLENTY sugar already) and would much prefer NOT to do them. Why do people who don't value this get stuck doing stuff too (unless they wants to look like jerks)?

We got one from Aldi last year.

Silly Sentences game from Learning Resources.

It is a lot of work to take care of somebody. I don't see her actions as narcissistic at all. You asked her to help and she did. I can absolutely see someone venting in this way. She *IS* all alone with no help. She's probably sick of all the work and that's certainly understandable. Quote: Today while I am at my part time job, I get the nastiest text from sister, about how she has to take my mom and dog to the vet because my dad is still recuperating, and how I could not possibly understand how mom is, and how she is ALL ALONE with NO HELP whatsoever, and no one cares, etc...

Note: don't bake the bread for as long as recommended. Mine goes in for 45 mins. I've made it in multiple ovens and all needed 45 mins.

Pamela's Bread mix. Hands down. Can be found on Amazon but a stand mixer is needed.

You have every right to not give the money back, but *I* would tell her that I'd refund the money if/when another families joins to take their place. I'd also tell her to not speak about it to anyone else since it goes against policy and you wouldn't want to set a precedent. If I didn't go to church with her I'd probably not do that though.

CC fans and Essentials tutor here! Our day looks nothing like that but we are thriving. I think you are doing way too much (and pretty much all is very parent-intensive). Keep in mind that you have all summer to do things like typing. My kids are 9.7,5,2 and the 5yo is in preschool 3 days per week from 9-noon. 9:00 9yo does TT math, 7yo bums around 9:45ish 9yo babysits 2yo while I introduce singapore lesson with 7yo and read with him. 7yo finishes lesson on his own with me popping into help. 10:30ish: 7yo babysits 2yo while I do Essentials for 30 minutes with 9yo*. 11:00 outside for 30 minutes. 11:30/12 lunch (we review CC during lunch). After lunch and quiet time (around 2) 7yo does copy work, edits a sentence, and reads a chapter to himself from a fiction book. I do spelling (Spelling U See) with 9yo. Then we're done. For history we listen to SOTW in the car. For science we read library books. For CC review I grab the guide book and just start firing questions their way. *To keep Essentials to 30 minutes, I do a chart orally (or copy using dry erase on a page-protected blank page), then task sheet, then writing for 15 mins.

Are you planning to homeschool there? That really would make a huge difference. We lived in a smallish apartment last year for 6 months and it nearly did me in. Homeschooling with a bunch of boys in a small space is no joke. There was NO place to go to escape the noise or the kids.

Meijer is not nearly as cheap as Aldi, so I don't do the bulk of my shopping there. It is so much more pleasant to shop there than at Walmart though, so I'd recommend getting Walmart things at Meijer instead. Meijer tends to have way more lanes open so the checkout line is a heck of a lot shorter than at walmart. The selection at Meijer is fantastic. The produce is good, they have a lot of specialty health-food items (like gluten-free), but it's not terribly cheap. Our budget goes out of control when I do a week's worth of shopping there.

I got It Starts With Food from the library and it's clear that I'm not eating enough. There is just no possible way I can make it between meals without snacking. I should be eating 4 eggs at breakfast, not two. Protein is supposed to be 1-2 palm-sized servings, so some beef sprinkled on my salad is not enough.

My advice on TT: keep it. If a kid loves his/her math program, don't switch! Instead, supplement. Seriously, so few kids love their math that I think it would be a mistake to switch. Add in Beast or something.