Sounds pretty decent, imo. If you're worried about grammar, I would recommend First Language Lessons, start in Level 1. It's VERY gentle, not reading intensive, very parent led and it will be an easy start :) If you do read alouds, then fit history and science in there. Or, pick something she's interested in (like castles) and study that period for a little while. When we go by period (iow, out of order, just studying a particular time) I like to have some poetry, some fiction written during that time (if possible), myths that are relevant, and something autobiographical. From there, the sky's the limit. Movies, youtube, whatever! Science can be almost anything. Learn the scientific method and then use it ;) When my older ds was in ps I was told that in 3rd grade everything evened out. So, it appears to be the 'leveling' grade. No worries, you'll be fine :)

Well............ Stereotypes can apply to any group of persons. From hippies to fundies, stereotypes are how people outside of a particular group tend to define the group as a whole. I think they could also be called "assumptions" and we know what assuming does ;) Racism is showing a negative bias against a group of persons based upon their skin color or family history or however you want to draw those lines. Stereotypes may be generally true or at least appear to be true from the outside looking in, iow they're true of a decent percentage of that people group, appear to be true of a decent percentage of that people group or else were historically true of a decent percentage of that people group. Not all hippies do drugs or are vegetarians. Not all fundies hate gays or subjugate the women in their lives. Racism, however, if based on the false idea that a person's skin color dictates who that person is. I think the overlap would be racial stereotypes... I'm not sure that any of those are good or useful things to have. At the very least, with stereotypes for sci-fi lovers or fundies or Code Pink members, the stereotype is based upon being in a group of that person's particular choosing. Racial stereotyping is based on something over which the person has no choice. I think regional stereotyping can be the same way. If you were raised in the South, then... or If you grew up on the West Coast, then... can be a problem, imho.

Have any wax? That usually works in a pinch.

If you didn't produce an heir and you died (and were a man) then your wife had the right to demand a child of your brother. There are a number of couples who went past their primes without producing children in the Bible. Some of the greatest miracles were when women, who were both barren and past childbearing age, became pregnant. :)

Perhaps they are not valid to you. I am sure that you have some concerns that I might not consider valid as well. Concerns, though, are a lot like feelings and just saying, "That concern is not valid" does nothing to allay those concerns. Even if you repeat it, often. Your analogy does not follow. It would be more like saying, "the concern is that, as the cat-owning population multiplies, cat ownership will gain validity and my right to speak out against cat-ownership may be curtailed." I think it was 1911, maybe 1912. It was a few years ago, and failed to pass the Senate. What analogy are you talking about? I have a few very angry atheist family members who are very outspoken that me teaching my children about God, Christ, &tc is akin to abuse. Yes, they call it *abuse.* They lend their voices to those family members who believe that homeschooling is not healthy, although those folks can't decide if it's negligence or somehow emotional abuse (people DO love to throw abuse around, it's like the catch all for "I disagree with your parenting choices!"). And every once in awhile they get the joy of attacking me for my added sin of not believing that homosexual sex is an acceptable behavior (break out the balloons, because it's an absolute party at that point). Side-note, at least they can all agree that I'm doing a terrible job as a parent and would be much better off if I just did it the way they tell me too :p So, having sat through some fun moments with these folks, this is how I think it would come about, if it did. Teaching these things would be considered abusive, because enough of the people I know already believe this and if they could just raise my children the right way (ie their way) then the kids would be better off. The harassment angle is another one. I know that there are grey areas, there are things that can be taught or said in such a way as to tiptoe around laws that make it illegal to teach children to physically harm people. In the rush to close those loopholes, sometimes freedoms can be tossed. I see this on both sides of the aisle. Christians that want Westboro arrested, because they make us look bad, while hardly considering how easily they could be arrested under the same laws they want written up, for instance. Banning things that could cause harassment... well that's a can of worms. I'm not positive what you mean by the loss of control over one's body. I know a lot of Christians that are very concerned over mandatory vaccines, being forced to go to a physician, being forced to accept/use Western medicine, that sort of thing... but I'm guessing that is not what you mean. :) I haven't been here for years, but I do remember you and I have not a single reason to be upset about how you've addressed me ;) Thank you for your kindness.

Okay, I see now where I must have gone wrong in my initial post. I was trying to answer the question what limitations on freedom people are concerned about. I know what a lot of people are worried about, because a lot of people I know are worried about them. I'm not overly worried. I'm a firm believer that whatever comes to pass is in God's good will, part of His plan, and will be all to His glory and good to those who love Him. The concern is that, as same-sex marriages multiply the right to believe and teach contrary to idea that homosexuality is natural and normal will be curtailed, yes. I do think that as something becomes more of an everyday thing it becomes more acceptable and reaches the point where hearing that it is not right seems surprising and hard to believe. Divorce keeps being brought up as a comparison. It used to be that divorce was a huge deal and now it's just sort of sad, or even in some cases it's hardly shrug worthy. Now that it's at that point, there are many people who find it hard to believe that there was ever any issue with people divorcing before. Divorce has lost its stigma, as something that shouldn't be done except for the most pressing of circumstances, it is normalized, and now it's like a slightly more complicated break-up and there are plenty of divorces. So, sure, as it becomes normalized I guess it would become more prevalent. I have to wonder if strings would be attached to the ability to oversee a state recognized marriage, yes. In general, that's not an issue with licensing, so perhaps it never will be an issue. It is something that has come up though, in discussion. It's not about cake. It's about people being concerned that they will have to support something they feel strongly is wrong.

Extras are extras :) If you want to add books and discussions, then add them. You *could* move those to a different time of day and make it more casual if that helps.

There has been a bill that was voted down in the senate to make 'anti-gay' speach illegal. It did not get passed, but its existence points out that yes, there have been attempts made to criminalize that. Who's justifying anything? The question was asked, what limitations on freedoms??? And I answered it :) Okay

It took a few meltdowns for me to get it. My youngest is the only one who has never been in ps, I actually took my older son out two months into second grade and my oldest came out a month into eighth grade. Working with ds I tried so hard to do the most and strive strive strive for excellence!!!!!!! And he melted down. And then I melted down. And after a while of two steps forward one step back we reached a sort of rhythm. There are a lot of other things that are going to come up, depending on your situation. My extended family loved how flexible our schedules could be and tried to stuff as much in as they could (iow, I ended up doing a lot of things for a lot of people, because we homeschool and isn't a flexible schedule part of the reason why). I *highly* recommend setting school hours, EVEN when you're on vacation. You'll have to train everybody ;) even the grandparents, to respect this time of day as a time when you and the kiddos need peace and quiet. Honestly, though, even after six years I'm still catching myself getting stressed about getting it done on time. I'm MUCH more relaxed than I was, but I get swept up in the current and have to jump back every once in awhile. I found out, this summer, that unschooling over long ps vacations is a big help to everybody :)

I'm not sure the "That could never happen here" reasoning flies in the US anymore. A lot of things that "could never happen here" have happened here, and so what is "realistic" is a lot more open ended than it used to be. Making it illegal, a hate crime, to speak against certain behaviors would hinder a parents ability to teach their children that. Even if they were still allowed to teach their children that, it would come with the concern that either themselves or children would be found guilty of a hate crime later for speaking about their beliefs.

I'm not worried about it either. If it did happen, then it would not change what I taught anyway. Sure, and most Christians would agree with you. It's not the person talking that changes the heart/mind of the person at any point, anyway. It's the Holy Spirit.

Well, if it's been asked and answered so many times, then I have to wonder why someone asked it again ;) I was just answering their question. I guess it depends on which church you're speaking about. I'm a member of a church (guess that makes me part of 'them') and our church is more concerned with whether or not our pastor will lose his license to perform state recognized marriages if he refuses to oversee same-sex marriages. Because it becomes an "either you agree with us or else you are wrong and since you're wrong you should have to shut up" situation. Really, there are plenty of similarities with this and the evolution/creation debate. The same way that there are those who want to require a child being taught one way, because that is *right* and silence those who disagree. It's also like the abortion debate. Anymore, if you say, "This is wrong, I disagree", you become someone who is hateful or stupid and is somehow hurting society by saying so. And that is the concern.

As far as a loss of freedom, there is concern that speech will be hindered, that churches will no longer be able to identify fornication as a sin, that parents will not be allowed to teach their children what they believe is the truth, that individuals will no longer be allowed to openly believe such a thing without facing penalties. Examples of something being said enough causing change... well, there are a number of those. If you repeat something often enough, people will start to believe it. Isn't that how Pepsi became the drink of a new generation?

Dotwithaperiod - There is a difference between speaking 'in the public square' and targeting an individual, following them, and harassing them. That was my point. It doesn't require a new law or addition to the law specifying who can't be targeted for such treatment, because right now it is illegal for anyone to be treated like that.

Yes! As much as it is said that children need to be untaught what school is when they come out of a school system, parents need that too! We, the parents, are taught as much as our children are what school is and how it should work. That is all fine and dandy, if your child is in a school system. Outside of the school system, teaching children at home is something you will find is as natural and normal as it was when they were little and you were teaching them not to throw things and how to throw things. Really, this is a tough time of adjustment, of unlearning some things so you can relearn things you already knew... if that makes any sense at all.

What you are describing is harassment, which I'm pretty sure is illegal without regard to the subject matter. Iow, if a middle school kid is getting called a goody-goody every day as he walks home from school by the same person or people, then he is being followed and harassed. If, for some reason, he lives in Never-never Land where there are no grown-ups, then the laws may not apply. However, in the US, his parents could report the people or persons to the police or he could report them to the school authorities, for harassment. Even a middle school kid who might be followed home every day heckled as a "homo-phobe", because he has said that he believes homosexuality is a sin is protected by harassment laws.

Interesting, I'll have to look into that. Thank you :)

Science kits are useful too. Grow some crystals. Go on pinterest and look for science projects. Thankfully, science is a topic that can be covered in the kitchen for a loooooong time.

This is different from most other things I have done. I had been used to competing, to 'winning', to 'succeeding', and hsing just did not fit into that. See, "success", in this instance, is really in the eye of the beholder. Nearly every single subject that you want to teach can be taught without specific curriculum. Science is giving you problems? Well, stop ordering new stuff and learn with your children about the scientific process. Look it up online. Find something interesting to all of you, or one of you, and investigate it. Like birds? Look into birds. Study them. It really *can* be that simple. Need writing work? Start with something simple. Have them copy some sentences every day. Have them narrate what they read for science or history or reading. Dictate a sentence to them and have them write it down. It is okay. This is parenting, it's just like potty training and helping them learn to walk, and teaching them their colors and first words. You have already done this and done it well. For now, this year, just get back into parenting 24-7, that is hard enough to adjust to (btdt).

We managed to do a real school day yesterday, after about two and a half months of... well, mostly not doing anything. Dad has FINALLY gotten a home health nurse to check on him. His pic line is still in, but at least she changed the dressing on his feet. I got all the dishes done last night (another thing that hasn't happened in ages) and when I went to mop, youngest ds took over (and did a great job). Oh, and I came back here and it's so much the same, it's like I never wandered away in the first place :p ETA: The VA called and apparently had no idea he had been home for a week! FINALLY, the ball is rolling and Dad will be getting the care he needs :phew: that just made my month.

The lateness of the hour would make me nervous. I would want him to call me, but more likely would be the one doing the calling. Years ago, we set a "call by" time. If he was going to be gone past 7pm, he had to call home. For the most part he sticks to it. If he was out later than that for whatever reason and was more than an hour late without having called, then I would be vacillating between angry and concerned. He knows that, so he tends to call then too.

:/ The one I remember listed everything day by day........ I have to have an old copy, or at least a few pages floating around somewhere. I was just really hopeful that someone would immediately know :p

His come from the VA. At least they're sent through the mail, so I don't even talk to a pharmacist except at his pharma appointments. I think I will ask her about that though.

I wish I could get them to do that with Dad's medications now that he's home :p They gave us his next day's medications when I brought him home and it was like a dream. No irritating Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Morning, Noon, Evening, Night boxes. I really hate handling all his stuff, just doesn't seem healthy.

It drives me to distraction that every single time there is a hospital visit, every medicine is changed. I don't toss all Dad's medications anymore. I found that if I keep them long enough the odds are he will be put back on them again. Too bad you can't do the same in the nursing home. Of course, yours are all in sealed packets with the date and time of day, right?