This is what we are going to do once the SOTW has been exhausted. Unless of course they add more to it; we're just on Vol. 1. But, I did look into this and loved it - but loved SOTW more (for now, anyway!) Their science books are really exciting, also.

I am glad that I am at least headed in the right direction....

We have adopted a method to doing multiplication, and I want to see if anyone else is doing it this way: Problem: 8 x 4 Solution: 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 8 + 8 = 16 and 8 + 8 = 16 16 + 16 = 32 I don't know if this is the "right" way to teach it, but it seems to get the point across, which I think is the point, right? Can anyone foresee any potential problems with doing it this way?

This is something that has been on my mind lately. I sure hope we can get some good answers! I'm in the process of deciding whether to switch math curricula or not. I'm hearing fabulous things about MUS, but to be honest, I just don't get it. I understand how to use manipulatives, insofar as using them to count, but aren't we "supposed" to be teaching our kiddos how to do math in their heads? Maybe that's kind of a silly assumption, I don't know. Let's hear from the "old hats" here! :bigear:

I think your eldest dd is right - she's not going to go! She's just trying to spread her wings and test the limits - and you've called her bluff. I have witnessed this "battle of wills" many times, and even participated in it when I was her age. Think of it like the game of "Chicken". If you stick to your path, odds are she is going to be the first one to waiver! Good luck - hang in there. You can do this! :grouphug:

We had neighbor kids (8 and 4 yrs) that came into our shed that we hadn't moved stuff out of yet and proceeded to pull boxes out, glasses and pictures, etc. and destroyed them. I was so livid I was speechless. I had just lost my dad, lost my home and then lost some semi-valuable stuff. I admit, I shouldn't have left it there, but honestly - and their mom was pretty much like, "you handle this, David" (her s/o) in a very flippant tone and walked off. Yeah, her day is coming....

Of course, it's not as good as Taste of the Wild, but it isn't as expensive, either. Our Golden is a working dog (duck hunter) and this works really well for him. His coat is gorgeous, his piles are small, well formed and do not stink (gotta think about those things!) You want something high in protein, i.e. lamb, duck, bison, venison. Beef is OK, not ideal. The gal who feeds her dog with the BARF supplementation is doing a wonderful job...I am proud of her! But for me - nope. Like the kibble. I give him raw meat maybe once a week, but definitely not as a regular meal. We are using the Sweet Potato and Venison (it's grain free). You certainly need to stay away from things that have corn in it. Read your labels - do some research. Good luck!

With some of the suggestions from you wonderful mommas, I managed to get through and even entertain ds (albeit I did have a mess to clean up)! But it worked out pretty good, if I do say so myself! Hats off to you all! :grouphug:

I think that is so rude of her. And I'm afraid I would have to say to her: "please don't let your dog void in my yard; it disrupts my dog's karma" (or something to that effect). You might also suggest that if she does not intend to stop letting her dog mark his territory, she will need to bring some kind of towel or something to wipe it off. If that doesn't work, then offer to let her help pay your house payment. Since it seems to be "community property", then one must pay for that privilege. No?

The Labrador and Pit Bull next door. Every time I go out to play with our Golden, it starts barking ceaselessly. The pit bull got out last weekend and attacked a poor woman who was walking her 2 dogs - everyone is ok; however, I am now afraid to let my kiddos out of the fenced in back yard because of the possibility of getting mauled to death....that's a pretty big problem, actually. Hmmm.....

:lol:

I use it for Michael Clay Thompson....just a thought:D!

We have this very same issue - I am glad some other momma's have had the same trouble and are able to advise....well, not glad, but you know what I mean!!:)

Love it! Feasible and right up his alley. Huzzah!! All of these ideas are fantastic ones. Again, thanks to you all who have gone before me! Where would we "newbies" be w/o you all?

I grew up in Nebraska, and we had your blizzards and whatnot. Here in OK we have ICE storms and these people are so not prepared for anything like that. Last year our power was out for about a week. That sucked. Fortunately we had a wood burning stove. Whenever there is "severe weather" around here, the TV goes over and above what, in my opinion, should be reported. I get the "be prepared" ideology behind it - look at Picher; it is gone now due to a tornado. 5/3/99 - total devastation in NE Oklahoma. So, I think every region has their issues. I would much rather be in a tornado than an earthquake - I've been in both situations! Ride it out - it probably won't be as bad as they are saying. And if it is, you'll have a fabulous story to tell your grandkids!

Getting special "Ronan" toys is a fabulous idea - he needs to learn just as much as she does - if not more so, because he still doesn't know his ABCs...(is that bad?) I have flashcards for him - maybe that's what we'll do prior to getting started with the big girl stuff.... I also need to learn to relax about stuff, go with the flow, as it were. I've just been such a regimented person for so long that it's hard to loosen up and let nature takes it's course. ((Deep Breath)) Thanks so much!

I am very very new to HS (day #3, actually) and already I am finding it hard to keep everyone entertained. We work in the morning on 1 or 2 subjects; it is fine for awhile, but then my 3 year old gets pissy and wants me to play blocks or something with him. I have tried to engage my 3 year old in some coloring stuff, but he isn't really into it yet. My DD, I think, is trying to take advantage of the staying at home situation, and I am trying to keep order. I am still waiting on some of my books to come in, and I feel like the books that I do have are just not engaging enough for Brynne. I thought I had researched this whole thing, and maybe I over-killed it. I knew there were going to be bad days, and I guess this is one of them. It's kinda too cold to play outside, and their swing set isn't put up yet anyway. I took them to the park this afternoon and of course they threw a big old fit when it was time to leave. And I felt guilty... Ah well. Tomorrow Ronan goes to Kids Day Out and Brynne and I can do whatever we need to. I'll just be glad when it warms up a bit!

My dd loves to do workbook stuff, and Ray's isn't getting it. I am seriously considering switching her to either Singapore or Nurture Minds - it uses an abacus. I am already bored with Ray's, too...

We are still waiting for the rest of the books to arrive, but I do have this one. When we come to a "stem" word, we talk about it and then she finds 5 words (ones not in the book) and we go over what they mean, and then I have her use them in a sentence. She either already has some in mind or we go look in the dictionary. It's a fun way to get the point across!

Oh thank you! I love love love the outdoors, but am not really sure what to do on "nature walks". I mean, I can point to a tree and say "that's a tree and it gives oxygen" or whatever, but new ideas are soooo welcome!

I just went and checked this out - I think I may have just fallen in love. I like Ray's, and will probably continue to use it but this looks cool. Thanks for the link!

I have to say, this first morning went pretty smoothly! We did math, history and art - her choices. Tomorrow we'll do language arts, science and something else (my latin books aren't in yet). Then just moved stuff back and forth as she wants, as long as it is something everyday (Mon-Fri). I am encouraged! She took the SOTW online quiz and the first time around she got 7/15. I don't think she thought about the questions too much. So, throughout the day, I would ask her what a "nomad" was and why they did what they did, what an archeologist was and why they do what they do, etc...we re-took the quiz and she got 11/15. Thanks so much, ladies! I appreciate your support. A lot!:grouphug:

It never occurred to me to do it like that. I guess I just assumed that she was so starved for knowledge after spending 1 1/2 yrs in the PS that I should feed it to her hand over fist. All of the above responses make me feel a lot better. And it is hard to remember that my little 7 year old isn't an actual "teenager", although she acts like one sometimes! I must remember that she is still a kid, and with that comes goofiness, play time, snuggle time, etc...I have really been lax in those areas, I'm sorry to say. As I'm sure most of you know, having a younger sibling that still requires a bit more attention can tend to push the elder into the shadows.... OK: deep breath! I can DO this! Thank you all for your advice - it does not go unheeded!

I have this fear that I am not going to be able to teach her everything she is capable of doing...I feel inadequate, actually. I know I have to start somewhere, but she's so advanced for her age that I just am at odds about what is "right" and "challenging" enough for her. Can I challenge her enough? I am also trying to reassure myself that she will retain all of this new information...I certainly do not want to inundate her with facts, figures and whatnot. She is used to being in a 1st grade PS class in which 1/2 of the kiddos can't read nor do any type of math, save the 1+1, etc. She's already working on multiplication/division. I have a 5 course curricula set up, which includes Latin...she is going to be 7 on the 30th of Jan; intellectually she is around the 5th grade or so, but emotionally she's still a 1st grader (well, maybe a little more mature, but not much). She is very excited about starting, as am I, but I am kind of afraid that she's going to freak out with all of this stuff...guess we'll take it day by day. It certainly isn't a static program, and can be adapted. Long story short, I guess I'll just have to dive on in and flounder about a bit. Thanks for "listening". Any advice/thoughts would be most welcome! :bigear:

We start school on Monday, so I'm trying to tie up some loose ends. I do believe I will just stick with the MCT curricula; I have briefly glanced at Caesar's English but not in too much detail. I might want to do that, huh?:lol: