I don't know how to explain how I know, but I'm 99% sure it WAS in response to me.

Well, something happened today that really hurt my feelings. I'm not sure what to feel or how to react, if at all. We had a falling out about 14 years ago over a serious matter, and there were hurt feelings all around. I thought we had moved on as there hasn't been anything too huge happen since then. I thought we were at least on cordial terms although we both know that we are very different people who don't have a lot in common. I don't let my kids watch PG 13 movies,t hey think I'm nuts. I prefer they don't gorge themselves on sugar, they think I'm too strict. I prefer to homeschool most of them, they think I'm keeping them in a bubble, etc etc. They basically think I'm to blame for a fractured family relationship and so probably have blamed me for that for the past 14 years as well. But, we are able to do holidays, spend time together and we "keep it together" fairly well, despite not being super close. So today I asked my dad to please pick my son up from school since it was an early dismissal and the baby will be sleeping. (we have kind of a reciprocal relationship as we help them with whatever they ask and they help us out with childcare occasionally, etc) I asked very politely and told him how very much I would appreciate it. He said yes, no problem, happy to do it. They live 1 mile from us and the school is 6 minutes from their house. We then had what I thought, was a pleasant conversation. My toddler was in the room and kind of babbling, and he asked what she was saying. So I went on to tell him what she's been doing lately. I also tried to explain where to go to pick up my son as I knew it would be chaotic for someone who's not familiar. That's really about it. Well, I guess I talked too long. (whole conversation was about 10 minutes). Because when I said "bye", I waited on the line for a few seconds. I then heard him exclaim "Jesus Christ!" in a very annoyed and exasperated tone. Then I heard my mom say "What was she talking about?" and then the line went dead. Am I the only one who thinks this is a little nuts? I can't imagine why a grown man would be so bothered by a pleasant conversation with his daughter-apparently I took up too much of his precious retired time? What in the world? I guess I knew deep down that he didn't really like me, but this sealed the deal. I almost called him back and asked him why he was so upset, but I refrained. What would you do? What would you think?

We are kind of at a crossroads. Dive into classical, or stick with traditional. The two programs I'm torn between are MP's Classical Composition, CAP's Writing and Rhetoric, and BJU's English/Writing sequence. I just feel uneasy about starting Fable next year (with either of the classical programs) because I don't know if I believe in the philosophy. It's one of those things-I could hate it and totally regret it, OR it could be *the* thing I've been looking for all of these years. I just don't know. At least I know with BJU that it would be familiar, although I'm not sure I love their writing. I'd love to hear from people who both love either style, and the people who've tried one or the other, and it didn't work.

I've done quite a few of your choices, so I'll put my 2 cents in. CLE-not light, very workbookish. Well, it IS a workbook. Like all CLE, very organized and independent but imo, very boring. WWE-Didn't feel like "writing" to me. I also felt like after level 1, if got pretty difficult for my kids. We dropped it after part of level 2. BJU 2-We did this with the DL option. I LOVED having someone else teach it, and it got my kids to write, but we didn't stick with BJU. Now, I'm considering it for the next kid. I would recommend the DL though (and they're having a $99 sale right now)

I don't want to hijack the post, so I'm going to pm you about this post!

This will be ambiguous-bear with me. I may be bringing my now 5th grader home from public school, or at least dual enrolling him. He's been away in public school for 2 years now, and was homeschooled before that. His issues don't stem from him being in school, but it has certainly exasperated them. I am searching for curriculum for any subject, that will reinforce good character traits and virtue. I'm open to just about anything including Christian or secular. Thinking specifically in the areas of Literature or history or anywhere else that I could pull things in from. I'm thinking there has to be some materials available for middle school that I'm just not aware of. With all of the crazy this world is throwing at him, I need to combat it with some powerful stuff-especially in the areas of morality, being a strong leader, not giving in to peer pressure, etc. If anyone has any ideas, send them my way. Thank you!

We are similar-my kids are 12 down to 1. I think it's all about being intentional and being very very picky with what you DO do! I loooove our quiet nights at home. I treasure them in fact. Tonight was one-no activities. We played King of Tokyo. But having growing kids means more activities and time with peer groups. I get that although some days I'd love to rewind when we all just were together every single night and they had no idea that there was a world outside of our walls. But, we roll with the punches around here and when things get crazy, we say "whoa" and scale back. We try to find what the one thing is that makes our kids' tick and then find the very best program/coach/place that offers that activity. Yes, baseball eats away a ton of time, but we found the best coach and our boys get what we believe to be the best experience. It's the same with each kid-find the best quality program and forget the mediocre ones.(We left 4H this year and it's been complete bliss!) We do have the usual rules of 1 sport at a time, etc so nothing crazy. But having 6 kids just simply means a lot of activities no matter how you slice and dice it. I try to remind myself that someday I will look at a baseball field and fondly remember the days I hauled 6 kids to Timbuktu and broke the rules with our huge cooler full of food. I will watch a middle school band and the memory of a tune of my 6th grader's trumpet will serenade my heart, or I will look at a little girl in a cute gymnastics leotard and remember the joy on my girls' face when they did their first cartwheel. I know it's hard-man, it's hard. But just try to find that one (or two) thing(s) that light up each child-and go with it. The time will pass quickly as you know.

I know the feeling. We switched to mostly MP this year and I got sucked into trying Rod and Staff after reading tons of reviews. It was an epic fail. We returned to CLE too. I just kind of figured out where they left off. The beauty of CLE is that it's constant review so even if you don't place perfectly, it will all be okay. We're quite happy now that we're back.

This was super helpful. It's exactly what I kind of suspected (and read about) but have never experienced or heard specifically about. I'm not interested in bias in the least bit. In fact, that's what I'm trying to get away from in the public schools! I mean, I know every textbook is biased but my goodness-what have we come to? Everyone pushing their ideologies? I'm also not interested in tedious, unimportant facts such as the percent example. Ugh, thank you!

I think my issue with using this type of curricula, is that the distance learning will be done by himself. I can look through the textbooks yes, but I won't actually be looking over his shoulder as he listens. I know my Catholic friends would think even considering it is blasphemy...but honestly, the Catholic community is really lacking in quality online classes. I will check out Kolbe for sure, but so far, haven't seen anything else that I like quite as much.

Yes! Actually, quite a bit especially for my future 6th grader. The thing is, I'm not 100% sold as I've heard really great reviews of a few teachers, and mediocre reviews from others. If I'm paying $500 a class (yikes!), I'm pretty sure my expectations will be pretty darn high. But it's a great idea to email them and ask about specific teachers with the chat boxes. It reminds me of kids talking during class from the examples I've looked at and I know my kid-he'll be super distracted by that. Especially for my younger kids, I just want someone else talking without the chat.

This is exactly what I'd love more info on. What do you mean by rigid and dogmatic? Can you give me examples? I keep hearing these types of warnings but I don't really know what they mean or how to interpret them.

Absolutely. It's because I have yet to come across a Catholic distance learning option that I like. I'm familiar with Homeschool Connections, Kolbe and that's about it. But the thing that I like about BJU is that there is a teacher teaching directly to a student and not to the whole class. Also, there is no chat box. That is hugely distracting in my opinion and most live classes have them (for good reason) yet still distracting. I'm not necessarily looking for a live class either-just recorded. I also like the visuals, color and short videos that the teachers incorporate into their teaching. Is there a Catholic option that fits in that box?

I have been lurking on the BJU DL facebook page. Man, do those ladies LOVE that curriculum. I'm reading about how it has made their lives easier, they could never homeschool without it, etc etc. We have dabbled in some BJU over the years-a few years of math and 1 year of DL English for 3rd. My overall view is that it is a solid, traditional program much like what would be done in public school. However, their distance learning classes really intrigue me. With a bunch of kids, I know I can't possibly teach every subject to every kid and so I do want to outsource a few things. But here's the thing-we're Catholic. Yep, I know. I've read about the history of BJU and have heard a few heeds of warning on here, but now it's time to dig in and decide once and for all if we can take a few subjects and come out okay on the Catholic end. Obviously, I can't ask this there so I'm asking here. Their worldview is biblical Christian-evangelical Christian and Protestant. I know that. I also know that I would see the most conflict in the subjects of science and history. But here's the thing, it's science and history that I want to outsource. Without going through every video, I can't possibly know if it slams Catholicism or if it leans way one way or another. I love that it is Christian and incorporates God in the studies. No problem there at all. So, what I'm asking is, specifically-let's say my kids took BJU science and maybe heritage studies. Would would their belief system be on the other end of say, 8th grade? What types of ideologies would be interwoven throughout subtly or unsubtly? What topics of study (besides the Reformation of course) would I need to cut out or watch out for. Can you tell I really want to make this work? My husband is NOT Catholic so we DO teach our kids that there are other views in the world. It's most important to me that my kids grow up knowing of God's love and that they have hope in salvation. What do you think? Will BJU work for us, at least a little?

We painted our sunroom Sherwin William's Ivorie. It looks pretty bland on the swatch, but appears a very light yellow in the room. In the daylight, it's a brighter yellow, and in the evening more of a cream. I too was looking to brighten it up without it being too "yellowy" or overly bright. While sometimes I wish I would've gone a little darker, this is a very nuetral yellowish color without really being yellow. If you'd like me to snap a few pics, I'd be happy too. Just send me a pm.

We are hoping to go see a Cubs game, do the Museum of Science and Industry, and any other touristy things that would fit my age range of 12 to 2. What I need to know is this: 1. How is the transportation (for a large family)? If we stayed downtown, how would we get around? 2. Are there any residence/suite type hotels in Chicago? 3. What attractions are not to be missed? 4. Should we look to rent a house in a suburb, and if so, how would we get into the city? Any other tips that would lead to a relatively fun and peaceful short vacation? (4-5 days?)

Getting more specific here in hopes of hearing what a reasonable amount to pay is for a cruise. Or rather, what a *great* price for a cruise is. When looking around the Internet, seems most 7 day cruises are about $600-$900. Does that sound about right for an inside/least expensive stateroom?

Hi! I'm assuming if you opened this, you've been on a few cruises..OR you're like me and just dreaming of one. I've decided that it's time to take my crew on a cruise, or at least investigate to see if it's financially possible. I know some people have gotten killer deals. I want to be that person! As you can see, I have 8 people in my family so I don't expect it to be cheap. But I also don't want to go into this blind. I want to have a fair idea of what it will cost and how to get the good rates. Here are my specific questions to get started: 1. Which cruise line will give me the most "bang for my buck"? Right now I'm thinking Norwegian, Royal Caribbean or Carnival. 2. Which specific ships of those above provide a wide plethora of activities for my active kids? 3. Where do I look to find the deals? 4. What are the good promotions to watch out for if you're familiar with any of the above cruiselines? 5. When should I book for a Fall cruise? 6. What's the best fare you think I could get for the 8 of us? 7. Are there hidden fees or lines that nickel and dime you? 8. Do you know of any good blogs or websites with real people giving reviews or advice? Let's start here. I sincerely appreciate your advice.

Just wanted to pop on and say that we decided to do The Muppet's Christmas Carol this year because it seems to be a favorite. But, I am writing down every other suggestion and will keep them in mind for future years. I had no idea there was so much beyond Home Alone, lol!

For example, Home Alone is a no-go because of the disrespect, language, and Playboy magazine.

We always watch a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve, but I just can't stomach Polar Express one more time. But also not willing to show Elf, Home Alone, or anything else typical like that. Looking for a sweet, wholesome story that would appeal to my 5 AND 12 year old. Any ideas?

Okay, I just checked out Scott's Cheap Flights. First, you pretty much have to have the Premium I assume? Also, no domestic flights? I don't think our first experience probably should be international. Any tips for domestic?

So, we really REALLY want to fly somewhere in 2019. Heck, we don't even care where. I figure there would be plenty to do just about anywhere. We live in the Midwest so preferably to the south, or east or west coasts. We could fly out of Chicago (or Moline, IL-Cedar Rapids, IA, etc) but figure Chicago would be cheapest. We are NOT willing to get credit cards. We just don't know which airline, which websites to look at, times to look, and those little tricks that most people know. Heeelp!

Regarding the family vacation idea-that was actually our original idea! We were going to stay at a cheap/moderate hotel and stay for 3-5 days. The thing is, there are TONS of hotels in Wisconsin Dells. We stayed last summer at one for $80/night AND got 8 Noah's Ark tickets free. So, this resort is the absolute TOP price point. We have stayed here before in the winter and gotten a 3 bedroom condo for $70/night. But now we supposedly have to book through this group block and at this price, wow, hard to stomach.

Not an option. My youngest player is only 8 so no way we could put that responsibility on another family. Plus, there are two of them so double the responsibility. We just don't know any of the other families quite well enough to ask that of them.