Ugh! I don't even go to Target that often, but I did this time....I think. I need to double check. Luckily, my CC company is really, really awesome about stuff like this. Still, it's a big pain. :(

This is a great idea! Often BH's are a sign that we have done too much and not rested enough, also that we need more fluid. But, keep in mind, it is normal to get them earlier the more pregnancies you have. It's common not to get any or very few with your first and then get them with your second and get more and more with each pregnancy after. Definitely relax. It absolutely does help. But, you may find that you still get them. Hope you have a great last couple months!

There are tons...there are battlefields all over. Monticello (Jefferson's home). And tons more that I can't think of right now. Battle of Antietam is my favorite. It's in MD. I live about 1.5 hrs from DC. I grew up closer. I've lived in the area my whole life. Great place for studying US history. :D

That's great yours like the music. Music actually throws my kids off because they are too busy trying to get the melody right and miss the words. LOL! We have those CD's and mine complain when I try to put them on. :( Mine have no trouble doing 4+ sections a week without music...except for the books of the Bible. They need them for those. My K'ers are done with their book (finished last week). I did not mean to have them go that fast. It just happened. My 2nd grader is doing both the 1st and 2nd grade book this year. He finished the 1st grade book in 3 weeks and is over halfway through the 2nd grade book. He wasn't in Sparks in K and they didn't realize he was in 1st last year. So, last year, he only did the K book plus K review book and did nothing for several weeks at the end because they refused to let him go to the next book...they have since realize he should have been allowed to start his 1st grade book and apologized. So, in order to finish all 3 books plus review books and get all the patches and awards, he has to do both the 1st and 2nd grade books plus those review books this year. He is very determined. Anyway, I'm rambling as I tend to do. :blush: Point is OP should try it both ways. Music works great for some kids and not for others. It works well for me. I have a knack for memorizing lyrics. But, my kids are opposite.

Agreed! The general rule is 6 in a hour for more than one hour is something to be concerned about. For me, that rule was laughable. My uterus was just angry. LOL!! I would definitely mention this to your OB next time you see them either way. And, if they pick up definitely go in. Better to be safe than sorry. Having a baby at 33 wks is a big deal. Leaving them in the NICU is devastating. The prognosis is good, but there can be life long affects from being born too early. It definitely isn't worth the risk. Good luck!

Do you have any churches around that offer AWANA? The kids learn verses and earn badges for saying them. They also play and have fun at club. My kids LOVE it. This has really helped for getting my kids memorizing a lot of verses. We also do work it into our school work, but it's included. I don't have to put much thought into it. To answer some of your questions: 1. Personally, I do think the references matter even if they don't get them down cold. I like to have mine say the reference with them for practice and exposure even the 3 year olds who I know won't really get the reference. Plus, I think it lays the foundation for making sure they know the reference is important later. As a 35 year old who learned a TON of verses, but did not focus on the references, I can tell you that not knowing the references is frustrating for me. 2. I would pick a time frame, like one week, and memorize a specific verse for the week. At the end of the week, I would move on no matter who knew the verse. I have spoken to my oldest on more than one occasion about the age difference and people being different in general and not making our siblings feel badly because they aren't quite as good at it. 21 months makes a big difference at 5 and almost 4. I have 5 memorizing. They rarely say it together even though I want them to. They are getting better at that though. My 5 year olds often do theirs together now. This is one way that AWANA is helpful. Your children would learn verses at their own level. Your 5 year old would be in Sparks and your almost 4 year old in Cubbies. They would learn their own verses that are geared toward their age. 3. We just review things periodically. You could review verses on Mondays or something like that. AWANA has review built in. 4. I get stricter and stricter with learning it exactly as they get older. My 8 year old is required to say it perfectly. My 6 year olds (turned 6 today) have to be pretty close. My 3 year olds can vary a bit, but I do correct them when it isn't word for word. I aim for word for word with all of them. But, there is a time-frame for learning our school verses, a week or so. They work on getting it the best they can in that time-frame. 5. I don't use music unless I happen to already know a song for it that I learned in church or growing up. We just repeat it. I DO use a song for the books of the Bible. I find it helped me a lot when I was learning them. So, we do that for those, but not for most verses. 6. We do our verses first. Bible is the first thing we do every day. I have 6 kids all 8 and under including twins who turned 6 today, twins who are 3 and a 14 month old. I definitely get being in survival mode and struggling to get things done, even when they feel very important. I have learned that whatever gets done first, gets done. Bible and verses are the most important thing I teach my children. Therefore, we do it first. Also, AWANA holds us accountable when it comes to verses. Hope that helps. :)

If they are varying a lot, then they are probably BH's. But, only you really know your own body and what your gut is telling you. With my labors, my contractions don't get super regular like everyone says they will. They are sporadic, even in real labor. I still know the difference because my instinct tells me it's different and that urgency sets in eventually. You need to listen to your instincts on this one. A woman's instincts in labor are almost always spot on. Have you been able to try the bath yet? That will often calm BH's. Hugs. I know our baby's timing is not always ideal.

Unless it is overused, this is exactly how I think of it. :) I do use it, but I don't think I overuse it. Now, I'll be super aware of it and I'll hear it every time I say it. I've discovered things in my speech because I hear my kids saying them and wonder where they learned to pronounce a word that way. Then, I catch myself saying it. Oops! It's helping me correct some bad habits I didn't even know I had. LOL!

Drink a ton of water and rest. Take a warm bath if you can. If the contractions are still coming and they are getting longer, stronger and closer together, they are probably real. The other thing is most women (not all!) will start to have that panicy feeling set in after a while if they are real. (ETA - Sudden urgent feeling is a better way of describing it. It isn't an out of control panic, but more like an urgency.) That feeling in your gut that tells you this is real and you need to get a move on and get where you need to be. I have had a LOT of BH's (read below ;)). With all of my pregnancies and my one early labor with my 3rd (which was stopped), when my contractions went from BH's to real contractions, I got that feeling. I just knew. It was a sudden urgency that set in that it was time to go. With my first baby, I never had a single BH contraction. But, my 2nd and 3rd pregnancy were both twins. They started at 23 wks with my first set and 16 wks with my second. With my second set, I was literally in early labor for weeks...my contractions were strong enough to cause me to need to breath through them and I was dilating. I ended up being 5 cms for 2wks before finally delivering. (I was in the hospital. ;)) Because of my overworked uterus, they started around 20-22 wks with my last baby, a single. With the 3 last pregnancies, my BH's were pretty constant. With both sets of twins, they were literally constant for several months. They where strong and hurt. They were torturous. I couldn't wait to have real contractions. I know my BH's. Still, I ended up in L&D around 32 wks with my last baby because I wanted to make sure. They were not stopping and were getting stronger. It was just my uterus being stupid as usual and of course by the time I got there, they were pretty much gone. LOL! Anyway, it really isn't worth the risk. If they are getting stronger, strong enough to stop you and make you have to breath through them, getting longer and closer together and that pattern continues for several hours, I'd make a trip in. I know it is a lot of driving, but it is better safe than sorry for sure. Good luck and congratulations on your coming baby!!

Not right at all. I don't tend to have be assertive, but if I was, I would try to speak to several of the other parents and go to her together demanding she either be on time or refund your money. I would definitely let her know that you will not only not give her a recommendation, but you will be sure to let other parents know that her tardiness is impacting the services and therefore definitely not worth what you are paying her. Let her know that when you hear of someone looking for this type of class, you will be sure to steer them away from her.

I would get them. There are sheets that relate to the Bible portion. There are notebooking pages for the history topics and people studied. There is also a sheet for each state and state stickers...though I can't remember without looking, the stickers might be separate from the student sheets now...you'll have to double check on that because it is changing just a little in January. Anyway, I do think the student sheets are important, especially if you want to do the state study. But, in theory, you could get away without them if you are good at making or finding your own to use instead. For me, I wouldn't want to bother...and I actually did sort of try for the youngers. I will say, MFW and many users recommend having a set for any child who is 3 and over. I got a set for my twin K'ers. They really don't use them. They did at first, but they aren't really interested most of what we do. It was a waste for us. However, if you require your younger children to be involved with Adv, then you would want them for them too. I let sitting in with Adv be optional for everyone other than my actual Adv student who is in 2nd. Even though I found the extra sets to be unnecessary for us, many people get them and use them with younger siblings. (And, just to note, there are also sheets related to the music and projects. But, since we are talking about mostly the history and Bible, that was what I mentioned. :))

The books in the book basket list are listed by week/unit. It's very easy to know which books to schedule in which weeks and for which topics. So, I would suggest picking one or two titles from the list and buying those. Then, write the book into the grid. I usually read most children's books cover to cover in one sitting, but if it is a long book or more appropriate to read over a few days, I would quickly scan the book and write the page numbers in each day on the grid as well. Hopefully, that makes sense...oh, grid is an overview of the week and has each day on it. :) ETA - I also sometimes combine MFW scheduled history readings from 2 days. So, I may scan those and make a note to combine shorter readings and put a book basket book in the place of one of those days. Since you already have the guide, I would use what you want and leave the rest. We only use the history and Bible portion. I still like it and have no problem using it. I do sometimes use the science. It depends on the topic and the books used for it...and the projects involved. ;) I don't use the art or music, but I do want to and intend to start the art portion after Christmas. I would have no problem using only the history and don't see why it would be a problem at all. I think I would even buy the program for just the history and Bible...and I pretty much did. Not sure I would buy just for the history, but I probably would and since you already own it, I see zero reason not to use whatever portion of it you like. It's a tool. Use it the way it works for you. :D

To the bolded: :lol: And to the last sentence, absolutely! It took me K and most of 1st grade to start to be able to do my own thing without feeling guilty. I still struggle with feeling like I have to do what the manual says sometimes. I have to remind myself that I am the teacher, not the manual. I use the manual, not the other way around. ;) I started to make a list for books to buy from the book basket list. I think that is a great plan and if we use MFW again, I'm going to do that and factor that cost in. For this year, I decided not to because I can use the library. I really don't have a problem doing that. But, it is still easier to have them. I will get them ahead of time and then actually schedule them in by book/page number. That way it will get done more consistently. :)

I originally used the first edition with my oldest. They have revised it quite a bit...just as Crystal said. I have the revised edition and plan to use it with my next kids who will start 1st around March-ish. I can't wait! Anyway, I haven't used or even looked closely at R&S phonics. Though, just as Crystal said, MFW recommends R&S spelling for 2nd grade and my second grade son is doing great with that. I absolutely LOVE MFW 1st. I've used MFW K, 1st and Adv. I think we are leaving MFW next year, but I will definitely be using MFW 1st for all 5 of my younger children. It's awesome. The phonics is very solid and the program over all is just wonderful. I tested my son when he finished the program and he was reading on a high 3rd grade level. He still preferred easy readers, but it turns out he has some vision issues which makes the bigger words easier for him. He definitely can read higher level books. Bottom line, I know nothing of R&S phonics, but I love MFW phonics and my son has a great phonics foundation. He can decode anything! :D

Personally, I think the history is light if you don't bulk up on the book basket books. I'm not able to do that very well. Without them scheduled in, I tend to struggle to get them in. So, we are a little light on the history this year, IMHO, but it's fine for us for 2nd grade. However, that said, we are skipping most of the projects and still enjoying it. Most of the things needed are pretty easy to find. The projects we have done have been fairly easy to do. Hope that helps!

BTW - How did you find the local herpetologist? My son would LOVE to work with one. That would be awesome!

I would do it! In the summer of 2012, a turtle laid eggs in our yard....literally like 25-30 ft from our house...it wasn't the first time because we live in a perfect location for them. All the other times we saw a turtle lay eggs, we left them and within a couple days the nests were invaded and eggs eaten. :( My son LOVES reptiles too. He is 8. (He's begging for a snake!) So, this time we decided to dig up the eggs and incubate them. (It's not illegal on your own property. ;)) All 7 eggs hatched and all 7 turtles survived. We decided to let my son keep one...before we realized how long they can live. So, now we have a pet turtle who will definitely still be here when he leaves for college. :glare: We decided to go ahead with it and deal with the college issue when we cross that bridge. My husband has told him he can get a snake when he turns....9, I think...maybe 10. My husband had snakes growing up. In fact, he raised them and sold them to pet stores. :lol: My son can't wait. He is SO excited. I do agree with not getting anymore though. We will let him keep his turtle and we will get him a snake, but we are not going to be a small reptile zoo. :huh: My son also catches frogs and toads every summer. He'll keep them for a few days or for a month or more and feed them then let them go again. Perfect pet...keep for for as long as you want, then let it go again. Ha, ha!

Umm....we are close to F'burg....assuming it's the same F'burg. ;)

I would love to be a part of a very small (6-8 families or less) group that just gets together for mostly social interaction. Unfortunately, I've yet to find one around here and I don't have the time or desire to start one. Sounds like a great idea though. I would just approach a few families on your own who you are interested in getting closer with and ask them if they would be interested in something like you mentioned.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your father and that she is going through this. :grouphug: Was she actually a joint owner of the account with equal decision making authority or just an authorized user? I'm a joint account holder on all accounts, not just an authorized user. His name is first, but we are equally responsible and it is on both of our credit reports. (We only use one credit card. ;)) I would hate to find out that isn't good enough. Thank you for the heads up.

I don't really have any opinion on it. I could take it or leave it. I would not choose to name my child that. I also would not change a 4 year old's name, no matter the name, assuming this is the name she actually goes by.

Okay, I thought of a much better one than that silly blanket above. My wedding rings are really precious to me. When my husband and I got married, he was still in grad school. He could not afford the rings we wanted to get. Rather than go into debt for rings, we bought less expensive rings. About 3 years later, we were at the jeweler having my rings inspected. While mine were being cleaned, we were looking around. I saw a set and I really loved it. He told me to try it on. I thought we were just having fun. Then, he says, "Let's get it!" I was like, "Ummm...have you lost your mind??!" He pulled me aside and told me, "I have the money. I've been saving since the day we got married to get you nicer rings." I just about started crying. It turns out he started saving money, $5 here, $10 there, right after we got married. He was buying up bonds with the money so I couldn't find it and wouldn't know. It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. We bought those rings. We actually traded in mine. It was rough because we traded in mine and they dropped his on the floor while cleaning it and could not find it! We left without my rings because my old ones were traded in and my new ones needed to be sized and without his rings because they lost it!! They found it and it was all good when I got my new rings which I still totally love 11 years later. :001_wub:

Mine is so silly! The first thing that came to mind was an old twin comforter I own which is affectionately named, "car blanket." It is white (or used to be!) with colorful cars and trucks all over it. It is very clearly a kids blanket. I've had it since I was 5. (I'm 35.) My grandmother gave it to me...it is nothing special at all. She is very talented at crocheting, but this is just a comforter you would get off a shelf at Target. I fell in love with it and I've had it ever since. I slept with it almost every single night of my life till I was married at 20. I took it on overnights and dragged it to the couch with me. I took it to college and slept with it there too. After I got married, I still slept with it whenever I wanted an extra blanket, winter mostly. To this day, it is in a drawer under my bed and I pull it out every single night because it is cold and toss it over my bed (long ways so it goes across the middle both of us even though it's a twin...our decorative comforter is folded down at the bottom of the bed and gives our feet some extra warmth. We don't need this to cover our feet). Every morning, I fold it and put it back in it's drawer. It is a little raggedy now. I really hesitate to wash it and prefer to spot clean if if I have to. I don't let my kids borrow it or use it. It is mine and it is very precious and delicate at this point. I don't know how long this blanket will last, but I suspect I may cry when it finally bites the dust. One really interesting thing about this blanket...I met my best friend when we were about 9. She and her brother each had the exact same blanket! She used hers for years and years too, but hers is long gone now. I guess 10 or so years was her limit. Mine is still going at 30 years. LOL! How ridiculous that this is the first and only thing that popped into my head!

I think the only thing you can do is call at 9am. I won't think it would go out before then since business hours are over and you should be fine as long as you contact them first thing. Good luck! :)

So, just to put my 2 cents in...I am thinking more about just Adv and what grade level it best suites... Personally, doing Adv, I feel it is more of a 2nd grade curriculum. I wouldn't want to wait till 3rd do it. So, I would go ahead with that next year. If you wanted to take a year off of MFW, I would do it for 3rd between Adv and ECC. However, history study wise, it would make more sense to study SOTW 2 and then Adv. verses going back in time after Adv. So, I don't know....I probably put more emphasis on the appropriate grade level for Adv than the time line because you will start at creation again in CTG and go from there. Those are my random thoughts! :D