That does look helpful. Dd took drivers ed in FL to get her permit, but I've never seen a parent guide. We are living in NoVA for the next few months, though. The roads are crazy here (surprise). I miss flat, straight roads, with no parked cars or curbs. Or impatient drivers. Even with a student driver magnet in the back of the van, she's been honked at or cussed out for stopping in the wrong places on neighborhood streets.

:lol: Dd is even wearing her Studio C t-shirt today.

Oh my. That makes me want to cry.

How am I going to survive this?? A 15yo + minivan + my already heightened anxiety = :willy_nilly: Why did I let her get a permit?? And I will have to start this all over again in 2 years... :( I need to hire someone else. That is all

:bigear: I just saw this book for the first time this afternoon, while I was researching more history options for ds11.

Shamelessly lurking :lurk5: Any updates?

:grouphug: I struggle with this too. Medication has been a life-saver for me. I wish I could go back and tell myself that a 6yo does not need to cover all the subjects all the days. Math, handwriting, and reading aloud are enough. On especially low days that can be math, handwriting, and an audiobook. Extra subjects are a bonus and I can pat myself on the back for extras. Now, I have older kids, and I have discovered that I really do have only so much energy. It's not laziness on my part that I can't get to everything. I've had seasons with lots of extra-curriculars and academics suffered. Right now I have 2 kids in a homeschool PE class and one in voice lessons. That's it. And miraculously (!) I have almost enough energy for all our academics and making dinner at the end of the day. I usually run out of steam halfway though dinner prep and hand it off to a kid or dh (when he gets home). Therapy with an awesome, non-judgmental "mommy-therapist" was a huge help to me last year. I hated how it took two hours out of my week to visit her, but it helped me so much. She uses EMDR and helped me combat the negative, judgmental voice inside my head.

That's good to know. I'm letting my Spanish knowledge contaminate the Latin. I probably pronounce Latin with a heavy Spanish accent. :lol:

I'm not a Latin expert, but from my experience with Spanish and with teaching my kids beginner Latin, I'd pronounce it in 2 syllables, smooshing the /oo/ with long a sound. It makes the /oo/ almost into a /w/. I don't even know how to write it. Tway-ree. That's close, but not quite right...

My ds13 didn't say any words at 15 mo, but then soon after, he started speaking in sentences. My mother (4th of 5 kids) claims that she didn't talk until she was 4, because there were plenty of other people around who talked for her. 20 years later, she was the first woman to graduate with an engineering degree from her university. She always had trouble recalling words when she was speaking, which makes me wonder if she was just more analytical than verbal. I think I'm the same way--my thoughts don't usually form in words, so I'm always a little slow to respond in conversation.

This. This year, ds11 asked to do astronomy, so I looked up a bunch of nonfiction "living books" on astronomy topics (I can give you my list if you're interested). I've decided that experiments at the K-8 level are usually useless. We have more fun discussing science topics and watching real-world situations in documentaries. DS13 is working through some of Tiner's books (Exploring the World of Physics, Astronomy, Biology, etc.) In January, I'm going to start him on a basic high school chemistry course, because he loves chemistry and he can maybe take AP chem when he is in high school.

Another vote for CAP Fable

Oh, and once you set a filter, it stays that way, until you change it.

I didn't love it. I got the feeling that Henty's books are formulaic, and anachronistic. It's ok to drop it if no one's into it. You can also read ahead yourself to decide if it's worth continuing with.

On the left side, there is the option to filter by forum. I usually just have the education forums checked, so I don't get sucked into the chat forum or social groups.

The Necklace left deep imprint on my soul. I was so traumatized. So of course I had dd read it last year. She was like, "That was the Worst Story Ever!!" :lol:

This has actually been on my mind over the past couple weeks, after a family road trip. We were driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and we decided to stop at an alpaca farm that was just off the road. We spent some time petting alpacas, feeding them hay, and chatting with the owner. When she found out I homeschooled, she told me about her son, who had been homeschooled and was currently doing an apprenticeship. Just before we left, she told me the farm was up for sale. I spent most of the drive home plotting how dh could quit his job and buy that farm. :drool: The point is, it got me thinking what it would be like to disengage from the life I'm used to and have the chance to educate my children without the normal constraints that I put on myself. Here are my random thoughts: I want my kids to have lots of time outdoors, playing and engaging in their natural environment. I have visions of kids being able to go out and play by the creek for a few hours a day, just observing, playing, and doing nothing in particular. Lessons would be short, and focused on core subjects--math and lots of varied reading. I still want someone else to teach them to write. But honestly, I would love to be able to let my writing-phobic kid avoid writing. Maybe that's just me being lazy or giving in to my own writing phobia. Our lessons would probably be in the late morning or early afternoon when we tend to be less active. I would feel free to ignore grade levels and where they are "supposed" to be, and focus on improving their academic skills where they are, teaching them to read for deeper meaning, think logically, solve problems, and see connections in the world around them. Kids would have lots of opportunities to learn interesting skills. DD15 would spend part of her days playing ukulele, singing, weaving, and drawing. She'd probably learn a couple languages, and study abroad, and she might even have the opportunity to quit math after algebra 1. DS13 would spend a lot of time outside, building stuff, climbing trees, and talking to animals. He'd have a supply of building materials to create with--things for building sheds and treehouses, but also for building robots and computers. The younger kids would have to do explore a variety of activities and discover what they love. I envision community. I want my dh home with the family, as my partner, teaching the kids how to live life happily and productively. I want to surround myself with people who love what they do. I have some good friends who manage to feed their family off what they can grow on a quarter acre, as well as hunting. They'd be indispensable on my farm. Plus their kids and grandkids are some of my kids best friends. We need multi-generations and a community that's just large enough that people can do what they love, help one another out, and teach each other.

Before I sign off for the night, I just wanted to come back and let you know that I'm really enjoying this book. I love her emphasis on dividing what the parent's role is from the child's role. DH grew up in a very structured family. They only ate at meals, and they were expected to clean their plates (I have literally never met anyone who has such a clean plate after dinner). Even now, MIL feels offended if the serving bowls aren't empty at the end of a meal. But they don't seem to get why every one of her 5 boys is 100 lbs overweight. DH and I decided that we would not do that to our children. I was never expected to eat any more once I decided I was full, and I credited my healthy weight to my parents who didn't make food a big deal for me. They didn't limit me, they didn't force me to eat, and I was always aware of my body's hunger signals. Reading through this book, I can see that I've swung too far in the opposite direction. I don't provide much structure for meals outside dinner. I let the kids fend for themselves too often, and I don't sit with them for meals other than dinner. So I have some goals cut out for me in making food more positive.

Oh, that is just sad. :crying: Most of my pregnancy memories are fuzzy. I probably didn't eat ice cream much until after 4 months. I do remember dh would make me cheesy grits for breakfast during my first trimester with #1. It was one of the few things that I could get down before 3pm. And they came up easy too. :laugh: It's funny that I still like grits.

But you have to admit...the bunny trails are fascinating!

Yes, it was Tae Kwon Do. I should probably change my user name--it's been almost a year since any of us have been active in TKD. But I don't particularly feel like changing user names. Kids and I were all doing it for several years, but there was no weight training involved, at least not at their age. Maybe for the black belts that were older teens and adults. My kids didn't participate very far into their teens, and I only advanced up to blue belt. I kinda want to get back into it, and I did a trial class in our new area last week. Oi, my knees hurt for days. And I have no cardiovascular stamina left. I was hoping that I'd get off easy coming in a a "beginner" but no such luck. I was ready to quit less than halfway into the laps we ran during warm-up. Or are you asking about weight classes, like boxing has (eg heavyweight and lightweight)? That wasn't a consideration, either. For sparring, kids were usually matched up by skill and roughly size, although I got to spar with the occasional 7yo (with me crouching down, making no contact, and leaving my defenses wide open). Sparring in TKD for us was always about being quick, making high kicks, and keeping contact light.

:lol: I never got tired of ice cream. Which I was I gained 10lbs a month for the last few months of pregnancy. Then on the nursing end, I ate SO much. And lost 50 lbs in 9 months. Sigh... Sometimes I wish I could have a nursing baby without the pregnancy baloney.

Mmm. Sushi... The perfect blend of sticky rice and veggies and protein. And pickled ginger. I should just learn to make sushi. :drool:

I have a pressure canner that was given to me years ago and I've never used it. I have an electric glass-top stove, and I'm scared to put that big old pot on there. I got an instant pot for my birthday. It has replaced my slow cooker. The liner is stainless steel. I love that I can brown the meat and then cook (slow or fast) in the same pot. I also love that I can set the timer, walk away from the pressure cooking, and let the instapot do its thing. It would be truly magical if I could get one that chooses and prepares side dishes at the same time. :lol:

Oh and socks... we end up with a few random socks in almost every load. I put them all in a pile and command everyone to come find their own socks. I don't want to keep track of 6 people's socks, but we manage to remember what our own look like.