I should send my kids to school so that they can learn to write that well? No thanks...

Preach it... I was fuming yesterday trying to clean and seeing piles everywhere. I'd go to put something away and find that closets/drawers/shelves or other storage areas were also destroyed making it impossible to put things away correctly. I need to get back to KonMari-ing. I also need to pick up the kids' stuff and make them pay me or work for it to get it back. It's ridiculous the amount of time we spend cleaning and looking for missing items. I swear we could be finished with school in half the time if they would just put their things away in their box when they're done - like I say to repeatedly. Instead, I spend half the morning listening to "I can't find my math book", Where is my rough draft?", and "I lost my pencil." I don't think we've had a week of karate yet where I haven't had to spend time helping someone find something. And my husband is just as bad as the kids...

This is a fun thread! :-) I should ask all of mine today. My oldest and I got into this subject a little yesterday as she was (again) complaining about school and why she "has to learn all this stuff". I explained (again) that she needs an education so that she can live and work in the adult world some day. She informed me that she doesn't plan to ever have a job. She's going to live at home and "let" us support her until she gets married and then her husband will take care of her while she stays home. Ummmm...no. The husband part may happen if that's what they choose but we have no intention (or ability) of bank rolling adult children. Good thing she's only 11...

At our school you have to line up at the back if you forget your belt. Depending on age and rank, you might also have to do 10-25 push-ups. My DS forgot his a couple of weeks ago but he's already the last one in line so it wasn't a big deal. They're pretty patient with him since he's the youngest in the school (younger than they typically allow kids to start).

We don't ToT but my kids end up with candy anyway. I mostly let my girls self-regulate and two of them are very good at limiting what they eat each day and sharing with friends who come over. The other one gets lots of extra from generous friends and eats it quickly. She ends up grumpy and difficult to deal with. I try to regulate for my DS since he doesn't At. All. He seems to be orally sensory seeking (is that a thing?) and is constantly eating and chewing on things. It's great in some ways because he'll eat absolutely anything but bad because he seriously goes overboard on junk stuff. He also gets incredibly grumpy and angry when the sugar crash hits. I failed in regulating his sugar intake today unfortunately. :-( And that's where we are now...DD2 ate too much candy today and is crabby and mean, and her least favorite sibling, DS, ate too much candy and is crying and angry. The two of them are going at each other non-stop and I'm about to lose my mind. I think I'll fix an early dinner and then send them to bed early. :-(

I'm having this same problem. I was hoping to have all of our schoolwork done by lunch but we aren't starting on time so that's not happening. I work 3 afternoons a week and we have activities another afternoon so we really need to be done around lunch time. I'm going to try some of these ideas with my oldest 2 and see if they help

When we were kids we chose a missionary couple our church supported. We developed a great friendship with them through the years. They are semi-retired now but still come visit occasionally when they're traveling in the area and we keep in touch. One of my brothers went on a missions trip with them and they came to several of our weddings. They're almost like an extra set of grandparents. :-)

Netflix - Curious George (math, science) The Cat in the Hat (Science) Fetch With Ruff Ruffman (various educational themes) Signing Time (sign language) Reading Rainbow Magic School Bus Bill Nye Brain Games How the States Got Their Shapes Check YouTube for: Cyberchase (math) Liberty's Kids (history)

My DH sounds exactly like yours! We were both home schooled growing up and our first "serious" conversation when we were dating was about homeschooling. He brought it up out of the blue one night - "Oh, and by the way, my kids will be home schooled." :-) When we first started out I expected him to be more involved in the day to day. I thought he would want to go to a curriculum fair or convention with me and help wade through our options - after all, homeschooling was an important factor for him in deciding to marry me! It turned out that he couldn't be any less interested in curriculum choices or research. For a while he tried to help teach sometimes. Usually he would try to help with math since I could only work with one child at a time. I'm so glad he stopped. He tends to explain things in a really confusing way, ignoring the method in the book that we'd spent the last week on, get frustrated and impatient when the child didn't get it, and the whole thing would end with a crying child and irritated daddy. He simply doesn't know how to teach in an age appropriate way. He is incredibly supportive in every other way though. He encourages me to attend conventions and spend ridiculous amounts of time researching curriculums, methodology, and learning styles. He listens to me babble on about new things I've found or things I want to try without being impatient. He encourages me to buy the curriculum I want even if I think it's too expensive. He worked an extra overtime shift before our convention this year just so I'd have plenty of spending money. This system works for us. I was disappointed the first few years that he didn't want to more involved in a hands on way but now I'm glad. I like being able to do things the way I want with his full support. :-)

A friend taught her girls by finding songs they'd never heard and then teaching them the harmony first. Once they had that down she'd teach a couple the melody. When she put the parts together she'd have them stand on opposite sides of the room. They sang beautiful 2 part harmony as grade schoolers and now as teens they can easily sing 4 parts.

Other people popping or cracking their joints. My DH broke his knee a couple of years ago and once it finally healed it would get "stuck" a lot at first. He would twist it all around to pop it and the combination of the sight plus the anticipated sound had me hiding under a blanket with my ears covered. I simply can't handle it. I don't crack my knuckles or toes, and if my knees start cracking I stop whatever I'm doing. I go to the chiropractor regularly though and that doesn't bother me at all. Also, hearing other people hiccup. Just please don't. Food textures - gristle, chewy fat, pulp in juice, chunky stuff in a smoothie, that weird mushroom texture - bring on the gag reflex. I've gotten a lot better though. I like most flavors so I can eat almost anything if I carefully pick out fat/gristle, chop the mushrooms super tiny, etc. I may never be able to swallow a pill though. :-(

I've spent about $700/year the past two years for my 4 kids. Last year that included LOE Foundations levels A and B for 2 kids. This year it included TWSS and the 7th grade science I need for next year (so that I can go through it first). I would like to cut that down a bit next year. I think I can if I plan early enough to look for things used. I just keep waiting too long and then have to order it all new in order to have it in time.

We spend $700/month in a high COL area for our family of 2 adults, 4 kids with hearty appetites, a large (100lb) dog, and 11 chickens (that better start laying soon to make up for how much they eat!). This covers a few toiletries as well - toilet paper, tissues, razors and shaving cream, toothpaste, stuff like that. We have a separate budget of $75/month for cleaning supplies, vitamins, and toiletries like soap, shampoo, and lotion that we order each month from Melaleuca. I've been feeling like this budget was tight and comparing to above posts seems to confirm that. I checked out the link posted above too and we spend $200 less per month than their "thrifty" amount for a family our size. I'd love to increase our food budget but I don't know where the extra would come from. I shop primarily at Aldi. Whatever I can't find there I get across the street at Wal-Mart. I go to BJs occasionally but the closest one is 30 minutes away and seldom worth the time or gas. I also try to run in Stop & Shop (national chain similar to Kroger I think) to pick up whatever discounted meat they have. We eat very simply. I make nearly everything from scratch - including our bread. The only processed food I buy is mac and cheese for the kids to have every other week or so, and one small box of cereal a week. We eat fairly healthy with occasional organics and free range/grass feed meats but not as much as I would like. We don't eat dessert or snack foods and we drink primarily water. I pack my DH's dinners for work (plural - he eats 6 times a day :-P) A typical day for the kids and I is: Breakfast - eggs and toast Snack - a piece of fruit Lunch - grilled chicken, sweet potato, salad Snack - cheese/crackers and fruit or a smoothie Dinner - sandwiches, popcorn, and veggies DH adds oatmeal to breakfast, a protein shake to snack #1, and a salad with chicken or tuna after dinner. It's as tight budget but we eat pretty well and none of us are hungry so I guess we make it work.

Thanks so much! I had a moment of "we have to catch up!" panic this summer but I think I'm over it now. :-) She is where she is - that's the beauty of homeschooling. :-) She was worried about being behind this week too but I just told her that it was fine and since I'm jot worried she shouldn't be either. I think I will plan to do 6A&B next year. It seems to me that she understands and applies the material just fine but she doesn't feel that she does. Doing 6 next year will help build her confidence. I'll check out those pre-al programs and that other thread too. Thanks for the help everyone!

My DD is 11yo and in 6th grade. She is currently halfway through SM 5A. I'm not too concerned with where we are. We're moving at a steady pace and she seems to understand it all fine. Mostly I'm just trying to figure out our options for the next couple of years. I've heard that some people skip 6A/6B. Is this a good idea? Or would it be better to do 6 in 7th grade? I don't want to rush through if it's better to complete the whole series. I want to be sure she has the material down before we move on to higher math. If I do decide to end with 5B, what do we do next? Is pre-algebra next? Does SM grade 5 prepare enough for that or do we need something else first? I didn't do pre-Algebra until 8th or algebra 1 until 9th grade. I don't remember what 7th was. What about curriculum options? She does ok in math but doesn't really care for it. What is a good choice to follow SM? I have some ideas for just about every other subject for the next couple of years but I'm stumped by math. I'm trying to plan and order materials early so that I have a chance to through them myself before next year. Any help or advice would be welcome! :-)

My 4 are about the same ages as yours - 11, 9, almost 8, almost 6. I use a combination of SOTW with activity guide (geared towards 1st-4th) and History Revealed by Diana Waring (5th-12th). Both offer plenty of extra book and project ideas to choose from. We do more or less of the extras depending on our time and interest.

A couple more bags of trash left my house yesterday. I've done just about every category except sentimental but there's still those random things that just don't seem to fit a category or that I forget about. I think I'll go room by room now to make sure I don't miss anything. I'll end with the storage areas that hold the sentimental stuff. The kids' rooms were finished yesterday and my room is on the list for today. The whole house needs to be deep cleaned too. Are you cleaning as you go or just decluttering? So far I've just been decluttering and maybe vacuuming. I think it'll be a lot easier to clean with the extra stuff gone.

I'm starting next week and so is a good friend of mine so you're ok by us! :-)

My DC are still young but my DH and I and our siblings were all home schooled. My DH and his brother were home schooled starting in 5th and 7th grades, I was home schooled starting in 2nd, and my siblings were home schooled all the way through. Homeschooling was fairly new back in the 80s with not many options. There was no TWTM. :-) My IL's used Abeka videos. My parents used a unit study program until a few years ago. We have no regrets and those of us with children all homeschool. Here's a list of where we're all at: BIL - Helicopter mechanic/supervisor, 3.5 years of college DH - Police officer, some college Me - Stay at home, homeschooling, piano teaching mom, a few college classes, when the kids are older college is the plan Brother #1 - volunteer fire fighter, time in the Army, owned his own business, now works as successful salesman (wife also home schooled) Brother #2 - Aircraft mechanic/supervisor, got his Associate degree as an adult (wife home schooled) Sister #2 - happy SAHM to 3 LOs, flute teacher and care giver before the kids came along (husband home schooled - electrician) Brother #3 - worked with troubled youth, volunteer fire fighter, does concrete work now (wife home schooled) Brother #4 - Attending college on a full ride as Cello performance major, tree work, college baseball, etc, etc - he has loads of interests and is good at all of them Brother #5 - painter, attending college majoring in History, considering a career in the military Sister #2 - senior in HS, lots of time with music and 4H, working with horses and volunteering, considering college with eventual career as a midwife We are all happy with where are lives are and our career choices. We are all able to support our families. We're also not afraid to learn new things and change it up at some point in the future. College was optional for all of us. We could go if we wanted but we didn't have too. I think we're all pretty much happy with our choices. :-)

I'd suggest cutting the school time way back for kids that age. That will leave them time for the unschooling sorts of things you're looking for. We do formal school work from 8am-noon. I alternate subjects and let some do double duty. Writing for example is nearly always tied to history, science, Bible, or literature. Literature often ties to history. Some subjects are alternated throughout the week, others monthly. Afternoons are free. I don't require chores, school work, or anything else - unless morning chores weren't done or there was extreme time-wasting during school time. We also keep all screens off. The first couple of days of trying this they couldn't figure out what to do with their hours of time in the afternoons. They soon figured it out and love the time. They do all sorts of things - some resembling school, some not. It feels very balanced.

:-( I would have been sad too. They were very careful with everything I dropped off today. I was impressed. They were really busy too and there was tons of stuff but it was all stacked neatly and carefully.

We had a yard sale today in an attempt to get rid of the spare room full of clutter we've collected over the past few weeks. Maybe this book is becoming too popular and everyone is de-cluttering. We only had about 10 people all day and made less than $10. :-( I split the money between the kids since they helped so much and just got home from taking the leftovers to Goodwill (a pickup truck full and a minivan half full). The yard sale was a bust but we all are happy - the kids with their couple of dollars, and myself with an entire room of stuff gone. :-) I think the biggest change for me so far is in how I view my home and the things in it. I have never found much joy or even satisfaction in house work. It is a mundane drudgery that I do because that's what adults do - and I avoid it or put it off as much as possible. I'm also very practical and will keep something I don't like just because it is still in good shape, accept any and all hand-me-downs to save money down the road, and buy the cheapest thing even though the one I like is only a couple of dollars more. This process has started to change my perception of these things. I am starting to find joy in the housework. I'm making my home a place I enjoy being in. I'm excited about the progress I'm making and it motivates me to keep going instead of avoiding it until it gets overwhelming. I'm buying things I like and that spark joy even if it costs just a bit more. I'm learning that there can be a balance between being grateful for free or inexpensive things that are provided and choosing things that spark joy when I can. I think that as I get my house cleaned out and reorganized I'll start to feel more focused and peaceful. I think I'll be less distracted and able to have the time, energy, and focus to enjoy the things I love. I'm already starting to feel these things even though I still have a long way to go. I tend to get overwhelmed by the house work I need to do. I'm too overwhelmed and distracted by it to really get it done effectively (or I try hide from it) but I'm also too distracted to enjoy the things I love. I feel that changing and I'm very excited about it! :-) I still have a long way to go on this project but I'm really enjoying it and getting more motivated all the time.

Wow! I LOVE this! Unfortunately, I have only 3 closets in my whole house and not a single empty bookshelf to do this on. Definitely something I'll keep in mind as I continue this process though. Maybe I'll find a way to do something like that. Today the kids helped me bring up all the yard sale stuff from the basement to the spare room. We sorted, cleaned up and priced it all. Then I went through the kitchen. That didn't take long - I have a small kitchen with few cabinets. After dinner I'm going to start on my room.

This year we are trying a 6 day a week school schedule (M-S). From breakfast until lunch every day (approximately 8am-noon) will be set aside for learning something. Some days that will look more like "school", other days it will look more like nature walks, documentaries, and art. This schedule meant that I had to move all of MY stuff out of the morning hours - no more errands on Friday mornings, no more piano lessons before lunch, voice lessons and appointments moved to the afternoon. I decided though that the new schedule DID allow me to keep a couple of the kids' morning activities. We'll keep the homeschool karate class on Tuesday morning and ASL class on Wednesday mornings. We view these classes as a very important part of their education and these classes best fit our schedule/budget. We will have a little school time before we leave, a little when we get home, and I hope to make good use of our time in the car too. The afternoons will primarily be for my activities although the older two will still have evening piano lessons and the younger two will have evening soccer practices for a couple of months. I really hope this scheduling works. We start back to school on the 14th so we'll see.

The kids and I did the games this morning. Put all the pieces back in all the boxes, moved furniture looking for missing pieces, taped up the torn boxes, threw out the ones missing too many pieces, added unwanted ones to the yard sale pile, and then cleaned out the trunk/coffee table so they could all fit in there together. It took the better part of the morning. Why does everything always take longer than I think it will? Tomorrow I'm doing the kitchen.