How interesting I was reading this thread. Just now got a telemarketing call on my cell phone, which is registered on the Do Not Call list.:glare:

Yes. This.

Oh that episode was heart-wrenching!!! And I cannot wait to see the interaction between Lady and Lord Grantham in the episodes to come. We had a not-quite-but-almost-similar experience a couple years ago...I knew something was terribly wrong with my dd, my dh blew it off, I finally ignored him and took her in, he continued to argue with me (and then the doctors)...turns out my dd's appendix had ruptured. SO GLAD I IGNORED HIM. So Cora's emotions all really hit home with me big time!!!!! And Old Lady Grantham. Oh how I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE her!!!!!! She is my absolute favorite.

Another vote for cutting back on the littles. My Ker does "math" (which consists of learning which number is which and writing them at this point LOL), phonics, handwriting, AWANA, and Sonlight PreK. Now, I think all of that has gotten done one day so far this year, and that was a light day in the Sonlight dept. She has an hour scheduled with me. Period. No more (because there IS no more time). Whatever we get done in that time is great. If I don't get something done I move it to the next day. Phonics, handwriting, and math are my top priorities though. I only do the Sonlight PreK stuff when we have extra time or when I haven't gotten to it in several days. I'm schooling 6 this year, so I understand your struggle TOTALLY. I do school with SOMEONE from 8:30-roughly 4 every day. There is a break for about 1.25 hours around lunch so I can prepare, eat, and (in theory) do some lunch chores. Lunchtime never feels like enough time...drives me bonkers. Anyway...I would strongly suggest cutting back on the things you do with the Ker.

We don't do snack time either. Every once in a while I'll allow the kids to have a snack, but it's when we had a light lunch or the next meal will be late. But it's not a regular thing. Usually it's something like goldfish or Cheez-its LOL.

SCHEDULED. Oh dear we'd never get any school done if we didn't have a schedule. Our Thursdays are different because of vision therapy, and on Fridays mine go to a homeschool charter. But if there is school, there is a schedule.

I did it - graduated in Aug. 2011. I have no "career" other than SAHHM and owning a direct sales business (I started my business just before I graduated). My degree is a multidisciplinary studies degree, which is sort of a mish mash of different topics - my major is a combo of business, accounting, and education. I received absolutely no support from my husband or immediate family. My mom, sister, and mother-in-law were proud of me, but I knew going into it that I would have to do everything in my spare time because running our home, taking care of our family, and homeschooling were TOP PRIORITY, and there would be "leave Mom alone so she can do her schoolwork." (I was correct.) All that said, it was worth it to me. Mostly because it was finally something I did for ME. I'm not even allowed to go to a Bible study alone without some sort of complaint, so to know that I finished my degree, despite all the negativity surrounding me, was huge. I even managed to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0. Have you ever seen True Lies? There is a scene in there where they are interrogating the wife, wondering why she had partnered up with this guy who claimed to be a spy. Her reasoning is exactly the same as mine when it comes to finishing my degree. A 2nd reason is because in my state we are required to test. We have always used the Iowa tests, which require a bachelor's degree to administer. (We can use the CAT, but we prefer the Iowa.) My husband has always administered it because he has a doctorate. But he also works non-stop, so finding a time to administer it was AWFUL. It's amazing my kids got the not-so-great scores they did, since he would make them test in the evenings, on weekends, etc., to fit it around his work schedule (which is absolutely crazy). This past year I was FINALLY able to test them myself and leave him out of it. It was GLORIOUS (for testing LOL). No longer do I need him to do it; no longer do my kids have to "do their best" despite a lousy situation. So...should YOU do it??? Honestly only you can answer it. But for me the time and expense were worth it, even though I have nothing tangible to show for it. I guess I just have a lot of baggage and wanted to be able to say the same thing that the lady in True Lies did: "I *(&$ing did it!"

If I could afford it, IN A HEARTBEAT. Heck, not just the stuff...the whole kitchen...cabinets, flooring, the whole nine yards.:D

:iagree:While my husband was in the Army, not only did he get sick after every flu shot, he was just sick all the time. We noticed a distinct difference once he got out. (This was prior to 9/11, so he never got deployed.) My kids and I have never had a flu shot. In your case, I would only get it for your husband, on the off chance they actually do provide some protection against the flu (I'm not convinced they do, and I'm reasonably pro-vax, depending on the vax), since he works with the elderly.

For just food we are below the thrifty plan.

Shopping is my downfall. I cannot get on a decent grocery shopping routine to save my life!:tongue_smilie:

I seem to remember there being a guide of some sort on their website to know whether to start with level 1 or 2. That was years ago though, so I have no idea if it's still there. That said, it's very possible to go through level 1 quickly. You might be surprised at what your child has missed along the way (if she hasn't had a good phonics background). My 6th grader, who spelled OK, struggled very much with the segmenting in AAS level 1. Go figure.

My kids do the vast majority of the cleaning, simply because I am doing school with someone from 8:30-4 every day, and when I'm not doing school I'm managing other things/people. I load the dishwasher and put laundry in the washer, but they do most of everything else (including bathrooms...my oldest has been cleaning bathrooms since he was 7). All that said...we're always so busy that I have not had a chance to fully train them in how to clean, and I'm not great at inspecting. So the standards aren't very high. I also struggle with having a PLACE for everything (so everything can be in its place).

Upper - algebra and up.:)

Totally unrelated to your question, but just as an FYI, the CDC recommends treating everyone in the household with antibiotics, even if they do not have symptoms, and REGARDLESS of immunization status (they even bold it in their literature). Hope she gets to feeling better!:grouphug:

Oh yeah, if I had a kid that struggled in math, I'd probably give TT a shot. That's not the case here.;) Maybe I'll stick with Saxon. It's definitely working. He just complains about the way it explains stuff from time to time, and I'm sure it's the incremental nature of it.

I've looked at TT pretty extensively but am not impressed.:blushing: What all BJU materials have they updated? I know they started with the elementary grades a while back...have they updated the high school stuff? Does it have as much review as the newer elementary versions do? How independent is BJU high school math? We used to use the elementary stuff, and "independent" is definitely now how I'd describe it LOL. So I didn't know if the high school materials were the same or not.

klmama, what do you use?

:iagree:I got my degree in August 2011 from LU Online.

My son is currently taking Spanish through The Potter's School.

Really? This surprises me because Liberty is accredited. If it were BJU or PCC, I'd definitely understand (because they aren't). (Of course, it depends on the course as to whether it will transfer completely or just just as an elective, but all colleges have that issue, even state schools.)

Is there such a thing? My son is doing well with the constant review of Saxon, but he's annoyed by the incremental-ness of it. He's tolerating it, and it's working, but I'm wondering if there is something not quite so incremental yet has the same amount of review?

I aim for one load a day. On weekends when I have people change sheets (in theory...they are SUPPOSED to change sheets but they usually don't - sigh) it might be a load or two more. This is just off the top of my head based on memory...mopping sweeping my oldest was cleaning the bathroom at age 7 general picking up my current 7yo cleans out the microwave and LOOOOOOOOOOOVES it LOL cleaning windows putting away laundry One thing that helps here with school and a toddler is I assign times for my olders to occupy the youngers. Even if it's just 30 minutes at a time, it can help a little.

We go through about 5-6 gallons of milk per week. I don't drink it (blech), and my 12yo is allergic. For breakfast it's every man for himself. Someone fixes the 2yo and 5yo's breakfast, but everyone else has to fix his/her own. My oldest usually makes himself eggs. My 2nd is Mr. Cereal. We joke that when he's on his own the only food in the house will be cereal and milk, and his only dishes will be bowls and spoons. The other kids eat more of a variety - bagels, frozen waffles, frozen french toast sticks, sometimes cereal, toast, smoothies, oatmeal every once in a blue moon.

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