I take our large comforter to a laundromat and wash it myself. You might want to call ahead to make sure they have large capacity washers, because some don't. I chose not to take the drycleaning option because it was too pricey for me. My kids think it is a novel experience when we get to go to the laundromat. I'm so airheaded sometimes, though, that the first time we went I forgot to take detergent and forgot to take money for the machines!

I have had an interest in pottery for years, but haven't had time to take a class. Is it something I could teach myself if I bought the supplies and equipment. Dh has offered several times to buy a wheel and make a kiln, but I don't have confidence in my self-teaching abilities. Also, is it something my 6.5 yo dd could easily pick up at this age. She wants to learn, too. Thanks.

Stickers, temporary tattoes, bouncy balls, miniature containers of bubbles.

We are getting ready to start construction on a home addition. I am so excited because we have been living in a very small house for the past 1.5years and we really will appreciate the extra space! We have decided to add a room just for homeschool:hurray:. It would be 15x20. So, I'm thinking right now that I would like a few windows for natural light, and lots of blank wall space for hanging maps, posters, artwork, etc. So, what would be your recommendations for storage, seating, and workspace? Would you recommend a large table or separate desks? A closet, open bookshelves, cabinets with doors, cubbies? I would love to know what works for you and links to photos of your hs rooms would be lovely! Thanks.

Thanks for letting me know! I have heard people talking about a Creation Museum, but I didn't know much about it. We'll have to check it out.

See, I knew there had to be a reason that we are always last-minute shoppers. It's because we would eat the candy before we had a chance to put it in the baskets if we had it any earlier than the night before Easter! .

And does FLL and FLL3 transition well into R&S? Thanks.

Our favorites have been the ones we did by ourselves as family outings (not with a large group and not as planned "field trips"). There's a great botanical conservatory about an hour from us that we visited a few months ago. We were really just looking for a fun outing for one of our days off and it happened to be during a special exhibit which correlated amazingly with our ancient history studies. We plan to go back this spring for their butterfly extravaganza. We also really enjoyed a visit to the art museum to see a Monet exhibit earlier this year. The exhibit included works by Monet and by other artists who were influenced by Monet's work and impressionism. I was sure that my 6yo dd would enjoy it, but I was surprised at how engaged my 4yo ds was. We plan to go back to see more works from their permanent collections. I just found out that a university about an hour away has a geology museum which includes a full-scale dinosaur skeleton. That is on my radar for sometime this spring, as ds is so into fossils and rocks. What kind of trips does your family enoy?

I'd love to see what kind of art inspires others.

I've seen a lot of these at Barnes and Noble. So far I have resisted buying any, but this probably won't last long. I thought they looked good, too!

I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but the book Storybook Art by MaryAnn F. Kohl might be helpful in finding an author/illustrator. Good luck!

Why do you participate in a co-op? How often does the co-op meet? What subjects are offered? What are the biggest advantages for you? What are the disadvantages? How did your co-op get started?

I actually was re-thinking that statement and wishing I hadn't made it. I (happily) stand corrected!:iagree:

Jessica, while I have been very excited to see your evolution over the past few months and the resulting joy that is clearly communicated in your posts, I have to disagree with you about this. Some children are very ready for formal grammar at this age. My dd was ready for FLL in K5 and is finishing up the second grade work this year. She will definitely be ready to move onto something more challenging next year. I agree that formal grammar might seem irrelevant with a child who is still mastering basic phonics and reading comprehension skills, but many children this age are already reading fluently. My dd, for example, was reading on a second grade level halfway through K5, and is reading on a fourth to fifth grade level halway through first grade. I don't think most people choose to do formal grammar in early elementary out of fear or ignorance, but because they see it as laying a great foundation for writing. :001_smile:

I'm much the same when it comes to art and music, so my advice would be to sign your children up for music lessons and art classes, if you can afford to do so. And then let art history and music appreciation just happen as a family interest or fun activity, not a scheduled school subject. This is going to be our plan for next year. We will hopefully be doing private piano lessons in our home and homeschool art classes at a local art center. Then, we will continue to listen to classical music just for enjoyment, using our Themes to Remember, Vol. 1 book & cd from this year just as a starting point. We like to take whatever composer is introduced and find other works on cd at the library to listen to at home while we are playing, cleaning, baking, etc. And we will use picture books that we find at the library to enjoy looking at famous works of art. My kids have responded very well to field trips. It seems that a novel experience, such as going to a concert or visiting a special exhibit at an art museum, can spark an interest and enthusiasm in them that simply checking out a work from the library in isolation could not have. For example, we had the opportunity to go to a Mozart concert a few months ago in which a soprano sang one of the arias from The Magic Flute. She did such an amazing job that we were all astounded and went around the house (weakly) imitating her for days. Chances are that if we had tried to listen to The Magic Flute before the concert, the kids would have endured it, but not remembered much about it or really found it enjoyable. Now, however, with their interest piqued, I was able to introduce a picture book which retold the story of The Magic Flute and listen to the accompanying cd, and the children became very excited to listen for the aria they now knew and loved. Similarly, we were able to go see a Monet exhibit at an art museum recently, which then left the children open to reading more about Monet and his painting style. Dd eagerly accepted the opportunity to read us several books about Monet in the week following our museum trip, whereas normally she wouldn't have cared. So, my advice would be to schedule the classes to ensure your kids will get instruction and then just enjoy art and music informally through library resources and field trips.

I really wasn't asking for rep points. :001_smile: I was just curious to know if there are a lot of people who haven't received *any* rep. points, either positive or negative. I had not given anyone else rep. before today because I really didn't understand the system. I really would prefer to earn my points, good or bad. So, thanks for the good thoughts:D, but please save your points for a post that really warrants it! Thanks.

1. Are people ranked according to their reputations, and if so where is the list? 2. Does Pam SFSOM only have one green square? Because I think she deserves two. 3. Am I a wallflower, or are there a lot of people out there who have never offended anyone badly enough to have neg. rep. and never helped anyone tremendously enough to have positive rep.?

I have some questions, out of genuine searching and a bit of curiousity. I would love book recommendations for someone who knows very little and would like to know more. I'm especially interested in people who may not have been raised Catholic, but chose it as their faith in adulthood.

truly differentiate mythology from truth. I do plan to expose my dc to Greek and Roman mythology, but I will be careful in the timing of it's inclusion in our studies. Dd6.5 is capable of making the distinction now between Bible stories and myths. And ds4 is well on the way, but he is still very impressionable and is enjoying the Old Testament Bible stories so much now, that I don't want to risk confusing him. We have read about false gods and myths in SOTW, a bit, which hasn't been an issue at all, but I am holding off on the D'Aulaires' book until they're a bit older.

surreptitiously. Ds4 mostly just likes the way it sounds, because I don't think he has a good grasp on the meaning.

Stacey, I just want to say God bless you for caring about this girl and for opening your home to her. I know it is not easy to do this. I am a very introverted person, and I think it would be challenging to have someone outside our immediate family living in our home all the time. I can't share details, but I know from experience how incredibly life-changing an opportunity like this (to live in a stable environment, with caring people) can be for a young person who has had a troubled family life. If there is any way at all that you can continue to help this girl, I would.

When I read your subject line, I was thinking a delivery truck. Lol. I could use one of those to deliver all the library books that we order through ILL but get sent back because they will only hold them for 3 days, and we don't always make it into town within that period.

which has not been too extensive, it is cold medications with decongestants that are being targeted. According to research they are not effective for children under 6, but may be potentially be harmful. My physician said that using a cold medicine with a decongestant should only be reserved for the very worst day of a cold, and should never be used on a regular basis. Claritin, however, is an allergy medicine with an antihistamine that our physician has recommended for ongoing problems with congestion, as she pointed out that it is probably an allergic reaction causing this kind of chronic condition. So, no, we don't give ds4 cold medication unless it specifically states on the box a proper dosage for 2 to 6 year olds. If the box says not recommended for children under 6, we don't give it to him. And we dispense cold medication very sparingly.

Thanks so much for trying to help. Unfortunately this is the same site I came up with. The link for buying leads to a site where, under shot blocker, it says "Product unavailable until further notice." It really does work, though, so if I find a place to buy them, I'll let you know.

It is a thin plastic disc, with multiple pressure points protruding on one side, used to create (not uncomfortable) pressure on a patient's arm while giving an injection, so that the patient's nervous system is "tricked" into not feeling the pain of the needle. I was extremely skeptical when our former pediatrician introduced us to this device right before dd was to have her booster shot at age 5. But it worked! She didn't even flinch, let alone whimper or cry when they gave her the shot. And this girl flipped out about having her ear wax washed out, getting eye drops at the eye doctor, etc. We have since moved and our physician has never heard of or used one. And the great pediatrician in our old town has retired, so I can't call his office to ask where to find one. I found the product through a google search, also being praised by a once-skeptical mom, but her link to a website for purchasing them lead me to a diabetics supply company that says they are no longer available. I need one for ds's booster shot in a few months! Anyone know where to buy one?