:grouphug:

Thank you! I needed that laugh today!

:grouphug: Prayers for an easy time of it and a quick recovery.

You have caught me on the one I don't have finished, but I will post what I have. Rod & Staff English Rod & Staff Spelling WWE 2 and CLE cursive book Wordly Wise Book A Abeka Math 3 Apologia YE Zoology 1 Faith and Life 3 Maps, Charts and Graphs C I still need History. I am looking at Sonlight Core 1, HOD Bigger or doing my own American history program. We will also be doing two hours of speech therapy a week, martial arts, swimming, and adding in electives. Good luck with yours!

Chicken and rice casserole, mashed sweet potatoes or carrots, a garden salad, dinner rolls, and brownies. Or roast beef or turkey breast in the crockpot, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, French bread and an apple pie. Or mile-high shredded beef sandwiches, potato chips, cole slaw and strawberry shortcake with whipped cream. ETA: And my 10 yo wants to add lasagna, Italian salad and garlic breadsticks. Finished with homemade New York cheesecake.

Well, I am done for my oldest. We are going back to the WTM for everything but science, and I am settled there. For the youngest two, not so much! I bought the Sonlight Core 1 IG used and was so excited to start, and then life happened, and I am just not going to have that kind of time to devote to just one subject. I am now looking at HOD, but I don't want to combine the girls because I feel like the program works best and is only really open and go for one of them. Ugh. Good luck! I have sworn that after I hit the next two big curriculum sales (June 4 and 8 here), I will make that decision and stick with it. I will probably only be able to go with HOD if I find the guides there. Otherwise, I will be (yet again, ugh) writing my own stuff to move forward, which I like but which makes me crazy because I can never figure out if we are doing enough or too much with my middle child. It would be so much easier to have someone else do the planning for her!

Winners History Odyssey Ancients Level 2 (everything I wanted and more) Rod & Staff English (trying this again, and I like it more this time) Saxon math Wordly Wise CLE Cursive book (Cute book with animals) WWE MP Classical Studies (I am impressed with it so far. Let's see what I think when we start it for real.) Losers Sonlight Core 1 (I was so excited and love the books, but it is too parent-intensive with the time I will have available. Very sad about this one. Lucky I only bought the IG, and I got it used.) Classical Writing (Ugh. Don't stone me, but it is not going to be working for me. I think I would rather be hit by a bus. Anyone need it for next year? ;)) Still Debating HOD Beyond or Bigger (to replace the Sonlight; can't decide one way or the other and it is driving me nuts) DITHOR (same deal!)

I don't have the Level 1 books, but it is a secular program. I guess it depends on what you mean by problem. I guess I was thinking more of the Level 2, which is not based on SOTW and which would give you guidance and structure on using the resources you have. It uses the Kingfisher for outlining, and it adds in mapwork and additional reading materials, most of which are readily available from the library or free online. If you are interested, they have a nice-sized free download to help you decide.

Have you looked at History Odyssey? It has really helped us follow WTM guidelines for the logic stage.

:grouphug: Prayers that you feel better and everything comes together for you.

:grouphug: Praying for you and your kids.:grouphug:

:grouphug: Praying!

Corduroy hot pants, two sizes too large from MIL back when DH and I were dating. ((Shudders just thinking about it))

I worked in the Education Department at a big public university while I was a student there. We had a Reading Clinic, and I was a student librarian for the children's books and answered the clinic phones during the day. I worked there over a year, and NOT ONE parent I talked to asked anything but the price and the times for the clinic. I didn't think about it at the time, but it is a little disconcerting now.

:iagree: I do use their math in the early grades, and it doesn't take much for me to make that part work for us. But I do think they write and cater to the Christian school market, and it shows. I still get the feeling when I order from them at the curriculum fair that the guy at the table thinks we are lucky that they sell to us, in the name of being homeschool-friendly. They are always nice, but it is very much a classroom-centered, school-at-home, workbook curriculum. I think that is why a lot of homeschoolers are comfortable with it, because it is what they think of when they think of school, and it has the promise of "we have everything covered, and there won't be any gaps" but you are still homeschooling. Everything has a market and a purpose, or it wouldn't still be around. Even though it is not my favorite, I personally know people who wouldn't homeschool without it, so to each his own!

Are we spinning off the other thread here? My DH finally finished a BBA after dropping out of college and going back, and he is looking at going back again for the MBA. I am not sure about other areas, but in my area, it depends on what you are currently doing and what you plan to do with the degree. If you have the right experience to back it up and the right contacts or possibilities in the job you have now, an MBA can be a good choice. But an MBA can also be just a generic degree, so without a clear focus for what you are going to do with it and a real path to do that, I do think they can be overrated or useless. And in this economic climate, it also matters WHERE you are getting the degree from.

I don't know what Texas is like, but in St. Louis, an MBA is nothing any more without the years of business experience to back it up. Actually, most degrees are just a ticket to get into an interview right now. The only degrees that actually mean something are the things like nursing or education, where the degree and the job are directly related.

Mine leaves it all up to me too, which is frustrating when I just want someone else to look at what I am doing and help me make a hard choice. But other times, I guess I am happy to not have to explain my choices.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I think everybody is wondering about your husband in all this. And if he isn't talking you through it, maybe it is out of his own sense of guilt and remorse. Is there nothing else he can do or something he can change to share this burden? Sometimes people make the choice to follow a dream at the expense of the people around them. When you have a family to support, you can't always have your dream job and live the life you want to. I don't know how you go back to school and feed a family of six, but I am not thinking having you both in school will make that any easier, or that you will get the insurance you want and pay the childcare and rent either. Are there any big companies that have customer service jobs, like banks or credit card companies or hospitals and such? Those jobs are generally close to entry-level, but you get full benefits, and you can often have a 2nd or 3rd shift, which might make it possible to share childcare with your husband instead of having to pay for it. You may have to take a job you don't want or like in the short-term. You may be surprised at what the opportunities are like once you get a foot in the door somewhere. If what your husband is doing has hopes of providing for the family relatively soon, taking any job that pays enough is what it sounds like you need to do. But I am not sure what advice to give if that isn't the case. Again, :grouphug:. I am truly sorry you are struggling with this. I am praying for you. ETA: I think you answered most of this while I was trying to post. I really hope for a good outcome and God's will for both of you here. If you pray for that, you can't go wrong.

:grouphug:

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

I agree with Tree House Academy. With HOD, by the time you have to add in the third program, your oldest child should be working independently, and it should be very managable. Just to point out though, with MFW, you would also be running at least two programs until your oldest three children are 2nd grade and above because MFW has separate programs for K and 1st. The only year you use their "2nd grade" program Adventues is after the 1st grade program for your oldest, so you could do that in 3rd with your oldest next year, or skip Adventures completely and just start in the cycle with ECC. It looks like the only year you would get to combine all the kids is when the oldest is in 6th (and 7th if your last one is going to a brick and mortar K), and the oldest is moving into the separate high school program. I think combining with the age range you have is going to be a challenge in any program you pick. The middle two are your best bet. The oldest and youngest are going to require their own programs most of the time to really meet their needs, IMO. Good luck and best wishes!

:grouphug: I think every mom has had their version of this!

I don't think I could do it. My DD is already 10 (and a pretty mature and responsible kid) and I do not leave her alone. Do you think part of the reason your ex is suggesting it is because he doesn't spend enough time with your son to realize this is not a good idea? Sorry you are stuck making this difficult choice. :grouphug:

I got lucky and found some of the HOD books for a great price, so we may actually be able to do HOD with my little two! I also picked up a few AO books, just to see what all the fuss is about. Fun stuff! Hope everyone else has a great used sale season!:001_smile: