I used ginger candies to help with nausea when I was expecting number 1. Couldn't bring myself to use ginger with number 2 and 3. Major seafood aversion with all 3. Once, with my 1st pregnancy, dh brought home a jar of Alfredo sauce and a bag of already cooked chopped chicken to make an easy dinner since I wasn't feeling well. When he added the chicken to the sauce to heat up, it soon became obvious that the chicken was BAD. We got rid of it, took the garbage out and had to open all the windows and turn on all the fans in the middle of winter to get the smell out of the house. A couple years ago, dh came home with dinner ingredients and when he pulled an Alfredo sauce jar out of the bag, I flipped out!!!! His response: "still not over it, huh?" umm, no.

What worked: -SOTW, once I found a groove with it -Math Mammoth -Easy Grammar -fun, outside the box spelling practice using Spelling for Success lists -combining copywork and handwriting practice using Start Write -Friday fun math. No curriculum, just games, projects, all child-led. -subject baskets for further independent learning. Interest-led, again. -nature study. We did pretty good for our first year but I have plans to improve this coming school year. -piano lessons What we will change: -we tried and failed miserably at WWE. Switched to EIW but skipped the grammar, since we were doing EG. Not sure how well I like EIW. Part of me wants to stick with EG and EIW, since I know what I'm working with, another part of me wants to try something else. I have it in my planner to look at Scott Foresman Grammar and Writing and KISS Grammar. Maybe KISS Grammar and Brave Writer for a year? -Mr. Q Life Science. It was OK. I'm not a science person, so I'll probably always have a hard time with this. No clue what to do for earth and space this year. I think dd could really love it if I can get my act together and pull together something fun. -HWOT. We've already changed this to Start Write. This was a good change. So glad I went for it.

Not getting much decluttering done this week. Just trying to keep the house passable for visitors since baby could come anytime now!

Sure! It started with 1st trimester morning sickness. Some days, the most I could muster was to listen to dd read easy readers with my eyes closed and let her run with whatever science, history, geography and math books dh grabbed at the library. It worked amazingly well and turned into a basket for each subject. I picked up some cool atlases that incorporate culture and have fold out maps, stickers, etc. from the Books a Million Bargain bin. There are a couple books from library book sales that focus on world landmarks, cuisine in other countries, etc. I got the Melissa & Doug states puzzle and downloaded Stack the States and Stack the Countries on the homeschool tablet. Oh and I bought a globe beach ball. The science one has books like I Wonder Why I Blink, I Wonder Why the Wind Blows, etc. ( $.25 each at library book sale) some DK Encyclopedias. One is Animals one is the Human Body. It is heavily stocked with library books on our current science topic. The history one is all library books on our current topic. The math basket sometimes has library math books, sometimes not. A ruler, spirograph set, math and logic games. Like Lab Mice, 7 Ate 9, Sleeping Queens, etc. Unifix cubes, mini Judy clocks, do a dot markers, a number line, multiplication table, free worksheets on a clipboard that I printed from pinterest. All baskets have a composition book, pencils and colored pencils to encourage her to run with whatever. She has been known to write the names of our family members in hieroglyphs, trace the outline of the U.S. and states she has been to, etc. She asked a question about a scorpion, which lead to us finding out it was an arachnid. So she wanted to know all the arachnids. I found a list, gave it to her and she copied it down in the comp. book all on her own. That is a rare example of me helping a bit. Mostly, she explores the baskets on her own. I am usually making lunch or doing laundry or bills. She (and ds) have taught themselves soooo much with this. I love using real books to add to what we are learning in science and history but I just don't have time to read them all with her. She is ahead in reading so this helps. Some of the library books we come home with are above her reading level but she looks at the pictures and reads what she can. Captions and little side blurbs are generally pretty easy to read. She will yell out a series of letters to me, expecting me to respond with the word. I do. That might drive a lot of parents batty but I don't mind. Hth!

We are doing first grade here. I try really hard not to watch the clock, for my own sanity, so I really don't know how long each subject takes. Within 20 mins or so of the listed times, here are how our days are structured. 9:00ish- circle time (includes calendar, weather, songs, a bible verse, a bible character card, tally up days of school, some memory work) 9:15ish- math, reading, spelling 10:15ish- 30 min snack break 10:45ish- grammar, writing, science or history 11:45ish- free reading, access to geography basket filled with children's atlases, maps, books about cultures around the world, games, etc. Or access to the science basket... You get the idea. 12:15ish- lunch, free play, outdoor play, art, craft projects, whatever they want to do 1:30- 30 min piano lesson 2ish- 30 min tablet time for educational apps if her behavior has earned it 2:30ish- read aloud time with mommy while brother naps. Lots of snuggles and good conversations too. Tuesdays we have a tea party and pull out the poetry books to read and discuss in a very low key way. Eta: she also has a basket of quiet independent activities to do while brother naps. Or if its nice out, she'll head outside with her nature study supplies. 4ish- brother is up and I consider the school day done as far as I'm no longer logging her learning at this point. We often do a "cooking class" but she's the one to label it as such and work hard to learn the measurements, equivalents, reading a recipe, etc. She loves it! If the 2 time blocks of formal curriculum lessons didn't get finished, there will be some overflow after lunch. Mostly due to her dawdling. She knows her day will really be suffering if she's not done by 1:00 at the latest. Those days are getting much less frequent though. Eta: after reading this, it actually sounds like a lot and heavily structured. This fits dd's personality very well though. This set up allows for a pleasant day for us both. She is a box checker and likes to know "the plan" and what to expect. She is very literal and has never been great with pretend or make believe play. She often criticises kid movies and shows that involve fantasy plots. I would love a less formal day (and the majority of first graders I know thrive with less structure) but we were spinning our wheels with that method.

I needed a math teacher like that when I was in high school! Cool link, thanks for sharing!

Mine has been too! I've been buying too many convenience foods and it adds up so fast! This trip was more in line with how I should be doing the shopping anyway (and was until third trimester misery set in.)

After my baby shower, I had a list of 9 items I still needed. But, we got enough cash and gift cards, that I was able to use those for the 9 baby items! Woohoo! I still have $45 left which I think I'll use for diapers and wipes. I bought the kids big sibling gifts to give them when they come meet the new baby at the hospital but I think it was money well spent. I like being able to surprise them with something special when they aren't expecting it. I know groceries aren't really part of this challenge but, I have to share how well I did this weekend. Dh is taking a class this coming week so he won't be bringing in any money. I made my menu/list based on meat/produce sales + what we already have on hand and added my total as I went through the store. At the end, I put back 3 snacks that weren't necessary and were pushing too close to my budget limit. So I came out $20 under budget and we have enough food for 7 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners + snacks!

Great idea dancingmama and purpleowl! I love the idea of a construction theme for it! Off to hunt...

Baby #3 is due this month and we like to give big Sib gifts when they come meet the new baby at the hospital. We gave dd birthstone earrings when #2 was born. I have a sweet little watch picked out for her this time. I am stumped on what to get ds. He is 3 and loves all things construction site/ big equipment. He is also very artistic and does a great job of getting his ideas on paper. (or the walls, furniture, etc.) Trouble is, it needs to be something small that I can easily fit in my hospital bag. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Are you still in Tucson? Bring me some eegees to MO with you! Or some good horchata from Betos. Thanks ;) Let's see... We did do a couple drive thrus this week but I ate side salads so if I wasn't spending mindfully, at least I ate mindfully. Our desktop crashed last week so we ordered a new one. That was an unexpected expense! Although we didn't get a new monitor, so that's something. And I bought a new top to wear to my baby shower since nothing fits me anymore!!! I've been tempted to buy a few books but resisted and just put them on my amazon wish list. I need to get through my current stack and then I'll splurge and buy 1 or 2. They are all ones my library doesn't have anyway. I am beginning to think that many topics of interest to me are not popular since I rarely find what I'm looking for at my library. Mmppff...

Kids bedroom and master bedroom done last week. This week is bathroom (working on today) and then onto closed off places potential buyers might actually open and look in. So cabinets and closets.

So glad I am not the only one that is "behind" and needing to work through the summer. Although, we took the summer completely off last year (did the library summer reading program and art classes) and it was so hard to get back into the school groove come August. So I am excited to see how summer school might help with that transition. We will do the library summer reading program and weekly art classes again. We should be done with our current math, grammar, writing and spelling programs by the end of May but we are behind on history and science so we will do those through the summer. Will also keep our circle time, memory work (10 min total) and copywork going. I think I might do a math supplement. I think dd needs daily math. Even the weekend gap makes Monday math difficult. Swim lessons and piano lessons will round out our summer school. We are going to try to hit every state park within an hour of our house and my dad's house (2 hours from us so those will be weekend trips). I've been to all but 2 but the kids have only been to a few. So this will be fun for them.

This was cute! Thanks forr sharing!

That is so true about "traditional" storage, especially in the kitchen. At a friend's house for dinner, the dish in the oven was done and another friend and I were looking everywhere for an oven mitt. 2nd friend called to the hostess asking where it was and she yelled back that it was in the drawer under the oven. 2nd friend and I both looked at each other with wrinkled noses and 2nd friend said "that's not normal, is it?" I said no. Hostess friend heard us and said she hated storing cookie sheets and pizza pans in there because they always slid back and got wedged between the drawer and the back of the oven. She's right!! That happens to me all the time!! Have I moved them since this revelation? Nope. Well, that was totally off topic! This past week for me was not great. I bought ds a new comforter set (with a sheet set included). Brand new. But I justified it because when his sister turned 3, she got a brand new comforter/sheet set too. I don't want him to feel like he only gets seconds. Anyway, he loves it. We went to lunch with friends on Sunday again this week. Its becoming a habit. The baby's arrival will likely curb it. Dh bought new headphones for his xbox. I worked super hard on the kids' room to get it organized and de-cluttered for showings (hopefully) since we are trying to get this house listed. I snagged bins, crates, baskets from all over the house to get it the way I wanted. It looks great, clutter-free (hard to do with homeschool supplies and books) and I was so proud that I didn't spend any money on organizing supplies. So 2 days later, what do I turn around and do? Spend $45 on organizing containers for the babies clothes, blankets and supplies!!!! Gaaahhh!!! In my defense, I had used up everything for the kids' room. I could not consolidate any more to free up a 3 drawer cart. So I bought a big one and a big basket for blankets. The basket isn't babyish at all and can be used in any room of the house for years to come. Well, hopefully I will be more mindful in the coming days. I've been doing good with books. Library, library, library!! I've been doing good with using up leftovers, too.

Your bank's app. I can check balances, make transfers, etc. in no time! Walgreens or whatever pharmacy you use. I can scan the barcode and they text me when my script is ready. Great time saver. Target Cartwheel, Pinterest, the Bible (if you are a Bible reader) Google Maps and my email app. Those are my most used apps.

Now that you mention it, I think the kids interests or what is going on around us at the time are the things that have prompted our unit studies. I can't think of a single one I planned ahead of it coming up in life. Probably more meaningful and more retention that way.

Maybe you could break topics down into "unit studies"? In cooking (health class) you could have unit studies for whole grains, proteins, fruit, etc. You could have a dental hygiene unit. For doing nature walks as science you might label various unit studies such as butterflies, bees, worms. A pollination unit study. Conservation. Weather. Seasons. Waterways. I'm a bit of a note-taking, documentation geek so this may be overkill for what your state is requiring of you. Feel free to roll your eyes and totally disregard!

http://www.dbrl.org/reference/subject-guides/homeschooling http://www.jcymca.org http://www.visitjeffersoncity.com/sports-and-recreation.php I don't think the above are links, I'm on my mobile. Sorry. You might have checked out these sites already anyway. I don't live in Jeff but do live in mo. The state Capitol is a great city for govt related field trips! The Katy Trail runs through Jeff City and is one of our favorite things to do. Check out bikekatytrail.com Columbia is an easy 30 min trip north and they have tons of things to do given that Mizzou is there and the university research hospital. We love going to Mizzou games. And there was a park in Columbia with a splash pad that we went to years ago that was fun but I can't remember the name of it. That's all I can think of for now. GL and welcome to Missouri! Eta: yay! They did link! Learn something new everyday.

Thanks so much!

I keep them in a large book basket in the living room by the couch. We each have a backpack for transporting our library books and when we get home they go in the basket (with the reciept so I can log our reading easily and check off each book that is packed back up on the return trip.) They are not allowed to take library books to any other room of the house. (We've lost 2 picture books which prompted this rule.)

Following. I've been looking at these too...

I have the Better Homes and Gardens 3 cube organizer. Online they give options for bins. In the store, the bins are sold separately and there is a cheaper bin that fits it perfectly. The Better Homes and Gardens Collapsible Fabric Storage Cube. They are a good size, slide in and out easily, and most importantly, no one can see what's in them. I want the 8 cube version next. And repurpose the ones I have by turning them sideways and putting them under the windows in the kids' room for window seats/ toy storage. Sorry I can't link right now. Eta: by in the store, I meant Walmart.

I have a 1st grader and 3yo boy. He probably can focus a little more than a 2 yo. But he does wander in and out some days. Here's what we do for morning time: 1. A daily scripture with a brief discussion. 2. Calendar, weather, tally mark for number of days of school, character quality. (all on a poster board in their room) 3. Songs (usually an active song for ds and a spiritual song for everyone. Same song every day till they have it down) 4. Artist study (just started this with the Come Look With Me series from our library) 5. Memory work I keep it to 10 min to hold their attention. If we didn't get to 4 or 5, nbd. We often do memory work in the car when the noise level gets to high for me and I don't think the artist study needs to be every single day anyway. Just an exposure thing. Many have mentioned poetry. We do poetry during Tuesday afternoon tea while the 3 yo naps. Dd likes having this special time just for her.