I'm annoyed by the relatives who couch their anti-homeschooling sentiments in terms of concern for my well-being. I'm annoyed by their attitude that I'm only obligated to be a full-time mom until my kids turn 5, and then I'm entitled to the 8-hour break so that I can "get things done." What they don't realize is that I actually enjoy homeschooling, and I'd rather be doing that than anything else "productive" I could be doing.

We finished Unit 5 of Beyond today. It is GREAT! I am constantly amazed at how easy everything is for me -- almost no prep whatsoever, and another family member can step in easily and follow the lesson plan if I am unavailable. Plus my daughter is learning a lot and having a great attitude about school.

I would love for my husband to be able to work from home! He has been able to on occasion for just a day or so at a time, and it's wonderful! And he would save about 2 hours/day just on commuting. Why it works for us: 1. He already has a home office. 2. He's undemanding (doesn't expect to be waited on). 3. He's very focused on his work, so he doesn't interfere with what we're doing. 4. The kids know not to bother Daddy when he's working. I think it would change our lives so much for the better! My kids sometimes go days without seeing dh because he leaves before they wake up and gets home after they're already asleep. :(

Thanks! It's my middle child, but it affects everyone. She's at a healthy weight, no traumas, no picky eating in the immediate family (dh and I were both really good eaters as kids). She is also extremely picky about clothes, was late to talk, and was very stubborn about toilet-training. Pediatrician calls it strong-willed. I would just like to be able to cook a dinner that my kids will eat (because if one won't eat it, the others follow). Oh, and she won't try things either, generally. You would think we were trying to poison her with a bite of *gasp* chicken.

How do you know when picky eating has a medical or sensory basis? If the # of foods a child will eat starts decreasing, is that indicative of a problem?

The systematic exposure has dropped with each subsequent child. My youngest gets a lot of PBS and a LeapFrog fridge magnet set tossed haphazardly in his toy box, and that's pretty much it.

Last year after dd turned 5, and we passed the school bus on our way to the pool. I find all the talk about compulsory age ridiculous when it comes to defining homeschoolers. CA here is 6. But since I had no intention of holding dd back a year, we homeschooled her for K, umbrella school registration and all.

Yeah, my common sense agrees. My gut ties itself in knots at the thought.

"Mommy, why don't we get invited to anyone's house?" I just told her "I don't know." The real reason is more complicated. It's because I have social difficulties, and have always been an outsider wherever I was. Homeschooling is very popular here, so my kids have lots of opportunities for meeting kids. But I don't know how to be buddy-buddy with the moms, so the play dates don't happen. I was hoping I could break this generational cycle, but I'm not doing a good enough job, and my precocious little social butterfly has already noticed.:sad:

Several weeks ago, in the middle of some long thread, a mom of many posted the best step-by-step explanation I have ever seen of one-day potty training. She said that she had trained several children, all around the age of 20 months. Now I can't find the post. Does anyone remember it?

I've had 3 c-sections, no complications. The doctor said last time that I was good for several more. (Not necessarily what you want to hear at that very moment, lol.) The recovery was actually easier for #2 and #3. The best advice I received was to treat it as what it is: major abdominal surgery. That means take your pain meds and follow the movement restrictions. (The first time around I tried to go off the pain meds too soon, and I ended up feeling like Mel Gibson's character during the torture scene of Braveheart.)

We're about to take a very long road trip, as in several days of travel. I need to pack busy bags for each of my kids to keep them entertained. Any ideas on what to pack for the two little ones (3 1/2 and 21 months)? We have a DVD player in the car, but I want to use that sparingly. They care nothing about audiobooks, by the way. Plus it would put the driver in danger of falling asleep.

Dd1 -- Her name has been steadily falling for the past 10 years. I predict an upswing due to current events. Dd1 -- Consistently hovering around top 10 for about 40 years. Ds -- In top 20 basically forever, top 10 in more recent years.

We made fascinators to wear for our wedding-watching party. It was fun. If you can operate a glue gun and sew on a button, you shouldn't ever have to buy one.

I seriously don't proofread the comments, but apostrophes jump out and slap me in the face. I wish I didn't see them, but they're just out there, taunting me.

Please read my edited original post, I have edited for clarity. I did not mean if there were errors in the curriculum, but rather in the author's professional online communication.

I mean harming kittens by Mrs. Mungo's definition. ;) Does it matter if a curriculum developer throws apostrophes around like confetti in his/her internet communication? Would that make you distrust the curriculum? Edited to add: I realized after reading all the responses that I wasn't clear in my post. I was not referring to apostrophe abuse in the curriculum itself. I was referring to the author's professional communication online -- blogs, message boards, e-mail, etc. As far as I know the curriculum contains no dead kittens.

I used to get those comments. A long time ago, when I had one very precocious, charming, well-behaved toddler. Then her sister and brother came along, and I don't get those comments about ANY of my kids.

I agree with Ellie. Especially since your son already considers himself to be a kindergartner, there really isn't any way to hold him back without him knowing he's being held back. And every other kid in Sunday School and Awanas is going to know he's being held back, too.

I can't bring myself to require it from my kids, because I never would say it to my parents. Even as a preschooler, I thought it sounded so stiff and formal to say "ma'am" and "sir" to my own parents. I will correct "yeah" or "yep", though. "Yes Mommy" is sufficient. Also, as a music teacher, it is annoying when I'm trying to teach a child's lesson and the parent keeps interrupting with reminders to say "yes ma'am."

You have a point about that. The reason I'm going to try and plan at least a semester is that I want to force myself to make school more well-rounded this year. Keep the math lessons shorter and make sure science gets done, for example. Hi, I was hoping you'd reply! Your daughter reminds me a lot of mine. Minimus sounds interesting. That might be a good plan post-SSL. I'll have to check out Evan Moor Science. I have BFSU, and I love the concept. It's just the planning that gets to me. How is MCT working out for your daughter? I've been studying that as well. I think my dd could handle Grammar Island pretty well, but some of the other Island-level books seem rather intense for a 6-year-old (the vocabulary and poetry books in particular). Of course, accelerated kids change so fast that 6 months from now she might be completely ready, but that's an expensive investment to make on a "maybe." I can't decide! That's my problem. I thought I was totally sold on Ambleside Online, but I like the 4-year history cycle. But then I also am concerned about dd being totally ignorant of US History. I actually studied the Heart of Dakota catalog for a bit, but I've decided that it wouldn't be a good fit because of dd's acceleration and because the theology doesn't match up with ours. As I said before, dd has already read through SOTW 1 & 2, and she's pestering me to buy book 3. This morning, after a good night's sleep, I'm leaning toward following my original Ambleside plan, while letting her read through SOTW on her own and giving her some fun living books from American history for free reading.

You've heard of writer's block? I have curriculum planning block. I need help from people who won't just give a breezy "Oh, it's just first grade. Relax." I have researched everything, it seems like. But I'm at a loss for everything except Singapore Math. That's my constant. This year, she will finish FLL 1, AAS 3, and about half of SSL. We should have finished SSL, it's my fault that we didn't. She's read a ton of books, including SOTW 1 and 2 on her own. She just finished The Jungle Book and loved it. AAS is sort of a waste, since she doesn't need that much instruction. We skip most of the lessons and go straight for the words. I want the best for dd, obviously. But the first problem is figuring out what "the best" is. It needs to be something challenging. The second problem is finding the compromise between "the best" and "what I can handle without neglecting my other children." So, for a 6-year-old who: -- can read just about anything -- is a natural speller who needs a spelling program to give her confidence -- understands concepts quite easily -- is good at memorizing, but will forget what is memorized without frequent review -- left to herself would play dolls with her sister all day with breaks for reading and playing piano and for a mom who: -- needs things open-and-go with a clear plan -- has two toddlers, one of whom does not nap -- works part-time What is my best plan for LA, science, history, literature, art, foreign language? If I can figure out all the individual components, I'm going to plug it all in to a document and make my own guide for the year, sort of a customized all-in-one program. But I need to make decisions on the components. Any ideas?

If I were you, I think I would do MFW K. You could plan on taking 1 1/2 or 2 years with it, depending on how much time you have and how easy or difficult it is for her. By the time she's finished, you'll have a better idea of whether she's ready for MFW 1.

I'd say let her do it, but tell her she'll have to do it on her own. And let the teacher know that this is her 4th language, and that you won't be able to help at home.

Well, since I can't predict the exact day, I have to wait until it starts. Then I drop everything, scarf down some crackers as quick as I can and take TWO Aleve pills. That pretty much keeps cramps away for me. If I delay even 15 minutes, it's not as effective. If it starts while I'm asleep, I'm up a creek. I'm glad your daughter is feeling better. My teenage years pre-Aleve were horrible. I had to have my parents pick me up at college one time (I went to a local school) because I was in too much pain to drive home.