This is exactly how it played out at our house -- Miquon is all about connections, and I highly recommend it for the early years. (K/1/2) We'll continue to use Miquon in tandem with MEP until the series is finished. Tricia

Absolutely what GG said. If accepting improves your quality of life, and you qualify for help . . . it seems like a good option. Wishing you well. Tricia

Lively Latin is definitely "open and go" and it would work with a wide age range -- the littles could just focus on the vocab/grammar and the tweeners could do the full range of activities -- art, history, derivatives and you'd probably be able to keep just about everyone going at the same rate. T

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/best_sellers/p90x.do?code=BBHOME_PARSEA_P90X DH and I are not on the up&up when it comes to taking care of ourselves. I want to exercise with him - make it a "Team Mom & Dad" thing. A gym membership for both of us is out of the question for many reasons: child care; monthly fees; time committment top the list. I've had a few people recommend these dvd's to me in the past few months. I scoff at dvd's, however, we've been using Turbo Jam for our Ladies Sweatin' & Connectin' group and we all really like it. Same company, I guess? Can anyone speak to these dvd's from first-hand-experience? Thank you, Tricia

Certainly not me. Memories of living in the BC Interior (FSJ) do not help my mental health. I promise you it wasn't me, simply because I couldn't bring myself to engage. My sil lives in Northern Alberta and she's asked me for five years if I'd ever consider going back for a visit. Ummmmmmmmm, NO. T

When I look back over the year, I see that: a) not being involved in so many outside activities was a good thing. b) less and deeper (as per Plaid Dad) released me into enjoying a few subjects deeply instead of surface crazy all the time. Math, GWG, LL, SOTW, Science is absolutely more than enough for all of us. Overall, this year we all found our growing edge: relationally, spiritually, academically . . . and I feel pretty optimistic about homeschooling for another year starting in Fall 2008. I'll be blending in our daughter so that adds another level of crazy. We're not close to finishing, however, so May 15th finish date is looking less and less realistic. *sigh* Tricia

I guess I need to keep thinking about our renos and flips as our "job" to put it in perspective. I absolutely see my life as working two jobs, simultaneously. I do school and we do real estate. I can't remember living in a house that didn't have one or many renovations going on at the same time. I must admit, there was something very sad about finishing up the reno's of a house at the 11th hour, to have it sold at the 12th and start up all over again. I read this little diddy somewhere -- and I live by it during those moments of hard decisions, short-term pain, saving v. spending, hotel vacation or tenting . . . If the road to wealth were easy, everyone would be wealthy. It's an uphill battle most days, but I want to keep plugging; not for my sake, but for the benefit of our generations to come. Press on! It's worth the battle. T

I buy Burda at one of three newstands in Halifax. The specialty editions come out quarterly, I think and I've only ever been lucky enough to buy one children's ed. I'll try to research that more. For a 12 yr old, you might have to size down adult patterns that she enjoys? I see myself on the cusp of a clothing crisis for my daughter, who's just nicely finishing with size 6X. The mall fashions of size 7 - 12 is not to my liking.

Jennifer, I totally vote for taking the 100k equity and then moving into the "other" property, a bit further away from town. It's not forever -- I assume you have a plan in place to build your "forever house," right?? Short term pain for very lucrative long-term gain. I'm currently living in a split entry with wall-to-wall pink carpet which makes me almost barf everyday, but for now, while we're accumulating property and making things work, it's just a minor snag in the day. Quite frankly, the fact that you are "living" from your rental property cash-flow is very, very impressive. Beyond impressive. You've walked your own path, and look at you go. I don't know many people who manage their world on residual income. Holy Smokes. T

Yes, I'm a Birke's snot. I want a big fat Birke's diamond, table cut, at least a carat on platinum. After that, I want a stove-pipe cut wedding band. And as the grand finale, when we've got all the kids raised up and on their way, I want an eternity ring . . . diamond and three sapphires . . . the sapphires rectangular and little square diamonds. There -- I'm a snot, an unapologetic Birke's diamond ring snot, and I don't think I'll wear anything on my ring finger until I've got just that. I shop second-hand, live on wall-to-wall pink carpet, drive a 1999 Sienna beater . . . but I have a dream and that is to wear a big, fat Birkes diamond. I'm serious. Tricia

Burda is my absolute, hands down favorite sewing magazine in the world. The have editions just for kids - it's the best.

Good question: I've mentionned before that we flipped two houses which allowed us to pay off all outstanding debt and have a substantial downpayment for the first rental property. That was not easy, with three little kids and homeschooling. To be honest with you, looking back over the decisions we made . . . I pushed myself to the end of my strength, physically and emotionally. Now, we use equity to purchase dumpers that we don't have to actually move to . . . it allows me to guard our mornings for school and our afternoons/evenings are used to work on the houses until they are finished. I'm prepared to work hard from mid-April to mid-June, and then we can relax a bit more. It's a lifestyle - I know that might sound crazy, but we've made a lifestyle out of our love, which is RE. Initially, homeschooling grew out of the RE decisions we were making. We bought and sold houses, and the kids would have been bumped around different school districts, and that was a price too high to pay. Now, we're settled in a house for a minimum of 3 - 5 years, unless a deal came up that we absolutely couldn't resist, and then we'd consider another path. That's enough about us. Wishing you well as you figure out the best way to mind your own business. Warmly, Tricia

Hi Sunny, wonderful news that you are making a multi-level work for you. Like yourself, I think Direct Marketing is a very valuable option, and easily dismissed by the masses. I always go to the information sessions if a friend of a friend wants to introduce me to something . . . in my opinion, people have to "choose their evil" and I do real estate because the outcome only depends on our hard work; I don't have to educate others about the benefits of minding your own business. If the correct Direct Marketing business came along, and I was inspired by their products and individual profit %'s, than I would definitely think about it. I find Kiyosaki's writing style to be rather uninspired (he admits his writing isn't great) but I think he's got some smart things to say. Certainly, we've not followed his advice to the T . . . we're pretty cautious with how far we extend ourselves. DH's employment pays the bills, allows us to tithe and save a smidge, and we have an ok life . . . no extravagant vacations, we live in a budget. The real estate pumps a bit of cashflow into our monthly budget but not enough to make a huge difference. It's the longterm benefits which interest us. It's fun, though, and I really enjoy learning the ins and outs of playing the game. RE has stretched dh and I into a new way of thinking, a more intense committment to living in reduced budget, more passionate about having a savings layer, less short-term gratification for long-term benefits. T

Obviously, I can't answer your questions, but I do confess that I always read the threads about the US economy, the extra fed $ conversations etc etc, mtg's, real estate bubbles, -- it's a fascinating thing to have access to real opinions, feedback, ideas from you folks on the other side of the border. Very insightful. T

I like how you framed the conversation with the tenants you've chosen -- I'll remember that for future reference. TY for sharing. T

So, I'll give this my best shot! Different situations take different hard work. For ie, we're closing a deal on a set of side-by-side semi's mid-April. These semi's are *disgusting* in every way. I think the toilet's are white, underneath the grime. I think the shower stall has tiles, but can't tell from the mold and disgust. There is no trim work in any part of the semi, the carpets are original, the basements are disgusting, the kitchen is indescribable and I'm praying I don't catch a communicable disease during the clean-out days -- so why in the world are we buying them, knowing we have to face the intensity of turning these properties around in 6 weeks? Instant equity. But it's hard work. Finding tenants is easy in our neck of the woods - our properties are in good locations and solid neighbourhoods. But certainly, it's not that way everywhere and you really need to have your finger on the pulse before you jump in to the rental pool. Hours and Hours and Hours of physical labour go into our properties. They are truly labours of love. We don't have a money tree growing in our backyard (shocking, I know) so we have to do everything the hard way, which is figure it out ourselves. Granted, the intensity of the hard physical labour is a short-term pain for these semi's, but still tough. Flipping houses is much more intense than purchasing and holding on for the ride. Your last question is key: many people own rental units who are fine with paying tradesmen and believe me, if I had the cash, I would get help. The only problem, however, is tradesmen don't necessarily care about your property the way you do, so I'm always very leery to pay for work that I'm not sure is A-OK. We get help with tricky plumbing situations, or if we have to run updated electric but otherwise, we've taught ourselves and we work it at. Real estate is fun - we love the challenge of buying the sweat equity properties, doing the hard work and then doing it again on another property. It's not for the faint of heart, but we love it. I feel disheartened for the folks who've been burned by RE investing -- and I validate that it's a tough slog sometimes. Keep your eyes wide open; be very careful of who you work with in terms of agents and mortgage brokers. I don't work with hungry agents . . . and I sure don't use mtg brokers who haven't been personally recommended by someone I trust. HTH's. T

I'll bring what I know to the board later this evening . . . We're in the middle of the crazy storm right now, trying to secure the next deal, and it's making me a little crazy. Financing is always a hill to die on for me . . . I find the #'s so stressful. I feel like we're in the 4th quarter, down by a few points and have to rally this through, dig deep to make it happen. I still did school today though -- *hooray* T

You are a Smiley Superstar. :cheers2: I sit and stare, shocked and awed.

Cornerstone, I truly think it's the new board format . . . I don't read nearly as many posts now as I used to on the old board, and post even less. I think your story was very cute! Even if people don't respond to my posts, I'm generally happy just to have a forum! T

I absolutely agree with everything you say here -- I think it's not very bright to quit your job, or not look for a job while you do the "pie in the sky" and hope something will happen for you. The reason we've had success in real estate is because my dh has a solid, stable government position, which for the most part is an 8:30 - 4:30 work day. It gives us the time to "mind our own business" on the side, which is why it works for us. And the fact of the matter is -- it is *hard work* buying and maintaining rental properties. We have a pending deal right now, and we'll have to work like crazy folks to get that property rentable in a short period of time. We just can't afford cleaning teams and tradesmen to do the hard work for us. I don't think real estate investment is a good choice if you need quick cash to somehow dig out from under a heavy debt-load. We had to flip our first two houses just to see the light of day, and only when we were debt-free would the banks even look at us for third and fourth mortgages. I also don't recommend real estate investment if you aren't handy -- it costs a ton of money to have a tradesperson do repairs on a rental. I think you have to do real estate with your eyes wide open -- and we've tiptoed into the income property game, bit by bit. I'm sorry for your friends - I hope they find their way to surface soon! Tricia

My story: In July 2003 and at 8.5 months preggers with #3, friends from Beautiful British Columbia came for a visit and brought with them a book they thought we'd enjoy -- Rich Dad/Poor Dad's What The Rich Teach Their Kids about Money that the Poor and Middle-Class Do Not. That one book absolutely revolutionized our financial lives and I am forever greatful for the lessons we've learned. Real Estate is not a s*xy investment -- it's not a get-rich-quick scheme, although it can be very profitable in the short-term and very worthwhile in a long-term investment scenario. What I know today: 1) Always find people to work with you that are smarter, more experienced and enjoy mentoring rookies. Building a team is the most important thing you can do for yourself. Go fast, go alone. Go far, go together. 2) Leveraged money is key. 3) It's not how much you make every month . . . it's how much you keep in your pocket at the end of the month. 4) If you are serious about real estate, you can't have personal debt. Leverage money for mtg's but for everyday living, find a way to live on less. I could go on and on about this . . . I've never been to a RD/PD conference, but we've successfully used the examples given in RD/PD to build an real estate investment portfolio which is being 100% paid for by rental incomes. Our monthly cashflow hasn't changed considerably, but we're building equity every month and big purchases/expenses like university educations are being saved for in the equity of our investment properties. It's an amazing journey of self-education and learning how to open your eyes to the possibility of wealth all around you . . . I'm not talking just $$$, but the true wealth of living within your means, seeing the beauty in everyday life, loving deeply and freely. It's all tied together. Another one of my favorite books is by Richard Paul Evans, The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me. Another one I like is by Dr. C. Thomas Anderson, Becoming a Millionaire God's Way: Getting Money To You, Not From You. Have fun! Tricia

We're only in chapter 2 of LL, but I haven't found it horrible for teacher prep. We make the flashcards together . . . we read the history together . . . the online pronounciation download makes life very easy for practice. The printing out does stink a bit -- let's be honest, but even if it were in a hardcopy format, I'd still have to copy so both children could use it at the same time . . . it's a minor glitch I cope with for the benefit of using a latin program that works for me and my kidlets.

We're LL fans -- I could have written your "latin yuck factor" post . . . but Lively Latin is lovely, gentle, fun - we've all very much enjoyed ourselves. T

Sorry!