$45 for a check up and cleaning for myself. My kids have insurance.

We are using Oak Meadow 6. I actually decided to use it as a gap year because my daughter started school young and for various reasons I decided I wanted to get her back to where she would have been and I chose 6th grade as the year to stretch out over a two year period... so we did HALF of OM6 this year and will do the other half next year, and therefore I supplemented with other things, too... But I'm a big Oak Meadow fan. I used Oak Meadow for 4th and 5th grades with my daughter, and I used the first half of OM6 this year along with a few supplemental things with her, plus I used OMK with my son. I did not use the math with OM5 and OM6 because I use an older used version that didn't have its own built in math curriculum after OM4 (it used to use Saxon from OM5 on), so I use something else for math. You might see the science as a little light if you are a science heavy family, I don't know. The lessons are fairly short as all OM lessons are. The experiments are kind of basic. But with that said, they DO get the student thinking, and discussing, and usually doing some sort of fun project. And they usually have some sort of writing to do, which there's usually a choice of. And the project, there's usually a choice of, too. It might involve drawing or interviewing someone or making something out of modeling clay or writing or answering questions or doing something outside or doing some plant experiments, it varies a lot. I love OM for English/Social Studies. I love how it integrates everything. There will be a social studies lesson on whatever the topic is, and it won't be overly long, it won't be dull, it will be written to the student. There will be interesting discussion questions and writing assignments along the way (and they are usually given a choice of what to write about, and it's usually pretty creative/gives them interesting things to think about). Then for English, the vocab words assigned will be based on the social studies material. The reading/literature assigned will be living books based on the social studies material. Any writing assignments will be based on the social studies material. There will often be some sort of fun hands on activity or project also based on what the student is learning about. We really enjoy it. It's not dull or textbookish, there's no worksheets and tests (other than they tell you to do spelling tests), but it IS kind of heavy on the AMOUNT of writing they expect (of course, you can always adapt that to your child and require less if need be). I haven't really had to use a teacher's manual yet. As I said, I'm kind of eclectic and supplement with some other stuff here and there- I use Teaching Textbooks for math and Life of Fred once a week, we also use Story of the World, and a couple of other things here and there, and we're pretty relaxed homeschoolers who drop everything and do a lot of outings and field trips and activities as we feel like it, but if you want to take a look, I blog our day to day lives and have a lot of information in my blog about homeschooling with Oak Meadow, and the sidebar has further info including reviews, schedules, and so on.

My daughter and I read the series by Joan Lowry Nixon as part of her 4th grade Oak Meadow curriculum and it was the first I'd ever even heard of the orphan trains! I don't recall ever learning or hearing about that in school or growing up!

I don't like vegetables in my smoothies. I often have smoothies for breakfast and they will consist of a cup of milk, half a cup of vanilla yogurt, 4-6 ice cubes, and various fruits- whatever I feel like. Usually a banana, maybe 4 strawberries, maybe some chunks of pineapple and peach. Sometimes we throw in some other fruits, fresh or frozen. We just put it in the blender. This will usually make enough for dh and I at least.

Thanks for all of the comments!! Yay, congrats! I should probably lose at least another 30-40, too, but we'll see how it goes! I don't think I've gotten down that low since I was like 20 years old! hahaha, that's funny! Soon, I promise! I have a before pic that is positively horrible, you're going to love it lol. Yeah, the body parts do sound particularly horrible these days! Still, congrats on the head and good luck w/the two year old! lol I've actually had that on my "to read" list for a while now but haven't yet picked up a copy! I really should! You'll have to let me know what you think if you start reading it! LOL thank you, glad you liked it! Congrats on the car tire, that's a great start!! Good luck with the elephant's penis! heh! Well, it's grains I don't eat as someone else said, not carbs per se. If I want a burger, I eat it without the bun. Maybe I'd just eat it by cutting it up with a knife and fork but I'd still have it with the cheese and lettuce, tomato, mayo, pickles, onions and so on. Spaghetti, unfortunately, I just refrain from these days. I did try once to have spaghetti squash with some butter and parmesan cheese but I didn't love it. Maybe it would have been better with sauce, I haven't tried. I eat peanut butter on apple slices frequently, or even just by the spoonful for a snack, or sometimes on sliced bananas with raisins, like "ants on a log." But no I would not eat PB&J on bread or crackers. I do not eat white potatoes and I do not eat bread, so if the kids were eating steak and white potatoes and bread, I would eat steak with a sweet potato and extra veggies and maybe a salad but no white potatoes or bread. For breakfast, I might have bacon and eggs, or fruit and cheese, or a smoothie. For lunch I might have a salad with cold cuts, or a BLT salad, or tuna salad, or egg salad, etc. For dinner I might have steak, chicken, shrimp, fish, pork chops, ribs, or whatever with squash or sweet potatoes and/or lots of veggies. Snacks might be fruit, cheese, nuts. I don't USUALLY have processed stuff but once in a while if I want something sweet other than fruit I might have a sugar free jello or pudding or a low fat ice cream or a few semi sweet chocolate chips or something at night, but usually I don't even want that stuff. LOL thank you! Maybe I'll try that!

I put love it, but it DOES depend on "it." There's some that just makes you feel ridiculous or is a bit TOO awkward, and some that really does make you feel good!

Haha...well, I lost it! Start weight: 247.6 lbs. Today's weight: 187.4 lbs. Total loss: 60.2 lbs. Gone: One elephant's penis! Next to go: An Irish Setter (That'd be 70 lbs as a goal, or getting down to 177.6 lbs- if I get that far before I get pregnant again- fingers crossed)!! :) --- How Much Weight Have You Lost? 1 pound = a Guinea Pig 1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts 2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs 3 pounds = an average human brain 4 pounds = an ostrich egg 5 pounds = a Chihuahua 6 pounds = a human skin 7.5 pounds = an average newborn 8 pounds = a human head 10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year 11 pounds = an average housecat 12 pounds = a Bald Eagle 15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs 16 pounds = a sperm whale's brain 20 pounds = an automobile tire 23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year 24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream 25 pounds = an average 2 year old 30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year 33 pounds = a cinder block 36 pounds = a mid-size microwave 40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg 44 pounds = an elephant's heart 50 pounds = a small bale of hay 55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner 60 pounds = an elephant's penis 66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year 70 pounds = an Irish Setter 77 pounds = a gold brick 80 pounds = the World's Largest Ball of Tape 90 pounds = a newborn calf 100 pounds = a 2 month old horse 111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year 117 pounds = an average fashion model 118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica 120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month 130 pounds = a newborn giraffe 138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year 140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year 144 pounds = an average adult woman 150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary 187 pounds = an average adult man 200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds 235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger 300 pounds = an average football lineman 400 pounds = a Welsh pony --- And how am I doing it, for those who don't already know? By eating no grains whatsoever. No breads, no pastas, no rices, and also no white potatoes. I do eat sweet potatoes, squashes, lots of fruits and veggies, nuts, dairy- milks, eggs, cheeses, yogurts, etc. I eat any meats, seafood, poultry, etc. that I want. I eat full-fat- butter, mayo, peanut butter, olive oil and coconut oil. I do not eat "lite," "fat free," or processed foods. I try to stick to whole and natural foods as much as possible. I drink pretty much just water (other than one cup of coffee a day). I walk for exercise. By breaking the cycle of carb addiction I apparently had, I lose much better and MUCH faster than I ever did on all my many, many years on and off Weight Watchers. --- And lastly, I want to extend the invite one last time to anyone else trying to lose weight to come join our Weight Loss Challenge social group! :) Support, encouragement, and fun motivation in the form of various exercise and dietary "challenges" which anyone can join or start at any time! http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/group.php?groupid=129 --- And, now, I promise, no more weight loss updates from me until I hit another milestone lol. Maybe after another 5 or 10 lbs I'll give you some more before and "after" pics! Thanks for being my cheerleaders along the way, though! :D

Haha it's ok. My name IS Nancy, "Nance" is more a for short/nick name thing. :D

I think MY 11 y/o would follow the lead of the kids who lived in the house. She would never just open a door and just walk into a bedroom but if the kid who lived there led or invited her in she would follow.

Thank you! Yeah. It was really devastating. :( But I am coming to terms with it and focusing on something positive like continuing to get as healthy as possible and losing more weight, and the fact that it happened relatively early and naturally and didn't require any medical intervention, so I can try again right away, and meanwhile I'm going to lose some more weight first!

n/m

And if anyone can stand one more post to this thread (or is even reading it still lol), today it said 188.4!!! Woohoo! That means any gain is now GONE and I'm right back to where I left off, at my low weight! Down 59.2 lbs again and more than ready to finally hit that initial 60 lb weight loss goal I had and then some! Still haven't touched a single grain or white potato, eating whatever fats I want, eating plenty of fruits and veggies, and have walked 2 (or sometimes 3) miles a day. It's working wonders!

We are pretty informal with K. I might give him breakfast, let him play while I do some school with his sister, then tell him we are going to do a Reading Eggs lesson together. Then I might say we are going to read a story from his Oak Meadow syllabus and have him draw me a picture, maybe have him do a craft, or tell me what the weather is like, or do an informal math exercise, nothing elaborate, no carpet time.

That's awesome! We're not testing this year but only have I think 5 lessons left before we're done for the school year and I do think it went very well. Continuing to be a big TT fan, personally! :)

Sorry you don't have any family support! But you can probably get it in other places! Have you looked online for homeschool support groups in your area? On Yahoo, or on Meetup? I would suggest joining one of those. It may be good for you to meet other homeschool families in your area! I found that really helpful when I was first starting out. And, of course, this board was great, too! :D Not to mention reading every positive thing I could about the benefits of homeschooling!

$50. (I usually give more like $100.00-$200.00 depending on who it is when I'm going to a wedding, but that's when I'm invited to the wedding itself, and I'm not a struggling 25 y/o grad student). So in their case, I'm going with $50.00.

Oh my gosh, I'm glad you got him to the hospital right away and that they were able to take care of him! I'm glad all other arteries looked okay and hope that he is, in fact, able to come home right away! :grouphug:

Well, I feel very lucky because this gain I'd put on while eating carbs over the last few weeks seems to be melting off in these first few days of not touching them again! Yesterday morning the scale had said 192.8, and this morning it said 190.4! I've now completed two days of not touching a single grain type carb, drinking only water (other than one cup of coffee in the AM), and walking (ended up walking three miles yesterday). Now I'm only up 2 lbs from my low weight of 188.4!! Can't wait to get back to that...and below! Down 57.2 total (it was 59.2 at my low). I don't know if my body just reset itself with all those months of no carbs followed by a few weeks of carbs, followed by going back to no carbs, or if I just had a lot of water weight to get rid of, or what it is, but I am loving how fast it is dropping off right now! I'm telling you, this grain free thing is the way to go for me. In all my years of Weight Watchers and such, I've NEVER dropped weight the way I do eating grain free (but still eating plenty of fat)!

Yay for good choices! And your daughter is adorable! That's awesome! You're doing a really good job getting the weight back off! Glad you joined the group! :)

You could have just put "I don't like them" instead of "ugly, trashy, low-class" to allow people the opportunity to be a litttttttle less offensive to those of us who have them. Just saying. As for me, I put other, because I have them, and like the ones I have, but don't want any more, so I didn't want to put the option that included "would consider more."

:grouphug: You should hang out with us anyway!

Thanks for the comments, everyone! :) That is so cute! :) haha you should, you deserve it! lol well if you read the beginning of my post, I jokingly hinted about it to give her the idea...you could always do the same hehe.

holy $!@#$#!!!! So yesterday morning, my scale said 196.2. Up 7.8 lbs from my low, as I said. I'd been eating pretty bad. So yesterday, I walked 2 miles and went back to eating completely grain free, and to drinking nothing but water (other than one cup of morning decaf). And this morning I got on the scale expecting to be down 1, maybe 2, lbs from yesterday. Know what it said? 192.8! That's 3.4 lbs down after only one day of being back on track! I know it's gotta be a bunch of water weight, but WOW. And I don't think my scale is broken lol- it's been pretty consistent with whatever it happens to say when I have to go to the doctor or whatever each time- but even if it was off by a lb or something I'd still be ecstatic. Nice to think that I'm only up 4.4 lbs from my low instead of 7.8! And that I'm still down 54.8 lbs overall! :D This certainly gives me incentive to do well again today and to keep pushing to get the heck back out of these 190's!! And to try to get down even lower than my initial low weight of 188.4!

Well I made it through my first day back on track with no grains, and I walked 2 miles this morning, and it feels good to be back on track! Glad to see so many others already doing the same or talking about starting, too! :)

Oh my, thanks for all the great stories! It would take me forever to respond to every single one of them, but I did read every single one of them! Some highlights: That's funny, definitely reminds me of crazy stroller lady! lol. Wow!! Yeah, I'd have fired her, too, and called her out on it. That's crazy! That is just ridiculously depressing. Poor little girl. :( I'm a little on the over-protective side, too, but, yeah, that's taking it a bit far!! Ouch, sorry to hear that! I hope you get your stuff back! Maybe you'll end up homeschool buddies with the cop, though! :D