Well, actually, if you read her past posts, she has NOT done a classical education all along and has struggled plenty herself. So maybe she just meant this post in theory and was including herself in the people she thinks "should" be doing it?

By all means, drop it! We don't do "dictation" and I don't personally see any need to! Did I help? LOL.

...Weight Loss Conversion Chart. My husband came across it online a few years back, and I saved it to my computer, and I thought some of you might enjoy it :D How Much Weight Have You Lost? Your weight loss = 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 So far, I've lost 2 lbs- the equivalent of a rack of baby back ribs (or two guinea pigs) :D

Thanks for the replies and the encouragement, everyone! :) Well, I went and weighed in, and this week I lost 2 lbs. I admit I did sort of expect/hope for a bit more my very first week (gone are the days of losing 3-5 lbs in the first week I suppose, maybe now because I'm getting older, I don't know lol)... ...but with that said, it's two pounds gone and that's 8 sticks of butter (or 2 guinea pigs, or a rack of babyback ribs haha) gone. Which is much better than staying where I was (or worse, continuing to gain)! My husband lost 2 3/4 lbs this week. (Edit: Oops I said he lost 2 1/2 but he lost 2 3/4. I don't want to rob him of his quarter pound lol). So we are both on our way! --- WEEKLY REPORT: Start weight, Week "0": 237 1/2 Starting BMI: 37.2 Current weight, Week 1: 235 1/2 Current BMI: 36.9 Lbs lost this week: 2 Lbs lost total: 2 Goal: 58 lbs. 2 lbs down, 56 to go. (I'll say 179 1/2 for my official goal weight, for now) --- I'll drag up this thread next week to update again. :D

I'm sorry, the heartburn was horrible for me with my last pregnancy, too. I just kept popping Tums like candy.

OK, the more accountable I am, the better, I figure. As much as I hate to admit this "out loud," the truth is, I weigh over 200 lbs. A good amount over! :crying: I need to lose weight- for my health, for my self-esteem, for my family, etc. I did start a weight loss program... I'm following the Weight Watchers plan as I've done it in the past and have all the materials and I'm familiar with it. But I'm using TOPS meetings for my support and weigh ins as it is cheaper than going to WW meetings. Last Thursday, August 26th, was my first official weigh in there, and my starting weight was (gulp) 237 lbs. (and a quarter but I'll just count the whole number heh). It might even have been a drop higher as I started dieting two days before I went to the first meeting. My initial goal is to get into the 170's... so to get to 179 I need to lose 58 lbs. I know that number (179) probably sounds ridiculously high to some of you and that overall I should probably lose more, but I know I'll feel TONS better at that weight (I'm 5'7" btw), and I don't want to totally overwhelm myself. 58 lbs already sounds like a LOT and it's not going to happen overnight. I'm going to make myself accountable by posting weigh in results each and every week- good or bad. In my signature line and perhaps by coming back to this thread. If it helps me to be accountable, then thank you for your help. If it helps to inspire you, then you're welcome for mine. (LOL). Wish me luck, I leave in 20 minutes for my first results weigh in. (As does my husband, he's dieting with me). <cringes and hits the submit button>

LOL...my son is still at the Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land stage... but the good news is, my daughter isn't, and SHE can play those games with him! haha. (At least he's starting to be able to play other kinds of games, too, as long as we help him out)! I just named our team "Nance's Homeschool." You'd think I could be more creative with a team name heh.

I agree with Annie! "still needs work" on reading comprehension implies that it's been an issue all along, even when he was in public school. So I really doubt that they can do better than you can. Unless you live in a great school district, maybe you can take a peek at what their standardized test results were last year (here they publish it in the newspapers sometime in July, I believe). Around here, the schools didn't even meet state average. Even though I'm not big on and don't put much stock in standardized testing, it's still nice for me to be able to look at those results and assure myself (and anyone questioning) that I can do just as well as and probably better than they can! And I'd read up on all the benefits of homeschooling and perhaps some of the dangers of public schooling (see some of John Taylor Gatto's stuff!) and include your husband in the process to try to remind him of all the reasons why this is a GOOD thing you are doing, and that putting him back into public school is not the answer! I don't blame you for being hurt by your inlaw's comment, that would really tick me off! Good luck!

Just so you know, not everyone on this board teaches a classical education lol. I don't. I use Oak Meadow which is not Waldorf but Waldorf-ISH. Very creative and hands on, involves the child as a whole, laid back in the earliest years rather than pushing a lot of academics in, say, Kindergarten, and so on. I'm a fairly relaxed homeschooler. I still can see that my child is thriving more than she ever did in public school, that she's benefitting from my one on one instruction, AND that she's getting to just be a kid and has time to follow her own interests, as well. Is it working? Yes. I can SEE that she's learning just by interacting with her. I hire an evaluator each year as per PA law who is happy with and impressed by our annual portfolios. I turn in a portfolio to the superintendent of our schools each year as per PA law, who has accepted said portfolio and acknowledged that an appropriate education had been received. A standardized test administered last year shows that she is right where she's supposed to be (which is more than I can say for most of the kids around here judging by the test scores published in the paper, annually. Around here, schools don't even meet state average). There's more than one "right" way to homeschool ;)

We use a Merriam Webster Intermediate Dictionary. I think they have a beginner one, too. P.S. Sometimes we use the "yahoo kids" online dictionary, too :D

We used that site for last year's 4th grade music curriculum over here. Each week, we read one of the "mini bios" for a different composer, and then listened to samples of their music on Youtube. It's a great site! :)

I must confess, I didn't log any minutes for the very first day of the challenge. Oops. I will make a point of logging minutes today! (Somewhere in between my weight loss support group and my eye doctor appointment lol).

Because my daughter went to public school from Kindergarten through most of third grade before I finally got fed up enough with the school system and pulled her out to begin homeschooling, and I am SO glad to be rid of that school system! Because we do lots of fun, cool, hands on things. Because I learn and do interesting things right along with them. Because childhood really does fly by (my oldest is 18 already) and I don't want to miss out on so much of it (nor do I want THEM to miss out on so much of it). Because I believe it's the best thing for them. Because it gives me a reason to post with you guys. :D

My daughter will be 10 next month and she doesn't have specific assigned chores that she has to do every single day but she has things she does "help out" with pretty regularly, and things that she helps out with just on an as needed kind of basis, when I ask (rather than chore charts, and "did you do your chores today" and that kind of thing). The things she most often helps with are: Unloading the dishwasher (she usually does silverware and pots/pans; I do the things that go up in higher cabinets) Helping to set/clear the dinner table taking out the garbage bringing laundry to the basement for me to do, and putting hers (and sometimes her little brother's) and the towels away helping the other kids to do general straightening in living room, especially of toys and their own belongings cleaning her room when it gets too ridiculous Sometimes vacuuming the living room Sometimes sweeping the kitchen Sometimes wiping off the kitchen table and chairs We don't have very specific "routines" around here!

I feel extremely lucky! I found a curriculum I absolutely love- their whole philosophy, the mechanics of actually doing it, everything! And I have never yet (seriously!) been tempted to switch to something else or had any doubts about it. I'm honestly grateful for that, I'm sure it saves me a whole lot of stress. :D

Next time I buckle him in, I'll take a look at that specifically as I haven't really paid a lot of attention to that. I'm pretty sure he's still fine in that regard, but I will double check. Thanks! So I see a few of you were able to use a 5 pt harness til your child was 6 or 7 years old! I'll take a look at where the harness is compared to his shoulders and make extra sure he's still fine height/torso wise. I know he's still fine weight-wise and seems to fit comfortably. So as long as he's not too tall I'm guessing there's no reason to move him out of it during his fifth year and that I can re-evaluate when he's more like 6 (I don't foresee him becoming too heavy for it, he's pretty lean. So I just have to keep an eye on his height). Thanks for the responses!

It was me. I had to talk him into it. Which actually was not anywhere near as hard as I'd thought it would be! What was harder was convincing him to let me pull her out when I did- in March of her third grade year- rather than waiting to let her finish the school year out and start the following fall. I really had to nag a lot for that one!!! haha. He thought she should finish the year, I thought if I was going to homeschool, I may as well just get started, why wait?! I did finally talk him into it. He agreed begrudgingly at first, but did later admit that it had gone fine and that it wasn't a big deal that I'd pulled her out mid year rather than waiting.

My son is going to be 5 in about two months. He's still riding (very comfortably) in his Britax Boulevard 5-pt harness car seat. He's not too tall for it. He weighs about 39 lbs. I don't foresee having to move him out of it anytime very soon, but my husband asked me the other day when we were going to put him in a booster seat instead and I just said "I don't know." When did you/When would you? (I don't even remember when I moved my nearly 10 y/o out of her car seat but I'm sure it was earlier than this point. For some reason, I became more carseat conscious by the time I had my son and he stayed rear facing a lot longer, etc). P.S. When I do move him, it'll be into a highbacked booster seat, possibly a Graco Turbo Booster as I still have the one my daughter used and it's in very good shape (although I guess I have to research whether a well-kept booster seat "expires" like car seats do. We've owned it since May of 2007 and it's been unused for the past two years, just being stored. It's in very good condition. No-one's ever used it but my daughter, no accidents etc. I think it should still be fine, but I'll take thoughts on that, too, please. LOL. Thanks!

No solutions, but I just wanted to say that we struggle with that over here some, too. My almost 10 y/o daughter loves to chat, always has. In fact, when she was in public school (for K through most of 3rd), she was losing her recess constantly, especially in K and 1st, for "talking too much" in class. She always wants to chat with me about random things, too. Sometimes she can't contain herself and interrupts. Sometimes she'll raise her hand (old public school habit lol) and when I say "yes?" she'll say something totally random and unrelated to what I was reading or talking about. Sometimes she'll ask a question and then it will lead to another question and then a comment and then a story and then a different topic and sometimes I just don't know HOW to handle it- like, I want her to be able to explore her thoughts, tell me and ask me things, follow her interests, but sometimes it just gets a little TOO disruptive and I have to tell her to stop talking or "not now." And then I feel kind of bad about it. But sometimes it seems like it's the only way to finish what we're doing!

I'm so sorry. :(

No, he leaves it entirely up to me. If I ask for an opinion on something, he'll give it. If I ask for help with something, he'll provide it. If I ask for materials, he'll pay for them. I love it! :D

Weight Watchers has a nursing mother's plan that definitely did work while I was nursing my son, maybe you'd want to check into that?

I'd never heard of it either until that thread. But that thread made me want to read it (for myself, not my daughter), so I've got the first book on reserve at my library.

Hm I don't know. Maybe you can try elevating her head some though. If she's in a toddler bed with a light weight mattress, you can maybe stick a thicker/firmer pillow under the mattress to lift the head of it up some and see if that helps. I guess that might help if it's like a backdrip sort of thing, which can be common at night.

Well, sure the novelty wears off, as with most things. Then it sits for a while. Then one day someone's bored or remembers it and goes "Hey, let's play the Wii!" or a cool new game comes out and it gets some play for a while. And then it goes in cycles of being ignored and being played, being ignored, being played. :D