It varies anywhere from 3-8 a month.

I'd switch to the later class and utilize the public library. Especially if I weren't a morning person anyway lol. Is there a local park/playground with picnic tables for those days when there's nice weather?

Here's an interesting page on math from an unschool POV: http://sandradodd.com/math/ Personally, I think using "real life math" and combining that with math games could be very educational. Let them measure for woodworking projects, let them do recipes, let them manage an allowance (maybe even their own bank account), teach them to write checks, let them spend their own money, let them earn money. Provide them with math board games, card games, computer games, fun manipulatives. Go bowling and figure out averages. Buy stock (for real, or make believe) and keep track of how it does. Give them shopping lists and X amount of dollars and tell them to get whatever they can from their list without going over that amount of money when you shop (estimating and rounding and budgeting) Let them help with the family bills, let them help figure out what they can order from the takeout menu with X amount of money, let them figure out how far apart to plant flower and vegetable seeds, and so on. There are so many opportunities in every day life to learn and apply math skills. The truth is, your kids probably already know the basics of math, and advanced math concepts that people might worry about them not being able to do with "real life math" applications like you are talking about... who is to say they even NEED to know that other stuff now? It's the real life math, the stuff we do in our daily lives, that any of us NEED to know, because it's relevant. If something comes up that they NEED to know down the road for say a job or apprenticeship or college or whatever, that they haven't yet learned, with the right kind of motivation (as in, WANTING to know it because they NEED it for something THEY want to do), they're going to get a book, a DVD, a tutor, a whatever- and they're going to learn it. Probably much more easily and quickly than they would have at age 11 or 14 when they couldn't care less. This isn't for everybody. But you've made a decision, and yes, it IS doable, and no, I don't think you'll be ruining their lives.... so if this is what will work for you and your kids, go for it! It sounds like you'll have a fun year, with lots of family bonding, AND lots of learning!

I guess it depends on your baby but I can't imagine getting very much use out of it at that age! I'd think they'd rather crawl and cruise and learn to walk than sit in an exersaucer.

I have a facebook but I pretty much never use it. I go on it very rarely and then only when I get an email telling me that somebody requested me as a friend or left me a message on facebook. Then I'll sign in just to approve/decline, read the message, or whatever. That's the extent of my facebooking. So I didn't know if "yes, I have an active facebook account" was a good answer. It's not active at all lol. So I put "other."

Definitely doable. And it sounds like so much fun! ETA: Check this out! http://www.homefires.com/articles/reading_the_best_and_easiest.asp

Cute thread! We just finished lunch. My 9 y/o daughter is sitting on the recliner watching a show on Nick My 4 y/o son is playing in the backyard with his 4 y/o cousin, who lives a few houses away. Hubby's at work, and my oldest daughter is enjoying her last few days in NY with her dad and his family, she's coming home on Monday.

I appreciate all the feedback! I'm pretty happy with the decision I ended up making to join the regular, small gym and I'm looking forward to checking it out. Another cool thing about it, I just found out they do mixed martial arts classes for kids aged 5-12... for only $30 a month!!! For a 1 1/2 hour long class, once a week. Which is amazing because not that long ago I called the one martial arts studio I knew of nearby to inquire about their prices, and they told me it costs $90.00 a month. This small gym has them for a third of the price! (AND the guy told me that they cut a break even on THAT price if a parent ends up becoming a member of the gym. Which will be the case with us)!

Me too! I adore Oak Meadow! I used Oak Meadow 4 with my daughter last year and can't wait to do Oak Meadow 5 with her this year, in addition to starting Oak Meadow K with my son.

The only issue I had was that I bought my set used, and it had already been installed on the max number of computers or some such and the code wouldn't work- I called TT and they resolved it right away and got it working for me. They ARE great!

Excuse me, but, can you please tell me how to place my order and how much they will cost? Do you have a pen? I've got my shipping address ready for you! hehe. I'd buy those things! (seriously!) They look fantastic, almost professional! How adorable! I'd never be able to be THAT creative.

:grouphug:

Usually once a month or so. :P

Thanks for the replies! After a little more thought and talking to a friend (who is willing to join a gym with me... yay! Going with a friend will be much more motivational!) we decided to join a different gym instead. I know, I said there are no other gyms here lol. What I meant were there are no "big name" gyms. No "Gold's," No "Bally's," No "24 Hour Fitness," etc. But as it turns out there's this small local gym even closer to where I live. It's got one side that's mostly boxing, martial arts, weights.. you know, guy stuff. But it's got this whole other area that does cardio and all different kinds of classes, particularly for women, like aerobics and yoga and pilates and whatever. My friend who is joining with me is the one who told me about it when I asked her about joining Curves with me. So I went to this gym's website, and then called and talked to someone there with a few questions, and they were very nice. Said the guys do come in the evening and go to "their side" where most of them do the martial arts stuff or whatever. But that their membership is about half and half men and women, that they're family-friendly, that they have a room where kids can play and watch TV and you can keep an eye on them from near the cardio area if you need to bring kids, that all classes are included in the membership price (which is comparable to Curves' price) and so on. That if I went in the mornings, no it wouldn't be just me and my friend and a bunch of guys haha. My husband said he might even consider going with us, too, now that we know we can bring the kids. And I wouldn't have to sign a contract like I would with Curves. Now I just have to hope nobody decides to report us for having kids at the gym a couple of times a week if they don't "get" homeschooling and think our kids are truant or being neglected or some such (I already flat out said to the guy on the phone "we homeschool and I'd bring my kids when I came" and he said that was fine, but not sure what other members would think if they saw kids there regularly)?? The days I go would probably be from like 11:30-12:30. I'd homeschool in the mornings, go to the gym on the gym days, and then finish homeschooling when we got home. Travel time to and from gym is about 3 minutes each way. Anyway! I'm looking forward to this, really. I plan to start back at Weight Watchers this coming Tuesday, and then meet my friend at the gym for the first time afterward, and it feels nice to have a diet and exercise plan back into place for the very near future. It is long overdue!

I don't think you should comment publicly on her facebook page because it might just start drama or put her in an awkward position "in front of" her friends. But I also don't think you should just let this fester. You could nicely and privately contact her separately, in whatever way you decide to do so, and say to her, "wow, some of your friends really hurt my feelings when I saw that they were making fun of handicapped people on your facebook page, being as my son is handicapped. I wish people wouldn't joke around like that so easily." If you want to be a peacekeeper, that will give her the hint that it hurt you, that you're not blaming her, and that maybe next time she should put a stop to it or delete it.

Aw. The first couple of weeks can be tough, til things fall back into place and you're back into a routine and you've done plenty of review so the kid isn't in a panic that s/he doesn't know anything you're talking about and so on. Hang in there. Cut back a little bit if need be. Or think of a way to make something a bit more hands-on/fun, so neither of you get overwhelmed, especially in the first week or two.

I would appreciate any feedback on its value, effectiveness, ability to hold your interest and so on. I REALLY need to get back into a diet and weight loss program. I'm going to rejoin WW because I think it's a great, healthy program and I know it works. And I'm thinking of joining Curves. I don't have any other good gyms near me. I've already done the "go out walking, do exercise videos, get a treadmill" thing and I'm just bored with all of that, I want something a little different, a little social, something that will keep me motivated in between WW meetings and help me lose weight and so on. I like that it's a women only gym. It would cost me $34.00 a month (with a one year contract), which is affordable for me. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

susan, in my opinion, Smart Ones are good for "once in a while" but if you eat them every single day, I think the sodium content will affect your weight loss. If you sort of obsess over what the scale's going to say on weigh in day, definitely don't eat them within a few days of weigh in lol. To the OP, most weight loss plans require you to either eat bland, pre-packaged food, take some sort of "pill" that can have bad side effects, replace meals with liquid shakes, or cut out entire food groups. I don't approve of any of those things! Weight Watchers, on the other hand, is all about making healthy choices, eating a balanced diet, and portion control. It's a GREAT program. It's healthy, it's safe, it's reputable, it's effective. And with that said, I REALLY need to get back to it. My husband wants to lose weight, too. I told him we're starting back on WW September 1st. Wish me luck, getting motivated to get started is the.hardest.part.

I would have thought Revelations, but what do I know, I'm just a Jew LOL.

I'm sorry. The good news is that your kids are able to find social opportunities in other ways, without being involved specifically in a homeschool group, and that you can get homeschool support on forums like this one. You should have social opportunities for YOU in real life. But they don't necessarily have to be related to homeschooling! A book club, a writer's club, bingo, a stay-at-home-mom's group, a bowling league, time out with other friends... whatever it is that YOU like to do, make sure that you are getting some occasional opportunities to do it! Another thought: What if you try to start your own homeschooling group- and maybe, just maybe, you'll find a couple of others like you, who are also looking for something different. Put in your group's description what you envision for your group- and maybe you'll find a few others who are envisioning something similar. But if that doesn't work out- see the paragraph above. :)

Or supper, or whatever you call it over there. :) Last night, we grilled some Italian sausage and sauteed some peppers and onions and had subs. Tonight, I'm taking the leftover sausage, which is already cooked, and cutting it up and making a pot of spaghetti with sauce (jarred, I confess!) and having it with some broccoli on the side. You? Maybe I'll get inspired for something for tomorrow night's dinner. :)

That's great! My oldest daughter had ADD which caused a lot of problems in the classroom- she had learning disabilities and developmental delays, too, but I mean, she just couldn't sit still. She'd rip up papers, get up and walk away from her desk, sometimes right out of the classroom, couldn't focus, etc. I was reluctant to try meds at first but the school was REALLY recommending it. So in the end, I did. And this was back in like first grade, I think. We tried a few different ones. First Ritalin, then Adderol, then Concerta. The first two really affected her appetite and she was so skinny, though both DID help with her attention span and focus and so on. I mean, really helped. She focused better, which made her get in trouble less, which made her happier overall, which made me happier overall, etc. I don't regret having medicated her at a time when it was just necessary. And to me, it was. Concerta was the best in regard to having the fewest side effects- she still didn't have much of an appetite, especially at lunch (she'd then be starving at dinner), but other than that, no side effects. She did well on it. And she basically spent from age 6 to age 17 on ADD meds. When she was 17, I asked her pediatrician what he thought about taking her off them and seeing how she'd do since she was so much older than she'd been when first diagnosed as a young child. He agreed it was worth a try. She came off them, and the teacher in her special needs class said there were only very minor issues in regard to change in behavior once she came off them- and even those did resolve after a short adjustment period. She's been off the meds since (she's 18 1/2 now). And she's fine at home. With her behavior, her attention span, etc. So I think at least some kids just outgrow their ADD! And she's no longer so ridiculously skinny, either. :D

:lol: What does it say in the bible about getting your panties in a wad and light bulbs, anyway?

Of course!! LOL

How many forum members does it takes to change a light bulb? *1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed. *14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently. *7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs. *1 to move it to the Lighting section. *2 to argue that it should be moved to the Electricals section. *7 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs. *5 to flame the spell checkers. *3 to correct spelling/grammar flames. *6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb." Another 6 to condemn those 6 as stupid. *2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp." *15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct. *19 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum. *11 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant to this forum. *36 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty. *7 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs. *4 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's. *3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group, which therefore makes light bulbs relevant to this group. *13 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too." *5 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy. *4 to say "didn't we go through this already a short time ago?" *13 to say "do a Google or forum search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs." *1 lurker to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again. *4 to say "This thread is six months old!" and... *1 to say how hurtful and offensive the whole thread is to people who, for whatever reason, have made the decision for their families NOT to use lightbulbs. Followed by a six-page slanging match to include the phrases "big girl panties," "how dare you?" "I agree," and "entitled to my opinion," along with at least one quote from the Bible.