Ralph Moody's Little Britches series is perfect for all ages...a lot of life lessons.

1. Not being consistent enough (painful to admit) 2. Purchasing too much ahead of time 3. Not reading ahead of my children

I use the Harvey Grammar workbooks and answer keys from Classical Writing with the original Harvey's Grammar text. These help to make the lessons more "open and go" and include diagramming work. My children work through the material at their own pace. http://www.classicalwriting.com/Harveys.htm

The answer key to Write From Ancient History Level 2 is now available: http://brookdalehouse.com/product/write-ancient-history-level-2-answer-key/.

I think it's time tor us to reread Ralph Moody's Little Britches series. We'll have The Little House on the Prairie series done by then.

Maybe switch your schedule around: together and fun things before lunch...individualized math and language arts in the afternoon. It takes more energy for me to read aloud and paint than to tutor one on one.

LToW has recently been updated to a 5th edition and boasts that it's more user friendly. (I am having no problems using the 4th edition though.) https://www.circeinstitute.org/store/book/lost-tools-writing-level-one-complete-set

We really like a vintage text called School Composition by William Maxwell. This is mostly about descriptive writing. Free download https://books.google.com/books?id=E_8AAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=School+composition+maxwell&hl=en&sa=X&ei=93vdVN7mL86zogT5yoCgCA&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=School%20composition%20maxwell&f=false $8 reprint http://www.amazon.com/Composition-Grammar-Classes-Classic-Reprint/dp/B0099TOAMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423801380&sr=8-1&keywords=School+composition+maxwell Also the next book after School Composition is Writing in English which is great for middle school. https://books.google.com/books?id=s1sQAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=School+composition+maxwell&hl=en&sa=X&ei=93vdVN7mL86zogT5yoCgCA&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=School%20composition%20maxwell&f=false

Just a small tip: I really like the Speed Cleaning book by Jeff Campbell. While I don't use the recommended cleaning products (I mostly clean with vinegar and baking soda), I did learn from that book that cotton white napkins make great lint-free cleaning rags. I bought a ton from ebay from a textile company in Georgia. Having a simple, uncluttered cleaning cupboard stocked only with the basic essential supplies will also save time. I like having a small chart taped to the inside of the cleaning cupboard with my simple cleaning supply list, a couple homemade cleaning recipes, and the cleaning rotation.

My ds12 is finishing this course tonight. He loved it. Well, he loves all things AoPS. The first two weeks were a challenge, but he got into a rhythm. He feels that C & P was a bit more challenging than his previous AoPS Algebra 1 course.

i would have her continue with Apologia's Advance Biology (the human body). We were able to complete one module per week and add in The Teaching Company's Anatomy DVDs, completely both biology texts in one year. It was a good pace for us (reading/vocabulary on Monday and Tuesday, labs on Wednesday, finish lab reports/reading on Thursday, study module on Friday, test on Saturday). Also, doing algebra concurrently with biology is fine.

Here is a direct link to the errata pdf for the 2nd edition of Chemistry. http://www.apologia.com/bookextras/01/errata2.pdf

My children and I love Creating A Masterpiece DVD's. (We own seven.) My six year old works with my sixteen year old on each step by step video lesson. http://www.creatingamasterpiece.com/index.php http://cathyduffyreviews.com/art-music-drama/creating-a-masterpiece.htm

I really like Homeschool Planet. I tried the 30 day trial and had our plans up and running the first day.

My 2015 Calendar Journal from Simply Charlotte Mason. I am using it to record personal reading, read alouds, nature moments, simple memories, prayers, and "gentle reminders."

I love everything from Simply Charlotte Mason. SCM products are affordable (especially as pdfs), beautiful, and practical. Art portfolios, new poet and composer biographies, Bible studies, history guides, a free curriculum guide (booklists), encouraging blog articles... https://simplycharlottemason.com/

I prefer Onenote. However, I really enjoyed my monthly trial of the Homeschool Planet. It made beautiful calendar print-outs. The other online planner I used for several years before jumping into OneNote last year was the Charlotte Mason Organizer by Simply Charlotte Mason. Both of these online planners are easy to implement right away but are activated through monthly or annual subscriptions. http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool-planet-free-trial/ https://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/cm-organizer/

Congratulations! Okay, I am with you...I am 8 weeks and really sick...and since this is baby #9, I know my pattern is that my nausea will not let up until about 25 weeks too. The best advice that I can give you is to try to get dressed early in the day and go outside for fresh air and a morning walk. This helps all of us to feel alive, happy, and connected. Then keep things simple with an hour max of table-time school and later read alouds. Also, I have one audio book ready for when peace and quiet are needed. Greek yogurt and lemon water help me the most right now.

Was this it? http://www.arttango.com

Why not bump up to Core D? That's my favorite Sonlight core.

If you're interested in reading about reading aloud, I recommend Alice Ozma's The Reading Promise. The author tells how her father read aloud to her every night from fourth grade until college because they made a promise to read at least ten minutes aloud every day sometime before midnight. I am still in the middle of the book, but it reminds me that you can read aloud to all ages. Sarah from Amongst Lovely Things interviewed Alice Ozma and has the podcast available here: http://amongstlovelythings.com/12/

My two boys swung impressively on monkey bars yesterday. They said they couldn't do any handwriting today because of their monkey bar blisters. ;-)

When I feel this way, I clean my own bedroom. (It's kind of like my version of Flylady's sink cleaning, if you know what I mean.) Because I get super busy all day with the children's things, I usually neglect my own personal things and areas. And when my space is peaceful, I am motivated, less overwhelmed, and feel like everything else is manageable again too...like making meals, schooling, and washing laundry.

My husband thinks that Kipling's Captains Courageous (about developing a good work ethic) is one of the best read alouds. We also enjoyed it again as an audiobook read by George Guidall (audible.com). The others that come to mind instantly are Shackleton's South, Stevenson's Kidnapped, and Ralph Moody's Little Britches (and every book in the series...these are must reads).

McGuffey Readers and Speller http://www.amazon.com/McGuffeys-Eclectic-Spelling-William-McGuffey/dp/0471289434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411863121&sr=8-1&keywords=McGuffey+speller William Maxwell's School Composition and Writing in English http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=William%20H.%20Maxwell&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank William Wheeler's Elementary Speller and Graded Studies in Great Authors http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=William%20Henry%20Wheeler&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank Elson Readers http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Elson+readers&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AElson+readers