I received all my materials within 3 weeks this year, so it's not all bad.

Hahahaha. FL is home to me, I love it!!! Hurricanes happen, but unlike blizzards, etc...you have warning! You close up the house and head to Orlando for a couple days. ;) We just lived in Key West last, so we left a few times, but it's not really that big of a deal, IMO. Just make sure you have insurance in case you have a bad storm. Homeschooling is really easy. You can have evaluation (soooo easy, in fact I had two neighbors who were teachers who just signed off on mine. It's literally a p/f evaluation form.), you can take the FCAT or other standardized test, or use the umbrella school option. The umbrella's have fees but they are often very small. We used the first option. I find the laws there to be very unobtrusive (especially compared to VA, where we are now). You only need to file your Notice of Intent (which is just a statement you are homeschooling, no curriculum plan or submission of any credentials on your part needed) and the eval or test at the end of the year.

ITA. DH feels the same way. Neither of us is gifted in math, but wow the lightbulbs that have gone off for us both!!! Even I can do stuff in my head easier, and many of the 'tricks' I have taught DS (through RS) were things I had to come up with on my own years later. I asked on the board but no one answered, so maybe I'll have better luck there. Has anyone's kids taken standardized tests after learning with MM? I'd like to know how they are doing before committing to a switch.

Sometimes you just have to roll your eyes and walk away!

There are many different printings, but here is one: http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Huggins-HENRY-HUGGINS-REILLUSTRATED/dp/B002E9Q5XQ/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280157162&sr=1-10 They should also have it at your local book store.

Oh, I would look on the TP for winterpromise, homeschoolclassifieds.com, here, and if you want to order new, I always do best at amazon.com.

It is Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary. There are more in the series, but the one in the IG is this first one. My kids adored this book, we got them on iTunes and have listened to almost the whole series! Great stories!

Curious how kids who are using MM are doing on standardized tests. We've been doing RS and DS has always tested above grade level, overall, with the exception of the occasional concept that has not been covered in the "right" order. Wondering how MM compares since I'm thinking about switching. Thanks!!

OMG I love these! I had trouble picturing what everyone meant before. I can see a bunch of these going up this week in both the school room and the kids' rooms! How perfect for next to each bed!!! DS throws them all over the floor...maybe this would be helpful for that problem LOL! Plus I love seeing books cover out.

We're doing AS1 with an 8 (3rd gr) and 6 year old (1st gr). :)

Truth be told, we are trying a light blue book right now LOL. DS needed some work on subtraction after RS C, and I'm now thinking of switching over. It's tough though bc I really do like RS...but can't get past how we had to learn subtraction, I still don't get it! I'm just thinking that MM might help lighten my load a little bit.

I think the closest you can do is get one of the blue books on a certain topic to try...they are like $4 each, give or take.

I think what was talked about on the other thread was if you get behind...you skip things. Do some papers orally, skip the repetition. If you are behind reading, and you can just skip that chapter...do so. Maybe summarize it (like if it's a period in history or something), or just read it but skip the work you had to go alongside it. It's ok to skip a science experiment or two. ;)

We all have to do what works! :) I wish you could get a pdf WITH your hard copy. THAT would be nice. That way, when you want to travel and bring school with you...super easy!!! Which dollar store did people find library pockets at? :)

Yes, I was going to recommend RS also.

Thanks. I like the hard copy. Actually, I figured out the cost of buying it off Amazon already done was cheaper than me keeping it and printing it out anyway! And I like the hard copy teacher's manual. I just don't want to sit at my computer teaching. :) I did what the others did and just put the page in the week before, but I was too lazy to use markings...there's no way my DS would do more than necessary LOLOL!!! And on the bright side we can now finish FLL several weeks early. :lol: It's nice to know ahead of time the buffer I have. I think it will be great to finish it early though and lighten our load as the year comes to a close. Now that I think about it, we started WWE2 last year and will finish that about 7 weeks early too. Rather than start WWE3 I think we will just take a breather at that point. We all know how those last weeks of school just get to be cumbersome!! We'll have more time for fun at that point which will be great. :) Now that I think about it, I think I will file the first several weeks or so of FLL3, but keep the rest in it's own file (already separated by weeks) in the back for now. I know we will take some field trips and such to bring history alive, and it will be nice to know we can put FLL and WWE on hold when we travel for that. Then I can put FLL in the files accordingly if we get off track with a little without having to refile the whole year!

Nevermind. My internet was messed up and I couldn't come back LOL. I just straight 3 days a week and we end early LOL!!!

The main extra unit I want to get in is dictionary, but I thought i'd just throw it in at some point. Do you think it's better to do 3 days and finish early, or 2?

I think I might go ahead and do at LEAST half the year. We move often (military) and it is such a pain and disruption. My thoughts are the more of this you have done NOW, the less you have to worry about later. You will be very, very happy with the work you do now when you are trying to unpack and need to get out a couple lessons for your DD to stay on track.

Oh no!!! I got my FLL3 workbook, and the lessons carry on the backs of many pages, so I don't think it will really work in files. :( What is everyone else doing? I wasn't going to break it up but it's a big thick book and I know DS will dislike writing from it intact.

They have it at the homeschool buyer's coop. https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1427

Regardless of what it is....if they aren't going to tell you what it is now, it has no business being in that sentence IMO!

Beauty can make all the difference...I know I feel better surrounded by things that are pleasant to the eye. It can make work seem so much more peaceful! It's like a nicely decorated, pleasing room vs a utilitarian cubicle.

The first one. I don't have time to search, kwim? My time would be better spent looking through a few provided crafts than hours on the internet searching (bc that's what I tend to do online). One of the reasons I now use WP instead of SL. ;)

LOL 4besitos...I think it just depends how/when you want to save your time. For me, I know I get less motivated as time goes on, so if I go ahead and get a good bit of stuff prepared NOW, it will be done for later and we will actually accomplish more. I'm not sure I'm saving time prepping so much as making sure the prep is done so we actually get to do all the things I plan. Make sense? I'm still not sure about tearing up workbooks, they are nice and neat in the books...however I can see the satisfaction of finishing what is completed in a weekly folder. The visual of it being empty. This is something I really think my DS needs, so he can see the end of the work so to speak. He very much needs things planned, and has been asking what we have tomorrow since he could speak. He needs a chore chart on the wall, whereas DD1 has her chores internalized and does them on her own. Plus, I get very distracted very easily, so if I have this done it will help me stay focused as well. We had a crazy year last year, and if I had done some of this last summer, I can see how we would have finished up a LOT more even with travel, moving, etc. Now, as for workboxes...no, they are not less work. They are a lot of preparation. We did them for a little while but I couldn't keep up. The kids LOVED them though, the boxes made sure we threw in more fun activities during the day. It was an accountability system, a physical checklist for the day. When in place, they made the day move very, very smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. I just lost my motivation to keep up with it each night. This filing thing...planning for the year and getting copies and such made ahead of time, and lists for materials, I don't see any differently from how a public school teacher plans for her school year! I mean, they definitely don't fly by the seat of their pants like we tend to do. And since I don't get special uninterrupted teacher planning days throughout the year...I need to squeeze it in while I can and am motivated.