I like crazyhomeschoolmom. It would definitely catch my eye from the title. (cause that's what I get called so often)

either situation is going to be both challenging and rewarding. Pray like you have never prayed before. :grouphug:

Mine, either. There were some taco wagons in our town recently until the mayor had them all shut down that my husband kept saying he thought I'd enjoy. (some people he worked with would buy stuff there and he thought it looked like something I'd eat) I had to confess that I have never eaten at a hot dog stand or anything like that because of the ewww factor. But I am a teacher in church classes that passes out food to kids. I wash my hands and do not pick my nose (like most of my classes) so I am okay with their food being touched.

I do cook things that I am not crazy about for my family. One thing that my husband and middle son love (and the rest of us hate) is hash brown casserole. It smells horrible. I do cook it, though because they love it so much. Also, I like to try out different recipes. My husband has a few recipes that his mom made and that is what he wants. (his mom didn't cook often so it is just a few desserts that I cook her way). I cook fish sticks sometimes for the kids even though they are gross.

very cute!

We have been studying ancient empires. Yesterday my youngest son made coins out of clay. He started about what he would do if he had his own empire. He would like to have a big empire, but not take over the whole world. If he took over the whole world, his armies would not have anyone to fight. "Then all those people would be out of work and it would be so sad," he said. :lol:

I have to second that! We bought it last year and are still doing devotions from it. I print the question and answer each week to use as copy work and handwriting practice.

I love, love LOVE Tapestry of Grace!! We are almost finished with our first year and looking forward to the next three. Not only have the kiddos learned sooo much, Mom and Dad have learned things they never knew! I love having all the kids in the same piece of history. I know some people say it seems disjointed how it goes from one civilization to another, but I really like that. I tend to get bored easily and see somthing shiny... and what was I saying??? Oh, Tapestry keeps me focused becaused it moves around and doesn't feel like I am trapped in one civilization forever. I know a lot of people here are not crazy about it, but we love Math U See. Yes, it is repetitive. Yes, we drill over and over. But as a result, we have kids who have really learned their facts. I actually "get" concepts that somehow eluded me in my school years. Latin For Children/Song School Latin Same company, different ages groups. LfC-love the way that we have an instructional DVD with other actual children on it. Love the Activity Book and History Reader. Love the fact that each week has derivatives so the kids can see the influence of the Latin language on their lives. SSL- my youngest son has his "own Latin". He is able to be introduced to a new language without it being overpowering. The songs and workbook keep everything light-hearted and fun. Apologia Science We are Christians. We are also science lovers. For years there was the "God is not real" science, or the "The world is how it is because God made it that way and you don't need to know any more than that" science.(which is one thing that made me hesitant to homeschool) Apologia is unashamedly Christian. It is also very informative. The module that my son is finishing this week actually gives information on two sides of thinking- uniformitarianism and catastrophism. The students are then told to examine the facts and make a decision about which one they believe. (Hardly sounds like the "indoctrination" they are accused of) The elementary books are so conversational it seems more like a story than a textbook. The experiments (both upper and lower grades) keep it interesting and understandable.

:iagree:

My six year old STILL loves George and Martha books. The big one with all the books in one is his favorite book to lug on car trips.

There are some days that seem like they never end, and some days where we are all done by lunch. It is hard to say, because sometimes our other subjects end up dominating the day. My son is a perfectionist, so if we are doing a salt dough map, or he is making a sculpture or something, he takes a lot of time. The reading he usually gets done in an hour or less. We are using Writing Aids and it is torture to get him to write. (not so much because of WA, he just does not like writing, unless it is a science report) His writing assignments take forever. If I were doing more than one level (with one child) I would start with more books of the lower level to get them used to it, and gradually add more of the higher level books in.

I'll be weird. I'd use Level 4, then do Level 5. I know a lot of people skip a level here and there, but I like doing them all. I started my oldest kids a year behind their actual grade level because the school they were in did not teach grammar. We have not skipped any and they are not "behind" in grammar.

I did the math my first year of homeschooling for VP and could not afford it. TOG has been somewhat cheaper for us.

I really liked a lot of what I saw in the VP catalogs. I also like a hands-on curriculum that I saw (and bought). I feel like TOG is the perfect blend. There are so many hands-on things offered, but it also has the rigorous academics. I like that our family is all on the same topic. They get really tickled when they see some the same pictures in each other's books. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that I am able to learn along the way and be prepared for when high school rolls around. I was not classically educated. This is the first time I am learning some of the things I am teaching. So I really love TOG's teacher notes that are helping me along the way.

I believe that like someone else said during Noah's flood the earth opened up to allow waters from the deep to rise. Then there was another time in the Bible that mentions the earth splitting. Also, during the creation account, it mentions that all the waters were gathered together to let the dry land appear. Since the dry land is not all together, something must have happened. Which is explained by plate tectonics. Even before having ye views, I always wondered how scientists could be sure about radioactive decay. That is one of those topics we can never really prove, ykwim?

Tapestry of Grace year one has a lot of history and literature reading from the Bible.

That sounds like something that would happen here. Hope you are feeling better soon.

I like to drizzle olive oil on the chicken, then sprinkle it with paprika, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Then I roast it in the oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours. YUM!

Well, I was going to share to my favorite child's Bible, but I just found out they are no longer in print. :thumbdown:If you come across a Faith to Grow on Bible they are great! They include word studies that really help kids as they are reading.

I used TOG with a first grader. He actually thought several things that totally grossed me out were cool. (He especially thought they brain removal method was awesome!) I do not see how you can teach ancients without touching on their religion. I used to think that it would be bad to teach false religions. However, I found (in my family, anyway) that studying the harsh, petty false gods helps us to grow closer to, appreciate and love more the true God. Thinking about children living in fear of the false gods has helped my kids realize how wonderful the true God is. They have made more of a concentrated effort to pray for people who live in the areas that we are studying. They are asking about the spiritual conditions of people in the areas we have studied. I had reservations, but it has turned out good for us. You know your family. If you think they are not ready to hear about false gods, maybe you should start in a different time period.

That's awesome! I LOVE getting good deals on books!!!

I do not have a daughter, but I do have a son that at 10 was given the "facts about your changing body" in a public school. He was NOT ready to hear about that type of stuff. I realize that some kids are different than others. Some are very sensitive and just not ready to hear about s*x. Do what you feel is the best for your daughter. Some children develop at different times. Most 13 year olds should have already heard about s*x, some are not ready to deal. You are the parent and you know her needs.

:lol: LOVE IT!!!!

:lol: that IS funny!:lol:

What the Bible is all About for Young Explorers is used throughout the year. I second what other posters have said, too: Don't get all the art/activity books. We are mainly using the lower grammar and the dialectic crafty books. The spiritual books are worth getting. I use some of them for church purposes.