I found the textbook & workbook here: http://www.spinnerpub.com/BD_Level_1.html , though you can also find it on Amazon. I challed and they gave me the educators discount, which was very nice! I'm waiting for it to come in the mail.

Math: AoPS pre-algebra Logic: Blast Off w/Logic series plus some Mind Benders books. Science: CPO Life Science History: WTM ancients, using Kingfisher History Encyclopedia as our spine , reading lists from LIving Math U1; {I'm still looking for a good wall map/almanac and a globe - any recommendations?} Latin: continue with Little Latin Readers, levels 2-4 Portuguese: We will start this at half-speed, using Bom Dia! text and workbook, with my Portuguese SIL as our tutor Spelling: Spelling Workout E Grammar: Grammar for the Well Trained Mind, purple book Cursive: still needs more practice, so Zaner-Bloser 5, unless he makes great strides over the rest of this year. Writing: Killgallon Sentence Composing & Paragraph Composing w/the obligatory narrations/summaries/outlines across the curriculum Reading: assigned books from the WTM reading list plus whatever else he wants to read, he usually has several non-school books going at once Art/music/tech: He wants piano lessons, plus DS23 has promised to teach him saxophone. I would like to find an online art course that DS9 & DS6 can do together. He would like a formal coding class, and needs a typing course. Anyone have a any good recommendations? Sports: He plays fall soccer, winter basketball, and spring baseball. I would like to do a more structured "gym class" with the boys, but don't know how or what that would look like just yet. That is a lot of stuff. Oh, my. Do I have to schedule and teach all that? Yikes!

We ended up with five of the seven of us with norovirus. The internet says that could possibly cause hives. Lucky us!

phonics: will probably need to finish up the OPGTR, if it doesn't get done over the summer handwriting: Zaner-Bloser 2C grammar: FLL2 writing: WWE2 spelling: SWO B math: will offer both SM 2 and BA 2 and see which one he likes better; picture books from LivingMath U1 history: SOTW1 / read alouds from LivingMath U1 literature: read-alouds from the WTM recommendations (to go along with SOTW1), plenty of read alouds, and audiobooks science: life science (WTM recommendations) (He's off a year in the science/history schedule because he's following along with DS9, who will be in 5th.) misc: hopefully piano lessons; looking for an online art course to do along w/DS9; maybe gymnastics or a swim class?; coding?

For the first weekend of February, five of the seven of us were down with the norovirus. We all just lay around the house today, recuperating. It was not a good way to start the month. I've been buying lovely, squishy yarn and planning all the things I'm going to knit after finishing the one project I have going. My brother and his wife are expecting a baby girl in early June after four years of struggle and heartbreak. I am going to knit *all* the cute baby girl things! (I only learned how to knit after my youngest was born.)

The good news is that the hives are controlled with Zyrtec. The bad news is that DS9 and DS4 are both now down with a stomach bug/fever. Ugh.

The pedi did recommend zyrtec. I bought some on the way home.

DS6 is my healthy kid, rarely sick and no known allergies. Probably not related, but he was sick with what we thought was food poisoning on Friday. Yesterday at 6pm, DH noticed that DS's neck was bright red. After taking his shirt off, we found that he was covered in hives. Before the benadryl kicked in, he was covered over 50% of his body, from the waist to his chin/hairline (he claimed they didn't itch). The doctor on call said benadryl every 6hrs as long as he had no respiratory/other symptoms. The hives cleared up completely by 10pm. At 11:30, they were coming back (in different places than before), so more benadryl. This morning his body was clear, so we skipped the benadryl thinking he was over it; he did, however, look like he had two black eyes. At noon, he was developing a hive under one eye, which swelled up quite a bit before the benadryl kicked in again. When I just went to give him his 6pm dose, both his eyes were swelling again, red and clearly large hives around them both. We saw the pedi this afternoon, after his eyes swelled, and she said that often there isn't any underlying reason that we can find for the cause. She mentioned possible exposure to cold, new food allergies, stress, heat, exertion, virus, etc. Has anyone had any experience like this before? Any ideas as to what could be causing the recurring hives?

This is the thing I need to do the most, but DS2 climbs into bed with me during the night and gets up the second I try to sneak out of bed. *sigh* Someday!

I'm thinking about adding a modern language for DS9 next year in 5th grade. He's been working on Latin (Little Latin Readers) since 3rd. We were leaning towards Spanish, as we live in an area with a large Latin-American Spanish-speaking population, but we aren't close with anyone who speaks fluent Spanish. I'm assuming it would be easier to learn the language if he had a native-speaker with whom he could practice. My SIL is Portuguese and speaks it fluently within her family; her parents and older brother were born in Portugal. My brother is learning, albeit slowly, and I expect that she will speak it to their new baby (she's due in June). I'm thinking of asking her if she could tutor DS9 if I can locate a book to for him to use. tl;dr: Does anyone know of any middle-grade Portuguese textbooks/curricula, besides DuoLingo? Thanks.

I have a $10 credited towards apps in the GooglePlay store for an Android app for my phone. What are your favorite, most-used, can't-live-without apps? FWIW, I keep a paper shopping list, don't meal plan (not for lack of trying), already have a fertility tracker, use Audible, and use paper planner/journal. What else is there? What an I missing?

During winter, once a week plus after any sports practice/game. So, DS2, DS4, & DS6 are 1x/week and DS9 is 2x/week. During summer, significantly more often, due to swimming in the lake, sunscreen mud, etc. DS9 will be showering more often soon, due to signs of impending puberty...

Did the pedi test for strep? I can't imagine 5 days of antibiotics is going to cut it. It took us two, 2-week scripts to even start seeing improvement. My prayers to your friend, her child, and her family. I know the horror they are going through.

I haven't read the other responses, sorry, but wanted to mention that my DS9 with suspected PANDAS (doctor is iffy on the diagnosis in general) has smaller, less-severe 'relapses' of symptoms when he has a cold, had a vaccination, or has a loose tooth. Basically, any time he has inflammation of any kind, his symptoms come back, though milder, for a time.

Those are awesome! Thanks!

This was my original plan but... it takes him so long and he whines. Ugh. I should probably just do this. Spelling is his weakest subject, so I let him print his work in the workbook and when copying his words; I don;t know if I should force the cursive for that.

DS9 is about to finish Zaner-Bloser grade 4 handwriting workbook. His cursive is pretty good when he has a model and takes his time. His cursive is no where near automatic yet - he doesn't even like that his spelling book (Spelling Work Out level D) gives the words is cursive. He needs more practice! Here are his options: mom-made cursive practice. - I don't really have the bandwidth to come up with this right now. complete another trip through ZB4. - I can buy another copy. We did the 2016 version. I can buy the same one, the 2012 version, or the new 2020 version. work through a similar program. - I like the ZB cursive, but he could possible work through a simpler cursive. I'm not sure what that would be? something else - any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

The furniture is easy to move - it's the school books and supplies, cookbooks, and misc. other crap that will be the hard part. But, it could all use a good sorting/purging, so it's not a bad thing!

We do have a small table w/4 chairs tucked into the corner of kitchen where the younger 4 eat breakfast & lunch. Honestly, I would love to widen the doorway between kitchen & dining room, and redo the kitchen as there is not enough cabinet space, the oven is next to the kitchen door, etc... But, I have a bathroom that is in dire need of repair first, and we don't have the space in the budget for all that. When we moved in 3yrs ago, we turned the three season sun porch into a year-round tv & toy space. It connects to the living room towards the back, and is on the left side of the house. It isn't insulated and desperately needs new windows, but we make it work with a rug and thermal curtains. It had a non-working radiator when we moved in, which we had fixed and keeps it warm-ish. Currently, DS6 needs me for almost all of his work, as he is an emerging reader. DS9 is capable of a lot without me but insists on being in the same room with me while he works, so I don't bother trying to do work in the kitchen during school time. I'm looking forward to this changing in the future! ETA: DS23 lives in the finished part of the basement. When he gets his own place, we can use that space for other things.

Had anyone ever swapped their dining room for their living room? We live in a 1940s Colonial, 1500sq ft including the finished portion of the basement. The right side of the house has a dining room (11'x11') in front and a kitchen (11'x16', sticks out a bit from the side of the house) behind. The left side of the house has a front-to-back living room (22'x11'). The stairways are in the center of the house. The kitchen and living room are separated by a short hallway with a tiny powder room at the back of the house. We are a family of seven, with five sons, ages 23, 9, 6, 4, & 2. There is barely enough room to fit all seven of us around the table we have in the dining room, a round pedestal meant for 4 with a leaf in it. Twice a week, one of my in-laws is here for dinner (they're divorced), so we will have either 7 or 8 at the table. We also do most of our schooling at this table. It just isn't enough room! I've been on the lookout for a larger, more rectangular table that could fit 8 people more easily that would also fit into the room. However, I'm starting to think that a better idea would be to swap the dining room with the living room. I could fit a much larger table, giving us more room to spread during school and also for when we have more family over on holidays. The downside would be that it would be a >20' walk from the kitchen to the table, rather than the <10' walk it is now. Is that really a big enough deal to not do it? The living room furniture would probably fit just fine in the dining room, we would need to rearrange some bookcases. (We have a ludicrous number of bookcases!) Anyone BTDT?

Sorry, couldn't type this all out on my phone. This is a list from when my son started reading graphic novels two years ago. Several of these series have added more volumes since then...

My 2019 plans: -Some form of exercise every day. I have a TRX and a rowing machine in my bedroom now, so no excuses about not getting to the gym. This would also include getting the littles outside for a walk after lunch on days that are over 35°F and sunny-ish through the winter. -More water, limiting myself to one diet soda with pizza on Friday nights. (I've done this before, but fell off the wagon hard.) -Vegetables and fruits at every meal and more vegetarian options during meals, with meat as a side dish, rather than the main course, as often as possible. -In bed by 10pm. I'm a night owl, but DH and the 9, 6, 4, & 2 yr olds are all early morning people. It's no fun to be grumpy morning Mama. I would try to get to bed earlier, but DS23 usually gets home from work around 9:30pm, and that's really the only time I get to talk to him these days. That's the plan so far!

I like this recipe: https://www.marthastewart.com/344231/char-baked-tomato-zucchini-and-eggplant. It's from the Mad Hungry cookbook, which is one of my most used cookbooks.

I tried to watch last night. I couldn't get past the idea that they scheduled their initial meeting/house tour at a time that their kids are cranky and needing to rest/breastfeed. I shut it off and watched Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat instead.