Thank you for sharing your experiences! My oldest two will be 4th and 6th next year, so I wasn't sure if Core 3 would be too easy. Should I consider Core 3-4? I just hate to rush through those amazing books! I want to study American History next year, and I want to study the science topics in Core 3. What could I add in for my oldest to make Core 3 work? Is there a better science program out there? We used apologia this year and I wanted to try something that has a little more variety for next year.

I am using SOTW CDs and Apologia, ironically. Looking at Sonlight for next year. :)

I am considering using this for my older two and looking for reviews. What can you tell me about Sonlight Core 3? Did you enjoy it? Did your children enjoy it? Do you think it is suitable for older elementary ages? I am also considering Science 3 to go along with it. Any reviews? :)

We have a large family and we used MFW for many years, but eventually switched to something else because it was just too much of a struggle having to gather so many extra materials. With ECC, it's not too bad, as you can pretty easily find a few books to enrich it. But with some of the MFW years, it is a lot of library running. Just does not work for us. I am glad I eventually tried something else. I appreciate the simplicity of combining ages for history and science, and I love unit study approaches, but I really wish MFW had some optional book packs for people who cannot get to the library on a regular basis. Just something to consider. On a side note, MFW has updated their ECC package, making it easier to work with. They now include student sheets and other things. Make sure you are aware of the versions if you are considering buying used. We may go through some of MFW K again next year, but only the parts we can enjoy without all of the extra running.

Yay for fresh smelling PJs! Keep in mind that you may need to soak his PJs every time it happens. Just consider it special needs laundry. Stick them in a bucket of water with about 1/4 cup vinegar, after quickly rinsing them. Then wash as usual. But be careful with vinegar as it does eventually kill elastic and cause threads to break. It's great, just use understanding that it is hard on fabrics when used too much. Also, just a tip from my cloth diaper laundry...I find that hot water sets in smells. I'd use luke warm until the smells are gone, then wash in hot if needed. Have a great vacation!

Thank you so much everyone for the suggestions! I am off to go and buy a birthday present! I hope she likes them! I decided to get a little of this, and a little of that. That way I can introduce her to a variety of different things. And then I'll come back here and use this as a great book list. Thank you!

I searched on my computer and finally found it! The author is Victoria Kasten. The series is Mighty Stallion. Here is the link: http://www.epicscrolls.com/

We have those. :D We read them late into the night, many a night! LOVED them too! Thanks for the suggestion!

One other idea, consider using cotton until the bed wetting stage is over. Synthetics can be so much harder to keep clean. Another thing to try: RLR laundry treatment or Calgon water softener to remove build up. Might help?

With cloth diapers, I have had great success soaking in distilled white vinegar. Vinegar helps neutralize the urine and helps break down the chemical "ickies" that you are smelling. I would soak in vinegar, then wash. When washing, use only enough detergent to get it clean, not so much that you still have a lot of bubbles during the last rinse cycle. If needed, soak the items in vinegar water for up to 4 hours, then wash. Sometimes there is a build up stuff that has to be broken down with vinegar. I would suggest a couple of cups for something that is really bad. Hanging them to out in the sun to dry may help some too?

My daughter is going to be 10 soon. I am wanting to buy her some great books for her birthday. Can I have some suggestions? I had come across a series about horses written by a Christian homeschooling girl, but I cannot remember the name of them! Does anyone know what I may be referring to? The books are kind of like Narnia, with talking animals, but the main animals are horses, I believe. Other suggestions wanted too! Thanks!

I had a hard time with my first baby. I am sorry you are struggling! Hang in there. I think the SNS will help a lot! Let us know how it goes. Wishing you the best!

I like MUS, but Singapore seems like a great program too. I didn't know about the homeschooling user guide when we tried it. If you do purchase Singapore, be sure and buy the User Guide. Without it, we gave up.

Oh my! This says is well! You just made me laugh out loud!!! :D (I needed that!) We've had some hard years too. It really helps to keep things in perspective. It helps me to remember why I am doing this. I am soooooo tired and worn out right now. The last part of this year was tough. It is good to be honest with ourselves, huh? Sometimes schooling is just plain tough. But I agree, two years is a long time. I hope that you will see some turnaround soon. Hugs to you!

Multiple places, unless I'm using ebay or something. I am not sure of the rules at homeschoolclassifieds.com.

Nope, I am HAPPY it's summer! I'm just so behind on home management, that I really need some time where we are not focused on school. I need to CLEAN the house!! But after that is done, I'll probably be back into school again. And, we don't take a total summer break. We take most of June off, but by August we're often doing school again. Also, we still do some things, just not the full load. The kids are doing some math and some reading.

I don't know the UPS man very well, but I can hear the mail carrier from any room in my house, lol! :D

I just re-read this whole post. I wanted to jot down some notes so I don't forget what I'm thinking, lol! I am considering: Rod and Staff: http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/list/Building_Christian_English_Series/ First Language Lessons: http://www.peacehillpress.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=25 Christian Light Education: http://www.clp.org/store/by_subject/3 Junior Analyitical Grammar (for 4th/5th Grader): http://www.analyticalgrammar.com/index.php/analytical-products/set-of-junior-analytical-grammar.html Additional Suggestions to look into if needed: Shurley Grammar Bob Jones 5th Grader: Rod and Staff 4 Junior Analyitical Grammar First Language Lessons 4 CLE 3rd Grader: First Language Lessons 3 WWE OK, that just helped me clear my head. :)

I tried searching for this but did not find it. Do you have her exact username, or a link to the post?

This is such great advise. I think the key for making K fun for a 3rd child is to be ready in advance. I find that the "hecticness" of life tends to take over when I do not prepare. Then we end up doing very little. One thing that I am going to do to prepare for next year is put together little book and activity baskets. We are going to buy a shelf from Ikea, you know the big ones that have lots of squares? I am going to pre-pick a bunch of books and little activities and have them in baskets on the shelf ready to go. This is one of my summer projects. We already have so many great books, so it isn't that I *need* to buy more. But if I don't take the time to plan them out, I know they may just sit there. This way, I'm hoping to implement some more intentional story times with my little ones. I guess it's my way of trying to enjoy Sonlight 3/4 or 4/5 without buying it, lol!

These are some excellent ideas. I am going to be looking over this post again after I get those few hours to study SWR. Thank you! :001_smile:

Yes, I'm feeling some of this. But I figure that since I already have SWR I will see what we can do with it. Since it is summer, I do feel like I have some time to experiment. However, I am not going to beat myself up if I cannot teach them in one of the most "ideal" ways, kwim? I do have 100 Easy Lessons here, and could try that. I have heard good things about Alpha Phonics. I could try that. Or, OPG sound do-able too. I am not really sure which one would be the best match for my child. I may just have to try one and see how it goes. Thank you everyone for the great feedback. We used MFW K and 1 with the older two children, and I am not happy with it. Yes, they learned how to read, but my oldest is struggling with reading comprehension, and I don't think she really knows how to sound out words. When she doesn't know a word, I think she just makes something up for it and moves on. She is so highly motivated, and she is always driven to continue, but I think there have been some gaps in her learning. I don't want to see this continue with my third child. I am not totally sure where my 8yo is at. I still need to sit down with him and spend some more time assessing him. He is naturally more gifted, but he may have some learning gaps too. These gaps are due to family circumstances in large part, so I cannot blame the books, and I apologize if I am making it sound that way. But in part, I think the books can help lead to greater success. After MFW K and 1, we used Primary Language Lessons (Emma Serl) one year, and then moved info Sonlight LA. I am not planning on repeating Sonlight LA. It has a focus on creative writing, and not enough on grammar etc. Overall, I know it is time for a change. I sure do appreciate all of the feedback and help. Thank you! :) PS. Thank you so much for putting up with all of my questions on the boards right now. I am new here, but I sure wish I'd known about this board years ago!

Well, I guess if I find this to be true, I can always re-sell it. I did purchase level 4 for my oldest. I am looking into FLL 3, and other options for my to-be 3rd grader. I have heard of Analytical grammar. A friend of mine is going to use it. I may look into that too. Do you have any more to say about it, as compared to other options? Teacher intensive/independent? How much work is it for the student compared to others? How effective?

That's nice to know. Thanks for sharing your experience. You are right, the boards are very helpful. I am excited to get started with DITHOR. I'm waiting on the books! Then we'll dig in!

Can someone help me compare these two programs? I am interested in what you like/dislike about each. Are there others I should consider? I am trying to decide what to use for my 5yo next year. I purchased SWR, but I'm feeling intimidated by it.