For the op, do you expect to be working full-time on a permanent basis or is this just for a specific period of time? If working outside the home is in your future for good then I'm sure you already realize that you will have to adjust the way of doing this as the children get older. Have you ever considered finding work that you can do at home? This may take some time, but I know many hs moms here in the hive do this and some make some really good money. I don't know if this interests you or not, but one website to check might be ratracerebellion.com. There's a lot of really great information out there through books and websites for the growing number of people that are opting to work from home. This would cut your time away from the kids down significantly, especially if you're looking at having a long commute. Blessings to you as you work out what needs to be done. I want to encourage you not to give up your goal and commitment to provide your children with a quality education at home. Lucinda

I have a blog that is mostly for homeschooling purposes, but also includes some other issues important to me in life. Although I use my first name here and I have it on my blog in a place or two, I have purposely not used my full name in the blog, and I don't have a link to my blog from my FB account. There is no other user ID or e-mail listed that could link the two accounts together at all. So how is it that FB has been referring visitors to my blog website? I am not aware of any connection between the two websites that would be publicly visible to anyone. I've seen this happen a number of times in the past few months and have found it to be very, very strange. FB is starting to bother me more and more. I'm concerned about too much privacy being made available. Sometimes I think about how it sets us up to be tracked all to easily. I don't know about you, but I find this creepy. Is anyone else feeling this way, or am I just paranoid? :D Lucinda

Whoooo hoooo!!! I'm so glad I made two hs moms happy with this news!! I am also excited about another 8th grade creation based science program coming out. And this seems like a program of real quality. Can't wait to use it myself!! Blessings, Lucinda

The curriculum is written by Dr. David Shormann, and I've really been looking at it with interest. Along with other really great science and math courses, there is a brand new earth science program available just recently. I isn't on their official website yet, but you can read about it here on Dr. Shormann's blog, and you can download samples. Blessings, Lucinda

Sure! We have discovered that we really like the following programs which are all new to us this year: Language Arts - We are really happy with WWS and although FLL is simple and we're just reviewing grammar for this school year, we like using FLL4 even though it is quite simple for dd. Using both of these is helping us utilize TWTM methods for language arts, and it is filling in a few gaps here and there that will help us as we progress with the next level of TWTM grammar study. (Next year we're going to go with ALL and then take it on into high school as releases are available.) Math - We're really enjoying DIVE into Math this year. Dd is grasping and holding on to concepts much better than she ever has because this method is matching up well with her learning style. I guess she just needs the repetition. I think this is going to make all the difference in the world for my girl when she gets into pre-algebra next year. In the meantime she says she feels challenged, and I see that as a good thing. Science - We are especially loving Apologia's 7th Grade General Science. Dd loves science and she's having a great time with the course. I wasn't sure if she would like this textbook that much, but because I got a good science kit for the experiments and set her up with a nice notebook system, she's very happy. Science is one of her favorite subjects and it is quite important to me that she is enjoying the program because I want her to continue to love the subject. Foreign Language - This year we moved beyond a children's level French program and have begun using The Learnables French 1. I'm learning with dd and we are having a great experience with it. I like the methods used with this curriculum a great deal, and most of all, it's getting the job done! Another plus is that it's affordable. I'd give this curriculum a 2 thumbs up. We really do like our Runkle's Geography, TOG and Homeschool in the Woods Art Activity Pak for art history this year, but so far the ones I've listed above have been pleasant surprises and ones that we are finding to be fast favorites. Blessings, Lucinda

Whew!! Thanks, ladies! :lol: Blessings, Lucinda

I'd like to know if the package you ordered is for multiple ages in the K-8 range, or was it a high school package? I have seriously considered MFW for dd's high school curriculum, but not if it is as juvenile as you are describing. Blessings, Lucinda

After posting earlier this morning I picked up my little devotional by Oswald Chambers and was not surprised to see that today's entry has to do with this very subject. The title of this entry is, The Consciousness of the Call and it is so good! Here is a quote from the last paragraph, which sums up his words well: If you have a copy of My Utmost for His Highest, I highly recommend the whole reading for today. Blessings, Lucinda

I believe that first, it's all about having a personal relationship with God and listening to what He's speaking into your heart and mind, and what He reveals through other believers, through circumstances and through the Word. Understanding your calling also has to do with recognizing your own areas of passion and areas of gifting. It may or may not be that a person is called to serve in a vocation or profession that leads to income. For me personally, it simply means being obedient by serving God to the best of my ability with what He has given me. When I finally came to a place of full submission to the Lord, my desire was to do just that. I wanted to offer all that I am and am able to do to serving Him. For instance, my passion for art shifted to making art to the glory of God. Teaching art shifted to teaching with a Christian worldview (rather than passing on the world's view of what art is or should be, as I had in the past). Raising the child God gave me late in life became raising my child with the goal of passing on my faith, which included providing her with a solid Christian education. Along with this my prayer life shifted to not only praying for my needs and that of my family, but to interceding for others in their time of need. This was something that over a period of about a year the Lord revealed to me through thoughts, dreams, waking me up at night and then by circumstances. It was dramatic, as I ended up being at an international prayer and fasting conference in Seoul, S. Korea - somewhere I had never in a million years expected to be. It was obvious to me that this was God's assignment for my life, but I have to confess that I've often responded with kicking and screaming, and sometimes by shear laziness. I have to agree with Chris from Va when she said that sometimes God calls a person to something that is not natural to them, causing them to stretch in many ways. So for me, these three areas of art, prayer and teaching (both art and hs'ing my dd) are what I know and recognize as my "calling". Two of them just come natural to me, but the third is a real struggle, and only one of these areas of calling provides an income. Blessings, Lucinda

Here on the west coast many of us would word part of the invitation like this: "There will be a no host lunch served at 11:30, followed by ice cream cake, party and games at 12:00." Blessings, Lucinda

Like I mentioned in my previous post, we had a wise social worker who gave us really great counseling during the adoption process. I don't want to cause anyone to be troubled by this, but I feel that another point she made needs to be brought up in this thread. When it comes to adoption, it's wise to consider that the child will process the same information over and over again throughout their life, and at different levels of maturity. What they may understand and accept as a 5-year old may look and feel very different to them when they are 13, and again at 20, and so on. Adoptive parents need to be aware of this and be ready to support their children through the various stages. It might not be a bad idea to have some conversations planned and rehearsed ahead of time if at all possible. At least be aware of the fact that issues just might come up again, even after you thought they had been processed, grieved over and accepted long ago. We have been fortunate in our family so far, but nothing would surprise us up ahead so we are trying to be ready if and when we hear about something again. Blessings, Lucinda

It totally depends on the state of the heart when the voice is raised. I think one needs to remember that a bitter, evil heart (or even a spontaneous sinful action) can be communicated non-verbally or by a whisper. Likewise, a raised voice can express both goodness and sin. I think that's why the Psalmist wrote, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing unto You...". The heart, mind and mouth work together in partnership. Blessings, Lucinda

All the suggestions and advice here have been so good. Aren't you glad we have this forum? I just wanted to add that I will always remember when we were advised by our social worker during the home study to always present our child's story in a loving, positive way, and to always, always have a positive attitude about the birth parents so that there are healthy connections in place. That was a challenging thing in our case, because the situation was unbelievably heartbreaking. (We were related to the birthparents.) Yet despite this we were able to look past the tragedy and betrayal, and we were able to pull out a number of true facts that would help keep it positive for our child. This, I believe, is one of the main reasons she has maintained a secure and balanced disposition. As growth and maturity have brought increased curiosity and new questions, we've kept it positive but at the same time have added the details that she could handle and that have been appropriate for her to hear. I'm always amazed at how well these things are accepted. Yet I shouldn't be surprised at all. We have, after all, been loving, honest and positive about her life. May God give you wisdom each and every day as you raise the precious life He has entrusted to you. Blessings, Lucinda

The DIVE into Math series kinda fits. It's designed to teach the Saxon lessons, but of course you can do the same with videos produced by Saxon. Neither has the built in gradebook though. Blessings, Lucinda

See? You were persuaded by hearsay. I rest my case. Sadly, Lucinda

Yes, I do think about it now and am doing all I can to prepare dd for that scarey thing called high school. :lol: I am working with her closely to improve her writing skills so she's ready for rhetoric level studies. We are boning up on math this year so she's ready for Pre-Algebra in 8th grade and then move up the sequence from there. (I don't see her going into a technical field where strong math skills will be required, so we are fine with this.) She loves science, so we are placing a greater emphasis on that subject this year more than ever before. We're spending more time with foreign language than the last two years, and we're progressing on with our history cycle so she can do a full year of U.S. history in 8th grade, then do a full four-year cycle at rhetoric level in high school. The only thing we haven't pushed really hard is logic, but we have gone through FD and will do Thinking TB this year. At least we've gotten that far. But as for hs, I'm very drawn to MFW. I love it that it is classical and that it is an independent study with weekly check-ins. Unless we end up sending dd to the classical school where I work part-time, we will most likely do something like that. I do plan to have her taking the DIVE science courses in progression, whatever math courses suit her needs and goals, continue with French studies, and pursue some logic and debate, although I have not chosen the resources for that yet. She is becoming an amazing artist and musician, so those studies will continue as well. As rigorous as these studies will be, I'll be sure to get her involved in some interesting electives and some volunteer work that will round out her life. It's a great idea to plan ahead. As the mom of grown adult children, I promise you that time will fly by swifter than you can even imagine! Blessings, Lucinda

I get so tired of hearing people claim that TT is not a good math program!! The good thing about TT is that it is a complete program with a tutor in the box, which is wonderful for parents that either don't teach math well or for those that are short on time. PERIOD. If a student needs to advance, then let him advance. Use the placement test and fit the student according to the results. After using TT for awhile, if he longs for more math, then give him supplements. There are many families that use TT as a stand alone math program all the way through high school and have excellent results. There are many glowing reports from families with high school students that have scored highly on their achievement tests after using TT long-term. A lot of the debate over these math programs is fueled by hearsay. I think a person should hold off on criticism or warnings of any program unless they have used it themselves and find fault with it. I have used a combination of TT, LOF and Saxon with DIVE videos with my bright, but not a math lover dd. We are spending a year with Dr. Shormann and the DIVE series because of my dd's learning style and her need for more repetition before going into algebra. It isn't because TT isn't doing a good job at all. We love TT and will always highly recommend it to others. Blessings, Lucinda

Count me in on this too, Chris. I'm in! Love you, Lucinda

I'm anxious to bake bread again. Any kind of bread really, we love it all! And I just may get another sourdough starter going. We have loads of blueberries every July from our three big bushes, and they are frozen and ready to go into muffins, pancakes and cobblers. Yummmmm! Another favorite at my house is pie. I've been thinking about making a pie once a month during the colder months, each time a different flavor. Sept. - apple Oct. - peach Nov. - pumpkin Dec. - pecan and/or apple w/cranberry Jan. - coconut Feb. - chocolate Mar. - lemon maringue April - grasshopper Besides the sweet treats that we all love to bake and eat, my family truly loves homemade soups and stews. During the colder months we make a big pot of something every week, and there's usually fresh baked biscuits or cornbread to go with. Blessings, Lucinda

Poor Pat, he's getting so addled....But honestly, my daddy suffered from dementia (Pick's Disease, which is in the same family as Alzheimer's) for over 13 years. It's no fun watching someone die an inch at a time, but we persevered. My mom stayed married even though many friends and family members suggested she divorce him. He was the only man she ever loved and just couldn't abandon him that way. Her life was unbearable at times, but she wanted to honor him the way she knew he would have done if it were her. Someone pointed out to a friend once that their loved one suffering from Alzheimer's didn't recognize them anymore, then asked why did they even bother going to see them in the nursing home? The friend just answered, "Yeah, but I remember him." There is a purpose in walking through sorrow and grief. I am the person I am today partly because of the experience of standing by my parents through those long years of Dad's illness. If we try to shortcut the process, we risk losing out on the powerful lessons God has for us all. Blessings, Lucinda

My older kids were tykes back in the 80's, and these are what I remember the most. FINGER FOODS (very popular in the 80's) Mini quiches Pizza rolls Spring rolls Hot Pockets Fondue (both the cheese kind and the chocolate) Nachos Chips-n-dip Bloomin' onions ALSO Layered salads Jello dishes McNuggets Tacos Fish-n-chips Chili Mac Baked potato bar Decadent chocolate desserts M&M's Eeeeee gads! Did we really eat all this cr%p? Yes, we did....(sigh) Have fun with your party! Blessings, Lucinda

I'm showing my age here....but I remember that song really well. I even sang it back in high school when I was in a folk singing group. And actually, even though Peter, Paul and Mary did sing the song - another version that was really popular was by a guy named Trini Lopez. Blessings, Lucinda

How tragic and utterly heartbreaking. Praying with you. :grouphug: Blessings, Lucinda

:iagree::iagree::iagree: I think that the greater issue here is attitude of the heart. It's also about showing respect to parents, even in little things. There is a big difference between standing up and asking for support in a decision like this, vs. going behind a parent's back and being defiant. I don't care what everyone else is saying, having a disrespectful attitude toward parents is wrong -- even if it is over an issue like hair length. If my dd came to me and poured her heart out about something like this it would open the door for our relationship to grow and change and I would not only hear her, but I would respect both her and her wishes. This scenario would work out much differently than if she had just gone and done the deed without even talking to me about it. I bet that your mom may just need a little help in learning to let go of certain things. As an older mom myself, I believe that it's a mom's job to let go. That is (after all) the goal in raising a child. But it doesn't have to happen all at once. The two of you should be at a place where she's starting to give you some independent choices and freedoms to prepare you for leaving home in just a couple or a few years. If she's having a hard time with working with you on this, then the answer is to pray for wisdom and talk, talk and talk some more. Blessings to you, dear girl. You are such a gem! Lucinda

I think these bars would be just delicious with some chopped nuts. Any kind would do well: walnuts, pecans, almonds...whatever. Blessings, Lucinda