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10yo dd and I will be starting TOG for the first time this fall. She will be UG/5th grade and my only student. I was obviously persuaded to go this route, yet had the same question as the op in the back of my mind. I was kind of anxious and a little scared actually. After reading this thread I made the best decision by deciding to go with TOG. I was very, very close to buying SL, but at the last minute decided to go with TOG instead. The points made by Melissa have completely resolved any tiny second thoughts I was having. What a relief! So now I'm ready to jump in and enjoy the upcoming year. Too bad we have to wait until September to get started! Blessings, Lucinda

I am not a Latin teacher and could not teach my way out of paper bag when it comes to the subject....so I turned to the boards for ideas and ended up choosing LFC. 10 yo dd has excelled in Latin thanks to the program. She loves the fun approach, the chants and the DVD lessons. This year she has passed me up and most often is the one helping ME with the lessons. We are so glad we decided to go with the program and will be staying with it another year or two before moving on to Spanish. Blessings, Lucinda

:iagree: Same here exactly. 10 yo dd LOVES her Latin lessons and has excelled in her studies thanks to the fun approach LFC takes. The Activity book has been quite fun too, not to mention the fun interviews and antics on the DVD lessons. I've never used or even looked at LL because LFC has been a wonderful fit for our family. Blessings, Lucinda

We will be using EG for the first time this coming school year, so I appreciate this thread. Now I'm thinking I won't need to buy the student book. How about the Daily Grams book? Does anyone use it? If so, how does that pair up with the rest? Blessings, Lucinda

We used Saxon the first year at home, then switched to MUS and have never once looked back. 10 yo dd really does well with it, and so we plan to stay with MUS through the long haul. If it works, then there's no reason to change. I particularly liked this comment from my monthly MUS newsletter: "Math-U-See is organized according to the sequential order of mathematical concepts. It is a very logical approach and makes learning math easy. If you put every math curriculum side by side, you would see that they all cover things at different times. There isn't a standard for what to cover when." Debbie, MUS user group discussion. I was just reading this as well as numerous other wonderful testimonies from families that have used MUS all the way through hs years. I agree with them that Steve Demme has done a fabulous job putting the MUS program together. Blessings, Lucinda

Happy Birthday!! :party::party: You are not alone. I, along with some other older (not old) moms are here on the board to hold your hand if you need it. Hey, the best is yet to come! Just remember, every age has its perks!! Blessings, Lucinda

I will be done hs'ing sometime within seven years, but I also teach art part time at a private classical school and have art students that I teach privately as well. This helps me keep things in balance at home while also having a connection to what I want to do up ahead. I love to teach, whether its just my daughter at home or a whole class. My hope is that eventually I'll have more hours at the school and more private students. (The private students are mostly homeschool kids that we know in the area, so that is cool.) Our hope is that DH will semi-retire in seven years and I will increase the teaching for hire. Blessings, Lucinda

Yes, DH has says the very same same thing!! But he did ask me to find a natural bristle brush to get some of the bigger stuff now and then, but so far I haven't been able to find the right type. (Everything is either metal or plastic) The best solution I think is to just burn the big chunks off. Happy grilling! Lucinda

Dh is a purist. He will only grill with charcoal, and he has it down beyond mere science. It is an ART form. It is his passion. It is what he was born to do!! :001_smile: The rest of us just hand over the tongs and the meat and stand back because we know we aren't going to be disappointed when Dad grills dinner. Blessings, Lucinda

$1274 per mo. for roughly 1900 sf in a rural area. Blessings, Lucinda

We went searching for a trainer that would not only teach our 10 yo dd how to ride, but to understand and know horses better. Our dd loves horses first of all for the shear beauty and wonder of them as animals, and we wanted to nurture her interest in them. Like others have mentioned on this thread, our dd hopes to have her own horse one day and so we wanted her to know how to care for them properly, even how to muck stables and do the corresponding chores. She has very little interest in being in competitions and I couldn't be happier. We were very blessed to find a young 21 yo woman who is not only from a homeschool family less than two miles from us, but who has the right goals and philosophy to match our daughter's interest. Our friendship with this young woman has expanded to include her family and ours, and it has become a beautiful friendship we can all share. There isn't anything wrong with competing with horses, but a girl's love of animals and learning to be disciplined and responsible are at the heart of why we are supportive and provide the lessons. I know that if we were in the op's situation, we would be looking for a trainer that is a better fit. Blessings, Lucinda P.S. We pay $25 per hour for lessons.

Not offended, but I do catch myself and stop my self from saying it fairly often because I've really wondered about this over the past few years. I don't believe in luck, so why do I wish it on others? Many of us grew up hearing (and saying) things like this because that's how people talked in our families, and we just repeat out of habit and without thinking. Like, for instance, the way my family taught me to say "Eenie, meenie, minee, moe, catch a "nig**r" by the toe...." Good grief! I taught myself to stop saying that one all by myself -- it was a no brainer!! But it was a sign of the times I grew up in (60's-70's) and there were radical changes everywhere -- even in our daily conversations. How I cringe when I think of innocent children uttering such things from their mouths! I'm for sure going to make an effort to completely wipe the good luck slogan from my vocabulary after reading this thread. The things that come out of our minds should match up with what's going on in our minds and hearts. Blessings, Lucinda

I really like your system, Suzanne! For those people that aren't required to record grades, attendance, etc. this seems like a very efficient method. I've often wondered if I really want to be dependent on electricity and/or my computer for our homeschool information -- especially our weekly and yearly lesson plans. I have used the electronic system trackers and they are great, but there is something to be said about hard copy records that can be pulled out no matter what the circumstances. Come to think of it, those of us that use Quicken should think about this - or at the very least print off a report or register at the end of each month, but maybe that's a topic for yet another thread. Blessings, Lucinda

What is HST+? I've never heard of that one before. Blessings, Lucinda

I have a 6 yo grandson by the name of Jaxon (pronounced jackson). We call him Jax for short. Everyone LOVES, loves, loves his name. Blessings, Lucinda

Someone else mentioned overstock.com, but that they didn't like the customer service. I have two matching rugs in my living room and dining room that came from overstock.com and they were a great find. I have never had a problem buying from OS, so I can't say anything about the customer service issue, but I have to say that everything I've ever bought from them was not only a good buy, but excellent quality. Along with the two big rugs purchased eight years ago (and still in wonderful condition), I've also purchased bedding and window shades. I will buy from OS whenever I can because of the great products and prices I've found there. Blessings, Lucinda

There was a really good article in the HSLDA magazine, I believe it was their March/April issue. Did anyone read it? A lot of it was information we've all thought of before, but it was still a great piece. According to the article, records could help parents demonstrate that they are providing an appropriate education for their child. Sometimes things come up completely unexpected that would require some kind of proof of what you are doing. Reading this made me realize that I'd rather have it and not need it than scramble to pull something together under stress and pressure. Another point was that rather than thinking of the records as something for other people, the records are really for you. They help gauge progress, plan upcoming courses and document special accomplishments in a much better way than our own memories do in serving those needs. In our current environment with so much mystery about the future of homeschooling (CRC, for instance) - I'm thinking that for our family I should be tracking things even closer than before. We live in a rapidly changing world and can so easily get caught off guard. These are just some thoughts for this week. I am really enjoying reading your posts and watching the poll. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm with the others, I would buy the Kilz (non-water based) and paint over it. I might also add some texture if it needed it after maybe sanding down the seams. We have an old house that came with painted over wall paper and we don't even notice it. Fresh paint, nicely placed wall hangings and pictures and there you go! Best to you on your summer project. Blessings, Lucinda

Yeah, on second thought...I think I'd give a time out instead of grounding him for two days. That was a bit harsh. But I'd still ask DH to have a little manly kind of chat with him. I raised three sons and had to deal with this sort of thing frequently, but since they are older now I honestly can't remember what I did do. :lol: Blessings, Lucinda

After I got done smirking to myself over the antics of little boys -- I think I'd ground him for a couple of days, plus I'd ask dh talk to him "man to man". Obviously your ds was seeking attention and testing the waters of how far he could go -- which is pretty normal for a 6 yo. But it can't go unchecked. 6 yos do need to understand their boundaries. Blessings, Lucinda

What is your style when it comes to keeping records of your child's (children's) yearly school work? I'm curious to know what the majority of WTM boardies do. Please be honest, and if you select "Other" be sure to post what you mean on the thread. Blessings, Lucinda

Me too!:lurk5:

Thank you, Jean. Blessings, Lucinda

Thank you, Jean. I appreciate your prayers. Blessings, Lucinda