I use SOS for all my children, but I only use their History, Science and Bible. I do Grammar with Rod & Staff and FLL. I use WWE and IEW for writing and Phonetic Zoo and Rod & Staff for Spelling. For Math we use Saxon and supplement with Math Mammoth. I did not care for SOS's math and language arts, so I do those with my children using the above curriculum. I like SOS because it can be done very independently with very little help from me. I am teaching 4 children in 4 different grade levels so the fact that my children can do SOS while I am schooling one of my other children is a big plus for me. It allows them to daily do History, Science and Bible with very little help from me, it even self grades :001_smile: I still supplement with SOTW for Ancient History and Sonlight for Science Experiments and Discover and Do DVDs, because we just love those courses. For Latin I use Latin for Children and Song School Latin. I like doing these courses at the same time with all my children, so I can combine and cover all grades levels at one time. I don't know if this is any help to you, I just wanted to show you how I use SOS but also supplement the SOS courses I think need more advanced study.

Praying for you and your daughter !! :grouphug:

Covering her in prayers !!

5 acres and Independence is another favorite book in our home and old issues of Countryside Magazine (available on ebay)

I spend $ 100 dollars per week to feed two adults, 1 teen and 3 children all meals. I spend another $ 25 dollars per week on all paper goods, health and beauty needs, cleaning items, meds and anything else that is needed weekly but not considered actual food items. We do not eat much meat at all in our home, mostly beans and whole grains with lots of veggies and fruit. Chicken and Fish are made once a week for each, the rest of the week we eat beans, soups and vegetarian meals. All together I allocate $ 500 dollars per month from our budget for groceries and paper goods and the above incidentials. In the late spring, summer and early fall months we eat a lot from our garden and orchard so I can widdle the $ 100 down to $ 75 or so per week.

My most important habits are making green smoothies every morning which makes me and my children just feel invigorated to start our day, all that vitamin C does wonders. :D My other good habit is having a clean kitchen to start our day out right. On Sundays I spend the day photocopying and laminating all their school work for the coming week and putting it in their binders so they are ready to get moving early Monday morning. I laminate the pages so that they can use them over and over again throughout the week to save on paper by using a dry erase marker. Some of the pages of course are just one time only and they don't get laminated, but instead after finished are deposited in the appropriate file folder for our end of year portfolio. Keeping up on all the paper work helps our school day run smoothly. And the last most important thing is grocery shopping on Sunday to have a kitchen waiting and ready for speedy healthy breakfasts and lunches for the coming week. I also spend Sunday baking up some muffins for the coming week and freezing them if needed to extend through the week. We start our weekday mornings with homemade wheat germ or fruit muffins and green smoothies at 8AM. We then do school until 12 noon when I make a lunch of sandwiches, salads, fruits, cut up veggies with dip and yogurt and string cheese. Having all these things ready and prepared in advanced helps me to fix our lunches quickly so we can hit the books again for the afternoon school subjects. Having four children in four different grade levels and subjects means I have to stay organized or I will not be able to stay ahead of the game and our schooling will fall behind. These daily habits help me to complete the task in an efficient manner.

I cook supper 7 days a week. I would love to not have to cook all 7 days and eat out once in awhile, but we could not afford to feed our family of 6 on $ 100 dollars a week If I did not homecook all the meals every day.

I have 4 younger children which I had each of them 2 years apart and the two sets of them that get along best is: My 9 and 7 year old boys are the best of friends and play together all the time and that same 9 year old boy with his 11 year old sister are also very close. My 11 year old daughter and my 7 year old son do not get along as well, she finds her youngest brother "pesty" and "he gets on her last nerve" (her words), but she will play with him when they all play together as a group. My 13 year old son gets along well with my 11 year old daughter and my 9 year old son, but he too finds my 7 year old a bit pesty and nerve wracking. My 9 year old son is my most adaptable and he does well playing with everyone and all kids (including all his siblings), he is just that kind of kid that everyone enjoys playing with, maybe because he is a middle child ?

I do this weekly for our food budget, except we have lots of fresh produce also. I cook a chicken every Sunday and stretch that chicken into 3 meals for the week, one of those meals is soup with fresh bread. One day we have pasta and sauce with italian bread. Another day we have a fish meal, either tuna sandwiches and soup/ salads or frozen flounder and veggies. The other two meals of the week is something with grains and beans or lentils. We also make veggie or cheese omelets or pancakes one night for variety and once every other week a homemade pizza night. I can usually keep my grocery bill under 100 dollars per week in our area (less in late spring and summer when our garden and orchard are loaded with veggies and fruits) and that 100 dollars includes fresh salads daily with fresh fruit and sandwich for lunches and green smoothies and muffins for breakfast. The cost of living in our area is much lower then Seatle Washington and we make use of Sam's Club in late fall, winter and early spring for organic fresh veggies and fruit which keeps my cost down.

I spend 500 dollars a month for 6 people ( 2 adults, 1 teen boy, 3 children) and that includes all groceries, cleaning supplies, detergents/soaps, Health and Beauty needs, sanitary supplies, medicines, paper goods ectera. I divide that money up as 100 dollars per week for groceries and 25 dollars per week for all HBA, cleaning supplies, detergents/soaps, meds and paper good needs. In Seatle Washington my grocery bill would be 624 dollars for the month (includes HBA and assorted stuff above) or 15 % more.

We live in a small blue collar working town and I vote yes if the couple is very careful with money and thrifty in what they purchase with their money. Both my adult daughter and I are married to blue collar working men, neither of our families recieve any outside help or goverment assistance. She has one baby 9 months and is currently trying to concieve another baby. She was raised with only her father working and me staying at home and homeschooling. So I taught her early how to keep a house on a simple budget, how to shop second hand stores for clothing and household goods and how to stretch a dollar until it breaks. She recently just bought a house 3 blocks from our farm in our little town ( we live right outside of town) and she paid $ 82,000 for a 4 bedroom 2 bath brick row home in a nice working class neighborhood. The kitchen was redone and the bathrooms are all nice and modern. There is very nice hardwood floors and woodwork throughout the 3 floors of the home. Most of the homes in the neighborhood sell for similiar prices, so cost of living is quite low in our area. In our area most of the young families are living on just one paycheck and making do pretty well if they are careful with their budget. Her couple friends that have children all have stay at home moms and blue collar husbands. Most of those young moms breastfeed, cloth diaper and shop thrift stores for bargains. These families for the most part all live within their means.

How did you find out that you were selected ? If it was by email, what sender email addy was it from, so I can watch for it ?

Divorce is very hard on the children. There is constant back and forth between houses and upheaval every weekend for visits and different rules in different houses. Then add in new boyfriends and girlfriends of the parents and the children can get very confused, depressed and stressed. All that said, if there is abuse, adultry or addiction (unresolved) then I think the man or women married to the person with one or more of the 3 A's needs to get out for their own best interest and safety and for their children. I left a marraige almost 20 years ago that had all 3 of those A's in it and it was the best decision I ever made. If my ex would have went for help for his addiction and anger issues, was not abusive towards me and wasn't a serial cheater and treated me with respect and dignity I would have stayed in the marraige, because I think vows and commitment are very important. If it was just a matter of me being unhappy in a marraige without any of the 3A's contributing to that unhappiness I would have stayed at least until my youngest was of age (18) so that I didn't have to cause my children additional pain and sorrow with divorce. I would do that because I would want to keep my childen having security in a home and marraige until they were of age to go out on their own and be independant. Had I been married to the same man and had not had children with him, I would have been gone in a heartbeat and would not have put up with any of his awful ways right from the get go. But again, every marraige is different, this is just my own opinion on the matter.

Thank you for the wonderful update ! My family and I have been praying for Jonah every night, we were hoping for a good outcome to his illness. So glad to hear all is well with him again !!

I had my first child also at 17 years old and my second child at 21. I got married to their father when I was 19 and it was a rough marraige for sure ! I was way too young for marraige and way to insecure to stick up for myself and not allow him to treat me badly. When I was older and wiser at age 26, I left the marraige and that was the beginning of my "new life" to recreate myself and to make a better life for my children. I went back to school, got a full time factory job and made myself very independent and strong. I wanted to "be the man" that I was "someday" looking for in my life. I wanted to never allow anyone to disrespect me and treat me badly again. I wanted my children to see a "strong mother" and not one that was weak or inefficient and let others treat her badly. I bought my own home, paid off all debt, bought myself a car and found a good paying job. My self resepect, self worth and self esteem soared ! :001_smile: Four years later I met a wonderful man. A real man, a man that treated me and my two children incredibly ! I married him and we added 4 more children to our family. I was 32, 34, 36 and 38 when they were born. We have been very happily married now for almost 17 years this October. I don't consider my first two children as "practice kids" but in reality those two children helped to "raise me" also. I became better for having had them, I became a better parent for having them in my life. They made me realize that I "mattered" and I "deserved better" because I wanted that for them. I would not be the mother or person I am today without my first two children. I grew up right along with them, we grew up together and we are all better for it ! My oldest two children are now 28 and 24 years old. I am a much different parent to my youngest 4 children then I was with my oldest two. I am a better parent because I was already "strong and sure of myself" when they came along. They didn't "know me" before when I was still so young and naive. I am also a better parent because I learned so much from raising my oldest two children and I learned what I did and didn't want to do over again with the younger set. With each child I grow as a parent, there is always something new each additional child brings to the table and something new that I find out about myself while raising them.

Not games, but I have some fantastic toys that keep my 9 and 7 year old boys busy for hours and hours together. These toys inspire their imagination and keeps them creating fun worlds for long period of time with no fighting !! :001_smile: * Wooden Thomas the Tank Engine Trains and Train sets * Duplo Lego Sets ( no choking hazzard for younger kids). They particularly love the Thomas Duplo Lego sets and the Toy Story Lego sets * Magneetos * Magna-Tiles * Playmobil sets

Out on the ocean in a fishing boat, rod and reel in hand with a large italian sandwich with extra onions & oil, some Muncho's potato chips, bottled water and lots of good bait !! :D

Thank you ! Crossing fingers I get in !!

My husband is a groundskeeper at a state college. One of the best benefits of his job is that he gets free college tuition for 4 years for each of our children. He also has a good pension and very good medical benefits. The pay isn't the best but we make do. The benefits keep him working there for our children's future educational needs, so they can have a brighter tommorrow.

I started a better lifestyle of healthy eating about 3 months ago. It has included daily green smoothies full of spinach and berries. I also eat 7 to 9 raw vegetables and fruits a day. I drink tons of water, about 80 or so ounces a day and yes, I pee A LOT !! :001_smile: I also use the bathroom for bowel visits 2 to 3 times a day. I do a daily exercise regime of a half hour of pilates and some weight training. I am loosing weight well and I feel wonderful, but yes, my bathroom breaks have really picked up !! :lol:

We live on a budget and it helps me to keep accountable and not fall behind. I am the numbers nerd in our family, I do all the numbers crunching and figure out how we spend and what goes to what and to where. We are a family of 6 with 2 adults and 4 children still at home. It is not ideal and we do have to economize a lot to live within our means without any outside help, but we get it done. My dh's bring home pay is after taking out for pension, medical insurance fees and taxes. My husband brings home $ 2,000 dollars per month and he gets that pay in two paychecks two weeks apart. So the first paycheck we get $ 1,000 dollars, this is how I divide it up for our family. First Monthly pay: * 400 for groceries ( 4 weeks at $ 100 dollars per week) * 100 dollars for Paper goods, health and beauty needs and medicines (25 dollars per week) * 150 dollars for heating oil per month * 150 dollars for car/home insurance per month * 140 dollar per gas per month (two vehicles) * 40 dollars per blow money ( we get $ 10 dollars each per week for spending money) * 20 dollars towards medical fund (co-pays) and unpredictables Second paycheck: * 550 for mortgage * 225 for electric ( we overfill this for times when electricity jumps drastically in summer months for AC so we always have the money already there) * 50 dollars per month for phone and internet ( we use landline only and dsl internet) * 50 dollars water bill (this account is paid ahead for water bill that comes every 3 months) * 40 dollars blow money ( we get 10 dollars each per week for spending money) * 10 dollars per month for netflix streaming ( we have no cable or satelite and use netflix steaming for our entertainment) Netflix is actually just $ 7.99 but I put in the 10 dollars to allow for raises in price ahead of time. * 75 dollars for savings account We do this same scheduled payments every month. When I need money for homeschooling supplies, used clothing or household goods and Christmas gifts I earn money in advance every year through ebay sales, yard sales and garden surplus sales. Our property/school taxes per year are paid for by our yearly tax refund. We have a 6 month emergency fund that is filled. We have a pension that is 6 % plus 6 % match from dh's work. We have no vehicle loans (all paid in full ) and no credit cards. I do all the shopping on a Saturday and run all errands that day to save on gas. My husband drives a very economical "beater car" that saves us on gas money for his daily work commmute ( 25 minutes each way). My husband does almost all vehicle and home maintence himself and we drive our vehicles until they are dead. We both work occasional side jobs to make extra money when the need arises. We shop thrift stores and yard sales for clothing and buy everything but underwear and shoes used. For exercise for our children instead of exspensive outside activities which we could not afford we garden and run and play on our 11 acres. We also have a nice family friendly park and playground across the road from our farm. We eat simple healthy meals of mainly veggies and fruits, very little meats, and lots of fish, beans/rice and whole grains. We have a large garden and orchard every year for fresh veggies, fruits and berries to help supplement our grocery bill. It is hard to do so much number crunching and budgeting, but this season in our lives when our children are still young and at home is so fleeting and will pass before we know it. All too soon my youngest 4 children will be up and gone and we will not have to stick with such a tight budget, but these times help us to learn to economize and save and prepare for a better future. When I get down at times about lack of funds, I remind msyelf that sticking to a budget is character building and keeps me on my toes in preparation for the "hard times". :001_smile:

I am a better mother than wife. I put everything of me into my kids. I know it isn't the recommended way to do things or even ideal for a marraige, but it is what it is for me. My kids get all of me all of the time. And I have created some really wonderful and well behaved kids :D My husband and I were both raised by parents who were "all about themselves" and we kids were always on the bottom of that list. I can give 100% of myself to only one thing at a time, at this season in my life my husband and I both agree the kids get that 100%. Thankfully for me my husband is not a very needy man and he does not like a clingy or doting wife. He is very self sufficient and independent and he wants me to be there for our children 100%. When the last one is up and gone in 10 years, then I will pour that 100% into my husband. We plan to get a boat and do a lot of fishing !! :lol:

I am 46 and I had the same thing happen to me back in October of 2011. I had just started working out again (pilates and weights) and my period came 2 weeks early. I was worried something was wrong, but the following month everything went back to normal and is still going well. I called my gyn doctor and she told me it is probably a mixture of me getting older and the new exercise routine. She said she doesn't worry until it happens many months in a row, then she wants a patient to get checked out. Mine is now back to it's usual 25 day cycle. I would guess for you it is probably a mixture of getting older and the new exercise routine.

I am 46 and I have been blessed with very little greying of hair. I have only found two tiny wisps of hair that turned white, not grey but very white. I am enjoying my "old age" and leaving them in. :001_smile: My mother didn't have to start coloring her hair until well into her late 50's, we are italian so it is probably hereditary for me. I don't know if I ever will color my hair, I always admired women who wear their grey proudly and embrace their age. I think I will probably let it just stay natural and white or grey, whatever it may be.

Thanks, I picked one up ! It is curriculum ordering time again, so this will be a big help !