I added in Flowering Baby for my dd5. It is working out beautifully. My dd13 started Galore Park Spanish. It is working well. No changes for my ds10.

My most embarrassing church story: I went up to the altar during worship to pray. I was on my knees, with my back facing the congregation....and my purple panties and top of my behind faced them as well. :leaving: I found out after we got home and my kids shared that little tidbit of information with me at the lunch table.

When people ask that question about my youngest child, I just smile and say, "Yes. And we are so blessed." :)

I always thought I'd marry an older man, but my hubby is a year younger than I am.

Responses to Chapter 2: 1) Believers should know the power of indwelling sin so that we can begin to fight it. If we don't recognize something, then it's impossible to confront it & gain victory over it. And, if we know how powerful it is, then we know how much we must rely on God to fight that sin that indwells us. It's a constant thing that we must be aware of. 2) If we ignore this "rhino," then it will surely have victory over us. The author states that if we aren't fighting it, then we are not born of God. I believe that is true to some extent, but I also believe there can be times in which a believer is so weary & worn that he/she has (temporarily?) lost the will to fight. For my own struggles right now, I am still feeling the battle within me & I do want to have victory over the rhino that is indwelling sin, but there are times that I just feel too exhausted to put forth the effort it requires. 3) The weapons I need are Scripture and prayer. I can bring them to bear against indwelling sin by quoting Scripture that combats what sin is telling me or leading me to do. If I'm in a close relationship with God through prayer, then I am more strengthened in Him & able to see & believe His truth & live in His grace. 4) Rewards offered by the law of sin for: adultery: momentary gratification, pleasing the flesh; vengeance: revenge and vindication feel good, feeling justified; gossip: tearing others down can make people feel good about themselves, makes one feel as though they are part of "the group" spiritual laziness: this allows a person to stay in his/her comfort zone, not having to do spend time, money, or effort in doing things you don't want to do. Right now I am finding the rewards of spiritual laziness most enticing because I can just live my life and be "comfortable." I am really hoping to break free of that, and I believe this book study is a step in the right direction. 5) Burdens/crosses to follow Christ's call in: Marriage: putting my husband before myself, speaking words that build him up, sacrificing my needs for his Things I'm most reluctant to do in my marriage: bite my tongue when I want to speak harshly (especially when I'm right), give him the benefit of the doubt, not get angry when he wants to spend most of his free time hunting (deer season where we live right now), not to feel like he's ignoring/neglecting me when life gets busy, see the good things about him and not only the bad Ministry: give of myself, make sacrifices Things I'm most reluctant to do in ministry: Instead of just praying (not that that's not the most important thing) about the needs of others, actually do something to meet them. Volunteer to teach a class or lead a Bible study. Attend Bible studies that others are leading.

Google low carb minute microwave cheesecake. It's divine.

I've had Paperback Swap books lost in the mail.

I didn't know that, either. Label me clueless as well. ;)

I'll be ready by Thurs. or Fri. This is good stuff! Thanks for starting it.

I think you nailed it. I get angry when things happen that are out of my control and when reality is so different from my expectations. Then I allow sin to take over and skew my view of every part of my life. Grace is accepting the realities with peace and trusting God to work all things for our good. When responding to our children, I feel that we must give them consequences for negative behavior, but do so calmly and with the mindset that they are humans, just like us, and will fail-just like we do. Then let it go.

We had a good day, especially considering that it was our first full day after Christmas break. The kids were a little rusty on math, but overall they did well.

My struggles sound similar to yours, Halcyon. Here are my answers for Chapter 1: 1) All of Romans 7 speaks to me, but especially verses 21-23, "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work within me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me." I feel like an almost constant war is raging within me. I have anger issues that I've been dealing with for a while now. I'll be totally transparent here. My oldest child, after returning from a tour in Afghanistan in 2012, declared himself to be an atheist. I struggle with that. My anger is directed toward myself, though, not towards him. I keep questioning my parenting, how I lived as a Christian in front of him, the church we attended, etc. and blaming myself for his decision. I also have anger towards God, thinking why doesn't He "fix" this? Why doesn't He just show up in some mighty way and bring my son back to Him? Also, I have anger issues in relation to my youngest child. We adopted her from China four years ago and had no idea of the significance of her special needs. We thought she was only visually impaired, but in reality she is severely mentally insufficient & developmentally delayed & also has autistic tendencies. I also deal with anger towards God in this area as well. It spills over into every facet of my life. I lose my temper with my other kids & with my husband easily. I frequently hide in my room to silently "yell" and curse. There have been times where I literally felt like I was being ripped apart by the battle within me-the grace of God vs. the sin that dwells in me. I have terrible thoughts sometimes and I am somewhat comforted by knowing that it's not really "me" but the sin that lives in me. Still, though, as you mentioned, Halcyon, I don't want to blame my choices on sin-like I'm some helpless victim. 2) Rewards for sin: momentary gratification-Sometimes it feels good to "Let 'em have it!" Also, I feel like I deserve to get some things off my chest and make others feel the anger that I do. Punishment for ignoring sin? Feeling like a martyr or like I'm not free to do what I feel like doing 3) Bent to the law of sin-When I've yelled things at my family in moments of extreme anger; when I've kept on saying things even though the Holy Spirit inside me was telling me to be quiet and walk away & calm down; continuing down a line of self-thought that is damaging instead of taking every thought captive 4) The most frustrating thing about my sin is I feel powerless over it. I get so frustrated because I think it's been conquered & then it rears its ugly head again. 5) My hope is in Jesus and His saving grace. 6) Be on guard & be watchful for sin in our hearts and minds. Stay in a state of prayer & close fellowship with God. 7) Right now I need the desire for God to remove this sin from my heart and life. I am struggling with the lack of energy and motivation to really want it gone. It's like a security blanket to me right now.

I read Chapter 1. Ready to discuss when everyone else is done.

Thanks. I appreciate the ideas.

What do you ladies use for science in your co-ops? Do you have books with experiments or do you just find them online? Thanks!

Thanks. I was thinking about geography. I have both Cantering the Country and Galloping the Globe. We did mostly world geography - and only a little US geography - as part of FIAR this year, so I'm thinking I would use Cantering the Country so we could do US geography in depth. For the other class, I'm thinking about using this book for art/artist study: http://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Great-Artists-Hands-On-Children/dp/0935607099

I have planned and made copies, so I am prepared. But mentally I am so not ready! I have enjoyed our holiday break way too much to face the reality that school must begin again.

Hello and welcome. I use Saxon Math and it works well for us. As for other subjects, are you looking for secular or Christian materials? Also, are you interested in a traditional schooling method or something a little more out of the box?

Anyone?

Following. I need some inspiration.

:D

Sorry. ((Hugs))

Sounds good.

I will be teaching this age group again next year. I am teaching them with Five in a Row this year. I need suggestions for what to do next year. I'll probably be teaching two courses. Thanks!

I have "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus on my iPod for dd5. When she's having a meltdown, it brings her out of it every time. she loves that song.