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spidermansmum wrote:Mama Mary,Ive been over to your blog a few times,IVE MISSED YOU.
Im having some major wobbles about homeschooling[.again?].We are due to start Beyond in a week.Its the thought of the battle I imagine lies ahead that is scaring me[ BTW for anyone reading this thats not HOD's fault- more the battle of getting an aspergers kid to change a routine and follow ideas not his own].Plus on our trip to France - nathan broke his arm.I realised just how little french I understood whilst dealing with the doctors in the ER,thankfully their english was better than my french.
Im so glad your feeling better Mary and Im thrilled your posting back here.
God Bless
Sam

Hi Sam,

I am SOOOO glad to see you too my sweet cyber friend! :smooch: I am sorry that Nathan broke his arm while you were on vacation, but laughed at your comment about the doctors knowing english better than you knowing french, LOL;-) Sam, send me an e-mail to talk aspergers and your school year. (warm smile) ppeamary@yahoo.com

Hi Ladies and Welcome back Mama Mary!!!
I don't post much, but I also check in to this board quite often. You gals are so encouraging and uplifting!!!

Anyway, we'll be starting our 3rd year with HOD next week. We will finish up the last 9 weeks of Little Hearts and then move onto Beyond. Andy is really looking forward to getting back to school (as long as it doesn't include him reading). I've been going back and forth with my newly 3 year old. I wasn't going to do anything this year. With the Meg in college, Jenn starting high school and Andy starting 1st I thought that would be enough, but she can recognize half her letters already and I'm starting to think I should do something. Jeopardy theme song going off in my head again.....

Looking forward to hearing about everyone's school year and hopefully I can post more about ours.

Laurie

Mary,
I'm so glad to here you have had a time of replenishment after a very tough year. I too will be praying for you and all our homeschool friends as we start the new year!

We started Bigger in the beginning of July so we can take breaks through the year as needed. I'm also trying a 4-day schedule, but don't want to combine days and miss anything. We LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!

I will be using CTC with my 11 ds and 12/13yo dd. This is our first year with HOD and we are very excited. The samples all look so good. I am getting so anxious and excited to get that TM in my hands!

This is our second year with HOD but really our first! Why? Well we had our fourth addition in October and things got crazy so we did only the necessary...phonics, math and reading. This year we are doing it all and I am just about to burst with excitement!!! This is our schedule:

Beyond with dd's 7 and 5
Little Hands with ds 3

We will begin Monday, August 17 and are trying out year round school this year. 9 weeks on 2 weeks off and about 7 in between manuals. We will be ending at the end of June '10. We are taking both manuals at half speed this year for various reasons and I am glad because I think that we'll be able to savour the greatness a little better!

Preparing with my 9 yo and Little Hearts with my younger two. We start August 3rd

My son is official this year. Our "official"date of starting is September 1st. Really we have done school all year. taking breaks where we needed. i really like going all year long.

DS will be finishing up LHFHG basics side by end of October. My daughter will finish LHTH early October. Then i will start History side of LHFHG with them together. My son will do the Emerging Reader from Beyond...and Victory Drill,Handwriting , and continue with Math-U-see. We will do story-time together with some books we picked on our own. i am trying to keep son all in one curriculum for the most part except the math and reading.DD will also do handwriting. Then phonics & math as we feel led.

Son is currently doing lapbook on dinosaurs and daughter one on Cinderella story. My daughter is really excited about it. She is almost 4.5yrs.

We plan to do solar system mini-unit study and oceonography mini-unit study. my son wants a gold fish for his b-day and putting together the little aquarium will be part of oceonagraphy study.

i didn't realize how much my 18 month old would like the Fingerplays in LHTH when i do them with my DD. she gets excited when she sees me going for the LHTH manual. i may actually have to do a little "school" with her!

i plan to take a break starting the week of Thanksgiving and thru the first week of January at least. i am still figuring where the rest of the breaks will fall. at least a month in summer, and then spring is so nice in North Florida , ya hate to be inside....

horsinaround wrote:I will be using CTC with my 11 ds and 12/13yo dd. This is our first year with HOD and we are very excited. The samples all look so good. I am getting so anxious and excited to get that TM in my hands!

Hi Linda,

We are new to HOD too, but have been homeschooling for a long time. The more and more I looked at this curriculum I truly fell in love with it. I can't wait for our box to arrive, I feel like a puppy waiting for the master to come home.. I'm constantly looking out the window for the mail truck lol.

We also have a 12 soon to be 13 (in Nov) year old dd. After showing her the sample notebook pages for CTC she actually said "COOL", I've never seen her be excited about curriculum before..especially history!

Due to fininacial pinches we are only going to be able to start with CTC's economy pack, and I'll supplement in everything else with a goal of buying the basic history pkg as soon as I can or hit the library and find books that will fit the generes and levels for the next couple months.

Our youngest is about 18 months, we'll be doing LHTH with her, stretched out over the course of the next 2 to 3 years.

Looking foward to sharing experiences with HOD soon!

Jasmine

To the ladies of HOD,

YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHYY!!!!! This is my first post ever on HOD message board!! This is so exciting for me...we are brand new homeschoolers. As I have spent months (literally) researching teaching methods, curriculum, etc., I began following your posts here. I immediatly fell in love with HOD-it took me very little time to make a decision for it once I discovered it. My point is, I have SO enjoyed reading on this board and getting to know all of you. I do feel like I know you! So now, here I am!! I get to be a part of this awesome community of wonderful, christian, HOD moms!! Even before I ordered my curriculum, I can't tell you how many evenings I needed encouragement and found it here. THANK YOU, all.

On to the topic.....I am using Bigger Hearts for dd9 and ds7 and Little Hands for ds3. We also have a ds 7 months old.
We will begin school on August 31. I am so blessed to have this opportunity with my children. It has been a long time coming. Sometime I wll share the testimony of how the Lord has enabled me to hschool!!! It will be one exciting ride!!


Thank you all for sharing,
Liz
Married to dh for 11yrs
dd9, ds7, ds3, ds7months

I immediatly fell in love with HOD-it took me very little time to make a decision for it once I discovered it.

Liz,
I am so excited for you. You and you little ones will have a wonderful time as this curriculum unfolds for you. I have been using it from day 1 and it has been perfect for our family, set up, structure and I have been thrilled with the results. I tell everyone about it and encourage them to at least take a look at it on the website and the board!
Success and looking forward to hearing how you enjoy it.

Ladies,

What fun to read this thread and to hear which programs you'll be using this year! At our house this upcoming year, we will be piloting much of our new program on the middle ages/renaissance/reformation with our 8th grade son, using CTC with the 5th grader, doing Beyond with our almost 7 year old (4 days a week), and beginning LHTH with our 3 year old.

We're looking forward to sharing the homeschool path with each one of you and are excited about the encouragement we are able to give one another through the board.

Blessings,
Carrie

We are new to homeschooling and absolutely fell in love with HOD (thanks Carrie and Mike)!
We are beginning Bigger with my ds who just turned 9 and Little Hearts with my dd who will be 6 on Aug 29th.
We will be starting on Aug. 24th, so I am getting things ready now!
I am so excited and so scared all at the same time. I guess that is normal, but I am looking forward to hitting a "groove" with scheduling and just enjoying seeing my kiddos learn to love learning! I know where I have short comings, my BIG God will fill in for me:)
Blessings....

We started June 29th with Preparing. This is our first year with HOD and my kiddos LOVE it! Nice to "meet" you!

Leah

Well,....I had planned on starting Beyond (7yods) and Bigger w/ext (10yodd) around now. Then...my husband had a knee replacement (ouch!).
Soooo, maybe by September...?