I love this. Something tells me I’ll be coming back to these comments for reference, later! ;}

I LOVE hearing what other people are up to, especially those that are ahead of us. Thanks so much!

Our oldest is 20 and graduated from our homeschool. The other 3 are 12 and 9 (girls) and a 7 year old boy. They are in 7th, 4th, and 2nd grades. I have not done a co-op yet. When our oldest could have gone, the other 3 were little, and I couldn’t fathom having to teach or help set up/take down every week. I also tend to be a homebody and so do my oldest 2, so they weren’t really interested in going to take swing dancing at a co-op (No joke! My son’s friend took it!). We use Saxon Math, and they have CD’s for 4th grade and up that have the lesson and practice problems and extra help, so we used that for the more advanced math. I used Sonlight for a couple of years with #1, but I didn’t want to read all of the same stuff again when the younger bunch was ready for it. We use and have used a variety of things- Notgrass American History, Sequential Spelling, Truth in Science, Bob Jones reading and spelling (past years), Apologia science (past with oldest). I think you keep taking it year by year. If you get to something that you know that you and Jamin won’t be able to teach, the right resource will come along. But you are a long way from that happening! And yes-they are becoming much more independent and self-starting. Hallelujah! We use a variation of the box system that I saw at The Pleated Poppy. Each kid has an Ikea Trofast 6-glide tower with 6 drawers. Each drawer has one subject’s paperwork and workbooks for the day. They get up and start on Handwriting Without Tears (Love it!) or math. As we finish a subject, I put the papers in their notebooks and put the next day’s work in the drawer. No massive planning sessions on Sunday night anymore! Routine or a rhythm, but not strict scheduling, works best for us. Sorry this has turned into a novella, but you did sorta ask! You are doing a great job, and I am confident that it will get easier and more natural all the time. And I’m really glad to know that I’m not the only one who thinks the bathroom is a great place to play on the phone for a few minutes!

I know this question was directed at Laura, but I wanted to tell you to look up Classical Conversations. It’s a great way to have community and a little accountability. You’re still the teacher, but you meet once a week with other parents and kids; and, as your children get into writing longer papers, they’re Essentials program is phenomenal. I used to teach middle school English and I love this program. Don’t sweat Algebra! There are lots of options : ) Be encouraged!

I can only imagine, Dee Ann! It sounds awesome though! Hang in there! ;}

Such a smart mama! So glad they are working out nicely for you! I love this! ;}

I decided to give stars out quickly at first and have the prize not be as big (like ear piercing) so she would quickly see how rewarding the stars are. She got stars for obeying immediately, cleaning up her toys quickly, going potty before nap. And..here’s the kicker. She had 4 stars, but earned another 2 before naptime, so she was adding 4 + 2 on her fingers to see how many stars she has. Bonus for this home schooling Mama : ) Thank you so much for making & sharing these!