Rainbow Resources a love hate thing....

The child in the photo is not included in the love/hate post!! He is just cute... And I LOVE HIM! 


There are some things in life that we all have a love/hate relationship with.  For me that "thing" can change from day to day.  I have a love/hate thing going on with my laundry almost daily... But, most things come and go.  One thing that always feels very love/hate to me is ordering curriculum for my kids. Even with Peyton and Christopher going to school this year I still order books.  Mostly because I am addicted to books.   Ian shares my addiction, so no help there.

I have a love/hate relationship with moving. The Japanese movers stopped by the other day to asses our weight.  We are being moved again in a few weeks.  Its just across the street but the nice Japanese men will come pack everything I own into boxes and move it for us.  Its a forced move, so they can renovate our house.. YEAH! (can you feel the sarcasm).  3 moves in 2 years is so much fun.   I love that I will be getting a brand new home.  Hardwood floors, oak cabinets, and MORE STORAGE!!  I HATE HATE that we have to move again!   When the man showed up to figure out our weight he seemed OK, until we got into the storage, the the teeth sucking began.  *In Japan they don't make facial expressions.  Seriously I could have told this man I had 15 kids and he would not bat an eye... What he would do is suck air in between his teeth.  And that is just what he did once he laid eyes on our many, many, many books!  "Oh, so many books" as he sucked in air.  Yes, we have a lot of books... He tried to convince me I should get rid of some.. Sorry nice little Japanese man, not gonna happen...

The other BIG love/hate relationship I have is with Rainbow Resources.  I absolutely love Rainbow Resources.  Its a one stop shop for all our needs.  I equate it to the Walmart of curriculum.  I start out on the home page (list in hand) and end up 2 hours later with a cart full of shiny stuff we really don't need but hey the price is SO good!  And, well I just might need it.   I always spend some time checking my cart, going back and forth.  In the end I get what I came for and the shiny bits.

This year Noah is NOT attending school at all.  I think somewhere around isle 3 (history) I realized I am 100% totally responsible for what my son learns.  PANIC set it, and my credit card feels it. (Ok, well Ian's but shush)  We ended up with the entire History Odyssey Level 2 Ancient required list... A wonderfully laminated world map, and the ultimate time line.  Will we need it all?  Probably not.  But, hey just in case its there.

I somehow ended up looking at Shakespeare and Jiminy Crickets... Noah will now be studying Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar.  How fun for him (and me)...

Oh, and we can't  forget Biology.  I started reading about REAL science Biology, but couldn't seem to find it.  I settled on Biology Level 1 by Rebecca Keller PHD.  If any of you have used it please give me your feedback!  

He really wants to start French.  I am on the fence about it.  He has a workbook, and he seems to enjoy it. But, this kid I tell you he flip flops on language faster then a teenager changes their hair color.  For now I will continue to focus on Japanese 1.  Plus, I have a live in tutor.  :)  His rates are cheap (as in free), and it helps him keep his skill sharp!

To add to our list we are using:

Writing Strands.
Math U See
All about Spelling
Singapore Math
Spectrum: Reading and writing.  This is to reinforce nouns, verbs, pronouns, and so on...
I found a wonderful outline for book reports so we will start one this week...

I still need something for art?  Any suggestions?  Maybe we can melt crayons and see what happens lol

What is your favorite curriculum, chapter book, resource for home schooling?  Because a mom can never have to may options!!