thank you all for your helpful info. i guess i didn't realize that we could take 2 years to do MFW ECC. i don't think we would take 2 years but it helps knowing that if we don't do MFW everyday especially on days when i'm having nausea, tired, etc. pregnancy is very hard on me. i'm expecting by october i'll be mostly laying down not on bed rest but my feet elevated. i have internal varicose veins and by about 20 wks i have excrusiating pain in the pelvis area due to the veins. so i'm thinking ACE for the 3 R's, TT for math, and MFW 3 or 4 days a week until i can manage it. i'm sure we'll be taking a few months off when the baby gets here. nancy i see that you took a few months off when your baby got here. did you find that your dc got behind or did you have them do the 3 R's? i might try to just have them do all ACE, TT for math and read books when i take time off for the baby. thanks again everyone for the info.

jen

Jen, I am not Nancy:), but just wanted to say when my ds came along after 2 weeks dc were starting back and doing ACE. I actually felt it was easier for me because they were occupied, but in your house only you know if your dc would be a bigger help with the little ones and thereby that helping you more to take school completely off for a long time. I have to say though I would at least be having my dc do math, some writing and reading everyday - they would be able to do that pretty much independently and it wouldn't take long so that most of the day they could be a help to you if you needed their help around the house.

Julie in SC

Well, if I can dig in the archives of my memory for a moment and recall correctly...

I believe we started that school year sometime in mid-July in order for me to anticipate needing a bit more time off in the middle of the school year. I also recall starting the kids out with MFW's English suggestions, but I quickly changed that over to something more independent, as I found that it was turning out to be a little time consuming doing PLL and ILL with 2 dc, and I didn't like Writing Strands AT ALL. That was the year that I had my 2nd grader using ACE for English and the BJU VHS video teacher for math, and my 4th grader used Saxon 5/4 for math w/ DIVE CDs and BJU VHS video teacher for English...if I remember right. (Digital Learning Network was the company that used to rent out the video teachers for BJU, and because they were changing everything over to DVD and updating editions, they were selling off their old VHS videos, which I still own...BJU now owns the business entirely :)

So, to answer your question, yes, the "show" was able to go on without me, so to speak, concerning the 3 Rs because of having materials that they could use independently. I never really felt "behind" in MFW ECC because I realized that it was just covering the info subjects, and there is no such thing as "behind" in those. They are not skill level subjects and that information can be "covered" at any time and any season. You will not "hurt" your dc's education by taking a few months off from formal Social Studies and Science during a busy season in the life of your family. Actually, that may be a good time to just allow for them to read some great books according to their interests, watch some educational videos, or play some learning games on the computer while being available to help mommy if need be. Also, I found it helpful to have a consistent quiet time each day after baby came during one of the baby's nap times. I would require all of my dc to spend a good hour in their own bedrooms quietly on their beds. They could either read, play with a quiet toy, or listen to something with head phones. Many times they ended up falling asleep for a nap, even if they were not normally nap-takers. It was good for all of us. Enjoy this season rather than allowing it to burden you. It will pass quickly!

Nancy

nancy, i'm glad to hear that you have used PLL and ILL. i actually just bought both of these last week. i really like the looks of them but after looking thru them i'm thinking in this season of my life that it would be too much for me. so i'm thinking we'll start out using MFW with ACE for english, spelling and CW and LIt. i may even by ACE for math because my ds needs the mastery approach. i'm thinking i'll keep using TT for both kids and just have ACE math for them to do to keep refreshed on math facts, etc. i do love ACE. i love how you can keep the paces in a binder and they kids can carry their school work wherever they go. if we're using ACE and TT they can still do school even with me having a new baby. so yall have helped me make my decisions. thank you so much.

jen