[I highly recommend this book: "How to Learn any Language" by Barry Farber... and this website: how-to-learn-any-language.com]

I've read lots and lots of language learning forums/blogs/books, some by people who can speak many many foreign languages (I highly recommend this book: "How to Learn any Language" by Barry Farber... and this website: how-to-learn-any-language.com... great website).  They all highly recommend Pimsleur.  I bought it for my husband to learn Dutch (he is German/English speaking, but if he learns some Dutch then it could be possible for him to do a test of Dutch language and get a Dutch (=EU) citizenship because I'm Dutch).  Well, our plans to move to Europe never materialized and he never used it... I tried it for a while but, because it's really geared to a very beginning student to work towards fluency, I found it just wasn't suitable for me either because I can already understand a good amount of Dutch and speak some also.  But I do think it's a good bang-for-your-buck and I've only read good things about it.  Our library carries it, or maybe you could get it to try if your library has an interlibrary loan service.  I think I saw a website once that had some of the more popular Pimsleur languages available for free download (in an MP3 file or something?) but I'm not sure of the legality of it or what the website was called... maybe you can find it if you google it.

[my belief... demand at first, gradually work towards a schedule... remain flexible and tuned into what your baby needs]

I've breastfed 6 kids now and here are my thoughts:

Breastfeed totally on demand in the first few days and weeks... you want to establish a good milk supply, and keeping to a 3 hour schedule can sometimes jeopardize this.  Remember though, that sometimes they are crying because they are tired or need to burp or don't like their diaper wet... with my first I nursed her just about every time she cried, even if she bumped her head or something, and I don't think that's the way to go.  (If you're looking to prolong the return of your periods, then that's the way to go... 2.5 years of no periods with that child!... but when they were older, the next child is almost 4 years apart and now I think it would be nicer for them if they weren't so far apart in age.  Besides, I don't know if always pacifying every unhappiness in her was good for her emotional development).

Gradually establishing a schedule for sleeping for them is good I think, so having a feeding schedule goes very well with that also.  That is what I aim for now, but I think it's important to be flexible because sometimes they are nursing more because they are having a growth spurt (nursing more often for a few days will increase your milk supply), or it's a particularly hot and humid week, or they are feeling under the weather.  So my belief... demand at first, gradually work towards a schedule... remain flexible and tuned into what your baby needs.

I've done it all and here are my thoughts...

With baby number one, she slept in a crib... through the night 12 hours from 2 to 7 months... but then she started waking up in the night and co-sleeping just kind of evolved with her.  She co-slept FOREVER it seems and when she was about 5 it was really hard to get her into her own room.  We were quite into attachment parenting by that time and we were okay with it... but by 5 years old it felt like it was definitely time!

With baby number two, we sold the crib.  We put the mattress on the floor, used a bedrail, and taught her early on to get off the bed feet first.  (As she started to crawl hands and knees at 5 months, she was also quite capable at this early on).

With baby number three, we co-slept also.

When baby number four came along things weren't working so well with this co-sleeping anymore.  I couldn't spend a long long time getting the little guy settled to fast asleep (he only could fall asleep nursing), because I had three other ones to put to bed also.  Our new house didn't have a big master bedroom where we could have a twin and queen bed right beside each other to make one large bed either.  So when number 4 came along we bought a crib and kept it right beside our bed with the rail off.  That worked for a while, but then we put the house on the market and having such an unconventional setup in the small master bedroom just made the room look way to small for potential buyers, so we decided to make a change.  At the same time I realized it just wasn't working that the little guy could only go to sleep nursing.  So with fairly quick graduating steps, we put him in his own crib in his own room and his routine became story, breastfeed, teeth/pajamas, put in bed, go to sleep on his own.  I was VERY consistent and so, even though he did cry a lot the first couple of nights, I didn't budge and within 2 weeks he was rarely crying about going to bed at all or maybe only for 30 seconds.  Oh... what a wonderful freeing thing this was for all of us!  And the little guy started to sleep through the night and he was more rested and happier during the day too.  (He was about 16months if you're wondering).

With baby number 5 we had him in our bed for those first few weeks, but then more often in his crib in our room.  We never put our bed on the floor, so when he became mobile it wasn't safe to leave him alone on our bed anymore.  When number 6 was on the way, we moved him to his own room and I did the same as I did with number 4... in steps got him to going to sleep on his own in his own room... I did it more gradually (over 3 or 4 months) and, looking back, I think it was harder on him this way actually.

With baby number 6, I rarely had him in our bed (only those first couple of weeks on occasion if he woke in the night and I was really tired and would nurse him beside me in bed).  I made an effort to always put him down to sleep when he was sleepy, fed, but still awake... to encourage his ability to fall asleep on his own.  (I recommend the book The Baby Whisperer).  I made an effort to work towards a regular sleep routine (same bedtime, naptime, waking up time) because I needed this predictability in my day and because I believe it is better for them.  So by 8 weeks old he was very consistently sleeping through the night about 10 hours every night.  If he woke up (rarely anymore) then I didn't rush to him if he wasn't screaming and almost always he got himself to sleep within a couple of minutes.  I felt a little uncertain about letting him cry even a little, but it was important to me that he keep up those lovely sleep habits, and I think I made the right decision for our whole family.  At about 4 months old there was no point to have his crib in our room anymore (sometimes he was stirring when we were coming to bed at night... not always at a good moment, if you know what I mean!... why wake a sleeping baby?!)  He's 11 months and since then he's woken in the night less than a dozen times altogether for sure... usually if he's sick or something.  I can't tell you how nice this is.

I really think co-sleeping is a wonderful thing.  Everyone gets a good night's sleep... I read some research that when you co-sleep then the baby and Mom get into the same sleep cycle so that when the babe wakes up, the Mom is in a light sleep, and they are in the deep sleep times together too.  I believe it is perfectly safe with a couple rules... firm mattress, fitted bottom sheet, no dangly cords on parents' sleepwear, no alcohol or sleeping medication, I have reservations about safety if either parent is extremely obese.  You will NOT roll over onto your baby in your sleep, and any healthy full-term baby will make a big squirming fuss if they are being smoothered at all.  I also believe that having a baby that can sleep through the night is a WONDERFUL thing.  Most important and beneficial for your baby though is that you chose what will work for you and be very consistent about it.  Consistency in their routine is more important than whether you co-sleep or don't co-sleep with your baby.  And there are my thoughts on that matter.

[Rosetta Stone]

Hey, I just had an idea... I wonder if Rosetta Stone would be interested in being one of the BrillKid product partners?  I know that it isn't geared towards the littler ones like all the other product partners are, but the software is certainly compatible with the goals and educational philosophies that this forum promotes -- just aimed at older kids and adults.  But this is a huge community and the child population it represents is growing older every day... also, as many people want to encourage foreign language learning in their kids, I'd think that many of the BrillKid parents would also want to learn/improve their own foreign language abilities to pass it on to their kids.  All the BrillKid partners offer quality resources, and that is certainly true of Rosetta Stone too.

What do you all think?

(In case this sounds like a big plug for Rosetta Stone, no, I am not in any way affiliated with their company... I'm just interested in finding a discount on future purchase from them!  I'm sure others are too... it's a good program, but it's pricey.)

[Caesar salad with grilled chicken]

Cooking is not my favourite thing to do, but it's a necessary thing (especially if you are trying to keep that grocery bill down!)

Some of our quick meals include:

Caesar salad with grilled chicken.  Well, actually I just cook the chicken in the frying pan, cut it up into small pieces and cover it with some store bought BBQ sauce.  While it's cooking I cut up Romaine lettuce, put parmesan cheese and caesar dressing on it, and some simulated bacon bits.  Healthy and quick and all my kids like it.

Sometimes I make a big Greek pasta salad.... vegetable rotini is nice, tomatoes chopped into pieces, feta cheese, a can of drained black olives, sometimes some chopped cucumber and/or red pepper and/or little red onion slices (little people are permitted to pick these out).  For the dressing I use about 3 parts cold-pressed olive oil, one part balsamic vinegar, a fairly generous amount of dried dill (tablespoonful to make enough to serve 6), a little salt, a little honey (or sugar)... this is strange, but sometimes I add some Italian seasoning too--I just love the flavour of it... then I shake it up and pour it on.  (And they're eating their veggies!)

Burgers on the BBQ is a simple meal for me (because my man does the BBQing!)... there are some great veggie burgers available in the freezer section at the grocery store -- (I think that's more heart-healthy... I only mention this because last week I was SO surprised when some guests we had had no idea that there was any such thing as veggie burgers).

My other tip is planned leftovers... making extra and then lunch is taken care of the next day, or making a double batch when it's something that freezes nicely (eg mac 'n cheese or meatballs or pancakes) and then you have a ready made entree for another day that you can just add a salad or some corn or something to.

We all get into a 'meal rut' from time to time... I'd love to hear more ideas of how people get some simple/nutritious meals on the table with less effort.  (I have this theory... being a person who hates to cook... that if you spend more time making it than you do eating it, you've spent too long in the kitchen!)

[So what influences how right or left brained a child might still be?]

Thanks for your reply... I agree that even the phonics kids still need to just memorize some of those words in English that don't follow any of the rules (boy, we sure have a lot of them!  I think a language like Spanish is much more sensible.)  So what influences how right or left brained a child might still be?  Maybe how much traditional math or phonics teaching they have received so far?  What are some of the activities that might prolong their right brain learning ability?  (I've heard of the idea of extending right brain learning ability with Tweedle Wink or something... what's that about?)  I'm not worried that he won't learn to read... I know that any method, no matter how poor it is, if it's done consistently will result in a reading kid... but I want it to be fun for him and I'd like to choose a way that gets him to reading-land the quickest.  Maybe I need to incorporate more of the natural reading method... but the words in the library books are so small... and the pictures are so much more fun to look at... maybe I need to adapt his favourite story books with the photocopier to make our own homemade books with bigger words and have some of the words separated from the pictures more.

I saw some posts by someone who STARTED Doman when her child was 5 or almost 5 or something.  I read she even used some of Doman math.... 'didn't read much about her experience with reading though and I can't find where I read it now.

Anyone with successful experience using a flashcard method on such an 'old' kid?  (I'm just kicking myself for not sticking with Doman with him when I first got these books about 3 years ago, but babies kept coming and we moved and also I think I was too uncertain and looking for evidence that it was working so I stuck to the same words a little too long and 'tested' him more than I should have... his excitement about learning to read soon dwindled).  This forum is great for building confidence and faith that it will work... thanks to all who are sharing the details of their experiences teaching their little ones!

Some more ideas to keep them occupied:

Have a toy rotation... a box of blocks, a box of duplo/lego (even different sets of lego kept separate), a train set, a box of cleaned recycle stuff like yogurt containers for littles, or recycle craft stuff for preschoolers, playdough (cheap and easy to make a big batch at home and keep it in the back of the fridge)... keep these toys out of their reach/sight until you take them out.  If they haven't played with them for a while, then they'll respond like it's a new toy and it keeps their attention longer.  (Then put it away again!... keeps the house tidier this way too).

On our back porch that is off the kitchen (safe and gated) I can keep the toddler and preschoolers busy out there for a long time by occasionally handing them a pitcher of water to play with (this applies to summertime of course!).  If I were to only provide my kids with 3 toys that get the most play value of all... water, sand, and lego!

Sometimes we get down a few blankets and throw a couple over a kitchen or coffee table, or a couple of living room chairs, and voila... a fort!

Sometimes I think they are seeming more attention-seeking just before dinner because they are getting hungry... perhaps they weren't too fond of what we had for lunch and didn't eat as much as they should have.  Sometimes while I am making dinner I put out some super-healthy snack (like raw veggies or apple slices) for them to munch on... but it has to be something that it won't bother me if they spoil their appetite a little for dinner.

Sometimes I feed the baby his dinner first before I make dinner, or I feed him in his highchair while I make dinner (3 or 4 spoonfuls and cut some veggies, 3 or 4 spoonfuls then stir a pot, etc...)... he's usually happy to watch what I'm doing while he waits for some more.... or I give him safe kitchen utensils or small unopened bags of food... anything but what's in that boring toy box (seen it, done that!)

I have a sling... sometimes nothing works and the baby gets carried in the sling while I do something like vacuum, laundry folding, cooking... they like being carried, that's the way babies are.

Sometimes I let the toddler play with water at the sink while I cook... a little attention still is needed to ensure the water is staying in the sink though.... but water will keep them very very occupied.

I think there are a lot of good ideas in a little book called "365 Things to do Without TV"... some title like that... I haven't read it in a long time; maybe someone can confirm/correct that title.... I'm sure there's more ideas in there that wouldn't be very parent involved.

Use your imagination... ultimately they want your attention more than anything else... maybe there are creative ways to give them your attention that don't require you physically.... perhaps start and lead a game where they are acting out different animals, or they will pretend to be construction equipment and build a road    ... sometimes we play 'fetch': the boys are 'Rosie' and 'Bernie' (two favourite neighbour dogs) and we have a soft cloth ball that I toss and they take turns fetching it by crawling and grabbing it in their teeth and bringing it back to me and I say "Fetch, Rosie", or "Fetch, Bernie", and "good, Rosie", "good, Bernie"--they LOVE this game!  (My husband has reservations about treating our kids like dogs though )

When I had only one or even two little ones, I had none of these ideas yet and our life sort of revolved around them a lot more, and it didn't matter if things weren't always getting done because "this too shall pass"... but it's been 16 years now and I still have little ones (and another due in December) so now getting dinner on the table and the laundry kept up and homeschooling the older ones and cleaning the house and weeding the garden... well, it just has to get done; it can't wait until they've outgrown this stage.  I'm also very blessed to also have some older ones who can keep them entertained/supervised (like when I have a bath!)  It sounds like a lot of work or very difficult to have many children, but really it's no harder than having just one or two little ones.  I have more experience now and can get things done more efficiently (there isn't that big emotional learning curve like when you're a new parent), and the kids entertain each other more, and the older ones are doing some of the chores that I used to have to do all by myself.   For some things there is more work (eg more laundry), somethings are the same (still 3 meals, just bigger pots), but some things are easier with more kids to help out (I can leave them all in the car for a series of quick errands like pick up the drycleaning, mail a package... and I even have a built in babysitter now).  If you enjoy kids and want more, but you are feeling uncertain if you could manage any more, then believe me that it was really hard for me too to have 1 or 2 children... I find it a bit easier now (with 6!) even though it still definitely keeps me from getting bored... ever!  Watching them all grow and learn and develop is such a miracle and such a pleasure that it makes it worth it to freely give up a little of the 'me' time to pursue my own interests... there will be lots of time for that later.  If you know that you don't want to have any more children, then please do me one honour... never say in front of your children anything like these common phrases "oh, I couldn't handle any more children", "oh, two are enough for me!", "no way, I've got my hands full with these two".... people will ask you if plan to have more, but there are much better responses that won't hurt your children's feelings.  Well, this is getting off topic, but I hope that everyone is enjoying their little blessings, even though it isn't always easy to get things done, and maybe some of these ideas will help.  Limiting TV helps kids to keep longer attention spans too.

[it really is the Cadillac of language learning programs!]

This thread was started a couple of months ago, but I wanted to say something about purchasing Rosetta Stone.  First of all, it really is the Cadillac of language learning programs!  You get a lot for your money.  Someone already mentioned that you get good discounts when you purchase more than one level at the same time... pricey, but saves you money in the long run.  (If you get it and don't like it, I do believe they have a full-refund return policy of some sort...?)  Anyways, what I wanted to mention... I've got Rosetta Stone in two different languages and I purchased them each from two different sources.  One from a homeschool supply place in Canada (to save some money on dollar exchange, import costs, shipping), and the next time I purchased directly from Rosetta Stone.  They reason I did:  with my first purchase we ended up with a big scratch on one of the CD's and needed a replacement CD... somehow you can't make a back-up copy of their CD's in case of something like this happening... and so I phoned and they said that they will be happy to replace the CD; where did I buy it from?  Well, not directly from them, so I needed to provide some proof of purchase naturally and so I had to phone the company I bought it from and ask for a copy of my receipt, and the company was in the middle of moving and their computer was in a different province!... so wait, wait, wait... after some phone calls and faxes and all that, then I finally did get the free copy I needed and all is well again.  Dealing with Rosetta Stone was great... they were fair to ask for some sort of proof of purchase since I didn't buy it directly from them... it was all the rest that was the hassle.

The next time I did make the purchase directly from Rosetta Stone.  Good company; good product.  If you can afford it, buy it.

(I also don't think it is suitable for a toddler yet... maybe somehow if Mommy or Daddy is doing it together with them, I don't know... maybe start with other language learning methods when they are littler and add Rosetta Stone when they are older, like they are speaking and responding with answers a lot more... I'm no expert, try the free demos first and then decide if it will work for your child; you know your own child best, but I don't see how I could possibly use it with my DS3 or DS(11mo)... maybe just to let them passively watch while I do the program with them sitting on my lap...?)

Hey, maybe someone has some experience adapting their use of Rosetta Stone for a younger child... let us all know!  (Like I said, I already own 2 of the languages...'be great to use it for the younger kiddoes too!)

I have little ones that I've begun to use Doman program to teach reading, but for my 5yob (5 years and 2 months to be exact), I am hesitant because I read sometimes that after age 4 or after age 5 it is best to use phonics approach.  I could do this... it worked for the 3 older kids... but he isn't enjoying it... he is bored with learning letter sounds (and he only knows a handful yet).  As a side note, when I was doing math with my 9yob today, and he didn't know the multiplication facts he needed, he asked me if we could do those flashcards that we used to do because that's how he learned the 3X (several months ago).  In Teach Your Baby to Read (Doman), they talk about teaching 48months to 72months (4-6yrs), so I assume they feel that it's still a better approach for that age group than using phonics.  To support their theory about right-brain teaching, they talked about how some soldiers in a war were being flashed pictures of fighter planes they should be able to recognize (as friend or foe) because that was found to be more effective than 'studying' them like an adult normally studies things... so that leads me to wonder if my 5yob would learn to read faster with a flashcard method.  When I hear people suggest that after 4 or 5 then phonics would be better, then I am confused and uncertain which method to use.  Why are they suggesting phonics after a certain age?

Has anyone had success to teach to read at a later age?  What was your experience?

Hmmm... that's very interesting 

Does anyone have any (other) great tips for getting things done?

For incorporating a new habit or routine into your life I've heard of these...

Attach it to something else you do very routinely without fail... like when I wanted the kids rooms to stay especially tidy when our house was on the market, I had them tidy it up when I was reading them their bedtime story every night because that is something we did without fail.

Have a scheduled day or time and stick to it... for years and years now I am able to remember to change the bedsheets weekly because I always change them on Monday.  Monday can't go by without thinking about it.

For adding Doman teaching to my schedule, someone suggested (I think very wisely) to start with something small and stick to that for a while until I know that that will work well, and then add a little more and make sure that is working, and so on.  As excited as I am to get everything started right away before they get even one day older, this is the approach I am taking because I believe it's true that it's better to do a little consistently than to do a lot sporadically.

I think that when you have accountability to someone, then you will 'stick to it' better... a buddy that you are dieting with or exercising with, a blog that other people will read, a spouse that asks from time to time "what did the kids do for schooling today?", a chart/checklist/schedule that you show to someone, company over regularly that will notice whether or not you are doing any housekeeping (having your house on the market works great for this!), a piano teacher that actually checks to make sure you've done the suggested amount of practice every week (some don't, but if you aren't practicing then I think you are wasting your money).... well, you get the idea -- it's taking advantage of our human nature that seeks the approval of others.  You shouldn't really care what others think, but let's be honest... we all DO care to some degree.

Any other ideas folks?  Getting things done and sticking to things is an area I definitely need work on!

Well, I was feeling so good thinking I look so great for 24 weeks pregnant!!... But, alas, I have 24 weeks TO GO...

Has something been changed?  Last week it was showing 24weeks +some days.... the countdown or duration left of my pregnancy... and now I see that it is showing how far along I am - 16 weeks and some.  Well, whatever... I just wondered if someone changed something.

I am looking for ideas for making books.  How are you all making your homemade books (I mean assembling it, not content).

What size do your kids prefer?  (Is 'Doman-suggested' 11X14... or even 8-1/2X11... not a bit large for the little ones to handle?... what is too small though for a baby to see?)

What kind of paper are you using?  (plain, card stock, poster board, laminated?)

If you have used different techniques for your books, what do your kids prefer?

Do you have any advice regarding cost-effectiveness, durability, ease of assembly, format, font/font size, etc.?

What are you doing to hold your books together?  (staples, string, rings, binding methods?)

I believe it... of my 3 older children (ages 15, 12, and 9), the 12 year old learned to read significantly earlier than the other two... independently anything she wanted before she turned 6 -- the others by 8 or 9... and she is the one that grasps everything else more easily, has the beautiful handwriting, draws beautifully, learns new piano pieces easier, and just seems more capable at everything at an earlier age (in math, for example, she is only one book behind her sister who is 3yrs 9months older and I am rarely helping her with her questions but I am often helping DD15... I don't think it would be a good idea to let her 'pass' her sister, but I know she could).  Interestingly, she also started crawling on her hands and knees on the day she turned 5 months old.

"If you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there".

For my older children, I have made definite homeschooling goals... what books I'd like to have completed before the beginning of December (baby's due date)... and then I figured out how many pages of this book needs to be read each day, or how many lessons/units per week, or whatever, and then I make up all the daily assignment sheets for that time and check them off each day (planning for holidays or other breaks too of course).  It is the most effective way for us, because it keeps me on schedule and motivated to make sure that schoolwork is getting done each day.  I do it in pencil, so I can easily modify it if I discover 'the plan' just isn't working for a particular subject.

For my 5yob, my goal is that he can read some simpler phonics readers before he turns 6 (in April), and that he knows some simple math (adding/subtracting to 10) and his numbers to 100.

For my 3yob, before he turns 4 in May '10, my goal is that he can read at least a couple of hundred words (will start using Doman method shortly), and that hopefully he is perhaps starting to be able to figure out how the reading thing 'works' (to intuit some understanding of phonics)... most important, I want to foster a love of reading in him, as opposed to a love of video games like my 5yob is starting to get.  Also, I hope that I can get him to feel comfortable in water that is past his knee height!

For my 11 month old baby I hope that he will be able to start reading independently (some short children's books) by the time he turns 3.  I hope he will love, love, love reading and love to learn new things and do so quickly and easily.

For the four youngest children (5yob, 3yob, 11mob, baby due in December), I hope that I can teach them to understand, speak, and read in French even before 'school age' (and hopefully Dutch too, but I will start with French mainly because of amount of materials available and to build my own confidence), so that they will not be moaning like my older kids do when I tell them that French has to be part of their curriculum (because all the kids in school learn French, and we live in Canada where knowing French could help them get better jobs later on).

In general my goal is to teach my younger children (reading and languages in particular) at a much earlier age than I did the older ones so that homeschooling will be much easier and less time consuming later on, and so that I am catching the opportunity to teach them these things when their brain is learning the fastest and they are the most interested in learning.  For my 9yob, who is still 'learning to read' (although it is coming along well now), it is a chore that he doesn't really enjoy doing at all, but because he is old enough to see the value and necessity of if, he is perfectly cooperative.  No, I really want learning to read to be FUN, so I will teach them earlier from now on.