that's incredible about the run/walk.  i have been really interested in trying that but have yet to read the book.  we try to make sure there are lots of physical activities around the house though.  one day i'll get to the book!

i would say in regards to shoes (and this is coming from someone who grew up with foot issues and as an athlete) make sure you get the kids fitted properly.  i know it's bad to go into a running store and get fitted and then go somewhere else to buy but if that's what the budget calls for the i would say do it!  you just really want to be sure their little peds are well supported in all the right ways.  pretty soon you will know what to spot on your own and you won't need 'experts' but until then i say hit a running specific store and have someone really look at your kids' feet.  feet are amazingly precious and can effect so many physical things in your body. 

good luck!

this is going to sound so type 'A' but i'm really not!  i felt kind of overwhelmed with programs and teaching ideas that i've created a weekly schedule using excel.  starting with breakfast and ending with bed time i created blocks where i knew her schedule was fairly predictable and then worked out activities to put in around those things.  i have designated specific days for focus like reading, physical education, art or math and then created drop down menus of ideas.  it helps to fill it in while she's in her morning nap so i can focus on what materials i need for the day.  some days go out the window with whatever errand or she just really wants to color and do nothing else that day so i just try to still keep things really loose.  if i don't accomplish everything... no biggy.  but having the ideas and goals already at hand is really helpful.  kind of no brainer.  and having the focus days has been a big help.  tuesday is math day so i try to make sure that most of our activities include counting... that doesn't mean that we don't count/ do math on other days, just that we focus on certain days.
i attached my little worksheet.  i'm terrible with excel and i really fuzzy preggy brain these days so if there are glitches don't hold it against me. 

i have this same conflict with my oldest sister and it made me very glad that i've got a place like this that understands. 
my sister is HIGHLY educated.  speaks 4 languages, has multiple degrees and teaches college.  her son is outstandingly smart and always has been.  when i told her that my dd could read sight words she said the same thing about how kids shouldn't be taught anything until school, how they will just have a harder time reading when they go to school, how they aren't really 'reading' but memorizing.  i was astounded!  my nephew is 6 and can remember bizarre and complicated facts about just about anything, talks FOREVER and is destined to be a big (and wonderful) nerd!  but he still doesn't read well.  he has trouble with sight words as well as difficulty with writing.  he also has a tough time with being considered an active child... not hyper active, just VERY active.  i just can't help but think that shutting off opportunity from him, like reading and writing early on might have given him a place to put some of his energies... he probably would have written a novel by now. 
oh well... i guess that's just the way it goes.  it's too bad that people can be close minded to the abilities of these babies.  they may not turn out to be geniuses.  it's okay if my daughter isn't.  but i always want to give her the opportunity. 

this was a really interesting question with uncanny timing... my dd is turning 2 and one of our family traditions is asking someone, on their birthday, what they are going to accomplish in the next year... well, dd couldn't answer of course but it did get me thinking about what kinds of things i was going to help her with and then this question came up. 

for the short term (2 yrs) i would like to just keep building her reading and comprehension; continue her love of numbers and really get her counting; develop her physical coordination and develop her own sense of creativity but most of all make sure she always has fun while learning.  more concretely, i would like to begin a tot/ pre k homeschool in the next 6mo to give us more direction.  also, i would like to see a development of other languages though am totally intimidated since we are a one language household.  i would like to see her learn spanish and tagalog (that means sending her to grandparents for a little immersion ). 

for more medium term goals (elementary years) i would like to cultivate an ease with maths and sciences as well as a love of reading (esp. independent reading).  encourage researching things on her own and applying it to what she already knows.  i would also like to see her develop a point of view and opinion of her own that she is able to express. 

very long term (and here i know i get a little less concrete but whoa it seems a looooong way off right now) i want her to really develop a passion for asking and answering her own questions; have confidence in knowledge that she has and in herself; have an understanding and compassion for the world around her; a sense of strength of mind and body and most of all a good sense of humor to do it all with. 

skylark, do you do other things that might relate to right brain training.  you've def. interested me in EC for dd2 but i've also been thinking about ways i would want to re-tool the teaching processes for her (she is still in the tummy so i have time ).  i have always been interested in the right brain program or tweedle wink but haven't stepped up... do you used them?

amazing that you found someone who knew what you were doing with your bebe!!!  i find most people look at me like i am a nutty parent when i talk to my child and ask her to read things or had started potty training @ 1.5!!  compared to you guys i'm WAY behind!!! 

this is something that my husband and i were just talking about this weekend.  we have a very calm child who, in public, is very shy and fairly well mannered (she has her days of course).  and it was my husband who made the remark that he felt like teaching her to communicate earlier has lead to less of a 'bonkers' child (his words).  and as we continued through our day it was interesting to see kids, older than dd that were either on leashes, being physically chased by an exhausted looking parent or not listening and most of them weren't clearly speaking either (lots of kid babbles and squeals).  i'm not saying my dd can recite proust but she can clearly state her mind and understand simple directions (except when there are pigeons around... because let's face it, they are way more exciting). 
i agree about overstimulation being a culprit of an over active child.  they need peace here and there through out the day (like adults do) but i also think helping (not forcing) to develop communication techniques helps everyone.

how did she learn the tripod grip?  my dd loves to have me 'color' numbers (she mean write) and then she will scribble over them.  i think she very much wants to learn to copy them. 

i just wanted to give a little review of kid 2020 math facts:
it was a shot in the dark type of purchase... am still not sure that i love it but my dd seems to be attracted to it.  i wanted a ybcr type of approach to math.  my dd loves numbers and loves the LM program but sometimes it just doesn't hold her attention.  i wanted to show her a fun way of learning.

the production is a little odd... like it's done in someone's basement.  there are a few aesthetic things that drive me a little batty (it's the design background in me) and the songs are slightly adult cringe worthy.  however, like i said, my dd seems to be attracted to it calling it 'math show'.  shrug... what can i do?  it's too early to say if she is absorbing any of it.  i have started a little watching schedule like ybcr making each chapter (counting by 1's, 2's, 3's etc) a 2 week adventure.  can't hurt is what i'm thinking.

have read (on this forum) good things about their sight words video but i think like what others have said is that LR/LM can do pretty much everything that you want, these videos just give you a little bit of silliness (good or bad) to help along with the process. 

if anyone has good suggestions on math programs i am up for hearing about them!! 

  hee hee... our dd's first word was our dog's name.  she has no problem confusing him with other dogs... though much to our chagrin she is turning into a CAT person!!!  aiy!!

we have a bib wearer... though i'm not sure how much longer.  have you seen the bibs with that are like shirts?  they have sleeves on them and maybe your bebe would perceive them more as a smock??  also, my sister had ones that were terry cloth and had ribbed collars that you just pop over their heads like a shirt... not sure where she got those from... but it may help with the choking feeling if the fabric is soft and stretchy. 

thanks for joining in!  it is so much fun to hear about your little ones... big giggles for the little boy who likes to run around the dining room table!  and the little girl who likes dumping her tea set (oh, we know that trick!)

age of child:  2yrs
favorite books:  Richard Scary Word Book, anything D.W. (Marc Brown/Arthur series), The Little Engine That Could, anything Boynton and When We Were Very Young (she calls them Po-Ams)
favorite indoor activities:  markers (color wonder paper is my hero!), crayons, craft foam letters, playing with rice/noodles and dishes (playing in the sink).
favorite outdoor activities: side walk chalk paint, balance beam, sand box, push bike, water, bubbles, going for bike rides with dad.
favorite field trips:  park, local farm/petting zoo, library
if you make your own activities what is your favorite recipe/tip:  side walk chalk paint- equal parts corn starch to water, tempura paint and a couple of foam brushes!  brilliant!
what has been on your to-do list for so long you think it might never get done:   flower button board: http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/2009/04/flower-button-board.html
where have you gotten some of your best ideas?  home schooling blogs, craft blogs and montessori at home books

sometimes i hit a mental block on what to do with my dd and need a little inspiration. so i was thinking that we could sort of introduce our children by what they like to do as inspiration for other parents on activities to try.  obviously, we have an awesome list of websites growing by leaps and great products for tv time but what about the other times?  and these are for learning or play time ideas, no restrictions!

age of child:
favorite books:
favorite indoor activities:
favorite outdoor activities:
favorite field trips:
if you make your own activities what is your favorite recipe/tip:
what has been on your to-do list for so long you think it might never get done (and i mean child oriented! ):
where have you gotten some of your best ideas?

we fly every couple of months to different places... most of them 6+ hours or multiple stops to get wherever we are going.  happy mom of 5 was seriously on point! 
the only things that i would add are:
1. pack in as efficient a manner as you possibly can.  that means that your carry on should be fairly well organized so that everything is accessible and security is a breeze.  it won't be by the end but to start it really does make a difference.
2. buy something specifically for the flight.  a couple of new books go a looooong way. 
3. i don't like traveling with a stroller because it is one more piece of equipment to manage.  i love a sling.  great for nursing, great for a padded back rest, great for easy security. 
4. if you can (and i know it can be sketchy) but if you are able to rent or borrow a car seat on the other end it can make or break a trip.  i've ended up with more than my fair share of wet car seats with odd rips or tears from bad handling. 
5. pack like you are camping.  if you can't carry it, it can't go with you.  do a rehearsal before you go to make sure... it seems silly but it will ease any tension you have and that will keep your baby nice and calm and happy... happy mommy, happy baby.

they really aren't that bad to travel with and most people are super nice about anything that happens.  good luck!

i am always amazed at things i think my dd will never outgrow, forget, never give up on, etc...  we get 'stuck' on the same book for a week, reading it 400 times a day and just when i think i am going to explode from having to read it again she'll move on.   give your son some time.  he'll find a way to move on to other things on his own time.  the hardest part for us as parents also to remember when it comes to things that we are passionate about our subjects is that we have to allow our children to develop those passions (and they will) on their own.  keep up your good work and keep positive and he'll follow along.

Ok I have been searching but where do you find the extras to the little math and little reader?

Also where do I download the next weeks lessons? I only have week one for both programs.

Also where do you find the premium files that you can use your loyalty points for?

i'm not sure what you mean by the extras...  as for lessons mine has been set up so that under the courses tab lessons are numbered (001,002,003) but they aren't set up like that for you?  they were automatically uploaded for me with the upgrade. 
and it looks like the premium files are under the library with everything else under specific catagories but they have a little shield to the right of the title.  i think the shield has a 'p' on it demarking 'premium'. 
i hope that helps a little.  i'm sure you'll be up and running in no time