I'm in for this contest.  Details on how you can be too below.

Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while -- next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE! 

This is a $219 program (and believe me it's worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian.

This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program.  Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking.  Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they're included!  For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports. 

To win this most excellent program -- in the language of your choice -- copy these (blue) paragraphs and post it in (or as) your next blog post -- then to enter the contest, go to the original contest page HERE: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/501132/  and leave a comment with the link showing where you blogged about it.  And please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post it.  And good luck!  The winner will be picked randomly on March 26, and will be notified thru the link they left to their blog pg.   And if you have more than one blog, you can post them and enter those separately for more chances to win.   Yay for free stuff!

and I'm really encouraged in the Lord.  I think some of my past experiences make me feel very quickly that others are judging me when sometimes they are not.  The point of her conversation wasn't to convince me that her homeschooling ways are better but rather to show me how similar she thinks our styles are.  Also, she shared a few things that helped me to understand that what they do isn't as rigid as I thought (they don't start until 9:30 and they take a two hour lunch break, for example).  She also thought my view of Classical Education was not quite what most classical education people do.  For example, all her children are usually reading while they're still 4, but she said many in the classical community don't teach reading until age 6 or so (IOW, it's not part of the classical mantra to read that early). 

So to those of you who educate in a classical fashion, I apologize for my misimpression and resulting frustration with you all.  It's easier to see you as my allies now :) 

The Lord is showing me how important it is to serve Him only and not care what others think (I've thought I learned this in the past, but I think it's something I'll battle my whole life).  Pray that the Lord would help me to love Him first and foremost and that I love those He puts around me as He does.  I had a lot of legalistic influences growing up, and I really struggle with being who I truly am when I'm around many people; instead I become a people pleaser, even if I struggle with bitterness against them in my heart.  The Lord has been convicting me about this lately, and I know how damaging that bitterness is in my relationship with God as well.  I need to act as I believe--that He is in control and that He allows these difficulties into my life for my good, not to hurt me as I am tempted to feel. 

Xander, my oldest

I've never blogged before, so bear with me as I get the kinks worked out.  My name is Michelle (computer nickname Michellyn); I have two sons (6 and 4 years old) and two daughters (1.5 year old twins).  Currently, I home educate my oldest son, Xander; I also do some school time each day with my second son, Nathan.  While I read a couple of books each day with the twins, right now my prime focus concerning them is keeping them out of trouble :)  They enjoy our homeschool devotions time (trying to sing and dance and getting on chairs when we read the Bible story). 

I was homeschooled myself from fifth grade until twelfth grade.  From that, I realized that one educational choice isn't right for everyone (though I'm highly biased toward homeschooling as it can customize better than any other).  Now, I'm experiencing that within my homeschool curriculum choices.

I've chosen a Ruth Beechick/Charlotte Mason approach, and I use much of the Ambleside Online curriculum.  I have a friend who is very much into the classical approach (ala Susan Wise Bauer), who (it seems to me) is constantly trying to show me how that way is best.  I've gotten some good tips on shared subjects (narration, etc.), but most often, I just feel discouraged after talking to her.  I feel as if she doesn't recognize other homeschool programs (particularly ones with less structure such as Ruth Beechick's natural style or other people's unschooling) as truly acceptable forms of education.  Either that or she feels the need to try to convert others to the "best" way of homeschooling.  Now, she is an incredibly disciplined, hard working homeschooling mom of 6 (ages 2yo to 9yo), and her children do know a lot.  In fact, I think all her children have walked before age two, potty trained before age two, and read by age four.  She considers them behind if they don't know all their letters before they are three.  Most homeschool days, they start school by 8:30 and don't finish until 4:00 or so. 

To me, this just seems like too much.  If that's what she wants to do, more power to her, but I get very discouraged by this focus that's so "excellence driven" that it forces kids to spend so much time in school work and very little time in healthy play.  Anyway, my first blog post is also my first rant .  Do any of the rest of you ever feel this way?  I find it so easy to get defensive when talking about homeschooling with her.  I mostly try to avoid talking about it.