ping
The absolute first thing you need to do is to purchase Bill Bennett's book, The Educated Child, and read it carefully.
The best advice I can give is to be adaptable. If something doesn't work for you, trash it --or sell it--and try something different. There is not a "best" course out there, only the one that is "best" for you and works for you.
Try this. A lot of families who travel for long periods of time use this to school their kids. I hope to do this in a couple of years.
http://www.homeschool.com/resources/Calvert/default.asp
Calpernia,
Have you joined a NJ homeschool email loop or forum yet? If not, feel free to freepmail me and I will send you some links to several NJ yahoo groups. There, you will receive information and support, and then you can also meet other homeschoolers as well as keep up-to-date on legal issues.
P.S. (I am not on the internet everyday, so it may take a few days for me to reply).
I highly recommend a bood calle "The Well Trained Mind". Check it out at, http://www.welltrainedmind.com/.
Semper Fi
Ping