Math….I'm so confused! (and this is long)

We are using MEP (Mathematics Enchancement Programme) from The Centre for Innovation in Mathematical TeachingCIMT). Because it uses a spiral Method it offers variety and alot of hands on. There is a yahoo support group for it. We like it so far because it is completely free. You just download the year you want and print. I have ds8 using MEP year2 and have been happy with it, as he has gained confidence this year we are sticking with it. I just have a quick look at the lesson plan the night before to see if I need to collect anything. We just tweak it to suit us. It is a great programme. I first looked at it as we wanted to try and spend as little as possible but it turns out it is top qulaity and stand alone. We do it 4 days per week and have one day of maths games and living books. It’s hard to choose because you want the best for your kids but there are so many types and some very expensive. I wasn’t prepared to fork out money on a programme then not continue to use it. There’s a little about MEP on my blog http://www.dovesrest.blogspot.com and alot on this blog by Jeanne at http://www.ohpeacefulday.blogspot.com . I started out with Rod & Staff and it was very repetative and boring and I didn’t want to spend any more money. DS is a wiggly willy so the amount of work required is just right for us. We don’t take as long as the suggest on the lesson plan (as it was originally created for the classroom), we take about 20 mins to complete. I know the discussion was started a while back but thought it may help someone trying to decide what to do.