Congratulations! I soooo know how hard it is to deal with injury in a child. We're still battling RSI with our daughter which she incurred 5 years ago!

Just to encourage those of you on this homeschooling journey, our daughter has been conditionally accepted to the two universities she applied to and to all three programs. We suggested she stay local for post secondary education and so she chose to apply to the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier for this coming school year. Her program of choice is the Life Sciences Program with the co-op option. Also, she did not need a high school diploma, we took a very different route. Ultimately we had send it documents from 6 different sources. This homeschooling journey has been a joy with her. She's been motivated to learn and worked hard all along. Although there were times when it was tough, we were always able to get through those times. I'm both sad and happy that this homeschooling journey is almost over with her. However, God was sooo good in giving us a son 8 years after she was born and so I still get to homeschool him. He's going into gr. 6 this coming school year. I've seen how God has provided so generously throughout our homeschooling journey, how He called us to this task until now. We always took it year by year. When our daughter was 5 yrs. old, I was going to give it that year only as I was having a difficult time with getting connections started with other families and us. I'm so not the co-op type mom and so I was thinking that we may have to send her to school the following year. However, another wonderful family came into our life unexpectedly and so God provided a lovely time of connections and doing life together with this family and a few other families for years. But then when my son was born, I developed an autoimmune disease and just couldn't keep up with these regular outings anymore. I was so sad and worried as to how I was going to be able to provide for our son's social needs now. But God again provided wonderfully in our neighborhood, as a matter of fact, on our street alone is a family who don't homeschool but are a wonderful and godly family who train their children in the ways of God. This has been a huge blessing. We also attended a local private Christian school part-time for one year and that provided our family with another connection with another wonderful Christian part-time homeschooling family. I'm humbled and grateful for what the Lord has done for us during these years of homeschooling our children. May this be a source of encouragement for those of you new or struggling on this journey right now. God is good! Blessings to you all on this wonderful journey, Susan

I exercised until I couldn't exercise anymore due to injuries, I didn't want to see another d word ever again either. I ruined my feet and developed bursitis in my hips....I hardly lost any weight at all... I'm also over 40 years of age and I just listened to this book: http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307474259/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425341152&sr=1-1&keywords=why+we+get+fat It's NOT a diet book and I didn't want another diet book ever...diets stress me out and every time I've tried one of late, I gain more weight because I totally obsess about food when I'm on a diet...This book was very encouraging and enlightening...It talks about the myth of how calories in does NOT equal calories out and how too much exercise may even jeopardize weight loss because of how exercise increases your hunger levels. He's not against exercising, he just doesn't believe in using it as a main weight loss/management source IYKWIM....etc...He talks about enzymes and hormones involved in our digestive system and how they can all inhibit or help with weight loss/gain. As always, I take things like this latest book with a grain of salt since I don't agree with everything he says but it's definitely helping me rethink how I can change my lifestyle to better health without obsessing about it so much. Best of luck on your journey...

I've been noticing this in our area BIG time and have commiserated about it quite a bit myself. Just last night I was at a friend's house and she'd been informed that she needs to teach more often at her co-op than she thought she needed to. She is sooo done with co-op but since it's her last year with this co-op, she's going to just do what it takes. I have come to realize that I am not a co-op person and I still worry that my 8 yr. old son is not able to regularly connect with peers because of my disability. When my dd-16 was little, we got together on a weekly basis with a few moms for coffee and/or lunch and let the children just play and us mom's were able to just chat and be. However, one of the mom's thought that we needed to turn it into something more productive...at first, it was just bring a craft of some kind you'd like to do with your own child and share how to do it with the group. Eventually that wasn't enough. A huge group project ensued which turned into a very mom intensive co-op that I couldn't keep up with for various reason, one of them being a chronic illness. Nevertheless, it has taken us about 5 years to start to put our "new" life back together so to speak. The children are starting to find new friends etc...it's been a VERY long and hard journey because I had put everything into this co-op. I miss the days of just being and sharing with one another. Thanks for starting this thread, it helps me to realize I'm not the only one feeling the way I do about this trend.

Our dd was developed severe constipation after I weaned her until about 6 or 7 years of age. We tried prune juice(she couldn't eat prunes or any baby/pureed foods due to sensory issues), pear juice, pineapple juice etc....apparently many of the P starting fruits/juices are good for relieving constipation.....they helped somewhat but then stopped helping! Finally I read a book on this issue in children(don't know what it was called anymore) which suggested that Lansoyl http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/lansoyl-raspberry-jelly-laxative/6000076440103 can be taken for as long as necessary to deal with constipation in children. It was the miracle worker in our home...I gave it to her regularly at first....dd was able to relax. She was soooo relieved to not have to worry about suppositories etc. anymore. At some point she started to take responsibility for her own issue by letting me know that her stools were getting hard again and that she needed some Lansoyl. Slowly but surely, she outgrew this issue. I hope your find what helps shortly...it's no fun when our children hurt.

I'm Canadian and I'm soooo very grateful for our universal healthcare. I couldn't imagine if my siblings or myself had to take care of our parent's and brother's healthcare needs, my parents and brother are very poor and they wouldn't be able to take care of themselves...we help our parents out regularly as is...we wouldn't be able to afford healthcare on top of what we're doing already.

I do have two children but I once read and people seem to agree with me all the time, if your children are 8 or more years apart, they are both technically only children. I think it helps that we are homeschooling both children to help with sibling bonding but it's not the same as having siblings close in age like I experienced growing up in a family of 5 children.

Elementary Sonlight with pre 2006 LA Writing: EIW and IEW Spelling: AAS Math: Singapore and Miquon Bible: Sonlight and a family devotional Music: As important as the 3 R's in our house...MYC Older: Some Sonlight with outside classes...AP English class offered for 6 girls by a friend of mine Canadian History: Outsourced IEW Online Writing Courses through Websters Academy (starts in gr. 4) Math: Video Text Science: Apologia and Spectrum planning on AP Chemistry for gr. 11 Music: RCM Piano

I know that this is an old thread but I just wanted to add for other Canadians who may be interested that a friend's dd just started at one of the University of Waterloo's engineering program this past Fall and she was offered 3 credits for her AP courses...I know one of them was AP music, thus not related to engineering...maybe that's why they accepted that one?

I'm still awake... :) I wish that I'd have better sleeping habits than I do have at this point. I suffered from severe hot flashes in 2009 and I just turned 47, so that was when I was 4 years ago. I changed a lot of my bedding, I started sleeping on a 3" wool topper(which apparently cools in the summer and warms in the winter...fantastic) from "Cuddle Ewe". I covered the topper with a silk mattress topper from "Smartsilk". I also covered our pillows with Smartsilk pillow covers and we use a silk filled duvet....all of the silk bedding items are machine washable, a MUST for me. Additionally, all of our sheets/pillowcases are 100% cotton...so that means layers upon layers of moisture wicking(sp?) material. At least I wasn't being kicked out of bed by the hot flashes anymore.....I also happened to be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia around the same time which I decided to treat naturally via a Naturopath. For some reason the supplements she put me on also took away all of my hot flashes. Since I'm on quite a few supplements, I don't know which one did the job. So all my new bedding is still being used because they are soooo comfortable but I don't have to wash them as frequently anymore. :)

I read last night about the fact that blurry vision could be an indicator of celiac. Has she been tested for that?

Just hugs and prayers. I think you are a very wise woman in your handling of the situation so far.

I soooo understand what you're saying here...I'm having a hard time reading about the wonderful cookie recipes in the other thread since it's VERY hard to make good tasting gluten free cookes...I posted two recipes in the other thread that are gluten free since that's what I have to be due to my chronic illness. I don't know what clean eating is though.

I have a few recipes that I'd be sad if they got lost. I've gotten requests for many recipes and maybe the main ones of late are my Chicken Tikka Masala(adapted from Cooks Illustrated) and Green Mango, Cucumber and Pepper Salad. Chicken Tikka Masala Published September 1, 2007. Serves 4 to 6. Why this recipe works: Our goal was to develop a simple chicken masala recipe with readily available ingredients. To get there, we rubbed the chicken with a mixture of salt, coriander, cumin, and cayenne, then dipped it in yogurt mixed with oil, garlic, and ginger. For a year-round tikka masala recipe, we chose the broiler rather than the grill and cooked the chicken in large pieces to prevent it from drying out. This dish is best when prepared with whole-milk yogurt, but low-fat yogurt can be substituted. For a spicier dish, do not remove the ribs and seeds from the chile. If you prefer, substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper for the garam masala. The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and gently reheated before adding the hot chicken. Serve with basmati rice. Ingredients • Chicken Tikka • 1/2teaspoon ground cumin • 1/2teaspoon ground coriander • 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1teaspoon table salt • 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat • 1cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above) • 2tablespoons vegetable oil • 2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons) • 1tablespoon grated fresh ginger • Masala Sauce • 3tablespoons vegetable oil • 1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups) • 2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons) • 2teaspoons grated fresh ginger • 1 fresh serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (see note above) • 1tablespoon tomato paste • 1tablespoon garam masala (see note above) • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes • 2teaspoons sugar • 1/2teaspoon table salt • 2/3cup heavy cream • 1/4cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves Instructions 1. 1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside. 2. 2. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. 3. 3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. 4. 4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve. Step-by-Step Chicken Tikka Masala 1. RUB: Coat chicken in salt and spice mixture and refrigerate. 2. MAKE SAUCE: Prepare creamy tomato-masala sauce. 3. DIP: Dunk chicken in protective coating of yogurt and oil. 4. BROIL: Broil chicken, then allow to rest. 5. COMBINE: Cut chicken into chunks and add to sauce. Shopping Key Ingredients for Chicken Tikka Masala All of the ingredients for Chicken Tikka Masala are available at the supermarket. Here are notes on what to buy. Crushed Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes form the base of the masala sauce. Muir Glen was highly rated in a recent tasting. Garam Masala: This combination of warm spices seasons the masala sauce. McCormick won a recent test kitchen tasting. Plain Yogurt: Whole-milk yogurt forms a protective barrier on the chicken. Brown Cow is our favorite brand. Chicken Breasts: Lean white meat pairs well with the rich tomato-cream sauce. The test kitchen prefers Bell and Evans. Notes: I don't add the chicken to the sauce...I cut them into slivers, plate them with the rice(cooked in stock..I sautee a few diced onions, add the rice, coat with the fat and onions, add stock and cook) and serve the sauce in a sauce pot on the side. Green Mango, Cucumber and Pepper Salad 1 8-inch English Cucumber cut lengthwise into quarters, thinly sliced 3 green mangoes, peeled cut into julienne strips ¼ cup slivered red onions(I would probably dice these but I usually use green onions to my taste) 3 green onions, sliced thinly 2 Tbsp. Finely chopped fresh coriander(I’ve been using ¼ tsp. Ground in the salad dressing instead) 1 yellow or red or even green pepper (you could increase the heat by getting a hot pepper, but I like my kids to enjoy the salad also), I thinly slice these as well Salad Dressing 2 Tbsp. Lime juice ( ¾ - 1 lime) 2 Tbsp. White vinegar (I use either red or white wine vinegar) 2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil 1 Tbsp. Sugar Salt to taste 1. Put cucumber and mango into a large bowl. Add the red onions, green onions, half of the coriander (if using fresh, reserve the rest for the end), and pepper. Toss until well mixed. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, oil and sugar until emulsified. Season to taste with salt. Pour dressing over salad, and toss well. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the remainder of the chopped coriander. Serve immediately or keep for up to two hours, covered and unrefrigerated. I enjoyed looking at all of your postings as well. Thanks for sharing.

Our routine has been unorthodox the last few years due to my chronic illness. I suffer from Fibromyalgia which makes my mornings difficult since my symptoms are very much sleep related. So my dd 14 (15 in August) gets up, does her scheduled subjects pretty independently and puts on a show for her young brother once he's done his scheduled independent work. This way I can get up, make the bed, put away laundry I folded the night before and dh brought up for me. I have my breakfast and help out with piano practices and other problematic subjects that need my attention. As for outings, they are very calculated and have mainly been moved to afternoons and evenings. Piano lessons for dd are bi-weekly and we have to drive to Toronto which is a 1 1/2 to 2 hr. drive for us...thus, depending on traffic, this 1 hr. lesson can take up to 6-8hrs. for one lesson...so we do car school and I school ds7 while dd has her lesson. Dd developed RSI just before she was to play her RCM gr.9 piano exam 2 years ago...so our journey meant finding a teacher who's been teaching her to move and heal at the piano as she really wanted to continue to play. For evening activities, dh has been a tremendous help. This gives me time to catch up on shopping, errands, housework, exercise or just take a bit of a rest, especially if I have a Fibro attack. We do most of our cleaning on Friday home days and/or Saturdays. Ds dusts and vacuums his own room, dh does the rest of the vacuuming, dd does most of the dusting, sweeping and spot cleaning of the main floor hardwood floors, 2 bathrooms and her room. I do the master bedroom and master bathroom(sometimes dh helps), the kitchen, the laundry and most of the cooking(although dd is learning by doing one evening meal/week and helping with occasional baking projects). We cook mainly from scratch as I've decided to go gluten free to hopefully help with my symptoms and I think it has been helping so far. I also found that a weekly schedule wasn't working a lot of the times due to extenuating circumstances or because a certain subject needed more attention than initially predicted etc...so I make daily schedules for the children... So obviously, I often feel that our life isn't "normal" anymore because dh did non of the extracurricular activities or housework ever before I got sick but this is how it has to be at this stage in our life. I'm constantly working on finding new a improved ways of doing life.

We've been pleased with Webster's Academy. Awesome teaching and feedback. Dd did their EW1(Essary Writing I) and EW2(Essay Writing II) twice(once as is and once choosing her own topic and sources).

I'm all for brining, there are two methods out there, dry and wet brining. Cooksillustrated has a GREAT recipe for brining a turkey, if it's done right, there is no salty or processed taste, but rather a moist and well seasoned flavour...follow directions well though. Every time I've done it right, it's the best turkey ever. I would never do it any other way again. I use the dry brining method for my chickens, yum!

Dh works for RIM, working in the software department. He has a B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and M.Sc. degree in Biomedical Engineering. Dh love was to make technology accessable for handicapped people but there wasn't enough "breadwinning" capacity in the field...

I'm very much looking forward to the changes. I was soooo disappointed when they had the HUGE overhaul of their LA the last time since their old LA worked VERY well for us. I'm soooo looking forward to the new LA because it looks like they are putting in some of what was taken out previously. As for their Bible program, some years I liked better than others and now I'm looking forward to the notes they're planning on adding to the Bible readings. At least that's what Im understanding from what I've seen, heard and read.

Somebody mentioned Emilie Barnes method, I tweak her method to fit me. I've tried breaking up the chores into 5 days but I REALLY do not like to do chores everyday of the week, other than daily required chores like cooking and cleaning of kitchen and sweeping areas with lots of traffic. I found that I had to redo the items I did at the beginning of the week by the time the weekend hit. Especially if I had invited guests over for the weekend, now I had to do them twice. It took a while but we have a system I can live with right now. If I miss one section of the house one day, I leave it until it's due the next week. The latter usually happens to more private areas of the house guests wouldn't really be invited to visit like the master bedroom or master bathroom.

WSS I LOOOOOVE IEW. It's been a life saver for me as a mom who's NOT a natural writer. Now for my dd, who is a natural writer, it was initially a bit odd at times because of the dress-ups she had to add etc. I was at one point worried that I'm killing her natural abilities and so spoke with dh about it. He's a natural writer himself and claims that these techniques will sooo help her when inspiration isn't there and so wanted me to continue with it. We did and now we're at the point that she can add those required techniques and make them sound lovely. Just my 2 cents worth. :)

WSS

WSS is very true from my experience. I've been homeschooling for 8 years now. I've had to drop a lot of high energy drainers from our social calendar which gave my children an outing since I developed Fibromyalgia three years ago. It's been hard(It feels like I'm letting my children down) and I still haven't found a new 'normal' that seems healthy enough in this area of socialization. We were created to be with others and not just for our own benefit here on earth...Any suggestions welcome....

WSS. I also suffer from fibromyalgia...I'm still mourning my losses(including exercise...it takes 24-36 hr. longer for people with fibromyalgia to recuperate from severe exertion. I didn't know this so I overdid it and now I have one more loss...at least for now, to deal with). My specialist mentioned to us that during the fighting in the trenches, a lot of soldiers became useless due to their stress levels and he says that now they know that a lot of them were suffering from fibromyalgia. There seemed nothing wrong with them(although today at least there are blood markers for it) but they had the symptoms of fibromyalgia...I guess we didn't know all the suffering that happened...maybe a lot of it happened in silence.