They can custom-make bio-identical hormones. (It sounds expensive, but it's actually very inexpensive because there are no patents and such involved.) Basically, you get a hormone panel, and then custom-make a hormonal supplement to get your levels into a good range. Compounded formulas can give you all the benefits of progesterone in exactly the dose you need with none of the side effects of synthetic progestins. Here are some places to start looking for a pharmacy near you: http://www.iacprx.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lookup_survey http://www.project-aware.org/Resource/Pharmacy1.shtml http://www.ecompoundingpharmacy.com/ I would give them a call, explain your situation, and see what they say. I've had compounding pharmacists spend 30 minutes on the phone explaining things to me, and none of them have ever made me feel rushed. They can usually recommend a dr who is familiar with bio-identicals and will order labwork for you.

Have you gotten a post-ovulatory hormone panel? If your progesterone is low, the OTC cream probably won't do much for it. My SIL needed the equivalent of a 30 day dose every day to get her at the bottom of the normal range. You may want to contact a compounding pharmacy to find out about other options.

It is definitely teacher-intensive. We limit lessons to 10-15 minutes and have moved through the program fairly quickly doing it 2-3 times/week. We really love it, but ds was not considerate of my time and was consistently not focused during lessons. Because of this, we made a switch to R&S Spelling a couple of weeks ago. I'm very impressed with this program also, and it's totally independent. My preference for us is probably still AAS, but R&S is a very solid independent option too.

The Complete Book of Maps & Geography fits that bill. It has everything from neighborhood maps, stadium seating charts, maps of parks, to larger geographic maps of all kinds. My son could not put this book away. He lived with his nose in it every spare moment for a couple of weeks.

We've gone through periods of needing more activity. I laminated some papers with numbers and scattered them around the floor. We did math orally for a while, and ds jumped to the correct answer. I've also learned that the kitchen timer is my best friend when focus is an issue. Writing is a big chore around here, and distraction is all-too-frequent. But I can give ds 2 minutes to focus on writing, and then he does 10 jumping jacks or runs around the table a few times. Then we do 2 more minutes of school and another break. He can get more done in 15 minutes with those exercise breaks than he could in 30 minutes without it.

People probably do it differently. We do the IP unit after the corresponding unit in the workbook. (For example, if there is a unit on addition in the workbook, we do that and then do the unit on addition in IP, and then go on to next unit in the workbook.) I save CWP to do the following year, so we'll do CWP2 between 3A and 3B.

Still thinking on this. If I make a graph in Excel or Powerpoint, can I import the image somehow?:confused:

I'm still figuring out the "how to" about having a blog on Blogger. I want to create a new post with some statistics and thought that a graph may be helpful. All my searches are coming up with info about "graphics." What's the best way to create a graph? (I'm thinking about a simple bar graph with 2 data points represented.)

I totally agree with this. We plan to do cursive for sure. I've been hearing about pub schools taking field trips to DC, and the kids can't read the founding documents of our country (written in absolutely gorgeous script, IMHO--it's almost artwork). One day I would like to take a trip there. It would be rather anti-climactic if my kids can't even read those documents.

We're about to make the switch to MCT, but I would like to continue with traditional diagramming. What do you suggest?

I remember an old thread where people shared their coupon codes for We Choose Virtues. I was planning to resurrect the thread, but I've searched and can't find the original thread. I deliberate at length about any purchase, and I'm finally ready to order. Anyone have a discount code to share? TIA!

I believe it depends on exactly what the allergen is. Ds has a classic IgE allergy to milk. (Some people have digestive problems or other intolerances and also call them "allergies" although it's not an IgE reaction.) The allergist tests him for 3 different types of milk protein: casein, whey, and something else I don't recall right now. Ds is allergic to all 3 proteins in milk. I *think* the rule is that casein allergies cannot tolerate any animal milk and whey allergies can tolerate goat/sheep milk. (I don't recall where I read that, and it would have been a few years ago.)

I like the tri-colored noodles with fresh veggies (any combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, carrots--really any kind of vegetable). I just use balsamic vinegarette salad dressing. Fresh herbs (basil, parsley) are a plus but it's fantastic without them too!:001_smile:

Fruit salad along with some kind of bread product? Fruit salad is always fresh, delicious, healthy, and the colors are downright gorgeous!

YAY! So glad that this will work! I bought one trash can today, drilled holes, and partially filled it with some leaves and veggie scraps. If all goes well, I'll plan to get a second one.:lol:

Does this really work? Does anybody have one? Any tips?:bigear:

Ds is 6.5, and he doesn't know how. All his shoes are slip-ons or velcro. The next pair of shoes with laces, we'll teach him to tie. (Now why his 3 y.o. brother has shoes with laces, I have no clue!:confused:)

I think sometimes when a child realizes they are "different" (and a highly intelligent child is quite a bit different in many respects), they can start thinking that the "difference" is "weird." A lot of kids can start to wonder "what's wrong with me?" Does your child have any same-age intellectual peers? That can go a long way toward normalizing what they are experiencing.

I'm not very technically literate, and we are stuck in the Building Thinking Skills software. In the software program, every component of each level needs to be 85% before moving up to the next level. We're on level 5 of 9 levels (I think?). Even I can't get above 50%, and it's hopeless for ds. I'd like to bypass it so we can use the rest of the program. Is there any way to do that?

I good friend emailed the article to me. Very good!

Have you seen the Sir Cumference books? I think most libraries have them. They may not be as advanced as you need though.

Fantastic!!:D

I avoided that one for a while because of the title too. Such an unfortunate title for a gem of a book! It sounds like you're mostly looking for math, but ds adores all the Brown Paper School Books which also get into science, history, word roots, problem solving/reasoning, etc. Math for Smarty Pants is the only other math-oriented one that I know of though. I think your son would really enjoy it!

Too funny! When ds was 4 and taking the placement test for Singapore math, he included number sentences with fractions and negatives (used correctly), but he insisted on spelling out the words for all the numbers because he couldn't remember how to write them.

I've been learning a lot about celiac disease lately, as we just discovered that ds has it. Actually, we're finding most of my husband's family has it. One sister had bellyaches when she had dairy. Otherwise, no one (3 sisters, dh, and his father) has GI problems. What I've learned in my reading is that a large percentage of people with celiac disease have no symptoms at all. Other autoimmune problems and low iron levels are two huge red flags for getting tested. A simple blood test may add some clarity to the situation.