I agree. I'm still having medical problems because I didn't realize realize the ramifications of not caring for my teeth when I was an adolescent. My friend's mom pushed her all the time to take care of her teeth, even when my friend was a teen, and she still has perfect dental health and no cavities. I'm jealous. Poor dental hygiene has been linked to heart disease as well. It's hard for a 15 year old to think about how their teeth have to last another 70 or more years...

This is really good advice. Adding in that deductible for only 3.5 months including the holidays is a killer.

If you've read New Kid by Friday you'll remember he talks about lack of respect. The gist is that you give up your power by begging, cajoling, reminding, etc. Some kids don't respect people like that and when they don't respect them they feel contempt, even for their own parents. Plus, it infantilizes them, like you think they're so inept you have to constantly remind them. The author's recommendation is to make sure you have their attention, request something once, then walk away. People learn to listen if they find info won't be repeated. If you tell him 3 times, he knows he doesn't have to do anything until the 3rd time. After that, don't cajole, beg, remind, etc. It will be tempting, but be strong. Leave the task undone for days, if you have to. A 14-year old kid is totally dependent on you for everything in life. If he doesn't do the thing you asked him, just wait until he needs something, like a ride, help with a task, money, etc. Don't give it to him and ask if he knows why. Once he figures it out, he will probably remedy the situation. This is crucial: do NOT give in after the situation has been remedied or he has said he's sorry. Accept the apology or thank him to cleaning his room or whatever. Be gracious. At that point he will expect you to give him a ride, money, whatever it was. DON'T. (It is usually at this point the solid waste hits the rotary blades.) Teach him he can't let things slide until it's a problem for him, then fix it and get what he wants. There's no up-front responsibility for him that way. Let him fix it and still don't give him what he wants; that's how he will learn to listen the first time. So: You: Please was the car before dinner. <walk away> <Dinnertime, no car washing yet. Say nothing.> DS: Can you drop me off at Mike's? We're supposed to work on our project. You: Nope, sorry. <Pleasant voice, clearing dishes, no anger because you're in control. DS doesn't respect someone who's not in control.> DS: Why not? You said yesterday you'd take me tonight. <agitated> You: Why do you think I'm not taking you to Mike's? DS: <eventually after some back and forth> The car washing? You: Yep! <still pleasant> <DS goes outside and washes car> DS: Okay, it's done. Let's go. You: Thanks for doing the car. It looks really clean. Sorry, but we're still not going to Mike's. <still pleasant and calm> DS: WHAT?! I washed the car like you said to! Mike will be really angry with me. You: Yes, but I asked you to do it before dinner. Be sure to call Mike and let him know you won't be there. <Lot of yelling from DS. Be strong. Very strong. Pleasant and in control.> Get his attention, say it once, walk away. Every. Single. Time. If you slide or give in once, you'll be starting over. Within a week you'll see a difference. Keep going. Over time it will be easier. Stick with it and he will learn to respect the Institution of Mom. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Does your DH come home for dinner? As misanthropic as it sounds, I often eat dinner alone. Now I would never do this if I worked or the kids went to school or any other circumstance where we were apart all day and this was our re-connection time. But most days we've been together for 12 hours or more by then. I feel guilty, but it also helps me with my sanity. I sometimes make dinner, sometimes DH or both of us. When dinner is ready I eat in the living room while enjoying a book or video on the computer. DH takes the kids and gets them through dinner and clears the table with them.Then I do supplements for all and he does dishes, then he gets the kid ready for bed and tucked in. He also reads their bedtime story. Then I stay up for more quiet time, 2-4 hours. So basically once DH is home I'm really just involved with dinner prep and getting supplements into the family. Otherwise I'm "off" till morning. Also see my post earlier in this thread about SWB and quiet time. I think that's how she kept her sanity while schooling 3 kids, writing a book, and teaching at a college level. For your situation, it sounds like the 10 yo could help dad with the work on the house, at least getting you down to 3 kids on the weekends?

Susan Wise Bauer on quiet time: It's a life saver.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I haven't used Apologia but my son understood light spectra better after we got a prism and he saw how the light broke into different colors.

I wouldn't go to that center. I would trust my gut. Can you change your insurance? We also have a high deductible because we don't use a lot of services and I think of it as the thing that will keep us from bankruptcy in an emergency. But if I used services regularly I would definitely go for higher premiums and lower deductibles. I would call and check premiums for lower deductibles and see if the new higher premium is offset by having the therapy covered sooner. :grouphug:

This post from awhile ago might help you with levels: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showpost.php?p=1063188&postcount=1

Go to Gutenberg.org, search for McGuffey and print out same pages. They are off copyright so the entire books are there. See how they do with the first 20 pages or so (not counting all the teacher stuff up front) and then decide if you want to buy them. They are also in Google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=vNsX4Tw_yPAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=mcguffey+readers&source=bl&ots=7FWq9lCmCF&sig=iz8TW0Fkv_df6OIYZCmKmaN4z28&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Z_tRUJL_G4nO9QTy14AI&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=mcguffey%20readers&f=false

:grouphug:

Yes, it's important. It seems longer than adding it in your head because the numbers are small. Later, if he adds 58+74, he'll know that the 8 ones and the 4 ones make a ten + 2 ones left.

This sounds like an excellent idea.

We enjoy McGuffey and it's stretched my son's reading skills quite a bit. We do a lesson a day, 3x/week. He enjoys the old-fashioned stories and language. I like the stories meant to build character. I admit I tend to ignore most of the pronunciation marks. Thanks for this info! I'll have to see if they can be easily found. Our library book sale is next month...maybe I'll get lucky!

Taco salad, so no tortilla chips or shells. Just the toppings. Chicken salad with mayo, grapes, and walnuts. Chicken soup: saute onions, carrots, and celery. Add chicken stock (homemade or store-bought) and diced cooked chicken. Stir in some greens at the end and season. If you eat beans, white bean chili. Chunks of chicken over mixed salad greens, add some veggies and vinaigrette.

Sounds like a good plan, keep us updated. Make the shower hot; I think there's a physiological mechanism that makes people sleepy if their bodies are cooling down.

Start with reading The Well Trained Mind. For me it really cut to the chase and I felt I Susan had saved me tons of time and effort. Every time I find myself getting lost in the weeds, I go back to WTM and find the problem I'm having has been addressed. I've read it multiple times but like a lot of books, some parts don't resonate until you need them. So read it, then read it again next year. It's full of recommendations, providing a starting place and a platform. Start from there and then customize.

Is she getting enough physical activity? I think many of teens have trouble sleeping if they're not doing a lot of physical activity or labor during the day.

You're doing great. Start small with the 3Rs (or add the 4th R, "Religion") Pick one and flesh it out. While you're doing that, take lots of walks, do art projects, and read aloud. When you've got that down, add in another R. Within a few weeks you'll start to get your sea legs and get the basics down. It's a learning curve and while I don't have a teaching credential, I think in some ways that makes it harder. Hang in there!

:lol::lol::lol:

When DH's grandpa died we all wore dark colors (black, navy, brown) to the cemetery and wore clothes we felt were respectful. So did the minister. The minister's wife(!) however showed up in a green down jacket, black leggings, and white high-top Reebok-type sneakers.:001_huh: I was appalled and surprised. As a minister's wife, she should have known better and owned something appropriate. She must go to a lot of happenings like this one. I was also surprised to see this in the conservative area we traveled to for the funeral. I live in a liberal, super-casual and diverse area and I've never seen clothing like that at a funeral here.

We did FLL, WWE and OPGTR for 1st, 2nd, and now 3rd grade. We recently added AAS (in 3rd grade) and I wish we'd added it sooner. But we are flying through it so I guess we'll make up for it by going faster. We also use McGuffey readers. I like having a daily reading lesson that's harder than OPGTR. With handwriting I found the combo to be complete. For that we used HWOT and I didn't like it so we've switched to Z-B this year and it's much better for us.

Praying.... This will work out for you and your family.

See if you can get the docs to get a prolactin level on your daughter. It should be a simple blood test. I have a pp hemorrhage and needed 4 transfusions. Unfortunately I guess my body decided to prioritize my health and I didn't make enough milk. I wasted too much time waiting for milk, trying to get the baby to nurse, etc when a simple blood test would have told me there was no way I could make enough milk right away. I hope this doesn't happen, but if it seems like there's a problem with milk production, get the test!

What Audrey said. Write down everything he can remember and check time windows for filing complaints. I wonder if they don't have a manual or if he just wasn't given a copy. I'm so sorry. I remember as if it was yesterday 4 years ago, with a new baby, when my DH called me to tell me he had lost his job. I was standing in my friend's driveway and somehow had to load up the kids and drive home. I was numb. Now he loves his new job, walks to work, and is making more money with better coworkers. Hang in there.