I can totally empathize. My son is also 17 and this month has been particularly hard medically. My son has severe developmental delays (he's a toddler/baby in an adult body) and does have cerebral palsy also. This month, we found out that the major bi-lateral hip surgery we thought was a one time deal has undone itself. He is looking at major surgery again and possible hip replacement surgery at a young age. It's a hard surgery. A month in bed and then a month of just trying to get any muscle tone back. It's a two person job and there's just me. Then, going to get new AFOs, the orthotist told me that his right foot is getting to the point where it may not be able to be braced and therefore not be able to support his weight. Our ability to take care of him is dependent on his ability to at least stand. Our home is dependent upon his ability to stand. Our car is dependent upon his ability to stand. Without the standing part of his life, we need to build a home to accommodate hoyer lifts and roll in showers and get a wheelchair van. That's MAJOR money that we don't have. And the huge part of it is, I just want him to get a little break in life. I wanted him to be done with major surgeries and he may not be. He doesn't understand and I just want his life as he knows it to be happy without pain. For a while he got really nervous every time he went to the doctors because we can't prepare him for surgery. All he knows is that he went to sleep and woke up in pain. How is he to know every time he goes to the doctors, he's not going to be in pain? Even today, while I was stretching him, I could feel his muscles doing their spastic thing. His muscles never rest. It's been a hard month to see everything that is still so very wrong with him. I remember realizing when he was a baby that his life would be this mixture of great joy and deep sorrow. I didn't want to have to live with that constant mix. But here I am, 17 years later still living with the joy mixed with sorrow. People tell me what a strong woman I am. I don't want to be strong. I'd rather have my biggest problem be that the dishwasher broke and flooded the kitchen kind of problem. Not problems that affect every.area.of.my.life. I love my child. I hate his disability. It steals from him.

I am needing history to flow a bit more smoothly and looked into Sonlight Core H. 5 days a week - 36 weeks. Bible is included. Over $100 for the teacher's guide. Then I looked at their secular company - Bookshark. The teacher's guide is around $70 for a 4 day program (which I want) and Bible is not included (which we do separate anyway). They also include for free an online guide which is what I really was looking for since I type out questions for my ds to answer on his own. With an online guide, all I have to do is copy and paste. Am I missing anything?

Yesterday, I asked my 16 year old to put away the ladder that was sitting next to the back door. He said sure. He walked past the thing (it's a 6 ft ladder) and promptly went outside to do something sporty outside. It's BRIGHT GREEN!!!! He also brings a large assortment of plates containing all the food in the house (it seems) to his bedroom to eat while he does school work. I've asked him to take them down. Nope. I've asked again. Nope. I've put them in the middle of his doorway. Nope. It is getting better but his little brother is starting the fog.

I am off Facebook for the most part. I come here when I'm feeding my disabled non-verbal son. My accomplishment? I've had time to paint 1700 square feet of dark gray green a new bright color. My house has changed dramatically. I still have three cans of untinted paint left. Onto the ugly gray green in the bathrooms! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just have a 3 ring binder with page protectors. I organize into main meals, breakfast, breads...if there's a recipe we don't like anymore, I pull it out easily. I put all my printed recipes there and even ones we like a lot from cookbooks I own. The page protectors protect them from spills. Low tech and easy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of my sisters even had a child with special needs 9 years ago. Having lived in that world for 8 years before her daughter was born, I offered all kinds of support-navigating that world, emotional support, etc. She never took me up on it. I guess when we moved to our latest state, it was me giving up on having a relationship with them. Even my mom. She's mentioned that the majority of the grandchildren live near her and she doesn't see the need to visit that often the ones who desperately miss her. Maybe I've been written off. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Facebook doesn't work because only one out of the five posts anything and lately the one who posts does so about political topics and I tend to want to avoid that type of stuff at all costs. I get sucked in too easily-I tend not to post on those posts, but I rant privately. My solution has been to unfollow people who continually post political stuff. I hate doing that with my only sister who posts anything. So, my husband has suggested I just avoid facebook altogether. We all get along well when I do see them, but they have their own schedule and it doesn't change when I make a scheduled visit known about months in advanced. I can't seem to get together with any of them without my mom because the whole mom secretary thing--I make plans with them individually, they call back and invite my mom. I think part of the problem is that I had a turbulent teen time, went away to college and then moved out of state because I had a job offer. I've never lived in the area since. I'm the oldest also, so when I went to college, my youngest sister was 8. I've never been able to develop an adult relationship with any of them. They have chosen to not make the effort. Maybe they don't care for me personally. I will never know. Nobody brings up anything negative. We grew up learning to avoid conflict and emotion. So, if there is a conflict on their side, it won't ever be known. Maybe there's the close family that they all perceive and then there's the reality of what really is. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have tried this also. She has a pretty hard work schedule and a 7 month old baby. She doesn't go on the computer after work so email is out. Also, for the same reasons, she doesn't like talking on the phone. I have a texting relationship with her also. She's one of my best hopes I guess since she actually talks more than surface issues with me.

Honestly, I am concerned when my mom does die. I fear that I will lose my whole family. The only way I know anything about anyone is through my mom. Texting does not a relationship make. My life is completely different than the rest. I'm the only one who moved away among other things. One of my sisters would like to move in theory, but she doesn't want to move away from my mom and inwardly, she probably knows that moving would make all the contact she does have with family cease to exist. I have this longing to be part of the "inner circle" and we as a family tried briefly to move closer to the hub. We sadly realized that the nearest we could get was 45 minutes away and that distance would not allow us the relationship or support that our family has needed for years. So, we moved the 1000 miles away (we were 350 miles away before) because it would give our nuclear family a better life. I don't know why this saddens me so much, but it does. I have even gone as far to try to explain this to a few of them that I thought would be more receptive when I visited in July, but nothing has changed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Since we just replaced our roof, we know this company--anyway, they have a highly reflective roof series that's not white: http://www.gaf.com/roofing/residential/products/shingles/timberline/cool_series I would tend to go with something like this if I had a hotter climate.

I would be checking if my insulation and roof vents where adequate in the attic area and try to optimize those before I would consider a white roof. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You know how they say if you don't notice that anyone else in your family is strange, it's usually you? I'm trying to determine if I just see my family's disfunction or if it's just me. Earlier this week, I believe I insulted one of my sisters on Facebook. I responded to her post and also responded to her friend's faulty thinking on a topic I have been passionate about for years. I realized too late, it broke my no social media "talk about anything that people are passionate about" rule so I apologized. Basically, she could still be irritated and I have no way to make amends. She has never responded to my emails or calls. I live 1000 miles away from my extended family (mom, 4 sisters, 1 brother). I've always lived far away. I will call or email any of them and have never gotten a response. I've tried and tried through the years and no one will respond to calls or emails. Every sort of issue that they have with each other goes through my mom. For example, "your sisters don't like it when you call them because they just don't have that kind of time to talk to you" or "please don't talk to your sister about that subject, it upsets her". I refuse to play that game and if I have something to say, I just try to say it directly. If I want to make plans with one of them when I visit, I go directly to them to make the plans (ironically, if I have to leave a message and I'm at my Moms house, they will make my mom the secretary to make arrangements with me even though I'm standing right there). I am left with texting as the only way any of them will respond to me and even then not so much. Contact us always always initiated on my part. I've discovered that is you live close to my mom, you're part of the "close family" they keep saying we have. My sister who lives an hour away from the hub is "out". They're not rude to her, they just make no effort to have any sort of contact with her other than "you're invited to xyz nephews birthday". So, am I the black sheep or do I just see disfunction here that no one else seems to see? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There was a whole high school that was being investigated in our state because the nude photo sharing of other students was so widespread. I hear you..

We're at about $250 per week also. 6/7 meals are from scratch. I have two teen boys, a 12 year old boy and a 9 year old girl. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When we brought my adopted daughter home, she had parasites. After medication, they wound up in her diaper. So, the medication worked! My friend had kids who lived in another country for a while as missionaries. He would send this concoction of stuff like fermented chili peppers, vinegar, and a bunch of other random things that burn going down. Apparently it worked well if you could actually swallow it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We had several kits like this. Some were backpacks - an "Arthur" backpack would have an Arthur stuffed animal and Arthur books. Bugs backpack would have some large plastic bugs and bug books. They also had whole bins of stuff. The bins would be on a theme like bugs. They would have not only bug books and plastic bugs, but activities to study bugs outdoors, how to make bug snacks, bug videos for kids, bug puzzles. The big difference was not only the sheer number of stuff in the bins, but also suggested activities. I got the big bins and backpacks when I had ds#2 as the only one looking at the kit. Once I had more kids, I didn't get them just because there was a good chance I would lose something in the kit. They had a list of everything in the kit and there would be times that one of my children took part of the kit somewhere else in the house. I did not like looking all over for each part and didn't like having to be so vigilant that they kept everything together.

When my ds #3 was sleeping through the night, I found myself unable to. I went through sleep studies and tried a slew of anti-depresents just so that I could sleep. I too had a ton of stress that I hadn't been able to deal with properly due to the business of life in general. What helped me was being on an anti-anxiety drug for about a year. I would take it at night and for the first time in years, would sleep through the night. Life became bearable again.

I know that part of the problem is that he really needs to learn the study skills and needs to learn how to learn. My oldest in 6th grade was at the point of independent learning. Different kid. I'm good with this fact. So, I realize that he needs to learn the skills to accomplish these tasks I am giving him and am trying to ease him into these skills. It's hard. I know it will pay off in the end, but boy! Is this hard! I am considering having him take a mom-led writing course so that I can temper the speed and also re-thinking history for this child. For a lot of the "gravy" subjects I see them not always as just learning the material well, but learning the skill needed to learn the material. If he learns the skill of how to learn something, he can learn anything. So, that's my main issue - teaching him the skill to learn.

This will be for my upcoming 7th grader for next year. I have him in an enrichment co-op because he's my child that really needs to get outside of his comfort zone a bit and interact with others. I am not a homeschooler who feels the need for co-ops and would rather avoid them, but because of who this child is, part of his education needs to be interaction with others more ofter. So, technically, we homeschool 4 days a week. He is also a child who will find and take the path of least resistance so he needs external motivation. To add to the mix (along with the will be 4th grader), I have my oldest son with special needs that requires constant care and now a new slew of doctor/therapy appointments. He will be most likely home full time as he is aging out of the public school system as we know it right now. My ds#2 is an independent learner and will be taking full dual enrollment next year. That is his choice and he's motivated to succeed. I need to make things count with ds#3. Here's my non-negotiables (at least for subject - curriculum can change): Math - pre-algebra (mostly do on his own - I grade and teach the lesson) Science (mostly do on his own - enrichment time will do the labs for the curriculum) reading (also on his own - my goal here is to have him enjoy reading) history (tapestry of grace) English/Writing (I have been doing an online class through the Potter's school --literature discussion is with enrichment class) Foreign Language ( I would like to do this, but the effort on my part to make sure he makes the effort on his part makes this one class that may not get done until he gets more internally motivated) My big conflict is the History and English. History takes a lot of effort from me - mostly because he needs that external motivation to actually try to find answers to questions from the text and somewhat because he seems like he needs to learn how to comprehend the text a bit more (me cajoling and teaching him how) English - Even though he has been doing an online class, he still needs so.much.help figuring out what he's supposed to do. My goal with the online class was to free up one subject that I had to teach. So far, this has been harder for me and not a burden release. I have been trying to get him to be a bit more independent but it's a slow slow slow path we're on actually learning that. So, I wind up helping him interpret what he's supposed to do and keep up with the motivation to actually do a good job. He can do it, but again, he tries to find the easy path which means, "Mom can help me so I don't have to figure it out." I'm on to him in this aspect and am working at finding out that balance of what is just enough. He needs to learn how to self motivate to learn. We've been going at this for a semester and I don't feel like he's make any progress in owning the class and the work required. So, just trying to get this child to the next level of actually trying to do his best and trying without taking the easy mom way out is exhausting me and I am fighting too many battles and really need to get a little easier for me without compromising his learning. Suggestions? I've thought about dropping the online English class for next year, but I would need to replace it with something. I'm open to a simpler history also.

I live in a legal state. I have a child with special needs so I tend to be a part of a population where I know who uses it and why. Most of the children who are using it use it for seizures. It can be quite dramatic - from 20 seizures or more a day to 1 or 2. One child I know uses it was never able to get REM sleep. Her brain never rested and everything she learned one day would have to be relearned the next. Since going on the oil, she is now able to sleep and get REM sleep. She has severe brain damage due to external circumstance. Her ability to retain new information (we're talking a new word or just knowing how to walk) is increasing and she is progressing. So the people I know who use it usually see dramatic effects from it. One woman I met on the plane came to Colorado so she could get some for her arthritis - she rubs it on externally (or so she says). There was a whole hotel full of people who came for a "vacation" with a lot of disabled children for this oil.

You just block the people who are particularly easy to offend with conservative thought. Other times, you just avoid conversations that have a tendency to get nasty. I get it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I never pay attention to the science scores (or the social study section). This is one of those instances of teachers having to teach to the test. Let's say you studied biology this year and the test is asking questions about weather. If you feel like the test is important to do well on with science, you will just have to figure out what all the first graders studied this year. Otherwise, don't worry about their scores on that section. Somehow, my kids always did well on that section even if we hadn't studied the material at all. Don't know why.

Having dealt with a small fraction of socialized medicine due to my son with special needs, I feel like we all need to be comparing a country similar in scope and size to the United States. Scotland has less than 2% of the population of the US. Canada has about 11% of our population. I believe that due to the sheer size of the United States, socialized medicine will never work here the way it may in much smaller countries. Just saying.

Human Odyssey. Different thing altogether.

Where can you get the student sheets for K12 Human Odyssey Vol 2? Thanks!