I can only buy the carton kind at my grocery store so that is the only smell I am aware of but it does not smell funny to me.

I motivated myself to get started by saying that I was doing to be healthy and active for my son. By taking care of me......I was taking care of his Mother! Plus turning 40 this year motivated me! Once you start making some progress the motivation is easier. I feel really good now and am enjoying exercising!

We only have problems in the winter. We use dove sensitive soap, steroid type cream as needed, oatmeal baths as needed, baby oil after bath but before drying off and eucerin cream.

These skills that other Moms are bragging about...early reading, writing etc... are not the only skills a child needs to learn. In fact, I believe that when we fill up a young childs day with developmentally advanced skills like reading and writing we are taking away from the time they need to be playing to build a strong sensory-motor foundation. I on purpose did not teach my child anything structured before 5 but just let him play and exposed him to a variety of exploratory learning opportunities. His environment was rich but he was not expected to produce. I would say to myself that I was building a strong sensory-motor foundation so that learning would be easier when the time came. Now if another child is a more advanced reader....I can console myself with visions of the strong foundation my child has instead of the just specific skills. So an example of the benefits of a strong sensory-motor foundation.....His reading in on grade-level not advanced but when put in a karate class or gymnastics class he learns the skills very easily and is one of the better students. I do think this was all the climbing, gymnastics classes, kindermusic classes etc... we filled our time with before 5. He is very adaptable socially. He can play with anyone and fit in anywhere even though he is an only child and has always been homeschooled. I think this skill is from being exposed to so many different things all his life. So just comfort yourself with the things your daughter is learning that are I think more important than reading before 5. I value non-academic skills highly!!

There are computer programs available to help compensate for some skill deficeits. Years ago a school I was involved with was researching computer programs to help with their LD students in written expression and math. The math program was called Mathpad. Maybe you could research this.

Try these to see if they help....firm/heavy pressure massage as often as possible with greasy lotion....start the first one as he is waking up. Try holding him more firmly like swaddling would do with deep pressure....kinda of squishing him. Try more types of swinging......swinging with you holding very firmly against you.

A speech therapist would be a good place to start if you were interested in an evaluation. If you just want to try things on your own, google auditory processing and come up with your own games/"therapy" ideas to work on this skill in a less stressful way. There are also strategies that will help a child process more easily like where a child sits and a speaker sits in the room.

I just ordered it from Amazon. Sounds like a good book for my son!

AMEN!!! Way into my adulthood I just did not like Sundays! I finally realized it was because they were sooooooo BORINGGGGG when I was child. I hate being bored even as an adult and try to help my child find interesting things to do when he is bored. I think everyone has different needs with stimulation. I am easily bored and like lots of different things to do! My favorite thing to say to ds is " Let's go on an adventure!"

slow down your speed until you can achieve accuracy...then build speed slowly while maintaining accuracy.

I live in NC so the law may be different. Here if you can get homebound services for your child the special ed teacher will come up to 3x weekly for teaching and you can still get related services of OT, PT and speech provided by the school. Here homebound services tend to be medically necessary or the child is too violent for the school environment. Try to feel out your special ed director and connect with other parents that have been able to obtain homebound services if that seems like a workable solution for you.

I think you should let her stop. Singing to me should be something you enjoy and is fun. I think kids should get to try new things....that's being a kid. My son has to take a certain amount of gross motor activities but he can choose which ones. He has to take some type of music but he can choose which one.

We work harder when the weather is gloomy and cold in winter and just do about 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day during normal public school summer break. That time includes independent reading time.

If it is over the top grumpy that is making us miserable we leave the house and will only come back when he is acting more agreeable. If it is just passing grumpy we just go about our business avoiding his grumpiness as best we can. Once when ds was 2 and dh was being especially miserable because of back pain that was ongoing....nothing we could do and grumpiness was more than was called for.....we(ds and I) the house at 8 am and came home at 8pm and went straight to bed. When he asked if we would be home on Sunday, I said that depended on his mood. He was much better company on Sunday.

You buy cheap double disposable razors for $1 that work great. Switch from zyrtec to claritin but buy non-name brand loratadine for $3.

I just bought earth science and astronomy. Looks great for us. simple. easy to follow. low-cost. not too structured. real science activities.

My answer to this dilemma is elemental science as our program which I have bought but not started. We are 3rd grade this year and have always done alot of science at our house. We go to every science event around plus science museum programs frequently. I feel like we can do this program which will be structured but not take too much time. Then we can feel free to do our own thing also. The topic is the same earth science but I want to throw in reading Weather detectives and more geography in an informal fun way. My goal for science is not to teach all the concepts but to teach my son to think scientifically and understand an inquiry based approach to solving problems along with maintaining the idea that science is really cool and fun.....not alot of work like grammar.

My son had this level of speech at 2 and then at 2 1/2 exploded with language. When a toddler is learning to walk it will put off learning language until after that milestone is mastered. He sounds fine to me. If he is not talking well by 3 talk to your Dr. but I think for boys his language sounds fine.

Just go to the Morrocan restuarant for the belly dancer and just order appetizer if you don't want the whole meal. That age should enjoy that my husband sure did! Bahama Breeze is not in Disney but is a fun, hang out kind of place. Music outside on patio while you have drinks and wait for your table. Rain Forest Cafe is more for little kids but I just love it! There are two....one outside animal kingdom and another one in town. In epcot, the Aquarium of the Seas is a seafood restuarant and one whole wall is the gigantic aquarium. Eat there at lunch to save $$$$.

There are really cool sensory things for sale now.....moon sand, foam type playdough, the sand that underwater is moldable but out of water is dry, these small dry marbles that when you put in water swell up and are squishy...there are more that I cannot remember the name of but I have in bins in my attic!

Don't you just love a satisfied, happy child!!!! His smile just makes me smile!!

Look at this problem the same as legible handwriting. Is she sitting at an appropriate sized chair and table height? Can you modify to give her more stability? Is her chair close to the table? Is the plate flat? Try a shallow bowl to help her scoop the food on the spoon. Is the spoon handle too narrow? Can you give her a spoon with a larger handle? Think fat pencil versus skinny pencil. Does she lean forward over the table so spills go back on plate? Is she overloading her spoon?

Can you on purpose place new interesting things around where he will find them. Strew his path with interesting things. Here are some ideas to occupy him. Fill a big box the low long kind that will fit under the bed with rice. Put interesting things in it.. Plastic animals to hide, kitchen tongs to pick them up with, funnels, cups, spoons.....make it interesting things. Place a large sheet on the floor and put the box on top for him to play with. If he breaks the rules of eating the rice or throwing it ....it goes away. Put him in the bathtub with a can a shaving cream and more animals and toys. Put him at the kitchen sink boxed in with kitchen chairs for safety and turn on the water with detergent to make bubbles with cups etc....Give him a one of those hand mixers for beating eggs to mix bubbles. Try to develop activities for him that are open-ended and safe that will keep him occupied.

I worked in the school system providing OT services for years. This video was too funny!!!!!!!