Konos has a wonderful one that we used last year and LOVED it. It is a complete American History course, but you could just start with the second half of the year. We did it over two years, because we enjoyed it so much. It is a download only from their website. Diane W. married 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I've been homeschooling for 16 years, and over time, I've taken what I liked from Waldorf, Charlotte Mason and Classical Ed and come up with my own ecclectic combination of those three philosophies. It probably doesn't sound pretty, but it works for us. And, seriously, that's what is most important with any curriculum. Make it work for you. And, don't throw the baby out with the bath water. How's that for a homeschooling philosophy??? :lol: Diane W. married 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

I did this with a wall around the fireplace in my family room and I LOVE it! Our wall started out white, too, and I didn't use a primer. I did however, end up using SIX coats of Laura Ashley "Berry #6" paint. It turned out perfectly though. And, 9 years later....I still love it. After I did my red wall....four of my neighbors who saw it went and did the same thing in their houses. So I guess it looks good. :lol: Diane W. married 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Awww, congratulations!!! That's terrific news! Diane W.

Your entire family is in our prayers. :grouphug: Diane W.

Oh, no!! I'm so, so sorry for your heartbreak, Kari. :grouphug: Prayers for comfort and peace for all of your family. Diane W.

It should say in the packet info, but generally after you've taken your seventh pill (in a row), you're safe. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kids for 16 years

Awww, how wonderful!! Newborns are the best. Congratulations!! :) Diane W.

I may have missed this, but how old is the baby? If he is less than 8 weeks, I would call the doc to check first. You can piggyback Tylenol and Motrin, but honestly....103 isn't that high for a young child, and some docs don't recommend that anymore....too many bad drug reactions. You can give Motrin every 6 hours. More important than how high the fever goes is how the child is acting. If a child with a fever plays, smiles and is happy...then don't worry. Honestly, I would be more worried about a child with a temp of 99.5 that was listless and unresponsive. Fever is the body's natural response to fighting infection. It is not evil in and of itself. It is a signal that the body is doing exactly what it should be doing. If you blunt the fever, you will blunt the body's infection fighting power. So, if the baby is acting fine....tell your sister not to be fever phobic. Diane W. (pediatric nurse)

The vaccines that were in question regarding autistic behavior were the ones given between 15-18 months. If those did not affect her at that time or shortly there after, I would not look to vaccines as the cause. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

You know, this is such a controversial topic, even among medical professionals, that you will always get dissenting opinions, no matter what you do or say. I would print out his schedule and ask your pediatrician what he thinks. Some of the vaccines are put together in one shot, and it's almost impossible to get them in separate vaccines. My OB tested me for antibodies to rubella when I was planning a pregnancy, because the efficacy of that vaccine can wane with time, and I was found not to have sufficient immunity. He couldn't even get a single shot of rubella, so I just got the MMR vaccine again. You could also look back and get just the recommended shots from about 10-15 years ago for your little ones. That covers all the baddies (whooping cough, Hib, etc.) and leaves out the newer vaccines. My rule with vaccines (as well as drugs) is not to use something that hasn't been on the market for less than five years....unless it's a matter of life and death, of course. Talk it over with your pediatrician. If he brushes you off or won't listen to a delayed vax request.....I would choose another pediatrician. Hope that helps a bit. Diane W.

We use ours as a reference book, mainly. Whenever we find some new critter in the backyard, we get it out and look it up. It's never failed us and we've always learned a lot using it. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

Mine are all fully vaxed. Working as a pediatric nurse, I saw one too many cases of children with whooping cough, measles and mumps that broke my heart. Are there risks with vaccines? Probably. Are they small? Definitely. Are there certain children that shouldn't receive vaccinations? Yes. It's not a perfect world and that's why we, as parents, should do all the research we can and come to a conclusion that works for our own individual families. What vaccines would I definitely give my kids? Meningitis...hands down, no debate. That disease can kill you in less than 24 hours with minimum of symptoms. I saw a child in our office that came in with a headache and a fever of 99.5....bacterial spinal meningitis. If the mom hadn't already had a well-check scheduled, that child would have died. Hib....again, no debate. This prevents certain types of flu, meningitis and epiglottitus which is another disease that kills suddenly and painfully. MMR...you can delay this one, but measles is no walk in the park. Plan on your child being seriously ill for 14 days with that one. It is on the rise and it does kill children. Mumps is harmless for the most part...although uncomfortable and painful. It can lead to nasty secondary infections and in some cases, cause sterility in men. Rubella is completely harmless for young children, but if you are pregnant and come in contact with a child who has rubella....your baby will be born with severe deformities. Not something I'd want to fool around with. Polio...this is a disease that will haunt you for the rest of your life if you get it. Not only do you risk paralysis with the initial infection, but it never leaves your body and will come back and attack you as "post polio syndrome" after age 50. You will then lose the use of your limbs as you struggle to fight this re-invasion of this horrible disease. Vaccines I have no problem delaying: Hepatitis...all of them. I do advocate getting them, but you don't need to have them as an infant. Chicken pox....this is a toss up for me. My two oldest got chicken pox naturally, because there was no vaccine at the time. The problem with the chicken pox virus is that it also never leaves your system and can come back and attack you as shingles. If you've ever known anyone who has had that....you know how awful that is. It is a herpes virus and it just settles into a set of nerves near your spine and lays dormant until something (stress, immune system weakness, etc) causes it to rear its ugly head again. I've also seen children hospitalized with chicken pox. My youngest got the vax. Gardasil...don't think it's been on the market long enough, and some of the side effects of that one are particularly nasty. I would wait until age 16 or older, unless you know your child is sexually active....or could be. Obviously this is just my opinion and you should definitely talk with your doctor about all vaccinations. Delayed schedules are a very reasonable request, and Dr. Sears has one you can print out on his website. They do give waaaay more vaccines than they even did 10 years ago and more than a couple at a time would give me pause. Not because I think it's an overload on a child's immune system, but because I wouldn't know which one they might have had a reaction to if they did. Also note that redness, a lump at the injection site or a slight fever (less than 101) is NOT considered a bad reaction. It is a sign that the child's immune system is working and doing what it is supposed to do. If you have a reaction that is more severe or persists longer than 48 hours after the shots, then call your ped. Of course call if your child is exhibiting any behavior that you think is unusual. As a precaution, I kept my children in or near the office for at least 15 minutes after the shots were administered. That way if they had an anaphylatic reaction to any ingredients in the vaccine...they would still be at the peds office. Most severe anaphylactic reactions will occur within that time period. Diane W. married 22 years homeschooling 3 kids for 16 years

Well, I refer to every freeway in the US as "I-#".....except for the California freeways. Living there, I called them "the 5", "the 101", etc. Diane W.

Pediatric nurse, here. What you are describing sounds like "pre-cordial catch syndrome". It is completely benign and very common in children and teens. In fact, my daughter has it. It is a sharp pain occuring in the chest area that makes it very hard for a child to breathe deeply. It comes and goes and generally resolves itself completely by the age of 25. Sometimes you can get relief by forcing a deep breath...even though it hurts...and the patient will feel a popping sound and the pain goes away. The cause is unknown, but the ped I worked for seemed to think it involved the pinching of a nerve in that area. My daughter's is worse when she's more active. Generally the pain is felt on the left side of the chest, but we've had patients with it on the right as well. If your pediatrician doesn't recommend any further testing (and they generally don't....the symptoms usually point to the diagnosis fairly clearly) and your still concerned, make an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist. If you google that term as well as "Texidor's Twinge" (it's other name), you'll find lots of info that will help you decide if that's what it sounds like is happening with your daughter. If it is.....don't worry at all. It's harmless. Diane W.

LMHO....then I guess Ortho-Tri might not be the answer. :lol: My OB only prescribes the brand name version for his own personal reasons, so I'm totally unfamiliar with the generic equivalent. Hmmm, maybe she should try a steady dose of hormones all through the month rather than a tri-cyclic kind. Also, you really need to give the pills about 3-4 months. The breakthrough bleeding should calm down after that. And, is she taking them at night, right before she goes to bed? Sometimes that helps with the side effects, too. Diane W.

I use Ortho Tri-Cyclen and I LOVE IT!! If your daughter has skin problems....this will take care of it. You often have to switch pills at the beginning to get a good "fit". Also, the MDs tend to push whatever the latest and greatest is. Ortho Tri has been around forever. Call your doc and ask if she can try something else. My periods are almost non-existent on it and PMS has all but disappeared. I have taken both forms of Ortho Tri and am currently on the low-dose version. That will not help as much with acne, but that isn't a problem for me. Don't give up....just keep trying. The first brand of pill my doc gave me was a disaster, too. Diane W.

Oh my gosh....that's me! I CANNOT watch that show without immediately beginning to clean. So I watch it frequently. :lol: Whatever works, right?? Diane W.

She's so cute!! I would have it chin length in the front and stacked in the back. So, angled down towards the front. That way it's definitely "girly" looking, but short enough in the back to hopefully prevent tangles. Good luck....my dd wouldn't let me touch her hair between the ages of 6-10. :glare: Diane W. married 22 years homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

:iagree: Diane W.

Also, make sure you understand that public school will bring with it a whole different set of stressors and may not be a magic bullet for you. My son's best friend and our next door neighbor is in 4th grade at the local public school. He comes home with 1-2 hours of homework per night. His mother is also required to spend time volunteering in the classroom....each child's classroom. All moms are also required to serve on two school committees and give the hours of service necessary for fund raisers, class room parties, recess/lunchroom duty, etc. "But I work" is not an excuse at the school. If you can't come during the day, you are put on committees for things like the book sale or the school carnival. My neighbor's hours for the school carnival alone last year exceeded 25 in one week. My high school age daughter is fully homeschooled, but is on the high school drill team. I cannot believe the amount of time I HAVE to contribute to the school and this organization. Fundraisers, night time activities, money. Saying no is not an option. Without parent participation, she would not be allowed on the team. You might honestly find that what is required to have three students in public school to be more strenuous than a light year of homeschooling. Just food for thought. Diane W. married for 22 years to one great guy homeschooling 3 kids for 16 years.....and lived to tell about it.

Wow, I don't know if I can elaborate too much without giving the plot away. Are you familiar with the storyline at all? I'll just say that by the end I really wanted to put her in one of those white jackets with the sleeves that tie in the back. :lol: Maybe someone else can be more informatively evasive than I am. LOL Diane

I'm LDS, too. Nice job in summing up our beliefs. :) Diane W.

I wanted to throw Catherine under a train by the end of that book. :glare: Barring the invention of the locomotive at the time....a team of horses. Emily Bronte has never been on my "favorites" list. :D And, while we're on the subject of annoying heroines: Anna Karenina....sheesh. Diane W. married for 22 years homeschooling 3 kids for 16 years