I am snowed in and have been CRAVING chocolate chip cookies all.day.long. No chocolate chips in the house. :glare: And my friendly neighbors are all out, too. :glare: How could you post this? :D

Dh surprised me with this as our anniversary gift! Our anniversary falls on the weekend of the conf. (24th) and so he thought I would like to go! What a guy! I can't wait!

Eat it. :D

Do you consider your dh to be your best friend? One of your best friends? If so, can you share how you accomplish this? I mean, how do you keep your relationship from becoming just "2 people raising children together in the same house". My dh and I used to have fun together. We used to LOVE to hang out, watch TV, cuddle, go to movies, out to eat, etc. Anything...as long as we were together. I know marriage goes through stages and phases. We have a good marriage...but we are losing "something". I just don't know what. Dh says he misses me. I reply, "Where did I go?" :tongue_smilie: He says I am emotionally and physically distant, spend too much time on the 'puter (he has a point) and seem "unavailable". I guess I have been. My mind is so focused on the kids, homeschooling, keeping the house, ds9's behavioral issues, my own mental health challenges, etc. that when I have "free time"...I tend to use it to be alone, read, get "lost" in the computer, etc. Sorry to ramble, I just need tips on how to rekindle the friendship we once had...and how I in particular can regain that desire.

I have looked at that site. Thank you. I plan to purchase from them in next week or so before the prices go up again. I don't think dh will go for the Electrolux until I "prove" that I will use it consistently. He's not really on board with this whole bread-making thing and doesn't quite believe that I'll stick with it. But, he will let me purchase a mixer...and perhaps a grain mill if I can convince him of the health benefits of grinding our own wheat. It will save money in the long run. Right?

It's been unusually cold around here lately. I don't do winter so I am with you on the hibernation. :) My boys, however, don't mind. They are out every day playing football together, or shooting hoops or riding bikes. Mostly football. We have a fairly spacious open area in our basement family room and they like to do indoor football there, too. Or...they wrestle. :glare: But that doesn't last long before somebody gets hurt and comes crying. :glare: With all that activity..we still have grumpy kids. The mini-tramp is great...we have one, too. Gotta drag it out again! Thanks for the reminder. Can you find a used treadmill somewhere? They are great for indoor running off of energy!

We had a Zorijushi...until my dh decided that since I hadn't used it in a long time (a few months) it needed to go. So he donated it to Good Will. :glare: Without asking me. Without telling me. Until one day I went to pull it out and couldn't find it. :glare: Can't tell you how furious I was (and still am). Oh well. I looked at the Bosch and with all the rave reviews...think I will go with that. And probably the Nutrimill. Maybe. A bread machine would be great, but I need to make multiple loaves at one time, kwim? Thanks everyone!

With our tax refund, I'd like to purchase a good quality mixer and grain mill so we can start making our own bread/grinding our own wheat. I cannot spend a fortune so I need something that will do the job efficiently but doesn't break my bank, so to speak. A friend recommended the Electrolux DLX mixer for mixing the bread dough. It is EXPENSIVE. What else can you recommend? We have a large family so it is quite possible we will be making quite a few loaves of bread each week. Thanks.

We have some neighborhood kids like that. IMHO, they might be allowed to stay until 9pm but I would send them home when I was ready to, kwim? If you CHOOSE to invite them for dinner, I would have them call home to ask permission first and also talk to the Mom myself for a bit. :) If not, just send 'em home!

We lived with a sub-floor in our living room for over a year until we could afford laminate. It was aesthetically horrifying and difficult to clean. But we survived. It's a tough decision, isn't it? For us, the carpet was equally as "yucky" and very unhealthy. We are waiting now to rip out the carpet in our basement and the boys' rooms to replace with laminate. We love it so much in our living room. What did help was putting down a thin, area rug that covered much of our small living room. You could paint but would have to make sure to "seal" it so that you can mop it easily.

We don't do artifical sweeteners. I am on ds ALL.DAY.LONG to eat. It is a constant battle. Trust me when I tell you that I do not let up until he eats. But what if this is his way of controlling me? I cannot force the child to eat short of shoving food in his mouth, kwim? He had some strawberries this afternoon and more cereal with milk. He will not eat meat...unless it is McDs chicken nuggets which he RARELY gets. His rages are melt-downs. Out of control, doesn't matter if there is an audience, melt-downs. We leave him alone and it will escalate. Can't talk him down. For dinner we are having make-our-own pizza (he likes pizza). He took one look at it and turned up his nose. I also have salad, raw carrots (which he likes) and some fruit for side-dishes. All things he likes (except salad). I refuse to make a separate meal for him. I'm at a loss.

In short: Ds was the "perfect" baby. It wasn't until just about age 5 or 6 that we noticed the behavior problems. His rages aren't random. They happen in response to being told "no", being told what he has to do (if he doesn't want to do it), in retaliation to his siblings picking on him, being "yelled at". The child does not eat enough period. Today, I kept a log. He had chocolate milk for breakfast (2 large cups), snacked on Kix cereal while doing his math. THAT IS ALL and it is 1:30 here. He got up at 9:30. We just went grocery shopping and I bought lots of foods he likes (strawberries, yogurt, cereals, apples, etc.). He won't eat. He is instead chewing gum. :glare: I can't force him to eat. A friend told me to just stop asking him and he'll eat when he is hungry. But his blood sugar crashes and he becomes impossible! My dh doesn't believe food issues are to blame. :glare: So I am stuck.

In trying to figure out why my ds9 is so irritable, angry, rageful, defiant, aggressive, combative, etc. many people have suggested looking into food allergies/intolerance as the cause (or one of the causes). I'm overwhelmed. Some have suggested gluten intolerance, milk allergies, corn allergies, etc. and I am reading "Is This Your Child" and my head is spinning. I don't know where to begin. Can anyone tell me where to begin? How do I know if his behavior issues are food related or simply bad parenting or something else? Thanks.

Oh my! Praying for his quick and total recovery!

Thinking about going gluten-free as the only way to "test" if dh or ds are intolerant. I've been reading all about those inaccurate tests and feel like it would just be wasting precious time to do all those tests only to get a likely false-neg. result, kwim? So, if you are gluten-free, could you please share what exactly is in your fridge and your pantry? Thanks so much. I know the obvious...eggs, cheese, milk (if you are not also casein free), yogurt, fruits/veggies, meats, ice cream, frozen yogurts, etc. What about the pantry? Can you eat nuts/seeds? I know of only 1 normal cereal that is 100% gluten free and that is Corn Chex. I'm guessing no oatmeal? My pantry will be bare!

So, of the four ways mentioned above...blood test, stool test, endoscopy or elimination...none are 100% accurate except elimination? In your opinions here at the Hive, would it be better for us to go gluten-free for those 90 days or to order a stool test to test my son and dh? I'm leaning toward elimination but dh is a bit skeptical and hesitant. :glare: He loves his bread! Thanks all...I so appreciate all the advice here at the Hive.:D

He takes his meds in the am and so by evening...they are wearing off and he is irritable. He is on the lowest dose so we might have to consider upping it. Evenings were usually HORRIBLE but at least now...they are manageable, albeit still exhausting. Celexa IS working for him. And there are no noticeable side effects. We are looking into gluten intolerance. I think a ped psych or a neuropsych...either one but I am not a real veteran in this! Couple that with beh. mod. therapy. A must. :grouphug: It is sooo hard...on everyone.

I totally agree with Jann. It is virtually impossible to become bilingual using a text or even a computer program. I took 2 yrs of Spanish in high school and then continued to minor in Spanish in college but never even became comfortable speaking the language until I spent a semester in Spain. And even then...I wouldn't consider myself bilingual. However, I could speak and understand enough to live there and survive. :D Do you know any native speakers that would spend time with your child conversing in Spanish?

We are doing a combo of Tell Me More (Auralog) and So You Really Want To Learn Spanish. Dd had a year of Spanish in public school last year and I speak Spanish (not fluently) so I am able to help her. I really like SYRWTL. It is a good, solid program that teaches vocab, grammar, listening skills, writing in Spanish, etc. The TMM by Auralog is much like Rosetta Stone and has the speaking component that SYRWTL is missing. But, dd and I do speak to each other in Spanish for practice and we have several friends who are native speakers. That is a big help. I would check out SYRWTL (horriblebooks.com carries it). I agree that there isn't a ton out there that doesn't blow your budget.

You are describing my ds9. He also has ADHD (has been given a provisional diagnosis by his psych) and a mood disorder (sever mood dysregulation). He is prone to violent temper tantrums, rages, extremely defiant behavior, etc...and you never know what will set him off. Typically it is being told "no", being disappointed, having something of his tampered with or broken (tonight it was his brother failing to "save" his game after he played it on the GameCube :glare:). He was given Celexa to help with the rages and although he is only on day 3 of the meds, we have already seen some positive changes though he is far from "there" yet. I think he is definitely ODD and I am hopeful that behavior modification therapy will help this as well as his mood swings and irritability. A friend suggested we try some natural supplements. Sea Buddies Concentrate for concentration and focus, PediaCalm and another mood supplement I cant remember. It's so tough having to walk on eggshells around them, isn't it. :grouphug: It has really torn the fabric of our entire family.

:iagree: with Five in a Row. (FIAR). I will also suggest Heart of Dakota. http://www.heartofdakota.com. I simply love the gentle and fun approach, CM style of Carrie Austin (the author). Your 4 and 5yo would likely fit nicely together in Little Hearts for His Glory and it doesn't take up a ton of your time. The stories you will read are precious and the crafts and other activities are fun and engaging. Great for that age. They will learn math with hands-on activities, science that way as well, Bible, letters/sounds, some writing if they are capable, art, music, etc. in a really fun and non-threatening, informal approach. HOD has a message board with a bunch of ladies who are very friendly and full of great advice. Not to steer you away from FIAR (which is also a ton of fun and very informal) but I just adore HOD now. If I could only do both.:D My best advise: Have FUN with them at that age. They grow up so quickly and there will be plenty of formal schooling later on.

I'm going to have to order the test from Great Plains I suppose. I'm just so paranoid now...thinking the child isn't thriving or getting what he needs or is somehow wasting away b/c he is eating gluten. But dh is alive and if he is gluten intolerant...well...I suppose people do survive before figuring it out, right? :confused: Ds and dh do not have any type of physical symptoms that are uncomfortable or painful (diarrhea, constipation, stomach troubles, gas, vomiting, etc.). The only thing is the lack of weight gain and their skinny stature. I wish I could just go to sleep and have a dream that tells me one way or the other. Thanks for all the great info and advice. Keep it coming...I'm :bigear:

Something in my mother's gut tells me that my ds9 and probably my dh as well has gluten intolerance. Why? I don't know. Dh is just as skinny as ds and never, ever gains weight no matter how much he eats...and the man can eat. :) I am terrified of having to cut gluten out of our diet. Both ds and dh are carb-crazy and always have been. Ds9 does NOT eat meat! So, how difficult is it? Really. Can you ever eat OUT? Do you make you entire family follow the diet? My other kids don't have any problems with gluten that I know of. How expensive is it? We are on such a limited food budget as it is. How do you get the right amount of vitamins/minerals in your diet w/out eating wheat and such? I am fairly clueless so laugh at me if you want but I'm really serious! I just can't imagine this lifestyle. Thanks for any thoughts you have!

So, if I go by that sequence, there doesn't seem to be enough "years" for subjects. Ds is now in 7th. He will hopefully complete Fractions, Dec/Percents this year. Then he moves to Pre-Alg 1/Pre-Alg. 2 for 8th? And then Beg. Alg and Adv. Alg for 9th (or 1 in 9th and 2 in 10th?). I'm confused!

Thank you so much. I shall check to see if they take our insurance. If not....we'll figure something out!