Maybe it's the disorganization (my previous poll/post about whether to start school first or get organized first). Maybe it's stress over not finishing last year's work. Maybe it's something else. But I'm in a "homeschool funk." If you've been there, please share what you did to get out! I don't want to send my kids to school. (My oldest did about a month, my middle did two years [special needs], and my youngest did about six months [special needs]). I want them at home. No doubt about that. But I'm having a hard time getting motivated about the work of homeschool. I know in my head what I want to do. I have all the books and materials and supplies we need (except Reading Pathways, which I feel my 8yo needs for more practice in fluency--I'll be ordering it soon). But the motivation, the excitement, the anticipation of a new year? It's not there. Help!:crying:

First, books. This doesn't work "in the car" for some of my kids due to motion sickness, however. Second, we use SOTW so audio history would definitely be an option. The car has a CD player and a year or two ago I bought cheap (as in $5-10) CD players with headphones at Walmart for my kids. I would consider bringing the audio CDs (in a little CD wallet) for them to listen to. Third, we use car travel time for things like skip-counting, reciting (days of the week, months of the year, etc.), and listening to music CDs (i.e. Beethoven's Wig or Classical Kids). Fourth, we have some Magic School Bus DVDs and a portable DVD player. Our DVD player could only be used in the car (due to the type of player it is and the jack it requires for power). So, there you have it: reading, history, math, music, and science. I suppose we could toss in spelling workbooks, too, and some writing utensils as well as some colored pencils and a sketch pad and call those spelling and art... On our recent trip one of my dc needed to continue his speech therapy "homework." At this point it is the L sound. Instead of bringing along his binder, I suggested that whenever he saw a sign with an "L" in it that he practice the "L" sound (in the context of the word). He made tremendous progress in the two weeks we were away.

This is exactly it! We have all the curriculum and school supplies we need. We don't need any more books (if one uses the logic that we aren't using what we have therefore we need no more...it will just add to the clutter!) I just have to get organized. I think I may use a combined approach or, as JFS points out, nothing will ever happen. Start the kids on something they can handle while I start to get organized. What I really want is one of those long folding conference tables so I can spread everything out and sort. But it seems that buying another something should not be the answer. But could it be part of the answer? :confused: It would certainly give me something to do...a distraction from getting organized and starting school. Oh dear, better not go shopping. Should just stay home and get started. :D

I have a dd (she's 8) like that! Challenges with directions in a big group, just plain being in large crowds, physical coordination--yup. Don't you just love it when they surprise us like this? I remember your post because we've had so many similar experiences with my dd. I recently came to the (partial) conclusion that the whole time she's complaining and fussing (and sometimes literally crying) over social situations in which she struggles, it's all part of how she uniquely "processes" her experiences. Often, just when I think she is hating something, she announces she loves it. It happened this summer. I put her in beginning pony camp. I did forewarn the instructors that she needs a little extra keeping-an-eye-on (she can get distracted and wander off) and that she has trouble processing instructions. Every day that I picked her up from camp she was either enthusiastic about the snack (yes, I paid for pony camp so she could have goldfish crackers!) or else she was troubled about something--or both. By the last week of the four-half-days camp, when the kids go on the trail ride (a "big deal" about which typical kids are very excited and proud), my dd seemed to not care one way or the other and just seemed relieved that pony camp was over. I doubted my decision to send her in the first place. Within a week or two she was crying about missing pony camp and telling me she wanted to do it again next summer. Sometimes I think her delay in language processing extends to a delay in processing experiences. Just thought I'd share my (new) perspective. YMMV :001_smile:

My oldest dd was two or three and would leave off the end sounds of words. So we were shopping one day and she did NOT want to be in the cart. She started screaming, "Ou'! Ou'! Ou'!" I tried to keep my distance from the cart so that no one would think I was hurting her...

Whew. I don't know what to do... Last year didn't go too well (after the first 9 weeks). We had disruptions and just never got back on the wagon. I intended to do school over the summer (we usually do) but the kids' activities kept us extra busy this year. Plus, we started evaluations and therapy with two of the three kids and the third gets her referral for physical therapy next. Then we went on vacation and just got back a week ago. I've done no planning. We didn't finish LAST year's work. We didn't keep chugging away over the summer as usual. So we're behind. The school room is a disaster, with piles of papers belonging to all three kids for a gazillion different subjects at different grade levels all mingled together. I can't even just "do the next thing" because of the aforementioned disorganization. I would normally have started school this week (August 11) but having just gotten back from vacation August 8 and having doctor's appointments, evaluations, piano lessons, swimming lessons, and carpet cleaning this week ate up all that time. Ideally we'd start on Monday...but I think I've mentioned I've done no planning. Unless you count printing some worksheets for religious education "planning." Oh, and I bought 3-ring binders for those papers. :001_rolleyes: So...with that background...would you just try to start SOMETHING school-like on Monday? Or take some time (how long?) to "get organized?" It's so funny; everyone who knows me IRL believes (and states to me--I get the comment at least once a week) that I am so organized. I would love to invite them to look in my office or in the schoolroom--where everything is organized into "piles" of miscellaneous!!!!!

My biggest gripe is that I have NO time to do the things I want to do. My entire day is filled with the "shoulds" and the "musts." When was the last time I read a book (NOT magazine) for fun? When the last Harry Potter came out. When was the last time I sewed anything? Last year--American Indian Halloween costumes for the kids (doubles as dress-up). When was the last time I sat and watched a movie by myself because I wanted to? A few months ago--but it was a movie about autism (dd has some autistic characteristics and we once thought she had high-functioning autism). Also, I watched the movie while I was exercising...even when I exercise I have to multi-task or I can't fit everything in. I have a HUGE list of things I want to do...I want to sew the quilts for my kids. I want to organize the pictures I've taken of the kids over the last seven years. I want to edit the family history I've been keeping for eleven years. I want to clean my house and have everything organized. I want to reorganize my file cabinet. I want to keep my computerized financial program completely up-to-date. I want to create a budget. I want to be able to throw things away without anyone following me around and saying "but I LOVE that" or "but we NEED that." I'm an introvert who can't even find time alone in the bathroom or shower. The only time I am left almost entirely alone is at night when I'm asleep. And when I'm asleep I'm not very productive. :001_huh: I'm at one of those times in my life right now where I am envious of the parents who are looking forward to school starting next week because of all the TIME they will have to DO things.:ack2:

This is something that could actually become an issue in our house. This year we will have a 6th grader, a 3rd grader, and a 1st grader. The 6th grader is slightly advanced academically. She's eager to learn and easy to teach--really, every teacher's dream. The 3rd grader has learning difficulties (at one point we were told she had high-functioning autism). She is in therapy for language processing disorder and feeding issues. She is on grade level or a little behind, very distractible, and every teacher's nightmare (from an attention and behavior perspective). The 1st grader is also slightly advanced academically. He's eager to learn and easy to teach. However, he has mild low muscle tone, vision issues, and speech difficulties. He's also in therapy and/or receiving treatment for his problems. None of the kids get along easily with other kids; they tend to be rejected for various reasons. The oldest has trouble because she's serious, quiet, a little bit shy, and tall for her age (people always think she's older than she is). The middle has trouble because she's 1-2 years delayed in processing language, which impacts her ability to play with her age-mates. She also has some "odd" behaviors which are off-putting. The youngest has difficulty because of the speech and motor problems. From an academic point of view, the oldest would make the most sense to put in school...she's independent and ahead school subject-wise. Having the middle in school would relieve some of the pressure on me during the day (teaching her requires modifications in nearly every area). Having the youngest in school could be considered the "least-damaging," possibly, because he would be "no trouble" and could keep up. Having the oldest in school would allow me to concentrate on integrating therapeutic practices into the younger kids' school days. Also, since the 3rd grader is a little behind and the 1st grader is a little ahead, they are easily grouped together for some things (which frees up time for therapies). But I've heard horror stories about the middle-school age (and I HATED middle school and junior high) so perhaps it would be "safer" to send the youngest... **sigh** I'm just trying to figure out how to "do it all" when "all" includes so much more than the usual academics. We've got "therapy meals" to address feeding issues, speech therapy and language therapy, and a wide gap between what the littles should be doing in school and what my oldest NEEDS. What we did last year (trying to group everyone together for things like history) was a dismal failure. The little kids got what THEY needed but my oldest really missed out. Anyone care to comment or ask me some clarifying questions? :confused: I wanted to start school this week but we are still recovering from our vacation and I have done NO planning. :eek:

Okay, but that's because we're going to drive for two days to visit my family and to save on shipping I brought my niece's Christmas and birthday (December baby) gifts. ;)

...I'm so flustered I originally posted it on the wrong board!) AAAAAAAAagggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! We are supposed to start traveling tomorrow. It's a two day trip. To see my side of the family--the toxic ones. So I'm already tense... First, the credit card company--for the card we're supposed to be using on this trip--called and said they have to cancel our account for suspected fraud. They'll happily mail us a new one. Great--so it will arrive at my mother's ON MONDAY. Also, since we have automatic payments FROM that credit card for all of our usual utilities (internet, electricity, etc.) I have to pull ALL of that contact information so that I can call all of those companies on Monday and give them the new credit card information. I may as well bring my entire file cabinet. :banghead: Second, I got a call from the podiatrist. Our insurance does NOT cover the custom orthotics I must have. Great...so we'll pay out of pocket because I haven't been able to run since April and have been limping for three months! Third, the guy from the city came to inspect our backflow valve. This was supposed to happen while we were away (it's outside). I go outside to say hello and he tells me about these bees and that he just got stung. They are like nothing I've ever seen--beautiful black and white, huge, with large wings. I ask if he wants me to get the Raid. We spray simultaneously and the "bees" attack and we both get stung. I get stung in the behind, through TWO layers of clothes (obviously). I will have to sit on this behind in the car for at least 18 hours over the next two days. The Raid was ineffective, so now I have to call the pest control people. As if I have time for that. :banghead::banghead: Fourth, I went down to swap the laundry from washer to dryer. Ds apparently left a pullup (with the super-absorbent gel balls) in his pajamas and now they (the gel balls) are all over the machine. So I have to start the laundry ALL OVER AGAIN. It's 3pm. As if I have time for that. :banghead::banghead::banghead: So, I GIVE UP! Maybe I can convince the family to leave on Sunday? Never mind that we have no more food in the house (except what we need for tonight and tomorrow morning) and the dog is already boarded. Is it any wonder I have done NO PACKING today? And I haven't had lunch yet. Can I get a hug? Tell me it will be all right. Tell me what you would do.

I've both served on a jury (pre-kids) and been "waived" (because of babies/homeschooling). So I voted twice. :001_smile:

It has been nothing but positive. My oldest, we thought, just had "bucky beaver" teeth. Turned out that she had four major problems, including a too narrow palate, ankylosed (stuck to the bone) teeth, congenitally absent teeth, and a lower jaw that was too far back. We started with the palate expander and then added the Herbst appliance to put tension on her lower jaw to lengthen the bone during growth spurts. We also had to pull three ankylosed teeth (they will never come out on their own). It's gone beautifully. She's currently 11 and wears an upper retainer at night and a "permanent" lower retainer to hold her teeth in place until Phase 2, when the teeth will be straightened. The prediction is that that will be in about 18 months, at which time she will go back into brackets. We will also have to address her missing teeth because the fact that they are not there causes problems with upper/lower alignment. My younger dd, we knew, would need orthodontia. She was a chronic thumb sucker (although only at night) and we could see how she had pulled her teeth forward. As soon as she had her top two and bottom two front permanent teeth we took her in. She had a whole different set of issues: narrow and high arched palate from the thumb sucking and teeth that had been pulled forward (out of the central position in the gum bone) upper and lower. She had to have the palate expander, too, but no other large hardware. She's currently just in four brackets on the top four front teeth (nothing on the bottom) and will move to an upper retainer in a couple of months. Hopefully, since it has been 18 months since we started treatment, she won't revert to the thumb-sucking (which was stopped with the palate expander). She's 8.5 now. Phase 1 is all about getting the bony structures in place and Phase 2 is about straightening and aligning the teeth. Our orthodontist is fantastic and the results have been very good. HTH

You can check the Media Mail box and have it shipped for $2.45. I just ordered mine. I wouldn't mind them in MP3 but I would also just simply love to have MORE CDs by Jessie and Susan (some of their talks are on cassettes) so I can put them on my iPod or in the CD player by the treadmill so I can be inspired!!

My 8.5 yo dd is FINALLY getting a reasonable language evaluation through a speech/language pathologist. Testing is not quite complete but in some areas she is one to two years behind where she should be for her age. She has, from this testing, a diagnosis of "language disorder" (as opposed to delay) suggesting aberrant development. It looks like we're headed toward a diagnosis of APD/CAPD (whichever term is more up-to-date). So...how can we go about nailing down that diagnosis? What other professional should my dd see? What other evaluations does she need? And, the most important question...can this be remediated? Will it "go away" if we can find the right therapy/treatment? Or will she continue to struggle with following directions, making sense of stories, and getting along socially? I recently finished the book "Like Sound Through Water: A Mother's Journey Through Auditory Processing Disorder" but the author's son's symptoms don't really match my daughter's. We've already been down the road of autism spectrum/Asperger's/high-functioning autism and ruled out all of those. I'm just not sure where we're headed next. Anyway care to share some insight?

Amazon.com. I buy everything from pullups to books to music CDs and DVDs there. Or did you mean a brick and mortar store? :001_smile:

I have a friend who has at least one dehydrator and is looking for another. She *almost* has me convinced that we should dehydrate food, too. If you dehydrate food, can you share what foods these might be? Right now all I can think of are bananas and apples, :) so I'm not sure that a dehydrator makes sense for our family.

I did not post this on the Special Needs board although it might also fit there. I have three dc--6th grade, 3rd grade, and 1st grade this year. The younger two both have special needs (mild, but) that are going to require intervention this year. The 3rd grader is getting therapy for a newly diagnosed language disorder. The 1st grader is getting speech therapy for his articulation issues. The 3rd grader will have a feeding team evaluation next month and may end up with occupational therapy, too. We already weren't getting everything done in school last year (some things just take forever...especially when dealing with special needs issues and regular curriculum) and now we add therapies. I may need to "drop" or "cut back" something this year. What would you do? How would you use the time spent sitting in the waiting room while one kid or another or two kids were in therapy? I'm in need of suggestions... TIA

The podiatrist now tells me I need custom orthotics. As in "durable medical equipment" due to "medical necessity" (he has to use all those phrases to deal with the insurance company). Anyone out there have custom orthotics? I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. Will I be able to run again? (At this point I'll even take walking without pain!) Can you tell me why you have them and what they are like? *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The background story if you want to read it: So...last July 1 I started to exercise "for real." I had already been on the treadmill faithfully three days a week since the previous October. As of July 1, 2007, I started adding "running" (jogging?) to my treadmill workouts and added the exercise bike on the other days. So...I was up to six days a week of exercise. I never lost any weight (which was part of my goal). But I did improve my cardiovascular endurance. And I could almost run 3 miles at a time without stopping. This past winter I was moving toward both increasing my speed (I'm really slow--my "running" speed is as fast as some people's fast walking). I got an inhaler because I have exercise-induced asthma. I was working toward entering an actual, for-real, outdoor 5K race (planned for after my transition from the treadmill to outside). Then, in April, I started having pain in my feet. It didn't get better; it got worse. After reading the running books, etc. I self-diagnosed plantar fasciitis.In May I went to the running store and got brand new running shoes (my others were exactly one year old and had about 250 miles on them--mostly walking miles). My feet felt like they were in heaven but I couldn't run. I haven't run since April. I finally got in to see the podiatrist last week. I told him everything I've done...new shoes, drugstore inserts, internet-order arch support (dh told me the kind the podiatrist always recommends but we couldn't find them at either local running store), arch wraps, a Foot Rubz ball, ibuprofen, stretching. And now I'm waiting for August for my appointment for orthotics. I'm on the cancellation waiting list but it is unlikely I'll get in before my appointment.

The one with six different colors (it comes with the teacher's guide and cards, too). I will have to wait, though, until I have enough gift certificates to cover the cost. But now I'm getting confused. Are there different sizes of these things? Like Legos (the little tiny ones that you could choke on) versus the Duplo blocks (that are much larger and take up more space)? My dc are 6, 8, and 11--I want the smallest type of these new toys as possible (not the ones intended for toddlers). So...how many sizes do Wedgits come in? Also...I noticed on amazon that they have a pink set and a purple set--but how do I know if these are the same size as the other colors in the classroom set? Good thing I haven't ordered yet...:001_smile:

I do keep a checkbook. But I don't use it for too many things anymore. I have the "carbon" type checks so I have a record. I do all of the banking and bill paying online. All of our utilities are on the credit card (except the ones that will only direct debit from the bank account--so they come out of the bank automatically). Everything is automatic. The only things I have to deal with are: 1) logging on and paying the credit cards that pay all the other bills (so I have to log on and transfer funds from the bank account to the credit accounts monthly). 2) remembering to do #1 on time (best if I do it the day I get the statement) 3) downloading all the financial information into our computerized money program 4) filing all the papers associated with the above As for school planners...I bought one last year and never got my act together enough to use it. That is my life--I never get my act together! The major, important things (doctor's appointments, laundry, dishes, lessons, activities) get done in a reasonable manner but my planning for school is much too loose for my taste. I just truly never get time to do the things I want to do (seems I only have time to do the things I absolutely must do). I'd like to say I'll be using a school/lesson planner this year but I know I won't get around to it before school is supposed to start here. **sigh** I need a week (or two) of no husband, kids, or pets and time just for me to do what I feel NEEDS to be done around here. :ack2: Even not getting on the boards for 6-9 months hasn't helped...

It gives me a little bit better chance to check out the "corner dings" or "cover scratches" or "creases" that a seller may describe. Also, some sellers don't tell which edition they are selling and use a stock photo for the most recent edition; if I can see what you are actually selling then I can make that judgement for myself. When I sell books on eBay I take pictures of my own stuff. It seems (and I could just be imagining things) that my items get more/higher bids than those that use "stock photos" because people can see what they are actually purchasing. Just my 2 cents...

We were at the doctor's office yesterday. My 8.5yo dd is a visual-spatial learner with a newly diagnosed language disorder. At the doctor's office she was enthralled with a strange-looking geometric toy. It reminded me of the description of Wedgits I read on this board long ago. So, I came home and looked up Wedgits on the internet--and they ARE the toy that kept her so occupied yesterday. She was figuring out amazing ways to arrange the pieces (there were only five or six). It occurred to me that I may have just found the kids' Christmas present. However, I wonder about the "longevity" of such a toy. How long does it stay appealing? What age range seems to enjoy it most? Is it "worth the money?" If you have (or used to have) these toys, please weigh in! Especially if you have a special needs child who learns differently, I'd like to know what you think of these... I'm poised to order today, depending on the responses I get here, so TIA for your input!

Does my dd want to be on the team? I *think* so. I say this because it is very hard to tell. For example, this summer I put her in a four-half-days pony camp because I thought she would enjoy it. The first day she came home raving about the snack (!!!) they had. By the end of the week she seemed to be doing okay with following directions and getting the hang of the routine. But it wasn't until the NEXT week that we started to understand how she felt about the experience--she was crying because she had loved pony camp and missed it. She takes a LONG time to process language, events, etc. so often we don't find out how she feels about something until it is just about to happen or (more frequently) has already happened. With swim team, she started out saying she didn't want to do it. (We used to "prep" her for days about things like visits to the dentist, and for days on end we would hear "I hate the dentist" only to be told on the morning of the appointment, "Goody! I love the dentist!"). With probing, however, we discovered that she didn't want to do swim team because she felt like she didn't know what to DO. By the day of her tryout, she was saying she wanted to do swim team, asking if it was time to go swim for the coach yet, and sharing her idea of having pictures taken (at the portrait studio) of all three of my kids in their team suits! So...I think she DOES want to do it. I think it took her awhile to process the idea and to communicate her concerns (i.e. would she be allowed to clean her goggles, to rest if she was tired, etc.). I thank you all for your responses. After talking things over with my husband (who, for the first time a couple of months ago, has finally acknowledged that our dd has some problems--I've been dealing with this essentially alone for 5 years), we have decided to contact the coach of the "other" team. The team my oldest dd swims on has become so popular and in demand that they have had to increase their requirements to "weed out" some kids. This "other" team only has two requirements--being able to swim 25 yards freestyle and 25 yards on the back (it doesn't even say "backstroke"!). My dd easily meets these requirements because she has just passsed Red Cross Level IV in her lessons. I also get the sense that the team is smaller so I'm hoping that it might provide the more one-on-one instruction my dd needs, fewer kids to ease her social and emotional issues, etc. I feel much more hopeful today! :)

Yesterday, I was so sad. My 8.5yo dd didn't make the swim team. But--I'm not sad that she didn't make the team. I could see, as the coach watched her swim, that her skills are just not up to par yet. That isn't the sad part. The sad part, that literally brought me to tears, was when I realized all the NON-swimming skills my dd will have to have in order to even be ON the team at all. Things like understanding what is said to the group, the first time it is said, and being able to translate that instruction into action right away. Things like being able to "hold herself together" emotionally when others swim faster (they will) or if she gets kicked in the face (it will happen) or whatever. I've known for a long time that team sports of the soccer or basketball "team" type aren't for her. I've known she doesn't have the social skills or ability to process situations involving people quickly enough to participate. Not to mention she has no ball skills. But I really thought, and I really let myself believe, that because swimming is an individual sport (while also being a team sport) and because she's made so much progress in learning to swim (with five years of support from adaptive recreation aides) that she could do this. So now I need to find a "Plan B." Do we try the "other" local team? The one that is smaller and doesn't require so many swimming skills (the team that my older dd swims on has recently tightened its requirements)? Do we try individual coaching...on what "100 IM drill, starting on the :20" means as well as on all the other things like "lane etiquette"? Do we try private (or semi-private, with her younger brother) swimming lessons? Do we continue in group lessons "with support" from Adaptive Recreation (which I thought we had outgrown last summer but had to request help from again this summer when I realized dd was missing all the cues and verbal instruction being given during class)? **sigh** Doran, if you're out there, I just read your post about why does everything school have to be. so. hard. for your child. I feel that way, too. For my dd, it seems everything else is also hard. While my dd is creative in dance, has an ear for music, and is athletic in terms of being strong and having good balance, she also doesn't care much for instruction in any of these areas. She prefers to do things her own way without the intrusion of others. Okay, enough of the pity party and down to business. What would you do if it was your dd? We had hoped she could make the team and have some of the social experiences while continuing to develop her skills. It would give her needed exercise and an opportunity to be part of a team without the stresses of being on another type of team (i.e. she would practice with the group and compete with others but mostly against herself and her swim times...except for those times when she might swim as part of a relay team). It took much courage for her to swim for the coach yesterday and I feel sad that she didn't make it. I feel like we need a plan. I honestly cannot think of another sport she could do! She has no ball skills, was not really able to learn to ice skate, and still has training wheels on her bike. :) Wow, this got long. Thanks for "listening." I look forward to your responses.

My 8.5yo dd was given the educational identification of autism when she was 4. By the time she was 5 that designation was taken away. However, when I read the descriptions in the book Asperger's Syndrome in Young Children by Laurie Leventhal-Belfer and Cassandra Coe, I see that my dd had many, many of the "red flags" they list. Just this week she was diagnosed with the very ambiguous "language disorder" (and we're looking in the direction of auditory processing disorder, too). She's definitely socially and emotionally immature as well. Since my nephew is severly autistic and my father-in-law is very Asperger-ish I'm guessing my dd probably really IS on the spectrum but has made so much progress that now she has "earned" a different variety of labels. I agree with Niffercoo that the girls are seen differently... My daughter has some peers (but no friends, really) who at least tolerate her social/emotional/language difficulties. And while some of her behaviors provoked glares, etc. when she was younger people do seem to be more patient with her (than, say, with my nephew). Also, she seems to have an unusual affinity for and ability to relate to my nephew and I have to wonder if it's because they have similarities. I know that as my sister-in-law and I swap stories, there are lots of common threads even though her experiences with her son are probably more difficult than my experiences with my daughter. The two of us relate because I've got a lot of BTDT and she's still right there doing it. That probably doesn't help much and just muddies the waters... :001_smile: