No, but my kids are.

My great, great grandfather came over from Norway and settled the family ranch that my uncle still owns. We know a lot about each of those generations, thanks to a persistent family member who even went to Norway to meet more "relatives." In contrast, I know nothing about my other side of the family because no one has ever cared enough to gather and pass on information. Sad.

There is a co-op here...well, I guess it's more like a mini-school. You can sign up to take classes....for $166 per semester (more like 2 months). I think it's ridiculous. There is no way I'd pay that. I'd rather pay to put my kids in lessons of some sort where they could stay all year.

Christian Light Education Teaching Textbooks Here's the website for CLE http://www.clp.org/ It's a great, simple, easy to follow math program. I like the soft introduction and progression of skills. It doesn't teach some complicated lesson and then expect kids to immediately do a whole page of problems, then remember the lesson in three months when they see a similar problem again. Lots of built in review. FWIW- I don't think the lessons are long at all. My advanced dd only takes about 15 minutes and my dd who struggles significantly takes about 30 minutes. I don't think that's anything for math. I love the daily speed drills. My advanced dd times herself, but we don't time my dd who struggles. My struggler needs the simple black and white layout so she doesn't get confused. CLE may seem too back-to-basics for some, but as a teacher who has taught several "progressive math" programs, I can tell you that, at least at an elementary level, CLE does an amazing job of thoroughly teaching concepts so that the kids have a rock solid understanding once they are ready to use their skills abstractly. I'm tired of teaching programs who constantly want young kids to "think outside the box" when they don't even know what the box looks like yet. :) The connections my kids make to real life are amazing. CLE teaches measurement conversions and my kids are always exciting to use this information in the kitchen while we cook. Anyhow, BIG winner in our VERY secular home!

My dd scored one point away from an Aspergers diagnosis on the ADOS. She was having so much trouble at school in 2nd grade that we, after MANY other failed interventions, put her on Concerta. Yes, it's an ADHD med, but since so many of her symptoms fit ADHD (even though we don't think it really is that...) we tried it. It has been like a miracle drug for us. Her meltdowns are far and few between and her anxiety level is a fraction of what it used to be. She's just better able to control her emotions. It also helped her control a LOT of her sensory behaviors...and they were bad! Our OT said the Concerta is stimulating her brain in the same way her sensory behaviors used to. It's worked great for us, but every child is so, so, so different. For instance, Zoloft can cause severe in aggression in some kids. One of my former students was a nightmare on it. Concerta can turn kids into zombies who don't eat, but this hasn't been our case at all. I hope you find something. It took me three years to finally agree to trying a medication and I'm so grateful that I did. My daughter is so much happier.

I would not hire a math tutor who "thinks" he could teach basic Algebra. With the the second guy, I'd thank him for the info and tell him you'll look into it.

Former Mormon with lots of spiritual baggage, Unitarian Universalist, I enjoy learning from diverse sources and find God in many places

Another secular CLE math lover here!!!! I almost switched to Singapore this year. I had my dd try out a few pages and she said she likes her "regular math." CLE just works for us.

We don't do Sponge Bob. I think it's obnoxious with way too much adult humor. But we also don't do the teeny bopper Disney shows (Hannah Montana, etc.). We also don't do the Wimpy Kid series, even though one of the books is dedicated to a dear friend with a brain tumor. We are liberal in most of our views and not Christian, but I'm starting to realize I'm pretty conservative when it comes to things that are too mature for my kids. I agree that T&J is unbelievably violent. But, then again, I grew up watching Grease and NEVER realized any of the references until I watched it as a teenager. All kids are different, too. Mine are extremely aware and very, very sensitive. Different things work for different families.

Thank you. I was wondering if someone was going to catch that. :iagree: The comments have all been out of confusion and SHOCK! We are all very worried and want to ask questions so we know what to do if this happens to us. There have been a lot of questions and stories, but mostly just confusion!

He's really young. If I were you, I'd hold off on OPGTR and throw in Letter Factory.

:hurray::hurray::hurray: That is unbelievable! GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! If she has any sort of conscience, she will think about that interaction every time she thinks about leaving her kids in the car and the guilt will prevent her from doing so. An infant. Of my gosh.

True, but still hard to watch.

Wow. One time I saw a child that young in a car alone (not buckled, walking around) at the grocery store and I went and told a clerk. I told her I was worried that the child would try to get out of the car and be hit. I told her I just wanted someone to know, and I pointed the van out to her, which she could see from the window. A few minutes later, they were paging the owner of the van because the alarm was going off. Sure enough, the 5 year old had tried to get out. It's so stupid. So many things could happen. It's illegal in CA now. From now on, I'm going to write down license plates and call it in when it is a child that looks younger than school aged. I can't imagine leaving my child screaming. We all do things out of frustration, but usually we sit outside the door, not go grocery shopping!

Wait, so is it only one shot now? Didn't it used to be a bunch in your stomach? What is it now?

Wow! I had NO IDEA!!! Good information. SO sorry for your poor dd (and you, of course!).

That would be great! When my dd got her tonsils out, they offered us a flavored oral sedative, just to take the edge off before she went in. She didn't need it, but I saw it doing wonders for the kids around us!

Oh! If she really does end up having to get the shots, I wouldn't trick her or lie to her. In fact, I would tell her ahead of time exactly what to expect. Others may disagree, but this is how we deal with shots and surgery with our kids and it has been super successful. I hate the surprise tactic. I think it freaks kids out even more and adds to the fear of hospitals and doctors. I also think it weakens trust with the parent. Just my two cents. Perhaps you can briefly explain it to her, then arrange for the....what do they call it, Life Specialist?...to talk with her and show the procedure on a doll, etc. They have people in the hospital for this exact reason. Just call and see what they can do.

I don't understand why you have to get shots if you weren't bit. You can't breathe in rabies, can you? I'm confused.

Pizza! :) No, seriously. When people are getting meals constantly, sometimes it's nice to have restaurant food, especially when it tastes familiar. Otherwise, a casserole-type dish that they can save and reheat.

(Quoting myself!) OK, that sounded harsh. I'm sure there are great VTs that are not board certified, but I'm just done playing that game with therapy.

COVD for sure!!!! Do NOT just go to a regular vision therapist. Make sure they are board certified or in the process. You won't know until you have an assessment, so I'd at least get that done, then talk about a decision. We saw HUGE improvements- but we could clearly see it's what she needed. Our pediatrician poo-pooed it (after the fact) and I just smiled and nodded. I really wanted to say, "VT did in 3 months more than you've done in 3 years, thank you very much!" I'm a believer.

YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!! We are not Christian and we LOVE CLE!!!! The language arts, and definitely reading, was too religious for us. My girls know this is a Mennonite curriculum and when it does come up, I use it as a wonderful opportunity to learn.