So my son has some expressive language delays therefore is having a HARD time with learning how to write expressively. Currently we are using Winning With Writting but I want something more....just not certain where to look! Thanks for any suggestions!

My son struggles with math but the important thing is that the child knows the *concept* as what will memorizing math facts do if they can not do math in the "real world"? If they understand the concept, they can reach the correct answer. May take the child a bit longer but they can reach the answer IF the concept is learned and achieved.

And here I am 80 degrees and sunny. I am sure all of us here (Northern AL) would take your snow right now!

I am about 3 hours north of T'town and only about an hour east of the Hunstville/Madison area where there is significant damage. Around here we have lots of trees down and many parts are without power, but we were lucky compared to most. My prayers are with everyone tonight. These storms were SCARY!

Yes because J *hates* to read but reads above grade level. He is working towards a new computer game currently by reading the classic version of Peter Pan.

J does Earobics twice/week at OT in addition to 40-60minutes of Therapeutic Listening 5 days a week. WOW the improvement! He will start The Listening Program as well. I suggest getting into a SLP whom is familiar with CAPD and getting an eval done. :grouphug:

I can not remember how old J was when it came out but he is reading above grade level and was *addicted* to that show. I can say that he started sounding out words shortly after it came on. We LOVE it and I am bummed that at age 7.4yrs he is "too old for a baby show now Momma". It is SUCH a cute show!!!

Josef spells on a 3rd grade or higher level, he came out of K at Catholic school spelling above grade level.

Every sport or activity that J has ever been involved in, every knows about his health and what to do in case of an emergency. I can understand you and why you would never take your son's off. I think I would want J's permantly on him! We have a card on J's seats that tell about him and what to do and whom to contact. I started doing this a long time ago though, one of my worst fears is a car accident and I can't help J.

Can I just ask why not take the bracelet off, if you are with your child during a physical sport? :o Maybe I am doing wrong, but I do not see the harm in it as I *never* leave Josef alone during sports. He needs a new one actually but there could be some things that come up in the next few months and he would need another new one. So for that reason alone, he has never been left without DH or I since October.

:party:Off to see if I can finally find some swim trunks and a rash gaurd that fits my skinny little man that will hold up to the amount of swimming we do!

We bought one for J instead of a DS or any other gaming system. It is VERY well loved!

For *us* we have always let Josef take his off as we are always with him. If the staff is aware of the child's needs and what to do in case of an emergency, *I* would let the child take it off as it does become dangerous to keep it on in some sports. This is if I was not able to stay with my child. I would also have a coach keep it him/her until I returned.

I LOVE them! And FWIW, I have taken acryclic nails off with pure acetone before. Takes a while, but it can be done.

Just voted, GORGEOUS piece!

An OT, ST and if you can a developemental optomotrist eval is where *I* would start.

What part of the South do you want? COL is VERY cheap here, move about an hour south of us, it goes WAY up. I live in the "Shoals" area if you wanted to look at it more. We are a very diverse area as there is a university here with many forgein students and faculty :)

Can he build the math problems correctly and find the correct answer, first try, if he uses the MUS manipulatives? This is the ONLY way we have been able to move forward with J...he can build like there is no tomorrow, lol. Ask him to *tell* you the answer, um, not going to happen. We do need to work on his addition though as once he gets deeper into subtraction, he has trouble building addition problems again. He has many different processing disorders, so this has something to do with it as his brain can not "switch gears" so to speak. I would have a private OT and ST re-evaluate him. :grouphug:

I have not been to any type of doctor, minus the ER when I had to get stiches after opening a can of cat food and practically sliced my finger off, since I had GYN surgery in April of 2005. You would have to drug me to get me to go and even then it would be a fight. You should have seen DH trying to get me out the door just to go the ER. He is a BIG man and I am not big at all, he had quite a bit of trouble-and I had already took a narcotic pain pill!

I was born less than 1/2mile away from where I am sitting, lived in this general area until I was 9 and then moved North and lived there until I was 26. We have been back in this area since November 2006. I do agree, children are VERY mannerly-something we NEVER saw in the North. Some people are VERY church based people and do not want to hear any other way. That is the one thing I dislike about the area I am in. The one thing I LOVE about this area is we are less than 6hrs away from 7 major cities and most of those are less than 3hrs away. The COL is AMAZING here, IF you can find a job. I know many people whom actually live here but commute into Hunstville. Here in AL, there are virtually no homeschooling laws. No reporting grades, no mandatory testing either. The summers can be brutal, but that is what pools and splash pads were made for :) Winters are mild, and usually no snow. But watch out if there is-you do not go anywhere! We have NO road clearing equipment, so even an inch of snow paralyzes the cities. Our family still lives in the North, but there are WAY too many things keeping us here. So, we travel and they travel, but the South is home for us.

We will drop a formal handwritting program when J's handwritting is neat and orderly. We will not start cursive until 3rd, maybe even 4th grade, so he has a while ;)

A HUGE fan of Stack the States! HSW Pop Math Rocket Math Discovery Channel Word Ball Doodle Truck-not *so* educational but maybe physics? :) J is addicted! Math Ninja Mad Libs Mathalliens Brain Pop

Does she homeschool? :D I have a good friend that lives in Rogersville and we sometimes go thru Rogersville when we are headed to Hunstville. If you ever get down this way, let me know, we do park days quite often :)

There isn't a way to keep a cat in your own yard, unless you enclose them in a cat enclosure such as was previously mentioned. We recently brought our once indoor/outdoor cat inside full time because he is an old grump and wouldn't leave the other male cat (a stray) alone.

:seeya: From the Shoals area Isn't the weather amazing right now?!