Also, if the rash is raised (meaning yeast based) clortrimozole (the generic sold as athlete's foot cream works wonders!!!! My ped told me this first thing and it was a life saver.

It is my dd's B-day today and that was the first thing my mother said to me when she was born! ;)

I have twins and one 12 months ahead. I combine for humanities type subjects: Literature, history, some writing, religious studies and such.and science. For skill based subjects when there is a huge difference I do get them separate curricula, based on their individual needs. As you noticed there is so much natural comparison going on that I split them apart. Twin A struggles with reading and, although he is quite smart at math, needs a different approach than his brother. Twin B, is strong in just about everything so I tailor his curriculum to him. They also do separate foreign language, but that is their choice.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

I am starting to sense theme of threads here. There's a whole lot of stirring going on ;)

You know when you have those threads that haunt your sleep a little? This has been one of those for me. Probably, because I am coop shopping at the moment. :D I have read every post though, and I still cannot understand the op. Especially, when I read the part about doing Bible study with her dd. :confused: Much of what has been posted, and being a Christian are antithetical to me. I am not saying she should have become the cancer patient's caregiver or respite provider. It is okay for anyone to say, "This is what I am capable of doing and this is what has to happen. I need you to come up with a plan for the difference." Then the Cancer woman has a choice to leave or stay and the op is not making it for them. Calling everyone, but herself a flake is really off putting, especially for those of us who are very aware that real life just does not go as planned. Minister's wives do have a ton of expectations on top of their family life. If this group is extremely exclusive, it may be there is an issue with most of them being young. I know that in my younger years I had a really difficult time seeing, understanding, truly empathizing, and being able to adapt my own expectations to reality. (this point is made about the op, but also about the other moms as well) I do agree with the bolded. The op should prioritize meeting her dd needs. But, this coop functioning EXACTLY like the OP envisions is more of a want than need. I hope that makes sense. Honestly, I think this entire thread has been a great exercise in ethics. I know I will be using it as a discussion piece with my kids.

I would seriously pay money to attend a course like this at a conference!

...and my state has the highest number of "hits." :(

Well, I was trying to be a bit more tactful in my first response, but I am in shock myself. This whole thing is completely out of my reality. I have 4 kids of my own, between them and their friends it is no big deal for me to be out in the woods with 5+ very active kids. Not to mention that nature study can be done from the confines of a city park or any place that is handicap accessible. I do not think the OP had to take on as much responsibility for the cancer patient, but not going out of your way and asking her to leave, are worlds apart.:crying: There is also a difference between attacking a poster and being genuinely shocked and confused.

I like what everyone has suggested so far. I would also take a really hard look at my expectations and ability to understand/empathize with these mothers. You have an only child who is not in wheelchair,are not having to juggle the responsibilities of a being a Pastor's wife as well as homeschooling mom, and you do not have cancer. There is a lot to be thankful for. Maybe being a little less picky, with a simpler structure that others cannot through off as much would help. :grouphug:

:iagree:

:grouphug: I am sorry!

My kids have always had various pastors, elders and church leaders to look after them. It was part of being PK's. That said, since converting to EO I have been in utter amazement at how well my kids are loved and cared for. In many ways it is like having this great big extended family wrapped around you. They each have relationship and opportunity to share their hearts with our Parish priest, and get guidance from him...even our youngest 6 enjoys going to confession and comes out beaming! Their church school teachers are phenomenal and every coffee hour I can count on at least two other adults approaching them asking about their week, giving them a good natured tease, or even a small gift.

I have heard of that in extreme infestations. I think you do have to comb them out after the dye job and put the bedding and clothes through the dryer. The major issue is keeping the hair as inhospitable as possible. I am with you: Hair spray, braid, laundry. But if I was dealing with this on a repetitve basis (and I really liked our group) I would dye everyone's hair, coat in some product and probably put them in a ballerina bun! :tongue_smilie: I struggle with blaming anyone in these instances. Often parents do not know their kids are infested and even if they think they have gotten all of them there is still the possibility. I have learned to really appreciate metal/plastic chairs in group settings and am a little squirmy with fabric ones. :D

It was this thread http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=256950

I am telling you, just dye your girls hair. No one will even know if you use the same color. ;) If everyone in the house gets a dye job, the critters will die shortly without a host.

Well, darn :glare:. At least my youngest will be able to benefit! Good gracious! I am feeling so math confused right now! I cannot figure out what to do with my olders. :glare: You know what it is? My ego and confidence took a hit when they went into PS for two months. Even though dd was doing Saxon two years above grade level, she did not test well. Now I am all befuddled. I had her do the Saxon pre-test and she tested at the 7/8 level, but I do not feel right about it. I do not know if she did as badly in PS, because they were pretesting for the STAAR (which is in its 1st year of use) or if there is a deeper issue going on. I do know that I now feel very unsure. I do not want to jeporadize her love of math or confidence and I want to set her up well for Pre-algebra. Like I said, Ithink this is more about my confidence in choosing a curriculum than her ability, but I just. don't. know. :glare:

Sorry if this has been asked, but I could not find the answer. Is it going to be a full year before additional levels are released? Do I have to wait 2 more years for 5th grade?

I have been relatively happy with Rod and Staff (early elementary). I like the clean format, clear presentation, and repetition. I also like Saxon; the rigor, spiral nature and the fact that I can get CD-Roms for the lessons. Is there something that meets in the middle? I am looking for something that will be the best shoring up year before Pre-algebra. We have not used MUS all the way through so I have concerns about starting it now and if it would accomplish our goals for a rigorous math education. I have tried MM and found the layout confusing. I just want to find something that will see us through...does that make sense? Note: I was just going to stick with Saxon, but reading that they may change to being more like the present PS version has me concerned. The kids have been using the PS version for the last 2 months and I HATE it! :glare: Further note: If someone knows of some really good past threads discussing Math curriculum leading up to highschool please link! :D

Also, just an FYI the STAAR test is heavy on the word problems. So, if you ever want him to take it you are going to want to focus on mutli-step word word problems.

:iagree: Lice cannot jump and they cannot survive for very long without a host. Keep her hair up and her stuff (coats, backpacks) separate.

Lice just doesn't bother me. Guess I am weird. I would probably dye dd's hair a similar color to her own and move on with life. Lice is transferable all over the place. One of the biggest culprits is swimming pools and movie theaters.

:iagree: I read your post last night and was hesitant to respond, because my children are not quite as old as yours. My kids wanted to go back to ps (4th and 5th grade for the oldest) I decided to let them give it a shot. It did not work out and two months later they are home. I see pro's and con's to letting him go back now, or at the begininng of next year. I see cons to his self esteem if he is far behind. I see pro's in that he may find new ground to appreciate homeschooling (mine did). Here is what I have learned. I will not ever put my kids in a ps with a poor academic record. There are just to many con's: academics + the normal ps issues. If I am going to deal with the challenges that come with having kids in large masses, at least I want to be assured of great academic opportunity.

Works here!

I think there is a difference between 15% of Christians and the majority of a different group. Like someone else said, this is partially a problem of numbers. So, even though a small % of the general population finds something offensive, we do have to ask if it is offensive to the majority of a particular sub-group. I am doing a poor job of explaining this. But if the majority of Native Americans find a particular phrase offensive, it is different than if 15% of Christians find a particular phrase offensive.