My doctor - an MD, but getting more and more into alternative environmental health issues - loves most products by Thorne. They are gluten free, too. :) She treats me for chronic inflammation - I have a lot of health history that causes inflammation, ouch - and I take Thorne's Basic Detox Nutrients as my multi, and she is very excited about me trying a product by Biogenesis for inflammation (I think it is called BioInflammation, or something close to that). I take a ton of other supplements, too. They seem to be helping - I am making huge strides health-wise! Thorne and Biogenesis both have their own websites, but most products can be ordered on Amazon.

We love RSO. It is easy to implement, fun, and fits well with WTM. We add a lot of extra research - books, Internet, field trips to zoos and aquariums - and until you mentioned it, I had not noticed the illustrations! We do cut out pictures to add to our notebook, so maybe I was feeling the lack of pictures without quite realizing it! We just wrapped up Life Science - and enjoyed it thoroughly.

For Every Dog an Angel by Christine Davis - it was a huge help with my 4 yr old when we lost our elderly dog. My Mom gave it to us, and we have written the names of all our dogs in it ... It is a sweet book, and one to save. I'll Always Love You was a big help as well. Wish we'd had the other books!

We love Headsprout here, too! If only they would make a similar math program... :)

Yep. The idea behind that particular mural though wasn't the beauty, but the content. It was important to one group to have representations of their gods in the museum but those same beings were offensive to another group. Big argument ensued... The solution was to paint them (those particular deities) so they are "present" in the museum, but paint over the wall with another color. Both groups were happy, as apparently the presence alone - even invisible - was the most important factor for the first group. It's late, and I probably did a terrible job explaining that compromise - but it was quite a feat, and is one of my favorite stories about the designing of the Native museum.

:) Not practical for you at all!

Behavioral symptoms ... Off the top of my head and please note that I'm a long-term Lyme patient but not a doc ... Word-finding difficulty, memory impairment, irritability, visual/spatial processing issues (getting lost, etc), mood swings, violent behavior, even hallucinations (can be only auditory or olfactory, too). If I remember correctly, the behavioral issues crop up more in kids, and those with late stage Lyme. Personally, after our family's experience - we treat all tick bites. But I understand that's not what everyone does, and that's okay.

Save the tick. (Ick, I know!) If necessary, you can have it tested. If a rash appears, take a pic - tape a quarter net to it, and write your child's name and the date on the tape. If the rash appears quickly - testing (which is not terribly reliable anyway) is pointless because the rash is diagnostic, plus it takes time to develop antibodies. My Lyme doc suggests a minimum of 30 days antibiotic because the life cycle of the spirochete is that long, and you want to cover the whole life cycle. Watch for other symptoms, too, including behavioral symptoms. Not everyone gets a rash. And Lyme is not the only disease carried by ticks. Just a note... Save the kerosene next time. Just tweezers - grab as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out. Dab area with alcohol afterward. So sorry you're dealing with this - but at least you are forearmed with knowledge, and will act quickly if anything comes of the bite! Quick action is the key. Wow, do I sound like the crazy tick lady??? That's what Lyme did to me... [sheepish grin].

Great suggestions above! 2 thoughts: The American Indian Museum ... Many are disappointed, especially with younger kids, but it can be an amazing place with some research ahead of time. A mentor of mine in college was on the board designing it, so I'm a bit biased. :) The thought and collaboration that went into planning it is astounding - imagine gathering all those different tribes with differing, often opposing, world views, and coming up with a plan. There is much more to it than we can see in a quick run-through, and there are literally layers of meaning (certain walls have beautiful murals covered by paint so as not to offend certain belief systems). There are no right angles.... The anchoring rocks from 4 significant areas... All of this may or may not interest kids though. May I suggest that you check their website for the daily schedule? What really makes it a great place for kids are the programs they offer near the entrance. And the food. But if you opt out, it's okay too. One other thought ... The National Building Museum. Not sure if the Lego exhibit is still there, but it was pretty cool for our Lego boy. And the atrium has some great family activities ... One can borrow any number of kits, plop on the floor and build. There are challenges to build an arch with foam blocks, and more. The little kids play area is also fun. It's off the beaten path, but fun.

Another yes vote, thanks to Dave Ramsey. We are not debt free, but have a plan and a substantial emergency fund (we chose a higher amount for our ER fund based on past experience). But I have to agree that taking that much out of savings would be painful, and rebuilding the ER fund would become a priority.

Your county probably offers training classes for foster parents. Have you looked into taking them? DH and I have been through training and are newly certified foster parents. We took similar training before we adopted our first child in a parental placement. It opened our hearts, and we knew we would someday foster. The training classes will answer a lot of questions for you, so I would encourage you to find out if they are offered in your area. When we decided to adopt again, and to go the foster adopt route, we had the same question about ages. Ultimately, I think it can work either way, although instinctively one would want to preserve birth order. With younger siblings (your girls) you would want to be sure that the boy's background is one you can handle (for example, I'd be more comfortable with a child removed from a home with neglect than with sexual abuse since you have younger girls). Hoping that you find the best answer for your family!

Another option - TKO Orange spray. Haven't tried it, but it works for some. We wear Buzz Off clothes for play outside, do daily tick checks, and keep the dogs current on their Frontline. Hope you find ideas that work for you!

You might consider Damminix Tick Tubes. They are basically cardboard tubes stuffed with cotton that has been treated with permethrin. Placed properly, rodents will carry the cotton to their nests for bedding. The permethrin will kill ticks. You can make your own using toilet paper tubes and permethrin spray - but while it is wet it is a neurotoxin, so personally, I avoid it. Although I'm ok with it when it's dry. Keep your lawn short, make sure there are no piles of debris. Some people do a small "barrier" between wooded areas and play areas ... I think about 2 feet wide. Some use mulch (treated with permethrin, if one is not opposed to it) but we used pea gravel as I did not want to treat with permethrin, and ticks like moisture retaining areas like mulch. I hoped the gravel would heat up in the sun a bit better. By the way, yes, I'm a Lyme disease veteran. And these suggestions all came from a talk I attended by Dr. B, the big Lyme doc. I adore that man!

Not sure you can swing this in the space you're using, but thought I'd throw it out there, as my Jr high age kids loved it: Record Bowls. You'd need an oven and some old vinyl records. The kids can make the sleeves into gift boxes, too. (google for instructions) Just a thought.

Thanks! We will be doing FAAN activities here. I, too, wish more people understood the difference between an allergy and intolerance. It would certainly make it easier to keep our food allergic kids safer if more people understood that it is much more than a stomach ache or acne, and that we are not being "picky" but actually working to keep our kids breathing. Thanks for posting this!

If you try all the great ideas already listed, and are still having issues... There are natural adrenal support measures. You could google them - I'm not familiar with them all. Or if you were to get tested, you might find that a prescription med (or two) helps. Personally, I'd opt for testing first to get a baseline, then natural treatments, then meds. I am on Cortef (low dose oral hydrocortisone) and Florinef (low dose fludricortisone). But my adrenal issues are severe - I actually have Addison's Disease, which is when the adrenals stop working altogether. But this was preceded by a long period of "adrenal fatigue." My adrenal issues came about as a result of undiagnosed infection. But there can be other causes. I take my meds first thing in the morning, and the difference in our mornings is simply astounding. Finding out about my adrenals changed all of our lives! Hoping you find answers... Those slow-moving mornings can be rough. Don't hesitate to ask, if I can help in any way.

Have you had your adrenals checked? What about your thyroid? I have low thyroid, and getting that addressed helped to an extent. But the real solution, for me, was learning that my adrenals don't function properly. In a normal person, adrenals get to work in the early morning, producing cortisol. In some people, the schedule is off. They might produce more in the afternoon or evening. In the evening is particularly problematic - as it interferes with sleep. A doc can test your am/pm cortisol. Or, even better, you can do an all day saliva test from a lab like Diagnos-Techs (there are others, but that's the one my doc uses). The good news... Once we addressed my adrenal issues... No more morning misery here. :)

Thank you for this thread! I have been pondering the question of what to put in the basket this year, too. We don't do much candy due to allergies, and are not fans of filling the landfill with trinkets once the novelty has worn off. We are putting in seeds and kid-sized gardening supplies this year, since the 7 yr old is very interested in gardening. I found a cute lightning bug lantern, and have a few playmobil eggs tucked away from a sale last year. There will be a book, a chocolate bunny, and peeps. And the Whoppers that look like robins' eggs... because I have a serious weakness for them! A Jim Weiss CD is a great idea, too. I am fighting the urge not to go overboard, but there will probably be more as more ideas pour in. :) We hunt for plastic eggs - I recycle them year to year. I've filled them with playmobil pieces (splitting up a kit, like the PP who splits up Lego kits), dice (my guy loves dice), erasers, small art supplies... But now I am thinking that filling them with clues is a good plan for this year.

You are so far ahead of me. Due date is the 27th and I have yet to freeze meals. May I steal your list? Maybe I can just pass it off to DH and beg him to cook??? And now I must also beg for the Dynamite recipe! :)

Just remembered... Before we went gluten free, bean burritos were a hit... I made them ahead in big batches and froze them.

Are you sure the bread you used for the sandwich is not a "may contain"? Labeling practices vary on that topic. My peanut allergic son has had severe reactions to may contains. I email every company, unless the label specifically states that it was manufactured in a dedicated facility. Just a thought, in case it was not the tuna. Lunches around here are generally leftovers, so I'm not much help. We have multiple food allergies, so it's tough to come up with traditional lunches. Sunbutter on apple slices is a favorite part of lunch these days, as is sesame-free hummus with veggies. Soups, gluten free pasta, eggs... Looking forward to reading more ideas!

Yes. Absolutely possible. First - think of glitter, and how difficult it is to clean up. We wash and wash our hands and still find traces... peanut butter can be a bit like that. Very difficult to remove all traces. And - inhalation reactions can be just as bad as ingestion. Your son may have simply breathed in a tiny particle, then ingested that particle... That's all it takes, for someone who is very allergic. Keep your benadryl and epipen on hand, and don't ever hesitate to use them. Err on the side of caution. My son went into ana in a Hershey store last summer. He had touched *nothing* ... eaten *nothing* ... we were being extremely cautious, knowing that there were products containing his allergens in the store. It was frightening, and we are fortunate that he was okay.

Gorgeous! Congratulations!

Right there with you! I would have been happy to have it last week!

Love it! I love seeing pics of other homeschool spaces. We recently moved out of our dedicated room, and it has been a challenge to figure out our new plan. Thanks for the inspiration. (We do all of our marble runs on the floor, now you have me pondering whether we could do them on the table!)