My dd17 and I are kayaking/canoeing this Sunday with our Venturing Crew. It was originally a Crew-only trip, but many of the kids coudn't make it, so we invited the older Scouts from our brother (sister?) Troop and ended up with 6 youth, 5-6 adults attending. It is a Sunday-only event, not a full weekend as we were trying to accomodate some kids who's fall weekends are stacked with band competitions and performances at games.

UPDATE: We saw the second orthopedist, this one at Texas Children's Hospital (which was crazy busy, by the way). She agreed with the first orthopedist that dd is a candidate for surgery, but she is referring us to a pediatric sports medicine specialist, still at TCH, who deals with this type of thing more frequently than she. She also ordered 8 weeks of PT for her, because she said that the next doc will do that anyway, and if she does have surgery, it will be good to have those muscles as best as we can have them before and then dd will know the types of things to do after to help heal and get back to normal quickly. So, we've seen: 1. Orthopedist/sports medicine doc, 2. Pediatric Orthopedist... and now moving on to 3. Pediatric orthopedist/sports medicine. Whew. Interestingly, the ped ortho we saw yesterday took x-rays of her structure from hip to ankle from the front. DD is nearly knock-kneed on the leg with the hurting knee, but the doc said it was borderline. On that x-ray it is OBVIOUS that her kneecap is high and to the left of where it should be. October 14 is when we see the new doc. HOPEFULLY we can get a solution that will not be so invasive as cutting into bone and moving things around. OR if this third doc thinks that is best, then hopefully dh, dd, and I can all feel peace about this procedure.

I think homeschool was less stressful than public school when my kids were elementary/middle school levels. We had so much more family freedom! But once we hit high school--woah! A lot of that is personal, though, because I had started working part-time just as my eldest two were entering the high school level, and then my dh changed jobs and is never really home except on Sundays and maybe Mondays. It all got to be too much. My eldest went all the way through homeschool high school, but I feel like I did a terrible job with his education. My middle two have elected to go to public high school, though, and it is fabulous. It is much less stressful for me (although I miss the freedom to put our family's needs first!). They have good heads on their shoulders, and know how to weed through the social crap, and find the kids who are good for them (although I had to tell dd she was not allowed to be friends with this girl who was treating her very badly!). They are both in marching band, and the director is super positive with the kids AND is a great band director, too. Despite all the weird things going on w/ regards to curriculum in our state, they are getting a decent enough education, at least equivalent to what I am capable of at home, if not better, especially in their AP classes. Now I have one 6th grade dd in my homeschool. She likes homeschooling, but so did my other kids when they were in 6th grade! I plan to homeschool her through 8th grade, then we will see if it is in the best interest of all involved for her to go to public or stay home. Oh, and I am NOT a morning person and the late bell is at 7:20! That is stressful, especially by the end of the year when that 6 a.m. alarm has gotten to be very, very, very annoying.

Long story, but we finally got dd's CT results and a follow up with the orthopedic doc. He is recommending the surgery for the one knee that would correct the torsion of her tibia. As far as I understand, this would involve, in essence, breaking her tibia and repositioning it with screws/plates so that it is less turned outward :confused:. He also suggested that we could consider doing the other leg, the asymptomatic one, prophylactically. :001_huh: He said it would be at least 6 weeks and up to 12 months recovery. 12 months!! :eek: He did say that it is a tough decision for all of us, even him. He also said that people with this patellar tracking issue have a higher risk of having early-onset arthritis, and is suggesting that this surgery could prevent that. He did not give us any numbers, though, on what percentage of people end up with the arthritis, so that is meaningless to me. He said he has this problem, too, and had basketball injuries, and has a hard time getting down on the floor to play with his kid, etc. because of it. SO I can see that he is trying to prevent other people from having the same issues he has had, but it sounds to me like a pretty drastic measure to try to prevent some MINOR lifestyle issues. I also do not think he is in touch with the level of pain she has... It is not something that he routinely asks about when we go in there (like when my husband goes to the rheumatologist, "what's your pain level" is ALWAYS one of the questions from the nurse, and I would expect that from an orthopedist, right?) She sometimes complains that it is a 6 out of 10, but I honestly don't know if dd's 6/10 would be the same as mine or anyone else's. Does that make sense? Oh, and BTW, I made dh go with us this last visit. The doc was MUCH kinder to me/us. My dh is Black, stocky, and has an intimidating presence, even though he's really sweet. So, either he had decided to be nice to me ahead of time, or figured out quickly that I brought in backup and was not going to be intimidated into this procedure. :cool: This knee pain she has is NOT keeping her from going about her daily life. She participates in marching band, which is pretty physical really. She gets up and down the stairs at school. She does not do these things with some pain, but she comes home happy and smiling from band practice most days. (she really loves band) She went canoeing and kayaking with Venturing Scouts in April, and did fine with ibuprophen. She is planning on windsurfing this weekend with Venturing. I know she has knee pain, but I am inclined to figure out how to help her cope with it rather than do this surgery. I took her back to the pediatrician to get a referral for a second opinion. The pediatrician said that sometimes doctors get frustrated that a problem doesn't correct with more conservative treatment, and then start offering procedures. (Our pediatrician is very conservative with treatments, btw) The first doctor was through UTMB system; she is referring us to someone through Texas Children's Health system. She said that the TCH doctors tend to be more conservative, but it can take longer to get to see them because everyone wants to get in there.

My son's applications/admissions process from last year is all a big blur to me now, but here's what I think I did: I based my school profile off of one I got from a mom on these boards and also read on the web about what typically goes in a school profile provided by a brick & mortar school. In the school profile, I put the following topics: History and Philosophy (of our homeschool) Educational Partners (names and information about co-ops and other places he took classes) Community (describing our home town) Graduation Requirements (I discussed state requirements as well as MY requirements) Grading, Credits, GPA Calculation Testing (and how he compared to other students in our state) Contact Information For the homeschool supplement section, I think I put a more detailed explanation of our homeschool philosophies and our weird blending of classical education and unschooling. I included lists of resources used for each subject, too. I seem to recall that only one school specifically asked for this homeschool supplement. But like I said, it's all a big blur now. I am basing my thoughts on the documents I have saved on my computer, and none of them are titled "homeschool supplement." So either I missed that entirely, or the above is true. lol I would be happy to share either document, just send me a pm with your email address. And let me just add that writing these documents, plus the counselor recommendation and transcript, sure makes my homeschool seem so tidy and neat. Wish it had been so IRL. :huh: :thumbup1:

I voted other. I pick up my dd's friend from the local elementary, and so I like to be done with "school" by then so that she can play. In addition, my #2 and #3 dc are in the local public high school and they are in band. They have band practice at different times each day, so some days I am making multiple trips to the school. Also, because of their weird rehearsal schedule, I need to cook dinner around 3:30 each day or it may not happen. SO, my 6th grade homeschooler's work is scheduled with specific time periods for each subject. If she doesn't finish an assignment in the alotted time, she does it for homework when her older siblings do theirs.

We are going to Camp Alexander in CO next summer! Outr troop went to San Isabel the year before my older son crossed over. Do you have any words of wisdom about Alexander? The website looks great, and makes me think it's a well-run camp. We've camped at Bear Creek Scout Reservation in Hunt, Texas, 3 times in about 6 years. It is a fantastic camp! The staff is enthusiastic and they seem to know their stuff, and it is nestled in the beautiful Texas Hill Country so it's a big change of scenery from Houston. My eldest son has also served as a staffer there for 3 summers now. We've gone to Camp Orr in Arkansas 2 times, we've camped at Camp Constantin near Ft. Worth, and we've gone to our council camp, El Rancho CIMA.

The bagpipes at the opening session for orientation were awesome! What a great tradition.

What class is your ds a TA in? My ds is taking Geology of Natural Disasters this fall, and is quite excited about it. I'm not sure he'll end up majoring in geology... but it's still in the running. He's also taking Principles of Economics, some English class (forget the title but it has to do with American lit), and his First-Year Seminar is "Contemplating Morality." I was a little concerned that he didn't take calculus or chemistry, if he wants to major in geology. I asked him about that, and whether he told his advisors he wanted to major in geology, but he assured me it is fine. So I bite my tongue and sit on my hands.

And I'm the WTM mom with the newest Wooster student! We just spent the weekend there for my son's ARCH program (basically academic advising, but so much more) and orientation. My dh and I are SO pleased with everything we saw and experienced at Wooster. I especially appreciated the parent programs that talked about how to support our students from home without being "helicopters". My dh and I feel 100% that he is in a place where he will succeed, and my son even said, "I'm definitely in the right place." It seems that every adult is interested in supporting the students' transition into full-fledged adulthood, and their transition into young professionals. As to studying CS there... The Independent Study program teaches students to manage a long-term, large project in whichever discipline they are working. I would think that would prepare any student in any discipline to move into the workplace, or at least give them some good tools and experiences to put forward when they are applying for jobs. So far, I love, love, love Wooster!

My son said this about his roommate: "He seems nice, but I don't think we're going to be close friends." That's kind of what I thought about my roommate when I first met her, but we ended up staying together the next year and living next door to each other in singles our 3rd year. We're not super close today, but we are still friends and do keep in touch. We'd see each other more often (live in the same metro area) but we're both super busy with kids. Oh, well. I'll be happy as long as they can live peacefully together. When I saw the room after they were both moved in, although not completely unpacked, they looked pretty evenly matched as far as amount of stuff and how they were going to keep the room (i.e. no "decor").

We have a laptop bag, but if there was a laptop in it, there's not much room for books. Do your kids use two bags? I really don't remember taking books back and forth to class, but that was so, so long ago. What do your college-age children typically carry around with them as they go to classes?

We have towels. That's it so far. Just towels. Guess we'd better get busy this week, as we are leaving on August 14th to take ds to Ohio.

My ds hasn't chosen his courses yet, but y'all are confirming my fears about how much his books will cost. Ouch.

So, in the end my 6th grade dd will do this for language arts: Grammar--GWG 6 Literature--random reading list, with discussion and writing as suggested in Well-Educated Mind for grammar-stage reading Writing--Sentence Composing for Middle School, plus The Creative Writer if she needs a break from the Killgallon book And that's it. No spelling/vocabulary. No lit guides. She'll get plenty of writing practice across the curriculum, so with the Killgallon book, I think it will be enough. Hopefully simple. Hopefully effective.

I think that Mapping the World with Art would be enough art and social studies, so that you woudn't need to do those other resources. My dd will be in 2 co-ops plus girl scouts. :driving: If you'd like to see what we will be doing, along with a link to a .pdf of her general weekly schedule, take a look here.

I quoted myself :tongue_smilie: with my final final choices above. And FWIW, I've attached a copy of her weekly schedule. 6th grade schedule.pdf Y'all have a great 6th grade year! 6th grade schedule.pdf

I bought my dh a tablet for Christmas, and bought the Square Trade warranty. About 4 months into ownership of the tablet, he was outside using the grill and put the tablet down on the hot grill! Although it still worked, the back cover was melted and warped. We called Square Trade, and he got a new tablet with no problems, even though the damage was done by him. I'm about to purchase my son a laptop for college, and I'll for sure get some type of similar warranty.

My ds is finishing his last week working at summer camp this week. Then, he'll be home for about 2 weeks, and off to college for his first semester. This is his 3rd year to work at camp all summer, and he was the skills area director this year. It just so happened that our troop camped there, too! It was very special for all in the troop to see their former SPL at work again (he aged out last September), but it was especially fun for his younger brother and I to see him in action. I was one proud mama, for sure. I told every staffer I ran into that I was Zach's mom! :D His experiences working at camp have been fantastic. He has made some great friends, and experienced a camaraderie that is very special. Plus, all the workplace skills he has learned... and not many 18 year olds can say they've been in a supervisory position. It has been so worth it even though the pay is stinky.

I am. First off, this will be her first year without any siblings homeschooling along side her. I am hoping to make it fun, or at least have materials she is interested and excited about using. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so worried about what she wants as I am about to express... I was planning on using Logic of English for both spelling and grammar, but dd is insistant upon continuing with GWG. She has also expressed an interest in using a lit program or guides, as opposed to just doing a lot of reading. And after trying the first two lessons of W&R Fable, she thinks she doesn't really want to do that for writing. So: Grammar--GWG 6 Spelling--LoE Lit--we'll be studying geography instead of history, so I'll pick at least one book from each continent and use either Progeny Press or some other study guide Writing--This is the thing that is up in the air the most. I really want to use W&R, but she seems pretty negative about it. I am highly interested in the Killgallon books, so will probably have her work through one of those...I'm going to try her on some samples this week and see what kind of response I get. She likes GWG, so I have thought about using WWW, too, but I am afraid it will be boring. If it were solely up to me, I'd have her do Logic of English, W&R Fable and Narrative 1, one of the Killgallon books, and the lit guides.

Thank you all so much! I am having a super busy time, so can't respond to each person, but I am reading everything and I really appreciate the support and advice and shared stories. You all are such a blessing.

Thank you all for your replies! Her CT is Tuesday, and her follow up with the orthopedist is July 3. The ortho was not only pissy with me about my failure with the orthotics, he was very pissy with me on our last visit because dd mentioned the chiropractor, and because I said that he seemed unsure of what was causing her pain. He was quite nasty, actually, and I felt bullied into moving forward with the evaluatioin for surgery. I've always felt like he came into the room the first time with the diagnosis of patellar tracking before he even examined her... mainly because she does not have problems with her knee, she just injured this one with a blunt trauma-like injury. He did show me that it happens on her knees, so I believe him that it happens, but I'm not 100% sure how THAT is the thing causing her pain in her knee, and not just something like tendonitis or ??? SO we will definitely seek a second opinion, especially if he ends up recommending surgery. That seems drastic for the level of pain she has--she goes to school fine, although it hurts some to go up and down stairs, and with the orthotics and the brace, she does marching band just fine, too. How do we do this? I assume I need to go back to her PCP for another referral?? Do I need to get her records from the orthopedist, or will the next orthopedist's office do that? Anything else I should know about what I need to do for the second opinion?

When I first took dd to the pediatrician, she mentioned bruising under the patella as a possibility. And she said that bruising like that can take a long time to heal. But my dd has NEVER limped or been unable to move her leg. No pop, only a "blunt trauma impact" type of thing. I think the MRI showed nothing (but I'm not 100% sure), as did the x-ray the pediatrician originally ordered. Hopefully, your dd will not need surgery.

Thank you. No acupuncture, but she's been to a chiropractor. While she was having the PT, she started having a lot of problems with muscle spasms all up and down the outside of her leg, and in the hamstring area. She could be just sitting and suddenly have a spasm. The chiropractor helped with that a LOT--it is pretty much gone now. He was doing myofascial release, adjusting her back, and using an electrical stim thing on her quadricep. He thinks that he can end the knee pain with those things, and her doing continued exercises, like on an elliptical. BUT while she was seeing him her actual knee pain did not improve. Maybe we are expecting too much improvement too quickly? I mean, she was consistently at a 4-6 last fall, and now is pretty consistently at a 3-4. So, I could read that as very slow improvement.