I think you have to arrive at the place where it's not a diet, but a desire to be healthier. It's probably the biggest factor in being successful. And also, take it day by day. Do not look at all the weeks ahead of you, just do the right thing today. And then tomorrow you do it all over again. One thing to remember is that no matter how slow the progress is, it's still better than none *and* even more, it's better than gaining and getting heavier and more out of shape.

I've had one migraine and it had me bedridden and throwing up from the pain. I have to agree that it is not something you carry on with normal activities. ETA I should always read the entire thread before posting, doh! I see that you can have migraines and go about activities. I've only had the one and hope to never have it again. Like someone else said, it was scary, freaked out hubby and he called our doctor only to be told 'it's probably a migraine'...

It's kind of ridiculous that the child was expelled for that length of time, but, behind two years before it's all said and done? What are the parents doing? If they're truly homeschooling him, he should be ahead of the game by the time it gets resolved, not behind. I think there's exaggeration on the parents' part to play up how 'wronged' their son is but what they are not realizing is that it's painting them as incompetent and negligent as well. When their child was expelled, it fell on them to ensure he continued to receive an education. If he hasn't, then that part of the fiasco is on their shoulders.

Perry, in case the 'nm' was about my statement, I should've added to that because not every public school is filled with the awful social aspects. My kids have gone to some good public schools. So, the coda to that statement should've been 'when these things are rampant in your child's school...' rather than painting the entire public school system with that brush. :/ If it were just academics where we live, we could tutor them through the gaps. But there are just too many high-risk social issues going on in the local schools here for us to take that leap.

Anytime I run into a negative attitude on homeschooling, I like to explain that academically our schools are failing (and isn't that in the media just about every day, eh?) and that we also homeschool to hopefully avoid losing any of our children to drug and alcohol addiction before they are truly wise enough to understand how their choices affect their future. Unfortunately I've heard many stories of children in high school that make the wrong choices and long after graduation they are still fighting to get their children on the right foot again. It isn't just the academics, it's the atmosphere in schools. There are bullying issues, sexual misconduct, substance abuse. Why on earth are any parents putting their children in these situations? That's the question I ask myself every day.

You know the downside of the cool mornings? The pool is getting to chilly to enjoy LOL. So it's still hot in the afternoons, too hot to winterize the darn thing. The solar cover keeps the top foot or so warm but then the deeper parts are too cold. So we have to keep treating, cleaning and keep the filter on, grrrrrr! I love winterizing it. Our electric bill drops about $100 every fall beyond the regular amount from using less A/C. :/

Over in S. Carolina and we've been in the same boat. I'm so sick of it being hot. We actually have had a few mornings in the 60s and it was such a welcome change. Our electric bills have been huge. It's been so miserable, we've hardly wanted to be outside this year. Not just hot but really, really muggy with heat indexes above 100 consistently through the summer. From my family in Alaska, they've complained of it being a cool and wet summer. I think I'd almost rather have that!!!

I remember when I was still in college that my physics professor had a bad reputation. I took his class and soon realized why. He required that his students actually apply themselves, work hard, study hard. Yet, as a professor he was doing just as much work to give us the tools to succeed in a very difficult subject. His method of learning was one that years later, has left me with a deep understanding of the subject. I never could do word problems in school but he taught us how to successfully do them. He gave us quizzes on material we were beginning to create an environment where we not only had to read the material before the lecture, but *gasp* think about it and apply it! So when we sat down for lecture, what he would say actually made sense. We had a text book but the majority of his class was from notes he created and handed out to us, all the tests and quizzes from previous years were in a binder in the library for us to study with before our exams. Every tool one needed to succeed was there. His course was tough, but he was one of the most thorough, dedicated teachers I've ever had, and I left his classes (I took 3 of them in total) so much better off than before. I had a calculus teacher that also had a hard class. No calculators, period, exams that were literally books, but I left his class able to do math at a level most people will never attain. Teachers that don't require much from students are doing them a disservice but the other side of the coin is that I've heard the administration will cave to parents' and student complaints. They will go to the teachers and say, "Stop doing this." That is why we have too many teachers that require little of their students and spoon feed them the information.

My son did this. He was first diagnosed with sensory processing disorder and later with PDD-NOS which is under the autism umbrella. Their hearing is fine but they just literally can get so involved in something that they don't 'hear' you. What also clued us in that something was wrong, was his oddball statements and questions. He came up to me one day when he was 3 and said, "Are you going to put me in the frying pan?" He'd ask us what a mall was when he'd been to one often. We opened a closet and found it stuffed full of all the birthday balloons -- he'd collected them up and put them in there because they made such a loud noise when they popped. These things all make me smile now but back then we had no idea what was going on inside that little head of his!

Our education system is broken, and it's in no small part because we force a 'higher education' on everyone. We focus on standardized tests instead of learning. We've fallen into the trap of 'keeping up with the Jones' but at a much higher price, and yet we keep throwing money into the fire. The education system itself is corrupt in many areas, with the curricula selling and high-paid execs while teachers are given few tools to work with and always the ones to blame when things fail. There is no easy fix to the situation. The parents in many cases make it worse by demanding results and not helping to make them happen. They want their children to score better, to do better, but fail to realize that all those cries of outrage when Timmy got a 'C' means that Timmy is still getting a 'C' but now it's written on his report card as an 'A'. Boy do I have issues with 99% of our so-called education system.

After reading more comments, I want to qualify why I say those examples are poor parenting. #1 -- The teen is showing outright disrespect for his parent's rules. The father handles it by force (ie taking the door off the hinges). This is a scenario with very little before and after information, but I take from it that the teen's actions seem to be 'I'm gonna do it anyway!' while the parent is being completely ineffective. Son is trying to do something the parents don't want so why is the girlfriend even at their home after the event in the son's room? I'm of the opinion, and have been since my children were toddlers, that along with teaching them right from wrong, it's also frequently wise to remove the sources of temptation. This scenario strikes me of a typical poor relationship between child and parent that comes with a lack of respect and communication. #2 -- if my child came to me saying they felt like crying, especially at a young age, I'd gather them up and sit down, wipe the tears and read a book or play a game. Children deserve love, not coldness. It's not abuse, but it surely isn't good parenting. But again, this is a small picture. Is it possible for a child to use crying for attention and it grow to the point where a parent has to say 'enough, you're fine, let's move on with our day' and yes, that would be appropriate response. #3 -- a troubled teen is reaching out to fill a void. In this scenario there is little background information. Nothing suggests the child has an internet addiction so much as the child has a poor relationship with her parent and is finding an alternative to fill her emotional needs with others who understand. Being heavy-handed and yanking that outlet smacks to me of a bullying-parenting method, or at the very least, ignorant of what is going on with your child. Bottom line -- it won't help the underlying issue and will only make it worse so poor parenting.

I think all three are poor parenting, but emotional abuse? Not really. I grew up with an emotionally and physically abusive stepmother. Psychological games were her forte. Abuse leaves you frightened. None of the above would do that.

It's a 2001 Nissan Sentra. We did not put him on as primary on our 2006 Yukon Denali. :lol: Maybe it's also in part to location? I might also have the numbers off, to be honest our insurance is now filled with so many things. My mom moved in with us last fall and we put her and her car on our insurance as well so it's hard to keep the numbers straight. Okay, just went and looked and yeah I was wrong...guh. And now I'm depressed at the numbers LOL. Before he was added our insurance was $203 a month (up from $100 a month before my mom moved in and we added her and her vehicle to our policy) to $289 a month. Ouch. We've had to add so many things to our home and auto and right around the same time we also bought an RV and got insurance for it as well so I think the figures were mixed up in my head. But now I'm depressed! Insurance companies suck you dry when you have a teen!

We have USAA also. Adding our 17 yr old raised our insurance by $120 per six month premium. We did get the good student discount and he took driver's ed. so all the discounts to be had are there. There is no charge to add a permit driver to the policy. We were going to let him get his license at 16 but we ran into issues with homeschooling. They require a form from the school admin certifying attendance. I presented our membership information for the homeschool association that we're required to have but the DMV said 'the admin of the association must sign'...when I said that's not what I was told, I got the 'that's how it is' so went and called the homeschool association and was told 'no, you just need your membership card'...grrrrrrrrrr. At that point, he was only 6 months from 17 when none of that stuff is required so we just waited. We're now following the same schedule for our second son. Having him drive is very convenient. One other thing, we did not have to have him listed as primary on the most expensive vehicle. We were allowed to put him as primary on our cheapest vehicle, the one that is meant for him anyway. We're letting our older sentra be the 'kid's' vehicle, the one they get to drive, because it's smaller and easier to handle anyway.

I'm going to line up with the 'reasonable' crowd. But I've been used to paying a lot for the activities my boy's are involved with. Music lessons are $15 per child for a 30 min lesson and one of my children was doing multiple instruments, 2x a week. Our music costs were $400 a month until the piano teacher had to take a hiatus for a family emergency. The co-op classes they take range in cost from $40-$90. My son's art class is $90 for 6 weeks. For one child, it is fine, multiply it by 4 and suddenly it was over $200 for the fall semester. The fact is, everything is costing more. Groceries, gas, clothes... *cry* I really think she's got a wonderful field trip set up for $15! My kid's would've loved it.

I think the mother needs to take it seriously, despite the fact that she is no doubt feeling very overwhelmed. When we're under stress, we're apt to let things out that we would normally keep bottled up. Whether it's just stress causing the child to melt down or not, it could help a great deal in the long run if he saw someone who could teach him how to cope with stress the right way vs the wrong way. And if there's anything more serious going on, they can help with that also. In my experience, kids who are 'fine' don't say things of that nature. Kids who are having difficulties do.

Schnauzers are wonderful dogs. They are curious, loving, almost always gentle (aren't there always exceptions!) and very protective and loyal to their family. The down side...oh yes, they bark. Someone walking outside the house, ears up, that person isn't my family, bark! bark! bark! Gone all day and walk in the door...oh, my, you're HOME! Bark! Bark! Little howl! Bark! Most little dogs like to bark. Can it be prevented, sure, right now we're using the squirt bottle because the barking has gotten to be a problem. These guys are usually friendly. Out of all the schnauzer's we've had, only one hasn't been but he's just that way to strangers, not family members, so we just put him in our room when maintenance and pest guys come over. Honestly, I am kind of wondering like the other poster...if every dog she has had is that way it makes me wonder if she isn't having some part to play in their temperament. Little dogs = mean, nasty dogs isn't the norm. Of all the little dogs I've known, only one fits that description, and it was a toy poodle that just had very few redeeming qualities.

It's soothing, comforting, night is here and see how warm and peaceful it is? All the things we love are surrounding us... fond memories of it here!

There's a few things to consider. Not all antibiotics will work on every bladder infection. Usually the doctor will start you on a broad spectrum and have the urine cultured and if necessary, switch medication to target a specific bacteria. There's also medication they can give that can ease the pain and feeling of urgency, though for the life of me I can't recall what name. If she is feeling that uncomfortable, I'd give the doctor's office a call and see if they can phone-in a med to the pharmacy. Also, cranberry juice helps. Have her drink plenty of water, the more water she drinks the more it'll flush out her bladder and dilute the amount of bacteria causing the pain. I had recurrent infections when I was pregnant, some issues after they were born, so this is a road I've been down many times. I hope she feels better soon. :(

I really wouldn't. I'd go for ceramic tile, laminate or vinyl linoleum.

Buying healthy bread is frustrating. If you can find one with HFCS in it, odds are it'll say 'enriched wheat flour'... you want to avoid that as well. Enriched is a way of saying 'we took out the good ingredients and now we're trying to stuff some back in artificially'. There is a Nature's Own 100% wheat that is a good option. I just wish some that had the whole grains in the mix weren't 'enriched' or had sugar in the top 5 (also a common problem).

My oldest has severe and multiple LDs and in grade 3 was diagnosed with ADD. We took him off meds when we started homeschooling. At the start of 10th grade we tried them again because he has been struggling in high school. Bad news is that they upset his stomach and he has digestive problems to begin with so...we gave up and he's trying to cope without. I might look into the natural supplements and see if they help. My second son, the autistic child, had ADHD diagnosed in first grade. He was so incredibly distractable. The problem -- the meds turned him into a flat, emotionless zombie. Off the meds he was this smiling, exuberant for life, loving child. On the meds he was monotone. I hated it. His special ed teacher was in my corner in trying him off them in 3rd grade. His teacher couldn't cope. When we started hsing the first thing I did was throw those pills away. He does better off them than his older brother. His pediatrician told me that autistic children have issues with ADD meds because they tend to cause some odd results, like in Mike, making him emotionally flat. My third son has struggled with impulse control his entire life and finally last year after yet another round of 'you've got to learn control' we discussed seeing our family doctor and seeing if there was help to be had. After going through all the questionnaires we gave concerta a try. It has helped him tremendously. He is far calmer and in more control. During all the work-up he told me how the constant level of anxiety he felt was making it hard for him to maintain his temper, etc. I had no idea he was feeling that much anxiety. I'm not sure how long he'll be on it but for now it's a definite blessing. So, while I'm not anti-meds, I'm also of the mind they should be used with caution and it's worth trying other methods *first*. My last child, praise God, shows no signs of any of those issues. He has physical handicaps that led us to homeschool and that opened the door for homeschooling the others. I will also say, HSing children with ADD/ADHD -- wow, that is amazingly difficult. I try to explain to people so they can relate and what it boils down to is, for example, HSing my oldest is a full time job in itself, not counting that I have three others to manage. I hang in there by the fingertips most days because we just have no other option. The public schools here are bad enough that we've never been able to send them back. Kind of one of those situations where the 'worst day HSing is better than the best day in public school'. :/

Not to dredge up the post back to page one, but I was gone all day (co-op + music means all day in town LOL). Just wanted to thank those who pointed me to the wikki info and explained the reasoning behind the cold mothers = autism. I had never heard of that before. Awful! I know there are cold mothers out there and it makes my heart ache for the kids in that position. I have heard about attachment disorders but that was always in regards to children growing up in really terrible orphanages. The babies are left in cribs all day etc and then they get adopted out, lots of disasters down the road for the families. I actually knew one family that had an adopted child with a mild form of the disorder but I didn't know that was on the spectrum. Either way, I am in the camp that autism disorders and having a predisposition towards it are probably affected by multiple factors. I don't think for one moment it caused my son's but some stories from other mother's are so compelling, I can't completely discount that there isn't a link for *some* children.

I haven't read the entire thread but I have a few issues, and a big one on this point. I have never heard or seen that autism is a product of neglectful parenting or cold mothers. I find that to be the oddest statement said in all my years of being mom to an autistic child. In fact, I've found that most mother's of autistic children are very involved and fighting for their children. Some just aren't as educated as they should be on what helps. My high-functioning autism boy is super affectionate. We termed him 'the cat' because of how he loved to climb on you and wrap himself around us. He *craved* touch and we gave it to him. He's not a typical autism child in that he does like interaction, he likes people, he's social, it was the biggest stepping stone in getting him diagnosed so he could get the help he needed in school. Most people would never know Michael is autistic upon meeting him, it's only being around him long term you will start to notice little quirks. Because he was high-functioning, we had the luxury of setting a standard and maintaining it. We pushed him when he was little, we put him on the same ground as his brothers, and we lived the same as if he wasn't autistic. He's an incredible person that has brought so much joy, love and laughter to our family. Also, the vaccine issues...I don't think it had anything to do with my son's autism. I look back at my childhood and my husband's and it seems like we both had leanings in that direction and for whatever reason Michael tipped too far. I had sensory issues and anxiety, my husband is ADHD and also had learning troubles. But I also know that Michael's head, from the neck up, was completely purple at birth. The difference in color between his torso and his head was shocking. He was 'sunny side' and his neck had been hyperflexed I think the doctor said...I've always wondered if that was the cause. Either way, 12 years ago all we had were worries about the future. Today, I have just smiles and pride. He's truly awesome.

Chalk me up to the 'not so-trusting anymore' crowd. My stepdad (and truly he was a second dad to me since he married my mom when I was 2) spent a year going to a specialist. He was diagnosed with black lung but when he kept growing progressively worse, to the point where he knew he was dying even when the doctor kept saying he wasn't...they blamed it on him. They said 'you're not exercising enough, you're too overweight (he was **** near skeletal! and he couldn't exercise because he couldn't breathe). Finally, his GP grew so concerned *he* ordered a cat scan. All us kids flew out for the same week to be with him based on his feeling that he wouldn't make it to his birthday (about a month later than our visit). Friends and family flocked in to see him. The week we were there he was going to turn down the cat scan but we pressed him to go, feeling maybe there was some underlying treatable cause. He went right after we left, on a Friday. He got the results on either a Tuesday or a Wednesday the next week that his entire body was riddled with cancer (ultimately it was decided it originated from the pancreas). He slipped into a coma Weds. evening and died Thursday. I really have no words for how I feel about his 'doctors'. He'd also been seeing specialists in another state before they moved because he just wasn't feeling well. In the end, I'm partially relieved he didn't know. I think if he'd found out a year earlier, he would've lived a shorter amount of time and been in more pain from the cancer treatments. But on the other hand, I'm upset that his specialist mishandled his health so terribly and made him feel like it was *his* fault that he was going downhill so fast. Bottom line -- I don't trust doctors. I don't think they truly look out for the patients anymore, it's too much about money. And if the answer isn't obvious, they won't spend the time to find out the cause or just even be honest and say 'I don't know'. It's always the patient's fault. Signed, still hurting... :(