I thought MFW required a lot of hands-on work from the parent?

Looking for Christian, but not Catholic. (Thanks, though, TM!)

I'm not being able to keep up with the schoolwork, the grading, the planning, all of it. I need something hands-off that I can give my ds, make sure that he is actually doing his work, but not have to come back and grade or prepare for the next set of lessons. Does anyone have any recommendations? At this rate, I'm seriously considering sending him to PS. I'm not doing him any favors by keeping him home right now.

:iagree: I, too, can absolutely tune my kids out! Personally, I think it's a survival skill. The poster that said that her kids are "exhuberant, but exhausting!" described my six perfectly! We teach them to not interrupt and to wait for the other person to finish before they start their topic. With six of them, though, sometimes it requires some patience before their turn comes around, so it really does bother me when some adult comes along and starts "talking over" them. That's nothing more than interrupting, and I'm not a fan of "Do as I say and not as I do." My MIL sometimes does this. She's not trying to be mean or belittle the kids or whatever when she does this; I don't think she really thinks about it at all! My dh handles this (and I've followed his example) by saying, "Wait a minute, Grandma, Child was saying something." And letting the child finish before asking Grandma what she needed.

Fernbank Natural History Museum Fernbank Science Center (small, but free, have some great displays of birds and some reptile tanks inside--my kids also really like their "human kalidescope") Dunwoody Nature Center (small, but free, mostly hiking trails & such, they do have a playground and an indoor classroom)

I have no experience with dancing. But, wouldn't it be better to wait until you are finished with the studio and then file suit? If your dd is still going there, couldn't the owner say, "I'm working on it, she [you] just isn't being patient!" And then give a whole bunch of "reasons" why the lessons were "delayed" but not outright denied. Also, you wouldn't want your dd to receive any negative treatment as blowback from your suit. Just some thoughts. :grouphug:

Not sure how accurate this is, but once upon a time I read that gargoyles were made to scare away evil spirits. People used to be very superstitious and do all sorts of crazy (by today's standards) things to guard against evil spirits and curses.

I guess I'm odd. I'd have said the truth...she drank too much alcohol and was drunk. That's what happens when people drink too much. That's what drunkeness looks like. Whether someone is addicted or simply having fun, drunkeness will make you behave in ways that you would never behave otherwise. I would have used it as a learning experience. Yes, I'd have said that to my 3 and 5 year olds. But that's me and my kids.

I completely understand! I had been asking my dh for the same thing for years...a household budget that would be mine to take care of without being affected by upcoming bills. I would get so frustrated trying to figure out how much money I had to spend on groceries...and what about clothes for the kids, or buying in bulk when things came on sale? Well, finally, he agreed! I came up with a list of things that I felt should be covered by this budget, then we went over it together. Ultimately we agreed on the list, then we had to figure out the amount. That wasn't easy. It took both of us looking at his income and all our bills, etc. to figure out an amount that would work. He didn't come up with the amount arbitrarily, and I had to give in on some things, too. If the money isn't there, it just isn't there. For instance, I had to reduce our Christmas budget and drastically reduce our clothing budget. The money just wasn't there. It took a great deal of going back and forth, but ultimately, we reached an amount we both felt was doable. Part of the agreement, though, was that whatever was considered part of my budget, like groceries, would come out of my account. Dh has a card to my account, and if I need him to stop and grab something, it goes on that card. If he has to cover extra expenses that are categorically part of my responsibility, the math doesn't add up for him to be able to deposit the full amount into my account. We both understand that emergencies might mean revisiting things, but generally speaking, I agreed to this amount, and I have to stick with it. In regards to gymnastics, with our income and 6 kids, we just can't handle doing seperate activities for each child. We chose to do one thing (a karate family membership) for the whole family. It gives something for everyone at a cost we could afford.

True, didn't think about that. :glare:

Why is it wrong for HSLDA to involve itself w/ non-homeschooling cases? Ultimately, homeschooling is centered around parental rights, so it makes sense to me that they would be interested in other cases involving parental rights. I don't see the problem there. But, does HSLDA have a history of misrepresenting the facts? The article does appear to be sensationalized, but if the basic facts are correct, then I don't see a reason to dismiss the story just because you might not agree w/ the organization politically. I do agree that it would be nice to hear the hospital's side of the story, but I think the only way that would happen would be if they were pressured by news organizations.

Shopping trip! I was in the same boat w/ my 5yr old last year. The last thing I wanted was more toys. She loves clothes and loves shopping, so I took her shopping, just her and me (doesn't happen often when you've got lots of siblings to share Mom w/). We got lunch out, spent the day shopping. She loved it!!! Her birthday's coming up again and she's been saying she wants to do that again, and get her ears pierced while we're out, too. I think I'm going to oblige her. :D

Thank you all. I have taken your advice and swalled the :chillpill:. :tongue_smilie: It is a relief to know that what the dr. did was pretty standard. I really appreciate your sharing your experiences! I was very nervous going in, yes. I don't like HMOs, and so far, I have found very little reassurance that this is not just some other large corporation that can't see past the end of their nose. :glare: They remind me of a medical version of dh's employer. He was formerly part of a regional company that got bought out by a huge international firm. The longer he's with them, the more it's obvious their only concern is their shareholders. They're an engineering firm which operates illogically. :001_huh: Although I was nervous, I was trying to be positive and give the dr. the benefit of the doubt. I was hoping that maybe he was considering relocating to our area, but in our introductions, he actually said that he would be leaving soon and we would be getting a "permanent" ped. here. It did not help that from the start he was condescending, and then there was his scare tactics about vaccines...:glare: I honestly think if dh hadn't been there, he'd have said more than he did. Okay. Swallowing another :chillpill:. :D

I'm a bit angry right now, so I this is a bit of a vent, and also an appeal for some advice. Quick background (youngest ds, 22 mos.): Saturday night he came down with croup, which continued until about Monday night, when the croupy sound went away and left just an awful cough and a fever. Fever was 102.4 under the arm. I checked his ears Tuesday morning and they both looked infected to me. His condition hadn't changed by this morning. As long as I keep acetaminphen or ibuprofen in him, the fever stays down but even after 3 days, if he comes off them, the fever will spike, so I took him to our new ped. (assigned to us by Kaiser) this morning. (New insurance this year, so new drs. We didn't currently have a dr. anyway 'cause our old one retired.) Kaiser just built their office in our area and so they're staffing it w/ drs from a nearby major city. What kind of dr. leaves his practice and his patients to go work in an office started by an insurance company? So, I didn't have a very high view of this dr to begin with. So my dh meets me there, 'cause he wants to meet the new dr. too (and I was very happy that he came :D ). We get in the room, and after introductions, the dr. comments about vaccines. :roll: (We don't follow the recommended schedule. We don't start vaccinations until the kids are 2, and then we only do selective vaccines. I've done lots of research and weighed the risks of the vaccines vs. the risks of the disease, taking into account my family's health patterns.) After a very brief comment about vaccines, he examined my ds. I had already told him that I thought he had a double ear infection. After listening very thoroughly to his chest, he said that his right lung is okay, but he has pneumonia in his left lung because he can hear a little crackling in it. :( I wasn't completely surprised; a kid from church, just a little older than ds, was dx w/ pneumonia on Mon. Personally, though, neither dh nor I have no experience w/ pneumonia. This is the first kid (out of 6) where we have every dealt w/ it. So all we could go on at this point is what the dr. said. He said that we could do an xray but sometimes you can hear the crackling before the pneumonia shows up in the xray. Well then, regardless of the x-ray says, he needed to be treated for pneumonia, so neither I nor dh saw any need to subject ds to an xray. The dr. seemed fine with that. When he checked his ears, he said that he had ear infections in both ears. :? Ummm, didn't I just tell you that? But whatever. He very quickly looked in ds's throat, and then sits down and starts telling us that since ds has pneumonia and hasn't been vaccinated, he's at risk for pneumencoccal disease and meningitis. He had another patient about the same age that had pneumonia and wasn't vaccinated and he got pn. disease and became deaf in one ear. And that it's these vaccines are very important to prevent things like this. Then he prescribed amoxicillen for the ear infections and the pneumonia and sent us on our way. Other than his attempt at frightening us (which didn't work 'cause we could both see through that right away), he never said anything about pneumonia and put it in the same category as the ear infections. I know that pneumonia can be serious, but again, I don't have experience so at this point all I can go on is the dr's word. I called my best friend on the way home and told her about it. She has experience w/ this and gave me an ear-full, in a very kind and informative way. So I get home and start looking into pneumonia. :evil: :evil: :evil: Here's just two things Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child (my go-to book) says, that the dr. never bothered to tell me: --a full recovery from pneumonia, no matter what the cause, may take several weeks, and a cough may sometimes last up to two months, even after the infection is gone. :shock: --if pneumonia is suspteced, it is likely your physician will first want to look at a chest x-ray...as well as a blood test and/or sputum sample (to determine what type of infectiojus agent is responsibile.) THIS DETERMINATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR PROPER TREATMENT. (emphasis mine) :evil: :evil: I'm sooo not happy about this. Surely the dr. wouldn't brush aside something like this just to "get even" with us for not vaccinating? :shock: But the other alternative is that ds doesn't really have pnemonia and the dr. is trying to scare us so that we get him his shots. :? I am not a happy camper. :evil: I'm going to continue alternating between ibuprofen and acetominaphin, continue w/ the guaifenesn, and make sure ds gets lots of herbal tea and rest. And continue to watch him closely (he's been sleeping downstairs w/ me so I can keep an I on his fever). Anyone have any other recommendations?

I'm sorry. I think I'm going to show my ignorance, but how do you figure GPAs with pass/fail grades? Isn't your GPA supposed to include all the subjects that are on your transcript...both PE and calculus? I guess I'm a little confused here.

How do you figure a grade for P.E.? Both my dd and ds are in 9th grade and taking karate for PE. Dd pays better attention and listens to the instructor better than ds. When she took her yellow belt test, the instructor said she did very good. She was commended by several black belts on how well she did. Ds doesn't listen or pay attention as well in class. Sometimes, he's a distraction. The instructor said that he did well on his test, but that during class he needs to work on giving more effort. He is not giving his best effort--something the instructor expects--and the instructor has noticed this. The instructor gave everyone the yellow belt test at the same time, not just my kids. They both passed and earned their yellow belts. Based on this, how would you handle giving them their grade?

Betty, I don't know if I can get it from the office, but after reading all the paperwork, I'm seriously not holding my breath. Your story has given me a little hope, though. TranquilMind, I'm just trying to set up all our stuff online to be able to have access and all. I was trying to link everyone's to my account so I don't have to sign in individually for myself, dh, and 6 kids. There is no problem linking my dh and I, it's just those between 13-17. :glare: But you have a good thought. Maybe I can just set it up for the older ones. I agree. We live in a whacked world.

We have Kaiser. I'm trying to set things up online. I really hate this. :cursing: IMO, there is no good reason to deny a parent or guardian access to any medical records of a child that is still under their care, unless they also do not have custody or parental rights. However, if a parent or guardian is responsible for the care and protection of the child, then that parent should have full access to ALL medical records. All I see is a subversion of parental rights and authority. I see no good to this at. all. :banghead: :cursing: :rant:

Our free prime just ended and I'm thinking of paying to continue the service 'cause it has always been super fast, sometimes before the expected date. It's been that way since before the holiday and even after.

Just wanted to say "Thank you!" to the ideas on this thread. I googled "make your own coffee mate creamer" and this was fifth on the list. I should've just came here instead of Google! :lol:

A few ideas: Try using more, or a different ration. If you have hard water, additional baking soda might be good. A higher amount of washing soda and borax might work. I don't even like to use the soap...I just use washing soda, borax, and baking soda. As someone else suggested, using OxiClean might help. Also, you can try Biz, which is an enzyme booster. If all else fails, try adding a couple teaspoons to tablespoons of trisodiumphospate (TSP) into your wash. You can find it with the cleaners in the paint department at Lowe's.

Thanks. I checked it out, but it's not available through Audible. :(

I'm looking for a book that covers how diet affects the mind. Something like Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder or something similar, BUT I need it be available for download through Audible. :glare: Anyone have any suggestions? Most of the research I've done and learned has been through herb and nutrition books and online, and my education has been pieced together and not due to one or even two books. The above book is the only one I can think of that puts the information together in one interesting and readable book. But I know there's got to be more out there. I'm not looking for about autism in general, but a book on the relationship of the SAD to behavior. Thanks!

I'm not really looking for something on Autism exactly, but something that relates the dangers of the SAD and how it affects behavior??

I don't know about eye injures, but blood blisters are supposed to go away and not leave a mark behind. HOWEVER, I have a mark on my little finger that is from a blood blister. It's YEARS old, but the mark has never gone away. I know it's not completely related, but if that's what it was, I could see how it could cause discoloration. Probably not very likely in most cases, but it could happen.