My twins are working a year "behind" and I guess technically I "held" them back. Their birthday is shortly before the cut-off and they were born premature plus had developmental delays. I figured if they ever shot ahead I would just graduate them early. When I pulled them out of kindergarten I waited a year to start anything more with them because it was such a struggle for them. In church they were in their "correct" age but when moving to middle school this year I kept them back in the elementary class because of their maturity. My DSD had already been held back in public school once. Then we held her back again after testing when we found out about her low IQ and the FAS. We even held her back in church etc, her birthday is also shortly before the cut off so she is technically two years behind in activities. Even though the twins are now passing her after working all on the same grade for several years, we won't hold her back again as we have recently found out she may not progress past this level. Holding them back has been nothing but good in our case. They were with children more their maturity and who had similar interests. In testing it accurately showed where they would be if in public school since they all would have been held back. If they ever had to go back to public school for whatever reason the three would enter at the same grade level together, one and two years "behind." In some states only DSD would be behind though depending on the cut-off. Anyway, I will quit rambling now :)

:iagree::iagree: Wow! You are exactly like me! My kids love doing things themselves and are proud of it. The parents around me think I am cruel.

So, what's happening at your house this Monday morning? The kids finished wrapping the presents they bought last night and now we are about to start school with worship time (Christmas hymns- yay!) Did you have a good weekend? Yes, it was pretty good, we relaxed, went Christmas shopping so the kids could buy for each other, I baked What's on the menu for today? Turkey soup for dinner, no idea about lunch- I hope I'll get an idea from someone else! What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? REALLY COLD! Snow is on the ground, it is 22º with a high today of 26º and a low of 11º! I am not adjusting to Utah as easily as my children!

My kids love "Jingle All the Way" and "Christmas at the Kranks" along the lines of what you wanted They also love: The Polar Express, The Rudolph movies, It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey, Disney's A Christmas Carol, if it has Christmas, my kids like it!

I am dying over here! I have never thought to check through my entire room in the morning beforehand! LOL I would talk to his psych like PPs have recommended and just keep telling yourself that millions and millions of children all over the world live in a one room hut with plenty of siblings. It can't be as scarring as we, in America, feel like it is. :001_smile:

When my twin boys were little (and I was a single mom) I came out of the bathroom to find one "massaging" the other's back with my bright pink one! I almost had a heart attack! I snatched it from them and one said, "Mama I want to rub his back with the pink massager more!" There was no one to see me embarrassed and I was MORTIFIED! :blush: My BFF and I tease each other about the pink back massager all the time. My BFF once woke up from a nap with her toddler to find the child, and the room, covered in peppermint lube and her playing with a couple of toys. It took us FOREVER to clean up the mess! The room smelled like mint for a long time!:lol::lol:

WAY too much! Seriously I don't know what I buy that costs so much but for 8 people it just gets crazy.

:lurk5:

Today I am thankful for my children and my husband.

This one was easier to answer :001_smile:

I am a creationist. YE or OE doesn't really matter to me. I think it is fun to debate and to investigate but it has no real bearing on my spiritual or physical life. I don't stress or worry about either one. God didn't make it clear so it must not be too important for us to know :) I voted other.

:iagree::iagree::iagree: (With the exception of it being my parents) I know lots of people growing up that did this exact thing. One in the more formal family room or entry and one in living room.

iron- I don't know what the issue is, it sounds fine to me, but everyone giggles whenever I say it :glare:

I go. I usually show up right after the doors opened so I don't wait in line. I will go out of my way to drive to a smaller suburb where it isn't so packed. I am never going for the big electronics so I haven't had a problem with my plan. I get toys and board games, stocking stuffers and, of course, socks at Fred Meyer's sock sale! I enjoy the time without the kids and I get myself a little snack as I shop alone.:001_smile:

Anytime my kids interrupt me or behave obnoxiously I stop talking, say "Let me know when you are ready," (in a calm normal voice) and then I just stand there staring at them. When they stop and say, "I'm ready," then I go on. Sometimes I start over if they were being rude rather than just ADHD-y. I think I used to say, "You're being rude to Mama by ________ so let me know when you are ready." But now they are 11, 11, and 12 and I know they know, because usually they look pretty sheepish while I stare at them.

YES! I would never do one but seriously my house is nuts! We are a blended, mixed-race family. The step kids are FAS, anti-social and ODD. One of mine is immuno-compromised and has all sorts of weird allergies and diseases. My other twin has severe speech and language disorders. Mine are loud, dramatic and hilarious. His are loud, dramatic and destructive. Homeschooling is a 3 ring circus. Our bedroom is a command center where you can watch the camera views from multiple rooms in our house. We are constantly having health scares with my son or punishing dsd for pooping on the floor or peeing in her clothes drawer, etc. One time we were AT a therapy session for my dsd when the twins called to tell us that dss just ran away. The psych just started laughing and said he would pray for us as we scrambled out the door while calling the police. Before we moved, my goddaughter used to come over all the time because she said it was BETTER than watching reality TV. She would just sit on the couch and laugh or shake her head in disbelief. all. day. long.

DH and I drink a glass of wine on occasion but my family does NOT drink alcohol. I have never seen anyone in my immediate or entire extended family drink anything ever. They all cook with wine all the time though. They cook it out. They don't believe drinking is a sin in and of itself but that it can lead to sin. I always figured that putting it in your soup wouldn't lead to sin and so they didn't care about that lol but I have never asked.

I am 29, went to private Christian school and learned it dilemna. I know I was taught that way because when every I write/type the word, in my head I think dilem-na. Then I think oh yeah that is wrong now and have to force myself to write double "m"s. I do that to all words spelled oddly but I have always said it aloud correctly.

Brazilian Ju Jitsu because my brother has taught the boys some already and he insists on it. He is army and competes in the combatives tournaments which apparently use Ju Jitsu.

We have only used ECC so far, but I am interested in the responses! :bigear:

Boys are much easier than girls... for me. I know people who can't stand all the constant activity and craziness though and prefer girls :) I'd rather deal with running and jumping off of things than emotional breakdowns any day!

My son is 15 but quite immature, so I hope he counts :) We are getting him several CDs. He loves to listen to music while doing his PE or just lay in bed with music on, thinking. I hate picking books for him but I thought I might take him to the bookstore to get him one book and see what else he seemed interested in, sometimes he has to narrow it down and then I have a few ideas. I was thinking about getting him posters or something to put up in his room but I haven't come up with anything good! Teenage boys frustrate me when it comes to present giving! :)

:iagree::iagree: I am so glad that I have the privilege of understanding people more. This board has opened my eyes to the reason behind many ideas and philosophies I had only heard of in passing before.

:iagree::iagree: LOL I watch them all! We get the channel and if I miss one I can watch it OnDemand. We get all the cable channels for free lol don't judge me :) I am caught up! I have some weird attraction to this show and am fascinated by it. However I am so needy there is no way I could do it!

Yay!! Congratulations! :party: