I have a 7 yr old too who has just started this (he is neurotypical-- is that the right word? I mean he is not on the autism spectrum at all.) I would tell him that I have to check up on what he tells me more than usual since I am having trouble trusting what he says. And, I am a great fan of having consequences be immediate-- not something that happens over several days or a week. Then they forget what it was all about. Missing dessert at the next meal, or a time out, or missing your computer time which was supposed to start in the next hour... things like that. But sometimes, I just laugh. "Did you put on your socks? No you didn't! You silly, go back and do it now." Honestly, I don't think it is worth making too big a deal about, when it is just a child who is just testing the world as he grows.

Yes. This year for the first time they did it willingly & happily. Yes, this is a shameless brag, they are all done. :001_smile:I bought them some cute TY cards, as part of my Xmas planning, and they had markers & stickers & stamps to decorate. TYs to all gift givers, yes.

No way! It would be so boring!

Me too! Thanks everyone!

I have enjoyed the HP series very much. I think they are extremely good books-- not on the level of my beloved E Nesbit, Lewis, or Tolkein-- but still very good. I do, however, think that they struck a nerve in our culture at that particular moment, and I'm not sure why it was HP and not some other book.

If you have a Christmas stocking, who fills it? I mean, besides Santa. ;) I haven't filled one for myself, and that means I don't get one, but DH does. Does your DH and/or kids make one up for you? I have heard of an idea where moms fill stockings and trade them with each other, to open on Xmas morning. I think that is a nice idea, but I am not together enough to organize it, most years.

:001_smile:

I didn't even notice the credit card discussion was 2 years old. I wonder why, particularly, someone wanted to bring it up again?

I just wanted to mention, since several PPs have mentioned that the 'kiss of peace' and 'passing the peace' are ancient customs-- that, most likely, in the ancient church men and women would have been seated/standing in separate areas of the church. That changes the dynamic, I think, and makes it less uncomfortable.

:grouphug:

:grouphug: Simochka

I wish I could be very helpful, but my kids are younger so I have little experience with 4th & up. I am sorry your DS has been hammered on all sides. It sounds like you work really hard to do what is best for him and you are a good Mom.:001_smile: Could you take him out of everything except school for now and try to work on each situation, gradually, one by one, to get some resolution? Maybe the new teachers/principal would work with you to improve things if they realized how bad it is? But the whole thing seems to be too much to tackle at once. :grouphug: I wish he were in my son's class! ETA cross-post, sorry, when i wrote this I missed your last post.

I admire you for being together enough to send ANY pictures-- you just had a baby for goodness sakes!! :grouphug:

1. Rest-- was up with DD too much during the night: today is NOT going to be a productive work day 2. make a flyer for a Latin class I'm helping organize 3. play with the sewing machine and see if I can make a pocketbook for DD out of denim scraps 4. Daisy scouts!

The waves on Long Beach Island, NJ. Too far away now... so... Starbucks.

We like 30 Rock. Although it does have some 'objectionable' content, it is really clever and sometimes insightful. Our latest discovery is Pan Am. I have to put in a plug for this because I really enjoy it! It is pretty to look at, and it brings out some historical things from that period (early 1960s) that I liked seeing from the inside. I especially liked the Berlin one, when JFK gives his speech, and also the arc with whatisname, that Croatian doctor who used to be on ER. There is a Cold War spy theme also, which I suppose is pretty silly... but I really enjoy it. I enjoy seeing the characters act, and though it may be a fluffy show, there was some phenomenal acting from the French stewardess, and the spying girl (sorry I forget their names!) OK, there is a little too much sleeping around, but otherwise it's a great show.

It's different every year-- once in a while there is very little snow, and once in a while there's a ton. There's also less now than I remember as a kid... to try to generalize, there are usually several snowfalls of 3-12 inches, ranging from Dec to March. Sometimes roads shut down for a day, but not usually more than that. It's really beautiful, but messy to walk in and clear your car out of. That is why I recommend living near the T (subway/above-ground train) because then you don't have to worry about driving in it. And also invest in good snowboots.

Ummusa, how are you with WEATHER? To compare with Seattle, Boston has 4 more days of sun per month (I looked this up when we moved the other way), but it will be seriously cold in winter and there will be snow. The autumn and spring are beautiful there, but not everyone likes the winter. I am from there & love it, but not everybody does.

My response to the letter (before I read that it was you:001_smile:) was that it was a little odd to mention that you had yelled back at the dog. I think I would have been a little offended, but I would have laughed it off and gone to apologize. That said, I am not sure why you left a letter instead of talking to her directly? It seems that in the past you had not had any trouble with her (she totally overreacted this time). It might have been better to find her at a calm moment, and try to have a conversation with her, instead of leaving a note, which is always colder-- and a note could strike someone the wrong way if they encounter it at a stressful moment-- like just coming home from Jr High-- not that that's an excuse for her!

I didn't realize it was a machine gun! I guess I never noticed the flames coming out... Honestly, I thought Kitty was playing a violin, very vigorously.:blush:

We got that one, or one very much like it, and it works fine with any Legos. :001_smile:

"I'm done with church" is not the same thing as: "I'm done with THIS church."

:grouphug:

You can't learn language without learning the culture. I would expect it, whether I was studying Spanish or Hindi. I would feel free, though, to gloss over a story that might scare my kid.

Yes, but I would still kinda like to know.:001_smile: